In a spacious office, Major Philip sat behind a large wooden desk, his dark hair combed back, and his buff build filling out his military attire. His scruffy beard had patches of white in it, indicating years of service to his country. As he tapped his foot on the floor, his mind was preoccupied with the ongoing situation outside.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in," he said, his tone stern and commanding.
A woman in a suit entered the room, her face bearing the stress of the current situation. "What's the situation out there?" Major Philip asked.
"It's getting worse, more people are joining the crowd, and we cannot send them away," she explained, her voice laced with concern.
Major Philip sighed as he looked towards his window, the faint chanting growing louder. "Sir, here's a report of the base in Varia," she said, handing him a file.
He received it, placing it on his desk. "You may leave," he dismissed her.
"Yes, sir!" she saluted before exiting the office.
Major Philip slumped in his chair, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. He picked up the file on the table, breaking its seal and starting to go through its contents.
His face contorted as he went through the report, seeing pictures of mangled bodies and reading accounts of the attack. He closed the folder, tossing it back on the desk in frustration.
The phone on his desk rang, and he pressed a button to answer it. "Sir, we have Captain Thompson on the line," the voice on the other end informed him.
"Connect me," he said, his tone firm.
Moments later, a different voice came through the receiver. "Sir!" A female spoke with respect evident in her voice.
"Thompson, your sabbatical leave is over. I want you to round up everything there and get your ass over here," Major Philip commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument.
"And also, make sure Jack's son passes the recruitment test," he added before ending the call.
Major Philip stood up from his chair, walking over to his window to look down at the massive crowd gathered outside the gate. "Why does this have to be happening in my time?" he muttered to himself, feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
___
The shrill sound of the bell echoed through the halls of the school, signaling the start of another day of classes. Students from different classes rushed to their designated rooms, eager to start another day of learning.
"Are you sure you're strong enough to be in school?" Alex asked Jaden, a concerned look etched on his face.
"I told you, man, I'm fine," Jaden replied, trying to ease his friend's worry.
Though he felt better, his mother insisted he stayed home until she was certain he was fit to return to school.
"I was really worried, man. One moment we were walking together, and the next, you were nowhere to be found," Alex explained.
"When I couldn't find you, I had to tell Miss Thompson."
"We found you at the foot of one of the tombs, passed out cold. I swear, man, I thought you were going to die in Africa," Alex chuckled mockingly.
"Way to go, man," Jaden said, rolling his eyes.
"For real, man, I was worried," Alex finally said, concern etched on his face.
"I know," Jaden nodded his head as he wrapped his arm around Alex's shoulder.
As they walked towards their classroom, the students who had already made it there burst into a loud cheer at the sight of Jaden. A few guys greeted him with a fist bump, while others simply nodded. Some of the girls hugged him, welcoming him back.
"I didn't know I had gotten so popular," Jaden said with furrowed brows.
"We had to end our expedition because of you, man. So, what do you think?" Alex said, giving Jaden a look.
"Interesting. Maybe I should normalize passing out during occasions like that," Jaden giggled, with Alex joining in.
After settling down in their seats, Miss Thompson, walked into the class. She noticed Jaden and smiled at him.
"It's good to have you back, Jaden," Miss Thompson said, her voice warm.
Jaden nodded his head in response.
"The recruitment test would be held next week, and every student must take part in the test," she informed the class.
"The test would be in three stages: combat, elemental control, and mental fortitude. Aura users would only have to go through two stages of the test, exempting elemental control. You will be tested in all three, and your total score has to be above average to be enlisted for military school."
Miss Thompson went on to convey further information, and then she began her lesson for the day. After the class, she asked Jaden to meet her after school.
___
Jaden was seated before Miss Thompson's table as they discussed. He noticed the intensity in her gaze as she looked at him.
"Something happened to you down there," Miss Thompson said, staring directly into his eyes.
"Yes, I passed out obviously," Jaden responded, puzzled by her words.
"No, Jaden, you know what I'm talking about. When I found you, I could still feel a very strong energy lingering around you, and right now, I can still sense it from you. Although it isn't as strong as what I felt down there, it's still the same energy," she explained.
Jaden stared at her for a while, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of what she was saying. Then he remembered what had happened just before he passed out.
"Anyway, I'll be taking you personal combat classes to help you prepare for the test coming up," she informed him.
"Why?" Jaden asked as he stared at her with curiosity.
"What do you mean?" Miss Thompson responded.
"Why are you helping me?" Jaden asked again.
"Our class starts tomorrow by noon, don't be late" she said, ignoring his question.
At this point, Jaden couldn't doubt the fact that Miss Thompson was hiding something.
***