Unknown to the group of six teens, a set of drones hovered high above the wasteland, transmitting data to another location. Within a large room with the same appearance as a conference room, eight individuals sat at a table that looked like a rounded arc. In the seat at the back of the arc sat a man in a black and white tailored suit. This was Head General Paul Snealleart, appointed leader of Military Base 2. Normally, Paul was rarely actually on the military base, spending most of his time off-base on important meetings with other military bases, and even the higher-ups in Military Base 1.
On the left side of the arc, sat four individuals in a row. Starting from the back, closest to Paul there was General Nathan, the general in charge of the first-year students. Nathan was a young man with brown hair who wore more casual clothes compared to the others. In front of Nathan were Sergeant Leo, Sergeant Faye, and Sergeant Shizuka, in that order. Comparatively, the opposite side of the arc only housed two people.
The first, who was closest to Paul's right, was a man in military attire whose biceps were the size of thighs. This man was General Duke King, the general in charge of the second-year students. Directly in front of him was a man with dark skin and a large, black afro. He also wore square-shaped glasses on his face. This was Sergeant Dillan Wyte, a sergeant of the second-year students, directly under Duke.
In the very front of the table, there was a projector set up, displaying a video feed of the Ability Level Placement Test onto the white wall in front of them. The eight individuals watched the six students being tested with varying levels of interest. Of course, due to Leo being blind, Sergeant Faye had to give him a play-by-play explanation for her seat behind him. On the feed, they watched Quinn's rather lackluster performance, causing Duke to let out a condescending chuckle. The others all turned to him.
"That's what he gets for trying to act tough." Duke chuckled. Both Shizuka and Leo narrowed their eyes at him. Layla went next. They watched as she masterfully used her Telekinesis Ability to control each arrow and hit each target simultaneously. Nathan scratched his chin in slight acknowledgment and approval.
"Not bad." He muttered. Duke snorted in response. Paul sent Duke a stern look.
"Do you two have to fight about everything?!" He asked. Duke gritted his teeth and looked away. A smug look could be seen on Nathan's face. Erin went next. Her display using her high-level Ice Ability was of particular interest to Duke. He turned to Dillan.
"Look into that girl's background after the tests are complete." He ordered. "See if anybody would make a fuss if she were to suddenly lose her Ability." Dillan nodded. Duke let out a triumphant smirk, knowing that he might have found a new "gift" for Jack Truedream. Seeing his smirk, Shizuka narrowed her eyes.
'I see Truedream's little dog is already hard at work for his TRUE 'master'.' Shizuka thought bitterly. Vorden went next. His ability to perfectly replicate Erin's performance left them all wide-eyed and dumbstruck.
"How did he do that?" Duke asked, now standing up straight in his seat. Shizuka's eyes narrowed.
'Blonde hair…the ability to copy other Abilities…no, it can't be…' She thought. Suddenly, her head snapped towards Sergeant Dillon. "Sergeant Dillon, what's that boy's name?" She asked. Sergeant Dillon looked down at his tablet.
"Uh, 'Vorden Blade', Sergeant Shizuka." He replied. Suddenly, Duke let out a loud, angry, outburst.
"Hey!" He yelled, looking at his own sergeant. Shizuka's face morphed into a look of grim recognition.
"A Blade…" She muttered. Paul glanced over at her.
"Something you want to share with the rest of us, Sergeant Shizuka?" He asked. Shizuka's gaze shifted over to him.
"There was an incident a while back." She replied. "I was sent with a small platoon to investigate the sudden and utter destruction of a faction allied to the military." She explained, as her steely gaze met Paul's. "When we arrived there, we found a girl. A SINGLE, fucking girl standing in the wreckage. Built like an amazon with glowing, blonde hair. That girl could also copy Abilities. Also…not only could she perfectly copy not only a person's Ability, but their Ability Level."
Silence cast across the room as Shizuka continued her story. "What followed wasn't a fight, it was an absolute slaughter." She continued. "That girl massacred my whole squadron…a whole group of highly-trained, high-ranking soldiers. And she made it look easy." Nathan gulped.
"What…What happened?" He asked. Shizuka glanced back at him.
"I fought her to a standstill for hours." Shizuka replied. "Until…" Everyone leaned forward into their seats.
"...Until?" Nathan asked, urging her to go on. Shizuka slammed her hands into the table.
"Until a buttler, a fucking buttler, appeared on a ship!" She yelled. "He reprimanded her like she was a disobedient child, and took her away to god-knows-where!" Shizuka bit her lip so hard that blood began dripping down. "I will NEVER forget that bitch's name…'Vicky Blade!'" Everyone instinctively inched back in their seats, feeling the intense bloodlust leaking off of Shizuka.
When she lifted her head back up, her face was twisted into the look of a maddened, deranged psychopath. "If I ever see that fucking bitch again…I will teach her the true meaning of pure and utter agony! I will water the ground with her blood, and her screams will echo through the night like the howling wind! I will make her BEG for the sweet release of DEATH!" Everyone took a further step back, as Shizuka began to breathe deeply, almost like she was hyperventilating.
Shizuka could still see Vicky's smug smirk as the ship's door closed. It was the look of someone who knew that there was nothing Shizuka could do to her.
"Okay…" Paul muttered, slightly off-put, and if he was being honest, a tad bit scared. 'How the hell did Oscar control this lunatic?' He thought.
Leo glanced in her direction, a troubled look on his face. 'She belongs in a psyche ward, not commanding soldiers…' He thought.
"Hey, look!" Nathan said, pointing at the screen to break the tension. "Your little brother is up next!" Instantly, Shizuka's gaze snapped towards the feed. They all watched as Tsukuru activated his Ability.
"Hey, are the drones acting up?" Nathan asked, eyebrow raised in confusion. "I think I can hear…electronic interference." Leo shook his head.
"Actually, I think that sounds coming from…him." He muttered, his improved hearing from an entire lifetime of being blind letting him hear that the sound was actually coming from the video feed, itself. They all watched as the translucent pixels appeared in his hand, creating the dagger. Duke slowly stood up.
"That kind of power…that doesn't exist." He muttered. Faye glanced over at him.
"And yet, apparently, it does." She replied. The group watched as Tsukuru hit target after target with perfect aim. Faye turned to Shizuka. "Does Tsukuru have a history of archery training?" She asked. Shizuka glanced back at her.
"No." She said in a tone of finality. "Tsukuru spends all his time playing an ancient form of entertainment called 'video games' from the early 2000's. He hardly ever even leaves his room in the Green Family estate.' Duke glanced over at her.
"Then explain how he was perfectly able to hit each target." He muttered. Shizuka didn't reply. They then watched the Strength test.
"Is that…is that a glathrium knuckle?" Dillon asked, lowering his glasses to get a better look. Paul put his hand on his chin in thought. He turned to Shizuka.
"Sergeant Shizuka, tell your brother I wish to speak with him." He replied. Shizuka looked at Paul and narrowed her eyes. Seeing her look, Paul waved his hand dismissively. "I simply want to see if he would be willing to…'manufacture' some glathrium for our stockpiles." He replied, assuringly. "That stuff isn't cheap, or easy to produce." Shizuka snorted.
"Yeah, sure." She muttered, waving her hand. "I'll pass it along." She looked over at Duke, who seemed to have an unhealthy interest in Tsukuru. Or, to be more specific, his Ability. Shizuka narrowed her eyes. "Don't even think about it." She said in a tone of finality. Duke's gaze snapped to her.
"Excuse me?" He asked, eyes narrowed in a hardened tone. Shizuka's gaze narrowed into something far more dangerous.
"The Supreme Commander and I had an accord." Shizuka continued in a sharp tone that left no room for negotiation. "I would turn a blind eye towards your little 'gifts' for Jack Truedream on the condition that Tsukuru is off-limits." She put particular emphasis on "off-limits". Duke ground his teeth in frustration.
He had the perfect Ability for Jack Truedream figuratively right in front of him, but yet, the Ability was now forever out of reach. Leo narrowed his eyes.
"What exactly do you mean by 'gifts', Sergeant Shizuka?" He asked. Shizuka turned to him.
"Sergeant Leo, it's better for everyone involved if you act as if you never heard that statement." She replied. Leo tensed. Suddenly, Shizuka got up from her seat. Paul turned to her.
"Going somewhere, Sergeant Shizuka?" He asked, eyebrow raised. Shizuka turned to him.
"Tell whichever teacher is in charge of Tsukuru's class that I will be taking over the introductions." She replied, tipping her hat, almost like she was ordering a lower-ranked subordinate. "I'm going to go see my darling little, Tsu-Tsu." The remaining seven people watched as she exited the room. In the conference room, the seven remaining individuals looked at the now-closed door LONG after Shizuka had left. Immediately, Duke turned to Paul.
"She's acting like she's the Head General here!" Paul turned to him with a gaze that showed conflict and wariness.
"I suggest you watch your words around her." Paul warned. "Because there's a high chance that anything she hears will inevitably find its way into a report on the desk of the Supreme Commander." Duke gulped. In response to his statement, Nathan glanced towards Paul.
"So, the rumors are true?" He asked. "That her word has high sway within Military
Base 1?" Paul let out a deep sigh.
"You all know that Oscar only sees us as pieces on a chessboard." He replied. "Well, she is one of his best pieces. And he will do just about anything, and sacrifice just about anyone to keep her on his side." Duke snorted, as his gaze shifted back towards the feed. On it, Tsukuru could be seen walking back towards the group of five teens from the testing area.