The sound of hastened footsteps could be heard, rushing down a hallway. The racing footsteps gradually got closer, nearing their target with every passing second.
Suddenly, the sound of the footsteps came to a halt, then followed by a loud…
*SWISH!*
*BUMP!*
"We made it!"
The owners of the footsteps were none other than Tanjo Nozomu and Naguru Akogare.
Mr. Oshieru, who leaned against the front of his desk, sighed. Good thing he wasn't sleeping. "You two really need to stop slamming doors—or come to the academy earlier."
Akogare smiled nervously. "Sorry, teach! They had released new high-class warrior action figures at the store, so I just had to pick some up!"
Tanjo, on the other hand, exhaled tiredly. "The pathways here were overpopulated, so I had a hard time getting here! Sorry, Mr. Oshieru!"
Before Mr. Oshieru could say anything, the academy bells rang, alerting everyone in class 1AB. The blue-haired instructor lazily pushed himself off his desk, folding his arms.
"Well, you're here now. Find your seats and prepare for class." Mr. Oshieru ordered, observing as the two obnoxious students dashed to their designated seats.
Mr. Oshieru's tired, gray eyes scanned the classroom, silently taking his students' attendance. Yawning, Oshieru officially started class.
"All right, as you all know, we have been prioritizing your training—specifically, your Aura Senses. As an instructor, I'm proud of you for growing at such rapid rates. But, you can still grow; become stronger and smarter." Mr. Oshieru stated, his voice pressuring the final word.
"It has been, what? A few weeks since I last gave you in-class lessons. And it's been even longer since you've had training with anyone outside of class 1AB." Oshieru said, his tired voice reaching the ears of every student present.
Students remained silent, unsure how to process their instructor's recollection. Utsukushi's eyes were droopy, seemingly exhausted. The pink-haired girl didn't have much of an idea about what Oshieru was saying, nearly succumbing to sleep.
*SWOOSH!*
*THWACK!*
"Ow!" Utsukushi yelped, her eyes shooting open as she rubbed the top of her head. Looking down at her desk, she could see an eraser. "Hey!"
"Don't sleep when I'm talking, Utsukushi," Oshieru responded to her yelp, dryly, clearing his throat. "But, back to what I was saying: you guys have been stationed on our training grounds for far too long. The constant training was meant for all of you to hopefully catch up with the other class—which went well—leaving us to think about our next set of curriculum."
Senko Sukudo raised his hand high, his palm flat. "Are we finally returning to our studies, then?"
Mr. Oshieru shrugged. "I suppose so, but not entirely."
This vague answer left the students perplexed. Mr. Oshieru was a hard person to understand, ranging from his dark humor, constant laziness, and exhaustion, to his borderline uncaring attitude. It's a wonder as to where the academy found him.
Mr. Oshieru smirked, enjoying the confused countenances of his students. "Instead of doing regular, boring academics as we have since the beginning of the year, I thought that we could change it up. Today, we're going to learn from our village's very best: the warriors of Buraun."
Akogare's eyes shot open, his mouth gaping instantly. "Really! Like, like, the high-ranking warriors that always end up in the news!?"
"Uh," Oshieru raised his right eye slightly. "Yes?"
A smile had invaded Akogare's expression, prompting the long-haired blonde to start pumping his fists energetically. "All right!"
Suddenly, a voice erupted. "Calm down, you stupid blonde!" It was Meisei's.
"What about blondes?" Naderamu's voice chimed in, her ferocious eyes shooting daggers at the white-haired student.
Meisei recoiled in fear. "N-nothing!"
Mr. Oshieu sighed for the umpteenth time. These students were easy to lose control of. He could only imagine them once they had fully mastered their Aura Sense.
"Okay, shut up, all of you!" Oshieru ceased their bickering, scratching his arm idly. "We're going to be visiting the barracks. It's just on the other side of the village. To help you, think about the combat grounds that we occupied for our class battles. Hell, I'm sure that they own those grounds."
Naderamu eyed her teacher, resting her head in her palm. "Can we go, then? I'm tired of hearing Akogare squeal like a fangirl."
"Shut it, Naderamu!"
"Fine, fine," Mr. Oshieru conceded, steering his body toward the entrance of the classroom. "We can head out, but first, you need to put on your armor."
XXX
"When will they get here?"
Sitting on a bench, Sona wore an annoyed expression. Next to her, Toshiro was sitting with his legs crossed, remaining much more quiet and docile compared to his sister.
After Haishi had dropped off the siblings, having to attend an important meeting with the Council of Buraun, Kou took the liberty of watching over Sona and Toshiro again. However, today was also a special day—for the siblings, at least.
In front of the pair, Kou, in her armor, smiled. "Stop being impatient, brat. You might recognize these kids."
Sona eyed Kou dubiously. "Yeah, like we're going to be able to recognize people we probably haven't met." The little girl drawled.
Kou flicked Sona's head. "You have met them. I'll go as far as to say that you've met them before me!"
"Really?" Toshiro asked. "Then, who are they?"
Kou turned her head, facing forward. "Class 1AB!"
Both Sona and Toshiro followed Kou's gaze, spotting an incoming group of students. The sibling's eyes glinted in recognition. Every student was clad in chalkboard-gray armor, their blue headbands swaying in the wind majestically.
"Hey, those are the trainees that we spied on!" Sona hollered, pushing herself to the edge of the bench she rested on.
Kou froze. "You spied on them?"
"Are we late?" A voice spoke abruptly, bringing Kou back to the moment.
Standing before Kou, Mr. Oshieru of Class 1AB appeared—his students being
meters away.
Kou smiled. She and Haishi were fortunate that the instructors from Buraunmajikku were there to help save the siblings. Without Oshieru and Akushon, who knows how Sona and Toshiro would've ended up.
"Nope!" Kou said mirthfully. "Just on time, Class 1AB!"
"Wait!" A teenage voice called out. Jumping in front of Kou, a blonde-haired student came into sight. "I know you!"
Kou grinned at Akogare. "Good! Though, I'd tone it down a smidge."
Akogare being a massive fanboy of warriors did not help the situation. Tanjo and Naderamu could only remember all of the moments that Akogare praised warriors and their existence. It also wasn't a shock to learn about Akogare's memorabilia room.
Sona and Toshiro merely sat in silence, watching as Class 1AB situated themselves within the barracks. The siblings couldn't help but remember their time back in Ryakudatsu
Sona clenched her small hands. 'They're still smiling? Even after the attack?'
It was hard for the siblings to understand how people recover from traumatizing situations, especially for Sona. After living such a fruitless life, contained underneath the Montgomery Church, the siblings could only look for a light—but one never came. Not until Buraunmajikku arrived.
'They didn't lose someone,' Sona thought. 'We lost Mizuki, they lost no one! That's why they smile!'
Sona's eyes then turned to a peculiar jet-black-haired student. She remembers him; he had swooped in and caught Mizuki from being captured by the red-haired man. What was his name?
"Tanjo! Isn't this exciting!" Akogare called out to his friend, nudging his shoulder slightly.
Tanjo smiled, joining Akogare with his joyful attitude. "I guess? It has been a while since we did anything else besides training at the academy."
'It was Tanjo…' Sona thought, oblivious to Kou, who started talking loudly.
"Okay! Since you are all training to become warriors, why don't I show you all the ropes?" Kou declared in a questioning tone.
This obviously elicited hollers of agreement from most of the students, willing to learn every bit of information possible.
Sona and Toshiro could only sit in a daze. It was as if they pictured every day, every moment as an opportunity—not as misfortune.
The sister of the siblings steeled her emotions, closing her eyes. 'Just they wait! They'll soon learn of how bad it is to live in the barracks!'
XXX
Multiple warriors could be seen standing around a table from within a large, green tent, the material of which was flailing in the small breeze. On the table was a map, showcasing all of Buraun's territory.
Looking at the map, it was quite obvious to catch just how much forest there was encompassing Buraun. The majority of Buraun is surrounded by the Kodaina and Fukuga forests.
This group of warriors was also referred to as the "Signal Branch."
"Our missions as of late have been proceeding just fine. After group Shutsugen left for Asahi, we were able to recoup some of what we had lost on our last trade before the village was ravaged." A woman with dark hair and a yellow headband exclaimed suddenly, staring at the map and its markings.
Multiple paths to various locations within a 500-kilometer radius were also shown on the map. Four distinct arrows had all been directed to Asahi, a single village. It has been a problem in Buraun since the eradication of the Asahi village. They were a major supplier of supplies and goods, but after Asahi fell, Buraun was forced to recoup all of the valuables that had been sent by them before Asahi's demise.
The Signal Branch had been put in charge of recollecting those valuables. They had the ability to detect life as well as navigate the lands of Adonai. The Council of Buraun has been relying on the Signal Branch to return Buraun's valuables from Asahi, almost as if it was a last-ditch effort to retain power.
"Once group Shutsugen returns, we'll send our second group, Kaiki, to scout out anything left. This should put our mission to a close." A burly man with a red headband added, his voice solid and clear.
The dark-haired woman nodded. "All right, then. Stay alert and—Woah!"
Suddenly, like a hyperactive trap going off, everyone in the Signal Branch felt the abrupt waves of their Aura Sense, seemingly reacting to something.
"What is happening!?" The burly man asked, looking at his comrades.
The dark-haired woman closed her eyes and focused. "I sense… I sense a large group of incoming warriors! They are just within the Fukuga forest boundaries!"
"What could it be?" Another warrior of the Signal Branch asked, his eyes wavering in concern.
The dark-haired woman opened her eyes, staring down at everyone in the room.
"We need to alert the commander!"
XXX
New academy activities? Hell yeah! An incoming swarm of warriors? Hell no! What will happen with the students and Kou? What did Sona mean by the barracks being terrible to live at? And what about the Signal Branch and their findings? How will they alert the commander? Stay tuned to find out!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_