"Jump in! Keep jumping in!" The security officer whistled, indicating the students in line to jump in the van.
"I guess the tests yesterday weren't interrupted," Mika muttered. She had her old companions right next to her.
They were seated according to their team number, and as they happened to be the first, they had the privilege of being the first ones in line, Seff included.
'If I have to point a difference.' Mika glanced at the chunky boy in front of her with intrigue, 'It would be that aside from Cikus. We have Nein.'
Seff had introduced him earlier as Cikus's replacement. He wondered if they would recognize him from the Lab, for that would complicate matters, but his worries were unneeded.
Forget them, even he had trouble recognizing him this morning.
With a fresh haircut- just neatening his hair's look and his shaved beard. Alongside his fresh skin color and charming and humble personality. Even he wondered if he had been the one to kill that Mantis.
"No, they were! But the army stabilized quickly and rearranged them shortly. Your group, alongside two more, were the only ones from your batch of tests. All the rest are from the rearranged tests."
Mika glanced back at the curtains separating them from the other groups.
"Hoh? I wonder how they would be."
Seff glanced at her, after hesitating for a bit, he decided to tell her, "You shouldn't make friends with the other groups. There's going to be a lot of competition going on. Especially... with your special circumstances." His eyes drifted to Srid.
The latter weirded out by the glance ended up asking, "Are you going to tell us where you're taking us now or not?"
Seff firmly glanced into his eyes, "I was thinking most of you lot would drop out after what you saw yesterday. But you still signed the forms... sealing your life alongside the army's."
"You're being taken for grooming." He glanced into Srid's eyes, cold and pitifully, "You will train in an Army's educational institution. You will not only study beasts and geography and various battle tactics. You will also resume your general studies. Along with military training. Your schedule will be strict. Things will be hard, especially for you. Because..."
He heaved a cold breath, "Because you will be living alongside nobility!"
Rua sucked a cold breath, "Shit!"
Nein blinked his eyes, 'I feel as if... that sounds kinda odd.'
"Nobility and Royalty!" Seff completed.
The team nearly fell from their seats. Rua sent a ghastly stare, "Surely you jest!"
"Not at all." Seff nodded, crossing his legs he glanced outside. The trees aligning the road to the exit of the army's base moved past rapidly.
They were a peculiar site, fifty or so army vans marching the streets caught a lot of eyes.
But the team hadn't the time to receive the admiring glances of the pedestrians.
Nein, feeling clueless, leaned to the ear of the person sitting next to him and asked, "What's there to be so worried about?"
Duth, feeling a chill run down his spine, glanced up at Nein in surprise, "Are you nobility as well?"
Nein blinked his eyes and fell into thought. After a while, he shook his head.
"Then aren't you worried about those rakehells' scorn and contempt toward us beggars?"
Nein froze, "Oh! So they are bad people?"
Duth bit his lip, "Have you been living under a rock? They aren't bad people! They are scum people!"
Nein hissed, "That sounds bad." Duth shook his head wearily.
Rua, sitting next to Mika, had been constantly observing Nein. He knew full well who he was, he was present when Qeff assigned him to the team after all.
A handsome guy suddenly joins the team, he's chunky, looks dependable, and seems dumb. Who could it be but that monster?
'I need to maintain distance. I don't know how powerful he is. And I don't have any clue about his mysterious background.' Rua nudged a bit closer to Seff, remembering how the dude had killed that Mantis.
'And... They are holding me accountable, aren't they? For Cikus?' He froze his eyes on Duth, hence when the latter peeked, their eyes met.
Duth forced an awkward smile and looked down.
'That's fine... I am the cause for it after all.' He sighed.
"Um, Sir!" Mika glanced toward Seff.
"Captain! Address me as captain!" Seff corrected before motioning for her to continue.
"Then, Captain, during the duration of our studying. Would our team be disbanded?"
Seff paused, his monotonous face turned toward Mika, "Not at all, you are all going to be groomed. Not discarded for the two years. You will be heading out on tasks assigned by me and with me. The missions will range from terrorism to beast extermination."
Mika's fantasies immediately crumbled, 'There goes my two-year free-loading plan.'
'Though it's not like I will be your captain for long.' He glanced at his palms, his surging power was telling him, 'The League 4 wall, is trembling!'
Nein looked outside, and seeing the buildings made something inside him tingle, 'Nostalgic. I feel... extreme nostalgia.'
He felt blank. Neither bothered by this nobility thing. Not curious about the upcoming training. Not terrified by the prospect of his to-come missions.
'What... am I doing?' He wondered, gazing at the beautiful white clouds in the sky chasing each other to the ends of nowhere.
"We're here!" Seff spoke. Initiating the rookies' heads to shift outside one by one.
In front of them, two towering crimson gates shadowed their vans.
The name of the building was written on an arc decorating the gates.
Squinting his eyes, Rua lowered his head a bit to catch a better site of the name.
But before him, Mika ended up voicing it loud, "Imperial Phoenix Institution!"
Srid's and Rua's eyes bulged wide. Their hearts throbbed madly as they ducked low and rechecked her words with their own eyes.
"Unbelievable!" Srid gaped.
"This can't be happening!" Rua beamed with joy. "Tell me I am dreaming!"
Unlike Mika and Duth, who had enough faith in their grades to bet with their eyes closed that they would never strike high in academics. Rua knew all too well about in whose front he stood.
Srid knew even more tales of it than the years he had lived.
"Is-Isn't this institution directly under the Emperor!?" Rua nearly screamed at Seff.
Seff frowned and motioned for him to keep his tone down, "Yes! This is indeed established by the Emperor. This is the grooming grounds of the Imperial Army's Soldiers after all. Of course, you would be studying here!" He stated as if it was a matter of fact.
"The nestling place for all the hidden lions and lionesses. The breeding grounds of future dragons. The Pandora's Box!!" Srid murmured in terror the tales he had heard.
Seff peaked at him from the corner of his eyes, 'Seems he knows the monster behind the beauty huh?'
"The Gu pot!" Srid gritted his teeth, his hands trembling, "In this place, even the crown price would be treated as nothing if he lacks the power to back up his title. He will be torn... and killed!"
Nein blinked his eyes curiously and finally turned to look at the gate, 'Sounds... mysterious!'
Biting his lip, Srid scorned the name, "Phoenix? Or The Damned Phoenix??"