"As I'm sure you've realized, you've been promoted to the newest class of cadets in Akademeia: Class Zero."
Dr. Arecia Al-Rashia paced impatiently in front of the three cadets before her. In one slender hand she pinched a smoking cigarette, supported by the slimmest of holders, and in the other flickered a match that struggled to hold its dying flame. Arecia snuffed it out with a sharp flick of her wrist.
The click-clacking of her heeled boots echoed through the empty spaces of her orderly office. The sound did little to ease the mixed emotions of the three children before her. She turned stiffly to have a good look at the cadets and her nose crinkled. Yes, they were children, but not her children. Well… The slightest of smiles slid into the left corner of her mouth and she raised her cigarette to her lips to hide it. Except the late bloomer…
"I hope that you will not take this position lightly," she advised in a low voice, puffs of smoke dissolving into the air with every word she spoke.
"We won't," said one of the girls, shaking her head quickly. Her lilac tresses spilled over her narrow shoulders as she did so. "I promise. This is such an amazing opportunity, so how could we?"
The archsorceress sniffed, raising an ebony eyebrow.
"You'd be surprised how many would." The girl shifted uncomfortably as she was eyed over by the older woman. "Remind me of your names."
"Machina Kunagiri," the boy spoke up, straightening his posture.
"Rem Tokimiya," the lilac haired girl answered quickly.
"… Tera."
Dr. Arecia gazed at Tera warmly. Late bloomer indeed. Behind the eyes of Machina and Rem, the sorceress saw eagerness to meet their heroes, those who had saved them during the Militesi Empire's invasion of Rubrum. The excitement of children. But not the excitement of children that she loved. Behind Tera's eyes, she saw something different. Cautiousness, for one, but also the remains of loss. The remnants of pain and burdens that no child should bear. Only the child of Dr. Al-Rashia could feel such things and live freely. The memories of the bloody battle were clearly still fresh on her mind. She'll make a perfect new addition.
"Very well," Arecia replied dismissively. "In a few minutes, you are expected to be in Classroom Zero. There you will meet your CO."
"Commanding Officer?" Rem tilted her head to the side.
"Yes." The sorceress waved her cigarette at them. "Rem, Machina, you're dismissed."
Machina adjusted his new oversized crimson cape over his broad shoulders before nodding at Rem and leading the way out of Arecia's stuffy office. Tera refused to watch them go, keeping her eyes locked on the glossy, ornate floor beneath her boots. Dr. Al-Rashia smiled again, this time more openly.
"How are you, Darling? Holding up alright?" Arecia turned and settled in the crimson chair behind her desk. Tera shrugged, crossing her arms loosely.
"I guess," she mumbled softly. Her pale green eyes flickered up to meet Dr. Al-Rashia's. "I mean, I've been better."
"Perhaps," Arecia cocked her head to the right. "But are you not thankful to be in Class Zero? This is what I've been preparing you for all this time."
"I'm grateful," the girl nodded. She hesitated, looking at the decorative wall behind her superior. Finally, she spoke. "Mother, are you sure I belong here?"
Arecia chuckled lowly, nursing her cigarette before blowing the light smoke out to vanish into the air.
"Of course I am. Don't you trust me, Darling?" Without waiting for an answer, she leaned forward. "I've already spoken with the other children. Don't forget that they were all raised by me as well." Falling back into a lounging position, Arecia crossed her legs and tossed her empty holder onto her neat desk. "Machina and Rem, however…" She raised a slim eyebrow. "Be careful what you say to them. They're in Class Zero because the chancellor personally saw to it that they make progress in Akademeia. If it were my decision..." She smiled bitterly. "Well, let's not discuss that."
"My cape?" Tera asked tentatively, holding up the corner of her lime green cloak. The cloth was shredded and bloodied from her previous fight for Rubrum.
"Of course," Arecia stood swiftly, opening a sleek chestnut cabinet in the back of the room. From it, she pulled a neatly folded piece of scarlet material. "Whose?" She asked, motioning toward the crimson stains on Tera's cape.
"Not mine," she answered, removing the ratty cloth.
"I know," the archsorceress laughed, reaching forth to fasten a new color around her beloved child's slim shoulders. "There would be much more if it was, Darling." She stood back and smiled sympathetically. "You don't know, then?"
"No," Tera whispered, shaking her head. She knows.
"Don't be late on your first day," Dr. Al-Rashia warned. "Kurasame may not be a fan of the dramatic entrance."
"I won't. I've been here too long to get lost."
"Tera," Arecia said after a moment of silence, pinching the young girl's chin between her slender fingers and tilting her face upward. "You're very special; don't forget that. But being special doesn't mean you deserve this any less than your classmates, you understand?"
"Mother…" Tera sighed, pulling her face free. She took a deep breath and nodded, tossing her previous words out the window of her mind. "I understand."
"Good girl."
Dr. Al-Rashia watched as Tera left the room, laughing to herself when the door thudded shut. She then traipsed back toward her desk, settling back in her chair, and lighting another cigarette.
"Special indeed," she muttered, pulling a pristine folder labeled "Tera- #17" out from underneath a neat stack of papers and tucking it away in the bottom drawer of her desk. With one fluid motion, she turned the lock on the drawer, sealing all evidence of her involvement away from the world. "And hopefully that's just enough to pull you through this time."
I STARTED WRITING THIS THREE YEARS AGO, AND ONLY NOW, WHEN I'VE BEEN LOCKED INSIDE FOR TWO WEEKS, DID I REDISCOVER IT ON MY OLD GOOGLE DRIVE. I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT ABOUT IT.
I LOVE THIS GAME AND ALL ITS MESSY MESSINESS.
I'M VERY EXCITED, IF YOU CAN'T TELL.
HOPE Y'ALL CAN HITCH ALONG FOR THE RIDE. IT'S GONNA BE A GOOD ONE :)