Bright sun rays brought the Legion out of its shadow. Cool morning breezes swept through the waking homes, flowing through windows and cracks to wake everyone up.
As the sun burned brighter and breezes gently dwindled. Different households slowly realized what day it was. That day being the Age of Recruitment.
Student teams fight alongside those they've trained with against another team that rivals them in hopes of impressing the leaders.
In case they impress, teams or individuals have an opportunity to join more respected standings. Such as Kas' personal strikers or Alise's order.
"Wooo, we're here. Okay. Remember, back straight, head up, eyes narrowed. The leaders don't want us to daydream while staring at them. Okay?" Ether nervously reminded his younger siblings.
His younger brother, Demon, instantly began checking over his body. Back straightened, head slightly tilted upward, and both eyes full of fierce energy.
Unlike Demon, the youngest sibling, Jakery, wasn't paying attention to them. Instead, he gazed out to the massive crowd of student teams.
Cliques stuck by each other. Groups discussed their anxiousness with other groups. Completely forgetting about the primary reason for them being there.
"W - what kind... this Legion is massive!" Jakery pointed out the obvious. "Where did all those other faces come from?? I don't see anyone we know."
Ether got behind Jakery, placing one hand around his shoulder and another on his head. "Light has been standing since the previous Primed War. According to books we are living in what was once part of a Legion called Eurn."
Jakery tried to look up to his towering brother. "Oh yeah, I remember that. It has been roughly a thousand years since that war, huh? Also, leave my hair alone!"
From the crowd, an alpha Feral noticed the three brothers standing away from everyone else. He watched from a distance, as if stalking his prey. Until he figured out who they were.
"Hey, Divinity, right!?" The alpha's raspy voice shouted.
In response, Ether took a deep breath and turned his attention to the incoming leader. "Sir! I'm Ether Coros, eldest of the siblings and Divinity's guide by age."
Pleased to hear his response, the alpha softly chuckled. "Good, good. I'm Dire. You already know about me, though. Unfortunately, you're not a Feral. So I can't promise a good standing on my end."
Ether nodded. "It's fine - it's fine. We understand you're saving your ranks for the highly experienced."
Dire looked down at little Jakery beneath Ether's chin. "Such a cute little baby Zesher. Solice decided to mix his strength with the beauty of a Thresher, hmm?"
Hearing Dire refer to his parents reminded Demon of one stormy night. One that still plagues every corner of his mind.
-In Demon's memory-
Vicious thunders tore the skies apart. Lighting up the region for all to witness. Rain's gift turned into a curse as it rained harder and harder. It was a storm like no other.
Something the elements were unable to make on their own accord. Although a different entity would be capable. One that walks the line between fact and fiction.
A goliath, or several goliaths. Entities the Nine have unleashed upon Koroth for seemingly no reason at all.
With the threat of several goliaths breaking through to their reality, Alise' order played their role on the conflict. Their Variant of choice was Lya, the life giver of the current Coros generation.
She carried little Jakery in her arms. Slowly rocking him back and forth as the little one hugged his mom tight, not wanting to let go of her.
Ether stood beside the fireplace. The raging flames cast half his body in shadows, making his frightened pose seem more enraged than he really was.
Demon sat in front of the fire. His back turned to his mom. Both green eyes stared into the endless dance of embers. Reflecting their magnificent pride.
Tears rolled down his cheeks. Creating a wet path as they traveled. Fear and a lingering sense of dread filled an ever-increasing void inside his heart.
Lya paced her steps across the room towards her oldest son. She placed Jakery in his arms before holding Ether's soft face in her tender hands one more time.
"It's only a storm, little ones. I'm going to do an investigation with a few Ferals and then I'll be back home. Look after your siblings while I look into seeing if..."
Nothing. No words came out of her mouth. Only silence layered with the tension of burning wood inside the fireplace.
-Back in present time-
Demon snapped out of his trance. Feeling shaken by the sudden flashback, he was unable to stand properly. Something Ether instantly noticed.
"Hey, are you alright? You look like you need some water," Ether commented.
Not wanting to disappoint his older brother, Demon quickly corrected himself. Despite seeming somewhat normal, his legs still felt like stiff pillars.
Ether wrapped Demon's arm around his shoulder. "On my step, yeah?"
In unison, Divinity began making their way to the group. Every step they stepped together. Not going out of sync with the others.
As they walked, many teams turned their gaze to meet the odd trio. They looked down, noticing three smaller than average Zeshers excuse their way through the crowd.
Wave Knocker, a rivaling team. Noticed them. Their 'leader,' Talis, had a strong rivalry with Ether. One that was engraved into their mindsets already. When they got the chance, they would fight.
But to Ether, the reason was a mystery. For all he knew, this was probably a dispute over a disagreement he didn't care about. Yet he still fought out of self defense.
When everyone settled down, one of the two leaders that stood in the middle of the crowd talked. Her finely made clothes flowed according to her body. Making her seem like a wind deity.
"Greetings, my lovely students. My name is Alise Dimesto, grand mistress of the paranormal order. What stands before us today are not students," she opened her arms. "You are all warriors!"
The crowd clapped. But no one cheered. It was because their Sherpas taught them not to do so. Because loud noises startled Alise, including loud cheering.
Beside her, a rough-looking Zegus stood. Two wild yellow eyes studied those around him. Not paying attention to those behind him, allowing them to see the back of his messy brown hair.
He stepped forward, arms crossed. "You are all different. You're not just warriors. You were all forged by my hammer, tested by Dire's jaws, and perfected by Alise's hands."
Kas looked beyond the seemingly infinite crowd of students around him. "As for my Sherpas. You have done well. I am proud to have you all serving under my word. Enjoy your day off tomorrow."
The word 'Sherpa' echoed in Jakery's ears. Causing him to look around for their own Sherpa. Just as he was about to turn around to look for him, he remembered he was not allowed to do that.
He had to maintain his position until the whole event was over. But he wanted to see the look on his Sherpa's face.
Valentine Tavious, Divinity's Sherpa, was more than just a Sherpa to them. He felt like a third father to most, while feeling like a second to Ether. Not just that, Valentine celebrated their achievements like none other.
But what was most special about him, was his origins. He was not selected at random to become a Sherpa, Solice Coros made a deal with Kas. In exchange for letting Valentine teach his kids, he would give back...
That part, no one knew. Except for Kas and Solice. One of which was out of reach while the other has gone missing for a large portion of his kids' lives. Last seen in the grasp of a Distorted.
"When you step inside that arena," Kas' prideful voice caught Jakery's attention. "Your backs are turned to each other. Make sure to defend your allies and punish your foes."
Sherpas began calling their teams. Marking the end of the event and the start of their last free day as students
"Come on, I see our Sherpa," Ether told Jakery.
As the trio walked, Jakery tried to get closer to Demon. Hoping he could clarify everything Kas said.
"Hey, Demon. What happened? I wasn't paying attention," Jakery admitted.
A grin appeared on Demon's face as he turned his attention to his younger brother. "Aww. Well, we're going to fight a giant Cemtras, then duel starving untamed Stram, and fight a Yinmar... naked!"
Demon began chuckling. Catching Ether's attention. He turned to face his brothers and noticed Jakery seemed displeased.
"Huh. Well, Age of Recruitment is not a joke. Demon, can you explain it to Jakery?" Ether interrupted.
"Ugh, why can't I have some fun?" Demon sighed. "We're going to face off against another team, Jakery. We'll find out who tomorrow."
They stopped walking. Valentine carefully made his way closer to them, hands behind his back. With his crimson heart-shaped eyes looking down at them.
"Well, the siblings are here. You take good care of your younger brother, Ether. I saw this other girl glancing at you a few times. I think she might want to put your fatherly skills to good use someday."
Ether grinned. "I... no, no. I want to treasure my current family before making a new one."
Valentine softly chuckled. "All right. Tomorrow the event is going to happen. Return some armor to the armory and ask for a coat of paint. Spend some time relaxing as well."
Jakery looked down at the matching clothes they wore. Mostly white cloth all over, except for the single golden line on the chest and the golden kneepads.
"Anything else?" Demon asked.
"Spend extra time looking pretty. So everyone can witness the newest Coros generation when they are at their best."
Ether gave Valentine a thumbs up. "Okay. Thank you, Sherpa. I'll visit later today to let you know how we're going."
Divinity turned away from the fields. They walked in perfect harmony back home. Although Demon was able to walk again, he allowed Ether to continue supporting him.
As they stepped away, they slowly realized their next move: to prove the Coros lineage has been improved with the introduction of Thresher genes.