The pain in my head had dulled and the strength in my body had returned. I opened my eyes slowly and found my self within a all white room. The infirmary I'm presuming, I'm laying on a tough un-comfy mattress, like the one's in my middle school nurses office. Never understood why the beds for the injured were so un-comfy.
Looking to my left there was a lady with long black hair a strand of it covering her right eye. She had a name tag on her shirt that read. . . Mis.Bulemf. So many interesting names at this school.
"Ah. Your awake." She spoke in a deep, rough, mean voice. " Your head injury is fine and I took care of some broken bones you had." No way. In the infirmary, I would of had to go to a hospital.
" How?" I asked slowly sitting up right looking at her with a puzzled face.
" . . . How do you think." I don't know that's why I asked. " The thing that every one here has." Shrine energy. " Hm. I have the shrine of healing. Normally your wounds would require a hospital but with my shrine that injury is a piece of cake." I could tell through her voice she was proud of herself. She wanted me to say " wow so cool" or something.
" Thanks."
" Tch. Your welcome." Her proud tone vanished and she began to walk to the front of my bed were a white curtain hang. Beyond the curtain I could see two shadow figures standing beyond it. I could guess who they were. "You have some visitors." She pulled back the curtain
" Huh." Not the people I was expecting. Sitting in a chair was the first person I spoke two at this school. Jack Coldren. And standing next to him was. . . Principle Takon, with his arms crossed and his eyes starring dead at me with an intimidating look.
" You can leave." My nurse passed them and left the vicinity leaving us alone. Principle Takon walked in and grabbed a chair at the front of my bed and brought it next to me sitting it down with a thud before placing himself with in it. Jack stayed outside like he was blocking the exit.
" How you feeling?" Takon asked in his deep intimidating voice. which represented his authority. The sound of his voice and the look in his eye tempted me to look away and avoid eye contact but I didn't want to disrespect him either.
" I'm fine. I think."
" What was the deal with the man who attacked you. . . Know him?" He didn't exactly demand a answer but it felt like I had no choice. Luckily I had nothing to hide.
" No sir. Never seen him before." He tilted his head as if trying to see if I was lying. . . Why would he suspect me. The man tried to kill me I wouldn't be working for him.
" Any reason why he wants you dead." None that I can think of but who knows, Maybe I bumped him on the street or something. Wait . . . A prophecy.
" He said something about a prophecy. I think." He gave me a skeptical look and then looked two his partner over there blocking my exit. Did they think I was really going to try and run.
" He's not lying." Jack spoke standing from his chair pushing his classes up on his face. How would he know. " Sorry about this Sho. We didn't come just to interrogate you." Really. Sure seemed like you did.
" Yes. We got an offer for you but first. One more question." Jack was now standing next to Takon who was still sitting. His voice had lightened up and was a bit more friendly, his eyes didn't have that same intimidating factor they did earlier.
" Why" Jack started to speak. " Did you come here." To learn and get stronger obviously. No that's not all. I have a goal I need to achieve. " Why do you want more strength and more knowledge." He's forcing me to answer the question exactly the way he wants it answered.
They both looked at me waiting for my response. I never really told anyone my reason for coming here besides my family, I never thought I really would. Everyone else came here for more strength so they could become the strongest and be capable of protecting themselves without help. Most of them come from a lineage of people granted with a shrine and are just trying to make them proud. Me on the other hand. It's more than that.
" For. . . " I hesitated on my answer. I thought about my true reason. In a way it's kind of selfish. " For money." looking up they actually seemed a little shocked with my response but, that wasn't all of it. " For my family. Money for my family." They looked at each other still with a little bit of surprise and I don't blame them for that.
" I see." Jack spoke. " Explain a little further." Okay fine. I guess the first people here to know were I come from will be these two.
" My family isn't exactly well off, but were not poor either. . . We lived in a not great part of town and often deal with criminals. We had our home broke into on three occasions." Out the corner of my eye I saw the shock in Jacks face as his eyes widened at my statement. " One of those times our lives were threatened." That's all I'll say for know. Hopefully they understand.
" I see." Takon stood up from his chair and walked to the front of my the wall closest to the exit. "So your family isn't known for having a shrine." Guess I'll have to say more.
" No. As far as I know I'm the first in my in tire lineage to posses it." It was quiet a shock when I found out.
" I see" Jack spoke next to me. " That makes you rare. The first in your family to obtain shrine powers is quiet a blessing. . . Your goal has become clear to me." Has it really.
" You want to become one of our members and work for money." Takon answered my question. " Then you would have to finish each year at the top of your class." Wait really. " Luckily. we have come with a opportunity." . . . An opportunity. " You can make money as soon as a couple months"
Jack now too walked over to the exit next to Takon. They want to offer me a way to make money already. I've only been here two days what could I possibly do here for that. The only way I have heard of was by graduating and becoming an official member of staff. If their is a way though than I have to take it.
" This is something we usually only offer to Juniors and Seniors. But we think you can archive it." They think I'm on the level of a Junior or Senior. I mean I saw two training who looked old enough to be Juniors and they were capable of something I had never heard off.
" We took some samples of D.N.A" Takon spoke me in a slightly more serious tone. Also with out my permission. That's illegal. " I'll be frank. We were able to determine your potential shrine energy output and we determined. . . Your a prodigy." . . .
" Huh. What me." They serious. Me a prodigy. I mean I've been confident in my skills but I never thought I would be a prodigy.
" Your capable of doing things at a Junior and Senior level as a Freshmen." Jack spoke also with a more serious tone. " We would like to offer you a spot as a Vulken shrine solder." A what?
There was a pause after they said this like they were expecting a reaction. Vulken was our country we lived in but what the hell is a shrine solder. The must of seen my confusion and took deep breaths as if they were about to explain something that would take a while.
" Why do you think we have this school." For students with shrine powers right. Jack waited for my response but none came. ' We aren't the only country with these powers but we our the most skilled with them. Constantly having trained people keeps them at bay."
"Wait. Didn't all the nations sign a treaty never to enter a war with shrine powers." I had heard that in middle school. It was to keep the world from being destroyed. These powers could single handedly take down a nation. If a war were to brake out it could end us all,
" Yes but that only stopped any large scale known wars." Takon broke into our conversation. What does he mean any large scale. " Countries have been battling each other in small skirmishes for years."
"How?"
" They have troops over here we have troops over there. The goal to cut into their numbers to not allow them to over take the other. . . We've been the number one target since we already have the most." Your telling me we've been fighting a war the whole time. And this school is the training ground for solders?
" So. . . What exactly are you asking me?" I already had an idea I just wanted to make sure.
" We want you to go out on missions with some Juniors and Seniors and take out other nations solders on out turf." Jack spoke taking his classes off and beginning to clean them. . . They want me to go and kill people. Risk my life for this country.
" We won't ask you to do this right away. Like we said you are a prodigy but you will need a little more training before you go out on missions." Takon spoke again
" Hold on. I didn't except your offer yet." they acted like I was already in.
" It pays well. Well enough to move your family into a nicer neighborhood" . . . Dam. Feel like my goals are being used to manipulate me. They saw me tilt my head down. That's when they knew they had me.
" We'll assign you a trainer once your fully recovered. In a couple months you'll be being paid money equal to that of a pro athlete." Holy shit that's a lot. As Jack left he shot me a slim smile as Takon followed him not following his example.
We'll guess I'm a official solder now. They really dragged me into it using my family. Those basterds, that was a dirty trick but, if it really helps my family that much it mite be worth it. . . Wonder who my trainer will be.
Laying their a few more minutes I decided to get up and leave. I felt good and didn't want to sit around for ever. I also kind of wanted to see my friends. I mite have only met them yesterday but you know, they were all I had in terms of people to talk too.
I put on my school uniform and grabbed my bags and headed for the exit. Passing my nurse on the way out. As I opened the door I was met with a setting sun witch hit my eyes like a blinding flash light. As my eyes adjusted I saw two figures. One a bit more bulky and the other more slim. The slim one had long hair which blew in the wind as I walked out side.
" There you are." Zaldo was the first person I heard. He walked up to me grabbing my shoulder shaking me a bit. Looking to my right a little past Zaldo was Alys with her blue hair shining in the sun. " Thought you were dead."
" . . . How long were you guys out here." I pushed his hand off my shoulder as his shaking was making me dizey.
" Since third period." Why would he wait that long. What about his other classes.. " The rest of our classes were canceled due to. . . Well their was a giant hole straight thorough the building."
" Oh yea."
" What did you forget." Huh. Did I say that out loud.
" Glad your okay." Alys finally spoke still standing in her same spot. How her voice sounded I could tell she was probably worried about me earlier.
" Yea me too."
" So. I saw principle Takon and his assistant come walking out. Were they talking to you." He tilted his head searching for an answer in my face which I made sure to hide. I didn't know if that information I was given was classified or not so I didn't want to say. . .But I could at least confirm his question.
" Yes they were."
" Oh really. What about." . . . Now I don't think I can answer that directly, but I feel like I should at least explain somethings. Like me possibly having a trainer which mite lead to me missing classes. These two had been nice to me. I feel I should give them some trust. But here wasn't a good place to explain.
". . . You guys want to grab something to eat."