Important Note: This is a narrative version of Final Fantasy VIII. I have changed the names of the characters, but the original storyline is not my own.
Chapter 1
There was a crisp breeze flowing through the air. The blue sky was faltered by only a few passing clouds, and an occasional bird flying by. It was not uncommon to still see birds this time of year; the warmth of the autumn sun seemed to draw them in as a bee would be drawn to a flower. The sun's warming effect seemed to balance out the coolness of the air, making anyone feel an odd sensation of being cold and comfortable simultaneously. It was early enough in the season that green leaves still clung to their branches. Their colors would change as the weather became increasingly cold, and they would drop one by one to the ground to be picked up and never seen again. Next spring would bring rebirth to the trees, however, and the leaves would begin their lives anew, becoming just as green as their predecessors.
The wind howled as it swooped down among the young men and women in their autumn jackets; various colors and sizes almost as appealing to look at as the leaves. These folk belonged to the group of people who named themselves Soldiers. Soldiers were spawned by Maethis Academy, which was known all over the world as the most prestigious of mercenary training academies, constantly producing new graduates who have mastered the art of combat. It was said that an army possessing such talents, even just one person, would eliminate any chance of victory for the opposition. Thus, these graduates were highly sought after by armies from all over the world. The school trained willing students not only with weapons, but magic, as well as specialized skills that would be useful on the battlefield.
Maethis was a sight to see all its own. The extremely elaborate structure of the building made it look like the fanciest hotel and shopping mall in the world, with colored banners hanging over the hallways. The walls of the halls were constructed of transparent material, and the pathways were of beautiful stone. At night, lights shimmered in almost all directions, making the building seem a star on the surface of the earth from a distance. The center of the building was a tower three stories high, with an elevator that allowed travel between floors. The top floor was the headmaster's office, and no student without permission from an instructor or from the headmaster himself was permitted to enter. The second floor was where the classrooms were housed. Usually during this time of day, this floor would be flooded with students rushing every which way to get to their classes on time, but the day before the final exam is always free of instruction to allow students time to do what they feel they need to for the test. Irresponsible students would use this time to have fun and goof off instead of readying themselves. Around the central tower, the first floor, or main floor as it was often called, was a circle of smooth stone, with paths leading off to the various areas of the building. On the east side of the tower were the library, the professors' dorms, and the training area, where students could receive extra help if they were lacking in their studies. The west side yielded the infirmary, the quad, and the cafeteria. There was always a big rush for hot dogs at lunchtime. The student dorms lay to the north.
This was a very tense time of year for the students. It was nearing graduation time, but before that, they had the final exam to contend with. This exam is much different than anything a normal student in school would be used to. The students at Maethis were required to take part in a real-life mission that would simulate what their everyday assignments would be like. This brought tension and sometimes panic to the unprepared.
It was midday now, the sun shining down from its zenith, and students were going about their lives as usual, but the worry of the final exam was always lingering somewhere in the back of their mind, if not showing itself right on their faces. Those who were outside were clutching their jackets in an attempt to hide their bodies from the harsh blow of the cold wind. Two men without jackets, however, were practicing swordplay together a distance away from everyone else. Despite the icy feel of the wind, they felt nothing but sweat beading down their blush faces and danced with two-handed swords rushing through the air, slicing it in half as they swung around, releasing sharp sounds as the steel of one blade met the steel of the other. The sounds could have been heard all the way back to the main building, even as far away as they were practicing.
Kane O'eras concentrated hard on his rival in front of him. His forms were near perfect, lacking few details. He always found it easy, at least easier than others did, to learn the ways of the sword, never really having to try hard. The sun revealed his most distinguishable physical feature - his eyes. One was a deep green, and the other a sky blue. He was tall, and his hair a light brown. His red tunic hung over broad shoulders, his muscular arms glinting with sweat. Darius Ver'mora was equally skilled with his weapon, though he used his abilities to show off and display himself. He wore a black, sleeveless shirt and jeans held up with a black belt. Often these two wound up competing against each other.
"Come on, is that all you've got?" Darius huffed through frequent grunts and breaths. It was fairly obvious to Kane that Darius was making an effort to be impressive, to make it appear as though he were not putting forth much effort. Kane was familiar with this, however, and knew that he really was giving his opponent a hard time. It usually made him a little angry, the way Darius acted all the time. To anyone outside of their relationship it would seem a great mystery that they even got along at all. Despite their constant disagreements, they remained decent acquaintances.
Kane ignored the comment and continued to strike with his sword. Inside his mind, he was one with his blade, focusing only on what he was doing. Random thoughts that tried to interrupt his motion were pushed aside, allowing all his attention to be directed at Darius. Kane was unemotional, and often times indifferent about anything in particular.
Darius found a break in Kane's form and shoved him away with his hands. "What's the matter Kane, growing tired?" Hefting his long sword in one hand, he taunted Kane with the fingers of his other, drawing him in, confident of his success.
Kane jumped back, gathered himself and prepared to unleash a set of fatal blows in what was known as his signature, Dancing in the Bushes. As he charged with his sword in his right hand and his left hand held in front of him, Darius conjured a small flame above his curled fingertips and hurled it toward him. Taken by surprise and unable to defend himself, Kane was violently knocked back almost to where he began his ruthless assault and fell to the ground hard. The impact of the fall against his back made his bones twist inside him, and the heat of the flame gave him a headache that was small, yet it seemed to exponentially increase the pain he was feeling. Smoke rising from his now burnt clothes, he slowly sat up and uneasily tried to regain his strength. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he realized that Darius had approached him while he was down, and had his sword lifted halfway over his shoulder, readying another strike. Kane knew from past experiences that Darius was no longer just practicing combat. He tried to react, but his muscles would not respond quick enough. He stared helplessly up at his rival as he felt the icy steel of the blade knick him right between the eyes, and he let the weight of his upper body fall to his hands as he struggled to hold himself up. Blood was leaking out of the gash on his face, the pain throbbed in his head, in his mind, and made him feel like throwing up. His headache had become a migraine, and the migraine a flow of pain that seemed endless in its potential. He kept his head facing toward the ground, desperately working against the involuntary urge to twitch as a way of easing his head trauma. The warm, red blood began to drip to the ground beneath him.
Against all his body was telling him, Kane managed to struggle onto his feet with his sword in hand. Darius was standing there, perhaps a dozen paces away, laughing mercilessly with pride. Kane wanted to pull his sword up and continue the fight, but the ability had fled his arms. Reluctantly, he gave in to his weakness, allowing the ground the carry the weight, loosely gripping the hilt, and without much thought outside of anger, charged toward Darius, dragging the tip of his sword along the ground beside his quick feet. Small sparks flung themselves from the steel, leaving a thin, short streak of light in its wake. Kane's mind was pumping with fury, the anger feeding him with power, taking control over his thoughts and feelings. His skin felt prickled all over as though he were being stung by a swarm of hornets, his mind empty of all rational thought, his grip tightening with each step. Without hesitation, he summoned his newfound strength, and he again became one with the blade in his hands. The sword rushed up from the ground to over his opposite shoulder, and the weight of the blade threw him off balance, forcing him to stumble and fall over once more. His pain strangely began to fade away, and he suddenly felt light-headed. He had just enough time to see that he had caught Darius on the right side of his face, to see him clutching the wound with his hand, the blood trickling down like a river of tears, before he slowly blacked out.
Kane's eyes remained closed as he regained consciousness. Ugh... what happened? Normal thoughts crowded the previously empty space inside his mind. The aching in his head was a strong enough clue as to what events had occurred in his recent past. Darius... that idiot! His body felt a little numb, and he wondered to himself how long he had been out for. He recalled the fight they had gotten into, the fury that had filled him, and the sudden strength that he managed to find. Alarmed, his eyes shot open and he attempted to sit up, but his head forced him to stay laying down. What happened to me?
Moving only his eyes, he surveyed the small room he was in, and was given comfort in realizing that he was in the infirmary inside Maethis. Plain white was the dominant color; his eyes could barely stand the brightness of everything after being knocked out for who knows how long. The sheets that lay over him were clean and fresh, suggesting that they had been washed recently. The bed was comfortable; making him feel sleepy just because of the softness of it. The sun shining through the small window above the head of the bed had the feel of early afternoon, as it was still bright and warm. I couldn't have been unconscious for that long.
"Ah, you're awake, I see." Kane strained the muscles in his neck to lift his head up enough to see a fairly plump woman standing in the doorway. He recognized her face as Darla, the doctor in charge of the infirmary. "How does your head feel?"
Darla was the type of person one would expect to be a doctor; caring and sympathetic about her patients. She was a nice change from some of the professors at the school, who were too tough and prideful to care if anyone was injured. Just looking at her often made students feel at home. Perhaps that is why everyone always recovers so quickly when they come to see her, that being beside the fact that she was an excellent doctor. Her eyes were a rich blue and her black, silky hair was often tied up in one way or another, rarely letting it hang down, but it looked as though it might fall as far as her shoulders. She was a short woman; Kane had at least a foot of height over her, and it was rare to find any student or faculty member that was shorter than she.
"It's fine... I think." Kane had a hint of impatience in his voice; this was certainly not his first visit to the infirmary due to Darius. He sat up slowly and put his hand to his head, suggesting it hurt more than what he made it sound like.
"Say your name for me." Her voice indicated that this was a part of her routine. It was something she told all of her patients to do.
"Kane O'eras. How long was I out for?"
She turned to look at the clock that was positioned over the doorway. "About two hours now. It was Darius again, wasn't it?" She spoke as though she already knew the answer. "You two always end up getting yourselves hurt. I don't know why you have to keep going at it."
"I can't just run away," Kane responded quickly. A little too quickly for his head; he felt it throb.
"So you wanna be cool, huh? Well, don't get hurt in the process." She looked as though she wanted to say more, but she put her hands to her sides and sighed silently to herself. Sometimes there was a thin line between doctor and mother for Darla. "I'll see if I can get a hold of your instructor and tell her to come pick you up." She exited the room to go to her desk. It was a rule that any student leaving the infirmary had to be escorted by a faculty member or administrator, for safety reasons.
Kane let his weight collapse back to the bed. He wondered if Darius had already been taken care of. Why should I care? Silence filled the room, the only audible sound was Darla's faint voice from the other room. "Yes, Alexis, he's fine. His wound isn't serious, but it'll probably leave a scar." The sound faded as Kane sleepily returned to his thoughts.
The door handle suddenly began to jiggle violently, startling Kane and causing him to jump up. Expecting to see Darla again, he was surprised to see a younger, beautiful girl stepped through the doorway. He was frightened at this; not knowing who she was or how well he would be able to defend himself if she tried to attack him. His heart began pounding in his chest and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He was unsure if these reactions were due to his fright or her beauty. She was tall for someone her age, perhaps only half a head shorter than Kane. She took a few steps forward, and as the light from the window hit her, blonde hair that fell almost to her knees shimmered brilliantly. Then Kane noticed something that he had never seen before - one of her eyes was green, and the other blue. Her eyes are like mine? Who is she? He immediately felt a tickle in the back of his mind, something there pulling at him, a long forgotten memory struggling to surface itself, but he couldn't bring it out. Her clothes blended right into the background of the room; she wore a white dress that came down to her knees, with a blue band tied around her waist. She's beautiful... but how can she have my eyes?
"It's... it's good to see you again, Kane O'eras." She spoke quietly and softly, her voice gentle. It sounded like a soothing melody, relaxing, coaxing. Her eyes darted up and down Kane's body, observing his features and studying the look on his face. They pierced into him, seemed to reach inside his soul and tug on his being.
"How do you know my name...?" Kane felt his muscles tense as she took another step toward him, his nervousness causing him to shake. Her looks, her voice, it's all so familiar. "Who are you?"
"You do not remember? No, of course not. I didn't think that you would. Not after what happened." Her mixed expressions made her appear both happy and sad at the same time, as if scanning through her entire life from beginning to end in fast forward. "It's been... so long, Kane."
Kane continued to desperately search his mind for an explanation, anything that would give him some kind of hint as to who this girl was.
"I must go now. Goodbye Kane." The mystery woman was quick with her words, and left in a rush just as quickly.
Kane sat there, staring with wonder on his face, when Darla came back inside. "Something the matter?" Her voice had that deep sense of caring in it, as it always did.
Kane's thoughts kept him from answering for a few moments, hardly registering Darla's question to begin with. "No, I'm fine. Just still recovering, I guess." Did I just imagine her?
"Well, Alexis is on her way down to get you. I'll let you be so you can change into your clothes. You just come on out when you're ready." She turned to leave and added over her shoulder, "Remember to take it easy. You'll want to be in top condition for your exam tomorrow."
"Thanks, Darla." None of the students ever called her 'Dr. Darla' like they were supposed to, but it didn't bother her at all. After she was gone, Kane realized for the first time what he was wearing and spotted his tunic and jeans on a small table to his left. He threw on his clothes, strapped his sword to his brown belt, and walked outside into the hallway, all the while trying to forget about his strange experience. It felt a little awkward adjusting to moving on his feet after being in a bed for what seemed like forever.
Outside the infirmary, a brown-haired woman was moving toward Kane at a quick yet dignified pace. "There you are!" Alexis stopped short when she finally saw him, signaling him with her finger to come meet her. She showed signs of silent laughter as he approached her.
Kane rolled his eyes at her. "This is all just one big laugh for you, isn't it?" There was little humor in his speech, though it sounded like there should have been.
"Come now, Kane, don't be upset." Putting her hand on his back, she shuffled him to a quick walk. "I was just about to wrap up class, but I thought it be best if you were there to hear my announcements about the exam. You know, where to meet, and all that. We have to hurry before Darius starts throwing paper airplanes and shooting spit wads." She chuckled lightly as she said it, indicating that there was probably no avoiding that particular event anyway.
Kane reached around and took her hand off his back. "I can walk myself, thanks." His tone was somewhat mocking.
Alexis simply sighed and quickened her step. Kane knew she was just trying to tease him by moving faster. She had that personality about her; easy to get along with, understanding. Kane often felt lucky having her as his instructor because she was so nice, even though her sometimes overly happy attitude annoyed him every now and then. She was slender and lean, the youngest instructor that taught at Maethis, only two years older than most students. Despite her age and her friendliness, when she was serious, she seemed to have years of wisdom, making her a good buddy as well as someone to talk to.
"So, what's on your mind?" Alexis spoke loudly, breaking the moment of silence as they passed by numerous students going about their activities.
"...Nothing." Kane's answer was followed by an exact echo from Alexis before Kane had even finished the word. She stopped walking and immediately began to chuckle again. "What's so funny now?" Kane protested.
"I just feel like I'm beginning to understand my student a little, that's all," she replied, once again mocking his lack of interest in the conversation. She straightened herself and resumed her walking.
Kane rolled his eyes once more, and the two were quiet as they entered the elevator and took it up to the second floor. The opening doors revealed a bridge of similar looks as the rest of the paths, and the other end gave way to a circular hallway, wide and tall, with entrances to various classrooms all around it. Alexis's classroom was down the hall to the right, second door on the left, marked by a label next to the door with her name on it.
Kane and his teacher entered. To both of their surprises, nobody was causing any trouble. The students all sat in their seats, the young men bragging about their latest military achievements, the girls gossiping amongst themselves. The classroom was divided in two, with a walkway through the center, allowing the students to get to and from their desks. Kane went his seat in the back of the room across the aisle from Darius without looking at anyone. Darius eyed him as he sat down.
"Thank you all for being so cooperative while I was gone," Alexis began as she sat down at her large desk in front of the room, next to the door. Everyone stopped their chatting and gave her their attention. "I would like to remind everyone to be careful when practicing." Darius shifted in his seat, probably laughing to himself, and she gave him a cold stare. He slammed his fist on his desk. "As you are all well aware, your final exam is tomorrow. Those who failed the field test last week will not qualify. I wish you all good luck in advance. If you pass tomorrow, you will be eligible to graduate. I will explain more on that when the time comes." She tapped papers on her desk, organizing them, and looked them over carefully. "Exam participants, you know who you are, will meet downstairs by the student directory. Your squadrons will be given to you then." She paused and put a finger on her lip as if considering something. "Have I forgotten anything? No, I suppose not. Class is dismissed. Please come talk to me if you want help in preparing for tomorrow, and make sure you all get plenty of rest tonight." Alexis organized her papers again and placed them aside.
Everyone had already put their belongings away in anticipation of class finally being over. Most of them stayed inside the classroom to chat with friends, though there were some who rushed out the second Alexis was done speaking. Darius gave Kane a tough look as he stood. "Maybe you should work on your technique a bit and next time you won't get hurt."
"Oh, and Kane, I need to talk to you." Alexis stressed her voice to avoid being drowned out by the students' conversations. Kane walked to the front of the room, ignoring Darius altogether. Darius snuffed at his back and left the classroom in a steady, triumphant movement.
Alexis was wrapping up a conversation with a group of girls when Kane reached her. They eyed him over their shoulders as they walked away. "You haven't taken your field exam yet, have you?" Alexis's voice was slightly urgent, as if making sure she had his full attention.
Kane put a hand to his forehead, vaguely recalling his unpleasant experience. I was going to do it this morning, but Darius… he trailed off, not caring enough to complete his thought.
Alexis continued as if Kane's mind was displayed on his face. "You won't be able to participate tomorrow if you don't get that done today. I hope you don't have any plans for the rest of the day?" Her voice gave him no choice in the matter. He shook his head at her. "Meet me by the front gate in about a half hour. We will go to the Fire Cavern and take care of this. And don't forget your sword!"
That last comment had mockery in it; Kane could hear it in her voice. "I'll be there," he responded in a barely audible monotone. Alexis winked at him and looking over her shoulder, walked out of the room.
The group of girls that had been talking with Alexis were now standing near the door, giggling amongst themselves and sneaking obvious glances at Kane. Why do they insist on gossiping about me? Women are such strange creatures. Maybe I should go talk to them. But jeez, what would I say? Kane never really knew how to act around girls. They made him nervous; his mouth would dry up and he would be unable to think straight. He certainly didn't have a chance against the four beautiful ones standing no more than a half dozen paces away from him. They were all blonde, save one who was brunette, and each had her school uniforms on, which consisted of a dark blue knee-high skirt and a jacket of similar color. The jacket was embroidered with golden buttons on one side that shimmered in the light, and underneath the jacket was a white blouse that seemed to make the rest of their outfit more vibrant. Their socks were almost violet and were not too high above black heels. Kane suddenly realized he was staring at them, and they returned the look with faces that looked like they were holding back more laughter. He collected himself and walked passed them quickly, trying to escape their watchful eyes.
Outside in the hallway Kane could still hear their menacing gossip. He quickened his pace toward the bridge back to the elevator and turned his head just to see if they were following him. His ears picked up a sudden, short scream coming from the direction he was traveling. He had just enough time to turn his head back before he crashed into a rushing student.
Kane nearly lost his balance; whoever had hit him was running like a dog with a bone tied right in front of it. His sword clanged against his belt; it was swinging slightly, and he put his hand to it to still it. "Are you alright?" he asked. The student had been knocked over onto the tiled floor, and he realized that it was a girl. A cute girl.
Suddenly Kane hesitated. I try to run away from girls and then one bumps right into me! He had reached out his hand to help her up, but he desperately wanted to take it back. She grabbed it after rubbing her head and pulled herself up on her feet. Kane nearly lost his grip and let her fall back to the floor. He put his hands at his sides, standing straight up, feet seeming as though they were glued to the ground.
"There!" she said in a friendly tone as she fully regained her composure. Her eyes were sparkling blue, big and curious, looking up at him from almost a foot below. She's not as short as Darla, but she certainly would give her competition. She's much cuter though. Her hair was gold, and she wore the same uniform the other women in the school did, though it looked like she had gotten dressed in a hurry. "Um, you didn't just come from class, did you?"
Kane wasn't really paying attention, it was one thing his colleagues told him to always pay attention to what girls say, but he rarely had the capacity. "I'm sorry?" He felt dumb for having to ask her to repeat herself.
"Is class over already?" She asked again, with no impatience. Whatever hope she may have been holding onto for whatever reason seemed to fade out of her as she slowly slumped her shoulders.
"Yeah." Kane nodded.
"Ugh! This school is so much bigger than my last one. I just transferred here." She appeared lost in thought for a moment. "My name is Emily by the way." Her voice was suddenly cheerful, and she extended her hand in a mock-professional manner.
Kane was beginning to get the impression that Emily was a bit enthusiastic. "I'm Kane." He reluctantly put out his hand again, and Emily almost violently shook it, saying "Nice to meetcha!" Kane managed a somewhat friendly smile; at least he hoped it was. He wasn't impatient, he just didn't care.
"Say, are you doing anything right now? Would you mind showing me around the school a bit? It would be a huge help." Emily's freckles became apparent now; her face shimmering in the light. Her innocent look made her appear young, maybe a year younger than Kane, and made it difficult to refuse her request.
"Sure, I'll take you to the student directory downstairs." Kane managed another smile and began walking toward the elevator, already wishing he hadn't agreed. I'm sure to make a fool of myself.
"Thanks mister Kane!" Her enthusiasm almost made Kane jump. Cheery, friendly, probably talkative, what have I gotten myself into?
"So, what school did you transfer from?" He figured he may as well try to stay in the conversation. He always felt like a fool when he didn't talk as much as he felt he should.
"From Albur. It's a much smaller school, overseas to the northwest..."
"I know what and where Albur is." Kane cut her off. He was not rude, but stern and firm. He often did not see the point in receiving information he already had.
Unfortunately, Emily detected rudeness, whether Kane intended it or not. "Oh, sorry sir, I didn't realize you already knew everything!" She squinted her eyes and glared, turning her body to stare directly at him. She turned back, crossing her arms with a disgusted look on her face.
The elevator door opened and the two students stepped inside. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." Kane attempted to ease Emily's tension; unsure if that would just make the situation worse.
She turned her head to stare at him once more, then let a mischievous smile slowly form on her freckled face. "I was just messing with you!" She burst out. "Can't you take a joke, Kane?" Emphasis was placed on his name.
Kane felt a small surge of anger inside him, but he quickly dismissed it. He was not angry at her, but at himself. He did not respond.
Emily looked at him as if expecting an answer, and sighed when she did not receive one. "Not the playful type, are you?" She sounded as though she were finally going to calm down.
Kane did not look at her throughout the duration of the elevator ride. His expression hadn't changed as the doors opened, revealing the first floor. He stepped out, not waiting to see if Emily did the same.
"Not going to talk anymore, huh? C'mon, cheer up!" She was a few steps behind him now, and her last try to talk to him succeeded only slightly as they approached the student directory a half dozen paces in front of the stone stairs leading from the elevator.
"This is the student directory." Kane said quickly without waiting for her to catch up. "If you ever get lost or need to figure out where something is, this is where to look, or else ask a teacher or somebody." He continued to speak, using his finger to point at various locations on the map. Emily looked as though she were struggling to take it all in. "Am I going too fast?"
"No, just trying to memorize where everything is," she replied uncertainly. Her eyes darted back and forth, analyzing.
"It will take some time to get used to, but until then, this is a good resource. It's actually quite amusing to see the first-year students huddled around this map, trying to figure out how to get to their classes and all." Kane recalled memories of his past at Maethis; this directory had saved his skin more than once during his first year.
Emily abruptly started to giggle, and Kane felt a small sense of proudness about him. A laugh is always a good sign, right? "How mean! Don't you upperclassmen help them at all?"
"We would if we weren't too busy laughing at their expense." Kane almost felt like laughing, but he held back. Laughing was something he didn't really do.
"You're horrible," she said. She looked disgusted again, but Kane detected sarcasm in her voice. A look down at her face, now peering up at him with a tight grin, confirmed his suspicion. This is going better than I expected. Much better.
"I do need to get going," he spoke after a few awkward moments of silence. I may as well leave on a high note. "I need to take my field exam today. Hopefully what I showed you was helpful."
"Your field exam? So that means you'll be in the final tomorrow?" Kane nodded to her. "I am too, maybe we'll be in the same squadron!" Emily's excitement surprised Kane, nearly causing him to jump.
"Yeah, maybe." He hoped not. She's a nice girl, but I'm not sure how much of this I could take, especially during a tense situation. He managed to crack a smile.
"See you then! And thanks!" She turned to walk away, flicking her fingers at him, grinning all the while.
Kane found himself watching her as she left, his eyes following her until she was around the corner and out of sight. That went well. Remembering his rendezvous with his teacher, he snapped back into motion.
He glanced to the left and right, taking notice of the various colors of the trees on either side of the elegant stone pathway. There were a few landscapers raking the scattered dead leaves that lay on the ground, placing them into black bags. Kane sniffed the air; the crisp autumn air often made him feel rejuvenated. The path and the small gardens were separated by a stone railing of similar looks, with intricate details on each post. The details consisted of vines and leaves, worked delicately into the railing by master artists when Maethis was first built. The school is the oldest of the mercenary training academies, constructed stone brick by stone brick some three hundred years ago in the midst of the Great War.
Kane began thinking about the Great War as he passed the large, marble monument of Victor Spade at the bottom of the next set of stairs. The two superpowers, Crowns and Silver Kingdom, had been racing for superiority in a cold war, constantly trying to outperform the other. Maethis was founded by Victor Spade, a resident of Crowns, and a military commander who was chosen to lead the armies to battle. He was a man of honor, well admired for his strategic movements in earlier battles, which were what got him to his high-ranking position. He alone was chosen out of perhaps hundreds of equally ranked commanders to fight the Great War for Crowns. Among many alumni and current members of Maethis, Victor Spade was a legendary warrior of unimaginable strength.
Kane continued walking past the monument and took a look ahead. He spotted Alexis down by the front gate, which was held open, but guarded. No students were permitted to leave the school without permission from an administrator. I have reason enough.
Alexis stood with her weight on one leg, and she had one hand on the handle of her whip. "Ready to go, Kane?" She smiled brightly.
"Let's just get this over with," Kane replied with no enthusiasm at all.
Alexis sighed heavily. "Can't you be a little excited for once? You'll be graduating tomorrow!"
"Yeah, thrilled." Obviously he was not as happy about it as Alexis was. Certainly nothing new.
A few silent minutes crept by as they walked together through the black gate that was at least twice Kane's height. The two guards on either side of the opening nodded politely, but he ignored them altogether. To most students it seemed silly to guard the academy; who in their right mind would think of attacking a school filled with young and old alike who are trained to kill anything that moves?
The opening gave way to the beautiful landscape outside the school. Low-rolling hills covered in bright green grass were the majority of the area, though occasional thickets and small forests could be seen as well. The trees were nearly half bare, Kane could see, colorful leaves scattered over the ground. Down to the south was Laguna Beach, where students usually hung out during the summer in their free time. Less and less people were seen there with the decrease in temperature. Good times, he thought to himself. He recalled one such party; Darius and a few of his henchmen had thrown poor Max Leopard into the water with all of his clothes on.
He looked up to the sky; it was getting later in the day, and he imagined nightfall must be coming within the next hour or so. All the more reason to do this quickly. More clouds had joined the ones that were already there, and a V-formation of birds soared overhead toward the beach, sending out squawks that echoed through the air. He followed the smoothly paved pathway to the east.
"Alexis, who was that girl in the infirmary earlier?" Kane broke the silence and seemed surprised that he had asked that question.
"A girl? I don't remember seeing anyone there," she replied. Her answer sounded certain, yet uncertain, as if perhaps she just hadn't been paying good enough attention.
"There was a girl in my room. Her eyes... her eyes looked like mine." She looked at him, seemingly confused, probably not seeing the point in the matter. "I've never seen anyone else with eyes like mine," he tried to explain, using his fingers to point to his eyes.
"Well, your eyes are certainly rare, but I wouldn't think it that strange that you happen to bump into another person whose eyes are similar." Alexis still sounded a little unsure, making an effort to assure Kane that there was no reason for concern. "It was probably a student. A secret admirer, perhaps?" Now she was just taunting him.
"Very funny." I may not know how to act around girls, but that doesn't make me a fool. I know I saw her there, but who was she?
Their steps slowed as they realized they were nearing the mouth of the Fire Cavern. The entrance lay somewhat hidden in a small clearing, among several large oak trees, that would probably be missed by an oblivious traveler. It was not a secret place; most everybody knew of it, for it was here that the field exams were held. Students are required to take this test before participating in the final exam. They are accompanied by their instructor, but they are the ones being evaluated. The assignment was to go deep into the Cavern and perform up to standards in battle against the dangerous beast that lay inside.
"Well, here we are," Alexis announced. "The Fire Cavern."
Kane could feel the warm heat flowing out of the opening. It called to him, challenged him, dared him to come inside.