"Cadet Steelheart. Please enter through the doors and follow the instructions of the officials inside." Even from the very back, Caedus could feel her presence as she stepped into the building, followed by Captain Woods.
As everyone stared at the door that was swinging closed, a hush fell over the cadets, and they waited with held breaths. A few minutes later, a blinding white light seeped out from the bottom of the door. Every Caedus, who was in the back of the line, almost had to look away from the building. And just as suddenly the light appeared, it was gone. A few minutes went by in anticipation.
Then she emerged. She was still the top beauty of Division One. A tired, proud smile framed her face. She looked even more dazzling than before. But her hair was slightly different. Her originally all-black hair now had a thin streak of white in it. As she proudly left the building and walked towards her new training grounds, Caedus eyed a silver sword with a white hilt at her hip. As he looked up, he saw her looking at him, before smirking, flipping her hair, and continuing her journey proudly without looking back.
"What's her deal?" Caedus confusedly muttered.
"Cadet Steelheart, combat branch."
Light cheering and discussions were heard among the cadets.
"She definitely didn't have that going in."
"Her powers are something with that sword? Makes sense knowing her father is one of the strongest men in the kingdom!"
"When we graduate, I will definitely ask for her hand in marriage!"
"Cadet Blackthorn." Dorian stepped forward with minimal expression. After a few minutes of waiting, he stepped out of the building and followed in the same direction that Iris had. He had no visible object or physical changes that Caedus could see, but looking at him gave Caedus the feeling of staring into the abyss.
"Cadet Blackthorn, combat branch."
"Cadet Windson." From the back of the line, Caedus saw the bubbly redhead bounce forward excitedly. Just as the two before, she exited after a few minutes and, with a beaming smile, walked in the same direction.
"Cadet Windson, combat branch."
Time slowly lulled on. People still watched carefully, looking for any physical changes in those who had already awakened.
"Cadet Everheart, combat branch."
"Cadet Frostblade, combat branch."
"Cadet Stormrune, combat branch."
"Cadet Pailin. Step inside." Caedus focused his attention and stared at his friend. His friend, feeling his eyes, smiled and waved at him before disappearing inside the door.
Caedus held his breath. He knew how much this awakening meant to Eric. And he was happy his friend was finally able to get his powers.
A few minutes went by, and Eric exited. His golden hair and eyes seemed to shine in the sun's reflection. He smiled brightly, almost blinding the division, then looked at Caedus, nodded, and gave him a thumbs up.
"Cadet Pailin, combat branch."
At this, Caedus flashed a smile back at him and gave a clapping motion, showing his support for his friend as he walked away, following Iris and her cohorts' lead.
Hours passed, and the once excited crowd had dwindled to only a few people left in line. Hours of anticipation had killed their mood and seemed only to make everyone more anxious, Caedus included.
He didn't really try to get to know the people around him despite the first opportunity in months to speak to someone else.
'I want to get this done now!'
Finally, just as the sun was getting low in the sky, it was his turn.
"Cadet Violetshade. You're the last one. Come on in." Captain Woods' voice called out to him.
As Caedus stepped into the building, he realized it was a huge, open room, similar to a warehouse, and on the other side of the space, he saw Captain Woods and 9 other Captains sitting at a long table, observing him.
"Cadet Violetshade reporting," Caedus called out, snapping to attention.
"At ease, cadet." The captain sitting in the middle spoke. "I am Captain Thorne. As Captain Woods was in charge of your physical training, I will be in charge of the rest of your training. Today, the captains present here, as well as I, will oversee your awakening, trying to make sure you stay safe, and then authenticating your powers and deciding your branch. Is that understood?" The Captain was a middle-aged woman with light brown hair and an eye patch over her left eye.
"Yes, ma'am," Caedus replied, looking at her in the face. He didn't even glance at the other Captains sitting at the table besides Captain Woods, with whom he was most familiar.
"Good. You will sit cross-legged in the middle of the room, and the Obsidian Gate Doctor will guide mana into your soul. From there, you will be able to see the physical manifestation of your soul and will thus have an innate understanding of your powers. You will then, when ready, demonstrate it to us." She said again.
Caedus could feel his heart thumping in anticipation. He nodded and couldn't help but grin as he made his way forward and sat down in the middle of the room.
After a few seconds, he heard footsteps behind him and felt a hand on his back. An old voice sounded in his ear. "Don't resist the mana."
Caedus didn't respond and only closed his eyes.
None of the observing Captains spoke. They knew that interrupting or causing either of them to lose focus could hurt both of them.
Then Caedus felt it.
He opened his eyes, and he was floating in a black void. He reached out his hand and tried to touch something, but there was nothing there. It wasn't even black from being in darkness, as he could see his hands and body, but there was literally nothing.
"Strange," Caedus said aloud, trying to focus his gaze on the horizon, but his eyes wouldn't focus. It gave him an odd feeling.
Caedus whipped around just in time to see space itself splitting apart.
A blinding violet light burst through the fracture.
He covered his ears in pain as the tear widened larger… and larger… until it towered before him like the trunk of a large tree.
Then the tearing stopped, and his eyes adjusted to the purple light. He saw what the rift revealed.
Caedus found himself staring into a vast, endless expanse beneath a sky of swirling black storm clouds. Flashes of deep purple lightning arced through the heavens, illuminating the landscape in brief, blinding bursts. The air crackled with raw energy, the very atmosphere alive with power.
Beneath the chaotic sky stretched an endless ocean. The water churned and surged like a living storm, its surface deep and laced with veins of flowing purple, destructive energy. Massive waves crashed around him, rising impossibly high before collapsing into the abyss, yet not a single drop of water touched him. Further away, at the center of the storm, a lone structure stood, a towering obsidian spire rising from the chaotic waters, its jagged form pulsing with arcs of violet energy. The sheer presence of it sent a shiver down Caedus's spine. It felt ancient. Powerful. Destructive.
Then another flash of large lightning struck the spire, and Caedus saw it.
Something wrapped around the spire. At first, it was only a silhouette. A peculiar shape that seemed familiar, yet he couldn't be quite sure what it was. It was so dark in color that the obsidian spire paled in contrast.
Then lightning flashed again.
A hand.
Caedus froze.
"Is that? A hand?"
The moment he recognized it, whispers flooded his mind.
Thousands of them are layered on top of each other. He couldn't understand a single word, but instinct screamed at him that listening any longer would shatter his sanity.
"I need to leave! Now!" Panic set in. His once excited demeanor turned into fright.
'That thing. It isn't human. Even looking at its hand makes my mind hurt!" Caedus tried to look away, but found himself unable to.
"Move! Move! MOVE!" Caedus screamed out at his body, trying to get it to look away from the horror. As if teasing him, the demonic, inhuman silhouette of a hand began to grip, as if it were pulling itself from behind the spire to look at Caedus.
"Don't look! DON'T LOOK!" Caedus screamed at himself.
*BOOM*
A colossal bolt of violet lightning crashed into the spire. The entire tower ignited with blinding light, and for a single moment, Caedus was distracted from his screaming instincts. Then the lightning changed direction and shot straight toward Caedus.
His eyes widened just barely in time before the bolt struck him directly in the chest, causing everything to go black.
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A few minutes ago.
"It seems that Cadet Violetshade has entered his Soul Sea." The ancient voice of the man injecting mana in Caedus stood up and bowed to the Captains sitting at the table.
"Thank you, Doctor, for your hard work today." Captain Thorne smiled at him.
"Anything for the future of the Kingdom." The doctor smiled before stepping to the side of the room and observing Caedus from afar.
"Hmm, since he is the last candidate, let us begin our discussion of the 1,000 already tested cadets, excluding Cadet Violetshade. Just over 700 are combat branches. It is more than I expected." Captain Thorn put a monocle over her good eye and began reading through her stacks of paper.
"Indeed so, the King will be happy with these results. However, we cannot apply the same expectations to future divisions." Another captain spoke up.
"True, we only have a handful of commoners in this batch, and only a small percentage of those commoners have combat abilities."
Captain Thorne didn't reply to that comment about commoners before continuing. "His Majesty has already relayed to General Voss that he knows, unless nobles are in the division, the number of combat-related powers will drop statistically, but even so, I know there are incredible geniuses with even more incredible powers. In particular, the first 7 cadets we saw will all be pillars of our military."
"No one will argue with that." All the captains nodded to themselves, agreeing with her statement.
They all had the same paperwork, which was updated after every cadet awakened.
At the top of the paperwork, they had a list of names, each with their abilities and background, next to it.
Cadet 0001 — Iris Steelheart
Daughter of Duke Steelheart.
Powers: Sword Creation, Sword Manipulation, and Sword Arts
Cadet 0002 — Dorian Blackthorn
Son of a powerful Marquess
Powers: Underworld Embodiment.
Cadet 0003 — Mira Windson
Daughter of Viscount Windson
Powers: Wind Manipulation, Enhanced Agility Through Wind Control
Cadet 0004 — Jared Everhart
Son of Duchess Everheart
Powers: Knight Armament Summoning, Manifestation of Spiritual Armor, Shield, and Sword
Cadet 0005 — Keira Frostblade
Daughter of Duke Frostblade
Powers: Ice Creation, Ice Manipulation
Cadet 0006 — Ragnar Stormrune
Son of an Earl Stromrune
Powers: Gigantification, Enhanced Strength
Cadet 0007 — Eric Pailin
Son of the Kingdom's Divine General
Powers: Descendant of the Sun Crow Lineage, Golden Solar Flame Manipulation.
"These 7, they are our future." A noble-looking captain spoke with reverence, looking at the names.
"That they are." Captain Thorne smiled. "I even hear they are planning on creating their own Cohort on completion of the Ironwood Crown Initiative. The future is looking up already."
As the captains were all enjoying their discussion, a frightened voice grabbed their attention.
"MOVE!" Caedus screamed, fear evident on his face. His eyes were still closed tightly.
"Cadet Violetshade?" Captain Woods frowned deeply before stepping forward. "Doctor?" He looked at the doctor standing to the side, who looked very confused.
"Don't look! DON'T LOOK!" Caedus screamed out loud.
Captain Thorne shot to her feet as soon as Caedus began to scream. "DOCTOR! Help him!" She yelled. Her outburst made the other captains realize something was very, very wrong. They rose to their feet and readied themselves.
The frail-looking doctor sprinted forward, rushing to Caedus' side, then, about 10 feet from Caedus, stopped in his tracks with a look of fear.
"Doctor, help him!" The doctor didn't move a single step. Then, without indication, he collapsed to the floor. Just as the older man fell to the floor, Caedus froze, causing everyone to hold still.
5 seconds had passed, and no one had moved yet. Then it happened. Caedus began to convulse and foam at the mouth. A purple and destructive aura surrounded him, with lightning shooting off occasionally. The pressure itself was so immense that it left cracks on the concrete floor.
"Fuck!" Captain Thorne shouted in a panic and leaped over the table. "Don't let him die! She shouted at the others." The other captains came to their senses and sprinted towards the out-of-control Caedus without hesitation.
Then, once they got within 10 feet of him, they heard it.
Whispers. Thousands upon thousands of whispers layered atop one another.
Not words in any language they knew of.
Something sinister was clawing directly into their minds. Several captains staggered instantly, faces draining of color as incomprehensible voices hissed inside their skulls. One dropped to a knee, clutching his head in agony.
Captain Woods gritted his teeth hard enough to draw blood.
"What… the hell… is this?" he growled.
A crack of purple lightning exploded outward, leaving a mark on his otherwise spotless armor.
Another bolt of lightning went straight up above Caedus and froze in mid-air. Then it began to widen, causing a smaller crack in space.
And for the briefest instant, something moved in the crack above Caedus.
The Captains stared in horror, frozen with fear. The horror of what was happening in that crack in space was enough to distract them for a moment from the whispers.
Captain Thorne, using all of her might, let out a roar of determination and reached towards her eye patch to rip it off before sprinting forward and putting each hand on either side of the crack in space and pulling it together. Realizing what they needed to do, the other captains bravely swallowed their horror and helped her close the rift.
As soon as the rift was closed, Caedus's power calmed down, and he had stopped convulsing. Even the doctor, who collapsed earlier, was groaning weakly.
The Captains all stared at Caedus while breathing heavily.
Captain Thorne, getting control of her breathing, rushed to Caedus' side before turning and barking orders at the others. "Call the medics here! Now!" Now, yet recovered from what just happened, Captain Woods steeled his resolve and sprinted out of the building, shouting for medics.
Once the doctors and Caedus were carried out on a stretcher, the Captains all slowly went back to their seats.
For a moment, no one spoke or even shifted in their seats.
Captain Thorne slowly lowered her hands, her breathing uneven as she stared at the space where the crack had been. A thin line of sweat ran down her temple despite her composed posture.
"…Status report," she said quietly. Captain Thorner had already put her eyepatch back on, which only added to her dark expression.
"..." No one spoke.
Captain Thorne slammed her fist on the table, repeating, "Status report!"
"One of the medics informed me that both Cadet Violetshade and the doctor will be fine." He shakily said.
"The spatial disturbance is stabilized now, and no traces have lingered." Another spoke up. Not bothering to stand, since she was the one who had nearly collapsed earlier from the whispers.
Another moment of silence filled the empty room.
Without saying a word, she picked up a pen and wrote his evaluation, which appeared on all the papers simultaneously as she wrote.
Cadet 1001 - Caedus Violetshade
Combat Branch. ATTENTION NOTE FOR RECRUITERS: Not suited for cohorts.
Recommended for Slayer Corps in Slayer Position.
Powers: Unknown. Destructive in nature.