[Normal P.O.V]
She stared at her reflection in the water, and sighed. The blonde tied her hair into a bun before placing her cap on her head. It's been thirty minutes since the start of the program and the soon-to-be agents have already gathered outside in the garden, along with the rest of Drakos.
Drakos' garden is not a joke. Bonsai trees were lined across the large field in their wooden boxes. In the centre there was a pond as large as a small lake with flowering lily pads and an iron curved bridge that crossed the middle. The grass has been mown so short the ground shows through.
But even though it looks like a peaceful and charming garden, it wouldn't be the same without some Drakos flare thrown at it.
Underneath the pond, are electric eels and baby tiger sharks that swam in tranquility under the peaceful water. Stone statues of vicious dragons were strategically placed along the garden like watchtowers. Each statue had its own unique style, and placement. It's also said that the statues are secretly turrets to whenever the base is under attack. But it's never been proven to be true.
What's been proven true though is the myth that the pond in the centre of the garden lits up at midnight. The agents themselves witnessed the pond erupt into purple flames like a ring of fire. It was a beautiful sight, even more beautiful than a fireworks show in the Fourth of July. What's strange is that the flames were harmless. The eels and sharks continue to swim around the pond, even poking their heads above the water, without harming themselves.
The recruit's graduation is the most important event of the day. Probably even the year. So most of Drakos' agents were invited to attend, except for some who volunteered to guard the building or had other things to do. Even Shatter himself is there, who will be hosting the event. Roughly less than four-thousand people has gathered in the garden to watch their future fellow agents graduate.
They already set up a podium near the pond, to which Shatter will give a speech. The twelve finally lined themselves up next to Shatter, Astrid joining the rest. Their superiors sat down near the front row, Night Fury, who was oddly in his battle armor, sat in the middle. Shatter walked up towards the podium, wearing his best suit filled with his usual chains, jangling along in a rythm as he walked. He picked up the mic that was prepared for him and threw it carelessly on the ground.
"Welcome to the 143th graduation of Drakos!" Shatter announced in his thunderous voice.
The agents clapped with glee. It always was a joy to see their fellow agents graduating. Then, they took their seats at the provided benches.
Astrid spotted Camilla and Thrane sitting at the third row with wide smiles. They lifted their thumbs up, and mouthed 'good luck'. She allowed a smile to creep up her lips, proud to have supportive friends.
"As you can see, this year, we have a total of twelve graduating agents." Shatter continued.
A series of 'ooohh's erupted from the agents. They haven't had a large number of graduates since the 1980s.
"Even I was surprised! I thought Night Fury would've eaten them alive." He joked.
Everyone laughed, including the graduates. Night Fury scoffed but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest, and snorted.
"Aww, don't feel bad Night Fury. You'll get your chance next year." Atali teased. Another of wave of laughter filled the garden.
"Sure, after I beat your ass." Night Fury quipped.
Another set of 'ooohh's came from the agents. Atali turned bright red and sat back down with a huff.
"I'd like to see you try." She grumbled, but quickly regretted it as soon as it left her mouth.
Unfortunately, Night Fury heard her, "Is that a challenge I hear?"
"Shut up!"
Laughter, once again, filled the garden. The graduates were shocked to see Night Fury joking around with their other superiors. They thought it was physically impossible for him to have a sense of humor, other than his sarcastic and witty attitude. Astrid herself was laughing at Night Fury's antics.
Then, she spotted Heather at the corner of her eye, who had a crestfallen expression on her face. Astrid wondered why. But before she could think of an explanation, Shatter interjected.
"Alright, alright. Enough. We're here for the Terraheims, don't forget. Night Fury could beat Atali's ass later..." This caused a round of snickers, and Atali glaring at them. "Now, where was I? Ahh, yes. Today, is the day where a new batch of agents join us, Drakos. The Drakos has been here since the late 1900s. We have fought, and defended the world for decades, from performing secret assassinations during the Cold War, to preventing large scale bombings that could've annihilate populated cities. We have lost lives along the way. Brothers and sisters who sacrificed their very lives to our cause."
"And I know, that our cause includes killing, murdering, and other illegal activity. I said that during your briefing when you were recruits yourselves. I'm sure some of you regrets your actions. But it's too late now. I apologize if you stained your hands with blood. But, never was the blood innocent. The blood on your hands prevented innocent lives from being taken, and avenged the lives of the fallen. No matter what you have done, you have saved countless lives. And I thank you for that."
The crowd erupted into applause, some even whistling. After the cheering died, Shatter turned to them, "Now, you. Are you ready to do that? To dirty your hands with the blood of the enemy? Because once you decide, there's no going back. If you want to back out now, now's your chance. We will not judge you, but we will respect your choice and commend your bravery. Speak now!"
After a few seconds passed, Astrid thought no one would step up. But her eyes widened once she saw Finn step forward, shocking the rest of the graduates. He straightened his coat and stood up straight.
"My name is Finn Ingerman. And my request is not to back out, but allow myself to not dirty my hands." He announced with, surprisingly, a confident voice.
Shatter arched an eyebrow, "You wish to become part of Drakos without staining your hands. I'm sorry to say that is impossible."
"I know that I will soon stain my hands. But I wish to delay the inevitable. I wish to design weapons or use my intellect for strategical purposes." Finn then looked directly at Shatter. "I know that I can't avoid the inevitable. But, to put it simply, I don't want to fight."
Shatter rubbed the bottom of his chin with his hand. Nobody has ever had a request like that. He then felt a warn smile grace his lips.
'I like this year's batch'
Shatter turned his body towards Finn. He placed his right hand on his chest, where his heart is, and gave a low bow. A low gasp emitted from the agents, shocked to see their boss bow down to someone else. It was a rare sight, but the Helheim ranked agents weren't shocked about it. Shatter did the same to them after they were granted the rank of Helheim.
Raising his head, he said, "I respect your choice and your bravery. Of all my years of being the head of Drakos, I have never heard anything like that. I will make sure your request will be approved. Thank you for stepping up."
Finn let out a sigh that he's been holding, and smiled. He then thanked Shatter and stepped back, joining the other graduates.
"To the others, do you have any other concern?"
The rest shook their head.
"And if there's none, I will go on. Do you pledge yourselves to the Drakos, where you will use your skills and talents for the greater good?"
"Yes, sir!" The graduates yelled out with conviction. Excitement began fill their insides.
"Are you willing to lay down your lives for Drakos?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Are you ready?!"
"YES, SIR!"
"Bring out the pins and insignias!" Shatter ordered. Two agents came out, holding a metal plate. The first had pins molded into the Drakos' symbol, a giant dragon called the Bewilderbeast, the king of the dragons.
The other agent had another set of pins but some were different. One had a symbol of the sun. Another had the symbol of the moon. Most of them had the symbol of clouds.
The first agent walked over to the graduates, presenting the set of pins. Each of them got one and held it on their hand.
"That is the symbol of Drakos. You will wear it with pride. Pin it on your chest, where you will always remember that you are a part of Drakos."
The graduates followed, pinning it on their coat near their chest. Astrid tried to mask her jittery reactions that her body is forcing onto her with a firm, serious look. Pride swelled inside of her, making it hard for her to keeo a straight face.
The second agent walked over to then but stopped, and looked over to Shatter.
"As you graduate, you will be assigned with ranks. Some of you worked yourselves to the bone to earn this rank. As I was saying, Eret Eretson, Zythid Lethe, Heather DeRanged and Finn Ingerman, please step forward.
The ones who were called followed, "For your hard work, you have earned the rank of Lunaheim."
The second agent took the pins with the moon and pinned it on their caps. Dagur couldn't contain his happiness and squealed, causing Mala and Atali to wince at the high-pitched sound. Heather rolled her eyes at her brother but deep inside, she felt happy to see her brother proud of her.
"Now, Artemis and Astrid Hofferson, please step forward."
Astrid was confused but obeyed anyway. "You have been working the hardest in your batch. Your superiors themselves recommended you. And for that, you earned the rank of Solis-heim."
The agent attached the pin with the sun on their cap, then gave the remaining graduates their pins. Astrid was speechless. Not only was she graduating, but she was graduating with the third highest rank! Shatter had said that their superiors had recommended them for the rank.
Astrid glanced at Night Fury, who was still watching the program with crossed arms. His face was expressionless but he acknowledged her with a slight nod.
'Did he recommend me?'
"For the rest, you earned the rank of Luxheim. But don't worry, you can still climb the ranks. Just work hard, and you will achieve your goal. Let's give a round of applause for this year's agents!" Shatter declared, clapping his hands together. The rest of the agents soon followed. Even Night Fury gave a small clap, before returning to his usual position.
Astrid couldn't believe it. She was finally an agent of Drakos! Astrid raised her head and looked heavenward, letting the happiness and joy soak right into her bones. She closed his eyes and savored the moment. For the first time in forever her body and mind relaxed. In that moment there was nothing else that could get her down. She was in, she'd made it, she is an agent of Drakos.
She let the cold wind caress her face as if they were telling her she had won. She could hear the birds chirping soundly, the water splashing. She opened her eyes and stared at the sky, as if she was looking at Valhalla. She could feel her parents cheering for her and telling her how proud they are. Allowing a smile to crawl up her lips, she sent a silent prayer to them. This is best day ever...
But that's when it all came crashing down.
Night Fury was the first to sense it. His instincts and senses picked up an anomaly in his surroundings. The wind was too strong. Almost as if something was purposely creating that wind. The clapping and cheering died out, making the world fall silent in his ears.
Something wasn't right.
He stood up abruptly, causing Dagur and rest of the Helheim agents to look at him. But he paid them no mind. His eyes were glued to the sky, searching for the source of his suspicions. His instincts never failed him. Why would they fail him now?
"What's the matter, brother?" Dagur asked, but Night Fury shushed him with a wave of a hand.
He watched as the birds flew away from the trees. His eyes shifted to the agents cheering, oblivious of the incoming danger he was feeling. He felt the entire earth freeze, with him standing in the middle. For a split second, everything and everyone froze. Night Fury was the only one moving. His eyes wandered around his surroundings until it fell on a woman—Astrid, who was closing her eyes with a smile on her lips. But his gaze shifted to the one behind her. Then, he felt his own breath grew cold.
No. It wasn't cold.
It was hot.
Flaming hot.
In that moment, he saw it coming. His eyes widened. The hairs on his skin stood up. Sucking a breath, he let out a yell.
"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!"
But it was too late. All the cold from area melted away in a snap. The searing heat continued to burn through the entire garden like an infectious virus. Agents screamed in pain as the flames reached and burned through their skin like butter. The ground cracked open, exposing the crust underneath them. Water exploded from the pond, indicating the impact of the projectile
After the flames, came the smoke. Thick, dark pillars of smoke enveloped everything in its path. Drakos' agents wheezed and coughed as the smoke enter their lungs. The smoke was like a giant cloud of destruction. Filled with heat and dust, in burned through the garden, blinding some poor agents who were on its path.
The rest helped their fellow agents back at the building. All the graduates were safely back at the Drakos' building, but not without sustaining some first-degree burns and scratches.
Astrid dragged one of the agents she saved and pulled her by the wall, where paramedics immediately came by and aided her. She stood back up and wiped the blood on her arm. She received a scratch from one of the debris that flew by them.
They immediately closed the doors, preventing the smoke from entering the building. But the smoke was too thick that it blocked their vision outside, even with the glass windows and doors.
"What the fuck happened?" Eret yelled out.
"This was definitely an attack."
"But who?"
"The boss isn't here!"
"Where's Night Fury?!"
The last one came from Dagur, who was holding an injured Mala up. Her hair was singed, black ashes smeared across her forehead. Luckily, she was alive.
But everyone had the same question. Where is Night Fury and Shatter?
All of a sudden, they heard a large explosion, followed by the ground rumbling. Everyone nearly stumbled down at the gravity of the impact. They couldn't see through the thick smoke but it was obvious there has been another attack.
They thought that the best plan is to wait for the smoke to clear and wait for Night Fury and Shatter to come back.
Thirty minutes has already passed, and there was no sign of Night Fury nor Shatter. Even the smoke hasn't lifted, but it was a little better than before. The garden, or what was left of it, seemed more visible now. But there was still no sign of them.
Then, when they thought all hopes seemed lost, the glass doors swung open, allowing a few columns of smoke to enter but it was closed instantly.
Night Fury stomped his way through the doors, carrying a seven-foot giant in his arm and a helmet on the other. Shatter was gravely injured, with his left arm completely burned, blood smeared on his face, and a shard of rock lodged in his leg.
The paramedics immediately aided them, carefully taking Shatter away from Night Fury and placing him on a stretcher. One tried to give Night Fury some medication but he waved him off.
"Everyone, come out here!" Night Fury suddenly called out.
All the agents who were either conscious or not dead, gathered near Night Fury. Astrid and the rest pushed their way through the front to see what's going on.
Night Fury was breathing heavily and sweating, indicating that he encountered something else out there. In his hand, is a foreign helmet that they have never seen before.
"You can probably tell that this wasn't just a normal explosion caused by some malfunction. This is an attack." Night Fury carefully stated. "They used a bomber plane, a B-32 to be exact. How do I know this? Because I took it down ten minutes ago. Check outside for proof. They attacked us with a M&T bomb, that's why the smoke hasn't lifted yet."
"Who attacked us, sir?" One of the agents piped up.
Night Fury held out the helmet, and dropped it from his hand, allowing it to roll down in the centre. Then, they noticed a faded symbol on the helmet.
After seeing it, a series of gasps erupted. It was the symbol of Drakos. Well, almost. It was a Bewilderbeast, but it wasn't white. It was grey. Dark grey. With blood red eyes.
"If you don't recognize that symbol, then allow me to spell it out for you. Two words. Drago Bludvist."
The entire crowd erupted. Everyone began murmuring and yelling. Some even slammed their foot at the ground. The newly graduated agents didn't know who that was. And the current situation wasn't helping.
All of a sudden, Night Fury turned to them. They stiffened as his green emerald eyes stared at them.
"Gear up. This'll be your first mission. Welcome to Drakos."