A little earlier, back at Shinra. Angeal and Genesis finally completed their basic training. Deemed to be combat ready by the company, Shinra thought it would be good to send them to Wutai for tempering.
Warriors don't get stronger by just training alone after all. They need to get experience as well. And Lazard was all too happy to send them to Wutai in order to give them a job other than sit there and regulate the war.
Angeal and Genesis were in front of the director and he fixed his glasses while staring at them. "Genesis, Angeal... You are now 3rd class SOLDIERs that aren't too far from being 2nd class. You just need to go on more missions for a promotion."
The two friends looked at each other briefly and were excited due to their high ranking status in just a couple of months. Even 3rd classes were elites in the military after all.
"So, you will be tasked to prove yourself in the war effort in the west. You will be fighting at Wutai, pretty exciting no? The commanders there will be teaching you. Any further questions?" Lazard had a smirk on his face, imagining their reactions.
"Umm, how exactly are they?" Angeal was curious about the twins and their attitudes. "Ahhh, well. Be careful of the girl. That's all the advice I can give you to be honest." Lazard shrugged with a shake of his head.
"Alexandra? Why though?" Genesis got interested as she was the one who he wanted to surpass. With Ramiel being an inconspicuous person, he didn't quite know what he was capable of. So Genesis set his sights on Alexandra.
"She's... How can I say this. Volatile, very volatile. Alexandra would kill you in a heartbeat if you say something wrong about her brother. Otherwise, she would care less what you would say to her." Lazard gave a chuckle.
"So she has a complex? One of the only two 1st class?" Angeal couldn't believe it and Lazard laughed his ass off.
"That's a good one kid. Basically, yes. She has a huge brother complex. So you better be respectful to your commander. I know you're confident in your strength... But those two? I hope you don't get to see just how ridiculously powerful they are." Lazard turned serious at the end and Angeal gulped.
Genesis went into deep thought, closing his eyes. "Then we just have to get stronger! Be on their level!" Genesis smiled and Angeal lost his nervousness due to his friend's enthusiasm.
"That's the spirit, now go onto your mission." Lazard smiled at them and they saluted once again.
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On the boat, Genesis was reading a book and Angeal looked over the horizon while taking care of a large broadsword. It was delivered to him while he was in Midgar. His mother borrowed some money to have it made and gave it to him as a gift.
"When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end. The goddess descends from the sky. Wings of light and dark spread afar. She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting." Genesis read the poem of the book as the warm winds of the ocean washed over them.
"Loveless, you're still reading that poem? You're totally obsessed with it." Angeal gave a wry smile to his friend.
"Hmph, like you aren't with that blade of yours." Genesis snorted and Angeal nodded at him, satisfied with his little quip.
"Why act 1 though?" Angeal questioned. "I have a feeling, our commander has extensive strength. Probably far higher than his sister, but he doesn't show it. But when the time comes... He'll have to use it, nobody can become that strong naturally. A gift from the goddess."
"Huh? Now that you say it, their strength are ridiculous. SOLDIER 1st class with basically the same age as us. Maybe you're right." Angeal agreed and they could see the island of Wutai already.
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Back at the present, the two friends were immediately curious about the volatile sister. As Lazard has given them plenty of warnings about her.
"What should we do with them?" Alex has absolutely no idea what responsibilities they could give them. As she only ever trusted her back to her brother.
"Easy, we test them. Hmmm, how about I do it? I doubt you can teach them very well~" Ramiel teased her and she puffed her cheeks.
"Can do! What do you mean I can't?" Alex huffed at him and he laughed at her little outburst. Pinching her cheeks as she looked like a chipmunk.
"Hey, are you sure director Lazard is correct? Our vice commander looks normal, but just obsessed with her brother. She doesn't look scary at all." Angeal whispered to Genesis and the auburn haired kid shrugged.
"I don't know what to tell you, though can't you feel it? She's definitely dangerous, her body is brimming with Mako and power." Genesis squinted his eyes and shivered at the almost bottomless amount of Mako that was trying to get out of her body.
"Huh? You say something squirts?" Alex craned her head to them and stared right at them. "No ma'am!" The two immediately stood still and they broke out into a cold sweat. Thinking that girls really were a different kind of breed.
"Okay, enough chit chat you two. Let's see what you're made of." Ramiel picked up a stick and brandished it, making Genesis frown heavily. While Angeal thought that he was too arrogant.
"You'll regret looking down on me, commander!" Genesis brandished his mass produced sword and casted a spell to enhance it while Angeal nodded at him, lunging at Ramiel to buy time for Genesis.
"Hoh? You two are definitely in sync, but aren't you a bit too slow?" Ramiel raised his hand and used silence on Genesis.
"What!?" Genesis felt his magic disappear immediately. Angeal continued on with his push and was confident in dealing with his stick.
But when his sword crashed onto it, sparks flew and it held true. Angeal went wide eyed, shocked that he just got blocked with a stick of all things.
"Surprised? Magic is a wonderful thing ain't it?" Ramiel smiled at them and disappeared from his spot instantly.
"On your guard!" Angeal shouted out to Genesis, seeing Ramiel's towering form behind him. He was currently already 6 feet tall and is still growing. His form casts a shadow on Genesis who looked like a bean sprout in comparison.
"Lazard definitely only taught you the basics, what a shame. You're already 2nd class in potential, but you guys lack versatility and experience." Ramiel shook his head and was about to smack Genesis with the stick.
"Tch, don't underestimate me!" Genesis cracked the silence spell on him with a burst of energy and conjured a firaga spell in front of them with as much power as he could with the time he had.
"Genesis! Don't!" Angeal shouted out, but the fireball suddenly exploded and he got thrown back dozens of meters from it.
"Pretty hotheaded too, you are now demoted to a chore boy kid. You'll just get killed by the first enemies you'll see out there." Ramiel sighed and thought that kids were troublesome.
Angeal quickly healed Genesis and he was about to square up again. "No! I won't accept that!" Genesis was defiant.
But he suddenly shivered in his place as he imagined his head getting lopped off. Dropping to the ground, gasping for breath. "D-did I just almost die?" He then felt the cool touch of a blade on his neck.
"Did I just hear insubordination?" Alex was ready to cut off his head as they obviously didn't need kids that are too into their head. They would be a liability that would best be nipped in the bud right now.
Angeal saw the long odachi in her hand and he could imagine its sharpness. It looked like a plain, long sword. But in her hands, the weapon had a murderous aura on it.
"Now, now. Don't discount them just yet Alex. Killing this kid will be messy, we will have to report to Shinra about his death." Ramiel sighed and Alex begrudgingly stepped back, muttering about stupid kids being sent to them for training.
"Genesis, do you know why I demoted you?" Ramiel stood in front of him and Genesis gritted his teeth. "Because I was incompetent." He barely managed to get the words out.
"Honestly, you aren't. Just based on your specs, you'll be one of the strongest guys out there. Especially if you have Angeal to back you up." Ramiel shrugged and Genesis looked up at him with shock.
"But why? Am I not good enough?" Genesis was confused and Angeal thought the same. "It's because you're stupid." Ramiel nodded sagely and Alexandra facepalmed.
"Wha?" Genesis got dumbstruck and Alex sighed, deciding to explain further. "You're too confident in your skills. Arrogant even, you'll just get your friend and yourself killed in this war. Have you ever killed someone? Slice their throat with your blade? Take their head off and watch their eyes widen in shock as their whole life flashes before them? Stab them and hear their comrades scream bloody murder?" Alex squinted her eyes and Genesis hadn't thought about that.
"This is a battlefield, Genesis. And you haven't even killed someone before. You probably don't even know that a battalion has been wiped out here before. And they had squads of 2nd class SOLDIERs with them." Ramiel's eyes hardened.
Genesis and Angeal went quiet, they didn't know that before coming there. And if it was true, then the war is more terrible than they could imagine. They were only able to hear news about it from Shinra after all, so they thought they were winning unconditionally.
"Veteran 2nd class SOLDIERs who fought far longer than you have been alive. And they fell all the same. What makes you think that you'll be the hero of this war?" Alex snorted and Genesis looked down on the ground, ashamed that he thought he could be a hero just like that.
"So I'll break you down and build you back up before I send you to war. You're young, you have a lot of time." Ramiel picked him up and dusted him off.
"R-really? You think I can be a hero?" Genesis opened up and started to look up to him. "A hero? There are no heroes in war, kid. But a warrior? You bet your ass I'll turn you into one." Ramiel ruffled his hair and Genesis' outlook took a qualitative change.
"Now let's start." Ramiel casted gravida spells on them and they immediately buckled from the weight.
"Kukuku~ Though the journey to greatness is a long and thorny road, young Padawan. Now pick up those parts over there like you mean it and send it to the engineers." Ramiel gave them their tasks.
Alex laughed and thought that he was joking when he said that they will be new chore boys. "Come on Genesis..." Angeal gave a wry smile and thought it was just like back at home, hauling some things. But insanely difficult.
"Ugh, I hate you." Genesis looked towards Alex who was laughing her ass off. "Good, give me more. I live for that stuff." She laughed once again and Genesis definitely would show her the fruits of his efforts, he thought.
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Thanks for reading, ciao.