I opened my eyes to a young kid tied up in a basement. Darkness filled the room before a door opened allowing light to enter the room.
He quickly started moving in fear as footsteps slowly descended down the stairs. Scars were scattered across his body similar to my own.
"I brought you some food honey." A woman said as she reached the last step. She walked towards the boy slowly and laid the food down next to a bunch of bloody tools. She took a tissue out of her pocket and began wiping the blood from the boy's lips.
"Are you behaving like a good boy?" She said as she gently brushed her fingers against his rough skin. The boy coughed and blood flew onto her pink shirt.
"You little shit, how DARE you soil my fresh new clothes!" She said as she smacked the helpless little boy. The boy didn't realize the woman in front of him and looked at her face. He suddenly grew very scared as fear ran through his body.
"Mama, I'm sorry!" The boy screamed in fear.
"It's time to punish you!" She said as she looked towards the tools and grabbed a knife.
"Mama, I'll be a good boy. Please don't!" He implored..
She grabbed his right arm and started to cut through his forearm. The boy screamed painfully as his eyes filled up with tears from the shock of pain before knocking out.
Everything faded away into the darkness as the sound of the birds outside woke me up. I looked at my right arm and noticed the same wound.
…
"Was that me?" I thought. Naomi burst through the door with a confused expression.
"What are you doing? The Operator test begins in fifteen minutes." She blurted before she ran back out.
"Oh shit." I gasped as I ran into the bathroom and hopped into the shower quickly. As I jumped out and wrapped the towel around my waist, I looked into the bathroom mirror and stared at my bare chest.
"Great, first day and I'm going to be late." I thought while starting to fix my hair.
I blinked for a quick second and came across a different reflection. It was a man with all my features: purple dread, same nose, same mouth and even a purple eye. The only difference was one of his eyes was red. He was shirtless like me, but covered in more wounds.
"It seems like I've made it." The reflection said.
"What?" I said in disbelief.
"Oh, it's you, Mordecai Hashimoto. I need you to protect Naomi with your life." He said.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"You know who I am." He replied. I reached my finger to touch the reflection but he smacked my finger.
"What are you, five years old?" He said while shaking his head.
"Why do you want me to protect Naomi?" I asked.
"You will learn soon enough. Now, I must go. I have things to attend to." The reflection said as he walked away deeper into the mirror.
"What was that? And how does he know Naomi?" I asked myself while closing my eyes. The mirror was back to normal as I stared at my own reflection once again.
…
Meanwhile, Naomi had put on a white shirt and leather black pants that showed her figure. She looked into the mirror hanging behind the front door and started fixing her hair.
"2 minutes left!" She yelled. I busted out of the bathroom and quickly put on the black hoodie and cargo pants that the queen had given me.
"Looks like we're not catching breakfast." I said as I started looking into the mirror with Naomi to check my hair.
"You look nice though." I continued as I started putting on my black boots. Naomi smiled and put on her white boots quickly.
"Thank you." She cooed as I opened the door for her and followed her.. The bright red light filled the hallway as we walked along its path.
"Do you know what to expect?" I asked as I finished locking the door.
"Honestly, I'm just as clueless as you are." She responded as I caught up to her.
We reached the end and came across a few kids standing around the entrance. A golden clock was floating in the center of the room with a timer displaying 1 minute left.
I looked around the room in search of any familiar faces but couldn't find any. I sighed, accepting the fact that I have no friends.
…
Suddenly, Naomi grabbed my arm in excitement.
"Hey, come meet my friends!" She said while dragging me with her.
"I don't have a choice, huh?" I replied while rolling my eyes. She looked back and smiled while nodding.
We walked up towards two girls, one which was tall while the other was short. The short one turned in my direction and immediately gave me a cold glare.
Her cyan ponytails stood out when I stared at her. She wore luxurious white armor that covered her small chest and gray sneakers to complement.
She held a metal bow close to her side with her hands covered by the fingerless white gloves she wore. Her nails were done professionally and painted white.
"She definitely takes care of herself." I thought as I looked at my regular black hoodie.
…
I looked at the taller girl to the left of her who was holding a spear. Her silver hair extended close to her back as she looked towards our direction.
She was wearing blue leather pants and a blouse that couldn't hide her chest. Her black eyes centered on Naomi as she squinted to see who was approaching the both of them.
She smiled as she noticed Naomi and waved in excitement while her chest bounced in the air.
"Well, if it isn't Naomi." The girl said. Naomi walked up to the girl and hugged her.
"How are you, Jenna?" She replied as she stepped back next to me.
"Wonderful! Isabel and I were talking about how psyched we are for our test." She said as she looked at Isabel with a huge smile.
"Right, Isabel?" Jenna asked. Isabel nodded awkwardly as she hid behind Jenna.
…
"Guys, meet Mordecai. He is my new roommate." Naomi revealed while grabbing my arm again.
"Hello. Nice to meet you." I started while nodding my head.
"Are you a foreigner Mordecai?" Jenna asked me as she examined my appearance.
"Something like that. I recently woke up in a hospital and am still recovering." I replied.
"Aww, sorry to hear that. I'm sure that you will recover soon. So, why are you here?" She continued to ask.
"Well, I owe the queen for saving me and she asked me to join." I responded by trying to end the conversation quickly.
"You met the queen?" Isabel yelled, and everyone in the room turned their attention to the four of us.
…
Suddenly, an orange fire appeared towards the exit of the armory before smoke began to fill the room. Instead of coughing, the smoke felt warm and comforting as I inhaled it.
The smoke quickly disappeared and four people emerged wearing coats with unique symbols. One of the four walked forward with sunglasses indoors.
He was wearing a black pants and an orange shirt while wearing a gold chain. His black boots tapped on the floor as he walked forward. His brown eyes stared at the participants in front of him with a grin on his face.
"Welcome everyone to the operator test. My name is Luke Kodu, the fire Thor." He said. Mumbles started to fill the room.
"What the hell is Thor?" Jenna whispered to Isabel. She shrugged and looked at Naomi who shook her head.
"Everyone please! Settle down." A guy said while grabbing Luke's shoulder. He was wearing a white shirt that hugged his muscles and black jeans. His indigo hair was short yet he was taller than Luke.
"I apologize for that terrible explanation. My name is Obi Windhelm and I'll explain how everything works around here. There are three ranks in this army that represent your power status.
The lowest rank is called 'Snake', average rank is called 'Lieutenant,' and the highest rank is 'Modigga'." From there, only a few can become a Thor.
Today, we will be testing your abilities to see what rank fits you best." Obi stated.
…
A lady with white hair and a familiar mask walked up to the other two. I looked closely and recognized the design on the mask.
"That's Dove.." I murmured. She was still wearing her black and gold jumpsuit, but wore a coat like the others.
"My name is Dove, and I hope you found yourself sleeping comfortable in your new rooms. Continuing off Obi, we are Thors.
It is a special rank that is dedicated to the most powerful people in the city. We are capable of wiping cities if needed." She stated.
"Wow!" Jenna applauded while clapping.
"That's cool!" I thought. A few conversations quickly sparked up from the rank explanation.
"That's the rank I want to be!" Jenna said as she turned to Isabel who smiled in response.
"Ahem." Dove raised her hands to silence the room.
"The man in the black behind me is our newest Thor, Night Fulgur." Dove continued while pointing to him.
The final Thor had long olive green hair that was tied in a ponytail. He was dressed in an olive green shirt and pants that complemented his black boots.
His olive green eyes scanned the crowds who were creeped out by his silence. He nodded his head and waved at everyone awkwardly as Dove continued to talk.
…
"So, let's take attendance." Dove took out a clipboard and pencil and started to read the names on the list.
"Lilac Nagamatsu." She called. A girl with dark blue hair raised her hand swiftly into the air. I noticed a small lilac on her hand as she let her hand down, along with her blue kimono with flower designs.
"Present." She said swiftly.
"Isabel Centrae." She called. Isabel shyly raised her hands and weakly responded.
"Here.." She said softly.
"Jenna Gerbera." She called as Jenna raised her hand immediately.
"Present." She said proudly.
"Mordecai Hashimoto." She called.
"Here." I said quickly.
"Yoru Nagamatsu." She called. A boy with blue hair stood next to Lilac raising his hand.
"Here." He answered. He was holding a black coat behind him along with light blue jeans, black boots, and white shirt which made his outfit scream 'badass'.
"Valery Majo." Dove called.
"Right here, honey." She replied slowly.
She wore a black shirt with the word 'liar' written in the center with red pants. The black shoes she wore on her feet had the same word written on the side and sparkled in the light.
…
The majority of her hair was covered by a cap she wore backwards and her blonde highlights were the only thing we could see.
"Don't ever call me that again, kid." Dove stated as everyone looked at her.
"Yes honey. Now hurry up and finish." Valery taunted while standing up.
Dove snapped her pencil and swiftly dashed at Valery. Valery's yellow eyes widened as Dove grabbed her by the neck and smashed her into the wall.
Everyone immediately stepped back and awed in disbelief at what they witnessed.
"Dove is really fast." Naomi whispered.
"All I did was blink for 1 second and she was gone." I replied.
Dove held her by the neck again and lifted her into the air.
"Listen garbage. Do not tell me how to do attendance. Now shut your yap and patiently wait." She yelled.
Valery's feet dangled in the air while she struggled to breathe before Dove let her down. She fell to the floor and coughed excessively as she tried to catch her breath.
"Naomi Windhelm." Dove continued to call while she walked back to her spot.
"Here." She said confidently as I looked at her.
"She's all ready for this test. Meanwhile, I'm trying to remember what happened before I woke up." I pondered.
…
"Finally, Zero." She called. A skinny guy with white hair was helping Valery up and raised his hand.
"I'm here." He said as he smacked the sand off his black shoes and adjusted his sweats. He wore a black cloak that hid his body and looked in my direction as I examined him.
His nails were painted black on his right hand, and left on his white hand. He wore rings on all his fingers except his thumbs.
"Looks like everyone here is 17 years old. Alright, please proceed to the elevator to your left that will lead to the examination site." Dove finished as she pointed to the elevator.
The crowd entered the enormous elevator with Yoru entering last and a gate suddenly closed behind him.
"When you get to the bottom, follow the instructions. Good luck." Night started as the elevator began to descend. The instructors walked away and the silence inside the elevator sparked mixed emotions in everyone's mind.
"This is nothing.. I can do it." Jenna said while raising her fist. She looked towards Isabel and noticed her hand shaking. She rested her hand on Isabel's shoulder and smiled.
"You've been practicing for this." Jenna whispered. Isabel smiled at Jenna and her hand stopped shaking.
"Thanks Jenna, I won't let you down." She replied while closing her eyes.
The elevator stopped and the gate began to open. A breeze of warm air gently entered the elevator as everyone started to exit.
…
"Cool!" I said as we entered an underground laboratory. The neon lights shone down the long wide hallway. Each step that was taken on the metal floor created a ripple effect of a color wave.
The metal walls had giant monitors displaying information about available rooms opened for training, and doors glowing different colors down the halls.
"This is to my liking." Lilac stated as she walked towards the pond in the middle of the hallway. The blue water essence glowed as she dipped her hand into.
"Is this really water?" Yoru said as he touched the water after Lilac and felt a warm sensation.
"Hm, it seems the water is somehow replenishing your aura." Naomi commented as she walked next to Yoru.
"Good eye. Not everyone is stupid around here…" Yoru replied as he looked at Valery. Lilac started giggling and lightly patted his back.
"I believe we are inside the simulation grounds." Naomi said. Everyone turned to her confused by what she said.
"What does that mean?" Isabel asked.
"The simulation grounds allows for all current and future operators to practice missions and test new abilities with coworkers.
It was designed by the Queen herself with the latest technology our scientists have created." Naomi illustrated.
"Well, aren't you a know-it-all." Zero snapped, making Naomi uncomfortable and stopped talking.
…
"Is that a problem?" I said while raising my voice as I stood behind everyone with my hands in my pocket.
"Huh?" Zero said while walking up towards me. He spat on the floor next to my boots and got close to my face trying to intimidate me.
"Don't be smart with me." He barked as he pushed his finger on my chest. I immediately kicked him into the wall with a cold expression.
Gasps filled the room before an orange fire appeared between us. The fire formed into a figure and a familiar voice began to speak.
"Gentlemen, please stop." Luke said while watching Zero get up from the floor cursing under his breath.
"I leave these guys for a few seconds and a fight breaks out. Crazy to think I'm the same age as them." He thought as he looked at me.
"Everyone, follow me." He continued with a smile on his face.
"This isn't over, Hashimoto." Zero said while walking away. I smirked at his remark and followed the rest of the class.
…
Silence struck the newborn class again and this time they feared what was next to come. We reached the end of the hallway and stood in front of a big door marked "017."
An orange aura started to surround Luke and fire formed on his palm. He touched the door and a small fire surrounded the door before opening it.
A cold breeze smacked all of us as we looked in front of the new room. A big table was set up in the middle of the room with a big computer.
Multiple monitors were connected to the ceiling creating static noise as if they weren't connected to anything.
Desks were set up to the side of the room with wires that connected back to the computer. Black chairs were connected to the desk with a custom arm rest as if we're supposed to sit for a while.
"Feel free to sit wherever you want." Luke encouraged.
"Mordecai, sit next to me." Naomi suggested while dragging me with her.
"Uh, sure. No problem." I replied as we walked to the left corner of the room and took our seats.
…
"Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for standing up for me." Naomi said while getting comfortable in her seat.
"He was trying to start something, I ended it." I replied.
Surprisingly, Isabel sat next to me and started staring at me. I could tell she wanted to say something but was too afraid to speak her mind.
"What is it?" I asked as she continued to look at me.
"I-I like the way you stood up for Naomi. It was brave of you." She said while twiddling with her hair.
"Someone had to do it." I said while stretching. All of a sudden, the lights flickered in the room before going completely dark.
"Everyone, good luck." Luke announced while goggles adjusted on our faces.
"What the hell is happening?" I thought as I laid back in my chair and closed my eyes.