"Huh, so tiring. I didn't expect they do ABC power rankings on rifts and monsters as well. Tch, just like the Anime's."
Walking around the facility, to get something to eat since the instructors nice enough. I met a friend on the way.
"Fukashi-sensei!" I shouted to call her.
She turns around to meet me, "Ah, Natsuko-san~"
"I thought you were going to train me?" I went off and ask her that as it bugs me.
"Oh, that~ that is later after you learnt the basic. Once you're done, we will begin intense workout~," She said, causing my face to twitch.
"So, why are you here?" She asked me.
"The instructor told us to get some food," I replied.
"Hah~ Koha sure is nice~," She sighed as she smiled.
"You mean that instructor?"
"Yep, a natural male tsundere," She then smiles warmly, "Hey, Natsuko. Did they you told about the 'Power Awakening'?"
"No, not really," With a moment of thought, the words she spoke got me shaking in excitement.
"Oh, I see~ now, Natsuko-san, do you know how we fend off from the supernatural creatures?" She questioned me.
"I guess, because of power?" I used my instinct as an otaku and answered.
"Correct! The power we use is innate from us Exterminators, sometimes it is unique to the user, and sometimes if you are powerful enough, you can become a Piece~," She spoke.
"Wait, Piece?" You mean chess piece right?
"Yes, one of the most powerful exterminators becomes a Piece that is aligned with chess. You become a knight, your skills improve and speed enhance, but you have to have an affinity with the Pieces first!" She looked at me, seeing that I was listening closely, she resume giving more knowledge, "There are only two sets of chess in our version, we have the Nobles or Dukes and the Viscounts set."
"That sounds cool," I said.
"Definitely~ The Nobles are only reserved for the 7 Leaders, and the Viscounts are the strongest second to the Nobles or the 'Strongest Exterminators'. But we will continue talking about this after your basic classes finish or your instructor will tell you. Go and eat now~," She said.
"Yeah, I guess I gotta eat, see you later Fukashi-sensei!," I ran off, clearly craving for food.
"Yes, see you later, Natsuko-san~"
. . .
"Natsuko-san! It may seem fate has decided to let us meet again~!"
Ah, the narcissistic chad, we meet again, it seems destiny is some lucky fortune game.
"So, you are here to eat?" I ask, as there is no point in avoiding him.
"Yep, did you hear we will be fighting a supernatural creature?"
"Nope," I grab some rice as I spoke.
"Also we will be awakening our powers after the fight as well—"
"Really!?" I interrupted his words with my rice bowl still on my hands.
"Y-Yeah, why are you excited?"
"It's because we are getting powers! I thought a boy like you would get excited?" I then looked at him weirdly as if he was some strange foreign creature.
"I am excited, it's just that you surprise me with this new personality, did you decide to open—"
I then prevented him again from speaking, "Nah."
I ignored his plead throughout lunch, enjoying my food while ignoring him.
. . .
After lunch, we went to a large facility with the rest of the other groups who separated from us. The place I assume is the place we will fight monsters or maybe at least see one. This is so exciting!
If you think I'm excited because I get to fight one, no, dumbass! I'm excited to see one!
As we walked the facility. I then get to see two familiar faces.
"Risa, Ai?" I spoke, but loud enough to get their attention.
"Oh! Nehime-chan~!" The one who spoke first was Risa.
"Nehime-san? Why are you here?" The second who spoke was Ai.
I replied, "Well, I'm training..."
They looked at me with surprise expression, then Risa began laughing, "Wait! Don't tell me you can keep up with that skinny physique? Haha!"
"Shut up. How about you guys?" I ignored her laughter and spoked.
Ai answered my question, "We're here because we work here. Also, we are here to transport the beast, but only C-Grade, Low-Tier," I felt surprised to hear them working here, but it's useless to act overly surprised as that only happens in dramatic novels, so, I mind my own business and stand at ease.
After what Ai said about C-Grade, I started recollecting of what the teacher said...
"... C-Grade a Grade for a Rift or Supernatural Creatures, or Hollows for short. C-Grade can also be called C-G. There are also other Grades. C-Grade as the lowest and S-grade the Highest, with B and A, the former above C-Grade, the latter above B-Grade but lower than S-Grade. Each Grade has Tiers too, Low-Tier, Middle-Tier and High-Tier..."
With my thought wondering, the identical voice that taught me in class caught me from my thoughts and hauled me back to the present.
"Attention!"
Once I heard that shout, I immediately went attention. The one who shouted it was our Instructor, to my newly acclaimed knowledge, his name was Koha.
"We have two guests, cadets! Risa-sama and Ai-sama, they are here to bring our Hollow from a C-G LT Rift or C-Grade Low-Tier Rift, this means our Hollow a C-Grade and Low-Tier."
He then gestured his hands to introduce, "To those people who don't know them, they are Nobles Pieces, an Elima and an Elight, respectively. And if you still don't know what are Elima's and Elights are, they are Mage and Knight assistants to the Nobles, not the Viscounts. They are the Bishop and Knight in Chess."
After he introduces Ai and Risa, the entire place became a place to chat.
"What! They're Noble Pieces. I feel so lucky!"
"Yeah, I believe we're the third group to see the Noble Pieces!"
The place then became loud, 'So, I'm the only one who doesn't understand the value? Am I also the only one who began training here because I got into a mess?'
Shortly it quiets down because the Instructor told them to shut up. After the gossip, Instructor Koha resumed speaking, "And to what I said about 'we can't summon Hysteric Rifts' is only for Normal Exterminators, but Pieces and Noble Pieces has the ability to control one, or more depending on their ability," He walks side to side with his hands behind his back, then speaks again, "Now they will begin summoning using the basics to summon our Hollow!"
As Instructor Koha finished his lecture, Risa then went to left while Ai to the right. Then both shouted, "Fracture de la violence!"
When Risa and Ai's words were spoken, a small fissure in the air appeared. But that isn't the only thing that happened, it began distorting the area.
Noticing how they did this, they used a language, French?
"Ouverte!" While I was wondering why they used French to create the fissure, the fissure began expanding.
It kept expanding till I began sensing a familiar aura with a familiar leg poking out from the fissure, 'Why do I feel like I'm back to zero again?'
"Fermer!"
Then the fissure or the Rift began closing till it disappeared from existence, exuding an ominous feeling it never existed.
"Grargh!"
While we stared at awe at blank air, the creature similar to the wolf attacked the group. Hysteria spread as the wolf ran towards as he went for the closes one. Which one? Yep, me. Definitely. Always me.
But before I start insulting the God of Luck to whom I thought existed. Ai, to I thought was a frail and delicate girl, disappeared from her spot. The location she was at now was in front of the Wolf. I thought she would be dead after this.
But expectations can be expectations. She grasped the wolfs nape with one hand as she slammed the wolf to the ground creating cracks in their surrounding radius with small earthquakes affecting us. It made the entire place silent as we stared at the whimpering wolf.
"... Cool, I can do that too... If I don't care for my life..." I stood there still in attention with a stiff expression while the rest ran to the side with myself left alone.
"Good job, Ai-chan~," Risa then created a white leash and pinned it on the wolf. The wolf who seems like it wants to rip someone's stomach and eat their organs now looks like a pup who only wants to lick you.
"As you all see," Then the Instructor spoke, "They summoned this Hound as it's called by its name to show you what Exterminators face daily. This one in front of you all is an Extrinsic Hollow, looks like a wolf but it's nearly tripled in size and more dangerous than a wolf, but one the weakest."
He continued, "To how they summoned the wolf, they use French. Why?" He looks around for an answer but gets none.
"Seeing that no one knows, I shall tell you," The one who spoke was Fukashi-sensei as she walked in the facility in her black military uniform.
"To why they used French is because it still has the Aura of Old French connecting back to the 8th-Century to the 14th-Century. Of course
Risa and Ai used Power or Frenchmen would be running around summoning Rifts. Furthermore, Old French has strings tied to the Arthurian language and the Arthurian Race," She takes in a breath as she continued walking towards the wolf, "The whole foundation of Gofma."
Resuming, "As to why we don't use Arthurian races language, it's because of it immense Power and its uniqueness, only those who are pure-blooded and part Arthurian can use its Power, only known ones are most of our Pieces and our Seven Leaders and the True Leader."
After her whole talk, my mind went into deep thinking as I felt astonished of the whole information I took in, 'The whole thought of this sounds too unreal...'
"Also to remind you that Power does not only come from yourself but your surroundings as well, one of the Founders made this system for us to manifest and for those who can't awaken their own Power," She smiles at us, but shortly that smile will look like the Devils, "Now, when I said something about fighting this thing. Who wants to go first?!"
I see, no matter how shocking something is, nobody cares. Because right now I have to run.
. . .
In an almost unlit room, there was a girl who sat behind a desk and behind her was a big pane window with the surrounding covered with bookshelves. It was Hana, looking through the documents she ordered after her meeting with Yomu.
"There it is," After her search, she has found what she is looking for. She held the paper on her hand, what was shown was a triangle and an eye in the centre, it was the 'Eye of Providence'.
"So, it's this organisation again... huh, I guess they still haven't given up on their search for the Hells Ends and the Heavens Wisdom..."
She then puts down the files, "It seems they have found a good leader~ I guess I have to see the future once more~"
Hana then closes her eyes. The following moment, an eye appeared on her forehead. Although like an illusion, but looks to exist, yet not at all. It was silent for the next minutes, yet in those minutes, a silent shockwave was sent through the room with Hana's normal pairs of eyes began crying blood.
"— *Hah*-!" Suddenly, she started gasping for breath.
But she nonetheless had sufficient air to speak, "Phew~ what a pleasant future~," Then she fell asleep before she knows it.