1.2 - Light and Fire
By the time morning had broken, a small fraction of the ballroom sleepers had already awoken. Among them was Celina, though not willingly. Still bloated from the banquet the night before, she rubbed her eyes and struggled to fight off the grogginess pulling her back to bed. Sighing, she steeled herself and brought her hand down to her inner thigh. She pinched the soft skin and jolted from the pain. Wincing, she shot up.
Quietly, Celina rolled up her sleeping bag and began tucking away her belongings. Around the room, the soft breathing of countless lungs filled the air. They provided an almost rhythmic pattern that she couldn't help but catch. Within moments, her bags were stuffed full once again. She hoisted them over her shoulders and began her careful trek back across the hall.
The rising sunlight trickled in through the tall glass windows. She allowed herself to bask in the golden glow, filtering out the mismatched arms and legs that contrasted with the checkerboard tiles. Closing her eyes, Celina took a deep breath and seemingly inhaled part of the luminescence as it vanished into her body. She looked forward to being able to relive the same morning glow later in the day if she needed it.
Finally approaching the exit, she spotted familiar stalks of green pigtails. Her eyes peeked over the sleeping bag's edge to find Rosie, eyes shut and mouth wide open. Surely enough, Aurelia and Ylisse were right next to her still fast asleep. Rosie's loud snoring didn't seem to disturb them in the slightest as they lay quiet and dignified. Given how close she set up by the door, Celina figured that they must have arrived pretty late. Smiling to herself, Celina stepped by and prayed that she might run into them again soon.
Sleep well guys.
Gently, she pushed open the doors and left.
Returning to the dining hall was much easier than in the night before. The darkened walkways were now lit with daylight showing a completely different kind of beauty in the grass and stone-paved paths. Still digesting the various foods from dinner, Celina slowed her pace. The brisk morning air slowly began to warm under the light of the rising sun. She inhaled, smelling pine within the breeze and the moisture condensing into the early dew.
"You're up early."
Dally called out from under the shade of a nearby tree. Seeing him, Celina couldn't help but think of old Vacuan wild west movies.
"Same to you. If I knew you were waiting, I would've taken my time."
"Try not to flatter yourself too much," he chuckled. "I'm always up by sunrise." He sauntered over to Celina and joined her towards the dining hall.
"Sleep well?" she asked.
"Eh, it was alright. I'm not use to not having roosters. First time I've used an alarm in years," he replied.
"Do you spend every sunrise acting like a movie poster?"
"It's a special occasion. First day and all." He paused to stroke his chin. "Did I look like Flint Eastwood?
"Now it's your turn not to flatter yourself."
As they reached the cafeteria doors, Dally reached out and pulled the door open. Celina stared at him awkwardly before passing through.
"Nice manners," she snarked.
"Force of habit." He rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "My ma hammered them in pretty well."
The hall seemed to have doubled in size compared to the previous night. Without crowds of people lining up and down the room, the tiles and tables seemed to stretch on forever. Barely a fraction of the seats were taken, filled with other early birds and those still half asleep. The scent of pancakes, bacon, and other breakfast foods replaced the various smells of the previous evening. Wordlessly, Celina and Dally stepped across the floor towards the carts. After filling their plates, they settled on a table near the west wall where the morning light streamed through the glass.
Celina's eyes stared hungrily at her plate of steak and eggs. She inhaled deeply, letting the scents breathe life into her before tearing into the meat. Dally, much less enthusiastically, followed suit.
"Something tells me you aren't always up as early as you say," she said between bites, motioning with her fork at shaded bags underneath Dally's eyes.
He paused for a moment, swallowing. "I was hoping to run into someone there."
Celina raised an eyebrow gesturing at him to continue. As Dally gathered his thoughts, she spent no time off from cutting into her eggs.
"I didn't really come to Ardent to shoot Grimm and get famous. There's someone else from my hometown here the same age as us. She may not look like much, but she was the best shot within miles." He reached down and pat his six-shooters sitting in his holsters. "Even compared to me."
Dally's eyes squinted through the light, locking onto something that wasn't there. He took another two bites of grilled tomatoes before mumbling on.
"You probably think I'm a maniac for chasing a girl across the continent."
"Mmm, maybe a little. It's still kind of cute, you know, assuming that you aren't a stalker or anything."
"I don't think I am, but I'll keep that in mind."
Celina sat there and pondered Dally's story. She hadn't taken him to be the romantic type. His wide-brimmed hat and dusty boots painted a portrait of the carefree gunslinger she'd always read about. A man who followed only the wind without a care in the world. Yet, the boy sitting across from her had his own dreams, and one of them brought him across the nation chasing after a small chance of a fleeting hope.
"You never thought about confessing?"
"Believe me, I had a plan. I was going to do this whole big thing when I finally beat her, but..." he trailed off. "Never really happened."
Celina smiled and patted his shoulder firmly.
"I hope you find her, Dally."
As they continued eating, the dining hall began to fill up with yawning faces and somewhat empty stomachs. Having finished, the two students dropped their empty plates off and left. A trailing march of students stretched from the great hall across the campus, all guided by the promise of food. Unable to spot any familiar faces in the crowd, Celina parted ways with Dally and headed towards the main office of the campus to check her bags back in. The office lady greeted her with a smile and wished her luck.
She took her weapon and clipped it magnetically to the back of her belt. Patting it reassuringly, Celina raised her head. She'd be ready for anything now.
Entrium Hall took on a different atmosphere in the growing daylight. From the east side, the golden rays of the sun trickled in washing the room aglow. Celina took a seat on the far left of the room glad that she wasn't relegated to the back like yesterday. She kept her eyes peered to the doors hoping to find anyone familiar. At first, the purple haired bottomless stomach sauntered in yawning. Shortly after, the red eyed girl did as well. As the seats filled up, Celina finally saw Aurelia and the others close in. Spotting her, she waved and smiled.
With all the freshmen finally seated, the stone doors closed with a thundering thud and the tan professor stepped forward.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Professor Wallace Gingerman. Today, you will begin your Initiation into Ardent Academy. You will all be divided into 15 groups and spread across the maw to River Rise."
At his cue, a hologram projected the great river and forests below the school. Two smaller projectors lit up and formed two disk-like objects breaking into halves and then reassembling.
"Fragments of these relics are scattered about various shrines hidden in the landscape. Some will be in open clearings, some suspended in air, others in caves, and even some within the waters themselves. As you land, you will take the first peer you come into contact with as your partner. Each duo will need to secure only one relic fragment before returning to the academy. All in all, you will have a total of 8 hours to find a partner, retrieve your relic, and bring it back which should be more than sufficient time. As you know, should you fail, you will lose your place in the academy."
This news sent a wave of concern across the audience as murmurs spread around the room.
"However, I'm sure you will all do just fine. You are free to cooperate with any other pairs you come across, or, if need be, clash with them. This Initiation simulates a true hunter's mission, and you should expect as much." He snapped his fingers and the first row of students on the right side were bathed in a soft blue from the floor lights. "Group One will follow Professor Grayback out the back exit.
Grinning aggressively, Grayback raised his arm and beckoned for them to follow him out the back exit. The row shuffled off while the rest of the students waited anxiously. As soon as the doors shut behind them, a green light rose up from the first row on the left just a little ahead of Celina.
"Group Two will follow Professor Stilts out the main exit."
Much less enthusiastically than his predecessor, the balding man raised his arm and led the row out the stone doors.
The next three groups were led out in suit by varying professors. Celina watched as they exited from different points around the building. Perhaps it was to keep them from seeing where each other went, she thought. At long last, a purple light enveloped Celina in her row.
"Group Six will follow Professor Gosling out the main exit."
Celina turned her gaze to the blonde nurse who saw her yesterday morning. Upon seeing Celina, they exchanged a quiet smile. As her row exited, she saw Aurelia give her another wave while Price and Dally shot her a thumbs up.
Outside, Celina looked at the others in her group from the corner of her eye. She didn't recognize any of them, and they didn't seem interested in each other. Silently, she regretted not having waited for the others. Hopefully they might meet up later.
Professor Gosling led them on the long walk back to the main academy. As they moved, Celina noticed various airships lift up from around the Main Hall wondering if they were ferrying off the remaining students. Arriving back at the campus, the professor led them down each set of stairs to the bottom floor sending a brief memory of yesterday through Celina's head. Professor Gosling led them onto the edges of the five major landing platforms leaving three at each one before closing the platform gates. Expectantly, the students looked around for some kind of transportation. A few moments after she had left, a timer appeared on each landing platform's monitor counting down from [18:13].
Celina looked at her two companions. One was a red-haired bespectacled girl surveying the platform. The other was a blue-haired tan boy with his eyes fixed to the falls below. Neither seemed to be interested in speaking, so she instead turned to view the sights. The roaring waterfalls diffracted the morning light. It was only now that Celina saw how beautiful the surrounding landscape was. The mountains stretched on beyond the horizons and trees sprawled across the land. It was no wonder airships were the only feasible route to and from the academy.
Noticing that the red-haired girl was inspecting what appeared to be a collapsed bow, Celina and the boy took out their weapons as well. She polished the shield-like crescent blade and looked at her reflection. This was it. The big moment. Everything was right around the corner.
At long last, the monitor's timer reached zero and Professor Gosling's cheery face took its place.
"Students," she chimed. "Welcome to your Initiation. From here, you will enter River Rise below us and venture forward. You may begin at any time."
A stunned silence followed her announcement. Confused, Celina and the other students looked around hoping to find some explanation. Around them were only railings and then the great drop to the waters below.
"Excuse me, Professor Gosling," a red-haired girl said. "What exactly do we do here?"
Puzzled, she frowned, "Why, enter the forest of course."
"From up here?" the blue haired boy asked, revealing a set of pointed teeth.
"Of course! You can't become an excellent huntsman or huntress without a good landing strategy. Everybody knows that."
Several concerned gasps arose from the other platforms. The news left them at a loss on how to descend safely into the roaring waters and stony cliffside.
Shrugging, the blue haired boy removed his scarf, almost tearing it off his throat. He stretched his neck revealing a set of blue hued gills. Without delay, he leapt over the railings in a majestic flip and plunged straight into a stream of water on its way down.
Watching silently, the red-haired girl flipped a switch. With a click, her collapsed bow expanded its limbs into something easily twice her size. She affixed a headless arrow from the quiver on her back and notched it. With a whirr, a cartridge drilled a pod-like head on the tip. Taking aim, the girl launched it straight into the forest itself. A trail of silvery dust trailed behind and froze a trail of moisture straight into the woods. She leapt up and began sliding across as the bridge crumbled behind.
Noticing that the other students were now making their own preparations, Celina swallowed. She was losing precious time while everyone else began working their way into River Rise, including those from other locations. Maybe Aurelia and the others were already there looking for her. She didn't have the luxury of wasting time here.
Celina climbed up on the railings. Her gaze traveled across the landscape and began to think that if worst came to worst, it wasn't a bad place to die.
As if.
Without another thought, she leaped.
The wind seemed to open a path as Celina dove down headfirst. Adrenaline filled her senses. She saw the gleam of the sun reflect off the trailing water. She felt the air twist around her and enter her lungs. She felt alive.
"Alright, Moon Glade. Time to do your thing," she whispered.
Swiftly, Celina reached behind her belt. She pulled free the compacted hilt and let it unfold in her grasp. The pole extended rattling the chains inside. With a click, a twin set of curved blades swung out from both sides and fixed themselves just below the glaive's crescent blade.
With a flourish, she quickly twisted the pole and swung the glaive through open air. The head detached with the chain and went careening into the mountainside, wedging solidly into the stone. Celina loosened and let her body follow the arc. As she reached the end, she jerked the chain and the blade dislodged.
Flying through the air, Celina scanned the cliffside and locked her eyes onto the twin trails left by the red-eyed girl. As thin as they were, she could see them cleanly cut into the face of the mountain. She rocked the sharp pendulum into the top of the crevices and grappled over. Celina twisted the shaft once again and the pole retracted onto the sunken blade, jutting out of the wall. Hopping up, she sat on her makeshift seat to take a momentary rest.
The bow girl had long since disappeared in the distant woods and the shark boy vanished into the crashing waters below. From above, she saw the other students begin their descent; a hang glider shot off over the forest and several figures dropped into the lake. Though Celina could've followed, she shuddered at the thought of having to fight anything, or anyone, without being on solid land.
Desperately, she rattled her brain for a way down safely. Rappelling like she was doing would take too much time and a straight drop was too risky. She sighed, suddenly wishing that she had wings. Looking far at the ground, she saw several figures crawl out of the waters and scatter into the forest trees. Just a ways away, she spotted several holes leading to the lake's edge. Aurelia's words rang in her head.
"I've heard that there are all sorts of natural caves just under the school."
Scratching a metaphorical chin, she began thinking that perhaps she could find her way into one. The mountainside itself was fragile enough to break through; her temporary seat was proof enough. All she really needed now was to figure out where these caves might come close to the surface.
Gingerly, she knocked on the cliffside next to her. The dull thud told her she wouldn't find her entrance here. Swinging her legs over Moon Glade's shaft, she jumped down and hung by her arms, detaching the pole once more. She slowly rappelled down the chain knocking in small intervals. Each was rejected by the solid stone.
Just as Celina was about to give up, an echoing reverberation came back near the bottom of the torn cliffside. Grinning, she put both of her boots against the surface and pushed off it. Gravity did the rest of her work as she rocked back and kicked clean through the rock, sending stone and debris alongside her into the newly created entrance.
She brushed some dust off her and rose to her feet. With a sharp yank, the blade above drew itself out of the crack and retracted back to its position at the top of the shaft in her grip. She twirled the glaive and compacted it back into its shield-like form, clipping it to the back of her belt.
Though daylight streamed gently into the exposed tunnels, the light didn't travel much farther in. Celina squinted and peered onto the path angling downwards. Silently she hoped there'd be a natural exit at the bottom. At the very least she could make one, she thought to herself.
Closing her eyes, Celina channeled her aura and breathed in deeply. The sunlight surrounding her slowly drained into her body. She felt the warmth seep in and fill an imaginary cup to the brim. Holding out her palm, she focused and a small orb of light gathered in her hand floating in place.
Illuminate.
The ball surged and flooded the cave with a gentle light. Smiling to herself, Celina took a step forward. Her path was lit.
Drops of clear water plipped and plopped off the tips of stalactites into puddles that echoed throughout the cavern. Though the light of her orb was enough to keep her from bumping her way through wall to wall, the dark shadows around each corner kept Celina on her toes. She was never the type to rule out ghosts. Of course, she'd never seen one in person, but in a world where physical creatures of darkness existed, what logic was there against intangible ones?
Celina felt the chill as she slowly descended. The warmth of daylight no longer reached her this far in the caverns and the cold seemed to envelop all heat. Each breath visibly rose from her lips. Silently, she regretted not taking a heavier jacket or at least some burn dust.
From the darkness, Celina heard a soft scratching.
Grimm?
The scurrying approached the bend sending a shiver down her back. She gripped Moon Glade's shaft, lengthening it into an axe, and held her breath. Her orb wavered and dimmed. Little by little, she could hear the movements grow closer. A soft clacking on stone floors. A rustling of air. She raised her arm, preparing to strike.
Several sets of round ears and plump bodies came racing around the corner and dashed straight past Celina. She sighed in relief and let the tension escape from her shoulders. Cave mice didn't bother her so much. They were living things too, after all. She took another step forward listening to the skittering of their tiny legs vanish behind her. For a moment, all was quiet.
Without warning, the tunnels violently shook and stone began to rain down. Celina covered her head as the silence was quickly devoured by sinister fluttering. First, pair of red eyes appeared in the dark. And then two. Then five.
Then a hundred.
The mass of black wings crashed around Celina on all sides. In her panic, the orb of light dissipated leaving her in the assaulting darkness of nyverns. She felt the fangs and talons of the bat-like grimm tearing at her. Inhuman screeching pounded at her ears as she covered her face. Only her aura was protecting her now and even that wouldn't last.
Celina brandished her weapon. With a slash, she cut down two of the beasts before four more took their place. She spun around hacking down three more. Even so, the storm of wings and claws didn't diminish.
She twisted the pole expanding Moon Glade to its full length. Grunting, she cleaved through ten of them in one arc. As they crumbled into dust, she braced herself for a second swing. She jerked her arm and the halberd crashed into the narrow walls, lodging itself into the earth. She wrenched it but it did not budge.
"You've got to be shitting me!"
Another wave of nyverns collided into her. She gasped as the impact threw Celina onto cold floor knocking the wind out of her. She felt something wet drip from her cheek. Blood. They broke through her aura. Closing her eyes, she delved into herself, grasping the no longer full cup of daylight and poured everything out. Her orb reignited and flashed a brilliant light throughout the cavern. The grimm screeched and crashed into stone, momentarily blinded. It would only be moments before they switched to their ears for vision. Desperately, Celina picked herself up and began to run.
In the tumbling darkness, she could barely make out the corners as she scraped her way past them. She had no weapon, no allies, no dust, and no plan. As if sensing her fear, the nyverns screeched, pursuing her relentlessly.
Help…
Her breath ran ragged. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go.
"Help…"
She wasn't supposed to die here. Not alone in some dark cave.
"Help...!"
In her mind, the image of her parents flashed… Her old friends… Her sister...
… Her brother…
"HELP!"
The storm of nyverns closed in behind her. Their red eyes burned furiously in the shadows. They came for their prey.
"Get down!"
Instinctively, Celina tumbled to the floor. A whip of fire emerged from ahead striking straight into the flock. They shrieked as the first wave was incinerated. She ducked down again as a second whip flare came arcing out setting more alight. In the face of flames, the nyverns began to retreat back into the inky darkness.
Too exhausted to move, Celina laid on the ground as the footsteps of her savior approached. The flame she carried burned in an open lantern affixed to the end of a staff.
"Looks like I got here just in time," came the comfort of a familiar voice. The figure reached out a hand to Celina and gently pulled her up. Celina smiled wearily as she came face to face with Aurelia's radiant smile. "Nice to see you again, partner."
"How did you know I was here?"
Taking Aurelia's hand, Celina gingerly rose to her feet and brushed some of the rubble off her dirt-stained clothes. She gave herself a once-over, sighing at the sight of her black jeans ripped and jacket muddied. It was going to be a pain fixing them up later.
"Honestly, I didn't." Aurelia said. "I thought the professors might have pulled a fast one and hidden a relic near the start. Now I'm glad I did."
"My hero."
The two shared a grin before turning their attention back to Celina's wounds. She felt a twinge of discomfort as Aurelia's eyes skimmed over her body; not out of aversion, but out of guilt.
"Looks like they did quite a number on you." She raised a hand to Celina's bloodied cheek. "Now hold still."
At Aurelia's word, a quiet hum emanated from her palm. A soft glow of yellow enveloped Celina's face and bathed it in a gentle heat just momentarily.
Stepping back, Celina put a finger to the scratch. Remarkably, the wound closed up. She shot Aurelia an amazed look.
"I'm afraid that's all I can really do for you right now," Aurelia said motioning to her friend's torn up clothing.
"It's fine. But really, thank you." She meant it.
"Think nothing of it. After all, we're partners now," she smiled.
Partners. The word rang comfortably in Celina's ears. That's right. They were partners. The previous three years at Hope Academy taught her how to think, how to fight, and how to prepare. Of course, she had friends and rivals who pushed each other, but never a true ally. Celina looked at the kind charming girl in front of her and realized there was no one she'd rather be paired with.
"Yeah, I guess you're stuck with me now."
"I suppose I am."
Turning her eyes, Celina looked back into the dark tunnel where she left something important.
"Well then, partner, there's something I need to pick up before we get out of this dump."
"Sure thing, partner."
Laughing, the two began walking back through the caves side by side.
The fiery blaze of Aurelia's flame cast the rugged tunnel walls in a different light. Unlike the constant glow of Celina's semblance, the flickering flames caused the shadows to dance to and fro. She swallowed. Though they reminded her of the stirring black wings of the nyverns, the warmth of the fire and company of her new companion gave her comfort. Luckily, they caught no sight of any remnants of the grimm; they had disappeared back into the inky darkness just like they came.
The sight of Moon Glade's pole jutting out of the wall ahead caused Celina's heart to soar. She ran forward and, setting a boot against the earth, pulled with her entire body. With a clank, the steel broke free and returned to its owner's hands. Triumphantly, Celina gleamed at its silvery sheen finally free from its stone prison.
"That's a lovely weapon," Aurelia said giggling. "You match."
Celina raised an eye before realizing she was talking about her hair.
"There's not exactly a huge variety of lightweight metal. Ol' Moon Glade gets the job done though." She twirled it dexterously before compacting it back into its smaller shield-like state. "I really like the color of yours though. Dark colors are so much easier to keep clean."
Aurelia gestured to her and handed off the burning light source into her hands. At a closer glance, Celina saw that the flames were kept inside an open lantern-like structure affixed to the end of a short pole. A soft jingling from inside the metal alerted her to the presence of chains seeing the similarity in their weapons' designs.
"If you want to know a secret, Firefly is actually mostly golden. There's just a lot of soot I haven't polished off in a while."
Gingerly, Celina put a finger to the edge of the surface. The black crumbled off revealing a shiny layer just beneath.
"And here I thought you were the responsible one," she said wiping her finger off on the wall. "But I can't really blame you with all the fire."
"It's is nice and all, but it certainly does eat up a lot of dust."
Pausing, Celina opened her senses and felt her aura slowly refilling. Entering her inner realm, she searched out for any remaining luminescence. A small bit of daybreak from the morning was the only thing left. Even so, it was a small burst that wouldn't last. Finding nothing else, she decided to refuel with Firefly's torch.
"Then I'll light our way out," Celina said.
She breathed in and began drinking in the flickering glow. Aurelia watched mesmerized as the light drained into her body, vanishing. Celina tossed the lantern back to her and conjured up her second orb for the day, this time dyed in the orange shade of fire.
Clapping her hands, Aurelia gave her a playful Oooh. Taking a bow, Celina motioned for her cheery companion to follow. Aurelia extinguished Firefly's flames and let the luminescent orb guide their way.
It wasn't long before they passed by the charred streaks of where they'd met. Though Celina's eyes wandered to the dark corners scouring for danger, she noticed Aurelia's gaze drift to orb every once in a while. Wordlessly, she dropped her hand and let the orb float to her. Aurelia's eyes widened. She passed a finger through the orb amazed at its intangible nature.
"It's like a little sun," she murmured.
"I guess it would be if it burned or fueled itself. If you really want to see a miniature sun, my…" The memory of a confident smirk passed through Celina's mind as she caught her tongue mid-sentence. Aurelia, entranced, didn't seem to notice. Swallowing her words, Celina changed course. "Luna."
"Hm?"
"Its name. It's Luna."
"Oh! I like that. Just like the moon then," Aurelia said.
"What about yours? Does it have to do with…?" Celina began pointing along the various charred cave walls and finally back to Firefly at Aurelia's hip.
"Fire?" she completed. "Not quite. It's more of an energy amplifier."
"That sounds useful. An extra tank of juice wherever you go."
"It's… not that easy." Aurelia frowned. "By any chance, does Luna do anything on its own?"
"No, I don't think so. Just when I focus," Celina said, confused.
Aurelia sighed and gave a sad smile. "Well, Radiance likes to do its own thing. It runs through my body like a circuit board with a constant flow. I can let it out every once in a while, to lower the hum, but it doesn't turn off."
Celina narrowed her eyes. "I'm not sure I'm getting it."
"Imagine if Luna just made those orbs on its own. They'd float around glowing and they'd be there everywhere. Bathrooms, public transportation, even when you're trying to sleep."
She suddenly understood her message. Seeing Celina's change in expression, Aurelia went on.
"There are plenty of those in the world who don't like their semblance. People seem to think that theirs always awakens to the thing they need or want most at the time. Strength to lift a car. Speed to run away." She looked down and then locked eyes with Celina. "The problem is that people change, times goes on, and they aren't the same anymore. But the semblance stays and sometimes it doesn't turn off. It never does."
"Does this mean that you…" Celina trailed off.
At her response, Aurelia smiled and returned to her old cheery demeanor.
"Don't get me wrong; I don't hate Radiance. Not anymore, at least. I've learned to live with it. The extra energy isn't so bad as long as I can run it off during the day. Besides, I can do cool things like this."
Raising a hand, Aurelia opened her palm to the Luna orb. She began to emit a soft yellow once again, and Celina watched as the golden pulses floated out. As they passed through, they melded into the ball of light. Suddenly, the glow compounded flooding the cave and caused Celina to cover her eyes. After a short moment, the brightness dimmed back to normal.
"Oh good, that worked. I would've felt silly if it didn't."
"So, when you touched my cheek earlier…"
"I just made your cells work extra hard. Like an advance on their paychecks. You might feel a bit tired later though," Aurelia confessed.
Celina paused. She did feel a bit groggy, but assumed it was due to, well, everything else that happened.
"All I need is some fresh sunlight. Let's get going."
"Good plan."
From there, Aurelia led the journey. Several times, the tunnel split into separate paths but she simply followed the way she entered, dragging Celina in her reliable footsteps. Compared to the middle of the caverns, the last leg of their walk flashed by. Within half an hour, the glow of daylight appeared around the corner. Overjoyed, Celina ran ahead breathing in the sun as she did.
And the immediate sight took her breath away.
The welcoming afternoon sun set aglow a scene of destruction. Tree trunks had been snapped like twigs. Boulders had been crushed. Bullet holes and slash marks were strewn across the open clearing left by the destruction and several brushfires slowly smoked out. Most horrifically, streaks of blood were painted around the battlefield. As Aurelia caught up, her face turned to dread face to face with the view.
"What the hell happened here?" Celina shouted.
"I-I don't know." Aurelia stuttered. "It wasn't like this before."
They carefully pressed forward side by side and scanned the area for danger. Not a single person, animal, or grimm was seen or heard. Each step they took echoed through the eerie silence pervasively. Motioning to Celina, Aurelia stopped momentarily and put a finger to one of the bullet holes left in a tall oak.
"It's still warm."
"Then we shouldn't be too far behind."
Picking up their pace, they started running. Celina pulled Moon Glade from her belt and gripped it tightly. It was only an Initiation, right? There's no chance that there would be anything so dangerous.
"This Initiation simulates a true hunter mission, and you should expect as much."
Professor Gingerman's words rang in her head. Of course it wouldn't be so easy. This was a test of their skills; a trial by fire. They might be the ones coming under attack next.
A single gunshot bursted through the air. Several birds, shaken, flew from the tree tops into the sky with countless chirping. Celina glanced at Aurelia who nodded back reassuringly. They began sprinting ahead as fast as their legs would carry them. Celina grimaced. She hoped that they wouldn't be too late to whatever battle was happening.
The forest trees they passed were littered by bullets and scratches. As they raced by, she braced herself for what was to come.
They broke out of the forest into a large grassy clearing overlooking a great chasm. Several old pillars of ruins stood against the test of time and extended off the cliffside into a complex system of stone pathways and stairs. They trailed together into a mazelike construct branching across the open earth.
However, Celina's gaze wasn't focused on the ruins. Her eyes were fixed to the four individuals standing off in front of her. On one end stood a bronze haired boy and a brunette girl. The boy gripped his arm, bloodied, and clenched a staffed weapon with his hair matted across one eye. The girl wielded a set of twin scimitars, sinisterly smirking at their two opponents.
Looking across, Celina recognized them both. The first was the purple clad girl from the banquet kneeling on the ground. She pressed her cloak against her bleeding leg uselessly as the blood seeped through. Standing beside her was a black coated girl pointing a gun at her enemies. A fierce gale rose up rippling the coat in the wind. Her black hair swayed chaotically underneath a dark peaked cap revealing a set of piercing red eyes that had yesterday ingrained themselves in Celina's memory forever.
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Hello again,
If anyone is wondering where 0.1 went, I got some feedback from some lovely people. It ruined the flow of the first few chapters, but it'll be back later in the story at a more appropriate time.
Sorry if there was a delay in updating. I just finished finals for the semester, but I'm done! Done done done. Apart from sleeping, practicing horrible sketching, and being a lazy layabout, I've redrafted the direction Argence is going into. While I've got some time over winter break besides traveling, I'll be rewriting/extending the earlier chapters so they don't feel as short and add a bit more to the building story. I've read way too much manga and gotten too used to pacing chapters like 19 pages of panels. The chapters I write from here on out and fix from earlier won't be incredibly long, but I'd like to keep them at least 2000 words per. Hold me to it.
As usual, thank you for reading Argence!
Sincerely,
Livh