As every teenager stepped out of the bus, their first reaction was a feeling that something was odd.
It started with loud sniffs and regular swipes at their nostrils that began leaking some mucus.
As it did, some began complaining about irritation at the edges of their noses pricking at it.
Mere seconds later, a cacophony of visceral coughs erupted as the irritating chemicals in the air made their way into their lungs.
"Agh, what—!"
"Why is it burning so much!" A girl fell to her knees while massaging her chest.
Icarus quickly reacted by rushing to his suitcase and taking out a small cloth to wrap around his mouth and nose.
'These guys…' he glared at the Faction entrance, where no one was waiting. 'Do they seriously need to treat us like this?'
Half-machines, humans that managed to resonate and synchronize with their nanobots, were beyond mortal limits.
Hence, this universe's outlook on life wasn't as lawful as Earth's.
Icarus learned it the hard way. Strength defined most of one's actions in the same way it could justify someone's train of thought.
A clear contrast from his native homeland.
'For now, not dying on chemicals would be nice…'
Taking a deep breath while covering his mouth with a thick cloth and both hands, Icarus could already feel how the air quality improved a tiny bit.
Enough to not puke on the floor, as some teenagers already did.
"Screw this, I'm going back to the bus," a boy said after cleaning up his chin.
Sadly, the bus doors closed alongside all of the suitcases still inside—including Icarus's. Under the watchful gaze of its passengers, the vehicle simply drove away.
The boy looked in horror, not due to the fact that he was forced to keep breathing that burning air, but…
"My suitcase! You fucking piece of metal, come back!"
He tried running behind it but quickly fell as his lungs burned.
Icarus felt slightly pained as he watched his only belongings go away, but he didn't have powerful emotional attachments to them.
Hence, it was simply like losing money.
"What now! I really can't—*cough*—breathe well!"
As the teenagers began panicking under the heavy and chemically-filled atmosphere of the planet, Icarus saw three men calmly walking down the Faction's entrance path toward them.
Those at the edges and behind the middle man carried, what seemed to be, green lush vines from their hands to necks.
Their legs were covered in tiny rocks, forming an exoskeleton that allowed them to crush even tiny pebbles. Their upper half was covered in a green cloth which ended in a cap and a face mask.
On their right chest, Icarus saw a patch with the number 3.
Though, the man in the middle wore none of that.
Instead, he carried a large, orange metallic flower in its back, and the rest of his body was covered by a large orange robe without a cap or mask—leaving his blond hair in the open.
His body even seemed younger than those around him, which came as a shock to Icarus.
Icarus glanced at the number 4 patch.
'Is that… might as well try.'
Walking forward, Icarus stopped right in front of the entrance—signaled by the rise of the path and the beginning of a forest.
Taking off his mask, Icarus bowed and spoke with difficulty.
"This human—*cough*—greets Red Waters' Half-machines."
Upon seeing his reaction, some other teenagers mimicked both his words and actions, some even cupping their fists. Around less than half of the pack saluted.
The man equally bowed and said.
"Welcome, future students," upon speaking, the flower in his back opened wide and spread a green gas that quickly turned invisible.
"I apologize for both the lack of breathable air and your sudden arrival. Let's not waste time and start climbing up the path. I assure you that the air is far more tolerable there."
Nodding, the teenagers did their best to keep their coughs from making a presence.
However, what they didn't expect was for the air to clean up so quickly. Mere seconds after treading into the path, their bodies were already bursting with health.
Some of the teenagers spoke in mumbles, in awe of the recent events.
Icarus turned a deaf ear to their words and instead focused on the backs of Red Waters' elders. Ever since reincarnating, he had done nothing but compare things to Earth.
And so far, even more than space travel, the exposed spine of the elders took the spot.
Protruding from their backs, Icarus could see the shape of a human's spine.
Those at the edges were far less obvious than the center elder's, as his spine was literally outside of his body—almost hovering over his back.
Or was it a spine?
'It has the same shape. But it couldn't be a spine; how would he be standing otherwise? Maybe those nanobots are enough to replace the spine's function?' Icarus covered his mouth as he pondered.
Suddenly, the blond-haired man spoke.
"Now that you're out of that predicament, let us properly introduce ourselves."
Abruptly coming to a stop and turning around, the teenagers looked up at the trio. The one at the left stepped forward and said with a deep voice.
"I'm Red Waters Ayzic, Rank 3 Half-machine. I specialize in scouting."
The one at the right stepped forward.
"I'm Red Waters Nuveth, Rank 3 Half-machine. I specialize in long-ranged tactics."
Both Rank 3s stepped back, and the last Half-machine stepped forward.
"I'm Red Waters Meroveo, Rank 4 Half-machine and leader of Red Waters Faction. I specialize in healing, and as such, I'm the benefactor of your now-healed lungs."
Most of the teenagers' jaws dropped in awe. Since some hadn't seen the flower in his back opening up, they thought that he was able to heal by simply standing there.
Icarus, meanwhile, was studying their way of speech in amusement. His curiosity always took the best of him, and he couldn't help but overanalyze everything.
'Benefactor… trying to win their hearts so quickly. Just like my boss,' Icarus inwardly laughed. 'Hello, I'm the guy that made all the profit. My name is blah blah. That is not so different from now.'
For someone who was close to the age of retirement, losing his life at fifty-six years old, Icarus had experienced a bit of the corporate ladder treatment and knew most tactics behind 'motivation' and 'gratitude'.
While not vital, it was a nice filter to have since it allowed him to read through someone's intentions more clearly.
And naturally, they wouldn't expect a reincarnator to be in their Faction's record.
Still, Icarus bowed with quick thinking.
"Thank you, master Meroveo… should we address you with your Faction's name as well?"
Holding a palm forward, he said.
"Either faction name or title. If you don't know the position, simply doing as you did before by using the Faction's name is enough. That goes for all of you alike," Red Waters Meroveo spoke with a gentle tone.
All of the teenagers nodded as they bowed.
Smiling, the Rank 4 gently placed his hand over the scouting Rank 3, Ayzic, and mumbled something. The man nodded as he stepped forward and said.
"From now on, you'll come with me. I'll explain what you'll be doing here for the future years. As for that, we shall head to Red Waters' Academy in the center of the city. With me!"
With a loud clap, the scouting Rank 3 began walking forward as Red Waters Meroveo and Nuveth stayed behind. It didn't take long for the path to begin widening up more and more, eventually reaching the entrance to the city.
Not a single road in sight, an immense street, and a unique architecture created to sewerage all of the chemicals that could liquidize on the houses, the teenagers felt like they had stepped into their new home.
A feeling that they had never experienced before.
And a feeling that, to some, would remain there for their entire lives.