The following is not in Lucio's POV:
"Asha, please get up. We have to go see daddy."
In the Kingdom of Igbouale, there were many trees. Trees that I adored and cared for.
"But we haven't given them water, mommy!"
"Don't worry, okay? Daddy and some mages are getting water right now. That's why we gotta go help him."
"Hmph!" I crossed my arms, momma picking me up. "How about I make it up to you? What'dya think about that?" The ground got farther, and wind brushed through my hair. "The sky!" I barked, clouds getting closer and closer.
I felt her hands caress my head, "hold on tight dear. Now, when you see daddy, he could be play fighting with some people," she tickled my stomach, my laughs uncontrollable. "But we're going to help him."
A weird bubble-like barrier surrounded my body, but before I could get too curious, the clouds appeared right in front of me. Closing my eyes, I opened them again and looked at momma. Her entire body looked wet. So, I laughed. And she smiled.
Slowing down, the bubble started making me float above the clouds. "Sorry Asha, turns out only mommy can help this time." I groaned, "no fair!"
Suddenly, she too stopped floating, and a descent began, "Mommy'll be back soon!"
She dove straight through a cloud.
I turned quiet, peeling my ears for noise. All I could hear were faint screams, followed by what sounded like explosions. "Sounds fun…" I sulked.
Boredom arising, fortune decided to take a look at me, reeling the clouds away from my vision. And down there, I saw a vast landscape of desert, a singular lake just below me.
"Mommy!" I cheered, seeing her amongst the hundreds of people. She held no staff, having mastered chantless magic. Backs against each other, I also saw my dad, his sword in hand. My momma casted lots of wind magic, putting multiple people in a mini tornado, while my dad was cutting through objects and people alike.
Then, I heard a pop in the back of my ear. Turning around, I felt the bubble getting smaller. It was deflating as if it were a balloon.
Another pop.
And another.
Another one.
Pop!
"Phoo!" I shot up, my body ached, rocking the hard bed.
[Danger averted. Effect 'Abyss of Despair' has officially been neutralized.]
"B-Boss, she's awake!"
Surveying my surroundings, I realized I was in what looked like a regular home. From the bed I sat on to the dressers and counters. Yet, next to the bed, a bunch of practical healing equipment.
'Inventory!'
[Inventory empty.]
'What?'
[All equipment was destroyed in order to protect you from the unknown attack the assailant unleashed.]
I searched the room, grabbing whatever was the sharpest. The man from earlier returned. A woman with him.
"Should you really be pointing that sharp thing at us? We just saved your life after all." She took a puff of a cigarette. "Well, you gonna put it down?"
"Where am I?"
"New York City."
"Where the hell is that? H-How far from Windsor!?"
"So, whatever happened to you then," She took a hit, pointing all around my body, "that happened in Windsor, eh? Capital city of Amerith. But I get the feeling you're not from Amerith, are you missy?"
"Just how far from Winds-urgh." I held my stomach, a rough feeling across my hands.
Scars.
And a lot of them. Tiny slashes along the sides of my stomach, large, singular cuts down the middle. Lifting the gown, my legs were riddled with scars. "Give that there to lil missy," She handed the man a mirror, who hesitantly walked to me. "Oh, she won't bite you, Sam. Just hand her the damned thing."
As I took it from his hand, he skedaddled behind the woman.
"T-This…" I touched my face, a scar running down the left side of my face, "Where is the closest max level healer?"
"Puhahahaha!" She blatantly cackled. "Max level?" She wiped tears from her eyes. "Ain't no military out here. Best you-"
"You're telling me urgh…that there's not one healer here that's max level? Hell, even a level four hundred would do?"
"Those common out in Windsor, are they? Hate to break it to you missy, but the only max level person you'll find here is myself."
"Urgh…" I dropped the sharp object, holding onto the bed. "Damn it."
**********
The remainder of the chapter is in Lucio's POV:
As I stepped out from the plane, the sun beat me, and I stung a sigh. "Now that your induction is over, it's time to throw you straight into the frey." A military trainer said, throwing a backpack into my arms. "Now, get your ass on that plane!"
And now I'm here in New York City, which is only about fifty miles north of MidVale.
Unlike Windsor, I didn't see smoke puff from every breath I took. Instead, my skin bathed in the light. The flight on the other hand was uncomfortably hot, making me damp in my own sweat.
I stretched, a few others hopping out from the plane. After I was "accepted" to the marines, they forced myself and five other kids onto the plane.
Giovanni Romano, aged nineteen, claimed the dual distinctions of being both the oldest and the tallest in our group. His athletic build, coupled with a buzz-cut of unmistakable blonde, set him apart with a powerful presence.
At sixteen, Lea Dubois carried an air of nonchalance, evident even in uniform. The perpetual sunglasses shielded her violet eyes, rendering her emotions inscrutable. Her flowing brunette hair extended down her back when engaged in conversation.
Nolan Fortin, aged sixteen, hailed from the land farthest west, Kanaka. He was kicked out of the country for his imperialistic views, which directly opposed the Allied Coalition, which it was a part of. He took refuge in Amerith, and takes pride in its imperialistic views, which constantly show on that bright face of his. Due to traveling all the way here by foot for two years, his complexion turned ivory.
Fourteen-year-old Elara Fortin, Nolan's sister, towered over Lea. The apparent dissimilarity in their features, notably Elara's enduring pale skin, fueled speculation. Short bangs framed her black hair, contributing to her unique appearance.
Lastly, an eighteen-year-old woman named Hoshino Aika. Much like the Fortin siblings, she too fled her homeland. The Kyotara kingdom which sat on the Eastern continent, bordered only with Carmeth whom they were at war with. Seeing Japanese were rare, especially since they are from the only other continent.
Her lustrous black hair cascades down, framing her face in a sleek and glossy curtain. Pulled up into twin tails, her hair is expertly styled into two symmetrical bunches that sit high on either side of her head. The twin tails, though playful, exude a sense of neatness and precision.
"New York city, eh? Thought it would look cooler." Nolan remarked.
"Almost like it's, because we're on a military base and not in the city…" Lea sarcastically said, a distasteful frown appearing on Nolan's face. After the plane fully shut down, the pilot exited and walked up to us, "your orders are to head to your barracks!"
"Where the hell is that?" Aika asked as she surveyed around the runway. The man walked back to the other side of the plane, "Figure it the fuck out!" He yelled, throwing our backs out of the plane, then started it up and left.
"That fucker just left us alone with no guide or anything, didn't he? God, what a useless guy." Elara groaned, furrowing her brows.
Giovanni crouched down and grabbed his bag. "It's alright. I imagine this place isn't a maze. Once we get off the runway, I'm sure our barracks won't be far."
Everyone groaned and also got their bags. We began walking down the runway, looking for a road or trail that'd lead us out. While we were, everybody was engaging in conversation. Aika walked next to me, our eyes meeting and said, "Is it normal in Amerith? To enlist children, I mean."
"Every country and kingdom does it." I responded.
"Not in Kyotara." Her accent was thick. "We try not to endanger our future."
"Places like here will tell you the exact opposite. Well, in a way. The government believes enlisting kids will actually benefit the military. Not just to increase the strength in arms, or to raise a strong generation, but for knowledge."
"For knowledge?" She glanced down, indulging in her thoughts. "But how could so many children possess knowledge? You'd have to be level…level," She struggled to find the word, so I answered for her, "Level two hundred. That's when you gain basic strategic knowledge."
"The future of Amerith must be in good hands then."
"You keep talking like that," I observed, pointing my finger at her, "But why? You're an Amerithian citizen now, no? Don't get the wrong idea, though," I put both hands up, "I am not a patriotic person. I just want to know why you talk as if you aren't about to go to war for Amerith soon here?"
"I am fighting only, because I have to. It was part of the refugee deal."
"And you're okay with the whole killing and conquering other countries and kingdoms then, are you?"
"I only do what I must."
I sighed and pinched my brows. "You sure are a weird one."
"Says the weird one." She quickly mocked, a smirk on her face.
"Ah, making fun of children, are we? Now that doesn't seem so future-friendly from you."
She chuckled, but we both stopped walking, the rest of the group having done the same. "Why don't we just use our powers? Or even a skill would help us find it. We're not getting anywhere, anyway." Lea complained, hands on her hips.
"Fine. If you have some sort of ability that helps with this, then give it a shot. But what would that say about us, that we couldn't even find our way on a base?" Nolan made her ponder. "It's really not that big of a deal. Like, who cares?" She replied.
They began bickering, a large gust shutting everybody up. The wind was originating from Giovanni, all of our uniforms flapping back and forth. Until it didn't. "There," he looked outwards onto the short cliff above us. A group of men staring back at us.
"So, they're our guides then?" Aika questioned, Giovanni's voice turned austere. "Yeah, those are the guides."