As my vision returned, I found myself in a vast dark room. Observing my surroundings, I found that I could only see a few meters in front of me. I also saw one of my classmates; it was the brown-haired girl that asked a question earlier. "Where am I?" the brown-haired girl pondered. "I don't know. But it looks like there's only the two of us here," I answered. "Oh my— You startled me!" the brown-haired girl cried out.
"Sorry about that."
"Oh, no, it is alright," the brown-haired girl said. "I am Dorothy, by the way," the brown-haired girl introduced herself. "Vaan, nice to meet you," I extended my hand. "Likewise," Dorothy took my hand with a smile. Suddenly, the ARC-D in my pocket was vibrating heavily. "Huh?" Dorothy's ARC-D was also shaking furiously. Dorothy and I instinctively unfolded our ARC-D. Our ARC-D continued ringing, and we found our screen brightened up. There were two icons on our screen; one was a green up arrow, and the other was a red down arrow. "What should we do here?" I asked. "Hmm, let's each press one icon. See what it will do," Dorothy suggested.
"Sure. Shall I press the green arrow, then?"
"Then I shall press the red arrow," Dorothy replied. "All together now. One, two, and three," Dorothy signaled as we pressed the icons simultaneously. However, when we did, Dorothy's ARC-D screen turned dark while mine changed. "Hey, Dorothy, something is happening with mine," I informed. "Hmm? Let me see," Dorothy approached me. Suddenly, the screen on my ARC-D displayed Stephanie with her hands crossed, and her lips rose.
"Hello, my students. This is a live call from your teacher, Stephanie. By now, you should all be transported to different areas within the building. And you should see that you are paired up with another of your classmates. Your task is simple. Retrieve the Blue Crystal inside the building and bring it to me. There are three blue crystals in total, and guess what? I split you into three teams of two. After this call, the door will be open, and the entire building is for you to explore," Stephanie explained with a mischievous smile. "Good luck!" Stephanie did a peace sign before my screen turned black.
Immediately after the call, Dorothy and I could hear a door open. As it did, light gushed through from behind the door, illuminating the entire area we were on. I reflexively blocked the light with my hand. Before long, my eyes adjusted to the brightness and discovered where I was. "What in the world!? I can't believe there is a room like this beneath," I uttered in disbelief. "This must be a highly advanced technological building, and I'm guessing the academy partnered up with Cho Technology to create this, " Dorothy commented after observing her surroundings and seeing the intricate design and lighting of the room.
"Shall we get to know each other before we get started?" Dorothy's question woke me up from my stupor. "Started? Oh yeah, the task!" I exclaimed. "Judging by the fact that the academy required us to bring our weapon and that Teacher Stephanie instructed us on our ARC-D earlier made this more than likely to be a combat-related task," Dorothy speculated. "You're right. It will most likely require teamwork from both of us," I said with my index finger placed on my chin. "Then, it would be better if we at least knew of each other basic capabilities," Dorothy suggested. I nodded, "I agree. I wield a sword and am great at close combat," I showed my sheathed sword to Dorothy.
"I use an Aether Staff. I'm proficient in Aether Artes, mainly earth element," Dorothy said as she unwrapped her Aether Staff. Dorothy's Aether Staff was with some sort of black wood. On the end of the staff, there was a white metal casing at the tip, shaped like a hand that gripped a light blue, oval-shaped crystal.
"You're a Gifted?"
"Is there something wrong with that?" Dorothy raised her eyebrows with skepticism. "No, nothing of the sort. I'm just surprised that one of my classmates was one," I shrugged. "So, what's your Aether Core?" I asked. "Earth Element, Graviton. It amplified my Aether Artes two-fold and increased my mobility when I'm on the ground," Dorothy replied. "How about you?" Dorothy asked back. "I had the Wind Element Aether Core, Aeolus. It increased my speed and agility," I explained. "Hmm, so we can't attract aggro? That's doable," Dorothy said.
"Here is what we can do…." Dorothy explained to me various plans we could use as a hastily made-up team. "It would be great if we could familiarize ourselves better, but beggars can't be choosers, I guess," Dorothy sighed.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Threat found! Threat found! Engaging combat mode!"
Suddenly, a mechanical robot with four legs fell down from the sky. It was quite huge, nearly twice the size of my body. "Looks like we can't talk anymore. Dorothy, I'm counting on you to support me from behind," I said as I unsheathed my sword. "Right. Be careful," Dorothy warned while stepping backward. Four heavy machine guns emerged from the mechanical robot's four limbs. "Damn it! It has guns," I cursed. The heavy machine gun's barrel began to rotate slowly. They spun faster and faster until the barrels started to heat up.
BANG, BANG, BANG BANG
I proceeded to move in a zig-zag pattern, avoiding the mechanical robot's barrage of fire. As I moved closer, it became hard to approach because the mechanical robot suddenly focused its aim. "Dorothy, a little help," I cried out. "On the way!" Dorothy shouted. "Earth, please listen to my plea. Shot up!" Dorothy waved her Aether Staff upward. The area below the mechanical robot glowed yellow. Then, the surface suddenly shot up, making the mechanical robot unbalanced. "Thank you," I used the opportunity to dash forward. Arriving right beside the mechanical robot, I brandished my sword at the mechanical robot's body. However, my attack just bounced off from the mechanical robot's body, leaving no trace of harm on it.
"What!?" I cried out in surprise. "Watch out!" Dorothy warned. "Damn," I jumped back as the mechanical robot got up to its feet. The mechanical robot stomped the ground multiple times with its limbs while the machine gun's barrel started to spin rapidly. "It's going to shoot again; dodge to the side!" Dorothy barked. I rolled to the side immediately, avoiding the shots. Looking at the mechanical robot, I squinted my eyes. "Found it!" I exclaimed. Then, I began to move forward in a zig-zag pattern. "Dorothy, please do what you did earlier. I promise I will cut it down this time," I shouted. "Alright, here I go," Dorothy twirled her staff. "Earth, hear my cry. Shot up!" Dorothy waved her Aether Staff upward. The area below the mechanical robot glowed yellow.
Then, the ground shot up. However, this time, it did more to the mechanical robot. The mechanical robot tumbled down as its two limbs were raised to the sky. Closing my eyes briefly, I remembered my father's teachings. "Choose your target. Don't swing blindly, but find your opponent's weak spot. Once you do, you must strike with precision. Remember, you only need one hit to end a fight," My father's words resounded in my mind like a ringing bell. Opening my eyes, I dashed toward the mechanical robot. I gripped my sword with both hands before raising it just above my head. "First form: Severing," I brandished my sword downward at the mechanical robot's head. Sheathing my sword, I saw the mechanical robot sliced into two.
"Phew," I took a deep breath to calm myself, "So, how did I do?" my lips curled up into a smile. "Hmm? What's wrong, Dorothy?" I asked while slightly tilting my head. I saw Dorothy standing in a stupor with her mouth shaped like a donut. My words seemingly woke Dorothy from her stupor as I saw her shake her head. "N-nothing, it's nothing. A-anyway, shall we start to head out?" Dorothy asked. I nodded in agreement, "Sure. I will be in front like we talked about." Dorothy meekly nodded, "R-right, you do that," she said, stuttering in her words. I shrugged, "O-okay, well, let's go then," confused; I could only walk away.