My history as a Child of Enstar, or a Hornet, was something I did not want to remember anymore.
It was bygone and I intended to keep it that way.
I was finally free of them and I wished to enjoy that freedom to its fullest.
Nonetheless, my wishes didn't matter while inside the Cube and so, I would have to endure some time of bearing that name once again, at least until I graduate from this facility.
Grudgingly, I sighed and then answered.
"Yes. That's correct," I said, feeling a retch inside of me as I acknowledged the 'Enstar' name.
"You can go in," he instructed before looking forward.
"Next."
Showing my respect and obedience, I gave a slight bow and proceeded inside.
I stepped into the hall with metallic walls, and easily noticed something different. I mean, I've been here before so I expected it to happen.
It was a tad frigid, not as hot as it was the previous day, with the temperature of the place decreasing by the second until it was just right—not too hot and not too cold.
I smiled and looked toward the already set stage, my eyes hitting straight at a Hunter with spiky red hair and a bandana tied around his head.
He was the one responsible for the coolness of the hall but no one knew this among the recruits except me.
How he acted out his natural behaviours made him even more unsuspecting.
Of course, German and the other Hunters on the stage knew it was him since they knew his ability.
As more recruits entered, their faces lit up.
They had expected a hot, uncomfortable atmosphere like before. So meeting a cold one that provided some amenity amid the hot weather was something to smile about.
The instructors waited until we were all inside the hall and it was shut. A brief moment of silence followed and after that, the other recruits began to mumble amongst ourselves, wondering what was happening since none of them cared to address us just yet.
"Alright, you brats!" the red-haired Hunter blared at us.
…His name was Eric Marvice.
For someone with the kind of ability that he possessed, this red-haired hunter had an extremely opposite personality to that.
"Listen up, you twats!" he continued, raining even more insults on us. "I know that the Head Instructor here would be lovey-dovey with you all in my absence yesterday but… tsk, tsk, that's different today. This is the Cube and there's no time to dilly-dally!"
"Sweet heavens," I muttered with dismay while massaging my forehead before lifting my head once more to meet the Deputy Head Instructor's disappointing display.
Most of the recruits froze. They were rooted to their spots with fear and shock at how much energy Eric Marvice exuded.
Loud gulps of air were very audible around me.
Some even placed their hands on their chest and muttered inaudible words to themselves.
"Ahem," Eric cleared his throat and beat his chest. "I am Eric Marvice, your Deputy Head Instructor. Got that, you twats?!"
"Yes!" we chorused.
"It's 'yes, sir' to you fodder!" the Hunter snapped at us.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
While all this happened, my eyes remained on the most important man in the room—the Head Instructor, German Barns.
German was the man in charge of the Elixirs. So, only he mattered to me at the moment.
Only he was given the authority to dispense the tonic and right now, he was clothed in mild disappointment with a tinge of shame from his Deputy's undue extroverted personality.
German lowered his head slightly and massaged his forehead, patiently waiting for when Eric Marvice would be done with the stage so he could come on.
…Five minutes passed.
Eric was still firing us with insults until the Head Instructor came to our rescue. While he yet spoke, he felt German's hand on his shoulder, causing him to stop talking and looking behind him.
"Alright, thank you very much, Eric," German said, taking the stand as he walked toward the podium.
Eric nodded and stepped away from the podium, ushering the Head Instructor in.
In his hand was a small glass bottle, the length of a human finger, with a golden cover and inside this glass bottle was a thick purple liquid.
Seeing the purple liquid, I cringed.
Cold shivers immediately raced down my spine as I recalled the horrid taste of that fluid.
'Ughhh…' I expressed inwardly, nearly tempted to scratch my tongue.
The remembrance of the taste lingered, prompting me to massage my tongue with the roof of my mouth to numb the autonomic response I triggered with that memory.
I cringed again.
"Hello to you all once again," German greeted us and we responded likewise.
He raised the glass bottle in his hands, revealing it for all to see.
Like little school kids, interests were sparked within the recruits just as the Head Instructor wanted. It was fascinating that he presented an unusual item before us and even if it was worth nothing, the natural instinct to want to know would pull our attention toward it.
Moreover, the very fact that it was German Barns who displayed the Elixir of Awakening made it even more worthwhile, rousing more curiosity than it would have if it was another hunter from the Cube doing the same thing.
"Can anyone tell me what this is?" he asked, swaying his hands in many directions to make sure all eyes present could see what he was holding out to them.
The recruits that surrounded me began to look to each other for possible answers or hints while murmuring to one another.
In the end, none of them could come with even as much as a good guess.
The fact remained that none of them had seen the Elixir of Awakening or knew what the content of the glass bottle was except me, and that was because I had seen it in the past.
The Head Instructor's question was one which only I knew the answer to among my mates.
German's lips curled up into a smile as he glanced at us and then at the vial in his hand.