Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A small girl wandered around a forest. With her, a boy of similar age. The girl was adventurous, brave, and outgoing. The boy thought she confused bravery with ignorance and stupidity. He was more kept to himself. The boy preferred a singular flower to a large forest. Despite the two children's differences, they were the best of friends. They did everything together. Each indulged in the other's hobbies, even if they didn't enjoy it as much. Today, however, the small girl was extra adventurous. The two children were told by their parents to "not go past the creek" The girl didn't like how constricted their play field was. She needed more, she simply couldn't enjoy herself. It was a cage, and the girl wanted to break out. The boy tried his best to warn her against it, tried to warn against all the dangers, tried to protect his friend, but the girl would not listen. The boy thought, if he couldn't stop her then he'd be there beside her. So once the two were let out to play they found a fallen try and climbed across it. In moments they were on the other side. The girl quickly grabbed the boy's hand and dragged him past the sights that they knew. The girl looked around in awe, and even the boy started to enjoy himself. The two explored for hours. The boy noted every rock, every bug, animal track, and tree. The girl looked beyond every hill, every boulder, every large trunk to push further into the unknown. The children's journey was abruptly interrupted by the boom of thunder. It filled the forest and scared the birds off the branches of the trees above. The rain poured buckets upon buckets of hard fast water droplets onto the children. It was as if the whole ocean was moved above them and all came crashing down in one big storm. The little children sought out shelter. Their quick movement and thinking was rewarded by the sight of a cave. As much as they wanted to be inside their homes comforted by their parents, the boy and the girl both agreed it would be best to remain here until the storm either passed or at least lightened up.

This one act would be the world's undoing. For the children did not wait alone. From the further depths of the cave, a bear approached the children who did not know better. But how could they? They were children, but the bear did not know. The bear quickly attacked the boy who so desperately begged his friend to stay inside the creek's boundaries. The girl screamed, she screamed for her life and the life of her friend. She wondered how such a monster could attack her friend. But how could the bear know better? It was a mother, but the girl did not know this. The girl screamed until one moment later there was nothing but light and bliss. The girl Cursed with the power to split atoms... The teacher closed the book, she sat in front of a class of kindergarteners. Most of which seemed at least a little horrified. The teacher spoke when no one responded to the story, "While that story of the atomic child is fiction, and we don't know what truly happened before the initial explosion, what happened after was heavily documented. See the country that the explosion was in thought it was an attack, so they retaliated attacking the county they thought responsible. Within a day the whole world was enveloped in nuclear war, making every bit of land outside of our borders unlivable" The teacher's words did not soothe the class at all. In fact one child even began to try, a secondary teacher quickly took them to a different room to settle them. One child, however, was not scared. He looked infatuated with the information being told to him. He raised his hand, along with it a wing on his back rose. He quickly used his free hand to lower his wing. "What was Saguánit called before the world ended?" The winged child asked. The teacher was shocked that anyone actually was willing to ask questions so it took her a moment to respond, "Oh well, let me see. Off the top of my head was it, Australia? No that's not it that's the continent. Ah I know. Saguánit was once called New Zealand" and with that, the bell rang for recess.
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70 years earlier...
At first people thought a bomb had gone off but it was far worse than that. A bomb would kill in an instant of light. But this thing, whatever was birthed from that explosion, it hunts. It wasn't just one creature either, many poured out of the flames seemingly unharmed. Each factor added on to another reason this may be the end of humanity. The beasts had powers. It was as if the Curses had forgone a human counterpart and was now nothing more than the supernatural ability made flesh. Some thought they were aliens, others thought of demons come to punish humanity for it's sins. Some didn't even have time to process what they were before the jaws of death snapped shut. In that moment the prime minister of the time made a sacrifice that would later lead to his death. He completely shut off transportation between islands. Some would criticize him for this choice, some would praise him. The hunt never ended, maybe the humans of the northern island could've survived if not for one key factor. The beasts, could reproduce. And they did so at an exponential rate. The rise in population made the creatures even more hungry, and humans were their favorite meal. Within the year, the northern island was declared overrun and uninhabitable. A decade later, S.O.A.R was established. Saguánit's Order of Action Restoration. Their goal was to retake the northern island, but over time the losses added up. S.O.A.R became like a secondary police; however, just now some new orders have been put in place.
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Live news report...
Text scrolled by on the bottom of the screen, this address was being publicly broadcasted onto every channel. The current prime minister of Saguánit, an old man in his eighties with thin white hair and eyes dull with color, appeared to give his new order. He read as follows, "In our world, resources are limited. Ever since the destruction of the outside world we've had to play a delicate game of chess. Every blade of grass must be used properly and efficiently. For if we let the cows trample the grass, they have nothing to eat. After that, we have no beef, no milk, no cheese. I don't mean to sound light hearted, but I for one would like to keep eating my steak. Our founders knew this issue that I am now repeating to you and it is built into our country. The underground cities, the volcano dilemma of only a few decades ago, even the small surrounding islands off the mainland had use at the beginning of this country. Now, as much as I respect the founders of this country, I don't think they could've imagined the horrors of the Cursed Creatures. None of us could. The founders of this country did, however, envision that there would inevitably be issues beyond their prediction. Ever since I saw the birth of those horrid creatures as a little boy I thought of how to help humanity restore the northern island. When S.O.A.R was created I was hopeful for change. I didn't see any. Not enough brave souls stepped up to save humanity. That is when I realized, we weren't letting the brave souls who willed to fight.

So it is with great pride I present a new order. That of which, as you see, has already achieved senate approval. Saguánit's Order of Action Restoration will now accept applications from high school, even if they are below eighteen years of age; furthermore, all schools country wide will mandate S.O.A.R. training to encourage volunteers and partially ready them for service. This is government funded, but very strict in its curriculum. I leave any further questions to the newly appointed commander" As the prime minster finished his speech and left there were many pictures taken. The camera's flashes overwhelmed any of the staged lights. With chatter stopped when another man came to the podium. He was tall, handsome from his well kept short brown hair to his ocean blue eyes, with his strong jaw, in his forties. He spoke with a stern, yet kind, voice, "For the record I will state that my name is Alexander Barron, and I am the commander of Saguánit Order of Action Restoration" A reporter in the front row was the first to speak up, "With surely a sudden influx of soldiers, how do you plan to use your new resources sir?" There was tension in the silence before Barron's response. When he did speak, though, he spoke with certainty and strong will, "I will do what S.O.A.R was made for. My soldiers will retake the northern island, and save humanity." The crowd erupted in noise. The a mix of positive and negative responses all smothered each other out. No further questions were asked.

Chapter Text

November 13th, 2301. Modern day...
It was now five months removed from the broadcast where the prime minister announced the planned additions to S.O.A.R. Right after the announcement, a full document detailing the exact rules and laws this act would put into place. This act was in effect for both private and public schools. There was almost no way to get out of the mandated training while keeping children in school. A new school, The Academy of S.O.A.R, was even built by the government to achieve the greatest training program across all of Saguánit. Many parents forced their children to drop out of school entirely. Some parents even tried to have their kids fake severe disabilities, that wasn't very effective though. Mass mania would spread like wildfire. Rumors that this was a setup for a future draft, that the prime minister had gone mad, and that this would have a ripple effect on Saguánit's population were widely accepted among the public. It was hard to find someone that didn't subscribe to at least one of the rumors.

In all the chaos, though, there was a small group of teenagers who were desperate to make a better future for their world. Such was the case for Renee Rossi, a now fourteen year old girl. She paced around her room frantically trying to get all her things. Renee was stressed to an unreasonable degree, but it was reasonable for her. Because today was the entry exam for Saguánit's new S.O.A.R academy. Once everything was in her bag she rushed downstairs to eat breakfast. "Morning Mom! Morning Dad!" she practically yelled she was so frantic. Her mother however was at the door where Renee almost dumped into her, "Forgetting something?" Renee's mom was sly. "Oh um-" Renee looked around her bag to see if she was. Her mom chuckled, "Go eat honey" once Renee realized she needed to eat she chuckled a bit as well. She walked back to the kitchen where her dad had just made pancakes. "Well good morning to the birthday girl, how did you sleep?" her dad asked, serving Renee a plate of the pancakes. "I slept well thank you!" Renee beamed with her smile before quickly starting to eat. "Where's Bernetta?" Renee asked. "Your little sister is enjoying her sleep." Her dad answered. "Remember she's on summer break already." Renee frantically ate her pancakes as she remember how much less stressful and long school was when she was ten. "Slow down or you're going to-" started Renee's mom, but Renee finished her plate before her mom could her sentence. "Thank you love you both! Tell the little firefly I said good morning when she wakes up! Okay bye!" Renee rushed out the door. Her mom and dad just chuckled, "She really is something else"

Renee had a long day ahead of her, she ran from her home to an elevated railway station not far. As she left the house she saw that her neighbor's car was gone. He must already be there. Renee thought to herself. Once Renee got on, she was too anxious to stand still and struggled to stay standing on the crowded train. Even if the trip was just to the outer edges of the city, for Renee, it felt like hours. It wasn't even the end of it. Waiting on others and now herself was a bus that would take participants to the actual location of the academy. It was a popular bus stop at the entrance to the city. It wasn't far from the grand waterfalls that was the southern backdrop to the coastal city. From a distance Renee saw a green haired boy similar to her age getting pushed around. She quickly rushed over, as Renee approached she started to hear why the boy was being pushed around. "Come on you Cursed nerd why don't you fight back," the kid slightly older than her shouted at the boy. The green haired boy looked more confused than scared. Seeing the situation at hand Renee couldn't help but laugh to herself, "Hey you know he's a Lucky, right?" Renee finally inserted herself in the situation. The bigger kid's expression went from threatening to perplexed, "wait- but his hair-" "is dyed the color green, not natural." Renee completed the sentence. The green hair boy now also started to laugh. "If you're looking for a Cursed you're facing the wrong way. I'm over here" Renee pointed to her own blood-like crimson hair. "Wait I thought red heads were natural." Any threatening aura that this kid had before was now simply gone. Renee smirked, "The carrot tops are, but you don't get this color from regular genes. Plus I got these sick eyes to match!" she grinned and lifted her hair to properly show off her vibrant red eyes. The older kid backed up a little, "Whatever! Stupid hair dye, stupid Cursed." They muttered under their breath and walked away. The green hair boy and Renee looked at each other and just laughed. "Happy birthday Renee" The boy said. "It's good to see you Caleb," she responded. The two hugged tightly, but Caleb broke the hug to get notes from his bag, "You studied a ton right?" He asked, worrying a bit. "Of course I did." Renee smiled with pride.

Caleb nodded, "Good!" He grabbed Renee's hand and dragged her into one of the buses. "Caleb," Renee whined "We're not leaving for another half hour why must you confine me." She was really not happy about all the staying still today. "I know, I know. We gotta get on early, though, so we can sit next to each other." Caleb sat down in a seat with Renee sitting next to him. "You freaking," Renee groaned, trying to think of an insult, however, she couldn't deny his logic. Caleb pulled out flash cards, each one having a high level questions on them regarding math and science. The two went through all the flashcards with barely any mistakes before the bus even left. Caleb looked at Renee, "Do you think we should ever expand our studies?" Renee looked back confused, "With what?" "You know, language and history and stuff" Caleb suggested. "Oh please," Renee giggled, "you already know my language and history studies" She reached into her back and pulled out headphones and a superhero comic book. Renee gave one ear bud to Caleb and put on a song while opening the comic. "Wow, not bad. When's this stuff from?" he questioned. "1940s!" She excitedly answered. "Ha! This stuff is ancient Renee!" Caleb and Renee laughed, clearly enjoying themselves. The bus rolled out. The exams awaited their contestants.

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The written exam was very hard. Some students nearly gave up because they simply didn't know the material being tested. There were a few parts that weren't traditional school academics. Of course, there was the classic parts testing on literature, math, science, and a rather extensive history section, but there was a section dedicated to providing unique responses to scenarios having nothing to do with normal high school material. It could be assumed that this was a test of each student's critical thinking skills when opposed to a new environment. When the group Renee and Caleb were testing with all finished a voice came over the speakers, the voice sounded that of a high authority. "Group 2B please proceed outside. A captain will walk you to your designated physical exam zone." Renee and Caleb looked at each other. Both of them were dreading the physical exam a bit. If nothing else than for the fact how vaguely it was explained leading up to it. "Bean pole," Renee said, smirking at Caleb. "Like you're any better nerd arms" Caleb chuckled nervously continuing the banter. The two friends walked outside along with the rest of the people in their group. There they were met by a woman in a uniform with a tan high quality trench coat. Shortly before, it was told to the group that this was a piece of clothing given to all captains. Her shoulder length hair was jet black, almost purple in a strange way. The woman's eyes were icy blue. Those eyes shot a chill right through Renee's body, she shivered. The woman spoke once everyone in the group was outside, "I am Captain Raven Flock. You will refer to me as Captain, Captain Flock, or ma'am. Furthermore, during your time here you will be treated as under my command. Is that clear?" The group yelled a uniform "Yes ma'am!" or at least tried to. It was far from perfect. Renee had actually stumbled over her own words. The group was so large, however, that the mistakes were drowned out. "Good, now follow me" Captain Flock began walking. The group sheepishly followed. Not long after it was clear where they were walking to. It was a forest larger than any of the students had ever seen. "Wait those are redwoods, I thought those were extinct?" Caleb looked at the larger than life trees with confusion. Renee questioned his assessment of the species, they didn't quite look like the redwoods she had ever seen pictures of.

The mass of students and the captain arrived at the edge of visible roots. The vegetation was thick, so thick that none of them could see more than twenty feet inside of the grove. Caleb instinctively took a step back. Renee looked at him, she offered her hand. Caleb took it and stepped back forward. "Your physical exam is simple," Captain Flock started, "get to the other side of the forest. It's no more complicated than that." The way Captain Flock spoke put everyone off, like something was wrong. "You'll each get a compass. We're on the east side of the forest now." She gestured to the sun behind them all. It was almost hard to remember it was still before noon. As Renee pondered this thought the captain continued. "You'll emerge in the west. Along the way you'll find red flags hidden among the forest. Each of you will be graded on a variety of factors. Each factor grades differently, and before any of you ask, no, you will not be told what these factors are. Finally, you all will be wearing these vests. A camera is attached to each one so we can track your progress. They're also how we'll be keeping track of who finishes when. Meaning no camera, no grade. Is that clear?" There was another mostly uniform "Yes ma'am!" shout from the crowd. Captain Flock then told everyone to get a vest on. Renee looked at the vests, they looked needlessly heavy. She noted though, that each vest had a red 2B on it. The signification of her group. Renee shrugged it off, putting the vest on. She first took off her letterman jacket and secured the vest before putting her jacket back on over it all. The jacket was left open so the camera could see. Like she had thought, it was in fact heavy, but she was getting used to it. Then, everyone had to state their first and last name to make sure each camera was attached to its wearer. Captain Flock marked the time at which everyone did so in a notebook. "You may begin," she said. The group started slowly walking into the forest. That's when the captain said "If you hurry you might even get there before sundown." There was a moment of stillness. Someone then ran into the woods. Another followed the first after a few seconds. That's when, in almost no time at all, it was a mad dash into the forest.

Renee kept pace with the stampeding crowd. Through the crowd's craze, she and Caleb got separated by force. Renee tried to call out for him, but she couldn't make out a response. So Renee just ran, now pulling ahead of the crowd. The outside world suddenly became silent to her as she ran. She ran and ran and ran as far as her legs would take her. It was a sprint. It was a panic. Renee had lost any indication of humans nearby. She panted heavily and slowed to a stop. The shadows were all covering everything she could see. Renee bends down and takes out her compass, falling to a slump against one of the large trees. She still struggled to catch her breath. She had stayed west the whole time thanks to her good sense of direction from cross country. Renee was excited to see this but was still worried overall. No person was near her, only the lush foliage and distant chatter of the animals. "Damn you," Renee had still only partially caught her breath, "track instincts" she coughed and spit to clear her throat and mouth. Renee got up and started walking again. Even if it didn't feel good she knew it was best for her body overall. It was better than just sitting around anyway. Once she gained enough breath she yelled out, "CALEB!!" She still coughed after yelling. Even still, she tried once more, "CALEB SMITH!!" Renee took a deep breath mixed with a wheeze. She decided if he didn't hear her it'd be best to save her voice. "Sundown," Renee repeated the captain's words to herself, kicking a rock. She scoffed at the idea it would take so long. The thought scared her though. Renee was worried about her physical fitness slowing her down. She was a runner. If she needed upper body strength for anything she'd be in trouble. The heavy vest was already taking it's toll on her, making her think she wouldn't be able to run this forest in a cross country style. It had only been twenty minutes since the start of the exam, but everything looked the same. Despite her compass confirming otherwise she was worried she was going in the wrong direction or walking in circles. That's when something had caught Renee's eye. A dash of vibrant red, similar to her eyes, that stood out from all the greens, browns, and shadows. It was a flag. Renee remembered Captain Flock saying something about flags, so Renee thought she better pick it up. Renee walked over to the streak of color and reached out her hand. That's when suddenly she felt still. Almost all over her whole body. She couldn't move her legs or outstretched arm. Renee looked down in a panic to see why she couldn't move. She nearly screamed when she saw the cause. Nearly her entire figure had suddenly become pure, shiny silver.

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"I don't recognize you," Renee heard a voice say. She couldn't see who was speaking, so she figured they must be where her view from her neck couldn't reach. The voice was, cold, a little formal, and it seemed to be directly on a line between masculine and feminine. "W-Who's there?!" Renee shouted after making her observations. Assumedly the speaker was the person who walked into her eyesight. The figure of this person certainly did not help determine their gender. They were tall, taller than average at least. The person wore a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Along with a black tie and pants to match. Renee only caught a glimpse of their face, but it looked soft. Their eyes were unmistakably silver. Their hair was a little longer than shoulders length when held up in a ponytail, similarly, it was silver. The features made it clear to Renee that this was the person who made her body metal. "2B? That's surprising, the captain said you all wouldn't be released for some thirty odd minutes after us." The person remarked, ignoring Renee's question and picking up the flag. Renee struggled against the silver, but she remained still as ever. "Can you at least undo this?! Hello?! Can you hear me?!" The person looked at her. "Won't you just try to get this back when I do" They dangled the flag in front of Renee's face. "What? No, of course not. Not like I can even fight someone with your kind of Curse." She gestured to her own silver body with her free hand. "Not surprising. Your hair looks too natural to be dyed. So you're a Cursed too." The person got a bit too close for Renee's liking. "Yeap." She put extra emphasis on the pop of the p after dragging the word out. The silver haired person backed up, allowing Renee to get a better look around. She turned her head back to see that there was a path of silver on the ground from one point not too far away to herself. Renee also noted that the tip and bottom of her captors shoe was silver as well.

While she was focused on all the details the person started walking away. "Hey!" Renee shouted once she noticed. "Y-You're not going to just leave me here like this, right?!" She started to panic, trying to uselessly break free of her silver bonds. The person did not stop or even slow their stride away. If she was left here like this, it'd be over. She knew that if she couldn't even complete this one task she'd never be accepted into the academy. An idea suddenly popped into Renee's head. Her eyes light up remembering why she's here in the first place. "I can help you!" Renee shouted as her last attempt to get through to this person. When the person stopped and turned their head Renee lit up even more. "Say I do release you. I may have my Curse, but you have your legs. If you can catch up to me with a head start then you can run far past me. You're just competition." The silver haired person almost turned to leave again before Renee started speaking quickly. "My name is Renee Rossi. I'm from sector Nu, right on the coastline." The silver hair person suddenly seemed to become interested. "Sector Nu. Right on the northern coast? That coast is different. The people are different." Renee continued, thinking she was striking a cord in the other's heart strings. "My entire life I've looked at that horizon. I know just on the other side of that horizon is what some people consider hell. And I want nothing more than to go there. I want to be-" "You can stop there." The person looked over at Renee. "There are a lot of rumors about section Nu. You do know that right?" Renee nodded. "And you are feeding into the stereotype that you all are insane." "Wait you don't actually think I'm insane right?" Renee asked a bit worried. The person shrugged. "You want to reclaim the northern island. That sounds pretty insane to me." Renee was confused. "Wait, but if you're not here to join S.O.A.R and reclaim the northern island, why are you?" The person looked at Renee and snapped their fingers. She fell to the ground, groaning getting up. She looked around herself in shock. There wasn't a bit of metal in sight. The silver haired person shrugged again. "Who said I'm not," and they started walking. Renee stumbled a bit when she tried to walk, but she quickly caught up. "Wait so, you're actually letting me help you?" Renee couldn't help but smile. "Sure, why not, Renee, was it? A pair is safer to travel in. More eyes to see a flag. And once we do see a flag, you can go get it." The person looked at Renee. Their face remained neutral, even though it felt like, to Renee, they were smirking. "You know what, I'll take flag fetcher over being a statue." She smiled looking on the bright side of it all. Renee and her new companion then continued the walk deeper into the forest.

It had already been nearly an hour since the start of the exam. The shadows around the forest had shifted slightly. Renee had seen plenty of more flags along the way, nothing ever happening when she picked them up. Once she had them, though, she'd always give them to her silver haired companion for safe keeping. They wouldn't trust Renee if she didn't, and Renee didn't mind trusting them. A few times she'd try to start a conversation, but her companion would never keep it going. "So what sector are you from?" Renee would ask. "Inland, I stayed in Pi most of my life." And then they'd go back to being silent, and Renee wouldn't know what to do with the conversation, so it just always died out. Renee thought about making a pun about Pi and pie. She decided against it. Most of the time Renee would just be looking around for flags. They were far between and left a lot of boredom in the air. At least, for Renee it did. It was so silent between the two that they could even hear a distant, animal's cry, it sounded painful. So she observed who she was traveling with. The way they walked was interesting. The stride was confident, yet evident that they weren't used to such uneven, vegetated grounds. Their hair was well kept. Renee thought they might look even better with glasses, but Renee thought more and figured they wouldn't be the type of person to wear glasses for fashion. A twig snapped, Renee turned her head. Quickly, though, she shook it off. Figuring it must've been her companion. Renee was bored, so she thought of another topic. Hopefully one which they wouldn't immediately end or shut down.

After a minute it popped into her head. "Hey, I have a friend taking the exam too. I got separated from him at the beginning." Renee walked in front of her companion and turned so she could face them. They don't bother to make eye contact or even change their head position. "And why are you telling me?" They asked, still without any tone. "Well cause I want you to know. He's got green hair. It's dyed, and he's a Lucky. His name is Caleb and-"

"I still don't see how this relates to me."

"My friends should know about each other." After Renee said that, the person stopped walking. "We are not friends." They said a little more stern then they had anything else. Renee was taken back for a second but quickly returned to her smile. "We're friends enough I think. We're traveling together, and we trust each other." The person turned to face Renee. "Take note that I am using you for personal gain. Any benefits you gain are secondary results and are unintentional. You don't even know my name." After they were finished they turned and walked away. Renee followed. "Eh, I don't care." She didn't lie. Their words didn't hurt Renee in the slightest. Her smile was entirely genuine. Still, she wondered why they weren't so easily trusting. "You are tough to knock down." They told Renee. She nodded. "My parents say it's a good trait of mine. Plus when I do get knocked down, I get right back up!" Renee thought back to how cheerful she always was for her little sister. Her companion did not share the joy in any sense. They simply kept walking and kicking their feet through the foliage. They were now a bit more used to the forest floor now. Renee looked around her. The scenery was incredibly amazing to her. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?" She asked. They kept their head forward as they answered. "No. I kept inside most of my life. Even just a regular forest is mostly a strange sight to myself."
"Oh yeah, Pi is pretty industrialized." Renee said, more so as a thought to herself than anything else.
"Even still, in the books I've read no woods were described like this."

For the first time since meeting them, Renee thought they heard an inflexion of tone. Her companion seemed curious. Even if they'd only keep their head forward they must've been infatuated with their surroundings. Renee looked behind them both for a moment, though, to take in a better look at where they had just come from, then, forward again to look ahead. A stroke of blood red stood out with the sunlight directly hitting it. "Hey look!" Renee pointed out the color and rushed to grab it. Renee reached down and took it, but upon touching it she jumped back. Renee tried to violently wipe her hand off on some leaves while making various disgusted noises. Her companion approached cautiously. "What's wrong?" Renee shook her hands seemingly to try and get the feeling off. "Hey, Renee, speak up. If it's a poison I need to know." Renee shook her head violently, struggling to become verbal again. "No no! It's just- wet. But not in a regular water kind of wet. It's more, viscous." She looked down at the flag, that's when it hit her. Renee leaned down to get a better look at it. "It doesn't look right." Renee was questioning herself at this point. "If you're trying to pull something it won't work." The silver person remained at a safe distance. "No no I swear I'm not! Here, let me see a flag and I'll compare it to this one." Renee tried to figure out what was wrong in her head. "Oh please, as if I'd ever fall for that." They turned to walk away.

Renee stood up straight, "Wait! I promise I'm not, something just feels so wrong. I can feel my stomach turning over. You can look and compare yourself." Renee motioned to the red on the ground, unsure if it was even a flag anymore. The person exhaled through their nose becoming less tense as they did so. "Fine," is all they said before walking over and bending down. After a few moments of examining it passed before they spoke again. "Well, you're right it does seem off. The part that was the most visible looks the most similar. But see as the cloth goes further up the more tattered it becomes. My guess is that it was ripped from a larger piece of cloth. What's more is how the color is off. Not just off from the flag, but it has variations of lighter and darker splotches. Maybe if-" the person stopped talking when their hand hit their pocket. They seemed entirely frozen. Renee worried, as her companion quickly began motion again patting other pockets and all around their own person. Her heartbeat only pounded harder as she saw the silver eyes shift from the ground to herself. The body did not immediately follow, but in one swift motion their knuckles met her face. Renee fell forward not even processing it all until she was on the ground. She was shaking. Renee knew what a punch felt like, at least a regular one. This one, however, wasn't like that. Their fist was cold, her face stung, and her eyes widened as she saw blood drip onto the red cloth which she had fallen over. The pain was dulled by the shock of it all. Renee coughed as more red fell from her face. Her vision was blurry, but it was slowly coming back. "Blood." Renee said, almost subconsciously. The silver haired person responded, though Renee could barely make out what they said. "You got hit, and now there is blood. It should not be a surprise." Renee shook her head and pointed to the fake flag. "No, not me. Blood is red." It clicked in both of their heads at the exact same time. The person softly repeated Renee's words. "Blood is red."

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The captain took a glance around the group in front of her. "You may begin," she said. The group began to move slowly towards the forest. Many of the feet dragged being weighted with anticipation and anxiety. Captain Flock almost smirked as she continued her unfinished statement. "If you hurry you might even get there before sundown." That's when every foot stood still. Students would look at their watches, maybe the sun's position, but nearly all had similar expressions of worry. It was just beginning to be summer, so the sun wouldn't set for a long time. To add on to the worry, it was only the morning, and they'd only get there by sundown if they were fast. The silence was shot down by a foot slamming the ground in a sprint towards the forest. They disappeared behind trees and foliage within seconds. A student followed, then another, and more until everyone taking the test was in a stampede through the forest. One student quickly gained on the first who sprinted and passed them. That was Renee. She was ahead and out of sight. Caleb reached out his hand to try and get her attention. "Renee!" His shouting fell deaf to her ears. It was impossible to reach to get her attention through all the noise, furthermore, Caleb knew how Renee would instinctively block out all distractions when she ran. Caleb tried to at least keep up with the other students. It was a difficult task as he almost never participated in any physical activities. He was pushed to the side by someone faster and he lost proper balance. Once more, a body flew past his, but this one knocked him fully to the ground. Caleb felt feet hit his side, back, and head. If he didn't do something quick he'd be trampled. Caleb's mind went blank with a blunt pain in his head. His senses numbed only to go completely black a few moments later. When Caleb opened his eyes again it was quiet. There was only the ambiance of the forest to fill his ears.

His eyesight was blurry, but not because of the kicks. Caleb reached around for his glasses which had fallen off at some point. His fist tightened once he felt the cold frame on his palm. Caleb reached his hands up to his face and looked through his glasses. Aside from a thin crack going across the left lens they were unharmed. He let out a sigh of relief as he attempted to stand. "Gah!" A sharp pain filled Caleb's leg, specifically right above his foot. He fell back to the ground and looked at his hurting leg. Slowly, as not to hurt himself, he took off his shoe and socks. He rolled up his pant leg to look at his skin. It was red and inflamed. Caleb quickly deduced his ankle was sprained. He thought about how at least it wasn't broken. Caleb's father taught him how to recognize injuries and treat them. Reaching into his side bag, Caleb pulled out a roll of medical bandages. It was one of the many medical things he was taught to carry on his person as much as possible, in addition to a few other necessities Caleb thought about for the wilderness. Caleb leaned down and tied his leg just as he was taught. With a grunt, he tied off the makeshift remedy and put his sock and shoe back on. Finding a nearby stick that was big enough for him to use wasn't very hard. The large trees provided plenty of opportunity. Within reach was a fallen branch which was the perfect height for Caleb. The branch was quickly snatched and stripped of its smaller tendrils. Caleb leaned on the stick, planting it firmly in the ground, so he could stand without further harm to himself. Once he was all set, Caleb checked his watch to see the time. Only a few minutes had passed since the start of the exam, but with a forest as dense and large as the one they were in it was more than enough time for everyone to disappear. Caleb started walking with the assistance of his stick. His pace was not fast, but he wasn't going to stop until he reached the finish.

While walking Caleb couldn't help but examine the forest. "These things are taller than some city buildings." Caleb whispered to himself. He took out his compass to confirm he was walking in the right direction. Caleb almost jumped seeing that his compass made it appear that he was heading South. Caleb, however, took a deep breath and held the compass further away from himself. The needle spun and danced before settling with the red point sticking out to the right. The camera had temporarily interfered with the magnetic fields of the tool. Caleb hoped that no other student would fall victim to such an easy mistake. After more walking Caleb caught himself looking towards the canopy once more. Every branch, root, and leaf registered in his head the moment he laid eyes on the sight. Caleb thought back to one of Renee's really old comic books, the one that had his favorite hero in it. The hero wouldn't have walked so slowly on the ground. The hero would've swung from branch to branch, and the hero would complete the exam in no time. Caleb imagined himself in the hero's position, flying freely with the wind in his face. He winced as a shot of pain in his leg brought him back to reality. Caleb was sure to lean on his walking stick more as he continued his slow progress. His head suddenly swiveled like an owl as he heard a new noise. Running water was nearby, and it sounded like a lot of it. Excitedly, he hobbled towards the change in terrain. Within only a dozen or so minutes Caleb had found the source of the noise. There was a rushing river of powerful water. It was absolutely massive, and the vegetation around it was so thick and plentiful it almost looked like an alien world. Even the already towering redwoods around appeared to be double the size from the tops of the canopies. But Caleb thought that might've been an exaggeration of his perspective.

Caleb looked at how the river bent and swayed along the banks. If his leg wasn't messed up Caleb would try to climb up the trees himself to try and determine the path. Even without confirmation Caleb was ecstatic. The river was going west just as he was. Caleb reached into his bag and pulled out many ropes. As quick as he could, which wasn't necessarily fast considering his injury, Caleb began to gather sticks of various sizes. Some looked as large as fallen trees, others were as small as tinder for a fire, and everything in between. A few years ago Caleb had begun obsessing with wilderness survival for a while. While the phase eventually passed and Caleb didn't care as much for it anymore all his knowledge stayed. He knew how to make many tools and structures with nothing more than sticks and ropes. Given the proper time and materials, Caleb could practically build a small village in a forest. The rope weaved through the sticks, over, under, through. The sticks linked together into one as the rope moved more, over, under, through. The memory of every knot and lashing Caleb ever learned filled his head and travelled into his fingers, over, under, through. The process was slow, and Caleb acknowledged the risk he was taking, but he continued anyway, over, under, through. Nothing could stop Caleb from continuing his slow yet steady progress, over, under, through, tighten! He constricted his hand to finish off the first lashing. Caleb was making a raft, and he wouldn't stop until it worked.

Chapter Text

"We're what now?" Renee asked slowly getting to her feet whilst still stumbling over the ground. "We're being hunted." The silver haired person replied. "You said yourself, blood is red." Renee shook her head to try and regain awareness of the situation. "Yeah I kind of blacked out for a few seconds there, so fill me in please." The person helped Renee to her feet once more and started walking. "You didn't steal the flags. Even if your Curse helped this situation there was no time to both make the fake flag and steal the ones I carried. Besides even if you did why would you. You know how outmatched you are against me, and if you weren't there would be no point in making the fake flag." Renee was a little disappointed that this so far was the only way she had gotten her companion to answer in more than one sentence at a time. "And the conclusion?" Renee asked, enthralled with the way they were telling it like a detective in those old movies would. "There's a third party in all of this. One we have not yet seen. And this third party tricked us both. I feel dumb for falling victim, even if for only a moment. It was enough time to remove all the flags we had collected so far. The worst part is that this third party may still be around watching our every move. If we continue, they follow, hence, we are being hunted."

Renee clapped a little when they finished. "What is that for?" Their silver hair glinted in the light as their head tilted. "Oh- Nothing I just got excited." "About being hunted?" Despite the lack of varying tone it was clear they were confused. "No no that's bad- Pretty really bad- But the way you said it made me feel like I was reading a book!" She beamed at her companion. They shrugged it off and turned. Their feet once again picking up and pushing down in a simple walk. Renee paused for a moment before catching up. "So what now?" She tilted her head like a lost puppy. "We walk, and we will walk until we arrive at the other side of the forest."

"What about the flags?"

"We ignore them. The risk is too large now that we know about the third party. The collection slowed us down anyway. This is an examination, not a test. The flags most likely mean nothing. A distraction, at best. But we will not be fooled, no more." Renee finally heard a bit of inflection in her companions voice. "And in the meantime?" Renee fidgeted with her fingers. "You ask a lot of questions." Any previous tone they spoke with was now removed. No longer did Renee's companion look at her when they talked. "Well, I mean, it's a genuine question, right?" Renee's voice was slightly softer as she was nervous to return to the silence.

The silver eyes shifted for a moment to look at Renee before returning to look at the path they walked. "We can talk. At least, for now we may." Renee's face lit up instantly. "Thank you! What do you want to talk about?" She was eager to converse with the person travelling beside her. "Curses. It'll be best to know each other's abilities if we continue to be allies." Renee sighed, "I was hoping you wouldn't say that." "Do you have an embarrassing ability?" They asked Renee. She let out a small lip trill, "I wish," as she awkwardly chuckled. "I mean yours is cool. Very scary, but cool." Renee tried to shift the spotlight away from herself. "Yes I can turn anything to silver so long as I can see it." They turned to Renee to give her nowhere to hide in the conversation. "Well that is really cool, uh-" They interrupted Renee's incomplete thought. "What is your Curse, Renee?" Despite the lack of changing tone, Renee still felt very intimidated by their sharp, silver eyes. "I-" Renee took a deep breath to continue, "I have no idea" Renee's shoulders decompressed as she let out the tension. "Really!" Renee could tell they didn't believe her. "I'm telling the truth I swear! I have no idea what my Curse is. At this point I've accepted that it's probably something so specific and mundane if I ever do find out what it is it'll be basically nothing to me." She kicked a rock, an action she quickly regretted after it hurt a bit. Renee kept the small pain silent so as not to humiliate herself. "So you actually don't know." "I swear I don't." Renee tensed up once more as she saw the person examine her. "How can you be sure you're not a Lucky? I mean your hair could've been inherited from a parent without-" She shook her head, "My dad has black hair, and my mom's a brunette, same with my little sister. I used to be the same too, but it started growing red when I was seven or so." Renee remembered how she noticed her hair growing red not long after her hospital trip all those years ago. They thought long about it. "Perhaps-" Renee didn't want to hear it. "I got tested. Yes most tests have a pretty bad accuracy rate, I know. But I got tested in the most renowned hospital on the planet. I got tested by the best doctor in the whole of Saguánit. I am Cursed I swear I'm not lying." Renee breathed out the annoyance. "Sorry, I just get a lot of doubts from a lot of people. It's honestly a little funny after it happens." Renee giggled a bit. "Alright, I trust you. I suppose there's no reason not to." The person faced forward and continued the journey. "Thanks, that actually means a lot." Renee smiled brightly at her companion. "You are easily made happy aren't you." They said, looking over their shoulder at Renee. "Hey! That's-" Renee chuckled, "Yeah that's pretty accurate." Renee felt their companions hand softly holding her shoulder. She turned, surprised to see them behind her. "You're walking fast." They told her. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean-" Renee shut up when she realized she was rambling again, and she was a bit flustered. The person walked ahead of her and motioned Renee to follow once more. Their journey wasn't eventful for a long time.

At this point the forest was filled with golden streaks coming from above the canopy top. The silver hair of Renee's companion shined in a strong contrast to the softer colors all around. Renee's eye and hair color became much less notable with the orange and brown all around her dulling what previously made her stand out. Renee was tired from walking for what had been hours at this point. Looking at the sky she figured it must have been at least six in the afternoon. The sun was yet to set for another couple hours, however, it meant she and her companion had been walking for at least eight hours. Though their expressions never showed it, Renee could tell her partner was walking slower than before, they were tired. Renee tried her best to match their pace and not walk ahead. It slowed both of them down, but Renee wouldn't leave her companion. Her stomach growled at the lack of food. It was loud and obvious. Though, it was nigh impossible to tell with the lighting Renee blushed from the embarrassment. Renee's mind was quickly distracted as the wind blew a strong gust across their bodies. Renee held on to her jacket so it wouldn't fly away. As she looked out her head tilted at what she saw. The wind seemed to disappear as a few red flags flew past her face. They landed under a cliff which produced such a shadow that it was pitch black to unadjusted eyes. Instinctively, Renee walked out to go and grab the flag. "Renee." Her companion said firmly as they grasped her shoulder with as tight of a grip as they could muster. Renee broke from her tired trance to look up only to become stiff as a bolder. From the absolute darkness in front of her, not more than four feet away, was a singular, bright white eye staring directly at her own.

Chapter Text

Renee froze up. What else could she do? Renee hadn’t ever seen an eye that threatening. She hadn’t been this scared in years. Her fear was strictly instinctual. Poking out from the shadows, and cutting the light it touched, was the tip of a spear. The texture showed it was crudely carved from wood. A fallen branch, perhaps, was the base. The more the spear moved forward the more reasonable that conclusion was. A hand firmly gripped the wood towards the base. The skin was unevenly pale with odd splotches of varying tan. It would be similar to Renee's skin in color if she spent more time outside. The tip of a nose revealed itself as the eye remained unblinking. A chilling wind blew through once more. No one reacted to it. Not whoever was in the shade, not the silver haired person, and certainly not Renee. A tattered and torn sleeve extended up the slim yet fit arm.

Finally a whole person stepped forwards into the orange light of dusk. Silver eyes quickly darted quickly to examine this new figure. They noticed the hair of the figure. At the top of the head it was a fluffy white, but as the matts rolled down the face it faded into a pure black mess that was roughly cut. They must be Cursed with such hair. The added light revealed the other eye. This one was pure darkness, so much so that it was nigh impossible to differentiate between the iris and the pupil. The shape formed by the eyelids was narrow and squinted like a predator. However, the most frightening part of their appearance was the sweater. The front was completely covered in what could only be blood. Most of it was dried, but there were still splotches of deep crimson to indicate small bits of dampness. The small second was an eternity to Renee. “Your sleeve.” Their words moved a strand of silver in front of their mouth ever so slightly. The tear was familiar to their silver eyes. It roughly was the size of the flags they and Renee gathered. That, accompanied with the bloody attire made it clear exactly who this was, and they were no ally.

The figured growled and snarled and ran forward at the person with silver hair. Renee could finally move again, being snapped out of whatever instinctual freeze she was in. She body checked the person with all her speed and force sending them both to the ground. “I’ll get them.” Renee heard her companion say firmly. Once more she felt the stiff coldness of silver run over and through her body. She took a deep breath trying not to panic. She fell over as she could no longer move with balance. Just as suddenly as she had fallen, Renee rose back up fluidly. She was pulled to her feet by her companion. Renee's breath was heavy and quick still in shock from the silver which was now gone. “Did you get them what’s-“ Renee couldn’t even finish her thought before they interrupted her. “I have no idea. They have some kind of light Curse. A tree looked as bright as the sun then I saw them disappear. Considering I can't turn what I can't see it's an issue.” Renee looked around herself. “We’ll make it anyway. We’ll go through a lot worse if we get into this place.” Renee couldn't help but smile at the challenge. “You really are insane.” The silver haired companion was abut to say something else before the air was cut suddenly. They winced as there was a loud thud in the tree Renee was leaning against. She flinched and looked to the side. It made her breath shake. Stuck in the tree besides her head was the wooden spear. Renee looked back at her companion to see their cheek gushing blood.

They were in shock more than pain. Renee looked at her companion. Their eyes were wide as they slouched further and farther down holding their bleeding cheek. She heard them jinx under their breath, "I can't go back." They shook their head. "I've- I can fix this." They tried to stand up. Renee paused seeing her companion like this. They needed this to go right just as much as she did. With a million thoughts running through her head, Renee spoke sporadically. “I have a plan- but there’s no time- uh- be ready- I promise this'll work, I promise!” Renee ran off. She heard her companion say her name, but the sound was drowned out in her thoughts. She didn't want to ignore them, but she had to act fast. Her legs were fast and strong. It was the only part of her body that was fit. She let her legs move subconsciously. Whoever was hunting them was absolutely silent, but no one had mastered a Curse and they were no exception. The trees became a blur to Renee. And then stillness as she halted to a stop. Renee looked around at the light as the rays became graphs in her head. Light would vary in unnatural ways. Any deformation became instantly clear. There were shadows with no blockage, there was brightness reflecting from the ground, there was weight on the branch above the silver hair. They all had one convergence in space. Renee ran once more back to the well tread path she and her companion were ambushed on. She ran faster than before. Faster than she ran at the beginning of the exam. Faster than most legs could ever run. But not Renee’s. Renee’s legs speed up. No Curse, power, or fortune made Renee so fast. Discipline, determination, and hard work made Renee able to run at such an unbelievable pace.

As she approached the branch, which she figured out the hunting predator was on, her jacket began to slip off. Renee looked into the eyes of her companion trying to convey her plan. She pleaded for them to understand. The silver eyes looked right back at her with an unnatural glint. The predator was right above them. Renee looked right at the invisible foe covered in shadow. It all climaxed to a large jump. Her letterman jacket fell off almost entirely, but Renee wouldn’t let it leave her fully. Her hand wrapped around the sleeve as tight as she could. It led a path for her companion's touch. A glimpse of silver movement flashed in her eyes below her. Renee felt the tip of her fingers touching the branch above her. It was rough and thick, but it was warm with the golden sun beaming on it. A contrasting, cold stiffness flowed through her body until she couldn't feel the warmth of the sun anymore. And so Renee smiled, but it was quickly interrupted by her face hitting the forest floor and all her senses becoming a haze.

A snap brought Renee back to full consciousness. “Ow.” She softly muttered. The sunlight warmed her back. It brought her back from the coldness of the silver. “That was seriously your plan? It was dumb.” Renee’s companion loomed over her. Their composure and formality had returned to their voice. “I mean?” She asked while half her face laid in dirt. “It worked.” They motioned to the unconscious figure of the hunter next to Renee. “Are they-“ “They’re fine I believe. If you're wondering, no, my Curse didn't do this. Judging by the dark circles under their eyes they were sleep deprived. This fight simply took whatever was left out of them, and when knocked unconscious the body forced them to take the sleep.” Renee nodded. “Good to know. Very detailed explanation.. So your Curse-” They nodded softly. “I didn’t tell you my Curse. Not in its entirety at least. But you knew. I said as long as I could see it, I could turn it.” Renee smirked softly. “You’re not as good as lying as you think. Besides I saw it with your shoe. You need a path of physical contact.” Renee felt the sun further warm her as she got up. To Renee's right sunbeams befell the unconscious figure that was attacking them. They looked peaceful. Renee got to her feet and pulled the body up, slinging it over her shoulders. “Oh wow that is- harder than it looks in movies.” Renee breathed heavily for a few moments before standing up straight. “Okay let’s go.” She beamed at her companion. “What are you doing.” They asked Renee. She thought for a few moments to answer why she had done it. “I want to make sure they finish too. There’s a reason they were following us even after we stopped collecting flags.” Renee started walking forward. “Ah…” Her companion considered everything that had just happened. “Renee,” She turned her head around and tilted it like a curious puppy. “My name is Hosuh Shirogane.”

Chapter Text

"Hosuh.." Renee thought about the name. "Wait does that mean you're a guy?-" She was slightly dumbfounded. "Is that seriously your take away." Hosuh turned away from Renee and sighed. "How was it ever a question." Renee got embarrassed at Hosuh making it seem like his gender was obvious. "Well, I dunno. You're ambiguous. Honestly I'd believe you just as much if you said you're a woman." Renee tried to explain her line of thinking, and it wasn't outlandish because it was hard to tell. "Well, I'll keep that in mind then. It could be a strategic advantage down the line." Hosuh thought to himself about the possibilities. Renee nudged Hosuh a bit. "In all seriousness, though, thank you. For trusting me, y'know?" She smiled at her companion warmly. "Well, you are welcome. I-" Hosuh couldn't finish as he was suddenly cut off by Renee falling backwards. "WOAH!" She yelped. Hosuh reached out his hand for her, but she couldn't grab it while still carrying their hunter. She slipped down the hill rolling and tumbling down. Renee clung to the unconscious body to try and protect them best she could. Eventually the momentum slowed to a halt at the bottom of the hill. "Ow- Well at least I didn't hit any trees." Renee looked back up the hill to see Hosuh running down to join her. "Wait why aren't there any-" Renee started until she heard a familiar voice. "Renee! Are you okay?!?" She turned around to see Caleb rushing towards her. He was hobbling towards her on one foot as the other was wrapped in bandages. "Am I okay?! Dude, are YOU okay?" Renee laughed and met Caleb with a hug.

Hosuh came up behind the two and looked at them. "Is this the Caleb you were talking about?" He asked. Renee nodded so violently Hosuh thought her head might fall off. "Who's this?" Caleb asked curiously tilting his head in the same way Renee did. "Oh this is!-" Renee started excitedly, but cut herself off looking at her companion. "Hosuh Shirogane. Renee had caught up to my pace early on in the exam. We helped each other make it through." Hosuh nodded at Renee. "Oh well it's nice to meet you! And- who is that?" Caleb pointed at the unconscious body. "Oh yeah, them... We have no idea. They hunted us, stole our flags, and attacked us." Renee responded as Hosuh pointed to his bloody cheek. Renee quickly distracted herself by noticing something off about Caleb. "Wait, where's your camera?" She asked. Looking around herself, Hosuh, and even the hunter all had the cameras necessary to the completion of the exam. "Oh that," he chuckled, "I turned it in." Caleb pointed towards the sun just above the horizon. Not far from the edge of the lake a silhouette of two people could be seen. "Wait we're done?" Renee asked not believing it at first. "We did it!!" Renee shouted ecstatically. She went to pick up the hunter with Hosuh helping her. The three walked to the people as their silhouettes faded into detailed persons. It was the captain which was the guide of Renee's group, Captain Flock. Standing beside her was the commander of SOAR.

"Congratulations," the commander spoke, "you all are respectively in the first four finishers. Your friend here," he pointed to Caleb, "being the first." They all handed in their cameras. "Thank you sir, it's an honor to meet you." Hosuh shook the commander's hand when he offered it. "The honor is all mine after seeing your performance. Mr. Smith can you help your friend patch up his face?" The commander turned towards Caleb. "Yes sir!" He quickly grabbed medical supplies and started to treat Hosuh's face. "This is absolutely nasty," Caleb winced, putting a stitch through Hosuh's cut. "I think it's gonna scar." Caleb almost seemed sad to tell him that information. "I figured considering the crude weapon." He seemed unfazed by the news. "I mean it'll probably look cool!" Renee tried to lighten the mood. "I suppose." Hosuh turned away feeling the stitches and bandage. "And that's the sun set." The captain spoke to herself. Caleb and Renee turned towards her. "I'm disappointed, more could've been back by now." She scoffed at the supposed tardiness of the students. The commander turned towards her. "Raven you must have patience. They are children with no prior training." Captain Flock didn't take this as reassurance. Instead she turned towards the eavesdropping friends. "Have either of you had prior military level training?" The two froze up at the question. The captain's cold eyes seemed to look through their very souls. "No ma'am!" Renee and Caleb said together after a moment's hesitation. Captain Flock turned back to the commander. "See, if they three could make it before sundown with no prior training I should expect nothing less from the rest." The commander sighed at the captain's stern attitude.

The two continued talking, but Caleb and Renee removed themselves to talk with each other. "Okay no more avoiding the question. What happened to you, dude?" Renee looked at Caleb's cast and broken glasses. "Oh, well, it's dumb really. The second everyone started their mad dash into the forest I tripped. People were trampling me and stuff until I blacked out. I woke up with my ankle sprained and my glasses broken." Caleb pointed to each casualty to emphasize his point. "Then I just found a stick and used it to help me limp through the forest." Renee tilted her head getting confused at Caleb's story. "Wait- If you got your leg all hurt how'd you get here before us? I mean, I know we got attacked, but still that didn't take that long." Renee looked over at her unconscious attacker. "Oh right! Yeah I made a raft because I found a river going west." Caleb looked out at the lake behind them. The surface of water was darkening after the golden rays were blocked by the mighty mountains. The water was still as glass, save for the river's mouth. Caleb pointed out his finger to an object in the water. Renee squinted to see it, but it eventually became clear.

A flat of wooden logs and branches tied together with neat knots of rope. "Well look at you go." Renee smiled congratulating Caleb. The two chuckled at each other. Renee's face quickly turned to shock as she felt a fist fly across it. "Renee!" Caleb tried to catch Renee as she fell, but only pulled himself down with her instead. Renee looked up to see the duel colored eyes of her attacker who was about to strike once more. Their foot was raised about to stomp down on Renee. "Sage." The captain's voice carried over to the fight. She was stern while remaining calm. The attacker, apparently named Sage, sighed and stopped their attack. "You've completed the exam. There's no reason to fight anymore." They muttered a "sorry", walked towards the captain, and sat. Hosuh walked over to the two and helped Caleb up. Renee got up on her own. "Hey," Renee rubbed her bruised cheek as she spoke, "do you think we might actually get in?" Renee looked at her two friends. "I think so!" Caleb was optimistic and reassuring. "There's a chance there are simply too many people better than us." Hosuh wasn't. "How long until we find out?" Renee looked at Caleb. "A month, then the academy starts in February." Hosuh answered. "Yeah, that won't be stressful at all." Renee sighed imagining the long wait. Caleb chuckled a bit at it. "Long ride back to Wairau City. Can't wait." Renee slowly chuckling before smiling back up at Caleb. "Oh crap I totally forgot about that. I'm too hungry for this." Caleb sighed wiping a hand across his tired face. "So you're both from Nu?" Hosuh asked. Renee nodded. "We're neighbors." Hosuh looked at the two of them. "So you're both insane then." Renee laughed at the comment nodding her head up at down. Caleb was a little insulted, not understanding the previous context.

"Then I imagine you both have the same insane dream of liberating the northern island of the creatures." Hosuh looked at Caleb like he did at Renee when she first mentioned it. "Well," Caleb started, "I'm just kind of here to tag along. It's Renee's dream. And it's better if she explains it." Caleb closed his mouth and looked at Renee. "Oh! Okay uh- It's a little more complicated than that. Caleb wants to help me, but like he said it's not his dream. Also making the northern island habitable again isn't my dream. I mean it comes with the territory, but it's not the whole thing." Renee explained. "Oh?" Hosuh showed curiosity at this new information. "Mhm," she continued, "ever since I was young I was absolutely in awe of selfless people. Even if they were fictional it would just inspire me. I mean there was one real person who really inspired me, but that's a different story. In a world filled with amazing, supernatural powers I was even more inspired. How could I not be? I grew up and I worked hard to become the best me I could be. It'd make up for whatever lackluster Curse I have." It was the end. The end of the exam, and the end of the day. "Helping people has basically just been a part of me ever since I was about seven. So, I want to be someone people look up to. I want to be someone everyone feels safe around. I want even just my existence to inspire others to be amazing. To put it simply well," Renee took a deep breath preparing to share with Hosuh what she had not many, "I want to be the first ever hero!"

Chapter Text

It was dawn. The sun was rising in the early morning. The small, soft crash of waves could be heard against the sand. There were people all around. Each one was dressed in some kind of military-like uniform. Some were attaching some kind of gear to their arms and back. Maybe it was some kind of supportive frame stretching all throughout their torsos. The faces of each individual were unclear and blurry. It was bothersome to see, or rather being unable to see. To the opposite of the rising sun was a coast line with a concrete structure lining it. It resembled a dam in shape, it must've been to prevent dangerous erosion of the steep cliff lining the edge of the shore. There were more, much smaller, figures on top of it. The beach moved with the sound of footsteps against the ground. The coastline disappeared behind the turn of the island. The sun revealed itself from its hiding place. It was warm and it was comforting. There were no longer people around. No one could be heard. Just the pattern of in and out. Up and down. The water rises, and the water crashes. Besides the figure, which this was all from the point of view of, was a simple pistol. It's mere presence taunted the figure with its violent aura. It wasn't clear what exactly was drawing the figure to the weapon, but they pocketed it all the same. A loud heartbeat pounded inside their chest as they looked out onto the horizon.

Just peeking over the sea was the silhouette of some kind of warship. The figure knew what was inside. The figure knew that they were who the warship was coming for. The waves no longer seemed calm. The sun no longer gave off a comforting warmth. The footsteps all around the figure were frantic. Every single sense was overwhelmed with fear of what was to come. The figure could only watch as the warship grew with its approach. The figure was in a cold sweat as they tried to stand, but were only met with legs that could not support their own weight. Smaller shapes shot out from the warship. The shapes cut the waves and sped at the small island. They were smaller boats, a couple dozen in numbers. The boats took on more detail as they got closer to the island's shore. Each one looked cheap and decrepit; though, they were incredibly fast for their cheap make. On each boat was only one person, each in some kind of military uniform differing from the ones on the island, manning the small vesicles. It must've been damaging to the engines or haul in some way to move at such speeds. The figure knew, however, that stress on the boat would not matter momentarily. The figure thought it was done. They must be dead, and this is hell. If it's not, then it is only moments before actual death. Nothing would be able to stop what is about to come. Not the most powerful Curse in the world, not the soldiers and their metal gear behind the figure, and certainly not the woman, the demon, who the world feared. No, this was decades in the making. The ultimate army was about to trample this island. The humans, whose bravery amazed the figure, were nothing compared to the monsters on those boats.

A loud explosion rang from the warship and shook through the island reaching as far as the harbor. It was a shell flying towards the island. And it's over, they were already dead. The figure watched as the shell hit the ocean causing a sprout of water to shoot into the clouds above. The island remained untouched. The figure knew that it wasn't intended to hit the island, it was a signal. The waves washed over the figure's calves as it nearly knocked them over. The people on the boat all fell on their boats, or in the water, completely limp. The figure thought about hope for a moment. Maybe, just maybe, the warship has failed. Maybe they would live after all maybe it was all going to be okay. No, that couldn't be the case. The figure felt someone drag them to higher ground as the waves quickly became violent. Bursting from the sea was the figure's fear. The soldiers were no longer soldiers. They were monstrous weapons. Towering above were giants that barely looked human. The monsters lacked hair, any reproductive organs, or even diversity amongst themselves. They weren't humans as much as they were fleshy silhouettes of what a human might be. The army of giants was sent to destroy any threat that the human soldiers provided. The ground itself shook when the giants moved. The figure hoped the giants would at least be slow.

Once again their hopes were crushed. The monstrous scale didn't slow the army at all. In fact the proportions made them able to traverse what seemed like miles in just one step. The first giant stepped onto the land of the small island. Under its foot the ground collapsed in on itself being consumed by the ocean. A giant's hand flew across the figure's view. They thought they were dead, but when they opened their eyes they saw something much worse. Suddenly, the figure was high in the air, and what goes up must come down. The figure fell faster and faster to what was the ground, but after being trampled, was only the ocean. It didn't matter. The water would act like concrete from that high up. It was the demon who did this, who killed them all. The demon should die not everyone else. The army of giants were here to wipe this country off the face of the Earth, and it was her fault. The figure saw the water merely meters away and-

Renee suddenly awoke as she fell onto the floor of the train as it took a sharp turn. "Renee!" Caleb went to help her up. "Sorry, I should've held you or something." Renee looked around. It was the middle of the night. Caleb was standing over her, there were bandages on his foot. They were on a train heading towards a city along the coast. Even when she squinted she could confirm there were no islands off shore. "It's-" Renee caught her breath, "It's alright. We're both pretty tired. Plus, I didn't even feel it." Caleb pulled her arm to help her to her feet. He felt her hand's temperature. "You had the nightmare again, didn't you?" Caleb looked worried for Renee. "I'm- It's fine I'm okay.. But yeah, it happened again." Renee rubbed her arm seemingly embarrassed by it. "I can tell my dad, maybe he can help-" Renee waved her arms around at Caleb to stop him. "No no no no! I-I can't tell anyone. It'll worry them. And it's fine, right? I mean, it's just a dream. It's probably just a metaphor, or something like that." Renee's voice grew softer as she spoke. "I guess that's fair. If you don't want to tell anyone I'm not gonna go against that." Caleb hugged Renee. "You sweat a lot when you have nightmares." Caleb tried to lighten the mood. Renee chuckled as she smiled. "You're mean." Renee jokes. The train slowly came to a stop. "This is us, come on." Renee walked off the train with Caleb. The ground felt solid again to Renee. She was relieved to be in the real world again. The nightmares were less fun for Renee. Her and Caleb walked through the streets of their home city. The two lived towards the more suburban area of the city. Caleb's father always said he wanted him to have a normal childhood, so despite the fathers considerable wealth his family lives in the same type of house as Renee's family. "Renee, hey, you sure you're okay?" Caleb asked his friend. Renee nodded. "Talking to you helps. I'm okay, I'll see you tomorrow." Renee reassured Caleb. "See you tomorrow dude." Caleb smiled and headed into his house. Renee sighed standing alone.

The only light was a singular street lamp to the right of Caleb's house. Renee's house was directly to the left of his house, further in the darkness. Renee walked to her house and rested her hand on the doorknob. She turned it. The door wouldn't open. She pulled as hard as she could, the door wouldn't even budge. The doorknob entirely fell off the door. "Um..." Renee checked the time. It was one in the morning. "Mom?" Renee called out hoping she might still be awake. "Dad?" She tried once more. She knocked on the door. There was no response. Renee started tapping her finger against her leg. The street lamp which provided the only light suddenly flickered out. "This is less fun..." Renee tried to look around for anyone. There was only herself and complete silence. Renee looked for another way in when her eyes fell upon the window to her bedroom. Renee knew it wasn't locked because she never locked it. So she started climbing the railing of the porch. Renee grabbed the roof and struggled to pull herself up. Eventually she did and carefully walked up the sloped overhang to her window. Renee grabbed the windowsill and pushed upward. The window wouldn't budge. "Same as the door..." Renee sensed something was off. In one last attempt Renee tried to push the window open, but she pushed too hard and lost her footing. "Woah!!" Renee screamed as she fell backwards to the ground. Renee was scared to hit the ground, but then she got so much more scared when she didn't. The street shattered like glass where she impacted and she fell right through it. The ground was above her., and around her was pure white. Renee fell for what felt like an eternity. The world had been entirely consumed by the pure void. "Renee Rossi." A voice spoke out to her from behind. It was a beautiful voice which possessed the most amazing accent she had ever heard. It was entirely foreign to Renee. It also didn't quite feel human. The voice had two distinct vocals overlapped atop one another, but the more she tried to focus on an individual voice the harder it was to recognize more than one. Renee turned around to look at what might be the origin. How can I turn around? Aren't I falling? Renee thought to herself. Yet, no, Renee wasn't falling. She was somehow standing on solid ground, though, it could not be seen. There was still only the pure white void. Renee hadn't even noticed the stop in her movement, how was that possible?

"Renee," The voice spoke once more, "you must focus." The elegant voice called out. Renee closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes she was standing back on her street. She looked where she had fallen and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Renee's house laid in front of her, and the doorknob rested upon the door. Right next to it was Caleb's. Everything was exactly the same. The street lamp, however, still sat in silent darkness. Was that a dream too? What had just happened? Renee had only more and more questions. "Am I going insane?" Renee softly asked herself out loud. "Renee Rossi." It was the voice again! It echoed through the whole street growing in volume till it shook Renee's body. "Renee!" The voice was impatient, but the call was immediately followed by pure silence. Renee turned to the streetlamp. Once again it illuminated, and under it was the source of the unusual voice. It was a person, just a human, not exceeding Renee's own age by more than a decade. Their form seemed to not abide by any singular gender. Their skin was smooth, yet it was darker than anything Renee had ever seen in her life. The person wore garments of which Renee could not determine from where. They wore a kind of long skirt made from wrapping a piece of cloth around their waist that was mostly just one color, purple, but had simple patterns in a gold like color. In contrast, they wore a tank top that looked more modern than the rest of their clothes. Their hair was short, dark, and in tight curls. On their bare arms seemed to be some kind of inkless tattoo forming simple dots and lines with purposeful scars. The last notable thing Renee noticed were ear piercings that stretched the lobe to a significant degree. This person was shrouded in so much mystery Renee questioned her own sanity once more. "Renee Rossi, step into the light I wish to see you." The person commanded. Renee cautiously stepped forward. "Who are you? How do you know me?" Renee grabbed her arms tightly to subtly hide any shaking. "Oh isn't that a wonderful question. You will know, eventually, you will know." They smiled in a friendly manor. "I shouldn't get ahead of myself, though. You will learn when you learn. After all, it is better to remember the past for now." The person poked their finger on Renee's abdomen. On top of her clothes a small, almost dot like, red glow appeared.

"Hey! Get away!" Renee wanted to force the person back, but her body wouldn't move. "You shan't be ashamed of your scar, Renee. Oh, so important it will be. You've been told everything, yet you know nothing. That is quite alright, quite alright, you will learn." Renee took a step backwards. "Listen, whatever you're getting at, stop. Please, stop!" Renee was almost about to sprint away from this person. "You will be so fun to watch. You have quite the journey ahead. The army of giants, that is your greatest fear yes? Oh it shall not matter for long times. Let the nightmares subside. Enjoy yourself." Renee paused hearing everything. "Is this actually happening?" She managed to squeak out. "Of course it isn't actually happening, yet if it is real it is less of a defined answer. You'll begin to figure it out in six days. Six days and two years from now, yes. I'll tell it to you then." The person considered the question and the answer they gave. They nodded their head reassuring themself and Renee of their response. Renee shook her head. "No, no I'm done with this it has been a long day and I am not about to be confused by some dumb nightmare!" As Renee's voice rose the street lamp flickered out. "Wake!" The person's voice echoed into a shout once more until-

Renee fell onto the floor of the train as it took a sharp turn. "Renee!" Caleb went to help her up. "Sorry, I should've held you or something." Renee looked around. It was the middle of the night. Caleb was standing over her, there were bandages around his foot. They were on a train heading towards a city along the coast. "It's-" Renee started, but she paused to wince at the pain. "Ow, son of a bitch- No, no it's fine." Renee reassured Caleb as she stood. "It woke me up real good." Renee felt her face which stung. "That's definitely going to bruise." Caleb looked at Renee who was in pain. "Yeah, yeah I figured. Don't worry about it." Renee chuckled to reassure her friend. "You had the nightmare again didn't you?" Caleb asked Renee. Renee paused before speaking. "Yes? But- then I didn't? There was another dream and it just- it was weird I'm getting major deja vu..." Renee was confused and Caleb's face matched. "Okay, well, are you okay?" Caleb wanted to make sure. "Yes. I should be. It's like-" Renee remembered her dream, "a metaphor type of dream." Caleb nodded agreeing with Renee's assessment of her repeated nightmares. The train slowed to a halt and the doors opened. "This is us, come on." Caleb and Renee said at the same time. They looked at each other and chuckled. Renee was a little nervous about it. "You sweat a lot when you have nightmares." Caleb tried to lighten the mood when he saw Renee's worry. This didn't work, but Renee was not about to tell him why.

The two walked off and back to the suburbs where they lived. The street was illuminated by a single street lamp. Renee looked at the light source longer than she should've. "Renee." Caleb noticed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry," Renee doesn't immediately look away, "I think I just need to sleep. It's been a long day. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" Renee smiled softly at Caleb to help ease his tension. "Mhm, got it. Me too probably. It'll be good for my foot too." Caleb smiled back. They said their goodnights and Caleb headed into his house. Renee paused right in front of her door. Her hand laid on the doorknob and she turned it. The door opened, Renee froze in the open doorway. Then she entered, and she headed to bed. Drifting into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

January 28th 2302...
Before all students left the exam location it was told that the letter of acceptance or rejection would arrive within two months. The actual academy would start its first year on February 28th. It was typical for a school to start back up as the summer began to wind down. The practice of the three month break was taken from the old North American school culture, but it was modified to fit the flipped seasons of the southern hemisphere. December was absolute hell for Renee. She knew she could never get her results back, but she yearned to know whether she got in or not. Renee would ask her parents every day if there was mail for her; despite her knowing, in fact, there would not be. Caleb had it even worse. He had to distract himself constantly with projects to keep sane at all. As the summer became more hot and taxing in early January both their moods calmed down from pure exhaustion. Renee would not ask every day for mail, and Caleb would appear outside more often. Though, Caleb insisted to Renee he was close to figuring out something really cool. Renee believed him, but she also knew with Caleb he might forget the project for months. So she didn't keep her hopes up for finding out what it was any time soon. Renee did, however, see that large window washer anchors were shipped to his house. When she saw them Renee decided to look up more about them. The history was actually quite fascinating to her. Not too long of the annihilation of the outside world the weather created by nuclear winter was unforgiving. Specifically, the winds were incredibly intense. Window washers would complain about the conditions as cables were not steady and workers would constantly be pushed out of the Bosun's chairs and falling to their deaths. It was morbid, but one scientist came up with a solution. They had developed, not long prior to the death of the outside world, a device that would use the atomic charges of particles to connect the device to any surface as if it was a magnet. The connection was incredibly strong, left behind no mark on the surface, as there's always a small gap between the device prongs and surface, and it was relatively cheap to make. It had one major downside, though. The anchors were very big and heavy. They were originally made for larger than life container and cruise ships. Unfortunately, without countries on the other side of the oceans, the feat of these ship's journeys had become impossible.

Renee found the history amazing, but was still unsure of what Caleb was looking to do with the anchors. That was weeks behind her now. Renee had almost forgotten about what she had seen and read that day. Today was the day Renee did not expect to happen so soon. When she walked downstairs from just waking up and yawning she saw her parents sitting at the kitchen table. They had both gone quiet when Renee walked in. She could immediately tell that something was up, and she tilted her head as she often does. Her dad motioned her to sit at the table with them. Renee did so finally breaking the silence with a simple question. "What's up?" She looked to try and read her parents faces. Her dad seemed like he was trying to contain excitement, yet as if he was carrying some weight. Renee couldn't tell what her mom was feeling. "Well," her mother started, "we wanted to be here with you when you got the news." She nodded to her husband who slid over an envelope to his daughter. Renee examined the folded paper. Laid in soft, yet firm, cardboard with the creases all sharp and neat. The off white cream colored card had pure black ink printed upon it. First and foremost was the address of the house she lived in. It was to be expected, of course. Then was her name below it. Renee Moirai Rossi. Her heart almost skipped a beat reading her own full name. Half of the front was taken up by the sigil of SOAR. Renee was able to recognize the bird which was the main focus of the symbol. An elegant print of a bar-tailed godwit. Hosuh had been the one to tell Renee of the exact species. Turning the folds over revealed a perfectly sealed fold. Renee almost felt bad to open it, and even when she did she did so carefully. Pulling out the paper within showed a less exact perfection than the envelope it laid in. The writing was not printed by machine, but by hand. Even lacking the perfection of the exterior Renee felt the weight of significance in her hands. Her eyes looked the page up and down and began to read the text out loud.

"Miss Renee Rossi, I hope you are happy to receive this letter as I am sure the wait was nothing but torture. You must understand work like this moves slowly through our government and I have done everything I can on my end. Regardless, this letter has been received by your hands. I am sure you are already wondering to yourself what this letter is exactly. 'Surely I imagine a program like this would not have the time to handwrite so many letters.' You must be thinking, and you would be right. See, this letter is special. It is important. I can say right now that you have, in fact, been accepted into the federal S.O.A.R academy. Your performance in the written exam was impressive, and your physical exam was eye-catching. What you do not know is the factors that go into one being accepted. A federal group in charge of all of S.O.A.R, known as the Overseers, are responsible for picking each accepted student. They are very particular in who they allow into the academy, however, each captain who teaches is granted a special power. We may each pick four students to guarantee not only their acceptance, but as well as their teaching under who they were picked by. You, Miss Rossi, are one of these specially accepted students and, if you choose to accept, will be studying under myself. Note that I refuse to make the road easy for you and will make you work harder than you ever have before. I push my students further than any other captain. The road will only grow harder for you after your graduation. Rest assured, however, that you will be prepared if you follow my teachings. If you decide not to study under myself then another letter will arrive in the following weeks. You may follow its instructions to still join the academy and be just like any other student who does the same. Although, something tells me I will hear back from you soon. Such is the way of one who wishes to take charge of their own fate... And then she signed it, Captain Flock. It's a pretty looking signature."

Renee turned the letter to show her parents. "She sounds a little extreme." Her mom was deep in thought. Renee's dad was grinning ear to ear with pride. "Our daughter! Personally written to by the academy! Isn't she amazing dear?" He turned towards his wife. All her tension released in one big sigh, but a smile overtook her face. "Yes, she is quite amazing." The mother's eyes shifted to her daughter. "Renee, this is your choice. Take time and talk this over with your friends. It's a life changing decision, so it'll be best thought about with time. When you are absolutely sure of your decision we will support you no matter what." Her gaze was soft towards Renee. The father nodded in agreement. Renee smiled back at her parents. "You two are amazing. I love you both so much." She hugged her mom and dad tight before running out to go talk with Caleb. She met her friend in the nearby park and they walked along as they talked. "So you got the letter too, huh?" Caleb asked Renee. She nodded a confirmation. "Kind of a lot isn't it? Now that it's actually in reach." Renee spoke her thoughts. Caleb's hands fidgeted yearning to move a tool in his hand. "Turning it down never crossed your mind." After knowing her friend for so long Caleb knew her mind as well. "Nope," Renee popped the p in her speech, "not even for a second." She confirmed Caleb's suspicions. "Well then I can't leave you there all by yourself can I?" Caleb softly chuckled. "Caleb I can't ask you-" Renee started to speak but Caleb cut her off. "Renee, I was gonna do it either way. Being able to do it with a friend is just a fun little bonus I get." Renee was reassured by this. She leaned into Caleb. "Nerds for life." She smiled at him and he smiled back. "Think Hosuh got in?" Renee changed the subject. "Of course he did. A Curse like that is too good to pass up." Caleb thought about all the utility for Hosuh's silver Curse. "His Curse isn't what'll get Hosuh in." Renee chuckled as if what Caleb just said was silly. "Hosuh will get in because he's Hosuh Shirogane. The same way we got in because we're Renee Rossi and Caleb Smith!" Caleb straightened his head as he understood. "Of course," he nudged Renee, "then we'll definitely see him. And I, for one, can't wait."

Chapter Text

February 27th 2302...
Renee looked at the grand building in front of her. It was polished with novel beauty. The large doorway into the building seemed to be made of the wood coming from the giant trees surrounding the grounds. It complemented the polished stone that encased the entrance. Pillars stood in front of, and supported, it all. Renee had only caught glimpses of the academy previously when she came in for her test and exam. That was months ago, though, and she only remembered so much. She wanted to stand all day and look at the architecture. Renee had arrived a day early to move into the dorms. She was not alone, as nearly every student who was accepted was arriving today. Behind Renee was her parent's car, as they were helping her move in. Her little sister had already started the sixth grade, so she could not help Renee move in. On Renee's back was a backpack, and over her shoulder was a duffle bag. Both were filled with various things she needed for her stay. Along with the two bags Renee was carrying she held a plastic bin in her hands. The bags carried her essential, and the bin was mainly composed of things Renee would do for fun. It seemed like a lot of things to carry, but then Renee saw Caleb. He and his dads were each carrying multiple boxes and bins. Even with all three of them working together they could barely get everything, and it was possible they would need more than one trip. Renee could only assume it was filled with various science and engineering related items for him to tinker and experiment with. She felt bad for whoever was rooming with him. Though, it was not as if Renee herself would be the perfect roommate. "Are you sure you don't need any help carrying that Renee?" Her dad asked her. He was frankly a little amazed his daughter was carrying it all, especially the bin. "Nope! I am a-okay!"

Renee was, in actuality, struggling a bit. Her years of never using her arms for anything but basic tasks was catching up. Renee already figured that she'd have a tough time physically at the academy. Renee knew that Caleb would be in the same boat as her, though, so she relinquished in the fact she wouldn't be alone. Under her feet the dirt suddenly stopped with concrete being its replacement. Her legs continued one after the other, but she could not contain herself. The ground felt so nice even and polished. Renee's life was about to change forever, and she wouldn't keep fate waiting. Her foot flew off the ground in a sprint. The sounds of her parents calling out dimmed in the sounds of her own laughter. She slid through the door and rushed through the hallways as if it was a test. People told her to slow down or get out of their way, but Renee would not listen. Under all the weight she was carrying Renee thought her legs might buckle. She only kept running through the hallways. The signs would only be legible for a moment, a fraction of a second, Renee hoped she was reading them right. The image of all the hallways blended together into a blur. Some had different carpets, some had pillars and felt grand, some were filled with stairs Renee had to climb, and some she couldn't make out at all. As if she was a deer in headlights, perfectly frozen, Renee looked at one of the signs on the door "Flock Dorm Common Rooms" it read. That was where she was instructed to go. Renee placed the bin she was carrying on her knee to free up a hand balancing it with the hand furthest from the door. When she reached out she somehow still couldn't manage to get the door open.

Renee was about to put the bin down when she heard a sweet voice behind her. "Here, don't worry I'll get it for you!" Renee turned around to see who it was offering their help. It was a girl looking to be a similar age and slightly darker complexion as Renee walking up the hallway. She had soft, blonde hair rolling over her shoulders. She kept the bottom third in a loose hair tie that kept her hair all together, but it made sure there wasn't any stress on her hair. Despite the heat of late February she wore navy blue jeans and an orange wool knit turtleneck sweater. Renee did think the outfit looked cozy, even with the heat. The girl opened the door for Renee before speaking. "I'm Maru Agnusdei, it's nice to meet you!" Maru's voice felt like the pure, warm sun on an autumn day. "Thank you so much," Renee walked through and put her bin down, "I'm Renee Rossi. Are you under Captain Flock too?" She asked now studying this new person up close. "Yeah, I've already mostly moved in. I've got just a few things left to unpack." Maru's face never dropped her smile. A smile that could just make anyone's day nice. A smile that no matter how bad things are it would be a contagious smile. She had rosy, sun kissed cheeks from spending a lot of time outside, and her eyes looked like pools of hot cocoa. Renee could stare at this girl whom she had just met for hours and never get tired of her. "-from Pi where are you from?" Maru had been speaking, but Renee had only caught the last bit on account of being distracted by Maru's looks. "Uh- Nu- I am from Nu." Renee was unsure of her answer despite the simplicity of the question. "Oh that's cool! Do you live on the coastline? What's the ocean like? Sorry you probably don't know that if you don't live on the coastline." Even when she was apologizing Maru's smile didn't drop. Renee couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Maru was endearing in nature.

Renee nodded a confirmation. "I am from the coastline, Wairau City to be exact, and the ocean is nice. Of course, having the Northern Island always on the horizon is something that affects us all. I think I'd like to see the sun meet the waves for once." She knew that all she needed to do to fulfil that wish was to drive a little south, but Renee didn't want that. "That makes sense, it fits into the stereotype for people from Nu a bit, but it's nice. I'm from Saguánit City personally. Well, technically. I live in a pretty rural area, but it's still in the city's borders." Maru thought back to her home. "Oh that capital! That must be really cool." Renee had been to the capital a few times. Caleb's dad sometimes did business trips to the city and occasionally brought the Rossi's along. "Oh yeah definitely. There's so much culture and richness around every corner. I love living there and meeting new people!" Renee wasn't surprised at all when Maru spoke about why she loved the city. "Oh sorry! I've been holding you up for a while now. Do you want help getting to your dorm?" Maru stretched her arms out to help with the bin. "Thank you, but I think I've got it from here. I don't want to overwork you." Renee smiled softly. "Alright! I'll see you around then!" Maru grinned and walked off. Renee took a deep breath and lifted up her gear. Her eyes wandered, and her feet followed behind. Eventually she made her way up a set of stairs and walked down a hallway. At the very end was the dorm with the number '1' on the door. On one of the many sheets of paper Renee and her parents had to view and fill out told that this was her dorm. Taking a deep breath she turned the door handle and walked inside. Setting the bin upon the empty bed Renee didn't even turn around before she heard a voice all too recognizable. "Blood hair." Her heart skipped a beat and turned around. There she saw the girl who hunted her and Hosuh. They sat with their feet on the bed adjacent to Renee looking at her with eyes that did not move or blink. "Sage, right?" Renee wanted to confirm their name before anything else. The head nodded without the eyes moving away from Renee as their focus. "I'm- Renee. Renee Rossi, I don't think I ever introduced myself." Renee put her other bags down while trying not to turn her back to Sage. Renee still flashed back to her time in the forest running from an invisible hunter. They shook their head. "No. You only ran. Then ran back. Then I don't know." The way Sage spoke stood out to Renee. Their sentences were short, and the words they used were choppy. It was like a bunch of individual metal pieces crudely welded together. It was ultimately one cohesive structure, but one could see the individual parts and the seared marks of the welding torch. "Right- well, I hope there are no hard feelings right? We both only did what we did to get in and we both made it. So, yay!" Renee tried to cheer up Sage if they were in a bad mood.

They were similar to Hosuh in that aspect. Both of them were hard to read; though, Renee did find Sage at least a little more expressive than Hosuh. Sage shrugged in response. "I'll get back. You and silver boy." Renee stiffened up a little and decided now was a good time to go. "I'm gonna leave now-" She didn't wait before walking out of the dorms. Renee wandered the hallways, this time slowly, observing all the details surrounding her and those who walked around her. She even poked her head through the window of some doors to see what was inside. There were some classrooms, gyms, even a swimming pool from what Renee saw. After a long bit of walking around she met back up with her parents. They showered Renee with all the love and support they could. The two hugged Renee. "My little girl is all grown up!" Her dad was crying and making a scene. "I know you'll do great things Renee. You have a heart so big you'll help countless people. I'm sure of it." Her mom knew to be strong for Renee whom herself was tearing up and getting emotional. "I'll do good. For you guys, I'll be great." She smiled up at her mom and then at her dad. She clenched her fist and swallowed her wails. Renee wasn't ready. She thought she was until this very moment where all three of them were just about ready to sob in front of everyone here. "Renee..." In an act of selfishness her mom spoke out. "No matter how long it takes, no matter what you have to do, and no matter where you are. Promise me you'll always come home. Promise me right now Renee." The mother's voice wavered but never cracked. Her eyes watered, but she did not cry. Renee was choked up, but she managed to respond despite her heavy throat. "I promise... I promise I'll always come home Mom." Renee leaped forward into a tight embrace. The husband and father joined the hug with his tight squeeze of affection. Goodbyes were not said. Not between the Rossis. Renee's mom said "Your bed will always be waiting for you at home." And her father told her he'd "see you later alligator." It made Renee chuckled a bit and lightened the mood.

There was never a goodbye for the Rossis. Renee headed for her dorm and laid on her bed. She looked to the side for her roommate. The bed adjacent to her laid empty. Renee looked at her phone. She cleared all her unread notifications without reading and put it on silence. The future felt like it was coming in so fast, yet it felt like it was moving so slow. The future felt like a blanket draped over Renee to help her fall asleep, and she did.

Chapter Text

The next morning took longer to arrive for Renee than usual. Her sleep had felt like an eternity but also an instant passing. Dreamless sleep is strange like that. Renee, however, was always happy to not dream. Breakfast was served in the dining hall, and the food there was some of the best Renee had had in a while. The meal passed by quickly, and so Renee was sent off to her class. Walking into the room specified on her schedule Renee saw what mimicked a regular high school class. Desks with chairs in rows and columns, a white board, and a projector above. The only thing out of the ordinary in the classroom was the wider age range of students. It looked like anyone from the age of thirteen to seventeen sat in the seats. On the whiteboard was a seating chart which told Renee she sat in the front row. To her left was Hosuh, and to her right was Caleb. Although, they were not here yet, in the same row was also Sage. Renee observed her classmates behind her. Each was so unique that none were even slightly similar. When her eyes met Maru's, her new friend waved a bit, and Renee waved back.

Just from a glance, it didn't seem like many of them were Lucky. Sitting right behind Renee was even a heteromorph. A Curse that drastically affected one's physical appearance was a bit rare. Rare enough to the point that Renee had never been so close to one. The boy was wearing a very large and baggy shirt that covered what seemed to be some kind of bumpy shell on his back. Renee noticed he also had a tail that looked reptilian at first with a ball of sorts on the end. It reminded her of a dinosaur or dragon of sorts. Renee figured it'd be best not to stare so she turned back around and sat in her seat. The near exact moment she did Captain Flock walked into the classroom. In tow was Sage who sat at her desk. "Attention class." The captain spoke without raising her volume, but with a certain sternness. The room fell into silence instantly. "Thank you," Captain Flock spoke as if any teacher would, "in case you did not know I am Captain Flock. If that is too hard to remember you may address me as 'Ma'am.' Any questions yet?" No one spoke or moved. "No? Good. You will be having me for your first period where I will be teaching about logistics regarding S.O.A.R and our missions. You will then have two of your four academics, followed by lunch, then your other two academics. The math, language and writing, science, and history you take will correspond to your preexisting high school credits. That will leave two hours left in the school day which you will once again be spending with me. These two hours will typically consist of physical training of some kind. After most school days there will be additional training. Legally, this is optional, however, I suggest you attend for your own benefit. Are there any questions?"

One kid in the back raised their hand. "Dylan Ortiz." The captain said their name to acknowledge the hand raise and allow the question. Renee turned around to look at who was asking. It was a girl who seemed ever so slightly older than Renee. Her hair, which color seemed to blend orange and pink into one color, was pulled back in a short ponytail. The hair on the bottom of her head still freely extended to the bottom of her neck. Her complexion was particularly tan which was complimented by her stunning violet eyes. "Hey, so this class feels real advanced. I think I'm in the wrong place." Captain Flock understood where Dylan was coming from. "Rest assured that you are all in the right place. Out of all the students who were accepted to the academy I requested you all to be in this classroom to be here for various reasons. Rest assured that if you are here, you are meant to be here." Dylan's hand fell in defeat as she slouched into her chair. "Now, let us begin. The basics will be the foundation of your training here. The Northern Island, also called Te Ika-a-Māui, used to be known for its warmer climate and volcanic activity. Now, it is known for something else. The Cursed Creatures." The words echoed through Renee's head. She had seen stories and pictures of the creatures, even having actively looked for them before.

The spawn of hell, that's what they are called. Even just recalling what she saw online sent a shiver through Renee's whole body. "The creatures seem to be the very personification of Curses. Supernatural abilities dictate appearance in each individual. Unlike humans, all Cursed Creatures have some kind of ability. The powers make each creature vary so wildly some question why they're considered the same species at all. It's the same classification as any other species. Two members of the group can mate and produce a vital offspring. Unfortunately, their ability to do so meant they were able to take over the Northern Island within a blink of an eye, and S.O.A.R has lost countless soldiers trying to retake the lost land. Much of the public believes after so much blood spilled that they could only be the spawn of hell come to conquer Earth after we humans committed too many sins. The likely reality is far less ominous. An animal, most likely a mammal of some kind, somehow obtained a Curse. It then subsequently mutated beyond recognition and reproduced to become the threat we know today. Now, enough of me talking, do any of you know the classifications of Cursed Creatures." Captain Flock scanned the room for volunteers.

Without hesitation, Hosuh's hand shot up. The captain nodded and he began to speak. "The main classifications of Cursed Creatures are the Elemental variant and the Animalistic variant. Elementals are defined by being made of flesh that is typically non-organic. Animalistic variants can be identified by their characteristics relating to one specific species." Hosuh finished with pride in his knowledge. "Very good, can you tell me any examples in the public records of the creatures?" Hosuh opened his mouth and partially raised his hand again, but just as fast as he did Hosuh stopped himself and let his hand fall. "Eden Palms." Captain Flock said looking towards the back of the class. Renee angled her head to get a look at who raised their hand. It was a boy who looked as though he regretted raising his hand. His arms and parts of his skin were covered in plant matter. It looked as though the roots extended into his skin. If that wasn't a dead giveaway he was Cursed his natural, dark green hair was. "The-" He began, but paused only continuing moments later in a softer tone. "The animalistic Venus flytrap creature.. ma'am." He had stumbled over his words, but he was right. Renee recalled the images of the creature in her head. As implied, it is similar to the common Venus flytrap, however, the images showed that the traps of each would be big enough to fit megafauna in its jaws with ease. There had been stories of multiple soldiers getting helplessly trapped and dying the slow painful death from the acid. "Correct. This is all common knowledge of the public; however, you are not just the public anymore."

Captain Flock walked over to her desk and grabbed a stack of books. She handed each one out till everyone had one. Renee looked at the book. It was a heavy book with a simple, dark red hard back cover. In bold golden color the title read "Barron's Guide of The Northern Island" with a dark rectangle encasing the title. "Barron, like the commander?" Caleb asked, mostly to himself, but doing so out loud. "Exactly. Before becoming commander he went to and studied the Northern Island as a young soldier." Captain Flock explained to the class. This confused Renee who spoke out against the thought. "Wait, but I thought SOAR wasn't going to the Northern Island when-" Captain Flock cut her off. "Remember, you are not the public anymore. Turn to page twenty six." She ordered. Everyone in the class obeyed. At the top of the page was the chapter title in a bold font. "The Beastly Variant" It was obviously referring to Cursed Creatures, but it described an entirely different variant than Animalistic or Elemental. Captain Flock saw the perplexed expressions and answered it by paraphrasing the paragraphs. "The variant may show characteristics of the other two variants, however, it is most notably and entirely it's own variant. The variant is defined by its powers. The Beastly will typically have powerful abilities that prove most challenging for S.O.A.R. The other Cursed Creatures of the island seem to work in packs more often than not, and at the top of the hierarchy would always be Beastly variants. If the Beastly, or "Alpha", is angered or in ganger the entire pack will become aggressive."

Captain Flock closed the book and looked at her students. "The commander wrote this book with intentions of releasing it to the public. He was, in fact, formerly a biologist. The Overseers wanted to destroy it, but Barron convinced them not to. It was, after all, the most accurate and extensive recording they had of what the Northern Island is like now. Thanks to Barron, the book is used to train young soldiers like yourselves. Meaning over the next two years you all will memorize this book front to back, so that when you take the boat ride out you will come back." Captain Flock went silent to survey the room. Not a single sound was made. Some faces were more scared than others. Renee was somewhere in between it all. This is what she signed up for, but it felt different actually being here. Captain Flock's gaze shot right through Renee. She felt a shiver run up her spine as if those cold blue eyes were actually made of ice. "The rest of the period is free time. I plan on doing most of my work in the afternoon today." The captain left the classroom entirely. There was no supervision, no cameras, no way to tell from the outside what this class was doing. "She's a real creep ain't she." Renee heard a guy behind her say. She didn't bother to turn around this time. The distinct sound of a book hitting someone's head lightly filled the room with sound. Followed by a groan, and then nothing but the turning of page till the bell rang.

Chapter Text

Renee went through the rest of her day without any more surplus of anxiety. The academics were uneventful and lunch was a needed break she took to wind down. At the end of it all Renee and her classmates ended right where the day started. The same people in the same seats. Captain Flock walked into the room and surveyed everyone in it. "Everyone leave your belongings here," she spoke suddenly, "and follow me outside." The class followed her instructions without complaint or delay. The captain explained as the crowd moved swiftly through the halls. "Today I will be testing your abilities. Whether that will be physical, intellect, or even simply your Curse, today will be used as a baseline for the entirety of your training." The door opened and the students walked through the door. The hot afternoon sun of late February in combination with the humid air quickly took its toll on the students. Captain Flock was seemingly unaffected, and Renee could swear she saw wisps of cool water vapor around the captain. Around the courtyard were several machines and areas for the foretold testing of abilities, yet the simplest thing caught both the eyes of Renee and Caleb. There was a pop up tent and under it was a table that held many different pieces and parts of technology. "There's no way that's all public tech..." Caleb whispered in awe, though, not quiet enough for the captain not to hear him, for she shot him a look reminding him of what she mentioned this morning. "Right." Caleb told himself in response. "You are dismissed in four hours, and the equipment will be open to you until an hour past sundown." Captain Flock motioned for the class to begin.

Caleb and Renee immediately rushed to the table of electronics. "Woooooah!" Renee's mouth was agape looking at all the tech. Caleb was like a kid in a candy shop while he grinned ear to ear. "Got any ideas yet?" Renee asked already seeing his excitement. "Oh you wouldn't believe it!" Caleb began reaching for many different parts and putting them in different piles. Renee watched him put together the parts with undying interest and intensity. A few minutes of silence between the two passed. The lack of sound was quickly cut off by Caleb's glasses flying off his face and attaching its frame to the tech he was building. "Whoops-" Caleb's flushed face made it evident that activating the small device was a mistake. Renee chuckled and grabbed his glasses for him. The device, now easily identifiable as an electromagnet, was strong. Renee had to turn it down before she was able to pry the metal frame free. "So what're you making this for?" She handed the glasses to her friend who quickly put them back on. "Are you building a railgun or something?" Renee jokingly suggested. Caleb shrugged the idea off with a smile. "No, no I'm not building a railgun." Caleb paused for a moment to think. "Actually I guess it is kind of a railgun." Renee's smile quickly dropped. "Wait what?!? Caleb you can't just make a railgun! Is that even possible?!?" Renee reminded herself of her friend. "Well, I wouldn't put it past you- But still! Caleb!" He laughed from his gut at his friend's reaction. "Relax! It's not actually a railgun. It's just the same concept is all. I'm not making a weapon of any kind. Renee, come on, you know I don't make anything harmful." He reassured Renee while trying to contain his laughter. "Okay fine. I'm gonna go run on one of those super treadmills- Or maybe it's just a regular expensive treadmill- You better be careful." Renee watched Caleb with a close eye. "What makes you think I'm ever not careful?" Caleb brushed off the idea. Once more his glasses flew off his face. Just as before he became flustered at the mistake. "Right- be careful." Caleb repeated Renee's instructions back. "Alright I'm gonna go now, and find a way for those things to stay on your face!" Renee then jogged over to the treadmills she spoke about.

Between all the machines and people, Caleb quickly lost sight of her. Caleb returned to his own work. While he tried to find a way to turn the device off with his lackluster vision, a blurry figure approached. Caleb felt a strong static shock in his fingertips. The quick sting made him pull away. "Sorry, did that get you too?" The figure whose features could not be differentiated from each other spoke. It was a female voice. She spoke a bit lower than most girls though. Her voice sat as a high tenor while being smooth as olive oil. Caleb felt his glasses in his hand. Quickly he put the frames on his face so he could see who was speaking to him. "No, don't worry I've had worse." Caleb ignored the pain as he looked at the girl. She looked about the same age as he was. "Well, good. I was just adjusting your current, or was the whole not being able to see on purpose?" The girl smirked smugly at Caleb. He observed her now clear face. She had olive skin, and when paired with her black hair, more narrow nose, and dark brown eyes Caleb assumed she was of some kind of Mediterranean descent. The back of her hair was pulled back into a short ponytail. She was pretty, in fact one of the most beautiful girls Caleb had ever seen. She reminded him of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, yet he didn't take any romantic liking to her. Not that any girl was different in that matter. "No, it wasn't. Thanks for the help. I'm Caleb, by the way." He introduced himself to the girl. Her weight shifted to one leg as she leaned in slightly to Caleb.

The girl placed her hand on her popped hip. "I know, you're a bit of a talk thanks to your dad. Imelda Aetos. I'm from Omega what about you?" As Imelda introduced herself Caleb thought about her sector of origin. Omega was the smallest sector. At least of the ones below the 36th South Parallel. The petite island claimed Saguánit's southernmost point. Because of this proximity to the Antarctic, Omega was renowned for its brutal winters and moderate summers. Finally, after a moment of recollection, Caleb responded. "I'm from Nu. In a city right on the coast with a great view of the Northern Island." He elaborated beyond the simple answer. "Oh so we're both on shores, eh? Different types of course." The more Imelda spoke the clearer it was of her origin. Omega, being so isolated, had the most unique accent of any sector. Some would even go as far as to say Omega is the only sector with a truly distinct accent. "Yeah," Caleb chuckled a bit, "we don't have big penguins." Caleb was worried he was misinformed about the southern parts of the country having larger penguins. "Heh, yeah you should see the ones that migrate over there in the summer. The big ones are bigger than most kids." Imelda chopped Caleb's abdomen to show how big they are. He got slightly winded as it was a lot harder than he expected. She must be a bit muscular, Caleb imagined. Maybe she was more like Athena than Aphrodite. "So, why'd you come over here?" Caleb asked the question that had been eating him away since the girl first arrived. "I overheard you were making a railgun. It sounded punk as hell." Caleb tilted his head like a puppy. "Is that a good thing?" He asked. Imelda laughed a full laugh and punched Caleb's shoulder. "Yeah it is!" She was much louder than she needed to be. Caleb held his shoulder as, once again, it hurt more than Imelda probably realized.

Caleb nodded a bit, but then shook his head. "It's not a railgun- exactly. I just need time to work on it and it's hard to explain." Caleb shook out his hands at the thought. "You okay dude?" Her pose relaxed for the first time since she came over. "What do you know about spider hero related comic books?" Caleb blurted out of the blue. Imelda stared at him with a blank face. "Huh-" The two looked at each other in silence. "Well," Imelda finally broke the tension, "I'll help ya out. Come on I saved you from your glasses I can help with your not railgun." Caleb thought for a moment and then nodded. "Oh! I should probably mention I'm a Cursed. I've got electric abilities. That's how I changed your current." Imelda explained. Caleb stared in awe at the Cursed girl. "You have that much control over your Curse? That's insane! Is it powerful too, or is it just precise?" He inquired about his new acquaintance. "Oh no, it's pretty strong. I have more mastery with Curse than most people thanks to how much I practice. Are you a Cursed?" Imelda jolted around with her words, but Caleb kept up. "Nope. My hair is dyed green. I'm really fascinated with Curses- not in a creepy way, though. I'm just a fan of science." He told her. "I mean yeah I figured the science thing, but that doesn't really relate to Curses does it. Considering they're supernatural and all that." Imelda looked at Caleb with a hint of disappointment. Not at Caleb, but for him. He was a little disappointed in it himself. "Yeah, I guess not. Even still, I want to try. There are still patterns I can still use the scientific method and figure it out. Even if it is supernatural I'm gonna figure it out, no matter what!" He spoke intensely. It intimidated Imelda slightly as she had just met him. It was amazing to her how quickly he swapped moods when speaking of what he loved. "Wow. You are quite enthused about this, eh?" Imelda tried to keep many inflections in her voice so it could cover up her shock of the passion. Caleb nodded once swiftly. "Alright then, tell me what I can do to help!" Imelda finally found her footing in the conversation and matched Caleb's energy. The two would proceed to work for hours on end.

After the class was dismissed most everyone left immediately. Only a handful stayed behind. Caleb walked up to Captain Flock to ask a question. "Can I run up to my dorm and grab something? It's a part of what I'm working on, and I'll be right back." He promised to be swift and the captain gave permission. While he was away she approached whom Caleb had been working with. "Imelda Aetos." Captain Flock mentioned her name to grab the girls attention. "Hm? Oh, yes ma'am, what is it?" Imelda looked up from the table where she and Caleb had been building and tinkering. "You've been spending some time with Caleb Smith. What are your opinions on him?" The captain asked this as if it were some kind of test. Imelda shrugged off the pressure. "He's a cool guy. A little hard to get into a proper conversation with, but that passion is insane once you get him going. You know what I mean, eh?" She looked up at Captain Flock to make sure her words were not lost. "I do. Is there anything to show me?" Captain Flock looked at the table which looked like a mess to her. "Of course!" Imelda looked through the table as if it were organized perfectly, and she picked up one device. Rolling back her sleeve Imelda wrapped the device around her forearm tightly. Her hand was an open palm. The lights on the device were off. "Watch carefully." Imelda's hand curled up into a soft fist. All lights lit up with a yellowish-orange glow. "Now if I..." Instead of finishing her though Imelda continued to demonstrate. Some of her fingers tensed and the three middle lights turned green. A metal cable with a magnetic weight at the tip shot out from the now finished device which used electromagnets. The end of the cable landed a couple meters away from the table. "Caleb made it all I just helped build it, and its power is turned way down. Once we make this thing fully operational it'll shoot dozens and dozens of meters." After Imelda finished explaining she tensed up different fingers. The middle lights turned back to the yellowish-orange glow, and the end two both gave off a green color. The cable snaked back into the device which shot it out. "It's impressive, but I can't say I understand the purpose." Captain Flock was observing the mess of technology as much as she could. "That's alright. Caleb isn't the best at explaining it either. We'll show you when it's done." As Imelda exposited this, the captain picked up a piece of paper. It had rough sketches on it. From what she could make out it was some kind of support brace for the arms and torso. "What is this?" She asked Imelda. "Oh that. It's a little blue print I drew. It's basically gonna make it so we can use this thing without dislocating an arm." She looked at the captain to see if it made sense to her despite the lack of context. Captain Flock nodded. "Alright, if you need anymore time then I'm willing to keep this tent up past sundown. Relay that to Mr. Smith and don't waste the opportunity if you chose to stay." As always Captain Flock was stern, but this time the sternness got through to Imelda. "Yes ma'am." She nodded.

As the captain left, Caleb returned. He looked at Imelda, then the captain, and back to Imelda. "What's that about?" He asked her. "We can work here past sundown." Imelda answered quickly. "Oh that's awesome!" Caleb eagerly returned to work. "Hey what did you have to get?" Imelda inquired looking at the cylindrical bulge in his left pocket. Caleb reached into the seams and pulled out the source of the deformity. It was fairly simple in form. The size was not much larger than an ink pen. It's texture was sleek and smooth. "This thing makes those electromagnets look like child's play. It's honestly insane. I didn't make the tech, but it couldn't get this small before. I had a little help from my dad. It was my project over the summer. Three months of being super obsessed. This is the result. It's a window washer anchor. Here-" Caleb reached to the bottom and pressed a button or flipped some kind of switch. It was too small for Imelda to tell the difference. Prongs about a little under half the length of the cylinder unfolded from the shape. The ends glowed faintly with a hue that was hard to make out. Depending on the lighting it might show up as a spectrum of blues or purples. He held it very carefully as he walked to a rock that came up to his knees. He crouched down and turned the prongs to the rock and pressed it close to the rock. "There," Caleb let go and the cylinder stayed in position, "try to move it." Caleb stepped back to allow Imelda to step up. She did so curiously. Wrapping her hand around the anchor she pulled. It didn't budge at all. "Ah, okay. Hang on I've got this." After adjusting her grip Imelda tried once more. Just as before, it didn't move at all. "That's impressive. Tough nut to crack, eh?" She turned to Caleb. "It holds over three hundred pounds without stress. At least according to my tests." Caleb walked over to the rock and turned it off. The cylinder was once again affected by gravity and fell into his hands as the prongs retracted back into the shape. "You wanna explain how it works?" Imelda asked already knowing the answer. Caleb's face lit up as he started to speak. "It's so fascinating! See, instead of working with typical magnetic fields the device uses the polarity between atoms themselves to have a strong magnetic effect on any surface. And!-" Caleb paused to breathe. "And and and! It's not just the surface area of the prongs that's affected! It sends out a field of the attraction that covers a large area! Which means that the pressure is distributed far more and there's no worries of the surface attachment giving out or breaking!" Caleb smiled getting lost in his own explanation. "Wow that sounds like a lot, and I think you understand that science way more than I do. Anyway, can you give me a visual of what we're making so my brain doesn't break?" Imelda smirked without understanding anything. "Yes!" Caleb answered quickly. He pulled out his phone from his right pocket. "Do you know what anime is?"

Chapter Text

It was mid afternoon on the second day of the academy. Renee had seen nothing of Caleb since she left the training field for dinner the night before. A stranger might worry if he was okay. It was not normal for one to disappear for so long and without apparent reason. Caleb is not normal, nor is Renee. She knew exactly what was happening. Caleb had gotten lost in his work, and he was now infatuated with it. This happened quite often with Caleb. He always seemed to have some device or invention he needed to work on. Even when the two first met, when they were only toddlers, Caleb would be tinkering with something any time he could. It all started with pens and toys. He'd dismantle whatever he had access to with care. Caleb would observe every part carefully. He made sure to determine what each piece was and how it worked before he further took apart whatever he was working on. When Caleb couldn't figure something out he would ask one of his dads. Calcifer Smith didn't know much about science or engineering, so often Caleb would go to his other father, Lucifer Smith. The name Lucifer translated to "light-bearer," and what a perfect name it was for that man. Lucifer Smith was often regarded as one of the smartest men in the world. His groundbreaking ideas and advances in the medical field saved countless lives. What's furthermore is that they also created lives. Lucifer Smith was able to bring about a way for same sex couples to have a biological child together. Hundreds of these children now contribute to the population. Among the additions is Caleb Smith. There were some against the idea as there always are, but their opinions did not outweigh all the benefits. The government was especially in favor of the advancement in technology. One of the Prime Minister's main goals is to sustain the population, and this was the perfect stimulant the numbers needed.

Even though Lucifer Smith took a profession in the medical field, he certainly did not lack knowledge in other fields of science. Lucifer taught Caleb math and science personally. This allowed Caleb to fly through the classes with ease. By the time he reached middle school, Caleb had more knowledge in science than most young adults headed to college. It was a similar story with Renee herself. She excelled at math and science just like her friend. Perhaps it was their shared love for the two subjects that brought them so close together. They, however, were not equal in their knowledge. Caleb's knowledge was elementary compared to Renee's when it came to mathematics. Similarly, Caleb's use of science rivaled his own father at times. Renee thought about where the two would end up in the future often. Even right now she did so as she walked away from her last class of the day. Renee reached into her bag and pulled out a phone. Looking through her contacts she found Caleb's and called him. The phone rang for a minute straight without response. Renee sighed and went to dial again when she saw he was suddenly calling her. She answered as soon as she saw it. "Caleb hey, thanks for calling back. What's going on in your little world?" Renee inquired about what Caleb had been doing for the past day. He answered with uncontained glee. "Come to the edge of the forest! Right where we started the physical exam!" Caleb didn't even wait for a response before hanging up. Renee was, however, used to behavior like this. She knew he meant no harm by what he did. Caleb was just excited.

Renee walked quickly as she tended to do so frequently. She thought back on Caleb's quick and somewhat slurred voice. Renee presumed this meant he had just made a big accomplishment with whatever he was working on. The thought of her friend being so happy brought a smile to Renee's own face. She picked up the pace, not wanting to keep Caleb waiting. In her haste she didn't even see the other person walking in the halls. Renee's ignorance led her to accidentally brush past the person rather rudely. "Oh! Sorry, there!" Renee quickly apologized to the person. They looked at Renee on eye level with a gaze not dissimilar to Captain Flock's. The largest difference was that this person's left eye was covered by hair. It was snow white hair pulled back messily allowing for the aforementioned eye coverage. The visible eye was a dark and deep yellow color which reminded Renee of a snake. It must've been a trick of the light, but for one small moment Renee could've sworn the pupil was slitted. The clothes they wore seemed impractical considering the late summer heat. Renee tilted her head observing the person. Despite the person being right in front of Renee she almost had to focus for them not to fade into the background. "It's fine." They brushed it off. Their voice reminded Renee of winter. Her heart skipped a beat when she finally saw a quiver of arrows slung over the shoulder. "Are you being taught by Captain Flock too?" Renee asked unsure and almost embarrassed even questioning it. "I am. My name is May." They spoke without much care for Renee. It threw her off. Renee smiled despite being put off. "Nice to meet you May I'm-" "Renee," May cut her off. "I know. You were particularly noticeable on the treadmill. You're fast. I figured." May gestured to Renee's track jacket. "Oh right," Renee chuckled a bit, "I guess that's obvious. Arrows," Renee brought attention to the quiver, "what are they for?" There was a small crack in Renee's voice when she asked. May looked over their shoulder to see the quiver. "Oh, right, that. It's for my Curse. I use a bow. I have perfect accuracy." They took an arrow out and examined it. The tip was sharp and ever so slightly cluttered with the debris of a target. "That's a useful Curse." Renee smiled awkwardly. "Right, sure." Without giving much thought to the conversation the two just had May left. "Good talk." Renee said to herself more than anything as May was already out of ear shot. Even as she watched the person walk away Renee could not hear the footsteps. The floor did not scrape under their feet.

Renee found herself staring without blinking, nor moving until May disappeared behind some corner. When Renee regained proper consciousness she blinked multiple times and shook her head to regain her thoughts. She almost questioned whether what had just happened was real or not. Thinking back to the night of the exams Renee thought about her senses. Once she felt the soreness in her legs, which had come from running so much the past two days, she shook off the idea the last interaction wasn't real. Renee continued her journey to the forest edge after her moment of thought.

It only took Renee a few minutes of travel to get to the forest. Even with her sore legs, Renee was a fast walker, and she decided she had kept Caleb waiting long enough. Quick enough, two figures came into view. Renee quickly recognized the dyed green hair of her friend, but she failed to recognize who was with him. Once she got closer the details of her dark tanned skin and smooth wavy hair came into view. Renee's heart skipped a bit, but it was far different than when it happened with May. "Hey Caleb!" Renee smiled. The smile, however, was uncertain. Not just because of the stranger, but also because of whatever Caleb was wearing. His clothes were normal as always, but along his torso was some kind of frame made of metal and straps. The joint positions of the frame reminded Renee of plate armor that knights wore. Across the chest were two straps with two more straps perpendicular to those. The vertical straps would attach to the waist. Between the wrist and the forearm was a device. There was one on each arm. They both were strapped to the forearm and tightly attached to the frame. Some wires escaped the plastic covering that was made for it. "Renee, hey!" Caleb said brightly. "This is Imelda Aetos she helped me make this stuff. Amazing, honestly, I would've never gotten it done this fast without her." Caleb complimented his new friend's work. "Aw, shucks. Caleb did all the smart stuff, and I just know how to use tools. He talks about you a lot, eh? Should I be inquiring about that?" Imelda looked at Renee with intent who chuckled at the idea. "No, no. We kind of go in opposite directions in that sense. Nice to meet you Imelda." Renee rubbed the back of her neck and stuck her hand out to shake. Imelda took it while maintaining eye contact, and she was smirking. "Oh wow! Anyway what's all this!" Renee turned to the device. She quickly pulled her hand away from Imelda's to gesture at it. "Yeah this! So I've been working on something over the summer-" Caleb started. "The anchors. I know a bit about it. You can't exactly get them in your lab very subtly." Renee interrupted. "Wait does he actually have a lab?" Imelda asked, shocked at the idea. Renee indicated a response that might "kind of" with her hand. "Well. This is it. In here is a shrunk down version of it, and this is what I'm putting it to use for." Caleb showed off the device on his forearms. "Enough with the talking. Renee deserves a demonstration doesn't she?" Imelda grinned and patted Renee on the back. "Huh... Oh! Right uh- that would be nice Caleb!" Renee struggled to keep her thoughts straight. Not that this was a new occurrence, though.

Caleb nodded and looked at his friend. "This is a decade in the making. An idea as old as our friendship." Caleb looked at his arms with the biggest smile in the world. He pointed an arm at a tree branch. Renee saw his hand in a fist. Her mind flashed back through all the years they had been friends. All in one moment, suddenly, Renee knew what this device was. "Holy crap." Renee whispered to herself in disbelief. Some of Caleb's fingers tensed up. Without any more warning an object shot out of the device and hit where he had aimed his arm. It moved so fast Renee couldn't get a good look at it, but after the fact she saw there was a taut cable attached to the object and still in the device. "Dude- No freaking way." Renee looked at the device now stuck to the tree branch. "Oh, my dear friend," Caleb looked at his friend with a grin that stretched his whole face, "way." He tensed different fingers. The cable tensed further and retreated into the device. It lifted Caleb off the ground until he reached the tree branch. Upon arrival he climbed up and sat on it. As he did so, what Renee had figured out to be the shrunken anchor retracted back into the device with the remaining cable that had yet to do so. "And that's only a taste of this thing's ability. Our tests show that the grapple can travel its maximum distance in just two seconds. Electromagnets, they're real cool, eh?!" Imelda was eager about this device. "And see, no marks." Caleb patted the branch proudly. "Holy crap! You're like-" Renee started but Imelda quickly cut her off. "That one anime yeah! And that old timey comic book hero. Caleb told me all about it." She flaunted her knowledge boastfully. "Hehe, yeah I guess so. How good are you with it?" Renee looked back up at Caleb. "How about you try and catch me, and we'll find out." Caleb's smile now had a bit of cockiness mixed in. "Catch you?" Renee looked at her friend confused.

Without hesitation Caleb leaped from the branch into the forest. He stuck out his right arm and the grapple shot out. It caught onto a tree, and it made his descent arced. That is until Caleb reached the vertex upon which he started rising again. Caleb stuck his left arm out and did the same. The right grapple zipped back to him. Renee suddenly understood, and she booked it into the forest. "Hey don't think you can leave me behind!" Imelda chased after her. She was quickly out-paced by the star track runner. Renee kept her eyes on Caleb as she moved. His movements were basic, but he still moved fast. Renee graphed out his trajectory in her mind. It was all too simple for her. Unfortunately, her innate understanding of physics and graphs made her realize Caleb was moving in the optimal way right now. It's known as the Brachistochrone curve. The equations ran through her mind, but so did the understanding of her friend. His path was straight and simple. Caleb was smart, but that didn't make him perfect without practice. Renee only had to be faster than him for a short period of time. The device's use ran through her mind. With grapple gear like that Renee thought all about how she could use it. She thought about how she could use it to help others. Renee dug into her core and smiled with the truest determination. Her feet began to move faster and faster. She was in an all out sprint at this point. This girl would not be beaten by the machine. "Renee the river!" She could hear Caleb say from above. Renee just laughed and picked up speed. After all she'd done the long jump event before. Her muscles burned, but they obeyed her mind. One last push to jump. Renee had cleared the river. She turned to look at Caleb who was now behind her. He looked anxious despite managing to anchor a tree on the other side. Time passing just one moment showed why. Despite his best efforts Caleb ended up with his bottom half submerged in the running water. Renee tried to contain her laughter. She failed miserably on account of being so out of breath. Caleb was flustered with not only the mistake but the entire loss. He was slowly dragged out of the water by the gear and sat on the dry land next to Renee. She sat next to him. Renee needed to catch her breath before she spoke. Eventually she had this to say. "I think that you're going to change the world."

Chapter Text

It has now been one whole week since the start of Academy of Saguánit's Order of Action Restoration's school year. Renee had never been this physically tired before. The afternoon classes were incredibly taxing, so she went to bed directly after dinner most nights. Renee did, however, get a little excited when she saw today that a leaf had turned yellow and fallen. Renee knew, of course, that autumn was still a ways away. Still, the start of the process alone brought her some relief. Even then, Renee was not completely satisfied with herself. She felt embarrassed for it having already been a week, and she knew so little of her fellow classmates. Caleb was hard at work training with and improving his new grapple gear. Renee often helped, and it led her to spend less time with the class overall. Imelda was often there, so Renee got to know her. The two did not take long at all to become good friends. Occasionally, she spent time with Hosuh. Of course, Renee felt that he was a friend, but she wasn't sure if that was a mutual feeling. She hoped so, and maybe if not now then he might later.

Through pure fortune Renee had managed to introduce herself to the boy who was more secluded from the class. He was, of course, the boy with flowers and bruises covering his body. Renee had wanted to know more about him ever since he spoke on the first day of class. By chance they had been partnered together for a small research project. She learned that his name was Eden Palms. A fitting name considering his Curse. That's no shock as he did pick it for himself. When Renee asked about his Curse Eden didn't talk much at first. She then told him about her own Curse, or rather lack thereof. Eden felt more comfortable at that point and spoke about his power. Eden was covered in vegetation which was obvious at a glance. The biggest surprise to Renee was that they were not a physiological Curse. The vegetation would constantly change size, position, quantity, and even type dependent on many different variables. Eden followed up by telling Renee he didn't have much control over any of the changes. He finished by explaining that when something attached to him dies, he feels weaker. Eden suspects that if all the vegetation were to die then he might as well. It was slightly morbid to think about, so Renee quickly changed the subject afterwards.

The conversation did end on a positive note, and the two decided they'd be friends. At least eventually, if they continued to talk to each other occasionally. That was a couple days ago now. Today the afternoon's class was spent inside the classroom. Captain Flock had decided that today was an excellent day to have a test about "Barron's Guide of The Northern Island". Not one student was happy with this decision as the temperatures through the afternoon were in a cooler high sixties or low seventies. Not to mention the previous day it had been pouring rain when the captain had everyone run a 5K. Renee didn't mind the task until she learned everyone had to do it with a weighted backpack. As much as she and everyone else wanted to go outside today, the break was nice regardless. She normally showered before dinner was called as she and many others usually do. Renee enjoyed that each dorm had its own bathroom rather than a large common bathroom. Early into Renee's time at the academy she learned she'd have to get in the shower before her roommate. It was questionable whether or not Sage even knew how to use anything in the bathroom. They would wander into the room and close the door. It would take a few seconds before Renee hears the lock. Then after another few minutes the sound of the bath or shower finally comes through the wall. Then Sage would simply keep it on until the water ran cold. It was a bit annoying, but Renee got over it quickly once she learned to get in the shower first.

Today Renee still took a shower, but it was even faster than normal. She just wanted the warmth it brought after the warm meal and before going to bed. After she was done, Sage entered the shower. While they did so Renee decided to work on homework for her academic classes. She managed to finish all of the work before Sage even got out of the shower. Once done, Renee laid in her bed above the covers. She had a book in hand slowly turning the pages as she read. It was for her own pleasure and not anything required for the academy. It was a plot heavy book from very shortly before the world was destroyed. Ironically it was about a home filled with Cursed children. The cover was a small girl with a hole where her stomach should be. Renee remembered how when she had first found the book she had traced her fingers over the hole, almost in disbelief. Renee knew then she had to immediately buy it and start reading. That was nearly two weeks ago now.

Sage finally walked out of the shower. Already they were in pajama bottoms and a baggy hoodie. It was reminiscent of the one Renee first saw them in; though, that one was much more tattered and covered in blood. The hoodie Sage wore now was clean and new. They got in the bed that was hers. Renee and Sage were now opposite in position. The room wasn't very large, so neither was the distance between the two. Looking out the window Renee saw the fading light over the horizon. Dull orange waves were softly pulling back from the top of the trees. Slowly the warmth was replaced with cool darkness. Peaking through the spectrum of sunset were small specks of white in the dark waves of the sky. Renee looked towards her roommate to see her let out a yawn so small Renee thought they were trying to hide it. "Do you want me to turn off the light?" Renee offered. Sage gave one quick nod and turned away. Renee removed herself from the top of the covers to walk to the other end of the room. She flipped the switch to bring the night's darkness into the room where the two slept. Renee made her way back to the bed where even still she did not move the covers. Instead of going to sleep Renee reached over herself to turn on a small reading light. It merely illuminated the book in addition to highlighting Renee's outline while most of herself still laid in shadow.

The minutes passed with near silence. Only white noise of the page turns, indistinct chatter from somewhere else in the dorms, and murmurs of the insects outside the window came to Renee's ears. She focused on her book, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat paranoid. After those ten minutes Renee couldn't take it anymore. Turning to survey the room Renee saw one glowing white eye looking right at Renee. When she turned her head the eye quickly disappeared with the noise of a startled body. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you Sage." Renee let out a sigh of relief knowing the source of the paranoia. "Didn't startle me." They responded with quick and defensive words. Renee looked down at her hands. "Were you curious about the book?" Renee tilted her head. After a moment of silence the white eye revealed itself again. "You can have it if you want. I'm just about done with it anyways." Renee stretched out her arm with the novel in her hand. "Ew." Sage pushed the book back to Renee. "Oh-" She was confused only more now. "Do you not like books?" Renee's words were soft. "I didn't mean any harm by it. I get it. Everyone has their own interests. I wouldn't want to force mine on you. I mean I used to get picked on for liking school so much so I-" "Shut." Sage hissed the command at Renee.

She had to pause for a moment to understand that Sage was not happy with her rambling. Renee finally did get the message though. Her jaw shut and she put the book down on the dresser. Renee looked up at the ceiling to prevent any leakage from her eye. "Humans." Sage scoffed before rolling over, so they no longer had to look at Renee. This made her sit up and quickly wipe her eyes dry. "What do you mean humans? Aren't you a human?" Renee looked at Sage just like a confused puppy. "No! I'm Cursed!" Sage's anger was visible even from the one illuminated eye. "I'm Cursed too." A million thoughts ran through Renee's mind. "Curseds are humans. Do you not know-" Sage's glare alone cut Renee off before they even started to speak. "They treat us different. Treat us like animals. Animals are better than them! Humans are bad." Sage said her last sentence with such disgust even Renee feared that it'd make her throw up. Renee looked at Sage with a small grasp at what they were going through finally. Renee's face calmly curved into a smile. It was thin and warm. "You just haven't met any good humans then." "You haven't met the bad!" Sage quickly snapped back. The glowing white eye now was slightly clouded by overflowing water.

Renee thought about what she said next for nearly a whole minute of silence. "Sage, if I tell you something, can you promise not to tell anyone else?" Renee looked at Sage being sure to make eye contact best she could. Sage grunted attempting to keep their angry tone, but curiosity could not be contained within Sage. "What?" She finally asked trying to hiss at Renee, yet coming across very genuine. "I have met the bad." Renee lifted her shirt to show her stomach. There, illuminated by the reading light, was a scar. It has a singular focal point, but there were surgical cuts coming off of it. "It was when I was about seven years old. I was on my own walking through the city at night. That's when I heard shouting coming from an alleyway. I couldn't just stand around and do nothing, so I ran to the sound. A woman in her early twenties or late teens was being mugged I think. It was a man with a gun, a pistol to be specific. He looked sickly, as if he was a walking corpse. I shouted out to him to get him to leave the woman alone. I can't imagine he expected a small kid to stand up to him so he paused for a moment in shock. The woman looked just as shocked to see me. The next thing I knew there was a loud bang. My stomach felt like it was on fire. I saw the mugger run away before I went unconscious." Renee told the story with as much tender care to the subject as she could have. "Bad people want children gone." Sage said as some sort of confirmation that they understood. It was some kind of tell that Sage was familiar with those types of people. Renee nodded, "but the good ones brought me back. The woman in the alley was the one to take me to the hospital. Dr. Smith, he saved my life. My parents, Caleb, and so many people helped me recover fully. The world is filled with awful people, so it's up to us to never let anyone think all humans are bad." Renee looked at Sage with a warm smile that lit up the room far more than the reading light.

"Us?" Sage's tone was confused with a small inflection of hope. "Yeah, us." Renee repeated the word. "Doesn't some part of you want to help? Not just with recovering the Northern Island. Don't you want to help just by being a nice human?" She looked at Sage. Her eyes were pleading that they said yes, and that there was some selfless good in them. Renee hopes that there is selfless good in everyone. "Wanna do good." Sage begrudgingly admitted as if it was something to be embarrassed about. "Then you will." Renee reassured her. After a few minutes of silence Renee went back to reading her book. The ambient noise once again made its way into the small room. The turning of the pages were the loudest thing the two could hear. It was periodic and methodical in a way. The simplistic pattern calmed Renee's mind. The ambiance scurried away when Sage muttered something under their breath. Renee tilted her head and looked at Sage. "Sorry, I didn't get that." Renee told Sage. "Can't read." It was incredibly silent. Renee barely heard it even on the repeat. Even then, she questioned if she had heard it right. "So," Renee paused and ended up saying the first thing that came to mind. "I can teach you. Do you want that?" Renee never expected to offer something like that. Sage nodded and turned over. "Night." They said simply. Renee got the message. She put a bookmark to stop her reading. The light flickered off. The two roommates fell asleep shortly thereafter.

Chapter Text

It was dawn. It was just before the sun peeked over the horizon. A calm ocean surrounded the small island. The waves crashed softly against the sand. The small and simple pattern was relaxing. Soldiers with blurry faces frantically ran around the island. There was some kind of gear they were attaching to their torsos. It was too blurry to make out. Feet walked on the sand. Slowly the island turned in perspective until a war ship could be seen on the horizon. It looked so small that one might not think it could do any harm. Something was unnerving about it all. Paranoia filled the air as if there was some outside, invisible force affecting the scene.

Without warning the image jumped. A giant foot stomped the island. The land crumbled under the strength of this giant. The monster was so loud. She couldn't think. She was scared. She wanted it all to stop. Renee woke up in a bolt. A hand, her own, covered her mouth. She screamed with wide eyes. Water rolled down her face and onto her hands. Rain spat against the glass window outside. She looked at Sage. They were sound asleep. Renee tried to rest her head back down against the pillow. There was a bright flash that came through the glass. For only a moment the small room lit up with a bright flash. In a haste Renee shoved her face in a pillow and covered her ears. Only a second later loud rolling thunder shook the whole building. The yelp that escaped Renee's mouth was muffled by the sheets and pillow.

Renee couldn't take the silence of action anymore. She needed something to distract her. Quickly she flung herself out of bed. The drawer opened, and from it Renee procured a red hoodie with a simple crimson circle in the center of it. Renee quietly opened the door and moved through it. Without making a noise, the door closed. The walk down the hallway was short. Only seconds later the startled girl arrived in the common space. Something odd caught her eye. She tilted her head and approached it. All the lights were off, except for one. It was the kitchen light. This only confused Renee more. When she first saw that the common space had a kitchen she didn't think anyone would use it. After all, the academy already provided meals. Despite this the light that leaked from the kitchen was in fact real. A figure stood in the light. Their silhouette was big and intimidating. There was another flash of thunder. It did little to illuminate the figure. When the thunder hit Renee's ears she let out a small squeal. She had certainly tried her best not to, but her fear overcame her. The figure had heard it and turned around to face Renee. "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you up."

His voice was as soft and comforting as fresh cookie dough. Something about it immediately put Renee at ease. The damp sizzle of the skillet on the stove could be heard in the absence of voice. "N-No. No, you didn't. It was the storm, and I didn't think anyone else was up." Renee, even still, was a little intimidated by the chef. "Mhm, I see." He stepped out from directly in front of the light. Without such a strong contrast of light and shadow Renee was able to determine more of his details. He has tan skin with a splotchy patch of freckles. His hair was dark blue that bordered on purple. It was mostly short or tucked in. Save for two streaks that had flown over his forehead and down his cheek. Then, there was his smile. It reminded Renee of Maru's smile. That smile was the sun. It was not the sun of mid February that beat down the skin like a scorching blade, but it was the sun in the coldest winter. In July when it had been nothing but clouds, snow, and the cold. When one might think there was nothing but this cold, and the sun just appears one morning. The sun burns away any cloud until the sky is only a hopeful blue. The sun is special because the sun does not just warm the body and soul of any living creature. The sun makes the snow dazzle like a billion shiny stars. The snow, that had been so dreadful and life draining, would become the most beautiful thing imaginable. That was the smile of this boy, and Maru's smile alike.

"There are a few of us. I'm Etsu Hossain. I heard people up, so I came down here. I offered to make some food, and people were happy to accept the offer." Etsu turned his attention to the counter. "Do you want to say hi?" He asked softly. Renee was no longer intimidated by Etsu. His size quickly faded from her mind, and she only saw a friend. As she turned to say something to him she saw him crouched. Etsu was talking to whoever was behind the counter. His words drifted so freely in the air that Renee could not make out what he was saying. Once he stopped with a nod, Renee spoke. "I'm Renee Rossi, by the way." She paused to rub the back of her neck. "You probably knew that. I'm loud in class aren't I?" Renee thought back to her small interaction with May. Etsu nodded, "Yes, but I like loud. You have a lot of passion. That kind of thing's admirable." Etsu stood back up, so he could return to tending the stove. Renee walked slowly to see what was behind the counter. It was a girl. Renee almost gasped when she saw her. It wasn't just a girl. She was a child. Even by Renee's standards. Her skin was dark enough to blend well with the shadows, but undoubtedly distinct from the low lighting. Her hair ran down to her mid back. It was braided into beautiful locs. Renee was further told of her youth by looking down to see she was tightly holding a plushie of an American opossum. "Hey there..." Renee was quiet. She had crouched down the same way Etsu did. The last thing Renee wanted was to frighten this girl.

There was another flash of lighting. Renee bit the inside of her cheek. Her face squinted as she tried not to make any noise with the thunder filling the room. A small yelp escaped just as before. Renee looked at this girl; though, she was in complete distress clutching the plushie as if her life depended on it. She was on the verge of tears. Renee sat to be on an entirely equal level to the girl. "Are you scared?" Renee asked the girl. She nodded silently. "It's okay, I don't blame you. It's a big storm. Fortunately for us we're protected." Renee reassured the kid. "Protected?" The girl didn't believe it at first. Renee looked around the room. She couldn't see much from under the counter. "Well, this little feller. Do they have a name?" Renee gestured to the stuffed opossum. The girl nodded. "What is it?" Renee asked the girl. She could feel her own smile imitating Maru's. "His name is Scrunkles." The girl told Renee proudly. "Then Scrunkles is here to protect you. You feel better when you hold him, don't you?" Renee asked, but before the girl could answer thunder rolled over the two once more.

Renee wanted to scream. She was scared. The thought of being crushed overwhelmed her. Renee's expression didn't change. The girl was frightened and squeezed Scrunkles tight. Once the thunder passed she opened her eyes and looked up at Renee. "Sorry." The girl quickly looked away. "No, no it's okay. I'm scared of thunder too." Renee leaned in when she said it. As if it was some secret she was sharing with a friend on the playground. "But-" The girl looked at Renee. "You don't look scared." The notion confused the girl. "I heard somewhere that a smile does wonders for everyone. When you smile, that's you letting everyone who sees that smile that everything will be okay. When I see someone I want to help I just can't stop myself from smiling!" Renee was enthused. "Sorry, that probably got a little loud." She quickly apologized. The girl wasn't fixed on the volume at all. "You want to help me?" The girl looked at Renee as if it was some kind of foreign notion. "That's what heroes do isn't it?" Renee looked off out the window and to the sky. It was as if that was where her dream lied, and she'd need to grab it somehow from all the way down here. "Are you a hero?" The girl lit up a small bit. "I want to be the first one, and you can't do much without trying. When I try, I like to give it my all." Renee looked back at the girl. "I'm Lily Fox. You're Renee- right?" Lily stood up and walked out from under the counter. "Yeah, I'm getting the idea everyone in class knows me." Renee stayed sitting. Thunder shook the building. Lily shook holding the opossum close to her chest. Lily peaked one eye open to look at Renee. Renee was smiling back up at Lily reassuringly. Once the thunder passed Lily took a deep breath in. "I think you're cool Renee." She took Scrunkles and pushed his snout against Renee's nose. "Boop." Lily giggled softly. "Pancakes are ready." Etsu softly called Lily. She nodded and quickly ran over to the kitchen.

"I didn't know you were so good with kids." A quiet, but familiar, voice spoke. Renee looked around for the source with no success. Once she stood up to investigate was when she was revealed. Imelda was laying on the couch right by the counter. Renee hadn't previously noticed her. "Have you been here the whole time?" Renee tilted her head. "Yeah, don't feel bad about it. Even Mr. Rock Candy- Etsu, talking about Etsu. Cause he's sweet and- ah whatever." Despite Imelda's dismissal Renee was still interested. "Even he didn't notice for a bit. You can sit down you know?" Imelda looked at Renee looming above her. "Oh- Sorry." Renee sat on the edge of the couch. "So you're really scared of lightning?" Imelda looked at Renee now on an even level. "No, but I am absolutely terrified of thunder." Just the thought made Renee cover her ears. "You're scared of a sound?" Imelda didn't grasp the idea. "It sounds like huge footsteps to me. Like any second now some giant monster is going to smash through the rooms and grab me and just throw me so high up I never come down." Renee looked away. She was flustered admitting the details of her fear. As if on cue, lighting illuminated the two. Imelda didn't hesitate to throw the heavy blanket she was using onto Renee. Once the thunder came around shortly thereafter Renee was a bit more comforted. "Th-Thanks." Renee expressed her gratitude with a thumbs up under the blanket. "Eh don't sweat it." Imelda brushed off the gesture. "Why are you up?" Renee asked, pulling the blanket down from her face. "Do you know my Curse?"

Renee shook her head. "Not in detail, no." She admitted. "It's electricity." Imelda began to monologue. "Imelda Aetos, Cursed with the electric connection. I can feel the charges of everything. When I say everything I mean it. Every socket, every light, every wire.. every atom. To some extent at least. The amazing part is that I can change the static charges. Ooo magic, it's cool, eh? Well- are Curses magic? I mean they're supernatural, but is every supernatural thing magic? I'm getting off track. The point is when there's lightning I feel it. Every burst gives me this amazing rush! Gah, I'd give anything to just run out in that rain and feel those forces, but nah, I'll keep it low key for you. I don't think you like getting scared, eh? Nah, probably not." Imelda smirked at Renee. Renee was completely trapped by Imelda's way of talking. The inflections flooded her mind and flushed her face. Trying not to sound obsessed, Renee changed the subject. "Imelda?" Renee leaned in and spoke in a whisper. "What's the deal with Lily? I mean she's a kid, what is she doing here?" Imelda looked back up at Renee. She responded in a similar whisper. "She meets all the requirements. The law is regarding grade level, not age. Lily is twelve, and she's still a freshman this year. Her parents started her early I guess, or a summer birthday or she's hella smart or something. Ultimately she chose to take the entrance exam, and she came with the acceptance here." Imelda shrugged. "But- she's a kid." Repeated Renee. "How old are you?" Imelda asked. "Fourteen." Renee now said fourteen subconsciously. At the start of summer she would always have to think when someone asked her age. "Same here. Etsu's sixteen. Lily's no more a kid to us than we are to Etsu, eh?" The way Imelda said it made sense. Renee felt a little embarrassed now for asking about it. She looked off out the window and to the sky. There was a flash of lightning, and Renee closed her eyes.

Chapter Text

Renee woke up to the sounds of footsteps. Quickly, she realizes she had fallen asleep on the couch in the common space. Renee frantically turned her head around to see if she could spot Imelda. Had she gone back up to her dorm? Renee wondered. When she looked down Renee saw Imelda snoring on the ground. Something about the sprawled, careless sleep was charming to Renee. "I've never seen you down this early." Renee heard from behind the couch. Turning around she saw Hosuh. "Oh hey! I fell asleep down here, I think." Renee spoke without certainty. "That would explain it." Hosuh peered over the couch to see Imelda. "That would explain it." He repeated. He lacked tone, but there were small inflections in his face. The more time spent with Hosuh the more of these small notions of expression were revealed to Renee. It was always there, but it was impossible for a stranger to pick up on.

"You should get dressed, and wake her up." Hosuh then divorced himself from the conversation to, presumably, eat breakfast. When she saw him take a raincoat as he left Renee looked out the window in front of her. Indeed, it was still raining. The storm calmed from last night's violent typhoon. The window only held Renee's attention for so long. Looking down at Imelda felt like gazing on an ancient renaissance statue. It almost felt wrong to disturb her slumber. Despite this, Renee did find the courage to lightly shake the sleeping statue's shoulder. "Is it morning already?" She groaned without opening her eyes. "Sorry." Renee quickly apologizes. "Yes," she remembered to answer the question.
Imelda sat up yawning and finally opened her eyes.

"Damn, the lightning's gone." She looked at Renee. "I mean good! For you, good for you." Imelda tried to correct herself to support Renee. "It's okay." She chuckled a bit. "We can like different things and still be friends." Renee smiled to reassure her friend. She extended her arm which Imelda grabbed to pull herself up. Renee winced as she felt static run through her arm. It hurt no more than a bee sting. "Oh, sorry. That's my bad I should've discharged before grabbing you." Imelda apologized quickly. "Discharged?" Renee tilted her head like a confused puppy. Imelda just stared at Renee for a moment. She was surprised at her lack of bother. "I'm always building up a static charge, so I shock people tons. I try to make it a habit to get rid of it whenever I can." Imelda explained regardless. "That's pretty cool!" She was excited to learn more about her friend. Looking down Renee felt her phone buzz. Checking it she saw a text from Hosuh. Start getting ready now, it read. Renee sighed from getting up. Her eyes felt heavy when standing. Even gravity itself seemed to be telling Renee to lie back down, and let sleep consume her. Her body would not be so fortunate as her mind won the battle. Renee stumbled back to her dorm. Preparing herself for the day alone was an uphill climb. Eventually, she was ready and walked to indulge herself in the first meal of the day.
***
When the time for Captain Flock's second class arrived, the rain had not stopped. Though, it could hardly be called rain anymore. It was more so a thick mist that permeated the air in its entirety. The captain announced that today's class would be outside. The cadets were starting to notice a pattern that when there was bad weather Captain Flock would put her students outside. Renee didn't mind much as long as there was no thunder. She was more optimistic about the whole situation than most of the class. "Today, the class is simple." The captain explained. She was unfazed by the water dripping from her strands of hair. "In the field behind me there is a circle painted onto the dirt. Throughout the two hours you will each be paired off and set to fight your partner in the circle. An individual wins by their opponent either going outside the circle, or being rendered unable to fight. While a pair fights I, and the rest of the class, will be observing. Tomorrow I will give you all individual critiques." Captain Flock then directed the first pair to the circle.

Renee took a sharp breath when she heard "Rossi" fly from the captain's mouth. She looked at the circle with a struggling determination when she stepped inside. "Kido." Renee turned to the student Captain Flock was referring to. It was a boy, a heteromorph, that Renee knew by association. Soko Kido could never blend into a crowd. He may have been short at only five foot two, or slightly over a meter and a half, but he had a strong bulk. Later on Renee learned that Soko was Cursed with the appearance of an ankylosaurus. That wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Soko had such short hair that it was almost a buzz cut. It was a dull green in color reminiscent of wet moss on a tree. There was no difference between his iris and pupil both being a pure glossy black. His skin was tan where it was actual flesh. There was a scale like armor that coated his forearms, and likely parts of his legs as well. Of course, Soko's most notable features were on his back. Adorned with a mighty armored shell with bumps along it. In addition, a tail adorned with a similar armored pattern ran out from his spine. At the tip was a bulbous mass of bone that acted as a mace.

Renee felt the ground shake when Soko's body crossed into the circle. It was likely just her nerves getting to her, but without a doubt her anxiety was warranted. On the opposing end of the small, muddy ring stood a tank of a boy. Renee bent her knees a little while putting up fists close to her face. It's what she at least thought a fighting stance looked like. Seeing her hands so close up made Renee realize she was shaking. She bit the inside of her cheek and took in a sharp shot of air through her nose. How could she be the first hero if she backed down from a fight, if she didn't give everything right here right now? Renee wondered in silence. Some power of her own laid down deep inside her. Not her Curse, but her will. Renee's determination is what drove her, and she'd be damned if she didn't win this fight.

Captain Flock's voice was barely perceived by Renee by the time she saw Soko charge her. His speed outperformed any previous notion Renee had of the boy. He was suddenly at Renee's arm when he drew back his arm to punch. She dove into the mud. The slippery ground was difficult to move in. Looking back, Soko had already stopped himself and turned to charge Renee once more. For someone so bulking he possessed an uncanny control over his momentum. Renee scrambled to her feet, stumbling over the mud. Renee was now charging Soko. At the last moment before their contact Soko ducked to his knees. His tail stuck out tripping Renee. Still with momentum, Soko got to his feet. Her face stung, and she felt awful. The mud was seeping into her clothes, shoes, hair, and skin. She didn't know what to do. "Don't be afraid to be rough." The Captain's voice reached the pair. "Our infirmary can handle any injury quickly." Renee shot to her feet. Soko was capable of incredible damage when he let loose. He was more than happy to hear this news as now he was feet away from Renee. Soko had jumped. Renee wondered how it was even possible for someone so big to reach the heights Soko achieved before her eyes.

Dodging was out of the question. The boundaries were just behind her. No! This would not be how Renee lost! Her mind saw this one second as thousands. Every possibility ran through her head. Finally she saw the path to take. Renee grabbed Soko's tail as it hit her. Her lungs depressed without control. Renee couldn't breathe. Her bones ached and her muscles bruised. Her body screamed to let go. A new look formed on Renee's face. Her teeth grit into a smile. Her brows furrowed. The girl slid in the mud until she was opposite her original position. Finally the pure force tore the hands from the tail. She stumbled to the ground, but before the sliding stopped she returned to her feet. Renee took a sharp breath in to fill her empty lungs. Soko's tail boomed as it hit the ground. He did it multiple times over. To the point he had torn through all the mud and kicked up dry dust. Steam poured from Renee's body. Blood pulsed through her body like a drum. Renee felt her feet dig into the ground. She pushed against the wet dirt. She launched forward at her opponent. Again and again and again Renee's feet hit the ground. She left the ground. In air Renee's leg cocked back. Soko looked at the attack and flung his body in a spin. Renee's leg sprung forward with the speed of a rabbit. Her leg and Soko's tail met midair. In the clash, the tail was pushed back. Renee rolled when she hit the ground. Renee saw Soko look at her bewildered by the clash.

Despite his confusion being met with Renee's own, she took the opportunity to grab Soko. She didn't know what to do. Renee pushed her head into Soko's brow. Renee felt her head ring. The tables turned on a dime. Now it was Soko grabbing Renee. It was he who hit Renee with his head. Then again he filled her face with his forehead. Once more he repeated the action. Renee felt warmth on her face. It dripped from her nose, and spilled over her cheeks. She could feel the warmth drip off her chin and onto her clothes. She struggled against Soko's grip with all her strength. Every moment Renee tried to think another clash of heads interrupted her. Renee dug her feet into the mud attempting to push Soko out of the circle. She gave it her all. One final headbutt led Renee into fuzzy darkness.

Chapter Text

Renee woke up in an unrecognized place. She was in a white, thin bed of some kind. Looking down she saw her clothes were the same, but the mud and blood had dried and somewhat fallen off. She touched her finger to her lip. Looking at it there was no blood. She simply felt sore all over. Around the room it quickly became clear where she was. There were monitors, screens, more beds like the one she was in, some needles and biohazard bins. It was the academy's infirmary. Renee was alone. Finally she remembered why she was here. The fight with Soko rang through her head. She frowned with a sigh. Water pushed to the front of her red eyes, clouding her vision, when she hung her head down. Her chest ached with pressure.

"You really shouldn't beat yourself up about it." Captain Flock's voice came from the corner. Renee was so startled she forgot what she was worrying about. The shadows hid the captain masterfully. Once she stepped out into the light Renee calmed down a bit. Renee opened her mouth to speak, but Captain Flock didn't wait for her to speak. "You were fully knocked out for only a few minutes. Then you've been in and out for the last few hours." The captain pointed out a window, which Renee hadn't even realized was there since no light poured through, to show the night sky. Renee paused trying to remember any moments from her supposed previous consciousness. "Soko came in a few times to check if you were alright. You even exchanged words once. Few, but they were certainly spoken." It was explained to her.

Renee shook her head, she had no memory of any consciousness since the fight. Even that was hazy. "What did we say?" Renee managed to ask. "You agreed to meet him in the open field by the cemetery tomorrow." Captain Flock told her. She thought back to the cemetery. Renee had only been once so far. It was one of the captain's classes. Nothing was said, nothing was taught, and nothing was heard. Save for the birds flying above singing their songs. The day was beautiful, and the graveyard smelt of fresh leaves. Renee took a long time to look at the graves. She quickly understood the importance of the time the class was spent there. Renee took the time to look at every grave she could. Each stone was engraved with a name, birth and death dates, a symbol of some kind, and cause of death. No stone was less kept than another. The upkeep was impressive, and a stark contrast to any previous graveyard Renee had visited.

Some names were familiar. Occasionally the news would share the death of a specific soldier if it was particularly gruesome or torturous. It was odd, for Renee, a young girl, to accidentally turn on the news and hear about such violent things. This climate was permeated across the whole country. No one, not even the children, could ignore the bleak situation the remainder of humanity was stuck in. There was some hope in the optimists that someone like Dr. Smith would find a way to eradicate the radiation of the lands beyond the horizon. It was just wishful, ignorant thinking. Even if such a neutralizer were to be invented there was no boat, nor plane, that could brave such a journey. The nearest continent was over a thousand miles away, and there was no guarantee the soil could even be used. Renee was not one of these optimists. It served no use sitting around and waiting to be saved by some stroke of fortune in science. Renee decided she would fight for what was real. She would fight to protect the people who had already given up hope. Renee decided she would not let the world fall if she drew breath. When the announcement of this academy came to be Renee did not have to think long. She would take back the Northern Island, and she would bring back hope to Saguánit.

By the time Renee finished her thoughts Captain Flock had left the room. She was now actually alone. Getting up, Renee felt soreness in her body. Her head, oddly enough, hurt the least of any part of her body. On the walk back to her dorm she met Caleb and Hosuh in the common space. When Renee sat down next to Caleb she saw that he was working on the grapple gear. "Is it broken?" She asked him, not even bothering to say hi first. "No, I'm just improving on the design." Caleb neatly shoved wires into a new small compartment. "Doesn't it work, though?" Renee tilted her head. "Yeah, but it isn't perfect." "It never will be." Chimed in Hosuh. "Exactly." Caleb chuckled marveling at his own work. "Your roots are growing in." Renee pushed back her friend's hair to examine it more closely. "Huh, I'll have to ask one of my dads to bring in some dye. Maybe I'll go red like you." He joked pushing Renee's hair back as well. "It'd be hard to go from green to red." Hosuh mentioned. "And I don't know of a dye that could recreate the color of blood such as Renee's hair does." Caleb shrugged the notion off. "I was just goofing. I prefer green anyway." The three all went to sleep shortly after.
***
The next day was slow in its movement. Renee was too anxious about her meeting with Soko to concentrate properly in any of her classes. Every movement she made was as if she was in a pool of thick syrup. At lunch Renee tried to find the boy, but to no avail. Even when the two were in the same room she couldn't seem to get a word to him. The captain had the class studying "Barron's Guide of The Northern Island" in both periods. It was like the universe was a small child playing a stupidly simple, but annoying, joke on Renee. However, the school day eventually did end.

Renee was happy to finally be walking to the field, and she was even more happy to make it. There was Soko. He was laying on a large stone with his shell up, seemingly basking in the sun. He looked so peaceful Renee felt bad for disturbing him. "Hey, Soko, I'm gonna be real honest I don't remember talking to you at all. Captain Flock told me I agreed to come here, so what exactly did I agree to?" Renee wanted to figure this small mystery out without being too rude. "Oh, hey, Renee." Soko started before he opened his eyes. The boy was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, and some heavy duty olive green pants. Up close and in good lighting Renee could better see just how muscular Soko was. It couldn't be easy walking around with the weight of a shell and tail constantly attached to his back. He yawned while stretching and finally opened his eyes. "I didn't expect you to remember. You were pretty tired. That's why I asked Captain Flock to tell you. Anyways, I wanted to talk about our fight." Soko's voice was so relaxed. His words flowed out of his mouth like a calm river stream. In combination with his laid back posture, it took away a bit of Renee's stress.

"What about it? I mean, you knocked me out in like a minute. I didn't put up much of a fight." Renee rubbed the back of her neck. Her finger tapped against her side with a fast rhythm. The red eyes looked off to the side while her head hung. "Hey, Renee, don't say that." Soko sat up and did his best to look her in the eyes. "You failed, but you did amazing. I've always found the word funny. It has such a negative connotation to it, but failing is one of the best things that can happen most of the time. Sorry, I think out loud sometimes. I saw you gave it your all. You did fail pretty bad, true. I'm not sure if it was a fair fight at all. Anyway how's your leg?" Soko deviated from his original topic. "My leg?" Renee looked down. Rolling up the pant leg on her right side revealed a widespread bruise. "Right, from when." Renee described the collusion between the two with her hands. "It's fine, I've had worse in season." Soko glanced at her letterman jacket and pieced the picture together. "Well, I haven't." Soko raised his tail. Where Renee's leg had previously hit him was an equally widespread, but far nastier bruise. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" Soko just chuckled softly.

"No, no don't apologize. Congratulate yourself! You got one hell of a hit on me! See that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Renee's head tilted like a puppy. "You're strong Renee, but that's the trick. You don't know it. I saw the passion in your eyes when you fought me. You're incredible, just entirely breathtaking." Soko smiled such a rare smile. It wasn't the smile that Maru or Etsu had. It wasn't soft and calming, but it was bright as the sun. Just looking at that smile would fill anyone with immeasurable passion. Renee smiled her own smile back. It didn't feel like much to her in comparison to the kind boy in front of her. "Thank you." Was all she could manage to say with such a warm face. "You want to get stronger right?" Soko asked. She nodded quickly. "I want to be the first hero- as dumb as that sounds." Renee didn't feel awkward telling her dream to Soko. "That's not dumb, that's so cool! Listen, I want to help. I can teach you all I know about fighting. Cause I can tell you right now, what I can do did not come naturally. If you have the same level of control over your momentum and movement as I do, you'll be quite the force."

Renee thought about Soko's offer. "Do you... Do you really think that?" There was a spark of genuine hope. It was a path forward closer to her goal. She would do anything to help others, and this could make her better at it. "Of course! Dude, I've seen you move. Plus, if I teach you well enough maybe you can pass a thing or two along to your friend with the flying gear." Soko nudged Renee, she chuckled. "It's grappling gear. He doesn't fly." Soko just smiled and turned off to look at the wide blue sky. "Renee, you have the potential to be great. You can be an amazing hero. All you need is to dig in your heels and work harder than you ever have before! So come one! What do you say Renee Rossi? Can you become a hero!" Soko jumped to his feet and grinned at her. Renee matched his smile and shouted at the top of her lungs, "I can, and I will!!"

Chapter Text

The wind had a soft, hollow whistle to it. It was never annoying, save for the strong gusts that would make one chilled deep in their bones. With every strong gust of wind an ocean wave of leaves were whisked from the eerie limbs of trees to the ground. The warm colors were comforting with the cooler air. As the students would walk back and forth outside the leaves would crunch. The indistinguishable smell of autumn brought spices and earthy aromas. Every so often in the redwood forest could wild, small pumpkin patches of some kind be seen. There are two types of people. Those who are brought the utmost happiness by the beauty that the season brings, and those who are only brought dread. The unstoppable march of fate mocks the dreaders with its glory. Nothing can stop the leaves from falling. It's quite amazing, isn't it?

April 2nd 2302...
"Alright, how do you spell spider?" Renee flipped through a picture book in her dorm. Across her was Sage who had intent interest in her words. There was a red leaf in their hair. Renee had yet to notice it, but Sage knew. They could feel the soft disturbances in the strands of hair. "S" Sage started confidently. "P-I-D-R. No- No no no!" Sage looked down, flustered at her mistake. "It's okay, try again, I know you can do it." Renee tried to smile like Etsu or Maru would do to her. It wasn't quite like their two's. The softness was too forced. It was the same to Sage, though, as she had not learned the nuance of human expression. Renee took a deep breath. She motioned Sage to do the same. They looked up part of the way. "S-P-I-D" Sage paused and thought. "E-R. Spider. I like spiders." Sage looked up all the way now for approval. Renee cheered, "Yes! You did it! Sage you!- You like spiders?" The thought of even the small ones sent a shiver down her spine. "Cute, lots of eyes." Sage explained, or at least they tried to. Renee finally saw the leaf in Sage's hair.

A knock interrupted the teaching session. When Renee set down the book she instinctively walked towards the door. With a sigh she turned around and pulled away the curtain of the small windows. Opening the windows Renee looked to the side. There was Caleb hanging onto the side of the building with his grapple gear. He was even in height with the window, which was a few stories up. It was odd to see him in uniform with his gear on. He even had a green scarf for the cold. It looked like a comfortable scarf. "So where's Imelda?" Renee asked before Caleb could say anything. "What do you mean?" Caleb was a fine actor, Renee would admit in her head, but she knew him too long. "Imela would do something cool like this. You would hang upside down in trees. You do hang upside down in trees, so where is she?" Renee was a little excited to ask. Caleb sighed then chuckled. "She's in commons. When you walk out she'll be on your right. It's nothing serious she's just planning to shock you." Renee chuckled. "She's so cool. Also, dude, what the hell?! Captain Flock will kill you if she sees you using your gear outside of training!" Caleb just shrugged the idea off. "I mean how am I gonna get better if I don't use it tons. Oh! That reminds me. I upgraded the battery situation." Caleb tapped the device on his forearm with pride. "So it lasts a while now?" Renee tilted her head. "Well, no... But but but but! I can change charges way faster now. Only out of the fight for less than thirty seconds now." Renee brushed the gloating off. "You've gotta figure out the battery length man. That's gonna bite you in the butt. Now get out of here before the captain sees you!" Renee closed the window before her friend could respond.

Sage looked at Renee in silence. "You wanna come with?" She asked. Sage nodded quickly and stood up. Renee put on her letterman jacket. "Perfect." Renee smiled exiting the dorm. Sage followed down the hallway with doors to more girl dorms on either side. Opening the door to commons Renee jumped to the left. "Gotcha." A sharp zap shot through Renee's left side. She tensed up causing her to lose footing. Two arms were under Renee's armpits. It slowed and stopped her fall. Renee looked up to see a vertically flipped image of Imelda. "Gotcha." She repeated. "Haha-" Renee chuckled nervously. "It's like a pun, double meaning." Imelda helped Renee back up. She playfully punched her shoulder. "Sorry for the shock, blood." It was an odd nickname to be given, but over time Renee started to like it. Of course, Imelda was the only one who did call her that. It made the nickname just a little more special to Renee. "It's okay, it felt- tingly" She was a little used to random static shocks from Imelda after the few months they've spent together. "Good morning for a walk, eh?" Imelda walked to the door out of commons. Grabbing a scarf that belonged to her, she looked back at Renee. Imelda exited while throwing a coat over her shoulders.

Renee stood there, mouth ajar, for a few moments. "Did she shock you too hard?" Hosuh was now standing beside Renee. She looked at him as if snapping out of a trance. Renee's head tilted like a puppy. "The way you're acting, are you in shock? Suffering the wear off of adrenaline caused by the jolt?" Hosuh did not understand. "Oh, oh no not me- what? Stroke? Just, she's cool. I'm- I should follow her shouldn't I?" Renee looked to Hosuh for help. "I'm not the one you should be asking." Renee sat on what he said for a few moments. Renee rushed to the door. Pausing for a second she looks through the cupboard that belonged to her and quickly procures thin gloves and a red beanie. She put them on to combat the cold. She hesitated to go back up to her room and grab a heavier jacket, but she decided against it. Renee didn't want to fall too far behind Imelda. Walking through the hallways Renee didn't catch up until they both were outside.

Imelda took a deep breath in. "The cold air stings your nose. It's pretty nice, eh?" Imelda walked with Renee by her side. Renee had never thought about it that way, nor had she ever imagined a stinging sensation to be associated with anything nice. "I guess it is. Does everyone from Omega talk like you do?" Renee asked, genuinely curious. "Kind of. It's neat I think. Omega is the only sector that really managed to properly build up an accent. I'm sure the Northern Island had plenty of accents, but they mostly died didn't they. It's something you'd never think growing up there your whole life. Y'all are the ones with the accents to me. You get it, eh?" Imelda talked in such a way that showed some kind of vulnerability.

The duo entered the forest. The golden rays of sun would only reach in splotches and spots where the leaves had fallen. Granted this was a mostly conifer forest, so the sun was not so common. Renee nodded. Subconsciously, she walked closer to Imelda. "You weren't comfortable there, were you?" Renee was glad it was just the two of them. Imelda shared this gratitude. "Something tells me you aren't referring to money." Renee shook her head. Imelda sighed, but not of annoyance. "It's too cramped there. I thought if I got out of there I'd be happier. It's simpler than that, unfortunately. I won't be content less I've got a whole world to see. I've done plenty of research on the world before it all died. Did you know it's so big you'd never be able to see it all in just one life? I want to see that world, the world we should've inherited." Imelda paused to look at Renee. "A lil less selfless than you, I know, hero girl. Still, I wanna fight. I want no kids to wake up one day and go 'this ain't enough.' And I wish I was that kid." Renee only looked at Imelda now with a truer version of her in mind. No longer was she some idle of coolness, but now just a person the same as herself. To Renee, that aspect of being human was far more appealing than any false deity of perfection.

Renee playfully punched Imelda's shoulder. "I think that's an amazing thing to want. Selfish or otherwise." Renee's smile was not forced. A cold wind blew through. It was strong. "Cuts like a blade across the neck, eh?" Imelda looked at Renee shivering. She tried to push her beanie further down or cover herself up more with her jacket. Renee still heard Imelda and nodded through it all. Imelda just chuckled a very soft chuckle. "Best part about growing up in Omega? This isn't cold to me, not at all." Imelda slid off her jacket and draped it around Renee. Looking at Imelda, Renee no longer felt cold. She wrapped the jacket further around herself. Under the jacket Imelda had been wearing a blue wool knit sweater. She smiled at Renee. The only word either of the two girls uttered in that small moment was "thanks."

Chapter Text

The smell of smoke was easily recognizable. It was hardly cause for any concern, nor alarm, as it brought comfort to Renee and Imelda. Fire promised warmth, and as the sun was low in the sky warmth was more than welcome. Renee especially struggled in the cold. It was quick that she realized how underprepared she was. Though, Imelda's jacket helped. Imelda seemed unbothered whether it was faked or genuine. The two stayed close together, it was good for preserving heat. Leaves fell upon the dirt trail. A wind blew through that chilled Renee to her core. "Y'know, your cheeks compliment the rest of your head." Imelda smirked a bit being purposefully vague. Renee tilted her head like a puppy.

Before either one could say another word they found the fire. It was a safe bonfire with four fellow students gathered around it. Despite his back turned to her, Renee recognized him first immediately. His hunched back, intolerance to the cold, and of course all the plant matter growing from his skin made Eden Palms easily recognizable. "Philip, I didn't expect to see you out here." Imelda hugged the second with open arms. Renee had never directly interacted with him, but knew his name, Philip Parker. Philip would always hold himself with a strong confidence. Despite any grueling training Captain Flock would put the class through he wouldn't complain. Renee supposed it would be easier to be so confident with a Curse like he had. His hair was black as coals; however, it faded into the color of blue one would see at the bottom of a lit match. A pair of braids in front would fall over his broad nose and wide smile. His ashy, dark skin was a perfect pairing. "Renee, I don't think we've ever actually met." He turned to the red haired girl. "No, I guess not. I mean I still know who you are of course. Can I say you've got an awesome Curse? You've got an awesome Curse!" Renee was geeking out ever so slightly.

"Nerd." Renee heard from behind the fire. Philip's smile grew heavy. "Right, those two." He sighed. "What?" The boy who called Renee a nerd came out into view. "She is a nerd. You can't even argue cause you know how she is in homeroom. Plus, I share English with her. She's way talkative." His defensive rambling went on further, but Renee no longer paid attention. "Dude, you need to get out more. You're paler than a ghost." Imelda butted in. Renee chuckled a little. "Clay, stop bothering our classmates." Renee shifted her body to better view who told him to stop. "Elham, you shouldn't be saying anything." He snapped back at her. Elham had much more dark features. Her hair even darker than Philip's, thicker and fuller too. Gray eyes, a wide nose, and a beauty mark under her right eye all conveyed a sort of wisdom and classical beauty. Elham in turn would always speak every so slightly louder than anyone else in the room. Elham Rivera and Clay Abbadon, the two were Luckies and more than content with it.

Renee leaned in to whisper. "I'm so confused, what's the dynamic here?" She tried to be quiet so that only Imelda would hear. "Elham and Clay are inseparable friends. The type to show affection through mean comments. You get it, eh? Eden's Philip's roommate, and warmth is good, but fire is bad. Elham and Philip are all buddy-like cause they're just chill overall. Now we're here." “No, no yeah that makes sense.” It did not make sense to Renee, but it was an entertaining group. “What are you two even doing out here?” Clay asked the two girls whom had only just arrived. “We went out for a walk. Nice day for it, or at least it was. Getting a little dark now, eh?” Imelda always had such a way of explaining things that made it so casual and cool. At least, that’s what Renee thought. “Do you wanna stay by the fire for a bit?” Philip asked them. “Sure!” Renee was quick to accept the offer. Imelda realized it was best to do the same.

With the two now sat along the fire, Renee eyed everyone. “So, how are your academics coming along?” Renee asked, though, not directed at anyone in particular. Philip was the first to answer. “Mine are going great. I’m struggling a bit in math, but it’s still fun.” Philip garnered looks from other around the fire that thought him insane for calling math fun. “If you’re struggling I can help! I’m great at math. Technically I have all the credits I need to graduate, but I really wanna take all the math I can. It’s so cool!” Renee met and exceeded Philip’s own enthusiasm. “What the hell, you’re such a nerd.” Clay scoffed. “Is your only insult calling Renee a nerd? Get some new material.” Imelda smirked. Renee leaned ever so slightly closer to her friend. “Hey, Aetos, don’t steal my material.” Elham smirked right back at Imelda. The two exchanged a small chuckle. “Eden, how’s your academics going?” Philip turned to Eden who’d been silent the whole time. “Fine.” A few leaves fell from the bonsai trees growing from his skin. His voice was softer than a cool summers wind.

Philip looked at his roommate and stuck his hand in the fire. “Hey, can you do that?! Are you okay, man?” Clay shot up from the log he was sitting on to look at Philip. “Huh? Oh yeah, it’s fine.” He smiled reassuringly at Clay. There was a flash of blue and the fire double in size. Philip pulled his hand out and shook off blue, residual flames. “Can’t do it for too long, though. I’m resistant to flames not immune.” Eden drew closer to the fire. Some of the moss growing on his skin shifted to flowers of various types. The only kind Renee recognized was a few lantana flowers. The warm colors of the flowers compliment the light of the fire well. “Alright, just don’t go over your time limit or whatever.” Clay rolled his eyes. Sitting back down he let out a sigh. Renee inched closer to the fire watching her breath become more and more visible. Eden glanced at Renee. "You're not so good with the cold, are you Renee?" Philip more so stated than asked. "Oh, no I guess not. I'm as far North as you can live, so I guess it makes sense." Renee shivered at the thought that today was colder than even some winters in her hometown. "I wish I lived further North." Eden broke his silence. His voice nearly spooked Clay. Eden looked at everyone's shock. He put up his hood, making the drawstrings taught. Eden got up and started walking away. "Did I do something wrong?" Renee looked concerned that she somehow hurt Eden. "No, no you're fine." Philip quickly calmed her worries. "I better follow him. Can't have him freezing out here, you guys got the fire?" Philip didn't even wait for a response before going after Eden.

There was an awkward lack of communication for the next few seconds. The fire cracked and popped. The leaves flew off the trees. Shifting of feet and legs would crunch the fallen, dry foliage. Renee opened her mouth to say something. Alas, no words would be heard. Imelda took a deep breath in through her nose. "I just love autumn. You're all the same, eh?" She looked around trying to ease the tension. "I like the food." Clay's mind wandered to a bakery filled with every good and beverage being pumpkin flavored. The thought made him smile. It was soft, but Renee was quite sure it was the first time she had seen him genuinely smile. "The food is your favorite part of any season!" Elham called him out. "Well excuse me! I like food!" Clay barked back. "And somehow you're still all skin and bones! Talk about a metabolism. You could try to at least work out!" The two continued bickering. Imelda got up to put out the fire. She offered her hand to Renee. "Wanna get out of here?" She barely had to ask with words. Renee had already grabbed her hand. She let herself get pulled to her feet. "I am going to take a hot shower. Then wrap myself up in the warmest blanket we have in the dorms." Renee declared. "What about dinner? I mean, if you don't wanna sit with me there that's fine." Imelda smirked. "No no no I definitely do!" Renee rapidly shook her head. The two chuckled while they walked back to the academy.

Chapter Text

None of the students had expected to be taken out of class for the whole day by Captain Flock. She had taken the class to the massive clearing at the back of the academy. The open field that was largely barren in terms of larger wildlife was now filled with horses. They were all quite obviously the same breed. A silky black coat covered the bodies, while a pale sandy color dominated the manes and tails. The manes were long and shaggy at times even covering the face of the horse. One came close to the group of students. The close perspective showed that the horses did not stand much taller than most humans. "Oh my gosh! Horses! I know this breed! In fact, I grew up right next to the farm where they were raised!" Maru blurted out all happily. Despite orders not to, she quickly approached the closest horse and began to soothe it. The steed and girl connected over the span of mere seconds. "Isn't that dangerous?" Dylan Ortiz dashed back. Captain Flock looked at her students. "Yes, but it appears that Maru may know what she is doing." The captain was notably taking mental notes of this interaction between Maru and the horse.

Hosuh raised his hand. "I am confused," though his tone refused to show it. "Where did these horses come from? Furthermore, why are they here at all?" He had asked what was on everyone's mind. "These horses are actually of Germanic origin! Germanic as in Germany and Germany is in Europe! Or wait was it Asia?" Maru once again blurted out. She was smiling despite questioning her own knowledge. It was admirable of Maru. She would never lose her smile at any time. "Ms. Agnusdei, while I admire your enthusiasm I will carry out the answer." Captain Flock looked at her coldly. "Yes ma'am, sorry!" Still she never lost her smile. "As any of you who followed SOAR's operations before your journeys started would know a high class motorcycle is the usual transportation method of soldiers. These motorcycles are easily faster than most cars, sleek, and most importantly they are effective. At least, they are when we only have to traverse through roads that can handle such speeds. It is a useful tool for when SOAR was more focused on settling conflict within the southern island, but that time has been eclipsed." The captain walked partway out into the field. The crowd of students hesitantly followed. Putting her fingers to her mouth Captain Flock created a loud and high pitched whistle.

There was movement from the far end of the field. "The thick, mountainous, jungle-like terrain of the northern island will not be so tuned to our mechanical vehicles. We will be using those motorcycles for where we can. Old roads remain mostly intact despite almost no maintenance for nearly a century, and most of you will not be void of deployment on the southern island. That is, however, training for another day. For the past two hundred years these horses have been selectively bred to be the best military units possible. It started off simply as a personal project of some rich farmer when the world became much smaller. When it caught the attention of the then prime minister his project received government funding. Said funding nearly tripled with the introduction of SOAR. Muscular steeds that shake off heavily forested, mountainous, and even heavily snowed terrain like nothing. They maneuver tightly and are quick to bond with humans. With top speeds reaching over 30 miles in an hour and the endurance to match, these are the best in the world." Just as the captain finished her explanation a stallion that had been racing across the field stopped at her back. "Your training today is simple, saddle a horse and ride it back to the stables in the forest. If the task isn't completed by sunset I would suggest giving up." Captain Flocked backed up to the horse's side and jumped onto its back. She rode off into the field leaving the class of students partially speechless.

"Is now a good time to mention I don't know what the hell I'm doing?" Dyland smiled nervously. "You and me both, dude." Clay rolled his eyes. "Dude? I'm a girl, though." She was half part confused and half part offended. "Yeah I know, I call everyone dude." Clay turned his back. Elham could only chuckle. "Just be glad it wasn't an "insulting" nickname." She apologized on Clay's behalf with her tone. "If it makes anyone feel better I don't think anyone here has experience with horses." Philip tried to reassure everyone. "I have!" Maru happily shouted. "Besides Maru." He quickly self corrected. Maru approached a stack of saddles on the ground. She grabbed one and carried it to the horse she was soothing. The animal stood completely still as she effortlessly put the saddle on its back. She soothed it further before, once again effortlessly, hopping onto the saddle. "She's such a sweet horse." Maru petted the horse's head and trotted off in circles. The rest of the class stood perfectly silent. Some did so to study Maru's actions, some did so out of awe, and some just didn't have anything to say. "It's easy really. Well, it was for me. I helped out tons on the farm I grew up next to. I think I even recognize this girly. She certainly seems to recognize me." Maru giggled more quickly bonding more and more with the horse she sat atop of.

"We can't actually all be expected to do that, can we?" Clay doubted the possibility of the training exercise. "I mean hey, Captain Flock did say we could just give up." Elham shrugged. "Oh you wish. It is on!" Clay quickly raced into the fields to find a horse that might accept him. Renee giggled at the thought of Clay trying to tame a horse. Interrupting her thought, a fellow student pushed past Renee's shoulder. It was May. Looking at his attire was a little shocking to her. Not that May wore anything odd in technicality. It was, rather, simply inappropriate for the temperature of a cold autumn day. Similar to how in the late summer's heat he wore a jacket one would normally see in the winter, now May wore a sleeveless button up with no additional layers. His right eye met Renee's own gaze. "Is something bothering you." May spoke as if it was a threat and not a question. "Oh- No no no no! Of course not I just- aren't you cold?" Renee accidentally asked out loud. She almost covered her mouth and hit herself for speaking. "No." May's breath was visible as he spoke. Renee just stood there embarrassed and slightly afraid. When she blinked she had lost track of where May was. Renee was left to question if what had just happened was even real.

"Renee." She felt her shoulder being shaken. She blinked and looked around as if just woken from a dream. "Sage," Renee let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry, I was just kind of out of it." Renee chuckled. "Yes." Sage confirmed. "Look dead. I think so." They nodded at Renee. "Everyone else has start. Don't want to fall behind." Sage dragged Renee out into the field. "Wait, but what about grabbing a saddle?" Renee looked back to where everyone was formerly crowded. "Horse before saddle, Renee." Despite Sage's broken English, Renee understood their sentences. Renee looked around at all the horses just wandering the field. There were only sixteen out in the field. Looking back, Maru was already on top of a seventeenth. That was obvious, she saddled the horse right in front of everyone. Seventeen horses, but there were eighteen students in Captain Flock's class. Did that mean someone would be left without a horse? Renee wondered anxiously. No, upon further inspection Renee spotted the eighteenth horse. Somehow, May had already saddled and was riding a horse. "How does he do that?!" Renee exclaimed out loud. Sage stopped suddenly causing Renee to run into her. "Sorry!" Renee quickly apologized. Sage ignored their roommate's apology to look where she was looking. "May. May knows the forest." Renee looked at Sage and tilted her head like a puppy. Sage looked back. "Everywhere is a forest if you know the forest." Sage looked at Renee as if what they had just said not only made sense, but as if it was common knowledge.

"Uhm, I think we need to work on your English some more." Renee chuckled her awkwardness off and tried to keep moving. Sage would not budge so once again Renee bumped into them. Sage shook their head, then pointed to the brush. Looking to where their finger directed Renee saw a horse. It was only a few meters away. "Try." Sage motioned Renee forward. Renee nodded and looked at the horse. Slowly she approached the creature who stood so still. The distance between the two would shorten more and more. Finally Renee was making eye contact with the peaceful animal. "Aw, you're just a little cute thing." Renee smiled reaching her hand out. The horse drew away and turned its back to Renee. "Um, I think this is good?" Renee tilted her head. She got even closer till only a few centimeters separated the two. Renee was hesitant to trust the horse, but in an attempt to soothe it like Maru did, she placed her hand along the spine. The horse whipped its head around looking at Renee with what could only be described as anger, despite it just being a horse. It bit her arm, "Ow!" before standing on its hind legs. Flailing its hooves at Renee in an attempt to hurt her. She tugged her arm away and fell back to the ground which was hard as it began to freeze. The next thing Renee could see was Sage standing in between herself and the horse with their arms out wide. Quickly scrambling to her feet Renee was ready to help Sage, but to her surprise Sage was staring directly at the horse without issue. The horse would attempt to bite Sage, but they quickly pulled away before it could. Growling and snapping their teeth as a signal that they bite too. A few snarls and chomps of air being exchanged between the two later, the horse was now somehow putting its head into Sage's hand. "Sorry." Sage uttered to Renee. "Stole your horse." They looked uncomfortable receiving the horses affection. "Oh no don't worry about it!- I'm more confused than anything else." Renee muttered to herself. Sage and their new horse would stroll off to receive a saddle.

Renee stood alone in the field. The closest fellow cadet was in the background of her eyes. Similarly, no horse stood close to the red headed girl. Her hair twitched in the wind like a bloody, dead limb of some tragic bug. Crimson eyes would dart back and forth to find friends. Caleb was already atop a horse. He raced through the fields just for the fun of it. Clearly the horse he had mounted was particularly fast. There was no purpose apart from thrill. It was technically a direct defiance of Captain Flock's orders, but there was no harm to it. Besides, he seemed to be enjoying himself. It unfortunately wasn't the first time he had done so either. Plenty in the past Caleb had used his grapple gear outside of training. Hosuh appeared to be talking to two different people. One was Soko, who stood on the same ground as him. The other was sitting on her horse. It was Maru. He seemed to be having a thorough conversation with both. No doubt Hosuh was approaching this task from a very logical perspective. He would be methodical and purposeful with each move he made. Imelda was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she had already found a horse, or maybe she was simply behind some hill. Sage had already disappeared from the field and into the woods. That was to be expected of course, but the confirmation comforted Renee in a way.

Now what? Renee asked herself. The sun would warm her skin as it stood high in the sky. It was a lovely time of day in autumn. The heat from the sun was just enough to make anyone feel all cozy and nice. It wouldn't last long as the sky would lose it's brilliance quickly. Renee would never stop trying to tame a horse for herself. She had a total of three attempts that got close to accomplishing this goal. The first was only half an hour after Sage had gotten their horse. Renee had approached the animal from behind. This was something Maru would later recommend against for the future. In fact she was surprised Renee made it out of the encounter unharmed. She felt it would be best to not tell Maru she had actually done it twice. Regardless, Renee would get close to the horse, but she would end up accidentally stepping on a twig. It would snap and startle the horse who immediately took off. At first, Renee believed she could catch it, so she dashed after it. Renee was certainly fast, very fast. Likely no other cadet could match her; however, when matched against a military grade steed Renee stood no chance of catching up. Of course, this was a reality she did not accept so easily. Renee ended up sprinting at full speed until she literally collapsed. It took her twenty full minutes until she even got back up.

Renee's next attempt was much later, towards the end of the typical school day. This time Renee found some dead grass. The idea of tempting a horse with food came to mind, and Renee would then spend considerable time gathering just a handful of hay. She spotted a horse easily enough. Renee would approach it cautiously from the front. The horse was disinterested in her and would turn away. "Hey, I've got food." Renee told the horse as if it could understand English. Holding the hay in her hand outstretched towards the mouth of the animal. The horse would not react. Renee insisted that the horse take the food. It got to the point where she was practically shoving her hand into the horse's face. The horse finally reacted. It whipped its head around and bit Renee's hand. The mouth pulled away quickly, but not before dealing a good bit of pain to Renee. She jinxed the horse out and held her hand. Getting bitten by two horses in one day. Renee thought herself the least fortunate girl in all of Saguánit. Renee's final attempt that almost worked occurred right before sundown. It was a crude plan, but Renee didn't want to confront a horse head on anymore fearing if she got bit again. There was a lone tree in the large field, and there was a horse that kept passing under this tree. It was clearly the same horse as it was the most visually distinct of all the horses in the field. A large brown spot adorned the ribcage of the animal. The contrast between the black fur and the pattern made it appear as if the pattern was some kind of scar. As if in a past life a cannon had shot the horse and left a hole so gaping it transcended lifetimes. Renee would climb this tree and sit upon one of its lower hanging, yet sturdy, branches. The horse would once again walk under the tree. Renee would attempt to hop directly from the branch onto the horse's back. She would land on the back, but Renee quickly discovered she did not have a plan for staying atop a startled horse trying to flail her off.

Renee would end up spitting out a wad of dirt as she laid on the ground. At first when she heard footsteps Renee didn't bother getting up. When she recognized the combat boots of her captain Renee quickly scrambled to her feet. "M-Ma'am!" Renee saluted. Captain Flock did not respond immediately. She looked at Renee, covered in dirt and scratches, then at the horse running away, then back at Renee. "You're forgetting to tuck your thumb." Captain Flock critiqued Renee's salute. When a member of SOAR salutes, the code is to always tuck one's thumb under and across one's palm. That way they would always be pointing forward, or pointing "towards the future." That's how it was explained to Renee anyway. "Sorry, Ma'am." Renee corrected herself. Captain Flock looked towards the horizon. "Clean up and go to dinner." She ordered. "But I-" Renee's protest was met with swift denial. "You are the only one left in this field. Go eat, that's an order. It will do your body and mind good." Captain Flock walked off without confirming whether or not Renee followed. She didn't need to. Renee would not go against a direct order from Captain Flock. Perhaps it was because she was too intimidated, perhaps it was because she didn't like going off the beaten path, or perhaps it was simply because Renee was young, and she didn't want to disappoint her teacher whom she thought highly of.

***

Renee arrived to dinner later than the rest of the cadets. She wanted to clean up like the captain told her to. Having washed off whatever scratches she had gotten were far less prominent now. There wasn't anything individually obvious left after a wash. Renee found the table which she normally sat at. Her friends were waiting for her. They welcomed her with smiles on their faces. They had succeeded, and Renee had failed. Despite this they were still her friends, and her friends were quite supportive. "You're hungry." Sage bluntly said before shoving a chicken at Renee's face. "Thank you." Renee tried to be nice and accept the chicken without having it shoved all over her face. "Now I know how the horse feels." Renee whispered to herself. "You tried, and I know damn well you tried harder than anyone else. Even if you failed that's amazing!" Caleb beamed with support. Renee smiled at her childhood friend. His reassurance meant quite a lot. "I suggest you talk to Maru about it. Her advice, along with Soko's, was quite fundamental for my own success." Hosuh recommended whilst barely looking up from his book. "After dinner." Caleb sat Renee down. "Sage is right you're starving." "I am." Sage nodded confidentiality. Renee looked at the food in front of her. A plate had been prepared by her friends with the food she enjoyed. Grilled chicken in rice covered in teriyaki sauce with mashed potatoes on the side. The food at the academy was quite nice. Renee picked up her fork and began to eat. Once she started Renee ate with a vigor that astounded even Sage. It was as if her mouth was a vacuum cleaner. "Captain Flock was right, I feel much better now!" Renee exclaimed with a wide grin on her face. "Anyway I'm off to talk to Maru!" Renee ran through the cafeteria to find wherever Maru was, leaving her friends in silence. "Talks would be cool." Sage looked at Renee running off.

Renee found Maru fast. It wasn't hard when she ran so fast. Maru was sitting with Etsu and Soko. There was one seat pushed out at the table. An empty, very dirty, plate sat on the table in front of the seat. It was clear someone had been sitting there, but they had left since. "Renee hey!" Soko greeted her. "How's that momentum practice coming along?" Renee had been practicing on her own a ton for a while now. For the first month or so Soko trained her directly, but since then he had given Renee a routine to help her on her own. Now Renee was far better at using the potential of her legs. Still, she had a long way to go to achieve Soko's level. "It's going great! Maru, is there any chance I can talk to you?" Renee shifted the topic quickly. Maru looked up from her food. "Sure thing, honey." Maru's smile was as sweet as candy. It was as if she was the kindest mom to every cadet here, despite being only just older than Renee. Maru stood up. "Why don't we go on a walk. It'll be quieter in the halls." Maru walked out of the cafeteria and Renee followed.

The roars of the cadets eating were soon drowned by silence. "So, what about the horses don't you get?" Maru looked at Renee, smiling as she always does. "I didn't say it was about horses? I mean, yes that is what I wanted to talk to you about." Renee was confused and apologetic. "There's no need. It's all anyone is talking about with me today. Not that I can complain. I love talking about horses, so what is on your mind?" Maru repeated her question. “I just can’t seem to get it. I’m trying hard I swear! It’s just that whatever I try doesn’t work. Every horse hates me- can horses sense evil? Am I subconsciously a horrible person?!” Renee’s eyes widened to try and perceive a threat that was not there. Maru chuckled, “No, no calm down, Renee, you’re a great person, and you work very hard I know. Here’s the thing with these horses, at least what I know about it. They need a vulnerable rider. The horse needs to trust you with its life, so it’s only reasonable you do the same.” Maru held the tension of the conversation, so if Renee didn’t understand she could explain it more. “I-“ Renee hesitated, “I’m vulnerable.” Renee frowned. She looked back on how she tried to tame a horse. Bribery, belittling, trickery, and physicality. She sighed.

Maru hugged Renee. “Are you alright now, Renee?” She hugged back very softly. Maru’s sweater was soft to the touch. It was a warm blanket on a cold morning after a long sleep. The kind you never want to get out of. “Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry for taking up your time.” Renee smiled. “You should head back to dinner now, don’t want to keep Etsu and Soko waiting.” Maru nodded. “I’m glad I could help, have a good night.” Maru smiled. She always smiled. Just as sure as the sun would rise, Maru would smile. Maru walked off back into the cafeteria. Renee stood alone. A sudden chill rushed over her body. A window was still open allowing the icy wind to pour in and rush over Renee’s skin. The dark, inky night was enchantingly beautiful. Her body moved before her mind. Renee took off in a sprint. With no more than a moments wait she burst through the doors that lead to the outside. Renee didn’t slow her momentum. Her path wrapped around the building until the campus opened into the large field. There were two horses even despite the cold. Perhaps they weren’t bothered the same as Renee. One after the other her feet hit the ground. The horse grew larger and larger as she drew closer and closer. Her heart raced. Renee was ready to do this. She was confident. She would make everyone proud. Renee’s train of thought was derailed completely when she tripped and stumbled into the grass. The cold dirt hit her head and bruised it. Her nose stung in the way that you can almost taste how it feels. Renee groaned and tried to gain her bearings in the dark.

“Ow!” A feminine, female voice called out. Renee’s gut sunk. She had not realized there was another person out in the field. “I’m so sorry! Sorry sorry sorry! I didn’t see you!” Renee apologized profusely. She directed her apology towards a human silhouette on the ground. The silhouette rubbed her head and got back on her feet. She would brush the dirt off of her skirt. “It’s,” she sighed, “it’s fine. Alright, who am I talking to?” She turned towards Renee. “Renee Rossi.” Renee’s eyes started to adapt to the blanket of darkness. Before her stood a girl in her class, a little older than Renee. She had recognized her voice almost immediately. It was Filippa Solace. Filippa was an odd girl. She stood in an odd fashion, she wore odd clothes, she spoke in an odd tone, and she had an odd relationship with anyone around her. It wasn’t necessarily bad. It was simply odd. Renee acknowledged that she, herself, could be thought of as similarly odd. Right now Filippa was dressed in the uniform skirt and thin leggings. Not much to protect against the cold, but she had on a large winter coat with a fluffy trim and a hat that covered her straight, black hair. Occasionally a few strands would poke out from behind the cover. The hat did not extend past her neck, nor did her hair extend much further. She also wore a pair of earmuffs over that. “Renee, right I should’ve figure from the force of that kick. I still feel the imprint, ow.” Her brown eyes would flash a few times quickly, blinking to recover from the hit.

“Sorry about that, again.” Renee was struggling to stop apologizing for tripping over Filippa. Renee pulled herself to her feet. “I’m fine really. I’m out here cause the horses didn’t like me during the day. Maru gave me some advice, but I hate horses. They stink like hay and shit.” Filippa scoffed at the horses smell. Renee tilted her head. “It’s fine cause the horses hate me too, though, so I guess we’re even.” Filippa explained. Renee nodded now understanding. It wasn’t the most sensible logic, but Renee followed it all the same. “I guess I’m the same. Horses don’t like me, but that may be my fault.” Renee muttered that last part under her breath. “So, we’re the only people who couldn’t get horses?” Renee looked up at Filippa already knowing the answer. Filippa nodded quick. “I guess we’re just the sans stallion students, alliteration.” Filippa giggled, and Renee chuckled a little. “Sorry, if I acted weird, I’ve just a bit been out of it cause I couldn’t get a horse. Talking with you helped, so thank you.” Renee smiled softly at the fellow cadet.

“You’re fine no worries! I don’t like the horses either.” Filippa nodded a few quick times. “Well I wouldn’t say I dislike horses just-“ “Yeah horses are pretty stinky.” Filippa quickly cut Renee off. She couldn’t determine if Filippa did it intentionally or not. “Still, we need to get them don’t we.” Filippa sighed and turned away. Renee walked around Filippa’s shoulder to talk to her eye to eye. “Can I help you tame a horse?” Renee asked Filippa. Filippa didn’t respond at first. Renee tilted her head like a puppy. “Yeah,” Filippa grins wide and bright, “I would like that. Thank you Renee.” Filippa quickly hugged Renee. This took her by surprise. Although Renee tried to hug back best she could under the constraint of the deceptively strong embrace. She and Filippa weren’t particularly close or anything. “Let’s go!” Filippa started running off. She was in a full sprint. Renee nodded and started jogging to catch up with Filippa.

Renee stopped jogging when Filippa collapsed. “Running is so hard!” She whined sharply into the night. Renee looked down confused. She had momentarily forgotten that running at such speeds was exhausting to some. “Here.” Renee extended her hand to Filippa. She took it and attempted to pull herself up. Renee had to basically pull Filippa up to her feet without any help from Filippa herself. When the two both looked up Filippa squealed. There was a horse right in front of the both of them. “I hate them I hate them I hate them!” Filippa whispered like a whip cracking. “It’s alright, Filippa, it won’t hurt you.” Renee looked at her arm. The arm that had received multiple bites from horses. “Well, it probably won’t.” Renee offered her hand out. Filippa took it and squeezed it tight. It hurt Renee. Renee roughed it out. Filippa was closing her eyes so tight a not even crowbar would be able to pry them open. “Hey, you’ve gotta trust the horse.” Renee repeated Maru’s words of advice. Filippa shook her head. Her scrunched up face conveyed her utter displeasure. “Alright, I get it. You don’t trust the horse. I won’t blame you for that.” Renee looked at the horse. It was watching intently. It was as if the horse was judging every move the both of them made. “But, can you trust me, please?” Renee looked at Filippa in the eyes softly despite them still being tight shut. Filippa almost pulled away for a moment, and Renee would’ve let her, but Filippa wouldn't let go of Renee’s hand. “Fine, I trust you.”

“Thank you, Filippa, that’s really brave.” Renee looked at her. Renee looked at the horse. Renee could feel herself shaking. Renee grabbed her forearm on the hand that was holding Filippa’s. She didn’t feel a thing from Renee’s hand. Renee took a step forward. “I’ll go slow, so you won’t trip.” She reassured Filippa. The horse watched them both closely. It did not blink. It stayed looking the two head on. The moon’s light reflected off of its pure black eyes. The soft, cold wind was blowing its blond hair out of its face. Renee tried her best to take deep breaths. Everything she did she wanted to make sure Filippa didn’t hear it. “Is it okay? Am I going to be alright?” Filippa couldn’t help but blurting out. Renee nodded. She forgot Filippa’s eyes were closed, “yes,” and they continued on. Now the red haired girl and the girl with her eyes closed tight were face to face with the horse. Renee held Filippa’s hand tighter. “Remember, you’ve just got to trust me.” Filippa leaned a bit into Renee. “I trust you! I believe in you! I hate horses, but I can’t help it if you’ve got me feeling a little hopeful!” Filippa shouted. The words rang in Renee’s head. She took Filippa’s hand, and she slowly guided it forward. Then her hand went up. Renee watched the horse close. Again she was shaking. This was it. Filippa was taking a leap of faith, and Renee just had to guide her. Her hand softly pressed again the horse, and Filippa opened her eyes.

“Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh- I’m freaking out.” Filippa said in a calm tone that contrasted her words. The horse looked back. “Are you alright if I let go?” Renee asked looking at Filippa. “Yeah, thank you.” She nodded. Renee slipped her fingers away from Filippa. Filippa and the horse made eye contact. “I still don’t like horses, but this one isn’t that bad.” Filippa admitted begrudgingly. Just as she said it, the horse leaned in to Filippa’s touch. She squealed once more, but this one seemed more positive in tone. “Can you help me get up, Renee?” Filippa asked. “Oh- yeah, here I’ll give you a leg up.” After a few moments of helping Filippa made it up on the horse. “Thanks again for all your help, Renee!” Filippa smiled at Renee brightly. “Of course! I’m always here to help.” Renee matched Filippa’s smile. “Hey, you want to be a hero, right?” She asked Renee. Renee hesitated for a moment. She knew what it’s like. Some don’t agree with her dreams. Some say that it’s impossible. It can be discouraging sometimes, but she’d never give up hope. Renee nodded. “I think that’s very cool! Have a good night, Renee!” Without giving her a chance to respond Filippa trotted off with her horse. Renee hoped she realized she didn't have a saddle before she got too far.

Once again Renee was left alone in the cold. Renee sat on the ground. It didn’t feel so hard anymore, for when Renee looked back at the academy building. In the night it looked like a brilliant Christmas tree all lit up. Renee considered long and hard about what to think. Sure, no one was around her physically, but it felt warmer than the cool nights typically were. It was colder just a few minutes ago. The nights air had certainly not warmed up. Renee simply realized she was not alone. She never was, so Renee got up and walked over to the one lone horse who stood in the field. Renee now was face to face with the last remaining horse. Renee frowned for a moment. She had doubts about if this would even work. Considering all her past failures it likely wouldn’t, but then she smiled. No matter how many failures Renee had experienced in the past she’d always get back up. “It’s alright, I get it if you don’t trust me.” Renee looked at the horse. Its patterns revealed that this was the same horse that Renee tried to jump atop of from the tree. It possessed the same mark reminiscent of a cannon shot. “I’m sorry.” Renee bowed to the horse, but that wasn’t nearly enough to make up for what she had done. At least according to herself. Renee got to her knees. She was practically digging her head into the ground. “I’m so sorry.” Renee was entirely sincere in her words and actions. Renee kept her head to the ground until she felt something along her forehead. Confused, Renee looked up. It was the horse. To Renee’s sheer and utter surprise, the horse was bowing back. “Woah..” Renee let the word slip out. Cautiously, Renee reached out her hand. Before Renee even moved her own hand out further the horse leaned in to Renee’s touch. “You’re a good stallion.” The horse let Renee on his back, and the two walked off to the stables in the woods.

Chapter Text

June 21st 2302...
The sun rose on the morning of the winter solstice. It was an impressive show of enduring beauty with the oncoming blizzard blocking much of the horizon. The twilight of dawn cast shades of pink and purple over the clouds, which covered most of the sky, snow, and ground. Any non conifer tree was entirely barren of leaves. Only the slick ice and snow occupied the branches, aside from the rare bird who would perch on the limb and sing its song for all to hear. The melody cut through the still, cold air like a bullet, hitting anyone fortunate enough. The snow, in some places, was up to six inches deep. All of it was a product of small snow storms that never had much precipitation at once; however, it built up over the course of the past two months. Due to the slow build up of snow it was all dry and loosely connected. Carpeting the ground would be a substance one might mistake for powdered sugar, and it could be walked through just as easily. What a pretty, still morning.

This was the last day of training before winter break. Tomorrow would be set aside for packing, and the day after is when most everyone would be picked up. Some cadets, however, would stay over the break. Some of the higher ranked officials around the academy would be doing the same. Renee planned to go home over the holiday break. She wanted to see her parents again. Caleb would be doing the same, and the two would even be traveling together. Hosuh and Sage would be keeping each other company over the break as neither would leave. Despite their differences, Sage and Hosuh got along quite well. Renee initially feared that their shared stoicism would lead to butting heads. To her shock, it had the opposite effect. That worry was now several months removed. Renee also knew that Imelda was going home for the time off. She didn't seem too happy about it.

Renee looked over her dorm to confirm that all her things were packed. At least, all the things she was taking home. Plenty was kept in the drawers and her closet as she'd be back in only a couple weeks. "Are you sure you'll be okay here, Sage? I promise it's no hassle if you want to spend the break with my family. We'd be more than happy to have you." Sage looked back at her roommate and nodded. "Maybe next year. And Hosuh here." Her English wasn't perfect, but she was getting better. "True, well the offer's always open." Renee smiled reassuringly. Both heads sharply turned to the window when they heard a knock. "But cold.." Sage got under the covers. Renee's sigh was mixed with a chuckle as she opened the window.

"At some point you're gonna get caught if you keep doing this." Caleb smiled back at his friend. "As if," Caleb patted his grapple gear with pride. His green hair, which had brown roots visible at this point, was interrupted by a white static pattern of small snow specks. The green scarf that he loved so much was wrapped tightly around his neck. His rosy cheeks and white breath was a sign of the cold morning. "Cold!" Sage complained further wrapping themself in a cocoon of blankets. "Alright," Renee nodded, "whatcha here for?" Caleb nodded. "Right, well, y'know can't I just say hi?" His smirk gave him away. "Heh, nah." Renee pressed finger guns to Caleb's forehead. "Talk, buddy."
"Alright, alright you got me. Etsu's making everyone breakfast. You should come down. Oh shoot I hear footsteps!" Caleb tried scrambling inside the window, but was only met with Renee pushing him back out. "Hey you!-" Caleb tried to shoot back at Renee. "Relax it's only me, you nerd." Renee popped her head out the window recognizing the voice immediately. "Imelda!" Renee was shocked to see how little she was wearing despite the cold. Adorned on her friend was nothing more than a simple t-shirt and gray sweatpants. Caleb looked down. "What're you doing here?"
"Here to find you, and Renee I guess but looks like you already got to her." Renee felt red on her face.
"What do you need me for?"
"Well-"

Sage pulled Renee back into the dorm and slammed the window shut. "Huh? Oh sorry." Renee realized they must've been cold. Sage put on a hoodie that was at least 3 sizes too big and was moss-like in color and texture. "I smell cakes." Sage pulled Renee out of the dorm and headed to the common space where Etsu cooked in the kitchen. Sage had formed a habit of calling all baked goods cakes, since the first time they ever had something from Etsu it was a cake. A strong wave of aroma hit Renee's nose. A few distinct smells could be picked out from the swaying melody. Of course the smell of bread like a pillow of fluff. Then there was a woody smell. Renee couldn't quite place it, but she knew she had smelled it before in a forest. The memory rushed back to her all at once. It was when she still had brown hair, and it was winter just like it is now. Renee was with her parents. The three had traveled over an hour in the car to what her dad claimed was "the most perfect sledding hill in all of Saguánit." It was a risky idea, although those run in the Rossi family, because Renee's mom was nine months pregnant with her little sister. In fact she was born just a couple days later, little Bernetta Rossi. Something was magical about the snow that day.

At the top of the sled hill the wind blew around the top layer of snow like a fine dust. Except this dust would sparkle and shimmer, and it would fall onto Renee's small cheeks and brunette head. She would stick her tongue out to catch the snowflakes. They had no taste, but there was wonder in each tiny white dot. A pattern entirely unique to itself. Nothing was ever like this before, and nothing will ever be like this again. Something so amazing was so small, and it landed on the tongue of an eager and hopeful little girl. Renee's dad placed down the sled getting on it himself. He then reached out his arms signaling for Renee to join him. She did so happily, snuggling up to his strong, large arms. He held his daughter tightly and pushed off the snow. The feeling of wind rushing past Renee's face so fast stung her. There was, however, something thrilling about the sting. She smiled and giggled as the sled gained more and more speed. The snow would be kicked up into clouds of diamonds behind the sled. She expected to stop when the hill leveled out, but to her own and her dad's shock they had built up so much momentum they kept going. The speed was frightening to everyone except for Renee. She remembers seeing a face of worry and fear on her mom's face. This confused Renee at the time because she was having fun. The sled would enter a forest where the trees were decently spaced and relatively thin. This allowed for her father to maneuver slightly as to not crash. His feet dug into the snow. The sled would not stop in time. It was heading directly into a tree, and it was too late to be stopped. Renee's dad grabbed her tight and flung out of the sled. The two rolled in the snow with the continuing momentum. Renee was fine when they came to a stop. When she looked towards her dad one of his legs was pressing against the tree, and he was panting heavily.

Renee giggled. She hugged her dad on the ground and shouted, "Again again!" He looked up at his daughter and started chuckling. The two quickly couldn't stop themselves in a laughing fit. Renee's mom rushed over worried. Renee couldn't remember exactly what she said. She and her dad were too busy laughing to know. Her mom's worries faded when her husband gave her some sort of signal that everything was okay. Before she knew it she had joined the laughing fit too. The three Rossi's were all in a laughing fit that wouldn't stop any time soon. Perhaps even little Bernetta was laughing, not that they could tell. Once the laughing died down Renee remembers her mom saying, "this is a pretty forest. Renee, do you know what type of trees these are?" Renee shook her head. "These are maple trees, they're what syrup is made out of. Their sap makes the sweet treat we put on pancakes." Her mom explained kneeling down. "What's a pancake?" Renee tilted her head like a puppy. "How have you never had pancakes? Oh my we've failed as parents, honey. Well, that settles it. We now owe you pancakes with some good, natural maple syrup." Renee wanted to be excited, but she had no idea what to be excited for. Her dad chuckled, "Here, Renee." He pointed to the tree. The sled hitting it had made a cut into the wood. From the cut poured a small amount of sap. He placed his glove to the sap and then held it up to Renee's nose. "Take a sniff, I promise you won't regret it." Renee took a deep sniff. It smelled like a woody, rich sugar. She loved it and giggled. When the three went home her mom would drive. This was odd because she had been driving less and less the closer she got to Bernetta's birth. They arrived at the hospital where her mom would sit with her until her, now unfortunately passed, grandparents would arrive. Renee would then spend the next few days boarding between her grandparent's house and the hospital.

Her dad walked with a slight limp from that day on. Perhaps it was simply a lack of observational skills when she was younger, or perhaps it was her view of her dad as some invincible, herculean figure, but Renee never put together till now that that day was the cause. She didn't even realize at first that his leg was ever hurt. She just assumed he'd stay at the hospital to comfort her mom during labor and giving birth. After the incident Renee remembers Mr. Smith, Lucifer not Calcifer, saying to her dad "Oh they should've put you in my care. I could've made your leg better than new." The two would always share a chuckle when his limp was brought up. Her mom's promise of pancakes would take a while to be fulfilled. Between her dad's leg and Bernetta the whole family was busy. However, on Renee's birthday, the promise would be fulfilled. On every one of her birthdays since then, Renee would eat pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast.

Renee's train of thought was interrupted by recognizing the final aroma that poured out of the kitchen. "Holy crap is that bacon?!" Renee cheered out loud the second she and Sage had entered the common space. Sure enough the sizzling bark of meat on the stove could not be mistaken for anything else. "Sure is." Etsu looked over his shoulder to confirm Renee's suspicion. "Bacon? Smells good.." Sage thought their simplistic thoughts out loud. "Sage, you've gotta try this, it's insane. I've only had it on holidays when my family eats with Caleb's." Hosuh chimed in from the corner. "Bacon, I believe that's pig meat, yes?" He looked up from his book to see if he was correct. Renee nodded and Hosuh returned to his book. "Alright, breakfast is ready." Etsu looked outside the window. "Get it hot!" Etsu started serving the food onto plates. As fast as food would be loaded onto plates, the platters would disappear from the counter. There's no cooking like Etsu's, and there's no hunger like the cadets, especially those under Captain Flock. It was a good combination.

Renee wanted to savor every bite of the food, but her hunger made that a difficult task. Sage seemed to be enjoying themself. "Bacon is best!" They were tearing apart the meat like their life depended on it. Dylan was suddenly leaning against the couch where Sage and Renee sat. "Have you seriously never had bacon?" A soft giggle came from behind Dylan. "Oh my god, talk about embarrassing." Emel Bilici was a bully. Renee could think of no other word to describe her. At least with someone like Clay or Dylan, when they were mean it was meant in a joking fashion (even if Clay's jokes aren't funny) or just come from some stance of ignorance. Emel, no. Emel was just mean. She was a Lucky blessed by the genetic lottery. Fair skin, dark and smooth hair that she wore up so a hair never fell out of place, blue eyes. It was an odd sight. Without a Curse it was rare, but it was not impossible. All of this in addition to her genuine jewelry and makeup lead to some kind of artificial beauty look. Renee thought of it like some kind of uncanny valley of attractiveness. She was so pretty and perfect something just seemed off about her. Of course, her opinion may have been swayed to a more negative one. Between their unusual behavior and lackluster language skills, Sage was a typical victim of Emel's comments.

Renee liked an old movie made way back before the world ended. It was about popular bully girls, and Emel reminded Renee of the "queen bee" in the story. This simply furthered her distaste of Emel because she was starting to ruin the movie for her. Dylan and Emel high fiving pulled Renee back into reality. She heard Sage growling. Putting her hand on their shoulder made it better. "Just let us enjoy breakfast in peace, please." Renee set down her plate and stood to turn towards the opposing girls. "Hm, you're right. We have better things to do. Come on then Dylan." Emel walked off. She snapped, like it was a command, and Dylan followed. Renee sighed and sat back down. At least now Sage could enjoy their breakfast in peace. Renee sat upright like a guard dog while her friend finished the food in front of them.

Just as Sage sat their plate down, the door to the common room opened. Through it first stepped in Caleb. His clothes were slightly wet from melted snow. Then stepped through Imelda. She was just herself as ever, without a care in the world she'd remove her shoes and put on warm slippers. Imelda's nonchalant demeanor was especially contrasting once Captain Flock walked through the doorway. Immediately Renee stood and stiffened. "Good morning, cadets." The captain said surveying the now silent room. "Good, you're all here. That will make this much easier." The air was taught with anticipation, worry, and intimidation. "Mr.Smith," her attention turned to Caleb, "what do you know about the mountains to the West?" Caleb froze up like he saw a ghost. "Well, the closest base of the mountains is only a mile from the academy, and some of them are so tall they keep snow year round. I don't know any more than that ma'am." Caleb's head hung as a feeble attempt at hiding away. "All true. I'm sure most of you know of the oncoming blizzard. It is supposed to be the largest storm this decade, and the outskirts of precipitation have already reached us." Of course they all knew. It was all anyone was talking about. They thought training might even be canceled because of it. "For your training today," never mind, thought Renee. "You will hike up the mountains to find a S.O.A.R outpost hidden among the peaks. Your gear will be deposited here at noon. I expect you all to be on the edge of the forest by sundown, and bring your horses." Before anyone could comment or question the captain's orders she left.

Not many people were really sure what to say. Considering the oncoming blizzard and the cadet's lack of knowledge about the mountains could lead this to be the most dangerous training yet. Not to mention they were going to do it after sundown, so it would be even colder and harder to see. Renee's muscles were relieved of tension when she heard Imelda chuckle. "Just another day under Captain Flock, eh?"

Chapter Text

Ten minutes from sundown Renee found herself and the whole class of cadets standing before the tall, snowy forest. In her hands were the reins to her horse, who she had named "Cannon" and not told anyone else why, and on her back was a heavy bag of gear. Everyone was wearing the S.O.A.R winter field uniform. The sleeves, instead of being skin tight, were puffy and warm. Renee could see Caleb was already taking notes on how to adapt the grappling gear to the extra bulk provided for insulation. Overtop the typical gear there is the option to use a large jacket for extra warmth. Renee took the opportunity without hesitation. Although, the captain would later reveal that it would not be optional for tonight. Renee was just glad to have it. After that the only additional piece of gear was a hat with flaps to cover the ears. The colors of the uniform also differed from its typical, warm counterpart. Whereas that uniform was meant to camouflage with a dense forest and cities overgrown with nature, the winter uniform was meant to blend in with the snow and rocky terrain of mountains.

Captain Flock was suddenly in front of the group. Either Renee had not been paying enough attention to notice her walk up, or she was simply that good at going unnoticed. The captain's breath was more visible than anyone else's. It was like her stomach was boiling water and the steam from it was escaping anywhere it could. "For the hike up the mountain you will be split into squads. If you've been paying attention in my class, you'll remember that a squad consists of five soldiers and one squad leader. Any questions?" Captain Flock surveyed the silent cadets. "The squads consist of the following. Squad leader, Maru, your squad will consist of Etsu, Dylan, Philip, Eden, and Soko. Squad leader, Elham, your squad will consist of Imelda, Caleb, Sage, Hosuh, and Lily. Squad leader, May, your squad will consist of Emel, Thalia, Filippa, Clay, and Renee. You may begin once the sun has disappeared past the mountains. I will be waiting for you all at the outpost." Captain Flock left without saying anything else.

Renee looked at her squad members. Out of the other five she knew Thalia Reese the least. She had a sort of childlike innocence to her despite being no younger than Renee herself. From what she had gathered, Thalia had a relatively sheltered upbringing as a result of overprotective parents, but Renee didn't want to assume that that was true just because someone said it. Of course, Thalia's cute gap toothed grin didn't help her look older, nor did the remaining baby fat still on her cheeks. Her height might've been the one thing that actually made her look mature. There were those who were taller, but she still looked quite tall from Renee's vantage point. Thalia sort of reminded Renee of a sunflower.

"Well that's damned fortune, eh Blood?" Imelda patted Renee on the back. "Oh, I wouldn't say so. Even if you four are all together and I'm off on my own. I mean, I should probably make more friends at some point." Renee kept to her hope. "Yeah well, bad fortune or not, make sure to watch your back. I ain't got too much trust in May. It's just paranoia, but I can't help it if I worry about you. You get it, eh?" Imelda tried to play it off cool. Renee didn't notice it, but just about anyone else could. May was off putting to Imelda, and she was worried to leave the archer alone with Renee. "I'm more worried about Emel. She just- I don't like her." Renee huffed, disapproving of even the idea of Emel. "Sorry I'm getting caught up in my own stuff. I hope you guys have a good time. I'm sure Elham will be a good squad leader for you guys." Renee melted her stress away with a smile. "Yeah, guess so. Well, we're just about getting ready it looks like." Imelda stock out her hand. "See you on the other side?" Renee nodded and went to shake Imelda's hand. Without warning she was pulled into a huge. "Heh," Imelda pulled away after a few seconds that felt longer than they were. "Yeah." Imelda walked back to her squad smirking.

Renee was left standing in the bitter cold with cheeks as red as her hair and eyes. She felt her arm squeeze and being pulled. Looking down she saw Filippa dragging her towards her squad. Well, at least she was trying to. Truth was Filipa wouldn't be able to budge Renee with all her might, but Renee started walking so it gave the illusion of it working. "So, we all see it right?" Clay started in a whiny tone. "A whole squad made up of nothing but Luckies, and the one freaking Cursed is our squad leader." Clay gestured towards May who was studying her map. "Hey!" Renee was offended. "Oh right you. What do you even do?" Clay looked Renee up and down. "She runs fast!" Filippa exclaimed before Renee got a chance to speak. "That's a pretty lame Curse." Emel was now piggybacking off of Clay and taking control of the conversation. "And like, it's kind of unfair against everyone else if you're running track with a Curse that makes you faster." Emel scrunched up her nose. "First of all," Renee huffed, "it's not a Curse. If you would pay attention I don't know what my Curse is. I can run fast because I've spent the better half of a decade working my ass off to run fast and-"

"We leave now." When May spoke silence trapped every jaw shut. She wrapped her hand around her horse's reins. "You wanna fill us in on your plan?" Clay was skittish and excitable. "Renee, look at the map." May handed the map and a compass to Renee to her surprise. "Y-Yes, May squad leader- ma'am." Renee's attempt of formality was met with a glare that told her to just call May by her name. After everyone had grabbed their gear and reins, the squad began walking. The red eyes scanned the map tediously and thoroughly. "So I'm going to take that as a no." Clay huffed with disapproval at being ignored. "I trust May, have you seen the way she moves through the forests?" Thalia pipped up, "but forests aren't mountains." Filippa commented without malice. "Renee sees the plan." May looked back at the navigator she chose. Emel was skeptic.

"She does?"
"I do."
Renee pointed to the horizon towards a close, but tall mountain. "We climb that peak to gain our bearings before the visibility drops too much. Oh, and you guys didn't see this, but on the map there are instructions. We have to grab a flag before we start heading to the outpost." May nodded. Emel glared at Renee. It was uncomfortable to be on the other side of. "That's a lot of walking..." Thalia glanced around her squad mates who mostly agreed. "I mean, this is Captain Flock we're talking about." Renee went back to studying the map as to avoid anyone else's gaze. "Renee is right. Even still, given all the factors it would be reasonable to assume we'd be able to make the journey by midnight." May only looked back once to see the other two squads disappear. The furthest squad disappeared into the growing blizzard and behind smaller hills. The middle squad entered a forest situated in the valley of the mountain range. "Playing favorites much?" Emel tried to walk ahead of May, but settled to walk evenly once she was met with the terrifying gaze of a single visible eye. "I trust Renee, she's so smart!" Filippa unexpectedly hugs Renee from the side. "Oh good for you, Renee, you've got the crazy one on your side." Renee felt the emotion of uncertainty rise. She could feel the shame boiling up inside of her. It wasn't foreign, unfortunately. Renee could simply feel herself dissociate from reality. It was easier to disappear into the recesses of her mind than to exist.

Chapter Text

Maru was personally quite shocked when she heard she would be acting as this mock-squad's leader. She didn't see herself much as the leader type. Ultimately, though, it didn't matter what Maru or any other cadet thought. These decisions were made by their captain, and so they were final. Maru needed to step up whether she liked it or not. "Alright, team!" Her smile was reassuring. It always was. She never stopped smiling. "It's no mistake Captain Flock put us all together. Soko and Eden, you two should never get too far from Philip. I'm honestly unsure of how much cold you two can take, and personally I don't want to find out the hard way. If you ever need Etsu and I can take your horses." Maru looked out to her squad for suggestions, criticism, or general agreement. It didn't matter which. Maru just wanted input so she'd feel less authoritative. "Sounds like a plan to me." Philip nodded at Soko and Eden who both nodded back. "Should we get going?" Eden's head shrunk into his shoulders and scarf. "I mean, the blizzard's only going to get worse, right?" Etsu took his horse by the reins before turning to Maru. "Eden's right. We don't want to fall behind in this weather, even if we have Philip here."

Etsu's stature commanded a certain level of booming authority. Which was ironic because he was the softest, most kind hearted person Maru knew. Even if he was also the most buff, and he was probably the tallest too. As far as Maru was aware there weren't many sixteen year olds as tall as six foot five inches. It did make it easier for him to reach the high shelves where all the best cooking and baking ingredients were. "I agree. Let's not wait around any longer. Now then we've got this map and.." Maru's face cringed a little when she looked at the map. Truth was she had no clue how to read a map. "Heh, I'm totally lost here guys can you help?" She stuck out the map so anyone could grab it. "Oh you've gotta be kidding." Dylan didn't much like the idea of the squad leader not knowing how to read a map. Not that she was very good at it herself. Maru rubbed the back of her neck feeling a little embarrassed, but her smile never disappeared. "Eden's a map wizard. You should've seen him when the captain was introducing orienteering he killed it like it was nothing!" Philip took the map and put it in Eden's hands. A carpet of moss covered part of his face.

"Alright Eden!" Maru started to cheer before Eden spoke again. "Well, there's instructions too- on- on the map. We have to go here before we go to the outpost." Eden turned the map and pointed to a black flag symbol. It was out of the way, but at least the outpost was marked on their map. Knowing Captain Flock, Eden was anxious about the potential that it wouldn't have been. "I'll handle the compass." Soko patted Eden on the back. "Oh- thank you." Eden looked towards Maru who promptly handed Soko the compass. "Alright so we're heading west then?" Soko looked towards Eden for confirmation. "It's kind of a straight line. But..." Eden looked up from the map. "But?" Philip tried to see what Eden was seeing. Eden pointed towards the forest situated in the valley. "It'll be entirely through the forest. And- and it'll only get denser the more we progress." "Making navigation harder." Etsu finished off the thought out loud. Eden nodded. "So finding that flag could be like a needle in a haystack?" Maru thought back to the physical exam. Those flags were blood red in the early summer day, and even those were hard to find. "Y-Yeah." Eden looked down.

"Then we better get going!" Maru started marching towards the forest. "Wow, you don't seem to ever turn down that optimism." Dylan looked at Maru as if she wasn't actually a real person. Like Maru was somehow an angel, a being of endless smiles and cheer. The rest of her squad followed in tow. "We should be able to travel on horseback for now." Maru climbed atop the back of her house. "Right, hey Etsu can you help me?" Soko turned towards his much taller friend. "Of course!" Etsu leaned down and helped Soko up onto his horse. The combination of Soko's smaller stature, heavier build, and loose snow beneath his feet made it too much of a challenge to mount his horse on his own. The squad started trotting into the forest. Maru looked to her left. The squad she saw wandered behind smaller mounds of hills making them disappear. Maru looked to her right. That squad hadn't even moved yet. She made eye contact with May before entering the forest. Now with a barrier between all the squads they were truly on their own. Maru blinked a few times to try and adjust to the darker light of the forest. Before her eyes properly assimilated a blue light crept in from behind. Turning around, she could see that Philip had made a small ball of fire in his left hand. "That's so pretty." Etsu's face was like a moth the way his eyes were drawn to Philip's flame.

Looking at Eden, Maru saw flowers sprouted from the moss on his face. They were attracted to the flame, inching closer without their host even realizing it. "Alright, Philip you come up here with me. It'll be best to help lead the way. Etsu-" Maru turned to give him a command only to see he was already pulling out the squad's one flashlight. "Way ahead of you. Stay back with the navigators." Etsu gave Maru a reassuring smile. "Perfect. Let's all keep as close as we can. We don't want to get separated, especially if the forest does get denser, like Eden said." Everyone nodded, some more confidently than others. "Dylan you come up here with me and Philip too. We want to keep our formation as tight as possible." Maru looked back, but Dylan had already made her way up next to Maru. "This has got to be the dumbest training ever." Dylan pouted. "I mean I'm cold, I'm tired, we can't see anything, and the night has only just begun!"

Maru tried her best not to take Dylan's complaints to heart. Truth was she didn't like what they had to do either, but she couldn't let anyone else know that. Maru kept smiling, "We should be glad. Out of every cadet's Curses we managed to get the one that is a direct counter to the cold and dark. We're very fortunate to have Philip." Maru patted the warm shoulder of her fire lit companion. Etsu piggy backed off of Maru's comments. "Plus, we're going relatively in a straight line. Even if the forest may be hard to travel through it's some barrier against the storm. I don't know if you looked at the weather before we left, but it's only going to get worse, so I'd take any shelter we have." Dylan looked to the side away from everyone else. She may have mumbled a few words, but if she did no one could hear her as at the same time a howl of wind snaked through the trees.

Eden and Soko clung inwards to their jackets. "D-Damn cold blooded me. Heh, you get it, Eden." Soko turned to the other shivering boy who nodded without saying much. Maru looked ahead, then back at her squad. "Alright, time to pick up the pace." Feeling the adjustment of the reins, Maru's horse started trotting faster. Both mount and girl knew that this forest would have been easy work had they been alone. Maru was by far the most skilled cadet on a horse. Her skill even exceeded that of Captain Flock's. Her horse also happened to be one of the fastest, toughest mounts in all of S.O.A.R. A dense forest would be ineffective at slowing the perfect animal-human duo.

Her squad, however, was not graced with such skill. Maybe Etsu could keep up if Maru didn't go full speed, but Eden, Philip, Dylan, and Soko could never keep pace. Knowing all the squads and their relative paths, it was likely that this was the slowest path out of the three. Surely that was on purpose, Maru thought. With Captain Flock there was no such thing as coincidence. Take the situation of Renee, Caleb, Hosuh, Sage, and Imelda for example. The five are a clearly tight knit group of friends. They're friendly with others of course, but no one is friends with anyone in that group the way they are with each other. Maru figured that maybe the captain had a hypothesis. That being that Renee was the linchpin for the friend group. It made sense on paper. Caleb and her were tight friends long before SOAR. Renee met Hosuh and worked with him during the physical exam. Then there was Sage, Renee's roommate, so obviously those two would be close. Then there was Imelda, well, everyone had their own theories about Imelda. Maru thought it best to keep out of speculation like that.

Maru found it almost certain then that this grouping that had four of the friends removed from Renee was intentional. Then of course Maru started to wonder how Elham and Lily fit into Captain Flock's plan. Could it have something to do with Lily's age? Perhaps it did, and to counter that she put the most mature cadet, Elham, in the same squad. Maybe- "Are you alright, Maru?" Philip held his hand close to her face so that the lighting from the fire would be better. Maru simply let her smile match the fires warmth. "Perfectly fine. I just get lost in thinking sometimes, y'know?" Philip nodded slowly. He was about to respond, but a tree came between the two and separated them momentarily. "Guess we've gotta be more alert now. The forest really is getting denser." Philip looked around at all the shadows cast from his light. "Well, good news. That matches up with the map." Eden took only a moment to look up from the map and speak through his chattering teeth. "And we're still going west, yay." Soko confirmed the squads proper navigation further.

There were no more words exchanged at that moment. Only the air of ambiance could be heard. The trees let snowflakes through the canopy like microscopic meteors falling in a shower of slow motion. The squad all silently thanked the universe for the small shield against the blizzard. Even with the barrier of the forest wind crept through like a snake. It sent chills down everyone's spine. Most frightening, however, was that when the wind howled, an animal howled back. "Oh screw off." Dylan looked around the forest frantically. "The howl was far away. We'll be fine. For now we just keep moving. Keep the formation tight." Maru's smile was confident, and so it demanded everyone to listen. Even with the howls of the mountains shivering the squads bones.

Chapter Text

"Elham, really?" Caleb looked over to the girl designated as the mock squad's leader. His nose scrunched up when Captain Flock spoke of her position. "Are you surprised?" Hosuh turned to Caleb. "I mean, I don't know I've got the highest grades in the class I guess I assumed I'd be a squad leader." Caleb looked back to the captain as if he expected her to say "sorry, that was a mistake. Mr. Smith, you'll actually be the squad's leader." But no such words were spoken. In fact she left without another word leaving her cold lips. "Well, there is more to a squad leader than grades." Hosuh looked to Elham thinking of what must be going on in her mind. "Yeah, yeah you're right thanks." Caleb shook his head, letting go of the notion that he should've been the squad leader.

Sage was making prolonged eye contact with Lily. Maybe she thought it was a staring contest so she wasn't blinking. Sage wasn't blinking either, but that might just be because they're Sage. Oddity might as well be their middle name. Not that they have a last name to sandwich a middle one between. Imelda walked back over to her squad. "Do you think Renee will be alright." Caleb turned to her. "Of course she will. Renee's real tough, eh?" Imelda's cool tone was always reassuring. Finally, Elham turned away from her gear and approached her own squad. The first thing she did was squat to be eye level with Lily. "Lily, you look cold do you want another jacket?" The one she had was already a bit baggy on her, and her snow pants had to be tucked into her boots, so that they wouldn't drag. "I'm okay, thank you." Lily looked back at Sage claiming victory in the staring contest. Sage, although, had found a stick on the ground, so that now preoccupied her attention. Elham stood back up and looked at her squad. A wisp of wind blew her hair behind her. "Let's go."

Everyone nodded and took the reins of their horses. "The name of the game is time." Elham began to explain as she hopped on her horse. Everyone else did the same. "The night will only get colder, the blizzard will only grow stronger, and we will only become more tired. The faster we get to the outpost the better. Unfortunately, we'll be needing to grab a flag, and it's out of the way of the outpost. Fortunately, we have a path that is particularly lacking in forests, so we ride with the horses. We go as fast as we can without reaching total exhaustion. Imelda, keep a close eye on Lily." Elham turned around, so she could not see Lily's frown. "Aye aye, Elham." Imelda turned to Lily just to smile. Lily did smile back, but it was subtle. She then pulled the extra scarf she grabbed over her face. The sound of hoofed footsteps against the snow grew in intensity and frequency. Elham had already begun to ride away leaving the rest of the squad to catch up.

With a whip of the reins the rest of the squad chased their leader. Caleb gazed back at the rest of the cadets in his class. His fellow students, his friends, disappeared behind rising rock. Caleb looked down for a moment. He grabbed his mask and pulled it up, same with his hood, to protect against the wind chill. At the moment Caleb was looking at his forearms. He wondered about how much easier this could've been if his grappling gear could've worked in tandem with the bulky winter gear. Then again that would leave his squad behind. He turned to Imelda. "What do you think about the grappling gear?" Imelda looked at him confusedly. "By what metric?" A bit more of Imelda's accent came out when she was confused. "I mean using it. I was thinking about giving you and Renee some experience with it. I mean, you helped build the first prototype, and Renee is my best friend. Not to mention how she's been helping me with that momentum stuff she's learning from Soko. I feel like you two should know how to actually use the thing." Caleb looked back ahead as he waited for Imelda's response. "Hm, well I am flattered. Sure, it does sound like fun. Although, I gotta tell ya right now. There's no way I could actually use it on the field. That kind of metal and tech would fry if I used my Curse wearing it. Not to mention I'd be conducting my own lightning."
"That's not what I expected. I mean, you control your lightning pretty well."
"I don't really control it. I gather it up, but then I only really herd the electricity. I'm a cowgirl and the energy's the cattle." Caleb thought this metaphor was fitting given that they were riding on horseback much like the gunslingers of the old American west. "I can guide the bolts, but if something draws them away I can't really do anything about that. Something like a device that draws electricity to work. You hear, eh?"
"But your earring?" Caleb gazed at the one gold colored earring that Imelda always wore on her pierced lobe
"It ain't conductive. At least not by a lot. A good find if I say so myself."
"Well... I'll make an electric proof version one day. One day.."
"Not one day soon I'm assuming?"
"Probably not, no." Caleb looked down feeling some kind of shame that he could not work faster for his friend. He felt ashamed that his brain was limited. Caleb was ashamed that he had the mind of a mere mortal. "Don't beat yourself up over it, eh?" Imelda patted Caleb on his right shoulder as that was the only one she could reach. "We've got other things to worry about." Caleb's head snapped back to its upright position. This brought him back to reality. He smelled the falling snow, heard his horse's hoofed run, and felt the wind on what little skin that was left bare. "That's more like it." Imelda smirked.

Lily was watching this interaction. Something about the seamless back and forth conversation simply drew her in. When Imelda looked over to her, Lily embarrassedly looked the other way. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop." Lily managed to say through her face coverings. "It's alright. We shouldn't be havin' private conversations during training anyway." Imelda reassured Lily that she didn't do any harm. "It's weird isn't it? Having me here." Lily looked back at Imelda. "Wha- No, Lily what are you-" "It's okay. Everyone thinks it. I won't hold you to a higher standard. I'm only almost thirteen. I'm the youngest cadet in the academy. I get why people feel uncomfortable around me." As much as Imelda wanted to stay strong, Lily's eye contact was in fact making her uncomfortable. Even if she didn't look away it was painted all over her face, so much so that even Lily in the blizzard at night could see it plain as day. "Yeah, I guess, but you're smart, eh? You had to skip a whole grade to even be here."
"I did. I'm top of most of my classes here. Not math, though, not me."
"Renee?" Imelda looked at Lily as if she was implying she knew a celebrity. Lily nodded. "I like Renee. She doesn't baby me." There was a flash of lightning behind Lily's eyes. "But she comforts me when I need it. Maru and Etsu too!" Of course those two were good to Lily, Imelda thought. They might as well've been the parents of Captain Flock's whole class. Imelda rewired her thought process. What would Renee do in this situation? She would've been able to handle this perfectly. "You know Renee- uh- and me, we ain't that much older than you. You're only- you're almost thirteen, and we're fourteen." Imelda left out that they were probably just as far from fifteen as Lily was thirteen. At least, according to how liberally many preteens define as "almost." Sage fell back to nudge Imelda and signal Lily with a certain eye contact. "Sky." They pointed upwards. When Imelda looked up she didn't see much more than pure black interrupted by falling snow. "Huh?" She looked back at Sage for clarification. "Snow, more of it." Imelda nodded. "You got that, Lily?" She turned to check on Lily, but she didn't respond. Hosuh similarly fell back to talk. "Sage explained it to me. The blizzard is coming from the north, meaning it will hit us first and hardest." Caleb looked up. He was perplexed. "How'd you figure that out?" He was trying to find any kind of variation in the black ink above, to no avail. "It's Sage's eye color. One is pure white, she can see much better at night than any one of us, especially those of us with darker eye color." Caleb looked around at his squad. "Which is most of us."

Hosuh nodded. "Then that's what it is. Captain Flock wouldn't give us such an easy path. She knew that we'd be fronting the worst of the storm." Caleb seemed proud of himself for figuring out the small mystery. Elham turned her head back towards the squad like an owl. "What are you all doing? Keep up, you're falling behind." As if it was some kind of test of the squad's listening skills Elham sped up. Of course, the squad sped up too. Pushing the horses further than before. Speed was a necessity for Elham. Once all caught up, Lily looked towards Elham. "Can we slow down? I think my horse is getting pretty tired." Elham didn't bother to look back. "Your horse will be fine. It's bred for this, this is its purpose, it can take it." Lily looked down. Sage put a hand on Lily's shoulder. They were seemingly trying to communicate something without words. Perhaps the message was properly received, perhaps it wasn't. Lily simply nodded. She understood what she needed. The squad marched on speedily, into the night, into the blizzard.

Chapter Text

Renee felt a hand grab her shoulder. Time suddenly seemed to move linearly once more. "Renee," May looked at her. "Oh, sorry, was I not talking?" Renee knew she hadn't said anything, but she didn't want to admit she had dissociated. Emel would have a field day with that one if she ever found out, and it would diminish what little standing I even manage to have. Renee thought to herself. "No, you weren't." May shook his head. He glanced behind him to make sure no one else in the squad was paying attention to the conversation. "The map, we need to talk about it. Do you see the problem?" His words were at a semi harsh whisper. Renee looked back at the map. "Yes." She responded in the same tone. "There's no mark on the map for the outpost, so y'know we don't know where we're going." Renee hadn't brought it up yet because she didn't want to be the one to bring May the bad news. She had seen enough old movies to know that the saying "don't shoot the messenger" didn't really work. A bit of weight had been taken off Renee's chest when she heard May already knew. "So what do we do?" Renee almost jumped. The last thing she expected was May asking her what to do. I mean he's like the most confident cadet I know, and he just seems like a natural leader. Renee stared into May's one visible eye perhaps a moment too long. "Well- uh- as it just so happens- well I'm sure you noticed, but this map has all three flags locations marked. How much do you want to bet that's unique to this map?" She glanced back and forth between May and the map. "Knowing the captain, I'd bet all I have." He looked at Renee for her to continue. "Exactly! Sorry- that was loud." Renee returned to the whisper after gaining a few glances from her other squad members. "Think about it this way then. Captain Flock picked you as squad leader for many reasons, but maybe one of them was your skill to use other's abilities to their fullest. She knew you'd give this map to me, and so this map is specifically made as a puzzle for me to figure out." Renee's eyes started lighting up. She got another look from May to continue. "It's math, that's all it is. That's all any orienteering really is. Meaning I can-" Renee reached into her bag to retrieve a mechanical pencil. She needed to take off her glove to properly use it. "See look, if I get a good reference of a landmark I can use some dirty, back of the napkin math to solve the equation!" Renee hadn't smiled so much since the training started as she had now, talking about math.

"Math people confuse me." May, almost begrudgingly, admitted. "Do you not like math?" Renee tilted her head. "No, I'm terrible at it." May looked away. "Sorry!- I just thought with your archery- I mean that's just math right? I always figured your Curse was like- you'd see the equation of your arrow's trajectory in your head before you shoot it- I mean- At least that's what I think-" Renee stopped rambling when May looked back at her. He shook his head. "My Curse doesn't work like that. If you have to know, it's more like instinct. If I want to make a shot my body just obeys. Like a part of me isn't in control. I was shooting bullseyes when I still barely knew how to do simple addition." Renee thought to herself that that might've been the longest she has ever heard May talk without any break. "Wow, you must've been a real early bloomer then." May shook his head. "More like I was really bad at math." Renee giggled, in hindsight she was unsure if May was trying to be humorous. "You said you needed a landmark for reference." May grabbed Renee's head suddenly and tilted it up in an instant. She almost jumped, not because May had suddenly moved her head, but because looking up revealed they were at the top of the steep mountain. The air was stunningly sharp. Renee could barely keep her eyes open with the wind. Visibility was dropping by the minute, though, so she knew she needed to act fast. The first landmark she spotted was the tallest mountain in the whole range. "Got one.." Renee tried her very best to look for more before she couldn't any longer. "Emel grab the binoculars." May commanded. "Ugh, why does it have to be me?" Emel rolled her eyes. "Because they're in your bag, now do it, quick." As much as Emel wanted to simply say no, one look from May was enough to intimidate her into obedience. Binoculars in his hand, May handed the tool to Renee. "I spot a lake South South West. Try to see if you can see anything to the north." Renee nodded and looked to the general North West direction. Moments before the blizzard hid it, Renee saw a ravine in the far distance. "There!" Renee quickly swiveled her head to spot the lake. It was fading into the storm, but since it was so massive the general form could still be seen.

Renee sat down in the snow with her legs crossed. She took her glove off and started to write markings on the map. Glancing over her shoulder, May started to see Renee scribbling circles and equations. It was only moments before Renee had to flip the map over for more work space. Constantly she was flipping back and forth switching between studying her map and writing down equations. "What's she doing?" Clay asked. The rest of the squad's attention was now practically entirely encased by Renee. "Look at her pencil how fast it's moving!" Filippa jumped a few times. "She only writes like that when doing math!" Thalia was the only one to actually approach Renee and try to peak at exactly what she was doing. "Woah, I don't even recognize half those symbols." Her mouth was ajar in simple awe. "Yeah, well I think you need glasses." Emel turned around so she wouldn't have to look at Renee anymore. "Done! I-" Renee looked up and suddenly silenced herself once she saw everyone, except Emel, looking at her. Renee not so subtly stood up and handed May the map. She pointed to one specific point where three circles intersect. A few crudely drawn arrows pointed to this spot as well. "Are you sure?" He asked. Renee nodded. May nodded back and pocketed the map. He pointed far out into the distance. "That is where we're headed. The flag we need to retrieve is right in the middle of it." He told the whole squad. "The lake?" Thalia looked a little uneasy about the idea. "There's not been a day over freezing since early May. The ice is at least an entire foot thick." May reassured his squad. "So," Emel spoke mildly, "squad leader. How do we get down?" Emel finally turned to face the squad once more. Clay looked over the mountain. It was a steep decline which gave him an idea. "We sled down on our fire trays."

May was simply too dumbfounded to respond. "Even ignoring that that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, we only have two fire trays." Emel flicked Clay in the head. "Hey only Elham's allowed to do that!" Clay gripped Emel's wrist. "Somehow I agree with Emel." One glance from May made Clay let go of Emel. "The decline is steep, but not so steep that our horses can't run it." May didn't wait for anyone else's comments to hop on his horse. "Let's go, Cannon." Renee mounted her own steed. "Wait, but will it work?" Thalia had doubts. Renee offered her hand to help Thalia get on her own horse. When she took it Renee realized Thalia's hands were particularly soft, even softer than her own. It told of a comfortable life. "There's just one trick to it. Once we start going we cannot slow down under any circumstances. If we don't keep up our charge, we fall." There was something about the way May spoke which Renee picked up on. His voice was darker, older, more tired when he said that. "We're at your command squad leader, and yours too Renee!" Filippa's proclamation made Renee lose her train of thought. "Why hers too?" Emel looked around for someone to back her up on this. "Just get on your horse, Emel." Clay even sat on his horse. With a sigh and her head hung low she mounted her horse. Renee soothed Cannon to get him ready for the hard task they'd have to face together. "On my signal." May raised his hand. "Remember, the goal is the lake. Keep up, if you get separated we'll meet there. Now!" May's hand triggered something in Renee. She heard a blank gun go off in her mind. That feeling of being on the black turf again rushed through her head. The same adrenaline pumped through her veins with a heart beating so strong it might've burst out of her chest. She tried to somehow push that feeling, the necessity to go faster and push beyond, into Cannon's mind. He was the one doing all the work after all, but Renee wanted him to know that she could feel it too.

The wind on her face felt like knives. The bitter cold and tiny crystals pelted her face relentlessly. She felt the pain, she felt like it was April of her freshman year again. The bitter cold of the five kilometers she had to run under seventeen minutes to beat her previous record. All she knew was people in her life saying that a freshman could never be the best on the team, that she could never set a sub seventeen 5K. Despite it all, Renee did both that very year. Some people hated her for it because they thought she was walking natural talent. What they never saw was the hours after practice she'd spend on the track running on her own, the strict self imposed diet that was designed to improve her performance, the running until it felt like she would collapse every day. Renee never practiced so hard to be the greatest runner on her team, but she did it because the aching pain and cutting wind felt better than anything she knew before. Renee put her hand to her face to pull down the mask protecting her against the sheer cold wind. Then she did something that shocked everyone around her. Renee started laughing, she started cheering and screaming out into the night. It was so loud and full that even through the blizzard each of her squad mates could hear her perfectly. Cannon, with Renee on his back, started pulling ahead of the rest of the horses. May shouted something out to Renee, maybe something about pulling her mask up, but she would need to turn around to properly hear him, and Renee refused to turn back. When the decline started evening out Cannon kept up his speed. Renee could sense that the rest of the squad was falling out of her reach, so she decided to follow orders and just meet them all at the lake. She took a deep breath in. Her lungs instantly heated the bitter cold air that filled her body. Renee closed her eyes and imagined she was high above the clouds, the sun basking her face and she flew without a worry in the world. Her imagination was cut short by a sudden WHACK to her face.

The force was powerful enough that Renee fell off of Cannon's back. The cold ground was soft with freshly fallen powder. Life didn't feel real for a moment. It was like a dream. Above her she saw a massive foot about to crush her entirely. Renee jumped to dash out of the way, but when she looked back up she hadn't moved. The giant's foot was gone. "I must've blacked out..." Renee looked around. She saw Cannon, standing still at the edge of what appeared to be a clearing. Renee stood up with little resistance. Looking around Renee figured she must've hit a tree branch. Renee heard her name being called out. Turning around she saw May and the rest of her squad in tow. May was the first to hop off of his horse to check on Renee. "That was stupid and careless. You do that a lot." He scolded her. "It's immature honestly." Emel added on, even if she didn't have to. "I got worried!" Thalia looked sad, almost betrayed that Renee would do something with such a disregard for danger. "Guys you can't blame Renee for wanting to have some fun." Filippa defended her, but it wasn't for fun, Renee thought to herself. She looked to Clay as if he'd give some final verdict, but he was clearly thinking of elsewhere. Renee shook her head. "Do you even realize you're bleeding?" May pointed to a carpet of red on the white snow. Renee stood still for a moment before touching her hand to her face. She felt the warmth of her own blood. She tried to disregard it. "It's just a bloody nose, it might not even be because I hit that tree branch." Renee looked the other way. "You hit a tree branch? Wow you really weren't paying attention at all." Emel rolled her eyes. "Look, let's just overlook this. We're here." May pointed outwards. Renee looked at what she thought was a clearing her horse was standing at the edge of. Taking a second look she saw that it wasn't a clearing, but rather the edge of the completely frozen lake. There was a distant howl of what Renee did not know. She didn't take her eyes off the lake, so she didn't see May turn around. "Was that-" Thalia started, but May didn't let her even start. "It's just the wind. Come on let's go. Clay!" He directed his attention to the boy whose mind was elsewhere. "We need you here." May jabbed him in the shoulder so he'd pay attention. "Ow!- What was that for?!?" Clay hiccuped. "Just pay attention, everyone off your horses." May turned back to the lake. Everyone who had not already followed his direction then did so.

May grabbed the reins of his own horse along with Renee's and walked onto the lake with them. "Let's go." He snapped at the squad. Renee walked out onto the lake. She almost slipped at first, but quickly found her balance at the terrain. "Easier than mud." She thought out loud to herself. "Do you have a lot of experience with mud?" Thalia asked being much more hesitant than anyone else. Renee offered Thalia her hand, which she took. "Yeah, cross country can be really muddy sometimes." Thalia stepped onto the ice assisted by Renee. "You're from Nu, right?" Renee paused for a moment, thinking she knew where this conversation was then headed. "Yes." Renee eventually answered with a sigh. "Is that why you did something so stupid?" Thalia asked not out of malice, but out of genuine curiosity. "I think everyone from that sector has something wrong with their head." Emel interrupted. Renee ignored her comment. "I guess, maybe?" Renee shook her head. As many times as she's been asked questions like this she never has a confident answer. "Seeing the northern island, always in view, it does things to you. Everyone handles it differently, but if anyone says it doesn't affect them they're lying. I've actually seen one. A Cursed Creature." Renee noticed when she said that everything went quiet. Even Emel, who was talking to Clay, shut up, momentarily at least. "From a distance! Like- with binoculars." Renee clarified. "But, I got a good look. It's teeth, claws, and spikes. The skin was like a demon's. I don't think it had eyes. Which is why I put the binoculars down when it felt like the thing was staring right at me." Renee looked away knowing this is only another thing that separates her from her comrades and their experiences. Even Caleb was separated from Renee by this singular moment. He was off doing something else, he's never seen a Cursed Creature. "Well, you're something real special, aren't you?" Emel rolled her eyes. "Yeah, she really is!" Filippa didn't understand Emel's sarcasm.

"If you all are done focusing on stories, you should look in front of us." May pointed forward. There in the middle of the frozen lake was a flagpole, and there, waving mightily in the wind, was cloth imprinted with the bar-tailed godwit in the sigil of SOAR. "There's no rope. How do we get it down?" Clay, surprisingly, pointed out. "Carefully." May said. "Oh thanks captain obvious." Clay snapped back. "I've got it!" Filippa exclaimed before giving her horse reins to Clay. "What am I-" He didn't even get to finish before Filippa made her way to the flagpole. Grabbing the cold metal she tried climbing it. She reached up for the flag, but it was just out of reach. She fell down onto the ice. "Ow- I've got this!" Filippa started jumping repeatedly trying to snap the flag at just the right time. Again and again she fell back on the ice. She had missed each time. "Hurry up." May was looking back at the shore. "I'm trying!" Filippa kept jumping up and down on the ice. "Yeah, she's trying." Emel laughed. "Why do we even need the flag? Let's just go I'm cold!" Clay complained. Renee felt like just running away into the back of her mind again. She almost did, but something snapped her back to reality. The sound of a crack. No one else seemed to hear it. Renee looked towards Filippa who now tried climbing the flagpole again. "I've got it!" This time when she fell, she had the cloth in her hand. There were more cracks. Now the others noticed. They noticed that all the cracks stemmed from Filippa's position. No one else had the reaction time to change what happened in the next half of a second. Renee pushed off the ice with her feet. Her hand slipped out of Thalia's. Renee thought Thalia might never forgive her for doing such stupid things. It was only two steps for Renee to get to Filippa, as she had not even gotten up fully. Using the momentum of her sprint, Renee shoved Filippa onto more stable ice. Maybe it was Filippa's jumping, maybe some larger animal had made cracks before, or maybe it was even the placing of the flagpole in the ice. What caused it didn't really matter because the outcome was all the same. Renee fell through the ice and was plunged into the deadly, dark water below.

Chapter Text

After almost being separated from her squad by an inconvenient string of trees, Maru got off her horse and commanded the rest of the squad to do the same. "The forest is too dense for horseback now." She kept smiling of course. Maru tried to be as soft and delicate with her orders as possible, and she always told them in a way where she thought it would've been easy to criticize her. No one ever did. "Hey, Philip, can I get some light over here?" Soko called across the couple yard gap between the two. Philip nodded and walked over to Soko. "Careful. Don't want anyone messing this up." Soko bent down and looked at the ground. Glancing over Philip's shoulder, Dylan saw what appeared to be a large paw print. "Is that from the wolves we heard?" Dylan backed up as if the paw print was somehow toxic, she shook. "Nope, that's a bear's print, not a wolf's." Soko mentioned. "A bear? Aren't those super rare, and shouldn't they be in hibernation? Why would one come out here and now?" Philip wanted to get a closer look, but he wouldn't risk the fire melting the print. A gust of wind blew away the final remnants of the paw print. "I don't know, but if I had to guess." Soko paused for a moment. "It isn't hibernating. Somehow it's old instincts from when it's species lived in the northern hemisphere kicked in and it doesn't realize it's winter." Soko shrugged before beginning to walk again. "B-But wild food would be scarce!" Eden almost seemed worried for the mammal that had left the impression that had now disappeared under the snow. "Very." Soko didn't seem all that bothered. It was just nature, he thought to himself. "So not only is there a bear, but it's hungry and desperate for food, great!" Dylan looked like she might've cried if she didn't think the tears would freeze before they fell off her face.

Maru was worried. The whole squad had panic seeping into the back of their brains. Maru's smile remained ever present. "It won't be a problem, look at us. We're all capable enough to take on whatever these mountains throw at us! Heck, I'm sure Etsu alone could take on that bear." This seemed to calm down the squad a bit. Maru huffed out a sigh of relief. "I don't think we'll even run into the bear honestly. With a blizzard this bad the chances are so low." Soko helped to reassure everyone further. "Ugh, if it's not an issue then why'd you even bring it up." Dylan kicked up some snow. "By the way if you're counting on my Curse for anything tonight just forget it. I'm useless surrounded by all this ice." Her cheeks puffed out like a toddler would. No one really responded to Dylan. Maru nodded just as a confirmation she heard her. The howling wind crawled up everyone's back and seeped under their skin. Just on instinct for a moment Etsu's body turned a dull grey color and became corse in texture. Etsu Hossain, Cursed with the stone body. He could willingly turn his body to a substance that looks like stone and has the same hard properties, without losing any mobility when his body isn't being put under stress. He quickly reverted to normal to conserve energy. Eden and Soko both got closer to Philip who let his flame grow brighter. Maru could feel the increase of temperature even from where she stood. Looking around the forest was magical, Maru thought. The blue light casting shadows across every tree and branch. The snowflakes falling sparkled as if they were freshly polished sapphires. Before Maru could take another second to think about it the squad started moving again. Somehow the reins of horses naturally befell the hands of Maru and Etsu. They both figured this may happen at some point given Maru's skill with the horses and Etsu's strength.

Eden, Soko, and Philip expectedly formed a small group to themselves that somewhat excluded the outside world. "Geez, I'm not sure how I'd survive this without your help Philip." Soko smiled softly in the comfort of the flame. "Same." Eden nodded. As they walked casual conversation grew for the first time that night for those few. "Well I'm happy to help. Hey, Eden, how's your guitar skills coming along? I heard you practice early." Soko looked surprised at what Philip just said. "Wait, I thought that was you making that music." Soko looked between the two others to try and make sense of his misunderstanding. "Nah, well, kind of? We duet plenty. I'm teaching Eden how to play the electric guitar, but I rarely play anything besides the violin. In case you're really interested, it helps with our Curses." Philip stared at the flame emanating from his own palm. Soko looked to Eden for a further explanation. "Oh- uh- well, see in the first week of being in the academy I didn't really like Philip. He just made me nervous, his Curse I mean. I know it's wrong for me to think that, but I'm fragile. Things get to me. One day, though, I heard Philip playing the electric guitar. I enjoyed it, and something drew me in. For the first time, I wasn't scared of being in the same room Philip. He said he'd teach me, and the first time I tried it out. I mean- I sucked, but the first time I played something I thought sounded good.. That was the first time my Curse responded to something that wasn't the environment." It seemed as though just by thinking about it Eden's flowers bloomed. "Now I practice as much as I can, I guess." Eden shrugged as if to signal that whatever he was saying was unimportant. "Well, I think that's really cool, and a very unique way to harness your power." Soko smiled but that semi-quickly turned to confusion.

Turning to Philip, he asked. "Hey, Philip, you said it helps your Curses, like both of you. I get Eden, but what about you? I mean, I think you have the most control over your Curse out of any of us at the academy. Out of the ones I know at least, which, to be fair, is kind of just our class." Philip looked up from his flame and looked around before his gaze landed on Soko. "Well.. You know my Curse, it's dangerous. I have this discipline over it because if I don't people might get hurt. Fire related Curses are the most abundant type out there, but it's the hardest to control. Fire has a life of it's own, it grows, it breathes, it spreads. I'll always try to gain more control over my Curse." Philip took a moment to chuckle. It did lighten the mood a bit. "Sorry, I think about this a lot. It's a Calamity Curse." Soko's heart forgot to beat for a second. Of course it made sense now that he thought about it, but without the hindsight of knowing he never put the pieces together. "I'm sorry, I had no idea." Soko hung his head a little. "Don't be. It's not like you've seen any of my government documents." Philip patted Soko on the shoulder with his hand that wasn't harboring the flame. This is when Dylan thought it fit to butt into the conversation. "Sorry, calamity? What's a Calamity Curse?" To say she was confused was an understatement. "How do you not know?-" Eden looked at Dylan like she was from another planet. "Sue me, I don't know. Now spill the beans." Philip looked at Soko and Eden who both gave a look that basically translated to "you're the one with the Calamity Curse, you tell her." Or at least, that's what Philip understood from it. "A Calamity Curse is a special designation of Curse that you can technically get at any point in your life, but it's rare to do so after your power manifests. It basically says that whatever Cursed is marked has the power to greatly devastate humanity. The classification was made after The Atomic Child nearly ended all of humanity." Dylan's jaw hung slack, but Philip didn't turn around or slow his walk to see it. "Oh- well that's scary, but does it have any, like, real consequences?" Dylan felt judged for asking. "Oh shut up I'm curious." She snapped at Soko and Eden.

Philip just chuckled. Maybe he was just so accustomed to people asking these questions it didn't affect him anymore. "It does, a good bit. First of all, it gets put on just about every official document about you. It's harder to get jobs or find places to go to school. When I mentioned to my old school I wanted to go here they did everything in their power to get me here." Dylan's brow furrowed. Philip continued. "Heh, I accidentally burnt down a tree right before. I mean my mom scoured through every rule in every rule book since the school's founding to say they didn't have grounds to expel me. She's a lawyer I'm not surprised she kept me there, but y'know they wanted me gone. Sorry, that was a little bit of a side tangent. The government gets to keep special tabs on you. I'm required to check in monthly in regards to my Curse." "And if you don't?" Dylan quickly asked, now more invested in this than she ever was the training. "They lock you up." Philip paused for a moment before adding "if they can catch you." "If?" Dylan knew Philip didn't add those words without something more laying under the surface. "I remember there was this one guy once. I kind of saw my parents watching the news after I was supposed to be in bed. It was about this one Fermi guy or whatever, he had been given the Calamity title a few years before. Basically he was working some mining job, but I guess he snapped all of a sudden. He killed his boss and a few dozen cops on the way out, he left completely unscathed. The Royal Guard was even sent after him, but to this day he's not been found." Dylan shivered. Philip even gathered a few strange looks from Eden and Soko. "Jesus, if I knew you'd tell some horror story I wouldn't have asked!" Dylan spoke as if somehow it was someone else's fault she was curious. Philip chuckled and everything seemed to suddenly snap back to normal.

Suddenly Maru's voice broke through the wind. "Philip! I see your light! Are Dylan, Eden, and Soko with you?!" The four suddenly realized that they could not see Maru from where she was shouting. "Yeah!" Philip shouted back before he hurriedly rushed over to Maru. The boys and Dylan followed quickly. After about fifteen long strides later Philip met back up with Maru. Of course, she was smiling. "Good to see you all!" She was slightly less loud now that they were all together, but the wind still made it so that any normal volume would be muffled beyond recognition. "We can't separate anymore! The storm's too strong!" Maru put her arms on Soko and Dylan's shoulders with Eden and Philip in between the two so they got the message. "Additionally, we have another problem!" Etsu chimed in, towering behind Maru. "We don't actually have any idea how we're gonna find the flag!" Etsu quickly looked around after he said it as if the fabric would suddenly jump out at him. "Eden, where are we?" Philip turned to Eden. Since the two were right next to each other there was no need for shouting. Eden looked at the map, Soko held the compass nearby for assistance. Without warning Eden pocketed the map and started digging through the snow. Philip didn't stop and ask why before he helped. "What are you doing?!" Dylan looked weirded out by the two boys digging through snow. She was met with no answer. "Found some green is that it?" Philip asked Eden. Eden took a moment to crawl over to what Philip was looking at. He took the leaves in his hand pulling them above snow and unfurling them. "No, keep looking." And just like that he and Philip went back to digging through snow. "Found another." Eden eventually said. Just as before he pulled the leaves above the snow and unfurled them. "Th-this is it.." Eden nodded to himself. "What- why do you sound like that?! Why is finding some random plant bad?!" Dylan shook her head. "It's- It's a mayapple!" Eden looked around to see no one understood the implications of it. He pocketed the map and showed it off. "Th-The map it's marked with different v-vegetation. A-A mayapple is only found p-past the flag!" Eden turned away as if somehow it was his fault they missed the flag. "Shit!" Dylan kicked a tree. She regretted it because it hurt, but she didn't want it to show.

Maru, of course, didn't let go of her smile. "Don't worry, guys, I can go and find it!" She handed the rest of the horse reins to Etsu, save for her own. Maru got on the back of her steed with such grace someone could think she floated up to it. "Wait, no way! You'll get lost!" Philip didn't like the idea of the squad separating. "I'm the only one who can make the trip fast enough! Besides, I don't plan to go alone!" Maru adjusted her position to make room for a second passenger on her horse. "You're not?" Etsu looked up at Maru. "Dylan, get up here!" Maru reached out her hand. "Wha- ME?!" Dylan took a small step backwards. "Yes you! As we're riding I need you to crystallize tree sides so we have a way to make it back!" "Didn't I say my Curse is useless right now! Most everything is covered in snow and ice!" "Then dig your fingers in past the ice, I need you to try!" Dylan clearly didn't want to go along, but she realized she kind of had no choice. With more than a singular moment's hesitation she stepped forward and grabbed Maru's hand. With her help Dylan was pulled onto the horse. Before the two even started moving Dylan wrapped one of her arms around Maru's abdomen tight, her other hand she held out so it might hit trees to crystallize. "Etsu, until we get back you're in charge! Philip, make a path for us to follow! Don't wait for us!" Philip nodded a conformation, the fire in his hands grew to the point of burning off his gloves. His hands remained unscathed. "Wait what do you mean don't wait for!-" Dylan tried to question Maru, but she took off before Dylan could even finish her sentence. Feeling the wind Dylan tried to hold in a scream. She dug her face into the back of Maru's neck and shoulder. Dylan felt her hand passing the trees. Each time she made contact, her fingernails would dig past the thin ice and snow, and a bit of the bark would crystallize. Dylan didn't dare look up nor open her eyes, but she could feel the fast past motion of the horse. Dylan didn't even know a mount could move so fast or maneuver so sharply. It was as if she was being constantly thrown in the air, flipped, and tossed around like laundry. If she let go, Dylan feared she'd fly far above the treetops and never come down. What had she done to deserve this, to be here? Dylan thought to herself. Right now all Dylan wanted to do was cry.

Maru kept her smile, though, no one was around to see it. How would she find the flag? Her focus was near solely on avoiding the trees. There was no time left over to see a flag that was almost surely camouflaged in the snow. Maru took a small look back at Dylan behind her. She looked scared, of course she was, but Maru needed her help. "Dylan," Maru began in a soft voice. "I need your help, can you look up?" Dylan quickly shook her head in Maru's shoulder. "No way! Are you insane?! You're already moving like crazy!" Dylan's voice shook as she screamed. Maru thought for a moment before responding. "I'm sorry, Dylan, I think I made a bad call forcing you to do this. You're scared, I get that I really do." There was another moment without any speaking. There couldn't be silence due to the stampeding horse or howling wind, but Maru nor Dylan spoke a word. "But you're here now, and the fact is we can't go back without the flag. Look up Dylan please, I know it's hard, but please." Dylan still didn't respond, but Maru felt that she was shaking less. Maru grew a bit more confident and a little more stern. Somehow, she still kept her kindness. "You can put both your arms around me, I'll keep you safe. More than anything I'll keep you safe. Being brave is hard, but I'm now ordering you as your squad leader to look up because I know you can do it." Maru was about to try another string of phrases to encourage Dylan when she felt Dylan's other arm wrap around her waist. Dylan suddenly forced her head up, it looked like she was crying, but she kept her eyes open. "Alright!" Maru cheered and had her horse start going faster now that she could entirely focus on the path. Dylan thought to herself in a panic state. It's too fast! I can't see anything! I can't make out a damn shape! Dylan's eyes darted back and forth and up and down at the beat of the horses hooves stomping against the snow. It was all a blur of greens, whites, and browns. The scene could not form into proper shapes, but that's when Dylan realized it. She didn't need the shapes, just the colors. Surely the flag would stick out like a sore thumb in all these cool and non vibrant colors. As if on cue a dash of red showed itself hanging from one of the branches above. "Maru!" Dylan tried calling out, she didn't hear the call over the wind. The flag approached faster than Dylan could call out again. In a moment of desperation, in a moment of need, Dylan let go of Maru entirely. Dylan leaned back as she was passing under the branch. Dylan couldn't see where her arms were, so she had to trust she'd find the flag in the fraction of a second she had to grab it. Dylan's fingers suddenly felt a trace of fabric. It was almost like she jumped backwards to wrap her whole hands around the flag, but the flag was gripped tightly. Dylan's eyes widened as she felt herself slip off the horse.

Maru tried to reach her arm back to grab Dylan. She had only just turned back as it wasn't even a full second since Dylan let go of her waist. Her reach wasn't quite long enough. Dylan fell off the horse entirely. Dylan felt like she was floating for the half second before she hit the ground. The snow was cold, but it was soft. Her momentum was kept though, so she started rolling forward. Dylan saw a tree start hurling towards her, or rather she hurled towards the tree. There was no way to stop it, Dylan braced for the impact which would surely be sudden and strong; however, without reason being first apart, Dylan slowed to a stop before she hit the tree. She was confused at first, but when the shock wore off slightly more there was a bit more understanding. Dylan could feel her clothes pulling in the opposite way of her stumble. Dylan turned her head to the right to see Maru with her arms out reached and a strained look on her face. Maru collapsed to the ground and Dylan no longer felt the pull of the clothes. Quickly she ran over to her squad leader, bending down to see if she was okay. It amazed Dylan that through all of that Maru never let go of her smile. Maru had saved Dylan with her Curse. Dylan never got the exacts, but she knows Maru can basically control clothes, though, it's not very strong and the range is short. It must've taken so much energy just to stop Dylan's momentum. "Are you okay??" Dylan held Maru's shoulders to see if anything was wrong. She looked like the mere effort of moving her head to meet Dylan's gaze was a grand task. "I told you," but her smile was always present, "I'd keep you safe. I'll always keep you safe." With Dylan's help Maru stood up. Maru was a little light headed, but when she looked at what Dylan was holding she was ecstatic. "Oh my god you got the flag!" Maru hugged Dylan tightly without warning. "Oh-" Dylan awkwardly hugged Maru back. "Yeah, I did, I did do that." Dylan's grip tightened around the fabric. Maru took a deep breath and looked up, then at Dylan. "Let's finish this training strong!" Dylan couldn't help but catch Maru's smile, and chuckle a bit. "I'd trust no one more to lead me."

Chapter Text

There was no light, only cold darkness. Renee thought to herself if this was real or not. She felt weightless. It was almost like she could see herself from a view that was not her own. Renee tried moving her limbs. She had no such fortune of success. "This is it then, this is how I die." Renee thought to herself. It was out loud, but her mouth didn't move. "So this isn't real then..." Renee shook her nonphysical head. "Am I dead already?" Renee was cold, but her entire being shuttered when she felt something graze her body. It almost felt slimy, it must've been a fish, but it was huge. The sensory response of the fish's slimy, long body snapped Renee back to reality. No longer was she looking at herself from some outside perspective, but from her own perspective she was looking up. Renee could feel everything in her body failing, even still she couldn't move, her lungs felt like they were collapsing in on themselves, and it was as if infinitely many needles were puncturing every part of Renee's body. Renee hated needles. There was a sudden noise, Renee still couldn't see a thing. It was a large splash. Did someone else fall in?! Renee worriedly thought to herself. Renee couldn't think for another second before she felt arms tighten around her chest. The next thing Renee knew, somehow, she was colder. She started coughing out the water that had worked its way into her throat. Finally she could gasp for air. Renee was back up above the ice. She looked around frantically to try and figure out how she managed to end up out of the water before she'd freeze entirely. There, climbing out of the collapsed hole in the ice, was May. They had on just their underwear, not that it was at all revealing. Still, they were more fit than their baggy clothes ever let on. No one else was around. Once May finally removed themself from the opening entirely they stood up and grabbed Renee forcing her to stand up too. "Come on, if we stay still we're going to freeze."

Renee didn't even have time to ask questions as May dragged her along. Renee tried to ask a few times, but only incoherent shutters would escape her mouth. Renee had never been so cold, not in her whole life, it took everything she had to keep up with May, even though they were practically dragging Renee across the lake. On the edge of the lake the rest of the squad could be seen frantically running around. They seemed to be gathering something. Right before the two reached the edge of the ice a great blaze erupted from the land. The rest of the squad was building a fire and were evidently successful. With a newfound promise of warmth Renee found the strength to move entirely independently of May. They didn't let go of Renee, however, in fear of her collapsing only a few steps after she let go. With a steady pace the two finally reached the fire. Everyone looked scared out of their mind. May grabbed what was obviously their clothes from Filippa and shoved them at Renee. "Put them on, wearing wet clothes out here is a death sentence." May turned around to give Renee privacy, and everyone else in the squad did the same. Renee didn't even care, she was so cold she wasn't about to wait for privacy to not die. Within a few moments Renee had stripped off her wet clothes and put on the warm jacket and snow pants. May also took the time to dry off best they could with a small cloth and put on the innermost layer of clothes they kept for themself. Without a moment of hesitation both Renee and May leaned close to the fire.

May only took a small break before starting to hang Renee's wet clothes on branches over the fire. They placed her boots right next to it. Almost instantly the boots started steaming. "Here's the good news. Our gear is mostly waterproof, so it'll dry fast enough." May said to Renee before sitting down on a rock. There was silence. It was uneasy and tense. It was finally Filippa who broke the silence. "Are you both alright?" The wind howled before either could answer. Renee shivered and leaned very close to the fire. "I'm- I'm alright." Renee tried to reassure Filippa through her chattering teeth. "Just fine, who has my bow and quiver?" May stuck out their hand clearly expecting the hunting bow and matching quiver filled with arrows to be returned. It was Thalia who was carrying the tool, and so she quickly handed them over to her squad leader. May slung the quiver over their shoulder but kept the bow in a tight grip around her hand. "It's really thanks to you all I'm alright-" Renee tried to thank everyone in her squad for saving her, but without giving even a second for anyone to appreciate it Clay spoke up. "Hey, dude, if we're in danger you need to tell us that right now." It was directed at May. He had been the one to notice all of their subtle shifts in behavior. There was a moment before May did anything where it was silent, save for the ambiance and one of the horses shifting it's weight around. They were clearly debating whether or not to tell the truth next. "Fine, we're being hunted." There would've been another moment of silence had Renee not immediately sighed "not again." Everyone, except for Renee who may not have even properly processed the implications of what May said, was shocked. "Hunted? What the hell do you mean we're being hunted?? And if we're being hunted, why the hell are we just standing around?!" Emel looked like she was about to violently shake May. She decided not to of course, which was a good choice for her well being. "By wolves, a whole pack." May said calmly. "How long have you known this?! You seem very calm for someone who knows we're being hunted by a pack of wolves!" Emel seemed very intent on trying to stand up to May, as if the problem would disappear if she yelled enough. "Since they started." May responded, still calm. "Wow that sure does help us!" Clay mocked May with his sarcasm. "When was that??" He at least tried to ask May a real question. They responded by pointing to Renee's face, which was still red and heavily scratched, although the bleeding had stopped.

Renee instinctively took a step back. "Oh god this is all my fau-" Renee started to feel guilty, but May didn't even let her finish. "Your self loathing won't help anyone. Just stay by the fire, and say when you're strong enough to at least stay on horseback." They sat Renee down. The guilt almost turned to a sort of insulted feeling inside of Renee. "It is probably for the best you rest, Renee." Filippa patted her head. "What can we do to help you, May?" Thalia was the first to actually want to start helping. "Keep your eyes and ears open. The blizzard gives the wolves the advantage. Likewise we need to keep the horses safe. We don't want a wolf picking them off when we're not paying attention." Thalia nodded and started grabbing horse reins. Filippa wanted to help, of course, but she could only manage to grab her own horse. She was afraid of every other one. Clay pulled Emel's bag off her back, and he pulled his own bag off as well. "Hey!-" Emel didn't like this at first, but quickly stopped her protests when Clay handed her a knife. He grabbed one himself and looked around. "Why weren't those on your person?" May asked. "Shut up, we've got them now." Clay snapped back. They shrugged as if to say "fair enough." Renee moved a bit, her knife was on her person, but now she wasn't sure. Between falling through the ice and changing her clothes the knife could really be anywhere. Renee started to stand up, but was quickly pushed back down by someone from behind, she doesn't even know who. Renee started to get frustrated, she felt so useless. Carefully, when no one was paying attention, Renee hooked Clay's backpack with her feet after he sat it down. Quickly, she did the same with Emel's bag too. Now she started to search through the bags for a few things in particular. First, she pulled out one of the circular fire trays. The other one was being used to protect the ongoing fire from the snow. Renee quickly grabbed some rope that was plenty sturdy. When Caleb had been obsessed with wilderness survival he taught Renee a lot of knots, which just led her to learn more on her own. Within a couple minutes the fire tray was covered in lateral crossings of the rope. It was tight and sturdy, and now Renee could wield the tray as a shield. Renee then carefully took out the hatchet. She took off the sheath and held it in her other hand. "Squad Leader May." She said, standing up. They looked at her and nodded. "We're packing up. Put out the fire. Renee grab your undershirt and put it back on. Everything else, put it in a bag." Renee quickly started doing what May asked. The wet clothes went into a backpack, and the only thing that had time to dry off, her undershirt, she put back on.

Thalia put out the fire by basically flipping the fire tray over. She then tossed it to Clay to put it back in his bag. Filippa was stomping out any remaining coals, embers, or flames. Renee looked at the rest of the group, they all seemed to face each other. "What's with the fire tray and axe?" Emel looked at Renee. She felt a little isolated. Without answering, gripping her makeshift shield, she turned around to get on Cannon. Renee sighed and looked down, but when she looked up she nearly jumped out of her boots. A wolf had lunged at her out of the blizzard. She didn't even see it until it was midair. Quickly Renee held up her shield which protected her from the bite and claws, but still knocked her back. Using all of her strength Renee redirected the wolf to the side of her. Raising her foot she stomped the wolf's face with her heel, somewhat pinning it to the ground. Renee finished the encounter by digging her hatchet into it's flesh. Renee was breathing heavily. Turning around, Renee saw how shocked everyone was. May had their bow drawn and ready to shoot. "What?" Renee lifted her foot off the now dead animal and got up on Cannon. Maybe most of them were just shocked that Renee was capable of defending herself after her falling through the ice. Clay seemed to shrug this off the easiest, he patted May on the shoulder. "Alright we're gonna start going right? Don't want to be caught by another wolf." Finally May slowly let go of tension on the bow's string. They grabbed the arrow that was knocked and put it back in their quiver. Hoping on their horse, and everyone else following their lead. May spoke loud and clear through the storm. "We need a tight formation. If the wolves might try to attack us again- sorry, when the wolves try to attack us again they'll be looking for someone in the back to pick off one by one." Emel instinctively stepped a bit closer to the center of the group. "So we're not safe until we get to the outpost?" Thalia looked more frightened than anyone else. "Or until everything that's hunting us is dead." May saying that one sentence reminded Renee of Caleb. Maybe it was their tone sounding similar to his. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. "I'll be taking the back, that'll give me the best opportunity to get my shots off." May stayed gripping their bow tightly. "Then I'll take the lead, I know the way." Renee quickly volunteered. Renee looked back at the squad expecting protest, but to her surprise none came forth. Emel clearly looked like she wanted to say that was stupid. Even she knew, though, that Renee taking the lead would be their best shot at making it through this.

"Then let's not discuss it any further, Renee, on your word." May nodded at Renee giving her the okay. Renee nodded back and faced forward. "Let's roll." Renee said simply. The six cadets started charging through the blizzard on horseback. Renee could feel herself pulling ahead, but each time she did she would look back and stay with the group. When Renee saw Thalia's face, she could tell she was scared. Renee tried smiling to comfort Thalia, but Thalia just looked down. "Look I'm sorry about the lake, when I let go." Renee tried to maintain eye contact best she could. "You were safe, you pushing Filippa out of the way didn't change the amount of people who suffered." Thalia looked more confused than angry, which Renee saw as some kind of positive. "True, but I'm willing to go through a lot if it means protecting others. The number didn't change, but imagine how devastated Filippa would be if no one tried to help her. If I'm helping people I'm not sure if I'd ever stop to meet that goal, even if I know the harm to myself." Renee hoped her train of thought made sense to Thalia. Renee did want her to be a friend; though, that was becoming harder and harder the more they interacted. "Then what happens when saving someone requires irreversible consequence to yourself?" Thalia looked at Renee, who could not bring herself to look back. No voice would dare break the ambiance of the storm. Renee subconsciously started to dissociate again, but time moved in the blink of an eye. Something had grounded Renee once more, and just like last time it was nothing good. Renee and Cannon were knocked down and to the side by being hit with some large mass charging at them. Renee tried to scramble up to her feet. She saw the other horses, with her fellow cadets still on them, scatter. Cannon was still trying to get on his feet when the large mass could be seen approaching him. Renee, in a panic, started clashing the hatchet and makeshift shield together repeatedly and even kicked the large, furry mass on legs to get it's attention. That, unfortunately, worked. Renee could hear a loud howl from somewhere past the short few feet visibility. Whatever crashed into Renee responded with a groan and roar as it approached Renee. At this distance Renee could spot that the thing was foaming from the mouth. Which meant two very bad things. Now Renee was faced with a great beast in front of her and a pack of wolves, along with her squad, somewhere past the snow. Thalia was worried most of all that she would get an answer.

Chapter Text

Imelda grabbed the reins of Elham's horse and forced both her own and Elham's mount to halt to a sudden stop. "What the hell?!" Elham looked like she was about ready to hit Imelda, but she stood her ground. "The horses are on the verge of collapsing! We all tried yelling your name, even right next to you, but you wouldn't budge! It's not our fault if you were thinking of elsewhere. Try to keep your squad in mind, eh?" Imelda got off her horse and gave Elham a look that basically demanded she do the same. Despite doing as Imelda demanded, Elham complained. "How do you even know the horses are tired?! You don't speak horse, or maybe you do. You are from that isolated island, not many people to talk to, EH?" Elham threw on Imelda's signature accent at the end. The mocking was so obvious that even Sage, who started growling at Elham, picked up on it. Imelda took a moment to breathe. The air felt static, and, if one looked closely, tiny jolts of electricity could be seen jumping across the snowflakes falling right by Imelda. "Lily noticed it." She said in one smooth breath. Imelda thought that Elham was so worked up herself, she was surprised a clear and calm response was given. "The horses, Lily noticed how strained they were. She mentioned it to us, and it made sense. You were pushing us very hard, harder than you should've." After being given a full explanation, Elham looked back at her squad. "If you weren't stopped, one of our horses would've completely exhausted. That would have left us stranded." Hosuh spoke up to show explicit solidarity with Imelda. "You know what'll leave us stranded? A big blizzard hitting us like a truck! Well, thank god that won't happen. Wait, but that's exactly what's going to happen. So, sorry," Elham drew out the word sorry, "if I try to get us ahead of something you all can't handle!" Elham huffed and kicked the snow. "Something we can't handle? Like you're any better? God you have an ego problem. Y'know Imelda goes through the toughest winters in the inhabitable world right??" Caleb felt compelled to speak out, though, he did wish he had his grapple gear still. It was hard to focus when he was drawn back into his mind just thinking of ways to improve and upgrade it. "Oh that's rich. Wait a few years and try to say that again." Elham rolled her eyes and tried turning away.

Someone was just about to yell at someone else, but it didn't matter as they were cut off. They were cut off by the sound of bells. Giant church bells that were really only seen in movies, and Europe before it's destruction, ones that inhabited giant cathedrals like Notre-Dame. The bells had suddenly materialized above the squad. Seemingly with no support as they swung back and forth producing that truly booming sound. Everyone covered their ears, but it provided no avail from the deafening ringing. Everyone except for Lily, who had her arms stretched out. She looked just about as pissed as a twelve year old could be. "Shut the hell up!" She yelled. The swear was also a bit jarring. The bells, and their ringing, slowly dissipated into thin air. Everyone just kind of looked shocked at Lily more than anything. It was an effective way to get them all to be quiet, though. "Elham you have done nothing but belittle and bicker at us! And the rest of you!" Lily turned to her fellow squad mates. "You've fed into it! I'm not saying what you did is just as bad, but you sure aren't innocent." Lily's cheeks puffed up, like a child's would, but this was certainly not the time to take her any less seriously. "What... were those bells?" Elham still held her hands around and near her head. "Gotta be kidding..." Sage squinted their eyes at Elham. "What am I missing?" Elham looked around expecting everyone else to be confused, but no one was. "That'd have been Lily's Curse, squad leader." Imelda took a step back. "Her Curse is that she can summon bells?" Elham didn't believe it. Lily almost started crying. "You don't know me at all. Do you know any of us?" Elham quickly turned away. Imelda was the first to speak up. "Why don't y'all go ahead. I'll stay back and give Elham a lil talk. Caleb, Hosuh, I hope you don't mind the extra reins." Imelda smiled that way only she did. The way only Renee could really put to words. It didn't take much convincing for the four to listen to Imelda and walk ahead.

Imelda looked over at Elham, who had found a stone to sit on. Imelda sat next to her. There was a long bit of silence before anything was spoken. "Cursed with mental illusions." Imelda said, now making eye contact with Elham. "That's Lily's Curse, isn't it?" Imelda nodded. "I'm guessin' you didn't know that. I also think you don't know much about your squad at all." For a moment, this felt weird to Imelda. Elham was her senior, and not by a negligible amount, yet here she was lecturing her. Elham's body language was interesting to Imelda. Her shoulders scrunched inwards, her arms tense, legs facing away from Imelda, eye contact was rare and never for long, and she was always fidgeting in some way. "No I don't, you gonna rub it in?" Elham's words were still sharp in nature. "Nah, but it makes me wonder why you're here." Elham looked up, jaw hung slack, wearing the face of offense. "Excuse me?! You do not have any right to question that, I could ask the same about you!" "I'm here because I had very few options to get out of Omega. This won out by a hair, I ain't used to not being selfish. You get it, eh?" Imelda's response was not only quick, but it was smooth. "So I guess my question remains." She continued. "You act like you ain't wanna be here, but you're here anyway." Imelda raised her eyebrow. Elham tried snapping back, but her response wasn't quick. "Why don't you ask Dylan, huh? She certainly doesn't want to be here, and she shows it a lot more than me." "Cause Dylan's on the other side of a mountain range." Imelda answered with witty speed. The snow crunched under Elham's shifting feet. She pulled her wind mask up, covering her entire face below her eyes. The sound of fabric rubbing against itself as she scrunched up her hands. Imelda placed a hand on Elham's shoulder. "It's Clay." Elham didn't care to face Imelda as she spoke. "He felt some kind of need to sign up for this place. Why? I can't tell you, I don't know. Clay's an idiot, but that's what makes me worry. He's an idiot who cares." Imelda opened her mouth to speak, she thought there was no way she was talking about the same Clay Abaddon that was in their class. Him? He cares? But Imelda thought it best Elham didn't know her doubt. "I thought about what I'd do if I was put in a difficult situation. I'd save myself, that's instinct, that's smart. That's when I couldn't let Clay go alone because he's not like me." Elham stood up and brushed the snow that had fallen on her lap off.

"I'm here for selfish reasons." She finally answered. All of a sudden Elham was seemingly morphing back into her regular self. "So sorry I don't have some big sob story, and I'm sorry I don't have any hopes or dreams to be humanity's savior." This made Imelda grin as she stood up to meet Elham. "Nah, don't be. If you're gonna be selfish own it. We're training for war for shits sake, it ain't gonna be all sunshine. So, nah, I ain't accepting your apology." Imelda leaned in close with a smug grin. Elham scoffed. "You know most everyone here has that in their smile." Her eyes rolled as she turned away. "That being?" "Idiocy." Elham started walking forward. Imelda just caught herself chuckling. This was both lovely and alleviating for her. Elham turned back only for a moment. "Are you coming?" Elham didn't wait for a response to start walking again. "Yes squad leader ma'am!" Imelda saluted with her thumb tucked under her palm, as was standard, before catching up with Elham.

***

"Well, Imelda will straighten out Elham one way or another." Caleb looked behind him. He broke the lack of talking the four had since they separated from Imelda and Elham a few minutes ago. "I hope she gonna beat her." No one wanted to question Sage's exact intent by saying this. Lily convinced herself Sage meant beat in an argument, or something like that. "It's concerning that Elham's wake up call had to be Lily." Hosuh commented. The four didn't talk much until Caleb asked about the flag. "It's not so long ahead." Hosuh responded. Caleb nodded. No matter how hard he tried, he would just keep looking at his own forearms. Back and forth, how would he modify his gear to work in any condition? His head simply swarmed with ideas. Caleb was so lost that he didn't even notice Hosuh's outstretched arm until he ran into it. Caleb looked up to see everyone had stopped. Looking not so far ahead, there was a mass of fur. It only took Caleb a moment to recognize it as a bear. Ursus arctos horribilis he believed it was. It's name sounded like horrible, and Caleb wouldn't be surprised if that's what it meant in latin or something like that. It looked like it was desperately trying to shove the melted snow off of itself. It was near the edge of the ridge, would it fall off? Caleb didn't see the possibility unlikely. Maybe that's what everyone was waiting for. The bear picked up it's head and turned it towards the four. "Foam- Foam!" Sage yelled in a panic. The bear started charging them all. "You mean it has rabies?! Shit! Where's a canteen, it's afraid of water! Quick!" Caleb was the first to start scrambling for his canteen. Everyone else followed quickly. Not Lily, though, she had an idea. She squinted her eyes shut and threw out her hands towards the bear. From behind them all came a rushing flood of water, going directly for the bear. The animal, too infected by it's disease to think rationally, turned away and ran. It would keep running until it was far out of sight. Caleb, Sage, and Hosuh were left gazing above. The water was so beautiful as it flowed over them. Lily really had an eye for making something pretty, Caleb thought. Though, the longer he looked at it the more uncannily it behaved. This was all coming from Lily's mind. It was clear she did not yet have the training to skillfully mimic life. It was imperfect, it was beautiful. Lily opened her eyes and suddenly stumbled back. She tried to catch herself with her feet, but she just ended up falling on the snow. Caleb, who was the furthest away tried to grab her, but he just stuck out his arm with his fist balled up. It was embarrassing so he stopped, hopefully before anyone could see. "Okay?" Sage bent down to Lily. "I'm fine just, light headed." Lily stood up and almost fell again. This time Hosuh was able to support her. "Your Curse, I'm assuming?" He asked. She nodded. "That was a lot to do in so little time. Not to mention I created an audio illusion, I barely know how to do those and I did it so loud-" Hosuh helped Lily onto a horse. "It's best then if you don't strain yourself more. I speak for all of us when I say we truly appreciate your help. Our squad would be rather lost without you." Hosuh waited for Lily to nod before he fully let go, and looking at Hosuh Lily believed that somewhere behind his mask he was smiling softly.

Chapter Text

This was it. This was the test of the past four months. The ultimate way to show if the first semester at the SOAR academy has been worth anything. This moment kept locked in the blizzard was the hardest fight they've yet encountered. Renee thought about her friends, she wondered where they were, she couldn't wait to see them again. Something about that, about all of this, made Renee smile. She'd have to make it through this, she simply had to. Now she had to deal with the beast in front of her. "Oh, I make poor decisions.." Renee whispered harshly to herself as the bear approached. She planted her feet firmly in the snow which consumed her ankles. Renee's body was angled slightly with her left closer to the bear. Her right grip squeezed the hatchet so much she feared the handle may break. The bear roared with it's hot breath steaming out from it's unhinged jaw. Renee refused to give the animal a chance to strike first. Renee charged the bear and body slammed right into it's chest with her makeshift shield. Her attack barely moved the creature, and it quickly retaliated. The bear swung a claw straight at Renee's head. She was smart enough to duck, but she decided to take a risky opportunity. Before the bear could pull it's paw away from where Renee stood she shot her right arm up. Renee used all her force to try and dig the hatchet into the animal's wrist. It roared in pain. It swung it's arm away from the pain and it took the weapon with it. Renee watched as her whole plan flew out of the flesh it was dug into and past the wall of visibility. The roar of pain yelled out again as the bear came down from it's hind legs. Renee knew she couldn't dodge backwards or to the side, the bear was simply too large. Renee held up her shield to be a barrier between herself and the furry mass as it forced her onto her back. Renee was confused. She was still scared, but confused. Suddenly the bear seemed occupied with something else. The movement seemed frantic, like it was being attacked from multiple angles. Renee was looking for every opportunity she could to escape from under the bear's mass.

Without warning Renee felt a sudden tugging at her feet. She feared it may have been a wolf dragging her helplessly to the rest of the pack to kill her. Once she was out from under the bear she felt hands, okay so it wasn't a wolf that's good, pull her to her feet. Renee looked and it was Filippa. She was clearly scared out of her mind, but her grip on Renee was hard. In her left hand was a knife, already bloody. "Filippa, are you okay?!" Renee now held her friend's shoulder all the same. "Probably! I mean I stabbed a wolf and got you out!" Filipa shouting quickly crescendoed from her pride. "That's good!" Renee paused for a moment. "Where's your horse?" Renee only just now realized that Filippa was standing on her own two feet. Filippa thought about it for a second. "Okay maybe I didn't think this all the way through." Renee grabbed Filipa's hand on the side that wasn't occupied by a shield and dragged her a bit more away from the bear. The bear was occupied with wolves, and Renee didn't want to wait until it got finished with the wolf and would start looking for new meat to attack. "Alright, let's try to come up with a plan." Renee started to think once they were behind a few trees. Filippa opened her mouth to speak, but she lost her train of thought after an arrow whooshed by them both. The dead body of a wolf slid by them. Looking up they saw May, on her horse, with Filippa's horse next to her. "Wow, you're so scary but in a cool way." Filipa gawked at May. She took another arrow and knocked it in her bow string. "We don't need two Renees" May handed the reins of both horses to Filippa. She unmounted her horse. "Keep both of them safe. Don't let anyone else get off their horses unless they absolutely have to." Filippa nodded, a small look of worry on her face. "Go." May spoke in a way that made it clear that it was an order. Filippa didn't dare go against her squad leader. Without another bit of hesitation she rode off. Within the second Renee lost sight of Filippa due to the storm.

Renee looked at May. "We don't need two Renees." She repeated May's words. "It's not an insult. You're just insane enough to make what you do work. What won't work is someone trying to imitate that without fully realizing what makes you like this." She explained. Renee chuckled a bit, thinking back to Hosuh. "Yeah, I'm getting that sentiment a lot." May looked at Renee up and down. "Weren't you carrying a hatchet?" Renee looked away quickly. "Lost it- I mean, I didn't lose it, I just got the bear with it and then it pulled away and the hatchet went with it." Renee started looking around. "Well then don't lose your shield." May quickly turned around and pulled the string of her bow back. "Enough chat, let's deal with this mess." Renee quickly nodded. Two horses ran by May and Renee's vision. Atop one was Emel, the other Clay. Clay's knife was dripping with blood. There wasn't enough time to question them as they ran past. Renee and May ran out of the small cluster of trees they were hiding in. The wind immediately grew tenfold in intensity. It was a whirlwind of snow. Renee was starting to get numb to the cold. At this point she didn't even bother to pull her mask up, despite it being one of the bits of clothing May gave her. The two kept running. Suddenly a wolf started running at them both. They had no idea where it came from, but they didn't hesitate to react. Renee first used her built up momentum to kick it in the jaw. The wolf tried biting at her foot, but the durability of her boot protected her long enough for May to get a shot off. "Are you alright?" May asked quickly. Both of them started running again before she even finished her question. Renee nodded. "Didn't get through my boot." Then, without warning, there it was. A mass of fur and muscle stood before them, roaring at the top of it's lungs. The snow around it was splattered with crimson liquid akin to Renee's own hair in color. Renee watched as the foam disgustingly spurted out of the creature's jaw. May dug her feet in starting to knock another arrow upon the bow's string. Renee didn't slow down, she sped up. With all her momentum she body slammed the bear with her shield out front. Just as before it didn't do much, but Renee didn't stop this time. She started hitting the bear over and over again with her shield. The bear lifted it's body in an attempt to attack Renee. She blocked the harm with her shield, but the force still sent her rolling backwards. Renee didn't wait for her momentum to stop before she got back up again. She felt herself still sliding backwards when her feet propelled her forward. Renee smiled a wide smile as she charged the bear once more. An arrow now dug into it's side. Renee almost body slammed the bear again, but the animal came down from it's hind legs right as she did, forcing her to dodge to the side.

The bear swung it's claw at Renee who was smart enough to block with her shield. Her eyes widened when she saw the claws puncture the fire tray. Renee took a breath of relief when she realized that she herself wasn't hit. Renee attempted to pull away, but the claws were dug in too deep to the tray. Renee watched as the bear lifted it's free paw for another strike. Before Renee knew it she was pushed. More accurately, she was body slammed. Her arm was painfully ripped away from the now broken makeshift shield. When Renee looked up from the snow she had fallen into she saw May take the full force of the bear. It knocked her back so hard that she lost grip of her bow and most arrows fell out of her quiver. Both slide off beyond the veil of visibility. Renee rushed to May and tried helping her up. "May! You're-" Renee cut off when she saw all the blood. "Not mine! It's not my blood I'm fine. Whatever hurt that thing's wrist must've cut a tendon." May got to her feet and pulled out her knife. "That won't work..." Renee looked at May's readiness to fight. "It's better than what you've got, don't tell me you're giving up?" She couldn't help but crack a sly smirk at Renee. Renee grinned back. "Never. You got a plan?" May shook her head, "You?" Renee thought for a moment. "I'm gonna have the bear start chasing me. As I do, I'll be looking for my hatchet. You'll be right behind us, if things get too close you get the bears attention and we flip roles." Renee took off her gloves, setting them in her pocket. "Then let's do it." May nodded. Renee bent down, pressing her finger tips against the snow as if she was in a track meet. Then, as if she heard the smoking gun go off, she sprinted. Renee heard May take off after her. Renee decided to do something Soko taught her specifically. It was hard, but Renee was so desperate to learn it after she felt him use it against her. Renee breathed carefully, she couldn't make a mistake. Renee planted her foot and bent her knee. She couldn't let her foot stay planted on the ground for any time at all, it would slow her down. Renee sprung up at an angel, causing her body to spin in midair with the built up momentum. Cocking her leg back, she was above the bear. Her timing had to be perfect for the power to follow through. Renee used the physics of her body to shoot her leg forward. She made contact with the bear's face. Teeth fell out of it's mouth. Renee hit the snow hard and rolled, not having a proper landing.

The bear roared as it immediately started chasing Renee. She had to scramble to her feet, no time for a proper start up as she ran. Renee put everything into this run. She knew she would have to otherwise she was toast. A bear can run faster than any human, so Renee just had to find a way to fight back before it caught up. May's eyes widened as she watched Renee and the bear start to disappear into the storm. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't keep up. As a last ditch attempt, May threw her knife into the bear. The blade sunk into the animal's flesh, but it was a useless gesture. The bear and it's prey were now gone behind the wall of falling snow. Renee heard the bear cry out more and more as it drew closer. She could last a while, but Renee would need some kind of plan or a stroke of fortune to make it out without becoming the first casualty of the SOAR academy. Renee felt her heart beat. It was beating so hard she feared it might break her ribs. Somehow, the intense beating of a heart only made Renee give more, it made her feel more powerful. Just then, fate seemed to answer Renee's pleas. Right before her, she saw May's bow. Renee barely knew how to use a bow, but it was better than nothing. Renee bent down to grab it. Renee's feet slipped from under her, but her movement didn't stop. The ground had suddenly slanted downward. Renee made sure to keep a tight grip on the bow. She tumbled down the hill before she managed to get some control by digging the bow into the snow. Quick, there was an arrow to her right, she grabbed it. Looking up the hill she saw the bear following. It was dangerously close. Now she was sliding down on her side. Renee's legs hit a large and sturdy tree root, forcing her to turn. Now Renee is sliding backwards, the bear looming ever closer. Renee could practically feel the heat of it's breath radiate off of it.

Renee was in a panic, but she knew she couldn't let the feeling overcome her. Renee thought to May, how she would use the bow. Renee held the bow and arrow tight as she could. She knocked the arrow securely on the string. Renee couldn't tell what was about to happen, but she heard running water. Powerful, fast running water. The bear snapped it's jaw at Renee. Fortunately, it missed. Without warning the ground no longer ran under Renee's back. She wasn't sure if she'd survive whatever awaited her, so she pulled the string back. Gravity took over, Renee started to fall, fall towards the bottom of the ravine. At the bottom of which were icy river rapids. If the fall didn't kill her, that would. The bear started to stand at the ledge as it roared. Renee's eyes narrowed when she felt her legs hook onto an outstretching root. It caught Renee's weight and momentum, and more amazing, it stayed strong. Renee leaned up to aim, and she let go of the string. The arrow sunk through the back of the bear's throat. Renee uncurled her stomach and hung upside down. She was tense as the bear's limp body fell past her. She heard a loud splash. Renee leaned up to find a wide eyed Thalia standing over her. Her hand reached out towards Renee. She took Thalia's hand and pulled up. Renee was practically hyperventilating once she was back on solid ground. Renee and Thalia looked at each other for a moment before both scrambling back up the hill. There at the top was everyone else in the squad. Renee stretched out her arm holding the bow, giving it to May. "Thanks..." May took it. "The wolves are all dead." May added after a second. "So we won." Clay said. Renee whistled loudly. She was breathing too heavily to say anything. She walked off in a direction and the whole squad followed her. Cannon showed up by Renee's side before long. "Hey boy, good to see you're alright." Renee smiled softly lightly holding onto his reins.

***

Renee couldn't tell how much time had passed. Truth was, she completely dissociated after the animal attack was over. Her only bits of focus were dedicated to holding Cannon's reins and walking. No one else was much different. Everyone was silent, there was no sound save for ambiance. Fading into focus from the storm was something truly incredible. The thing she and everyone else in the squad had been waiting for. There, nestled in the mountain's peaks was light emanating from a warm cabin.

Chapter Text

The first thing that happened was that some of the staff took each person's horse reins. They'd be taking the mounts to the small barn. As for the squad themselves, they could finally finish their journey and enter the cabin. There was a strong blast of heat first thing. Just one taste of the warmth made everyone rush inside and close the door behind them. There was a fire going in a furnace towards the center of the room, Renee was the first to huddle around it. When Renee looked up, not only was everyone else from the squad also huddled around the furnace, but someone entered from a separate room of the cabin. It was Captain Flock, and she was smiling a proud smile. "Squad leader May, I congratulate you and your squad. You six are the first to arrive." The idea of it didn't seem real at first. After all of their roadblocks they were still the first team to arrive. The captain outstretched her hand, expecting the flag, which Filippa gave to her. "There's hot cider and food. I do have to warn you, though, the premade cider is hard cider." Captain Flock walked over to a table adorned with food and large thermoses filled with drink. Renee thought she must've missed it being too preoccupied with the fire. "Hard?" Renee tilted her head like a puppy. "You all just had to climb up a mountain in a blizzard. In a bit of time you'll be fighting for humanity's continued survival. The least I could do is offer you a bit of drink." Captain Flock certainly wasn't forcing this, there were non alcoholic options, and each was clearly labeled and plentiful. Renee grabbed a cup and looked at her options for a moment. She thought back about everything she had gone through this night. Renee poured herself a bit of the hard cider and sipped it gently. After that she filled her cup up. "Thank you ma'am." She smiled before going back to sit by the furnace.

After a bit, each of her squad members sat with her. Each had a cup, some even grabbed food. Renee didn't know who grabbed hard or normal cider, but she didn't care, she smiled. "I think I can actually feel again." Renee said to no one in particular. "Cheers to that," Clay smiled back at Renee. "It's freezing out there." There was a bit more silence, real silence not interrupted by any horses or howling winds, before May spoke up. "Is everyone alright? We went through a lot back there." He was surveying each of his fellow cadets. "Great!" Filippa was the first to respond, as she did so excitedly. "I've got food, drink, and a fire. It can't exactly be worse than out there." Clay smirked. Renee just nodded with a smile as her response. "I'm all good." Emel spoke before deciding to add, "thanks to Thalia." Clay looked at Emel like she was crazy. To be fair, her hair was an absolute mess and she hadn't bothered to fix it. Emel looked at Thalia. "Do you wanna tell it or should I?" Thalia motioned for Emel to go on, evidently not wanting to talk. "Well, obviously, there I was on my horse. I mean, that's where we were supposed to be. To be honest, I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life. I mean, this was the first time in my life I could actually get really badly injured or, if I was really unfortunate, die." Emel paused for a second. She didn't quite let the fact sink in in the moment, so it was hitting fully her now. She continued, trying to act like she didn't pause at all. "Uhm. Yeah, so there I was. I mean I think I almost ran directly into that bear, but it was scary so my horse ran in the opposite direction. I guess I didn't have a good grip or something cause when a wolf showed up right in front of us and my horse went all crazy I fell off. I kind of thought I was done for, but then there was Thalia. She didn't hesitate to jump off her horse and tackle the wolf. I mean it was reckless, probably really stupid, but I wouldn't be okay if she didn't act immediately." Renee looked at Thalia when she heard of what she did for Emel. Thalia looked back, her cheeks were a bit red with embarrassment. "My adrenaline dulled a lot of the pain." Thalia finally pipped up, unable to make eye contact. After seeing she got a few odd looks Thalia slid off her jacket just a bit to show that her arm was bleeding from stripes of rough cuts, claw marks. "Here," May stood up, "I'll help you get patched up." Thalia nodded and the two headed into another room, presumably with the captain, to apply some first aid to Thalia.

This left a slightly awkward air in the room. Emel was the first to speak up. "I know I'm mean. I know I don't treat any of you kindly, but please don't think anything else. I'm happy, really happy, that you all made it through tonight okay. I think, just for the rest of tonight, I'll try to be nice." Emel couldn't help but smile. "Wow! That's actually so mature of you, sharing your emotions and what not." Filippa giggled taking another sip of her drink. "I think we did a half decent job." Clay spoke up. Clearly, some part of him was still thinking of elsewhere, but now some part of him is living in the moment. "If this is the squad I go to the northern island with I can't complain all too much." Which is a very big compliment coming from someone as sarcastic as Clay. "I'd be happy too." Renee looked at all of her squad members, her fellow cadets, her friends. She was happy.

***

About half an hour passed before the front door to the cabin opened again. Renee shivered as the cold wind rushed in. Thalia was especially cold, as now she was only wearing a sleeveless shirt that showed her bandaged bicep. Maru started laughing cheerfully as she felt the warmth overtake her with the door closing. Her forever smile was ear to ear. Eden rushed to the furnace and threw off his jacket. The vegetation on his body grew closer to the warmth. Dylan looked around and raised her eyebrow when she saw May's squad. "Y'know somehow I didn't think you guys would be here first." She tossed the flag to Captain Flock on the other side of the room. "I knew they could do it." Soko got right close to the furnace alongside Eden. "Once these guys have the momentum, they never stop." He smiled and patted Renee's shoulder. Philip looked at the fire in his palm and waved his hand till it was gone. "I'm just glad I don't have to be the furnace anymore." He chuckled. Etsu had already found the food and was stuffing his face. "This is amazing, absolutely amazing." Etsu looked at the drinks available and started pouring his squad mates cups of cider. Based on requests, most were hard. Philip was the only one who asked for regular cider. Maru sat besides Renee. "Have you ever had alcohol before?" She asked, sipping her first drop of the night. Renee shook her head. "No, but I think after tonight I deserve it, plus it's a controlled environment right?" Renee smiled back at Maru. Maru nodded in agreement. It was another twenty minutes after Maru's squad arrived that the final cadets walked through the door. Renee quickly got up to hug Caleb. Sage leaned their face on Renee's shoulder. "Good to see you alright, Blood." Imelda smirked and tapped Renee on her head. "Alright and comfortable it looks like." Hosuh added. The other four could tell Hosuh was happy, despite his lack of outward expression. Lily decided to lay down cause she needed it. Elham walked over to Clay, sitting beside him and leaning against him. "There's hard cider." Clay handed Elham his cup. "Oh thank god, I need it." She took it and drank it. Maru bent down to Lily and handed her some (non alcoholic) cider. "Thanks Mo- Maru." Maru chuckled softly.

A few minutes later everyone had taken off their winter coats and gotten comfortable. Imelda sat next to Renee, who was leaning against her slightly. She had only just finished her first mug of cider. Everyone could hear the howling blizzard outside, it just made them warmer. Imelda started humming softly. It was a bit quiet, so this caught most people's attention. She added words to the tune. Renee didn't recognize the song, but the lyrics felt meaningful. Imelda sang about camaraderie, hope, and comfort despite hardships. When Imelda once again looped back to the chorus, this time Maru joined in the singing. By the end of the chorus, so had Etsu, Filippa, Caleb, Lily, Philip, and Thalia. Everyone rocked along to the next verse. Renee got up to get herself and Imelda a refill of drink. She sat back down right next to the singing girl, handing her the mug. Imelda clinked her cup against Renee's and put her arm around her as she started to sing the chorus once more. Renee joined in, quite enthusiastically, this time. As did others. Clay, Emel, and Eden sang right at the start. As the chorus drifted along everyone started singing. Some people stood up to sing better. Clay already had rosy cheeks, plenty visible thanks to his pale skin. For the first time since the academy had started, everyone in the class was happy, genuinely truly happy.

As the night drew longer there was more drinking, more eating, more singing. The warmth was overwhelmingly comfortable. Renee's cheeks matched her eyes in color. She was giggly and excitable. She sat next to the window sill and looked out into the night. She awed at the beauty of the outside. Filippa sat beside her and together they watched as the blizzard began to dissipate. For a moment Caleb started working in his notebook about possible winter adjustments to his grapple gear, but Hosuh patted his shoulder. Caleb chuckled a bit and nodded. He closed his notebook and stood up. He joined whatever song was being chanted at the time. Renee looked back at everyone in this one small room. At this point most people had rosy cheeks filled with smiles. These were the people whom she was going to spend the next big chapter of her life with. These were the people whom she was going to save humanity with. She joined the singing as well. Some people could even swear they heard the captain humming along from the next room over. Renee could feel her heartbeat. In that moment, she felt as though she could feel everyone's heart beat as one. It was a force so strong that all fear, all doubt, all discomfort was replaced with hope. Pure, genuine hope.

Renee rushed back to the group and hung her arms around her friends as they all sang loudly. Mugs would clash together with cheers from their holders. Everyone took large sips of cider. The cadets could only pray that this night would last forever. They wished that they could experience this feeling over and over again. Suddenly, Filippa ran outside giggling. Everyone seemed to follow her without question. The blizzard was gone. Even the clouds that might've blocked the sky were evaporated by the brilliant diamond-like stars. But there were even more than stars tonight. As the cadets looked up they could see a stunning display of greens and purples in the sky. The southern lights danced as if they shared the hope of each of the cadets. Despite being outside in the middle of the night, no one was cold. They all laughed and awed towards the scenery. Renee thought that this must've been the most beautiful thing she's ever seen. She felt a hand softly grab hers, it was Imelda's. Before long, a snowball fight started. It was childish, but it was so fun that the captain had to call them back inside after half an hour so no one would get too cold. As they all walked back inside the energy was the same, just much more tired. Slowly, one by one, each cadet started to drift off to sleep.

***

Renee wasn't sure what time it was when she woke up. It was still dark, and she was suddenly cold. She decided to get up as quietly as she could as not to disturb anyone else. She grabbed her mug and carefully filled it up with more warm cider. Taking a sip she felt the cold melt away. When Renee's eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see out the window, and sitting outside was May. Renee wasn't sure why they were out there. Without thinking much about it she walked over to the door. Carefully, she slid her boots on and opened the door quietly. She turned the corner of the cabin to see May. They were sitting in the snow, without any more protection from the cold than Renee herself. May seemed to almost jump when they saw Renee. "Sorry." They kept switching between looking at the beautiful sky and the snow covered ground. "It's okay." Renee sat besides May, taking a sip of cider. She offered the cup to May. "It's still nice and warm." They took it and sipped it slightly. "Why are you out here?" May asked Renee. "I dunno. I saw you. I came outside without thinking." Renee looked up at the sky. May took a moment to examine Renee. "You're drunk aren't you." Renee didn't shift at all. "Probably." Renee watched her breath, not feeling cold at all. "You're interesting, Renee. I don't think I understand you." May shook their head. Renee shrugged. "I'm just human, we all are." May just chuckled a bit. "Why are you out here?" Renee asked May the same question they asked her. May took a moment before responding. "Just thinking."
"About?"
"You. And everyone else in my squad." May kicked the snow a bit. "I mean we went through all that together, and yet here we are... Can I tell you something?" May finally looked at Renee directly who finally looked back. "When you grabbed that hatchet and made yourself a shield. I mean you were confident. You killed a wolf before I could even get a shot off. You didn't hesitate to protect us. When you got up on your horse, I didn't see you how you were. I swear, when I looked at you then I saw you adorned in shining, metal armor. Your shield was mighty and indestructible, and your hatchet was a great claymore. In that moment, I could've sworn you were some kind of knight from a fairy tale." May looked back at the ground feeling a bit embarrassed to mention this. "And then I realized I. I realized I'd have to... Look, you're good. You're good and I don't think anything can stop you. I'm just afraid, that I'm not so good." May sat in silence for a bit before handing the mug of cider back to Renee. "I think I might be a bit drunk too..." Renee didn't have much to say. She didn't know how to respond. She took another sip of cider and let the warmth fill her. "Were you happy tonight?" Renee finally asked. May took a minute to consider the question before nodding. "Then forget about your worries. We're your comrades and nothing will change that. In that cabin, when we're together, when we sing as one, nothing can stop that. Let your worries go, and come back inside. Because when we're together, we're safe." Renee smiled and stood. She offered her hand to May who took it. The two of them headed back inside. Renee stayed up just a bit more to finish her cider, but once she was sure May was asleep, she let the warmth blanket her, and Renee fell into a deep, safe sleep.

Chapter Text

Renee woke up to a small pounding of her head. She felt her temples and sighed. When she sat up her vision got fuzzy, and she felt dizzy. She managed to get out of bed and stumble towards her wardrobe, on top of which was her water bottle. She took it, opened the cap, and drank the whole thing in one big sip. She turned around to see Sage was now also awake. "Hangover?" They asked. Renee nodded. "Just a small one, though." She explained. Just feeling the water in her system made her feel so much better already. "I'll be in the shower, are you gonna do it after?" Renee looked to Sage who shook their head. "I did it before. Before you woke up. I wanted to make sure I wasn't in your way today." Sage felt their clean hair. "Alright, well then," she smiled softly, "I'll see you after." Renee grabbed a towel and closed the bathroom door behind her. When the warm water ran through her crimson hair and over her scalp Renee felt her headache melt away.

Renee wasn't quite sure how long it was before she was done showering. She got dressed in clean clothes and wrapped the towel around her neck to prevent the water dripping from her hair onto her dry shirt. She exited the bathroom to be met with Sage standing, finishing up her outfit by putting on a light jacket. Renee nodded at Sage, as she hung up her towel. "You look nice." Sage turned to Renee who was now putting her socks on. "It's a big day. Better than a bloody hoodie." Renee chuckled. "I can't believe that was already so long ago." Renee stood up and threw on her letterman jacket. "C'mon. Etsu's baking cakes, I can smell it." Sage tapped the tip of their pointed nose. Renee was about to open the door when she heard a knock. Quickly she ran back to the other side of the room and threw open the window. "Caleb! Captain Flock is gonna kill you if she sees you using your grapple gear today!" She tried scolding him, but she was laughing. Caleb was hanging upside down with ease thanks to the muscles which built up over the time of using the gear. "Nah! See today and beyond I'm permitted full use of my grapple gear!" Caleb grinned. "That's after the ceremony, get to the common room before you're caught." Renee chuckled. Caleb reached his arm into the room through the window. Before he could be stopped he already grappled inside expertly landing by the door and swinging it open. "After you, I mean today is your day." Caleb smirked smugly.

Sage walked out first, followed by Renee, and finally Caleb behind them. The three entered the common space to be met with everyone else in their class already down there. "Wow you two never fail to be the last ones down." Emel chuckled looking at Renee and Sage. Renee felt an arm swing around her shoulder as Imelda practically tackled her. "Hey, Blood, you excited, eh?" She chuckled. Renee nodded quickly. "You have no idea." She couldn't stop smiling. Hosuh approached with two plates in his hand. "Well, you better not go with an empty stomach." He handed one to Renee and the other to Sage. On each plate was a breakfast of french toast and berries. "Thanks Etsu!" Renee shouted over to the kitchen. "Thanks you." Sage tried to imitate Renee's thanks. Etsu gave the two a nod as he was currently washing dishes. The five friends sat down around the couch to allow Renee and Sage to eat. "The jacket looks real good on you, Blood." Imelda admired her friend. "You think so?" Renee became slightly flustered from the sudden compliment. "Renee always wears that jacket." Hosuh added. "Yeah, but y'know when we met it was way too big. Now it fits, almost, just right. Like you had a growth sport for today specifically." Imelda chuckled. "Oh please she could grow another foot and it'd still fit fine." Caleb grabbed Renee's shoulder and shook it a bit, which almost caused her to spill some berries off of her plate. "Renee says it was made for seniors and that's why." Sage seemed proud of their remembering of Renee's telling.

Soon enough both Renee and Sage had finished their breakfast. When Renee stood she saw Maru, smiling as always, helping May and Elham with their uniforms. Designated squad leaders had to wear special uniforms to the ceremony. They were very handsome uniforms, being navy blue, with their designated rank of squad leader shown on the shoulders. When Caleb stood and saw this he turned away. "You'll do great, Caleb, I'm sure of it." Renee tapped him on the back. "Wow they all look so cool!" Filippa seemed to appear beside Renee suddenly. It made her jump a little, but Filippa didn't notice. "Yes they do." Renee nodded to regain composure. Filippa was wearing arm warmers despite it looking like a warm day, but her shirt was sleeveless so maybe it balanced out. "You guys got it from here?" Renee could hear Maru say from across the room. "I promised Lily I'd help do her hair." May and Elham confirmed that they would be fine with their uniforms from there. Maru walked over to a chair near the couch and sat in it. In front of her sat Lily on the floor. Carefully and nimbly, Maru started working the girl's hair. It wasn't too far into training that Lily needed her hair to be fixed just from all she was being put through. That's when it became clear no one knew how to help her because her hair was so unique compared to the rest of everyone in the class. Philip's hair might be like Lily's when it's naturally kept, but he puts in some kind of product to keep it wavy as opposed to super tight curls. It was then that Maru took it upon herself to learn how to help Lily with her hair, as if she was her mother. Now, after much practice, Maru could help Lily with ease.

Filippa wandered off to the other side of the room. Renee didn't even notice until she saw her over with Eden talking to him. Philip was next to him. "I say you should have your flowers out for the ceremony!" Filippa insisted. Eden was nervous about the idea of it. "I have to agree with Filippa, Eden, your flowers are real pretty. Plus it's a part of who you are, so you shouldn't hide it." Philip added. Eden eventually nodded. "Plus it's gonna be real sunny! Your little leaves are gonna love it!" Filippa burst out, not yet realizing that Eden has already agreed. Clay accidentally shoved past Rene to get to Elham. "Boy am I glad I don't have to wear that! Oh you are going to be way hot in that thing!" Clay laughed at Elham. She just chuckled. "You called me hot." Clay stuttered realizing he accidentally complimented Elham. "Hey! No! That's not what I meant and you know it!" Elham burst out laughing at this point. Which only made Clay more flustered at his mistake, which only made Elham laugh at him more. Renee's eye was somehow drawn to Dylan, who was standing by herself next to the mirror. She decided to approach the loner.

Dylan was looking at a pair of beautiful earrings. They were gemstones, expensive ones. The color was brilliant and would match Dylan's eyes perfectly. She kept looking between the earrings and her reflection. She felt her ear lobe, specifically right at the spot where her ears were pierced. Dylan decided to check her text messages. Right at the top of her contacts were her mom and dad. There were no new messages. "Hey Dylan." Renee approached slowly which gave Dylan the time to close the box her earrings were in and pocket them and her phone. "Renee, hi." Dylan seemed a bit confused as to why Renee would choose to approach her. "I just-" Renee noticed Dylan's wear. "Aren't you going to be hot in that?" Looking at Dylan she was wearing a gray hoodie and black sweatpants. "Says the girl in a letterman jacket." Dylan chuckled. Renee shrugged and giggled a bit too. "Fair enough." Dylan tossed her hair a bit. "Besides if I tried to look good I'd steal all the cameras. I see the headline now." Dylan outstretched her arms as if she was showing off each word. "The prettiest woman to ever join SOAR!" Dylan laughed and got a laugh out of Renee too. "God I'm so glad I don't have to wear one of those hot uniforms." Dylan changed the subject. It made Renee think back to when Clay called them hot.

"Isn't that right Soko?" Dylan snickered and high-fived him as he was walking by. "Regular clothes are hard and hot enough to wear as it is. I do not need something that fancy." Soko was only wearing a black tank top and tan cargo shorts, each with parts cut out to make room for his tail and shell. This was regular for most of his clothes. Either that or they were so big and oversized they could somehow fit his dinosaur parts without damage. "You said it." Dylan rolled her eyes to disapprove of the overly fancy uniforms. "You're in hoodies and sweatpants-" Soko paused with a blank face. "Yes I am aware." Dylan's smirk strained, and her brow furrowed. Renee heard a giggle, which Soko and Dylan didn't. As they kept talking Renee turned to the source of the sound, it was Thalia. She quickly turned around when she saw she had been caught. Renee walked over to the kitchen where she was helping Etsu clean. "Are you excited?" Renee asked. Thalia finally made eye contact and nodded. Etsu also nodded, but he was too busy with dishes to make eye contact. Renee looked at Thalia, she was wearing a cute sleeveless top. It made her think back to the mountain training when she had to have her bicep bandaged. She's much buffer now than then. Renee thought to herself. "You dressed up for the day." Thalia noted. Renee lifted her jacket to get a better look at the button up dress shirt she was wearing. "Heh, I'd hardly count this as dressing up." Renee was flustered a bit at her lack of style. "It's the thought that matters more than anything else." Etsu looked up from his dish washing. Renee couldn't help but smile. There was something about Etsu in general that was always a bit funny. Just him being so big and strong, but he's the sweetest man and loves to cook and bake so cheerily.

There was a knock on the door. May opened it, and he was met with Captain Flock. "Cadets." Everyone suddenly stood at attention and saluted. It was a proper salute, with each of their thumbs tucked, always pointing forwards. Captain Flock salute back. "At ease." She ordered and everyone dropped their salute. "Good, I hope you are all ready for the ceremony." The captain looked at her cadets, her students, they nodded. "Very well then. You will meet me outside in five minutes." "Yes ma'am!" Everyone said as one. The five minutes passed like a singular second. Captain Flock spoke as soon as everyone was outside "I hope you are all ready. It is a beautiful day, a perfect day. You have all shown true excellence over these past two years and I'm very proud of every one of you. I'll save all else I have to say for my speech. So, for now, I'll leave it to this. Congratulations on making it to your graduation day of SOAR academy."

November 13th 2303...

Chapter Text

The day was so beautiful. The sun was positioned two hours before it's peak in the sky. Birds were flying back and forth, singing the songs of summer. The wind danced through lush leaves as if they were chimes. As the leaves flickered back and forth they casted brilliant patterns of light. For as far as the eye could see above there was blue, only interrupted by the majestic mountains that stood opposite the sun. The grass waltzed back and forth with the flowers. The breeze rolled over the hills as if it were little children rolling down and laughing all the way as they got dizzy and almost fall back down when they try to stand. The world is beautiful, but more so are the people in it.

Thalia watched as her class walked the path towards the ceremony. For a moment she just decided to stop. Her legs weren't tired at all. She felt like she could run a whole marathon, in fact. But she stood still. Her glossy eyes looked around slowly. She felt the music of the day in her soul. Thalia bent down to a wild flower and smiled. She took it by the bottom most part of the stem and lifted it gently. She didn't want to hurt the beautiful flower. She cradled the picked flower in her hand as she stood. She didn't take her gaze off of it as she walked once more. Thalia didn't feel like disturbing the peace by running to catch back up with her friends. Her naturally long stride should make up for the distance gained, though. Before long Thalia looked next to her to see Emel. She smiled and handed her the flower she picked. "Why are you giving me this?" Emel looked up at Thalia. "Well, it matches your eyes." She smiled. Emel turned the flower over in her hand a few times. "It does, do you mind putting it on me?" Emel handed the flower back to Thalia. She nodded and the two stopped. Carefully, Thalia wove the stem through Emel's pretty, dark hair until it was no longer visible and only the flower could be seen. "There, perfectly pretty." Thalia stared at Emel carefully. Emel and the flower seemed to demand attention in a soft, but persuasive, manner. Emel leaned in for a moment, but her head turned when they heard Soko.

"C'mon guys you don't wanna fall behind!" His smile was joyous. Like a kid on Christmas, or at least the ones from the movies. The old ones from North America, where Christmas was huge and in the winter. Emel nodded and cleared her throat. "Right," she looked back at Thalia, "right." Emel started walking and Thalia followed closely by her side. It was many more minutes of walking before the group got to their destination. There was a makeshift amphitheater by the waters edge. It looked nice, but it was still clear how it was thrown together somewhat quickly with no intent on being a permanent structure. Captain Flock's class was one of the first to arrive. This was either a result of the captain's insistence on being precise or the class being unusually small in size. There were eighteen cadets in Captain Flock's class, giving only three squads. Other classes were usually around nine squads, with the largest of their year being twelve. There were sixty squads across the whole graduating class.

Half an hour after Captain Flock's cadets arrived the ceremony started. The commander walked onto the stage. This was the first time, at least anyone in Captain Flock's class, saw the commander in person since he was there at the end of the physical exam. It could be noted that a few more of his hairs were gray, but still his face remained neat and clean shaven. Looking at Commander Barron, you'd have no idea he spent most of the past two years on the dangerous island with Cursed Creatures. "I'll do my best to keep my speech short, as I'm sure the captains in the audience will not." He smiled softly. There was a quiet, echoing chuckle coming from the seats. "I don't fault them of course. For the past two years they worked very hard to make sure each of you graduating cadets are ready to handle the perils of the northern island. It's only natural that a kind of attachment has grown. I consider each and every cadet here very fortunate. I chose each and every captain to teach you all, and trust me, I take nothing less than the best. Before you all lies the future. Countless soldiers have come before you, and so many will follow in your footsteps. Not all too long ago your captains were in your position now, even I was once a boy, one with the future ahead of him. My friends were by my side, my captain hopeful that I would make the right choices. You are filled with hope, you must feel so light. I was the same. That light feeling is for civilians, you'll see exactly what I mean when you see a Cursed Creature in person for the first time.

Of course, I am not saying you won't find joy, or comfort, or satisfaction from now on. The simple fact of the matter is you all have a responsibility now. A responsibility to your comrades, to your country, to the world. It is your actions that determine the fate of humanity, and if I sent you to the northern island without letting it be known as clearly as possible that this is your responsibility would be a sabotage of your success. You must let this responsibility guide you as it does for me now. Feel the weight of hope on your shoulders. You must do anything to keep that hope alive. Make no mistake, we will retake the northern island, and I will see you all on the other side. Good fortune to you all." Commander Barron waited for the applause to die down before he turned to leave. "Captain Flock, I give the stage to you." He walked off the stage and went to special seating for himself and a few Overseers who showed up to attend the ceremony. Captain Flock took one last look at her class in the audience before opening her mouth. "When the Overseers came to me with the proposition to leave my station in the field and become a teacher at this academy, I debated the proposition for hours. I sat alone on my bed in the outpost in silence for what felt like days. I would have to leave my squad, who to this day is still on the front lines of the northern island, and practically abandon my whole unit. As a captain, I made every choice with meticulous intent to insure our safety. Progress was slow, but it was undeniable that we were making a difference, and if we continued that difference would be monumental. Perhaps one day we'd be marked as the unit to take back the northern island. In my search for an answer I thought back to my youth. I was reckless, chaotic, and to say I caused trouble would be an understatement.

But in my childhood I had a cousin. He was about the same age as me, and we grew up like siblings. After he lost his parents in a tragic accident he came to live with me and my father. One day, when we had both reached our early teens my father got arrested for his many crimes. The man was sentenced to life in prison. It left my cousin and I alone, with no clue what to do. My cousin decided to do something good. He decided that on that day that he would join the Royal Guard. He kept in school, studied, got good grades, and always did the right thing even when he was by himself. I got lost. It's not a secret that I have an extensive criminal record. My teenage years were truly chaotic. What my cousin did, I practically did the opposite. Despite all of this, my cousin never stopped believing in me. He would come visit me all the time, provide for me when he could, and always try to lead me down a better path. In some ways, he did. Whenever he was around I felt like all of my energy had been funneled towards goodness. Despite insisting to him that I was too far gone, I would do acts of good in his name, even if it was something as small as taking care of a hurt, baby raccoon. It wasn't until his unfortunate passing in the line of duty during his time in the Royal Guard did I truly see what all of it meant. Before that moment it was like I was operating in a fog. Then suddenly I woke up. I took his sacrifice to heart, and I dedicated myself to betterment. I turned myself into prison and I spent those years rehabilitating myself. I suppose my cousin at some point convinced someone in a high place that I was good because I eventually got an offer to become a soldier of S.O.A.R. My acceptance of the role was in memory of him, my performance and dedication to the cause was in memory of him, my advancement through the ranks was in memory of him. And now, after all these years I was being given the opportunity to teach cadets what I learned.

I realized that that too was to be done, and it was to be done in memory of him. I trusted my Warriors to lead the unit with the same vigor that I did, and I accepted the offer. I have forgiven myself for much of what I've done in my youth. I was young, and I've dedicated every waking moment since then to making the world a better place. But I never would have forgiven myself if I had the opportunity to be the same funnel of hope that my cousin was for me and I turned it down. I requested a class of cadets who could only be best described as chaotic. I got my wish. I made every day a lesson on not only how to succeed, but how to be that funnel as well. As Commander Barron said, soldiers will come after you and they will follow your footsteps. So you've got to make every step a step forward, with intent, and you must make every step a good step. Whatever you do in the future, I'm excited to see it. I trust each of you, my students especially, to do great things. I trust the future of Saguánit in your hands. I wish you all good fortune." Captain Flock smiled. It was soft and warm, like a fire in the middle of winter. Her students didn't think they've ever seen her smile like that before. It was hope.

Chapter Text

November 17th 2303...
Each former cadet, now soldier, was given a few days to return home before their deployment day. Each soldier handled their time a bit differently. Renee and Caleb went home and didn't worry about time at all. The deployment site was already in their home city anyway. Some spent a day or two at home, and then used the last day to travel to the deployment site. This was the most widespread option picked. Renee knew that a few soldiers, including some of her unit, went directly from the academy to the deployment site. May was one, Renee only got a few words of conversation in with her before she left the academy. Dylan was under a similar situation, except instead of staying at a deployment site she was staying in the nicest hotel in the city. Renee could only imagine how expensive it was. Sage and Hosuh both had planned to go directly to the deployment site, but Renee and Caleb insisted that the two stayed with them, similar to how they spent the most recent winter break in Caleb and Renee's houses respectively. Renee was sad to see Imelda go, despite knowing it would only be a couple days, but Imelda insisted she had some things to take care of in Omega. Renee spent more time than she was willing to admit thinking about Imelda as the two were separated.

Renee was finishing up packing the few things she was taking to the northern island when Sage walked in. "We're all down there, waiting on you." Sage waited for Renee to give confirmation that she heard them before leaving back downstairs and out into the driveway. Renee grabbed her bag, taking one last look around her room. She saw a scarf she wore when she was younger. It was hanging midway off her bookshelf, only kept in place by a few stray novels she had to read for middle school English class. Renee took a step towards it. Renee hadn't touched it in years. In fact she never even paid attention to it, so what now was drawing her to the fabric? Now looking at the scarf carefully through older eyes it was clear it was, in actuality, a bandana. It only fit Renee as a scarf because she was so little when she wore it. With care, Renee took the scarf bandana from under the books that held it in place for so many years. Renee remembered now, she wore it that day she went sledding in the maple forest with her dad. Renee was about to pocket the scarf when she heard a sniffle. "Sage, sorry I'll be right-" Renee spoke before she turned around, but when she did she saw her little sister standing in the doorway. Bernetta's eyes went wide when she saw she was spotted and ran back to her room. Renee sat her bag down and walked out of her room.

Renee arrived at Bernetta's doorway just in time to see her shut it. Renee lightly knocked on the door. It was a few seconds before she did, but Bernetta opened the door. "Hey, Firefly," it was a nickname Renee had for Bernetta, "what's wrong?" Renee squatted until she was on Bernetta's eye level. "It's not fair." She spoke through her sniffles. "I just got you back! Now you're leaving right away. What about summer break?!" Bernetta frantically looked around as if to find a solution. Renee put on a soft smile to calm her little sister. "I've got responsibility now. Soldiers don't get a summer break. We've got to work hard to better this world. And you know what? We'll succeed." Renee whispered that last part as if it was some playground secret. Bernetta calmed down a little, but was still sniffling. "But... But when do I get to see you again?" Renee felt bad as her little sister looked up at her with big, adorable eyes, which were framed by a scatter of freckles, just like Renee's were. "Hey hey hey, Firefly," she didn't let her guilt show, "Captain Flock tells me that in just a couple months I've gotta come back here for some parade anyway. I'll see you then!"

Bernetta turned away. "That's so long from now!" Renee almost forgot that Bernetta, being four years younger than Renee, viewed time as longer than Renee would. "Firefly, I know it's hard. Trust me, it's hard for me too. I have to leave you. That's the hardest part, my love for you is what wants me to stay with you, but my love for you is also what's driving me to the northern island. I want to do both to protect you. But I get it, it's hard to see that I'm doing this for you. I'm not there by your side, so how could I be protecting you?" Bernetta looked up at Renee quick. "Exactly!" She was hoping her big sister finally got it, and wouldn't dare leave now. "Exactly." Renee repeated Bernetta's word softly. "There's a threat on the northern island, one that's hard to comprehend. That threat is worse than anything you'll face here. It's a threat that threatens all of humanity. More than anything, that's what scares me. The idea that you'd have to fight for the simple opportunity to have a future. No one should be left to wonder if they have a future, especially not a kid." Renee glanced slowly at her own abdomen. It felt like her organs were churning. "So here." Renee grabbed the scarf from her pocket and handed it to Bernetta.

The pale magenta-like color of the scarf matched oddly well with Bernetta's dark brown hair and amber eyes. Perhaps it was the soft red shirt she was wearing that helped complete the look. Bernetta took the scarf without question, but she looked up at Renee with confusion. "It used to be mine when I was younger." Renee explained. "I think you should have it. Cause now, even if I'm on the other island, you'll always have something of mine to hold on to, wherever you go. It's a nice reminder, right? It doesn't matter where I am, or where you are. I'm protecting you. Every time we see each other I'll hug you so hard I promise, but when we're apart, know your big sister is always there for you." Renee smiled softly and hugged her sister. Sage walked in without realizing the moment occurring. "Renee, car." They said. Renee nodded. "You okay with me going?" Renee asked Bernetta. "Yeah, yeah I think I'm okay now." Bernetta held the scarf tight. "I'll see you later, alright?" Renee stood up. Bernetta nodded, and she hugged her sister. Neither of them really said goodbye to each other. There was never a goodbye for the Rossis. Renee walked downstairs with Sage and started the short trip to the deployment site.

Chapter Text

Renee had never been in a boat. Proportionally, few people ever had. Boats, similar to any kind of flying vehicle, were regulated heavily, and used mostly, by the government. It was a luxury to have a personal watercraft. They were expensive, and the places where one could use them were limited. The process of actually buying one was also tedious and long, almost costing as much as the boat itself. The government explained that if anyone tried to cross the ocean they'd most certainly die. From what Renee could find, crossing the ocean is a difficult process, one that was only truly made possible by the rest of the world's resources. Even government and military use ships couldn't make such a journey. The furthest any boat had been documented going, and returning, was an island technically in the Omega sector. Though, this island was roughly sixty miles further south. The island was used as the only max security prison in Saguánit. Practically every prisoner there was someone with a calamity level Curse who had done something that threatened a significant portion of the population. There were some theories that the ship used to make that journey could actually withstand making the odyssey to either of the two land masses that neighbor Saguánit. The only problem is that to the south was a icy desert, and to the north west was, from Renee's research, a land that could only be described as wild, uninhabitable, and out to kill any human that sets foot on it's soil. That in addition to the potential threat of radiation removed anyone's want to test the theory of the ship's true capabilities.

Renee wondered what setting foot on the northern island would be like. Furthermore, she wondered what the new captain would be like. Captain Flock was really all this unit ever knew. Even then, it was pretty clear Captain Flock was far off from the typical captain. Renee didn't think it made any sense. Captain Flock was making serious progress to reclaim the northern island. Why would the Overseers ever let her become a teacher for the academy? Caleb nudged Renee. "You're lost." He told her. Renee suddenly snapped back to the present moment, which might not have been the best for her because now she felt slightly sea sick as she paid attention to the rocking of the boat. "Woooooow," Dylan looked around and exclaimed, "can none of you handle being on a boat?" She chuckled, Emel tried to join in the chuckle but was worried about hurling over the side. "Yeah, don't think we ain't see your quaking Dylan. This is your first time on the ocean, eh?" Imelda walked around as if she was born on the ocean. It must've been the ferry rides to and from Omega that helped Imelda be so comfortable on an ocean bearing ship. Renee smiled at the thought, she wasn't sure why.

Elham was the only one up on the small top deck of the ship. There were only a few seats up on the tiny platform, and most people were trying not to make their motion sickness worse, so it was no surprise it wasn't very popular. She was alone until Clay decided to join her. "You nervous?" He asked her. "What, are you?" Elham tried to brush off Clay's question. "Oh yeah. Super nervous." Clay's tone made it seem as though he was sarcastic, but both he and Elham knew when the other was nervous. "I mean I'm just a soldier, I can't imagine how stressful it must be for a squad leader." Clay sat next to his friend. "Well, I guess it is a bit.. much. Maybe I'm not cut out for this? Especially being a squad leader." Elham looked around the ship. She spotted Caleb, Lily, and Imelda specifically. "Other people are probably better fit for leadership." Clay slapped Elham across the face. Her melancholy disappeared without a trace to make way for rage. "What the hell was that for?!" Elham was about ready to punch Clay. "Are you kidding me?! After all that time endlessly bragging to me about how you're a squad leader! Now you're questioning whether or not someone else would be better?! I thought you were supposed to be the best fitted soldier in our whole year for leadership, I thought you told me you were gonna climb the ranks till you're the greatest woman in all of Saguánit!" Clay was wearing an annoying, shit-eating grin. "What happened to that ego? Don't tell me that was all talk, and under all that you're just some scared little girl." Elham couldn't stop herself from punching Clay in the gut at this point. "Oh you'll see! I'm gonna rise above while you're stuck on the ground! And when I reach the top you'll be begging for my forgiveness!" Elham had now put on an equally shit eating grin as she yelled at Clay.

Their yelling had caught the attention of the whole ship. "Should we, stop them?" Thalia looked up, perplexed. "No, no, this is healthy. It's how they show love." Dylan looked at the two who were now maybe hugging or strangling each other. The angle made it hard to tell. "Well that's odd." Filippa tilted her head like Renee would. Filippa internally acknowledged the irony of her calling something odd. "What's everyone most excited for when the fighting's done?" Filippa quickly changed the subject. "When the fighting's done." Renee tilted her head like a puppy. "Well duh! We're gonna take back the northern island, silly. So what's everyone most looking forward to when we do?" Filippa looked around, excitedly observing who would go first. To everyone's surprise, Thalia spoke first. "I can't wait for us to get all that farmland back. I'm dying for a big juicy steak, but they're so expensive." No one expected Thalia to be such a meat lover, but it was clear the way she spoke she was really pining for some meat. "Well, the northern island's gonna need the Royal Guard too, right? So they'll be doing a ton of recruiting and then bam," Emel smirked, "I'm suddenly in that uniform." Filippa couldn't hold back from answering her own question at this point. "Well, I'm totally excited to go as far north as possible. Enjoy the sun, the warm, the beaches." She sighed calmly just thinking about it. "I'll be able to die in peace once I get up north." Filippa then looked at Renee with big pleaded eyes that basically forced her to answer next. "Oh- Well, I know it's a little silly," Renee started, "but I want to see a sunset on the ocean's flat horizon. I never have before, and I know I could just go somewhere else to see it, but it doesn't seem right unless I see it from the northern island. Oh! And there's also this really cool natural phenomenon where when the sun meets the ocean there's this really cool green flash of light!"

Renee looked at Caleb who knew what she was talking about. "There's no way something like that is real." Clay said, which startled Renee. "Ah! When did you get down here??" Renee looked around to see that both Clay and Elham had joined everyone else on the main deck. "Calm down Renee," Elham set her elbows on the railing and looked at the water, "you're just really easy to sneak up on." She half chuckled half snickered. "Oh- okay well, I promise it's real." Renee turned her attention back to Clay. "In fact, once we take back the northern island I'll show you!" Renee tried to match one of Clay's confident smirks, but she didn't get it quite right so she just looked a little stupid. "Clay! didja hear what I asked?!" Filippa shoved herself into Clay's side and grabbed his arm with both of her hands. She didn't really have any concept of personal space. "Huh?" He pulled his arm away. "Yeah, yeah everyone's talking about their dreams or something." Clay looked around at everyone who shared. "Oh what do I have to do it too?" He groaned. "Fine, when we take back the northern island I want to just settle down, preferably with someone. Get a small shop selling plants or something. I don't know, I just want the typical stuff!" Clay huffed. No one wanted to point out to him that what Clay just described was not typical, and it was actually fairly unique and sounded well thought out. Clay definitely thought about this more than he was trying to convey. Elham just started chuckling as she kept looking out to the waves crashing against the boat.

Renee smiled softly and walked over to Imelda. She was standing by herself at the bow of the ship. Renee had to nudge Imelda a bit with her side to get her attention. "Huh? Oh, Blood, hey." Imelda, who's cheeks suddenly flushed with red, turned to look at Renee as she spoke. "You know, we were all talking about what we wanted to do most when we finally retake the northern island." Renee looked down and chuckled a bit, but softly. "Though, I guess I already know what you would say." She looked back up to meet Imelda's eyes. "Oh, really, got me all figured out, eh?" Imelda smirked. "Go ahead then, tell me all my greatest dreams." Imelda almost lost her train of thought as she looked into Renee's blood red eyes. "Well, I mean you're excited to have more to explore, right? You want the biggest world you can imagine, and this is your way to get it." Renee recalled their first walk together, despite it being years ago. "Heh, maybe. But that ain't nothin' more than wishful thinking. Gotta stay in the present, eh?" Imelda put her arm around Renee and pulled her a bit closer. "What I want to do in however many years don't matter." Imelda could feel her heart rate skyrocket. "Just gotta think about what's in front of you." Renee finished her thought. "Exactly, see, Blood, you do got me all figured out." Imelda looked at Renee, but Renee was looking at the northern island.

Chapter Text

The sand crunch under her feet once she stepped off the dock and onto dry land. Somehow, Renee thought it would feel different to walk on this island. She was wrong, it felt the exact same as the sands of her home city. How could a place be so fundamentally different yet feel the exact same, Renee wondered. When everyone in the unit left the boat a man started to approach them. He had on a tan jacket, the same one Captain Flock would always wear. It was a special piece of clothing given to captains. Commander Barron could even be seen occasionally wearing one left over from his days as a captain. The man who approached the fresh unit had glasses that covered his charcoal eyes. Renee's nose scrunched up when she smelled an unpleasant aroma of a campfire mixed with cigarette smoke coming off of him. She turned to see Caleb had the same physical reaction to the smell as her. His black hair was somewhat frizzy and pulled back into a bun without much effort. His stubble covered his face in an uneven and ragged appearance. When the man spoke, he sounded tired. "So you're the new recruits, huh? Buncha high schoolers come to save us all. Well, get ready, we leave for the wilds tomorrow morning. C'mon now, I'll show you to your barracks." The man turned and stumbled forward, expecting the soldiers to follow. "I'm Jay Satō, I'll be your captain. Now which of you kids somehow managed to get squad leader." He turned his head back slightly to watch the unit. "I am sir!" Maru started with her smile ever present. "Along with May and Elham." She pointed each of her fellow squad leaders out as she said their names.

"Sir? That's a little formal don't you think?" The man kicked up some of the dirt, as they had left the small beach by now. "Captain Flock taught us to be respectful." Maru explained. He groaned. "I forgot you all were taught by Flock. You'd think a criminal like her would be less uptight. Not only that, but she took some of the funnest people in SOAR and turned them into her warriors, it made them all like her. Ugh." Renee got the impression that this captain wasn't too fond of Captain Flock. She shook the idea that his claims were based when she remembered that Captain Flock was the most effective captain on the northern island. "Well, here you go." He coughed into his hand. In front of them was a humble building, which was the barracks. "Wake up's at five thirty don't be late. Oh and here." He shoved a paper at the group and left once someone grabbed it. Imelda had taken a hold of it, but swiftly handed it to Elham. "It's our orders." She said to everyone as they all walked in. The building was pretty barren, save for the minimalistic bunks where they were to sleep. There were other soldiers scattered around, but they didn't pay much attention to the unit that had just walked in. "Wake up at O' five thirty. Pack our gear and eat, enter the wilds no later than O' seven hundred. We'll be making our way to an outpost to the northeast on foot. There we'll be met with our horses. That's the important part anyway." Elham pocketed the paper. "Man, are we really gonna have to walk that much? I'd literally rather die." Clay groaned.

Filippa is the only one who looked actively excited. "I love walking, so I'm gonna really love this!" She flapped her hands in excitement. "Yeah, you also hate horses." Emel smirked. "Okay, well, not all horses. My horse isn't horrible like all the others." Filippa realized she kind of backed herself into a corner. Thalia nudged Emel. "Don't tease her." Emel looked at Thalia and chuckled, letting it go. "Hey, I saw a lot of dry looking driftwood on the beach. I'm gonna try to make a bonfire, anyone want to help?" Etsu offered with a smile. Lily nodded. "Sounds fun!" She said. Renee stood up, "I'll help too. I just put my stuff down anyway." With that the three of them left to go make a bonfire while the rest of the unit stayed inside the barracks to get accommodated.

Etsu was able to grab a lot of big sticks fast because of his physique. Lily was focused on getting kindling for the fire and setting it up. Renee was running up and down the beach to get good sticks for the fire. Before long, there was a decent structure to the bonfire. The idea of having the bonfire reminded Renee of the mountain training. More accurately, the time at the outpost after they completed it. The sun was just above the horizon when everyone came out to enjoy the fire. Philip lit it with his curse, and after a short amount of time the bonfire had grown to be five feet tall. Renee felt proud of her work combined with Etsu and Lily's. Renee saw their new captain passing by, but when he saw them all gathered around he seemed to immediately turn the other way. Emel sneezed. "Damn allergies." She rubbed her nose. "Oh, sorry, I think it's my pollen-" Eden started to stand up, but Emel sat him back down. "It's just sneezing, you don't need to bend over backwards for me." Eden smiled softly. His flowers bloomed a bit, and Emel sneezed again. Thalia giggled softly, which made Emel smile.

Renee sat in between Caleb and Imelda. Sage, who knew not the concept of personal space, decided to basically lay on Renee like a lap dog. She didn't mind, Sage was her friend. Sage let out a big yawn, which only made them feel more like some kind of dog. "Tired?" Renee looked down at Sage. They only opened one eye to look up at Renee and nodded. When Renee looked back up, she saw the sun set over the hills and forests. The sky dimmed and the fire grew. "It's such a clear night, you can see all the stars." Hosuh said, looking towards the sky. "It's pretty, but the city across the way is still pretty damn polluting." Imelda leaned a bit towards the fire. "Well, I think it's pretty." Renee looked back at her city. "I agree! I've never been around a city so big!" Filippa giggled. Renee thought about how it wasn't even that big compared to other cities. In fact, it was on the smaller side. The only cities Renee knew of that were smaller and still considered cities were the few underground. Though, she had never been to one. They were semi infamous for their bad quality of life. "I think it's weird," Caleb interrupted Renee's train of thought, "I mean Renee and I grew up in that city. But suddenly you know all of you guys are here, or were there anyway." Caleb looked back to the glowing city on the horizon.

"Like a big hangout?" Filippa tilted her head like Renee would. "Yeah, yeah I think so?" Caleb tried his best to understand and relate to what Filippa was saying. "It's a pretty city, I wouldn't mind moving there when we're done." Clay leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Well, it's not horrible." Elham shrugged. "Life would be so nice if we were just living in some slice of life reality show." Emel held back a sneeze to say it. "And with that city as the backdrop, I mean I wouldn't complain." Emel couldn't help but sneeze after that. In fact, she sneezed twice. The night dragged on with small, calm chatter. One by one, everyone would head back to the barracks. Renee got up only after Sage did, she didn't want to disturb them. Caleb, Hosuh, and Imelda headed back with her. With only the embers left, Emel and Thalia remained. Emel yawned before stifling a sneeze. "I'm heading inside, I feel totally covered in pollen." Emel stood up. "I'm gonna stay here," Thalia softly smiled up at Emel. She nodded and headed back inside. Thalia sat and looked at the embers as the smoke soaked into her clothes.

Chapter Text

Renee had been awake for roughly half an hour when she saw the sun begin to softly peak above the distant trees. She was quick to pack her few personal items into her bag. Each soldier had a backpack to carry that could be split into two separate bags to put on either side of a horse's side. The bag was mostly filled with gear, provisions, and general unit equipment. Personal items included camp clothes to wear at outposts and when camp is properly set up, a mess kit, and sometimes a few items that the soldier wanted to specifically bring along for themself. Most people carried a phone plus proper charging equipment. There wasn't much service in the wilds of the northern island, but most every outpost had enough to communicate with the southern island. Renee was sure to bring her phone. She promised her parents and Bernetta she would occasionally text or call them when she could. She was also sure to pack her letterman jacket as a part of her camp clothes. It was comfortable, and it'd be needed for colder nights. Renee was sure it was obvious, but the jacket also held sentimental value to her. She dared not to abandon it in any sense of the word. Though, when she initially picked it up, somehow one of May's arrows got tangled in it. Renee gave the arrow back to May when she found them. The next hour was spent loading the rest of her pack and eating breakfast.

Renee walked into the gear garage to find her temporary locker. Inside were the final few pieces of her uniform, specifically the armored vest and utility belt. As she was trained to, Renee checked every pocket, pouch, and clip on her uniform to make sure the ones that were supposed to be filled were. Once everything was in it's place, Renee put on her backpack fully. She remembered the first time she carried it in training. The whole class had to do a hike with them on, and Renee was constantly falling behind and struggling to breathe. Now, Renee could carry it as if it were a part of her body her whole life. The final equipment in her locker was a rifle, preloaded. Renee made sure the safety was on before casually swinging the strap over her shoulder. Finally, now that she was ready, Renee met up with her unit at the designated spot by the small wall that kept Cursed Creatures outside of the outpost. It was five minutes before seven AM. Captain Jay Satō stood in front of the unit. Renee made her way to her squad, May was oddly missing. "Alright, are we all here?" Captain Satō looked around and counted off heads. "Squad leaders?" He looked around for confirmation. Maru, and Elham each gave an indication that every member of their squads was present. "Good, good."

Satō adjusted his glasses to rub his face before speaking. "Like I said in the memo I gave you, we'll be traveling to the nearest outpost on foot. That's where some horses are, and it'll make the next part of our advance much easier. Squad leaders have been given a map with the path we're taking to the outpost. If we get separated as a unit that's no big deal, Raven says you're all good with maps. Plus we're at the southern tip of the island, Cursed Creatures are few and far between here. Oh, yeah, meaning you probably won't need to use this advice, hell you're more likely to need it if someone trips and slides down a hill of mud, but if you ever see a soldier get separated from their pack or rifle, just do the right thing and pick it up. We get poor enough funding as is, we don't need to waste it all on replacing gear. Finally, Squad Leader May, your squad will be taking up the front. Myself and my squad will be taking the rear. This is essentially a glorified hike so you don't need more instruction than that, any questions?" Satō looked around, not much paying attention to whether or not anyone had their hand raised to question him. Fortunately, no one had any questions.

Renee felt someone brush beside her, it was May. "Sorry," they apologized to their squad for being late, "I must've had something bad to eat. I was hurling it at the docks." Emel quickly filled them in on what Captain Satō said. "Sounds about right." They nodded. Renee looked closer at May. They looked pale, there were dark circles under their eyes. She almost wondered if they were ready to enter the wilds, but she pushed the thought aside. According to Captain Satō, this would be easy, and if anyone can handle a physical toll it was May. "Are we clear?" Satō yelled up to a few soldiers patrolling the walls. They shouted back the go ahead. Satō turned to his unit and suddenly got very serious, like he instantly sobered up. "If you hear gunshots before we're to the forest, you will run back into these walls. The more you hesitate, the less safe you are." He looked around to see every nod a confirmation that they heard what he said, this time playing close attention to make sure everyone did. "Good," his stern persona melted away as fast as it appeared, "Squad Leader May, lead the way." Satō motioned for May and their squad to take the lead.

Renee stood with Clay, Thalia, Filippa, Emel, and May by her side. Renee could feel her heart beating as the soldiers pressed the button to open the wall. Sirens sounded off with the accompaniment of yellow lights as the wall began to slide open with a slow, mechanical churning noise. May stepped outside the walls first, they turned back to their squad. "C'mon, let's get this over with." The squad walked to meet May's side. Renee took a deep breath, she opened her blood red eyes, and she stepped forward. The wall was behind her, the shore was behind her, her city, the academy, the southern island was all behind her. Renee Rossi was in the wilds of the northern island. Despite being told that Cursed Creatures would not show up, the whole squad kept an eye out for them. The small field between the wall and the forest was the most dangerous place for a Cursed Creature to be. There was no cover, and the ever looming possibility of a creature getting into the outpost was dire if it ever came to fruition. Without any bad fortune, the squad made it to the forest without complications.

May looked back at their squad. "Clay, you with us?" They asked the brunette. "Yeah, I'm here." Clay nodded. Clay was always thinking of elsewhere, but May wanted to help train him so that he'd be in the moment enough to not be caught off guard by any unforeseen events. The canopy of late November provided plenty of shade for the squad as they traveled. When Renee looked behind her, she couldn't see the edge of the forest where she entered. She swallowed and took a moment to look at the ground. The grass was thick and unkept. It was weird, but she couldn't help but smile at it. It was so soft she almost felt like she could feel the softness even through her combat boots. The vegetation was so thick it took Renee a moment to even realize what they were walking on an old concrete road. It was buried under dirt, moss, and grass. May looked behind them. "How far behind do you think the other squads are?" May asked their squad. Clay shrugged. "Far, it feels like we're alone here." Emel looked around and just listened to the ambiance. Renee took a deep breath and cupped her hands around her mouth before shouting "HEY CALEB CAN YOU HEAR ME??" Renee sat and waited for a response. After waiting a minute without a response Renee shrugged. "Far enough they can't hear us." She said.

May took this in for a moment. They looked at their squad before covering their mouth. "Here," they handed Renee the map, "you all keep heading towards the outpost. Just to be safe I'm going to go ahead and scout out the path. If there are any Cursed Creatures I'll give a signal." May started to walk off before anyone could protest. Renee took a moment to observe the map before continuing to walk. May disappeared into the vegetation within seconds. "You think they'll be okay?" Filippa asked. "Yeah May can go faster through the forest on their own, it's good we have them looking ahead." Renee nodded. "Yeah, let's just keep moving." Emel shrugged. "Yeah," Renee took one last look behind her. The other squads could not be seen nor heard. The squad pressed forth.

Chapter Text

Something caught Renee's eyes amidst the grass and dirt. It wasn't strange to see old objects scattered about the northern island, in fact it was even common. It was hard to remember sometimes that this used to be the home of millions of people, that at one point the northern island was practically indistinguishable from the southern. So old, weathered objects being seen was to be expected. When Renee bent down to grab it, that's when she saw what it was. Holding and turning it over in her hand, Renee noticed it was a necklace. It was a silver-like chain necklace and looped around it was some gold-like ring or earring. It looked pretty, very pretty. The metal all over was without rust or stain. The object felt so foreign, yet familiar, as if she was meant to carry around this necklace. Renee felt a connection unfamiliar to her when she held it. She almost decided to pocket it, or even put it on, when her thoughts were interrupted. "We're going the proper way, right Renee?" Emel asked with an eyebrow raised, as if she could sense Renee's distraction.

Renee let the necklace drop to the ground and kept walking. "Yeah, sorry." Renee chuckled to shake off the feeling she just got. Checking the map, Renee confirmed that they were going the right way. "How long have we been out here?" Clay groaned softly. "And where's May? She's been gone like- twenty minutes or something." Filippa tapped the pads of her fingers together repeatedly, "she's probably doing smart things! I trust our squad leader." Filippa nodded. "Filippa's right. If something went wrong, May would've found a way to give us some kind of signal by now." Thalia looked off into the distance of the woods. Emel was about to speak, but she suddenly tripped. It looked unfortunately violent and embarrassing. There was a loud creaking, Renee looked to see the source of the sound was a large tree starting to fall over. Her eyes widened as she saw Emel had fallen directly into it's path of timber. Everyone in the squad had seen the tree begin to fall and ran away. Renee noticed she was the only one to see Emel's dangerous situation. Renee ran directly under the path of the falling tree. She grabbed Emel tightly by her shoulder and bicep. With all the strength she had in her legs, Renee ran the both of them until she heard the tree finally crash after a few seconds from Emel tripping. She felt the smaller, harmless branches thwack her back. She was sure to cover her face, just to be safe.

Emel pressed a hand to her own chest. Her heart was beating so fast and loud that Renee could practically hear it. She didn't have the proper time to even process what just happened. "Well," she finally said, "that was bad fortune if I've ever seen it. Thanks." Emel patted Renee's side. Renee nodded. The two made their way through the bush of smaller branches to reach the other side. "Are you okay?!" Thalia shouted. It was then Emel realized that she and Renee were on the opposite side of the tree as their squad. "We're fine, it was scary as all hell, but we're fine." Emel shouted back, trying to shrug it off as if her heart still wasn't going a hundred miles an hour. "We'll find a way around and catch back up to you guys!" Renee added on. "Okay! See you later Renee!!" Filippa shouted back. With that exchange done, Emel and Renee started looking for a way to get back to their squad. Renee started walking down the hill. "Wait, can't we just climb over the tree?" Emel asked, as that would be faster. Renee shook her head. "That tree just fell, it's not stable. If it started rolling we'd be trapped." That answer was enough to make Emel hurry down the hill to catch up with Renee.

As the ground began to flatten out, Renee turned back around to head in their original direction. This time, however, she and Emel stayed on ground that was mostly level. To their right was the path they were originally walking up when the tree fell, but now a sharp incline separated them from the path. It was too steep to hike up, and it was too high to risk free climbing. Not to mention, the height of the incline was only increasing. Renee figured that it would flatten out enough for them to reunite with their squad eventually. Emel sneezed. Renee turned back to look at her. "What?" She seemed annoyed as she sniffled. "You got a problem with allergies?" She sneezed again. "Is Eden's pollen still on you?" Renee's head tilted. "Yeah, and Thalia still smells like Philip with all that smoke on her, you don't have to call me out." Emel held her nose to hopefully prevent another sneeze. "Sorry, didn't mean to." Renee turned her head back forward to keep walking. "Whatever, I guess I can't be mad at you since you saved my life or whatever." Emel let her hair down as she spoke.

Renee suddenly stopped when she heard sniffing. She slowly turned around to see something stood about ten meters away from her and Emel. It was no animal, it was a Cursed Creature. It had saggy dark red, almost brown, skin, similar to that of a devil's. Despite the skin being so saggy, especially around the face, it was easy to tell that this quadruped was absolutely brimming with raw muscle. It didn't walk like a deer, or even a feline or canine of some kind would. It stood as if it were a human who walked on all four limbs. It's spine was clearly visible under the skin, down to each separate vertebrae. The spine had a jagged curve as it ran down the back. It looked as though it would have a tail, but there was no appendage even similar to be seen. The creature's claws bore into the earth with ease. Renee could only imagine what they'd do to flesh. Brutally sharp, bone-like spikes protruded from many points along the creature's body. It had a very furrowed brow, beneath which there were no eyes, only shadows and sunken flesh. The skull produced a shape somewhere in between an ape's and a dog's. The jaw was left unhinged, almost like it was broken and could never close. Drool pooled out from between it's many serrated teeth. They looked less like teeth and more like the spikes on the rest of it's body had torn through it's own flesh to crudely mimic the teeth of a large predator. The creature was bleeding. The blood rolled down it's skin and dripped to the ground methodically. Something was stuck in the wound, like a stick that had been broken off where the creature could see it. An arrow? Renee thought. Her eyes widened, she felt a bead of sweat slowly slide down her face and drop onto the ground. The creature sniffed the ground, and then it looked up at Emel and Renee. It's nostrils flared.

Before Emel could even scream, the beast started to charge them both. Emel fiddled to get her rifle off her back, but there wasn't enough time. Renee saw this when Emel didn't. She couldn't hesitate. She shoved Emel out of the way with such force it pushed her back too. The creature charged through the space where both girls had just stood. The creature dug it's claws into the rock floor to turn once it realized it missed it's target. It sniffed for one second before hovering over where Renee just stood. It looked up at Renee. "It's after you-" Emel managed to mutter in disbelief before it took off to charge Renee directly. Renee's instincts took over. She turned on her heel and ran. How fast could this creature run? Renee asked herself as she felt her feet hit the ground repeatedly. The top running speed of human is roughly twenty-eight miles per hour. Tigers, which this creature seemed to resemble in muscle mass, can run up to forty miles an hour. Renee heard a gunshot as a bullet whizzed by her face, bringing small bits of the Cursed Creature's blood with it. Emel hadn't affected it in any meaningful way. The creature didn't even slow. It took one sniff of the air and kept chasing Renee.

Renee saw a sharp hill going down. This could be her chance, but if she went over that hill and the creature followed, Emel wouldn't be able to get off another shot. Renee considered her options. She needed distance. Renee took one last look at Emel, and sprinted down the hill. Emel shouted something out, but Renee couldn't hear, she was too focused on not falling over. If she made one mistake her whole plan would be ruined. Carefully, Renee dodged between trees and kept her haste without losing balance. As the ground started to become less steep, Renee made a sharp turn left. She hoped that the creature couldn't make tight turns easily. She ran. Renee wondered how close the beast was. Would turning around really be worth it, or did she just have to keep running until someone else showed up? Her heart was thundering, she had been sprinting at top speeds this whole time. Time and reality became blurry. How long had she been running? It felt like an eternity. Her lungs would expand and compress quickly to fuel her muscles. Renee heard heavy breathing that was not her own. Curiosity took control, she turned her head to see how close the creature was.

Galloping behind Renee, was the creature which smelled of death. Her heart sank, her breath left her. As she felt the fear in, Renee could only feel more. She saw the devil's teeth and spikes grow before her very eyes. The muscles, already large, became engulfed in more mass. The skin tightened around the growing muscles. It's claws lengthened, kicking up more dirt as she ran. As Renee's fear grew, the creature began to chase faster. Renee tried to keep her cool, someone had to be around. Maybe May, she'd be able to help her! Renee thought, before remembering what appeared to be the broken arrow in the creature's body. "HELP!!" Renee cried out. "SOMEONE HELP ME!!" She screamed as loud as she could. Her lungs felt empty and her feet heavy. She couldn't do this anymore. But she couldn't just give up either. Renee unclipped her backpack and tossed it to the side, same with her rifle. She needed to abandon them both. With a new sense of lightness, Renee sprinted forward. Her lungs finally felt air rushing in. But how long could she really keep this up for?

Renee couldn't let fear in, she just had to keep running. But even still she heard the beast getting closer. Fearless was not an option for Renee. There was no bravery, only a girl, and the devil in pursuit. "ANYONE!! PLEASE!!" Renee's vision got blurry as water pooled up in her eyes. The tears flew off her face in the wind. The creature's muscle didn't stop growing, nor did it's spikes, teeth, and claws. She felt the hot breath fall onto her back as the creature roared. Renee had to cover her ears. "Renee?!" She heard someone call out. She recognized the voice instantly, it was Caleb! She quickly changed directions to head to the voice. The creature almost caught her in a swipe of it's claws. She felt the air being cut behind her. She had to run faster than she ever had before. Large plants with large leaves would have to be pushed to the side, along with saplings and bushes. There was no chance she could let the creature gain on her like that. Light hit Renee's eyes. There, standing across a small clearing slightly more illuminated than the rest of the forest, was Caleb, in front of a tree. Renee smiled in joy. He looked confused.

Right behind Renee, the beast burst through the bush at the edge of the clearing. Caleb's eyes went wide. Renee's last few moments went in slow motion. She saw Caleb begin to reach for his rifle. She had slowed down, only a little, when she saw her friend, but it was enough. The creature pounced on Renee. Her eyes went wide as her pupils were the size of a pinhead. It's claws dug into her back. The armored vest she wore might as well have been warm butter to the thing's claws. Blood leaked from her mouth and back. Renee had never been more scared in her life. She tried to scream, but no sound came. She felt the beast's claws grow inside of her. Her whole torso felt as though it was on fire. Renee saw for a moment the blood spill out from her stomach as the claws were now so large that they completely went through her body. She hit the forest floor hard, as the creature pinned her down. Renee didn't know what to do. Part of her vision was suddenly blocked by spikes, no, teeth, growing teeth. Renee realized her head now sat in the jaws of the devil. Renee prayed, she saw Caleb finally with his aim ready and finger on the trigger. He would save her. His finger squeezed, there was a click, but no sound of a gunshot. Renee's eyes pooled with tears, her neck began to burn like her torso did. She felt the teeth growing so large that their growth was now piercing her throat. All she could do was mouth the word, "help" as she outstretched her arm to Caleb.

The creature's jaws snapped shut like a bear trap. Renee's body went limp, arm still out stretched. Caleb could see it swallow. He felt a rage over taking him like nothing he knew. He hit his rifle against a tree and shouldered it once more. When he pulled the trigger it almost broke. The rifle shot out a cloud of explosion as the bullet sped at the creature. It hit. He racked it. Again. He'd shoot again. And again. More. Until he had no more bullets to shoot. The creature's spikes and muscles shrunk before it ran off. Caleb threw his gear to the ground so he could run to Renee's body. He was crying so hard he had to take his goggles off, less they flood. He held the body in his arms and screamed. He turned it over and tried to hug it. Pointless as it was, Caleb held his hand to the heart, there was no beat, not even a faint one. There was nothing. He got up, disgusted, he turned to vomit. Because Caleb wanted a hug from his best friend, from his sister. Before Caleb did not lie her. No one would be even able to tell it was Renee's body if it wasn't for the freckles cast on her body, underneath her uniform or the small patch above her heart on her armored vest that read "R. Rossi" Before Caleb was a lifeless, headless body. It poured out the blood of the once living. Caleb looked at the body. Renee is dead.

Chapter Text

She looked out to the northern island. The young Rossi's eyes were filled with hope. She's looked at that island from outside her window for so long. It was her whole life with that shore to look at, but for the first time in her life, it was looking back at her. "Bernetta! Come down for breakfast!" Her dad yelled up from downstairs. She felt the fabric in her pocket. It had only been a day since Renee left. Still, Bernetta already missed her dearly. She thought back to the day prior. Renee said she'd be back in a couple months. "Too long." Bernetta thought to herself out loud. She took her backpack and set the gifted scarf in one of the pouches. She grabbed the backpack by the top grip and walked out of her room. The bottom of the bag would thump against each stair with each step Bernetta took down. She set the bag down next to her chair and hopped into her seat at the table.

Her mom set a plate down in front of Bernetta. "I made your favorite." She said, hugging her child from the side. "Thanks." Bernetta smiled up at her mother. "No, thank you, I always love the smell of a cinnamon roll." Her dad kissed her on the head. "Darling, you just like cinnamon in general." The wife and husband shared a small kiss. Bernetta looked at her food, she took a small bite of it. She wasn't very hungry. Bernetta looked up at her mom and dad as they sat at the table to eat their breakfast too. "It's funny how quickly Renee reminds us how loud she can be. She was barely home for a few days, and it already feels so quiet with her gone." The father smiled to himself before taking his third bite of breakfast. "You say that as if she'd be down or even awake by now." The mother chuckled. "She thinks she can sleep in as long as she wants if she can run to class fast enough." She continued. "Maybe she's right. I mean, she didn't ever have a tardy." The father noted.
"Oh don't talk like that, it makes me feel gross."
"Talk like what?"
"Like she's done with school for good."
"But isn't she?"
"Yes but- She's so young. Remember when she was smaller, when she always beamed when talking about finishing high school and going to college?"
"Of course I do. She wanted to find one of the best colleges for track and cross country, and she was going to study architectural engineering and double major with math."
"She had it all planned out, but the instant she saw she could go to that academy and join SOAR she begged us to let her go. She threw it all away."
"Hey, don't say that, Renee made a choice, and we as her parents have to support her no matter what."
"I know just- When you're preparing to be a parent, you try to prepare so much. Everyone will try to help you, but nothing can prepare you for a child like Renee."
"No, no she's a special kid. She's going to change the world."
"She's so special, but what if she's just treated like a number. She's one in a million, but they'll just see her as soldier number 502 or something."
"She'll make them see her. Her teacher noticed her enough to reach out to her specifically after just her exam day."
"I know but- I want nothing more than to walk to that island, grab her, and take her home, so she can finish school and go to university. And I want to hug her so tight she'd never leave again."
"That fire in her is a mystery to me, but we have to do our best to nurture it."
"I wish for once in her life that girl would do something selfish."
The father could only respond with a sigh and a head nod as he finished his breakfast. He looked up at his daughter. "Bernetta what's the matter?" She poked the cinnamon roll with her fork. "Nothing." She mumbled. "C'mon, honey, you've barely ate two bites of your breakfast." Her mom held her daughter's shoulder lightly. Bernetta could only respond with a question that was on her mind. "I mean, I'm only a year away from being able to apply. What if I joined SOAR?"

***

"There's something so weirdly beautiful about this place." Thalia muttered under her breath. She was looking at a few buildings which nature had taken over. "I've heard stories about the cities deeper in the island. Absolutely covered, they're like a jungle. I can't wait to see them." Filippa smiled, not realizing that Thalia had been talking to herself. "Well I think it's depressing." Clay kicks a rock as he keep marching forward with his squad. "People could be living here, but fate keeps us away." Thalia looked at Clay after he spoke. "Did you get hit on the head or something? That sounded like half passable poetry or something." Filippa felt a leaf with the tip of her fingers. "What does that make SOAR then? Some kind of fate defying group? Oh no no no that doesn't sound nearly as cool as I thought it would. Renee would say it better." She nodded to herself. Clay looked at Filippa. "What's your deal with her?" He asked.

Filippa looked back at him. "Huh?" "Renee, you like obsess over her." Clay expanded. "Oh well-" Filippa started. "People like her. I think she's cool. She does everything so effortlessly." Thalia went to say something to correct Filippa's praise, but no words spilled from her ajar mouth once there was a gunshot. It was slightly distant. On instinct Clay and Thalia took their rifles from their shoulders. Filippa had to notice the other two before she copied their action. "There wouldn't be a Cursed Creature yet, right?" Clay looked at Thalia. Her brain was slowly processing all the information at hand. "Maybe it was May?" Clay tried to reason with himself. "May doesn't carry a gun." Thalia was close to putting the pieces together. Filippa was standing behind them both. "It's probably some kind of false alarm. One shot wouldn't be enough to kill a creature, maybe someone just saw some bush move. No one's moving alone, except for May, who doesn't have a gun, so surely if there was any kind of real threat there would be at least two shots." Clay was doing his best to reason with why it was fine. There wasn't any trouble. It had essentially a misfire. He kept telling himself. He didn't want to think about the implications of if it wasn't a mistake.

Clay put his palm on his forehead. "Can May just show up out of the blue?! Or one of you say something useful! I'm flopping around like a fish out of water here, dude!" He yells at his squad mates and maybe just the universe. "Renee would.." Filippa didn't finish her statement before running. She ran towards the direction of the gunshot. "Wait, Filippa where are you going?!" Clay yelled out. "I have to help, just like Renee!" She yelled back, but as she did so she tripped and fell. Her face scraped against the dirt. She recovered as quickly as possible, but now she was running off course. "Hey that's the wrong way you!-" But Filippa didn't hear Clay as he yelled out to her. He turned to Thalia. "C'mon let's go." He noticed her eyes were wide and she wasn't responding. He shook her. "Thalia! Dude!" She swatted his hand away on instinct. "The gunshot came from where Emel and Renee were." She took a step backwards. "No. No Thalia!" He tried to reach out and grab her, but she turned on her heel and ran towards the gunshot. Clay was left standing alone, looking between the path Thalia took, and the one Filippa took. "This isn't fair at all." He grumbled before going to chase after Filippa.

He was as fast as he could. He noted that it was slower than Thalia could run by a good margin, so it was probably best he was going after Filippa. There would be no one he could keep up with "damn gap tooth." Clay clenched his fist. "Let's all leave Clay by himself!" He kept running through the thick forest. "I guess it's only my fault for being put in a squad with such idiots!" Clay continued running for a couple minutes. His frustration lead him to not pay attention to where he was going. "It's not like we have a disadvantage cause we're all Lucky! Nah, Luckies should split up! Why can't a Lucky like me have a designated Cursed knight! Wouldn't that be-" He slammed into something and fell to the ground. He groaned heavily. "Oh you big baby get up- Wait Clay what are you doing here??" It was Elham. He had run into Elham. He was knocked to the ground, but she was left standing. "Nothing fun apparently. Bleh I think I got dirt in my mouth. Where's your squad?" He asked her. "Ironic." She retorted. "I don't wanna talk about it. They're all loonies." Clay tried to dust himself off. "My squad's a bit back." Elham answered. "Well, half of them anyway."

Elham helped Clay onto his feet. "There was a big tree in the path so we split up in two and are regrouping as soon as we can. Lily and Imelda are back there. See I was looking at a beautiful deer." Elham looked entranced with the memory of it. "It had cute little spots and even tiny little antlers. But when you came around it scampered off!" She pushed him. "Me?! You were the one creeping over it!" "Oh you would know something about creeping wouldn't you!" "Maybe not everything is my fault, did you consider that?!" The two friend's play argument covered the noise of 5 more gunshots.

Chapter Text

March 21st, 2301...
"You have to understand, sir, we don't recommend this lightly. The point is that we can't go on like this. She's falling behind. No, that's not the way to describe it. She's already fallen far behind. The girl is hardly living in reality. She's far too caught up in her own world to pay attention in class or even socialize with other students. Your daughter-" The man finally spoke to interrupt the teacher. "My niece. She's my niece." His fingers tightened around his loose clothes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Solace. Her mother never met me with her husband so I assumed. That was wrong of me."

The man shook his head. "My sister never had a husband. Filippa is in her own world for a reason." The man looked outside the window to look at the girl outside. She sat on a rock with her knees pressed against her chest. She was too fascinated by a ladybug to notice anything else. The man sighed. "I know she's always been an odd girl, but I also known her disconnect with the rest of the world has grown. Her mother fell into a coma recently and she blames herself." The teacher looks at the man confused. "Why would she blame herself? She's old enough to know her mother's medical conditions are not her own fault." He pulled his gaze away from his niece to look the teacher in the eyes. "There was a small explosion in the apartment they lived in. They said faulty pipes or something like that. So they just blew. Filippa's mom pushed her out of the way to save her from the brunt of it." The man teared up recalling the events that his sister was caught in.

The teacher nodded in solemn understanding. "Was it the Lin company?" She asked. The man nodded back. "How did you know?" The teacher relaxed her shoulders and gazed out the window. "I had a friend who had a similar thing happen to them. I sympathize with you, I really do. I hate to say it, but this could be even more reason for the girl to repeat this year. She just doesn't seem ready to face the world as is." The man slammed a hand down on the teacher's desk. He winced at the noise he made. "Filippa's been held back once already, I don't want her to repeat her freshman year too." The man had a look of sorry in his eyes. The teacher leaned forward as if to comfort the man. "Then maybe she isn't suited for traditional education." The teacher's gaze turned to the oblivious girl outside.

The man matched the teacher's gaze. "So you're saying she should drop out? What is it because she's not smart enough?" The teacher turned to the man, who still looked at the girl. "I wish it was. Not smart enough? You get a tutor. This, on the other hand, goes beyond that." The man put his balled fist to his mouth. "So what is this?" The man masked obliviousness. "Her mother is in a coma, and she blames herself. She's all alone at school. I can tell you she doesn't look when she crosses the road. I don't think I've ever seen her eat except for out of boredom." The teacher looked ready to continue, but when the man turned to them with tears in his eyes, the teacher knew enough was said. "She's not-" The teacher paused to find the right wording. "It's not that she wants to hurt herself. She doesn't try to hurt herself. She doesn't try to live either. She seems so indifferent to her own well being."

The man's heart plugged up his throat. He could hardly get words out. "What do I do?" The teacher took strength to look the man in his eyes. "Filippa is a special girl. I can see that. The world would be worse without her. Mr. Solace, she lacks purpose. She thinks she has no path to take, and I'm afraid the first one she'll find will lead her off a cliff. Furthermore, she's so impressionable. She could see a professional runner and try to run along side them and her legs would break before she realizes that it takes training to be that fast. She's impressionable but-" "naive." The man finished the teacher's sentence. "I don't want to be dramatic, but imagine she got influenced by some gang, and she doesn't take the same precautions the others do to not get shot." The teacher blinked, but refuse to close her eyes longer less the intrusive images take hold.

The man stood up. He looked at the ceiling, revealing the lump in his throat. "She needs a dramatic change in her life. She needs good influence. She needs purpose. Most of all, she needs to know she is more than her guilt." That was the last thing the teacher said before the man closed the door. He walked outside until he was toe to toe with Filippa. She put her hand in front of the man's path. It was so fast he would've stepped on her had he not planned to stop beforehand, coincidentally. "Careful, don't step on her." Filippa moved her hand to gently push along a lady bug. The man couldn't help but let a smile past the sag of his wet face. He bent down to meet her face. "Your mother is the most wonderful person we both know. I want you to know what she did for you was who she was. She would've saved you all the same even if you were a stranger." Filippa looked up at her uncle. Her head tilted. With her large, dark eyes she looked like an owl. "It's because your mother is a hero, Filippa. There's nothing more human than that level of pure selflessness, please never forget that." Still, there was a clear look in his eyes that showed the man was afraid of losing the girl. Filippa hugged her uncle. "It's okay, I don't feel human." What an odd thing to say as if that would comfort her uncle like she intended.

***

She was completely out of breath. Filippa had to stop running. Her legs gave out many minutes ago, and even still she pushed further. At this point there was no more will to keep her legs moving. She didn't know how far she ran. She thought about how Renee could match her sprint with a jog. Filippa would never catch up. That is, of course, with the assumption she was going in the right direction. She wasn't. Filippa jinxed herself. She knew how awful she had done. People could be hurting, and she wasn't there to help. Instead, the girl was just in some random part of the woods, all alone. There was no one around her, so she wondered. If a tree fell now, would anyone hear it? Filippa sat down. The girl hummed a tune. It was nothing more than a way to cast out the silence and draw the noise towards herself.

There was a sudden noise. A tree practically exploded as a hulking thing rushed through the forest. It forced Filippa onto her back and stood over her on all fours. Filippa wasn't scared. At least it wasn't a horse, she thought to herself. No, it resembled a great ape, but very off. It was a Cursed Creature. It's fur shimmered like obsidian, and it was just as hard and sharp. The sheer proximity was enough to give Filippa a few cuts when it toppled her to the ground. It looked at her. The creature held an arrow in it's palm. The blood on the tip matched the open wound on it's face. The creature sniffed the arrow. It leaned in to smell Filippa. She was indifferent, but then a smell hit her nose as well. It smelled of eggs, flour, cookies. It smelled like Etsu. She smiled softly and closed her eyes. Then, just as quickly as the beast had come, it was gone.

Filippa sat up. She was nearly unscathed from it all. She thought about why Etsu's smell had seeped off of that arrow. Filippa didn't think anything of it. That was until the memory of only yesterday came rushing back. She was tired when it happened, that's why she didn't realize at first. Last night Etsu decided to make some cookies as a moral booster for today. They were very delicious cookies. May accidentally set their quiver right next to the oven. The smell must've seeped in while the cookies baked. Filippa thought to herself out loud. "If I could recognize Etsu's smell then the cursed creature surely must as well." Filippa stood up in a bolt. "It wants him dead!" Filippa ran without second thought. This time she was sure to follow the right direction. She ran and followed the cursed creature. Her body had never felt so heavy. Her lungs had never felt so weak. Her legs had never felt so brittle. So why? Filippa wondered. Why was she running faster than she ever had before? It made no logical sense. She had caught up to the Cursed Creature just as it found Etsu and his whole squad.

Their rifles were being drawn. Would it be enough time? Filippa saw the whole world in slow motion. Etsu's body was turning to stone, but it would be too slow. The cursed creature would strike him before his vitals were protected. Even then, who's to say it would be enough. Filippa felt some other force fuel her. One last push, that's all she needed. Renee's fire would push Filippa's feet off the ground. Her mother put a smile on Filippa's face as she used all her might to push Etsu just enough. The cursed creature merely grazed Etsu with it's attack. Filippa's eyes were looking at the others as she was hit. It felt like a million fiery, tiny needles pushed through her whole body. As she hit the ground, she couldn't move. Filippa only stayed conscious enough to witness the sound of 5 guns going off. The cursed creature's fur shattered into black snow. It fell, dead. Filippa's eyes closed.

Later that very day Filippa would be pronounced as to have fallen into a coma due to her injuries. For her to survive would be a miracle. But what kind of life would that be to live? One of eternal sleep. Within a week, Filippa would be placed into the same hospital as her mother. They laid just three rooms apart. Every day, a man would come in and check on them both, and in case today would be their last day he said his goodbyes.

Chapter Text

Elham couldn’t grapple with what she was seeing. It seemed too simple logically, but to think about it with emotions was nearly impossible. He was a whiny man child. His last words were calling Elham an asshole. He had bullied nearly every cadet he saw. He was utterly pathetic, but did that mean he deserved this fate?

Lily had started crying. She was utterly heartbroken. The child couldn’t handle what she was seeing. Imelda just stared at the aftermath in disbelief. She had been the reason the creature was stopped. It laid there with bullet holes and electrical burns. The corpse was smoking. “What the hell just happened?”

Elham asked only because her mind was forcing her to dissociate so hard even though she was holding her gun with smoke pouring from the barrel. “He- he can’t be- right? He can’t be gone… we can still save him right?!” Lily shouted. She grabbed his shoulders and started shaking the corpse.

Imelda turned away, refusing to look the child in the eyes. She knew it would comfort her, but Imelda couldn’t handle it. He would pick the same, wouldn’t he? “He’s dead, Lily. It’s as simple as that. Unless you suddenly got really good at illusions and decided to play the worst joke of all time, this is reality.” Imelda spoke, but she couldn’t emote at all.

“I refuse-“ “Oh do you now?” Imelda cut off Elham. “What are you going to order him to get back up? Are you going to use your oh so great squad leader powers to break the laws of this world? You got a Curse in you, eh? No? Oh, that’s right, you’re a Lucky. You are bound by the laws of nature. There’s not even a Curse that could fix this. Even with all our powers we will forever be mortal. Resurrection doesn’t exist.”

“Imelda!-“ Lily was taken aback by how mean Imelda just was. “That’s the world, kid. It could’ve been you, it could’ve been me. The only difference is that when that goat cursed creature thing attacked, it went for his throat. Do you know someone who can survive having their chest caved in by a hoof?!” Imelda had finally turned to face Lily, but only to yell harder. There was no compassion behind her eyes, only selfishness.

There was a punch across the face of the older Cursed. “Shut. Up.” Elham’s fist was still balled into a fist. Imelda grabbed Elham’s wrist and squeezed hard. “Go ahead. Make me, Lucky.” There was a literal spark in Imelda’s eyes. “Or sorry, squad leader, should I say? That would feed your ego, eh? Is that what’s important with a dead body at our feet?” Imelda pushed Elham back.

Elham spat at Imelda. “God no matter what ’cool’ facade you hide behind you really are an awful girl. You have to be the most selfish person I know!” Imelda just started laughing. “I am now!” She kicked the corpse. Imelda couldn’t even look back up before she was tackled to the ground. Every second she would keep getting punched.

Imelda couldn’t even think or talk. Every time she tried to think, Elham’s fist met her face again. “Stop it! Please stop!” Lily kept yelling at the two. They wouldn’t hear the girl. They just kept fighting. Elham suddenly convulsed and screamed in agony. Imelda kicked her off and yelled. “Pathetic! You can’t even pin me down for longer than a few seconds! Gonna do something, eh? I don’t think you are! Now give up before I make you join your friend!”

Imelda wiped the blood from her dripped nose off. Elham tried getting up. She couldn’t. Imelda’s shock had been too much for her body to take. Still, she was trying. “I told you, give up!” Imelda went to kick Elham in the side when she suddenly fell down gasping for air.

Imelda didn’t know what was going on. All she knew was that it felt like her throat was being stabbed by a large horn. The pain debilitated her so much she was practically convulsing on the ground. She kept grabbing her own throat. As if that wasn’t enough pain it felt like her chest had suddenly been stomped in. There was nothing but pain.

Finally, Imelda was able to gasp hard enough that it brought in air. She could breathe. Imelda started crying. She thought she was dead. “What- what the hell was that?” Elham looked at Imelda with concern. Imelda was about to speak about how she didn’t know, but then she saw Lily.

The girl was passed out on the ground with strain across her face. “We need to stop fighting…” Elham gave a hand to help Imelda up. “I guess—“ Imelda took it and was lifted slowly. “—there’s no point in all this. We’re not ready to be soldiers…” Imelda looked at the corpse once more and started crying harder.

“Does it matter? We’re here now, we have to fight. We spent our whole lives thinking we were extraordinary just to find it when it really mattered that we’re ordinary. We have a lot of work to do. We need to do the extraordinary, no matter how awful losers we are.” Elham helped Lily up as she was coming to.

Imelda just started laughing. “We really are screwed, eh? I get it now. Out of all of us, no one is special. Except for her.” Elham punched Imelda’s shoulder. “Hey! What was that for?!” “Somehow you turned your existential crisis into talking about Renee.” Imelda paused. “Shut up..” She finally said. “It’s almost cute. At least it would be if the situation was different. Unfortunately, we’re in literal hell. Find some time to tell her.”

Imelda laughed dryly. “That obvious, eh? Nah, you saw what I was just like. I’m selfish, she’s selfless. It’s as simple as that. I’m probably gonna die before I could ever tell her.” “Not funny.” Imelda turned away and started walking. “Where are you going?” Lily asked. Elham picked up the corpse and started following her.

“Things went wrong. Protocol dictates that we head back to camp and regroup. We’ll report the death there.” Elham answered before speaking into her radio. “Caleb, Hosuh, Sage, make your way to the base. We need to regroup. Things have gone totally sideways for us. Imelda, Lily, and myself are all safe but- I’ll tell you in person. It’s…” Elham couldn’t manage to finish her sentence. She just let the radio static until it got bad enough that she turned it off.

Lily walked beside her two comrades. “I still can’t believe that he’s… gone. When I read about death in books- people always described it as peaceful, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so afraid in my life! I’m-“ Lily closed her eyes to cry. Imelda grabbed the younger girl’s hand. “It’ll be okay. We’ll pay him respect. He’ll get a proper burial. That’ll give him peace, eh?”

The trio came to the gates of the base. “Hey, open up.” Imelda kicked the door. The soldier operating the entrance nearly fainted at the sight of Elham carrying the corpse. Her uniform was covered in the blood of his wounds. They were let inside. Once safety was achieved, Elham’s facade fell in an instant.

The squad leader fell to the ground sobbing. She clung the body as tight as she could. She hugged it as if he could feel her touch. Lily couldn’t take the sight. She immediately ran to the barracks to hide herself. Imelda left her squad leader as well. Now it was just her and the corpse she clung to.

Elham saw a cigarette thrown next to her and he stomped out. “Sāto…” Elham could hardly speak enough to acknowledge the captain. The man lifted his glasses to press his forehead. The wrinkles strained his tired face. “This. See this! This is why you should’ve never come here! God damn it I’m
ordering a shipment of booze. Feel free to drink yourself numb, kid.” And then he left. Just like that. Elham thought that maybe her captain would care that she was suffering so much, or at least acknowledge the body by name.

Elham lost all sense of time. She stayed there, clinging to the body. When the other half of her squad arrived, she was going to say something, but that’s just when the blood covered boy asked. “Where’s Imelda? Please I can’t lose another-“ Caleb stopped talking through his tears when he saw the body. “Beach…” Elham said weakly. Caleb ran and Sage followed.

Elham saw two soldiers that came in with her squad. They were bleeding and burnt. She couldn’t tell if they were alive or dead. The captain came back to Elham. “I guess I forgot to ask. Your teacher wants to know. Who is that?” He motioned to the dead body.

Elham realized she hadn’t spoken his name since he died. She couldn’t accept the fact that he really was gone. He was no longer her friend, but rather a memory and a corpse Elham’s mind was trying to shove into a single entity. She couldn’t speak for the rest of the day because these two simple words took every ounce of strength she had left. “Clay Abbadon.”