[Destination has been reached]
With the announcement, the train came to a stop. Nathan opened his eyes and looked out the window. He stared for a few seconds before he let out a sigh and got to his feet.
He stepped down from the train and quickly made his way across toward a cubicle. {Welcome to The Guardian. Please state your business and ensure that you have a pass during your visit.}
"Hello, sir." A man dressed in navy blue military attire took one look at Nathan. "You are here to participate in the examination?" Nathan nodded as he passed his card over.
The military man swiped the card through a verification chamber with an identity form appearing on the holographic screen in front of him. "Nathaniel Holt… Any relations with Ian Holt?"
"He is my father." Nathan simply said leaving the guard astounded. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I cannot begin to tell you just how happy I am to know that Sir Ian had a child."
Nathan had an awkward expression as he scratched the back of his head. "I wonder how he would react if he realized that I was a bastard child my father never acknowledged."
"Haha, it's nice to know that he is a respected figure even amongst the mighty military."
"Without his revolutionary studies and designs, we wouldn't be where we are today."
The guard switched from his casual demeanor to a more chatty one as he engaged Nathan.
It was not a great feeling for him since his so-called father had abandoned him and his mother. Only after his death was he willing to allow Nathaniel to carry his name.
If anything, Nathan would have loved to carry his mother's name but it was her dying wish that he carried the Holt family name, leaving him no choice.
"If he had just accepted mom, she wouldn't have had to die, lonely and depressed, longing for a man that never wanted her." Nathan wanted to be mad but, fuming over a dead man…. It wasn't worth it.
"Uhmm, sorry I'm in a bit of a rush so I don't know if I could get that permit now." Nathan interrupted the guard with a smile. "Oh my, I was so carried away that I forgot. Let me do that now."
It took only a minute after which Nathan received his card with new information added to it. "Good luck." Nathan nodded. "Thanks."
Though the guard was quite chatty about a topic he found offensive, he still seemed like a nice fellow. One easily carried away by things that were deemed important to him.
He made his way out of the building and what greeted him was a slightly different set from the one he was familiar with on The Layman.
Military personnel walked the street with training and cultivating facilities as far as the eyes could see. The buildings had a more rigid futuristic vibe with no unnecessary details added.
It was simply a space city built for the military.
Nathan did not dawdle as he hailed a cab. "Guardian academy." The driver casually nodded as he took off.
After a little over thirty minutes, they had arrived. "Here you go."
Standing in front of his destination, Nathan could not help but suck in cold air as he struggled to build up the courage to walk past the gates.
The gates before him were made of unique metal rods and on top of it, glowing with a blue hue, were the words, 'Guardian academy'.
Of course, he was not the only one as several other teenagers walked past him and into the school premises. Some looked confident, others scared and some others were rather casual about it as they chatted amongst themselves.
For a moment, Nathan felt isolated from everyone and everything. Even now, he still had to struggle with his doubts. [Unshakable will activated].
He clenched his fist. "Just do it." A male voice floated into his ear. He turned to find a blonde-haired male standing beside him, a bright smile on his handsome face.
"Hope I wasn't intruding. Noticed you looked quite scared so I decided to give some moral support." The blonde male remarked. "Uhmm, thanks."
"It's fine. I'm Reyes, what's your name?" He stretched out his palm to shake Nathan. The latter stared at him briefly causing Reyes to feel a bit uncomfortable. "I'm Nathaniel. Nice to meet you."
Nathan shook his hand firmly. "So are you going to step in now?" Reyes seemed quite friendly as he asked. "Of course. Could we go together?"
"Sure thing."
Both stepped past the gates and into the academy, a light breeze caressing Nathan's cheek as he felt that he had entered into a different world. "If I want to put a stop to the future from repeating itself, this is a good place to start from."
They didn't get far before they were stopped by some guards to verify their identities. Once that was done, they were led to a large hall with a design similar to an amphitheater, at least half of it, that seemed capable of accommodating almost ten thousand people.
The area was noisy as they chatted, it made the hall come alive for a while. Nathan and Reyes found themselves a good seat in the middle row.
"Settle down, everyone." An authoritative voice boomed across the hall causing everyone to pause as they turned to the source.
A middle-aged gentleman with a burly physique stood on the stage, his greying hair parted stylishly, dressed in a navy blue military attire with a few medals on it with an emblem that carried his rank.
He had his hands behind him and his demeanor was of a no-nonsense individual that students dreaded.
"Whoa, isn't that Captain Rodgers. I heard he is one of the strict instructors in the academy. His classes are always hell."
A few brave ones gossiped but after realizing that the captain was staring in their direction, they quickly shut their mouths.
"I am Captain Rodgers and I would be your examiner for today. You all know why you are here…" The captain paused as he glanced across the hall, adding a dramatic effect. "You all are here because you did excellently well in the written exams that had been conducted three months ago."
"Before we go forward, I would like to make a special mention to a particular candidate that had a perfect score during the test." Gasps were heard all around as they could not believe what the captain had said.
This would have warranted a few murmurs from the crowd if not for the stern expression Rodgers had on his face as he surveyed the hall like a hawk. Almost as though he were waiting for the first offender.
"Would Mr. Nathaniel Holt, present himself to us?" The captain said after no one dared to speak. Nathan was rooted in his seated position as his eyes were wide in shock.
"I got a perfect score?" This was information that was certainly new to him since he had never bothered to check or find out last time.
"Mr. Nathaniel Holt?" Captain Rodgers said again with those present searching amongst themselves for the wonder kid.
Having come to a decision, Nathan slowly rose to his feet, his body trembling slightly. The attention of the entire hall quickly came upon him, causing the trembling to become even more obvious.
"Is this what stage fright is like?" [Unshakable will activated]
Captain Rodgers had a doubtful expression as he looked Nathan over. "You are Nathaniel Holt?" Nathan nodded in response, attempting to tune out the prying eyes of others to not get flustered.
"I hope you are aware of what kind of punishment awaits those guilty of impersonation?" Even with Nathan's confirmation, The captain still found it a bit hard to believe, daring to blatantly threaten the former.
"I know, sir. I am Nathaniel Holt." Nathan replied. "Alright then. I must congratulate you on earning a perfect score on the test. Speaks a lot of the knowledge you possess."
"Thank you, sir." The captain quickly added. "But that doesn't mean that you should become arrogant. The test was merely that, a test. Today we shall be holding the main exams to see if you are good enough to enter the academy."
"Yes, sir. I understand." Nathan replied as he quickly took his seat. A few looks of admiration went his way while some others snorted, agreeing with the Captain's words.
"The examination today would be split into three parts. The first part is the affinity test, the second is the core quality test, and lastly is the vocation test. Each of these tests carries with it a certain requirement to pass and if one does not meet those requirements, even if you scored a double perfect score, you would still be sent back home."