My footsteps echoed down the corridor once again as I followed the sound of Koshka's bell-tail to where the training gym was supposedly located. The doors opened easily enough, but what lay beyond them was another room before the training grounds.
Celeste: Hey, why isn't anyone here? Walking through the halls, I didn't see a single person...
Come to think of it, that is strange. Wouldn't Ardan have brought in some sort of personnel to oversee the army? Or are they all in the training gym?
Kestrel: Isn't that, like, *really* bad?
SAW: I'm sure it's all a good scare! Those metal plates'll come right down in a tad!
Lance: All we can do now is hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Time for rolling!
Taka: Well, we aren't "ultimate" fighters for nothing! There's nothing to worry about!
The Assassin pushed his way through the next set of doors, prompting the remaining recruits to follow after him.
Kestrel: Jeez, and I just got here, too... Slow down, will you?!
Still filled with uneasy dread, I did what the announcement said and entered the training gym. And I saw what was waiting for us there...
Vox: Oh. It really does look like an entrance ceremony.
Ringo: Told ya! It's totally just a formality!
Ringo was right. In a way, that just emphasized how unique all of *us* were.
?: Hey there, hello! Is everyone present? Good! Then we can begin!
I, along with the other recruits, stared at the stage near the wall in the very back of the room, unsure of what to expect. I was hoping it would be my father, but expecting... that was a completely different story.
But instead of my father, what I got was...
A monochromatic ram which leapt out from under the stage and landed directly on the podium.
Joule: Huh? A... a stuffed animal?
?: I'm not a stuffed animal! I... am... Corpus! And I am this army's top marshal!
It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. Right before my eyes, it was... What I was seeing was... It was... completely inconcievable.
Corpus: Nice to meet you all!
Such a bright voice and carefree attitude was completely out of place, especially when paired with the dark, scary expression on the ram's face. All the anxiety from before quickly became complete fear.
Blackfeather: Wh-? What?! That stuffed animal can talk!
SAW: Pipe down, mate! I'm sure there's just a speaker inside it!
Corpus: I told you already, I'm no stuffed animal... I'm Corpus! And I'm your top marshal!
Blackfeather: What?! It moved!
Ringo: Relax, man, it's probably just remote controlled. Some sort of toy robot.
Corpus: How dare you compare me to a simple toy! My system of control is so complex, not even the Ultimate Mechanic would be able to understand it!
Joule: Huh?! Not even me?!
Corpus: Ah, but maybe I shouldn't have said that. It carries certain... "ram"ifications!
Lyra: "Ram"ifications? Really? That wasn't funny...
Corpus: Now then, moving on! We really must get started already...
Kestrel: Giving up already? No other stupid ram puns?
Corpus: Quiet down now, quiet down. Alrighty then...!
Lance: There goes the gag.
Corpus: Everyone, stand at attention and salute! And... good morning!
SAW: Morning marshal!
Ringo: You don't have to respond...
Corpus: Well then, let us begin with a memorable induction! First, let's talk a bit about what your lives here will be like. Now, make no mistake- you few recruits, so full of talent, represent the hope of the world. And to protect such amazing hope... you will all live a communal life together within the confines of this castle!
Huh? Within the confines of this castle? Then, was Ardan's plan...
Corpus: Everyone will live in peace together and submit to the rules and regulations of the Fold! As for the deadline for this lifestyle... well, there is none! In other words, you will all live here until the day you die! Such is the new life you've been given!
Ringo: Wh-What did he just say? Until the day we d-die...?
Corpus: Oh, but don't you worry. We have quite the amazing budget, so you won't lack for all the necessary sustenances!
Adagio: You fool! That budget is mine!
Celeste: That's the least of our worries right now!
Kestrel: Yeah, what the hell? He's saying I have to live here forever? He's screwing with us, right?
Corpus: I am not screwing with you! I would never lie! Of that, you can be 100% sure! And, just so you know, you're completely cut off from the outside world. There's no need to worry about the dangerous world beyond these walls ever again!
So that *is* what he's up to. Forget taking on the Storm Queen, let's just cower in the mighty fortress.
SAW: So then, those metal plates all over the school...
Vox: They're there to keep us trapped in here.
Corpus: Exactly! No matter how much you may yell and scream for help... it will not come. With all of that in mind, feel free to live your lives here with no worries at all!
Ringo: Come on, what the hell is this? I don't care if the army or whoever else is behind this all, it's just a really bad joke.
Adagio: Yes, do cut this out. It was never funny to begin with.
Corpus: You keep assuming this is a lie or a joke! Such skeptics! But I guess you can't help it. You've all had to doubt those around you in order to survive. Well, most of you anyway. Regardless, you'll have plenty of time to find out whether what I said is true.
Lyra: Having to live here forever would be... a very large issue.
Corpus: Huh? Is something wrong? You all decided to come to the Fold by yourselves, right? And now, in the middle of the induction, you've already decided you want out? Oh, but you know... There *is* one way for you to leave the Fold.
Ringo: R-Really...?
Corpus: As the top marshal, I've created a special rule for anyone who'd like to leave! I call it... the graduation rule! Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule.
I see. So this is just a test.
Corpus: As I mentioned, in order to live peacefully here, we rely on everyone's cooperation. If someone were to disrupt that peace, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the Fold. That, my recruits, is the graduation rule!
Adagio: What do you mean by "disrupt the harmony"?
Corpus: Kahahaha... Well, you know... Say one of you were to murder another.
Vox: M-Murder?!
Corpus: Shanking, choking, smashing, bashing, boiling, burning, beating, how it's done doesn't matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all, okay?
A chill shot down my spine.
Is-Is this really my father's will? No! There's no way it could be! Something's wrong here! Something's REALLY wrong here!
"You must kill someone if you want to leave." As soon as I heard those words, my blood went cold.
Corpus: Kahaha. I bet *that* got your brains up and at 'em! Like I said, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know... Taking that hope and seeing it fade away creates a darkened shadow of despair. And I find that incredibly exciting!
Ringo: What the hell are you talking about?! To kill each other is... It's...!
Corpus: To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure there's a pen somewhere around here if you need me to spell it out for you.
Skye: We know what it means, that's not the problem! Why do we have to kill each other?!
Blackfeather: Yeah! A thief does not slay! Let us return home at once!
Corpus: You guys just don't get it, do you? "Let us go, let us go!" You keep using the same lines over and over...! Listen, from now on the Fold is your home, your life, your world. Got it? So you can kill as much as you wanna kill! Go ahead, go on a killing spree!
Adagio: Alright, come on. You've had your fun, now quit it.
Corpus: Hm?
Adagio: You've had your fun. Now if you don't release me at once, I'll become quite angry.
Corpus: Huh?
Adagio: Okay, I've had enough!
Stretching his wings out wide, Adagio placed himself in front of Corpus, his voice rumbling like thunder.
Adagio: Listen up, nitwit! You've gone way too far! I hope my assets were not wasted on all these useless props!
Corpus: Useless? You mean like your tail?
Adagio: Grrrrrrr-!
Adagio roared out and there was a sudden *BOOM!* It was the sound of his wings as he flapped and launched himself into the air. He spun around, fast and true as a bullet. He'd made up his mind. Runes started appearing on the training gym floor as the semi-Selketh continued his ritual. Corpus only looked on in anticipation, until a beeping sound started emitting itself from its body.
Corpus: Violence against the marshal is in violation of Fold regulations! As such, you must be punished!
The beeping started to speed up, along with Vox's heartbeat.
Sarth: Look out! Get it away from you!
The semi-Selketh couldn't stop his ritual, but without a word, Lance rolled into the fray and knocked the small ram far away. And... as soon as he did... the ram exploded into thousands of mechanical pieces and a ball of fluff.
Adagio: Huh? Did it just explode?! My fortune better not have been spent on that!
There was a painful ringing in my ears, and I could smel gunpowder. Explosions might happen all the time in wars or whatever, but I hadn't ever been part of a war before... I'd never seen anything like it.
Joule: But hey, at least it means the stuffed animal was destroyed, right?
Corpus: I told you, I'm not a stuffed animal! I'm Corpus!
Ringo: Wait, there's another one?!
Adagio: My stores of treasure... And not just that... did you really just try to end my life?
Corpus: Of course! I was serious about trying to kill you. You did just violate one of the regulations, after all. You get a warning this once, but from now on... anybody who violates my rules won't get of with just a little thrashing.
Kestrel: Hey... so does this mean there's a bunch more of you just hidden somewhere?
Corpus: All over the building! Plus, don't forget about the surveillance cameras installed everywhere. Any rule breakers suffer the consequences! And I won't be so merciful next time!
Skye: That's not even punishment. That's just... wrong...
Corpus: Lastly, to commemorate your recruitment, I have a gift for you all! Ta-da! It's an Electronic Identification Card! Pretty cool, huh? This Card is vital to your life inside the Fold, so don't lose it! When it start up, it should have your name on it. Make sure you take the right one! Anyway, it's completely waterproof and incredibly force resistant! It contains all of my regulations, so be sure to read through them when you get the time! Okay, well... that's all for the entrance ceremony! See ya!
And with that, it just disappeared, leaving all of us stunned.
SAW: Well then, mates... What exactly... was that?
Ringo: How...? Why...? I don't get this at all...
We have to l-live here forever...? Or... k-kill?
Sarth: Hold on a second. We need to calm down. First, we should make a summary of what we just heard. Based on what Corpus said, we have two basic choices. First, we could all stay here, leading to a peaceful life together until the day we die. Second-
Taka: If we want to get out of here alive, we kill someone. Right?
Celeste: But... killing someone... That's...
Blackfeather: Utterly ridiculous! A thief does not slay! It would go against my honor!
Adagio: All these ridiculous things... This has to be fake!
Lyra: Right now it doesn't really matter if it's real or fake. All that matters is... whether anybody here believes all of it.
To that, nobody had a response... In silence, I looked around at the other recruits. They all stared at one another, gauging each other's thoughts. The hostile atmosphere saturated the air. And that's when it hit me... the true terror in Corpus' rules...
"You must kill someone if you want to leave."
Those words had planted vicious thoughts within each of us. None of us could trust each other, being forced to wonder whether someone was going to betray us.
And that was how my new life began... This army, which had come from my father and raised my hopes so high... It was *not* an army of hope. It was... an army of despair.
~PROLOGUE: Welcome to Despair!~
-END-
A/N- Chapter 1 will begin updates on Monday of next week. If it's already out by the time you've gotten this far, congrats! You don't need to wait! Anyway, bye until then!