Birds glided through the brightening sky. Rays of sunlight barely peeked out of crevices between thick clouds. It was the last school day of the week so all the students in Emelda Academy were idling around the school before classes started. Many of the third-year students were hard at work studying for their Comprehensive Evaluation. It was quiet and peaceful.
Class 3-D was the lowest class of the third-years. As smart as they were, they were laid back about their studying. They tossed each other notes and giggled at smuggled magazines. Some of them taking breaks from studying - or rather, staring at their books before staring somewhere else - stole glances at the juniors grouped outside of their class. The five underclassmen were whispering nervously among themselves. None of them wanted to budge from their positions.
"Should we really go into their class?" Mikhail whispered. He stood timidly at the edge of the group, almost trying to hide behind the Featherpad he held in his hands. He was a mouse hiding behind an impenetrable shield of metal. Citrine turned to him with knitted brows. She shot him a pleading gaze.
"Mikhail, you're in the same year as him, go inside for us," she asked, holding onto his arm. Her eyes were the roundest and bluest that they had ever seen. He froze at being touched. A furious blush rose to his face and he went dead silent. One could see almost see his thoughts being overloaded with conflicting commands. Mikhail.exe stopped responding.
"Uhh," a girl cut through their whispering. She was leaning against the door. Her forehead wrinkled. "Do you guys want to come in?"
Angie waved her hands to frantically object. Citrine beamed at her and strode forward. The rest watched her in awe. A hardened warrior striding into the fiery battlefield. The girl walked back to her desk. With the senior's back turned, Citrine rushed back to the group. Her imaginary tail wagged between her legs.
"I failed..." Citrine admitted sheepishly.
They stood in silence as they mulled over what to do. A squawk could be heard from the distance. The confident Otherworld Defenders were stumped at the notion of entering a class of gossipy seventeen-year-olds. Yukika wanted to stomp in there but the sight of pride and malice spirits grinning at her over the shoulders of her seniors reminded her of something all too bitter.
"What are you all doing here?" a voice interrupted their thoughts. They all jumped. They turned and saw Astros standing behind them. A collective sigh of relief sounded. Citrine jumped to hug him.
"Astros.... we thought we had to meet you in 3-D! Where were you?"
Astros patted her arm and she let him go. He rubbed the back of his head with his hand. The circles under his eyes were even more prominent in the early morning. His normally half-lidded eyes were widened at observing them. He didn't expect his fellow Defenders to be so eccentric.
"Yeah, sorry for being late. Why were you all waiting outside my class?"
Their eyes darted away. Mikhail pretended to type something into his Featherpad. Angie became very interested in the misspelt mural painted on the class walls. Sakura whistled a tune as she watched a flock of pigeons divebomb after a falcon. Yukika stared at her feet. Citrine grabbed his arm and batted her curled up eyelashes.
"It's so nerve-wracking to get into your class, we couldn't do it!"
His cold mask slipped. A delighted laugh escaped him at the hilarity of it all. That was why the five were standing outside so early in the morning with those dejected and frightened faces? His expectations of serious and pretentious colleagues immediately melted away. In the end, they were all no one but students with their own fears.
"You don't have to be scared of anything," he assured. He petted Mikhail's head. Mikhail's face turned into a ripe hue of tomato-red. He called out to his classmates, "You guys are super nice, right?"
A chorus of voices responded, "Yeah!!!"
Astros laughed again. Everyone relaxed at seeing his warm demeanour. Citrine leaned against his arm. Yukika managed to smile.
"What did you want to talk about?" Mikhail asked, his voice tiny. Eyebrows raised in surprise at seeing him be the one to ask the question.
Astros nodded. He looked to the vast sky. His coal eyes contrasted with the shining sun peeking out of the clouds. "It's nothing serious. I thought to myself that if I got chosen, I wanted to take a trip around City Nine." He extended an arm to gesture around their surroundings. "It could be the last time I see it like this."
He spoke about it so simply. He thought deeply of the fleeting nature of everything. It became second nature to him. Citrine's eyes took on a dull sheen. She didn't like those thoughts of destruction. She swore to protect the idyllic city she knew.
"And I wanted to invite you to join me tomorrow. I'm going to travel around and see as many things as I can. You can add your favourite spots and I'll plan my route that way. If you want to."
Sakura hadn't thought of it. The thought of the spirit burst was daunting enough that even thinking of City Nine was saddening. Taking one last trip around City Nine, making new memories and reliving old ones... it was sentimental enough that she couldn't reject his offer.
"I'd love to," she agreed. Her friends turned to her. Angie hugged her arm and thought for a while. Yukika put her hand on Sakura's shoulder.
"I'm coming with you," said Yukika. Angie squeezed her arm. Her eyes shone with excitement.
"I'm sure I can come too! What will the trio be without the best girl?" she said, pumping her fist in the air. Sakura turned and shot her an incredulous look. She flicked Angie's cheek. Angie giggled.
"You can't call yourself the best girl!"
Angie poked her cheeks and grinned. Her tongue stuck out in defiance. "It's undeniable!" she claimed.
"It's undeniable that you're an idiot," Sakura retorted.
Sakura flicked her forehead. Angie staggered back. She fell onto the ground and let her tongue loll out. Citrine giggled. Mikail hid a smile behind his Featherpad. Angie sprang back up like a jack in a box.
"I'm coming too, now that I know it won't just be me and the dangerous senior," Citrine joked, squeezing Astros's arm. His eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"I'm not dangerous!" he protested.
Mikhail chimed in, "If he does anything, I'll be there to stop him."
Astros looked at him helplessly. "How am I supposed to be a defender if you guys won't trust me?"
They all laughed. That moment they shared struck a note of comfort and understanding between them all. Perhaps the arrangement would work out after all.
"So it's settled? You're all coming?" Astros asked. Heads bobbed. He smiled. It lit up his broody face. Citrine stared at him. Angie brightened up as an idea flickered in her brain.
"We should have a group name! Every cool group has a name!"
Sakura was confused. "Aren't we already Otherworld Defenders?" she asked. Angie drummed her shoulder.
"No, silly. Just the six of us!"
They thought for a moment. Sakura's face was as scrunched up as a three-day-old bag of fast food. Angie shut her eyes to think. Yukika didn't take long to contribute.
"Six stupid dummies."
Angie hit her shoulder. Yukika jokingly shot her a death glare. The tiny girl withered under her gaze. She managed to protest, "That's not a cool nickname!"
Yukika shrugged. "It's accurate, though."
"Hey!" everyone exclaimed.
"What about the Spectacular Six?" Sakura suggested. Angie's eyes sparkled.
"Ooh, fancy," Citrine cooed.
"The Celebrated Six," another voice broke through their chattering. Citrine screamed and jumped out of the way. Ms Limon covered her ears. Citrine laughed sheepishly.
"Sorry, Ms Limon." She shuffled next to Astros. The students bowed their heads.
"Good morning, teacher," they chorused. Ms Limon smiled at them.
"Good morning, you six. Am I interrupting an important meeting?" she asked. Angie coughed.
"N-not at all!" she said.
Ms Limon nodded. "Alright. I thought I had to find you in your classes. It's convenient to meet you all here."
Curiosity bubbled in Sakura's mind. She asked, "Did you need us for something, Ms Limon?"
"Ah yes," her teacher recalled. "I had to tell you all to get ready. Today we'll be going to a prosperity shrine to celebrate your success in being recruited."
Citrine bounced in place. "That sounds like fun! Other people are coming, too?" she asked, her voice high with excitement. It had been a long time since she last visited a shrine.
Ms Limon confirmed her question. "Of course, it wouldn't be a celebration without your friends. Not everyone could come but hopefully, it would be merry enough with those who do."
Astros tilted his head. "Why did you call us instead of calling everyone who's going?"
Ms Limon's lips turned up higher. "Why, you're the special ones. You have to come earlier so you can get prepared."
"Prepared?" Mikhail echoed. Their heads buzzed with a million questions.
"Yes, prepared!" Her head bobbed enthusiastically. Ms Limon continued, "You'll be celebrated so they'll dress you in celebratory robes. They told us it could take a while, so you'll be going an hour earlier. That way, you can sort your thoughts and give your wishes to the spirits."
Citrine's heart fluttered with excitement. Being dressed up and celebrated sounded like an amazing time. Angie and Sakura relished in the idea as well. Yukika, Mikhail and Astros disagreed. It was a hassle to be paraded around so many people. However, refusing to honour the spirits before being whisked away to battle would be a foolish idea. At the very least they would be able to get a peace of mind in the shrine.
"What do we bring?" Sakura asked.
"You don't have to bring anything," Ms Limon said. "Just bring your water bottles in case you get thirsty. You'll be returning to school and then you can go straight home."
They nodded in understanding. Ms Limon pointed a finger to the direction of the parking lots.
"Come downstairs in five minutes. The van will be waiting for you in front of the cafeteria," she instructed. The six dispersed to their classes. Excitement rattled their bones. In a few minutes, they descended and headed to the cafeteria together.
A rumbling silver van awaited them. Ms Limon accompanied them as their chaperone. Yukika, Sakura and Angie sat together at the back of the van, the latter two chattering about what the shrine would be like. Yukika listened attentively. Astros stared out of the window. His feet were propped up in front of him. Citrine leaned against the window. Mikhail's eyes stayed glued onto his feet. City Nine unfolded before them as they exited the school. Astros's eyes shimmered with an indecipherable feeling.
Buildings stood under the gaze of rolling green hills. Their eyes watched the City sleepily come to life. Cars cruised alongside them. Jetcycles shot off to the distance. Shiny cleaning bugs scuttled over glass windows. The sun shone a lustrous light. A mist enveloped the City. After all this time, City Nine lived on.
Astros passed his phone to the others. The screen showed a detailed map of City Nine. 'Mark the places you want to visit' he noted at the top corner of the map. Citrine marked a few places near the coasts of City Nine. Mikhail picked one location in the outskirts. Angie and Sakura zoomed around the virtual streets for a minute before picking their favourite spots in the heart of the city. Yukika chose a couple of quiet places that were special to her. They gave Astros his phone back.
'Thank you, Senior Astros!' Citrine had written in neat calligraphy, with a tiny heart next to it. The corners of Astros's mouth quirked.
They arrived at a golden gate leading to the shrine. They stared in awe. Sunlight glinting off tall fountains produced an illusion of gold springs. Flowers glided as they fell from blooming trees. The air was fragrant with perfumes and nectar. Powdered maidens that looked after the shrine waved at them in their ruby robes. The students and Ms Limon exited the van and it zoomed away. The maidens surrounded them. They all bowed to the guests.
"It's wonderful to receive you all," a maiden that appeared to be the most senior one of them said. She wore her hair higher than the others, with three gold pins keeping her hair in place. Each one of them received a bowl of pineapple slices.
"Can we eat these?" Astros asked. The maidens giggled behind their sleeves and bobbed their heads. He stuffed a handful of them into his mouth. The maidens led them into the shrine. Sakura took in the smell of incense burning and flowers sprouting. Citrine picked up a flower lying on the ground. Its petals unfurled in her hand. Her finger caressed its dark veins. They walked into the shrine of prosperity. Under the glimmering roof, a new world revealed itself.