"Rotating around the earth polar opposite to the moon is another giant rock, this one veiled by a magical godlike power that shields it from the human eye."

"It's not quite as big as the moon, nor is it shaped like the moon. For any space rock it is typical for it to be completely round, but this one happens to be two floating islands facing each other, being held together by one long tower in the center of each island. Each island having their own gravity that is split in the middle of the tower."

"This gravity phenomena is caused by none other than the god of all elements in the world, Astreum. A giant wyrm that is the creator of the other 7 separate gods that rule over their own respective element."

"Astreum created this rock. They gave it power. They gave it life. It's unknown why they created this planet but we do know it was created very long after earth. It is seemingly modeled after earth as the same dominant species thrives on each. Humans."

"The only difference is the humans living on these islands are blessed with power. Elemental power. Regions of the island are separated by the type of power. The power of rock, the power of forest and the power of the light on the top island Borealis. The power of Fire, the power of water and the power of the dark on the bottom island Australis. The power of air exists in the middle of the two islands."

"The 7 elements each have their own capital that exist together as the combined nation of Pleiades and serve to maintain order over the world and to carry out the will of Astreum for this world to be hidden from the knowledge of earth."

"This order was carried out poorly in the start of our civilization. Several Mythologies being created by different regions of earth out of creatures and gods from the islands escaping through portals that led to earth."

"In the last century Pleiades has carried out this order from our god to perfection. Which is necessary now, in the first day of 2020, a day and age where the earth has more ways to share information than ever.

"So the next time you think about traveling to earth, consider how one slip up could affect our whole race. We know how tempting it is to steal from earth. We know how 80 percent of what we build and make is modeled after something that already exists on earth. So please do not sneak into an earth portal without professional help. Next time think about the consequences." The speaker shuts off, a small spark shooting out the top. It barely seems to hang on to the ceiling of the school bus, tugging on the wires powering it.

"Well that was dramatic for a public service announcement," She thinks to herself.

"At least it's different than the typical one, warning us about the Flügel." She looks down from the ceiling and over to her left, where she sees the rusty back door of the bus.

The colors of yellow and black are faded, with small random scratches and dents from years of being in the vicinity of teens that couldn't care less about its quality. In the center was a giant window with the same scratches and dents yet still serving its purpose to reveal the neighborhoods and cars behind the bus.

She watches the road endlessly drift away from her from the out the back window. A strong bright feeling brushes throughout her mind, taking over any sort of negative feeling and filling the emotions with purpose.

"Why do I always get so nostalgic looking out the back of this bus."

"Gloria."

"It's such a powerful feeling, sad or happy. It feels like the world could end right now. It feels like this could be the end to my journey, despite the existence of the one that awaits me."

"Gloria!"

"Maybe it marks a checkpoint, telling me it's time that I start anew, beginning a new journey. Each one greater than the next as I go into the unknown future that is life."

"Vanagloria!"

She's barely able to finish the thought but snaps back into reality as she realizes there's something else she should be paying attention to. Vanagloria is now face to face with a short biracial girl in her late teens with dark purple eyes and thick pure white hair, like it has never even seen any sort of filth. She wore a long sleeved black t-shirt that was just slightly big on her just enough so the sleeves came up right over palms and baggy black and purple flannel pajama pants. She also had a deep purple scar on her temple that moved down behind her cheekbone and behind where her hair hides her ear.

"Sorry, you looked like you were deep in thought." Blair said with a warm smile.

"I was just getting nostalgic for no reason." Vanagloria said, covering up the slight embarrassment it gave her. If she said any of that shit out load she would sound super overdramatic.

"Nothing wrong with that, especially on a day like today, it might be the last time you see that back window." As soon as Blair finished her sentence Vanagloria realized the conversation the two were having before the announcement interrupted them.

"Oh my god, I totally forgot about that." Vanagloria laughed at herself. "Sorry, I completely zoned out after the announcement."

"It happens." Blair shrugged, still with a comfy attitude.

Blair was one of the only people who Vanagloria felt comfortable to have moments like that. Of course Blair didn't fully understand her ADHD, but she was cool enough about it that Vanagloria didn't have to worry about constantly impressing her.

Although it would be weird if Blair wasn't cool about it, They had been best friends ever since they first met. Some days it really felt like they were just a perfect pair.

"Yeah the announcement caught me a little off guard, it's not often they switch it up. It feels like they've been playing the same announcement about the Flügel for weeks now." Vanagloria says as the bus stops by a small house to drop off a pair of siblings.

"Well that murderer might just be the reason why we might go big tommorow." Blair said.

"Yeah, we'll finally be able to join the Vying. Imagine that." Vanagloria said, getting herself excited.

Today is December 31st, meaning tommorow is Champions day. It is a day that only happened every 5 years, where 7 teams of teenagers and young adults with elemental powers are picked by the champions of each elemental capital to compete in a competition hosted by the light capital, Phobos, where the teams go to each capital to prove themselves to be worthy enough to be knights for that respective capital. This competition was called "The Vying".

Each team spent a week with each champion and try their best to prove themselves, typically through a trail of morality, intelligence and strength or a tournament.

At the end the champions would gather the contestants together again and choose the people who have proved themselves enough to work for them as their knights. Knights generally are regarded as B-list celebrities on the islands, spending most of their time helping improve their communities and save them from harm.

Every champion has a squad of 20 to 50 knights, made up of kindhearted people who's job is to help out citizens or powerhouses of elemental powers, meant to take care of the biggest threats the world would throw at them.

They were basically pseudo-champions, the one thing they were supposed to excel at was their fighting prowess and nothing much else. They almost always come from the Vying and are always the most famous of the knights with the ultimate goal to get powerful enough to be the next champion.

Vanagloria and Blair had always wanted to participate in the Vying, and after years of preparation, they had assembled a team and were ready to leave tomorrow for the light capital for the competition.

"Plus we can finally see what element you'll get tomorrow." Blair said. "It feels like we've been waiting forever for this element test."

"I-I know right! I can't wait to try out my new powers. I honestly don't care which one I get at this point, I just wanna be able to finally shoot stuff outta my hands like everyone else." Vanagloria said, barely able to contain her excitement even after just being reminded.

Most people get their elemental powers naturally over time just by growing up like Blair who has light powers. But some people like Vanagloria have to bring out their elemental powers through an element test, which are basically a trip to the hospital where a doctor would take your DNA and see what element fits you best. After they find out that they will inject a small amount of the respective element into your bloodstream through a shot. Meant to speed up the development of the elemental powers.

"If you get light… I don't even know, I would be so happy." Blair said getting herself excited as well. "Imagine us as a heroic light duo."

"Im just hoping they are available to do it right before the event." Vanagloria said, making herself worry. She looks down to the front of the bus at all the younger kids. It made her feel good being the oldest, with the exception of Blair who was probably as old as her. They never really knew when either of them were actually born, although from the very few doctors appointments they had been to, they had been estimated to have both been born on early july, 2000.

"I don't think they will. It would be messed up to close a whole hospital just because of champions day. That just sounds dumb. Y'know, if we do become knights, we'll have a political say in these types of things. We can push for element tests to be cheaper and easier to get." Blair reassures Vanagloria as the bus takes a sharp right, causing the bus to make a small creek like it was stretching itself out just to make that turn.

"Yeah, if we do actually get picked by a champion. Also, what if the guys from Australis turn out to be jerks, it would suck if we got stuck with them in our team and they turned out to be assholes."

"No Gloria, from the times I've met them in real life and the few letters we've sent they were really cool, I wouldn't put us in a group of people who I thought you wouldn't like." Blair said, really trying to stop Vanagloria from worrying.

It was getting hard though, she could feel the anxiety swell up whenever she fully realized this was actually happening tomorrow. At least it was nice to be able to vent about it.

"Didn't you say they are all like really good fighters too? Like, isn't Martyr supposed to be a prodigy with fire powers?" Vanagloria looked back up from the floor, meeting Blair's strong purple eyes.

"Yep. All three of them live in an even poorer area than we do, they kinda had to be good at fighting. Although the other two got lucky and developed their element already like me, Martyr was only able to afford to get his element because he got so high up in the ranks of their school, the school bought the element test for him just so they could put themselves on the map."

Vanagloria leaned back in her seat. "Damn, I wish our school did that, I probably would've totally gotten one by now."

"SCREECH"

The bus comes to a dramatic halt, scaring Vanagloria.

"Oh shit, oh shit our stop!" She says as she frantically tries to grab her backpack.

Blair giggled. "Calm down, like 20 other kids get off here remember." She was already standing in her seat, looking down at Vanagloria struggling to get up.

She finally gets up after an embarrassing amount of time for someone to put on a backpack and joins the line of kids that emptied over half the bus.

Vanagloria and Blair were orphans alongside the other 30 or so kids who all lived in this big dusty warehouse they called shelter, being taken care of by the people of the small countryside village of Umberville. It wasn't the worst thing to them, they had never known what it's like to live in a normal place but it was well kept after. All of the kids are provided with breakfast and dinner everyday and there's a basketball court outback to keep the kids in shape. They also provide sleeping bags and someone to come in every week to take care of the place.

Vanagloria had lived in the orphanage for as long as she could remember.

According to the older kids, she had been found at only a few years old wrapped up in a blanket outside the orphanage and was taken in without any explanation of how or why she got there.

Blair was a very different scenario. Around the same time, 15 years ago, Blair was moved alongside a wave of other kids on the day of the tragedy called "The Exterminatus Event." Where 15 years ago the

most powerful of the 7 champions at the time; the Fire champion, was driven mad and in one incredible flame he wiped out a third of the population on the islands. Blair's mom, her only parent, happened to be one of those people.

It's what happened to most of the kids that lived at the orphanage. Very few of them were there because of some other tragedy.

This is what Vanagloria was thinking about as she walked to the front of the bus. "No wonder I've been feeling nostalgic, this might be the last day I live a mud and life like this, tomorrow might be the most important day of my life." She thought with a hopeful smile.

"Have a good weekend."

"What? Oh… uh yeah, you too."

Vanagloria got so lost in thought again she forgot that the line was still moving.

As the bus goes by Vanagloria takes a deep breath and tries to forget about the awkward interaction that just happened.

"Alright first thing first, we gotta grab the stuff for the trip. This could literally be the last time we ever live here so pack good shit." Blair says as Vanagloria walks up to her.

"Yeah, yeah, I got my stuff next to my sleeping bag. Last night I packed all of my food, clothes, money, notebooks and everything else I'll need." Vanagloria lied.

It wasn't a full lie, she had packed some stuff, but she didn't want to pack right now. She didn't have the drive to consider every possible thing she might need to bring. Worst case scenario she does it last second in the morning, she could just try and pack everything, she wouldn't have to worry about leaving anything behind.

"Oh okay." Blair seemed a little surprised.

"I'm just gonna head right to bed. I know we still got a few hours til' lights out but we have to wake up super early and honestly I'm just really goddamn tired."

"That's fine with me." Blair said walking up to the orphanage. "I might do the same once I'm done with packing."

"Plus if we wake up early we'll have a little extra last second packing time." Vanagloria said, walking through the doors.

"True."

"Alright, I'm heading to bed, I'll cya tomorrow."

"Sweet dreams." Blair makes a small finger wave towards Gloria as she takes a right towards the sleeping area.

Vanagloria imitates the little wave.

"I couldn't think of a better partner to go with me on this trip." She thinks to herself.

Vanagloria makes it over to her sleeping bag in the corner of the empty room and starts to settle in for the night.

"I'm too excited to fall asleep right now." She thinks to herself, staring up at the dust ceiling as a storm starts to kick up outside.

Her and Blair had been dreaming about this day for the longest time. On nights like this they would sleep outside the orphanage they would look up at the lights of Australis miles and miles away and talk about their ambitions to be heroes. Falling asleep to the open world above them felt so much more free than sleeping in the caged orphanage walls.

The two of them never really went outside of the general area, except for the occasional school field trip. Like the one Blair went on to meet their soon to be teammate, Martyr.

Living in Umberville wasn't enough for the two of them. Sure they would miss people from the village if they moved like some of the people in their friend groups but ultimately the two girls had ambitions beyond what the small town could offer them.

They wanted glory.

They didn't want to stay in school, repeating the same stressful years of the same subjects taught. They didn't want to work a mundane job in their mundane town.

They wanted to meet celebrities, they wanted to see the world, they wanted to find love, they wanted to find new friends to have experiences with.

But most of all they wanted to live.

They wanted to find a meaning in life.

Whenever they talked about their big dreams Vanagloria always had this feeling in her heart pulling her to seek out glory. It felt like she was meant to be a hero, whether it was some big prophecy all coordinated by a powerful deity centuries ago or if it was just a gut feeling that wasn't meant to be. The power to change the world for the better just felt right to her somehow.

Or maybe to just be taken seriously, as a person who does good rather than the weird orphan girl with a mental illness. It made Vanagloria want to really go all the way with her ambitions.

Vanagloria wanted to be not just a champion but somebody that is looked back on in legend.

The greatest of all time type of status.

If she was gonna do this, she was gonna go all the way. That was the type of glory she wanted.

Although Blair wanted to just become a knight. A big deal but not the biggest deal.

It never really bothered Vanagloria though. Blair wasn't a fighter. Even though according to the ranking of their school, they were generally ranked around the same strength.

S, A, B, C, D and F were the types of ranks the school gave students based on combat. Each ranking had its own separate class, meaning Blair and Vanagloria both were ranked in the same which was now A. A pretty impressive feat for Vanagloria, a girl with no elemental powers at all.

Vanagloria started off around D when she first entered highschool and after 6 years climbed all the way to the very highest spot in her A ranked class. Blair just barely making it into her class before they had to leave for champions day.

As the lightning outside continues to rumble, Vanagloria starts to subconsciously nod off as her thoughts proceed.

"It's great that I have Blair with me."

"If this really does turn into the event that becomes my life's adventure."

"I'm gonna want to spend it with the people I care about the most."