The long-awaited day of graduation finally approached for many of the cadets, Squadrons 1-A, 1-B, and 1-D being among them.
Once again situated in one of the campus coliseum's atriums, Nyota, Sage and Kilo refined their uniforms, ensuring that they looked extra sharp this time around.
Unlike the tournament, there would be complete squadrons, around one hundred graduates taking center stage.
"Today's the day, boys," Sage started, fixing himself in the mirror. "Waited just about a year for this."
"Yeah," Nyota replied.
"I wanna know what our rankings will be," Kilo mentioned. "S-Class, A-Class, B-Class… I've gotta be in 'S,' right?"
Nyota shook his head. "I'm more concerned with what comes after our placement. My sights are set higher than some class someone gives me. It's the same for the two of you, isn't it?"
Moments later, Nyota and the brothers were approached by Faris and Cadel.
"What could they want?" Kilo asked.
Faris seemed to be in relatively high spirits. Cadel on the other hand appeared to be his usual contemptuous self.
Eventually, the pair came face-to-face with them.
"Relax, Basilisk, relax," Faris began. "We just wanted to congratulate you on making it to the final round of the tournament."
Nyota and the brothers looked at one another before laughing amongst themselves. "Nobody's stressing."
Embarrassed, Faris continued on. "Sure, anyway, we're just glad we've had the year to compete against the three of you. It's been a blast!
Hopefully, we get to fight alongside you out on the field, where the real work is." He reached out his hand.
Pleased with his messaging, Nyota did the same. "It's been great battling you, too!"
"It's been a pleasure!" Sage replied.
Cadel rolled his eyes. He spoke sharply. "You're not that good."
He turned to Nyota. "Don't ever forget me. When you think of me, remember me as the one who came close to killing you."
Nyota shook his hand with a smile. "I'll certainly opt to remember you as someone I lived to have an unforgettable tournament match with.
"Speaking of which, where's your friend?" Kilo asked.
"He's… somewhere around here." Faris threw his hand in the air and sighed. "We'll see him eventually.
Anway, we've got to go, we'll see you again when the ceremony begins."
"Sounds good, see you around!"
Together, Faris and Cadel walked away. Soon after, Jora entered the atrium and immediately spotted them.
"Ah, my Three-Headed Basilisk!" He chanted. "How're we doing?"
Nyota nodded, "Couldn't be better."
"Glad to hear it," he looked to his side, rubbing his hands before turning his attention back to them. "Alright, here's the game plan, bring it in."
The three cadets gathered around him tightly. He continued. "Noriko's going to give a speech. Contextually, it's more or less the same year in and out.
Toward the end of it, you, the cadets, will be required to recite a creed, one that requires you to pledge your allegiance to her."
Sage shook his head and Kilo grimaced as well. Nyota began to feel his stomach sink and a spine-chilling sensation ran down his back.
He had already noticed before, the four of them had already spoken before on the matter.
Even though everyone was certain gods existed, Noriko still managed to exalt herself as one.
"Again," Jora assured. "You're not crazy. In broad daylight, and yet she still gets away with it.
Moving on, you can't refuse to recite the creed, let alone break it, obviously, as breaking it means you're subject to punishment. Depending on how 'bad' you break it, this could even include death.
This is one of those things that the public don't know, and it's just a rumor among the forces, but it'd be bold not to take those chances.
For the average person that is. The three of you have other plans."
Jora crossed his arms and looked over his shoulder to check that no one would eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Now, compliance with this ritual of sorts essentially means you cadets—now spies and assassins—look up to and loyally report to her, thus, making you do whatever she wants.
Needless to say, at this point, you'd be under her control."
Speechless, the three cadets remained. They had already been well aware of this fate, and yet it never ceased to chill their spines every time they heard it.
Nyota looked at the brothers before their intense expressions returned to Jora. They nodded at once.
"Obviously, this has been going on for some time," Kilo asked. "I just find it so hard to believe that nobody's ever bothered to question the ethics of all this."
"You know how it goes around here, throughout all of Lunanova," Sage replied. "Everyone's fearful of being publicly blacklisted. Or worse, becoming the next circulating rumor of some sort of mysterious disappearance.
Even despite the certain existence of the gods."
"That's right," Jora nodded. "Now, any questions before we kick this thing off?"
Sage and Kilo shook their heads.
"Nothing I can get a quick answer from." Nyota answered jokingly.
"Sounds good, we'll take it for now. Now, I recommend joining EPSA and working from within the city, you get a better understanding of the operations that way. Is that what we're thinking?"
Nyota nodded. "The three of us agreed on EPSA and working in the police force."
"Sounds good," Jora assured. "It's great you participated in the tournament, and got far, too. The pairing of becoming EPSA police is picked too commonly. Had you not participated, you wouldn't have selection priority, and that would've messed with the plan greatly.
I'll see the three of you around, I've got to check on your fellow squad mates. I'll talk to you after."
Jora waved them goodbye with a smile as they returned the gesture. When he finally turned away, his counterfeit smile quickly disappeared. His mind was still greatly concerned with what his precognitive vision revealed when he spoke to Elwin.
"I have to tell them soon," he thought to himself.
About an hour later, the cadets readied to take the stage.
Two of the squadrons prepared at the end of one tunnel while the other half of cadets prepared within the other.
Nyota, Sage and Kilo stretched as time to march out to the court drew near, the light from outside around the open court just barely peeking into the tunnel.
Not too long after did the Big Three appear beside them.
"How's it going?" Tatius asked. Idalia waved as Enki greeted them as well.
"Tatius! Guys!" Nyota called. "It's about time."
"That's right," Tatius stretched. "The long-awaited day of departure, so to speak. We waited a long time for this. Now, it's finally come."
"I used to dream about this day," Idalia added. "Now that it's here, it feels so surreal."
"Hopefully, this year was the best of the few for you," Sage remarked.
Idalia smiled. "Oh? Surely, you mean because it's the year of graduation itself."
"Sure, certainly!" He nodded. "In part. But let's not forget this is the year you found a comrade for a rival of sorts, no?"
Idalia laughed. "Ah, yes, I suppose I could thank you for that."
The others observed as Idalia and Sage held an exclusive conversation in their presence yet again. Per usual, Enki and Tatius snickered. Kilo appeared unamused, and Nyota would laugh as the whole situation played out.
Initially distracted, both Idalia and Sage caught on to their comrades' observations, pausing their mutual flirtatious advancements as a result of their growing embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Khafra, Colt and Raphael stood among their fellow Squadron 1-D cadets who were accompanied by Squadron 1-C in the opposite tunnel.
Raphael's eyes looked out intently toward center court as he adjusted the gloves tightly situated around his hands.
Colt put his arm around Khafra. "Glad to have you back."
"Glad to be back," she smiled.
"This is the day we've been waiting for! Was worried for a second that we would go through the ceremony and all without you. Isn't that right, Raph?"
"Yeah…" His unwavering gaze wouldn't budge until a moment later when Colt and Khafra noticed his distraction.
"Raph?"
He swiftly fixed his attention to them. "Yeah?"
"Are you good?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." He was still bothered by their conclusion in the tournament. Despite Khafra standing right in front of him, he still struggled to adapt to the fact that his close comrade almost lost her life, let alone in an attempt to save his.
Not to mention his conversation with Trifon. He never expected Trifon to be able to showcase vulnerability. The words he shared with him back then bore much weight, it was a refreshing feeling of having a teacher care for him that he had to adapt to.
Finally he spoke again. "Look," he placed his hands onto one of each of Colt and Khafra's shoulders.
"If I haven't said it already, I'm sorry, to both of you. Today's the big day, we worked hard for this.
Khafra, thank you for saving me back there. It was a very risky move for you to take.
And Colt, I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I'll try my hardest to make sure we're never in a situation like that again. I…" He balled his fists, his head dropped low and his voice trailed. A droplet fell to the tunnel's concrete ground.
Unexpectedly, Colt and Khafra embraced him at once.
"Don't worry about it. Raph, we're family.
You may call the shots, sure. But we're always going to risk our lives for you, especially because we know you'd do the same for us in a heartbeat."
His arms open, he slowly brought them in to wrap around his comrades.
"Now clean your face, stop crying," they teased. "It's not a good look."
He snickered. "Thanks."
Soon after, the master of ceremonies began to announce over the coliseum intercoms.
"Alright now, ladies and gentlemen! Without further ado, we present to you this year's graduating cadet class!!
Squadrons, 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, and 1-D had an absolutely sensational past year. This year will certainly be remembered as a special year, especially considering it was the year of the Inaugural Annual Lunanova Police Force Cadet Sparring Tournament.
They've shown much promise as perhaps the District's greatest graduating class yet! Please, give it up, for this year's graduates!!"
The crowd roared and wouldn't relent for many minutes. The volume was so great, the attendance must have been higher than the maximum number of attendees that showed up during each of the days of the two-day tournament.
Altogether, the many cadets marched out to the expansive center court and arranged themselves in rows and columns, just as they had rehearsed many times before.
They all faced in one direction, toward Noriko's platform, where she stood with her hands perched behind her back.
Almost as expected, Jora sat in the stands with both Airrion and Trifon. The two of them had been bickering back and forth over trivial matters before he arrived.
"Newman!" Airrion called. "Glad you could join us!"
"Not funny, idiot." Trifon backlashed, crossing his arms.
Jora greeted back with a nod, barely bothering to acknowledge their presence.
Both Trifon and Airrion noticed his distance. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing." Jora's eyes peered out to the center of the coliseum.
Airrion refused to believe Jora, as did Trifon, who instead chose to no longer pay Jora any mind.
Contrastly, Airrion reflected on Jora's confrontation with Elwin, wondering if their conversation that day after the tournament's conclusion had anything to do with Jora's obviously-turbulent state of affairs.
"Alright, alright now, everyone!" The master of ceremonies called. "Let's get this ceremony underway! But first, our commander in chief has an opening speech she would like to give.
Without further ado, please give your applause for Commander Noriko Tachi!"
The crowd raged on and applauded, as did the cadets center stage. Granted, Nyota, Sage, and Kilo did so halfheartedly.
Noriko stood from her ceremonial chair and waved beyond to the rest of the arena. She stepped up to the microphone placed before her as the crowd silenced.
"Thank you, thank you! People of Lunanova District, it is an absolute honor to be here to see through the graduation ceremony for this year's Sub-District 101 graduates. Truly a promising class, I've been doing my fair share of studying on this bunch.
First, I would like to review how our system of government is arranged and operates, then I would like to use the remainder of my time to address the cadets here directly.
The District of Lunanova is governed as a jurisdiction that does not restrict the freedoms of its people. Our government seeks to unify us under one common goal, under one common identity.
To ensure utmost safety, we rely heavily on our military defense to protect us, ensuring that we never use this defense on our own people, but instead to fend against threats to our great land.
If in doubt, look no further than our ever-expanding nation, how our geographical borders continue to grow as a result of neighboring settlements lining up in groves to join in on our vision in exchange for protection, a strong sense of pride, and purpose."
The audience applauded as she continued on.
"Our government is split into two factions, the Lunanova Military and the Lunanova Police Force. Within these two factions exist a fixed ratio between two agencies, EPSA and the RSAA.
To be an agent of our Electric Path Spy Agency means to serve as intelligence security for our nation, both domestic and foreign, and to be prepared for combat if necessary and called.
To be an agent for our Red Stone Assassin Agency requires elite military training and tactical intelligence quotients. If you so choose to join this agency, you will serve as the elite military unit trained to conduct special operations.
Our police force bears a three-to-one ratio of EPSA to RSAA agents. Our military is inverse.
Finally, it is important to remember that our nation and our strength are unwavering, and I am humbly grateful to be able to serve and lead you all as your great commander in chief!
Now, without further ado, our cadets," she opened her arms. "Congratulations on reaching this point. It takes great resilience to reach this level alone, even though it may just be the very beginning of your journeys.
I hope you enjoy and look forward to your patriotic service, as you represent a mass population of people when you go out and represent the District on your chests. It is my expectation as well as your fellow people that you do so with pride.
This day, you finally bridge the gap between cadethood and becoming a full-fledged agent. I hope that you do so with loyalty and pride!"
Once again, the audience cheered enthusiastically. Noriko waved once more before returning to her throne.
"Great going, Director!" Elwin complemented as he stood at ease to her side.
Each cadet would go on to be called by name as the ceremony continued, each receiving a medal and personalized certificate.
When the ceremony neared its conclusion, the master of ceremonies made one final announcement.
"It's been a great ceremony! Hopefully, graduates, you all will remember this day for years to come.
Now, as we conclude, we have just one final thing to cross off of our itinerary. May all the cadets salute as we recite our annual cadet graduation creed."
Forming a closed fist in their right hands and placing them over their hearts, each cadet faced a standing Noriko and saluted as their left arms rested to their sides, the collective sound ripping through the air as the audience remained silent.
The master of ceremonies started. "Please repeat after me.
I pledge allegiance
To our great nation
The District of Lunanova,
I pledge allegiance
To its contemporaneous commander
With all due pride, an unwavering devotion,
And buoyant praise,
Even up until my final days."
The crowd roared and applauded. Reluctantly, Nyota, Sage and Kilo joined.
The ceremony concluded, and all graduates prepared to declare their agency of choice between the Red Stone Assassin Agency and the Electric Path Spy Agency.
Additionally, they were sorted and assigned to one of the two factions between the Lunanova Military and Lunanova Police Force.
Although every cadet had the opportunity to choose their agency, only the cadets who participated in the tournament received the privilege of choosing their factions as well rather than having them assigned.
As discussed before, Nyota, Sage, and Kilo exercised their priority privileges to join the police force as EPSA spies.
As EPSA agents, they turned in their black coats with white stripes in exchange for coats with blue stripes instead.
Tatius, Enki, and Idalia chose to join the military as RSAA assassins. They were gifted new black long coats with red stripes.
Cadel and Faris opted to join the local police force, too, although they chose to join the RSAA. Shiloh joined the military as a spy rather than as an assassin.
Finally, Khafra, Colt, and Raphael joined the police force as spies as well.
Noriko returned to her office located at the central regional police precinct. There, she congregated with a few higher-up officials to consult her, among them, Elwin.
Together, they reviewed reports of some of the highest-ranked cadets among the graduating classes with the primary objective of assigning all graduates to certain class grades.
First, she labeled all three members of the Big Three, Enki, Tatius, and Idalia, as A-Class.
"I want Nyota Atar in A-Class," she told her constituents.
"Are you sure?" Elwin questioned. "Although Class S is the highest, A-Class is a bit too high for an agent as young as him, no?"
Noriko shook her head. "I know what I saw, and I know what I'm dealing with.
His abilities are unique, which makes sense considering how we've identified him. His tournament performance was better than anticipated, and he showcased such a strong will to win.
The only reason I wouldn't assign him to S-Class is because of his young age and lack of experience. Nothing else must be seen for me to draw this conclusion. I've said what I've said."
Bitter, Elwin nodded his head.
"Regarding his companions," she continued. "Sage Hikari can be placed in A-Class as well, and Kilo Hikari in B-Class.
As for the rest of our new agents, you all figure it out. I have more important matters to tend to.
Newton, I trust that you'll provide great oversight," she waved before swiftly leaving the premises.