Caspian watched the wide, flat, wings of the Ray-Class airship rise higher into the oppressive grey of the sky. It paused for a second before its jets burst with a sudden pulse of energy, and it began to soar away from him. He knew he had come too far to back out. Considering he'd have to face his friends, family, Lazula, if he did, he wasn't sure he wanted to.
Yet, he tugged at his sleeve as he watched the ship depart over the bay, wishing he was still on board.
"Headmistress Skye," a man in a reflective jacket acknowledged.
The woman who had accompanied the three, wearing a black blazer over her fitted blue dress, nodded back. Her honey blonde hair was tied back, a single sweeping bang at one side of her face. She looked to the man with sapphire eyes that matched Caspian's. "Thanks for getting us to the ground safely," she recognized. The look on her face shifted as she turned to the three teenagers to her side. "We're a bit late, and I have preparations to work out with your father. But... you know what happened last night. I remember a world with Grimm. Things are going to get unpredictable. They're going to get dangerous. I need to know you three understand."
"We'll be fine, mom," Lazula assured.
"I think we'll be alright," Caspian mustered.
Snow nodded once. "I understand."
"Good," Mrs. Skye responded. "I'm sure you three will do great today. Be safe, and keep an eye on Snow. I love you!"
"'Keep an eye' on Snow?" Caspian repeated once the three had travelled a safe distance into the shadow of Sentinel Stadium. "She's seventeen, and entirely capable of keeping an eye on herself."
"You two will be fine without me, then?" Lazula asked.
"Uh— without you?" Caspian stumbled, gaze flicking to the torrent of a crowd swirling and coursing around them.
"We're late, and I need to get ready. I don't have time to meet with everyone else." Without another word, Lazula began to carve her way through the crowd and toward the locker rooms.
By the time Caspian made it to the Student Fitness Center, the gym just North of the Stadium, the three he had planned to meet were already outside in their combat gear. A brown hand pushed up a pair of glasses, and a boy slouched over his laptop looked up to meet Caspian's eyes. He wore a fitted tee, accents of magenta swirling around on a geometric black and white backdrop until they met at the symbol on his chest: a computer's power symbol stretched at the bottom to resemble a strawberry. A simple pair of black pants completed the look. His hair rose about a quarter inch off the top of his head. Short, curly, and bright pink.
A second boy leaned against a pillar nearby; a huge, one-sided broadsword propped up next to him. His crimson hair was slicked back from his forehead, then fell over itself to one side. He was tall and lanky, dressed in a red, sleeveless hoodie, a white stripe and a black one making a "V" at chest level. Two armored plates were strapped haphazardly over his black, capri-length joggers, with a matching pair of shin guards. A scruff of hair traced its way along his jaw and onto his chin, and his eyes held a permanently relaxed, almost lazy look to them.
The last of the three, a notably short young woman with snow white hair pulled into a feathered ponytail, stood in the middle. She wore an old-fashioned looking combat skirt, mostly white apart from the fringe, laces across her stomach, and numerous bows; which all shared the warm, chocolate brown of her large eyes and knee-high, worn-looking boots. The alabaster skin of her round face was impeccably clear, a slight blush rising in her cheeks.
Caspian fixed his hair and evened his collar as he approached.
"Hey, Cas is finally here!" The boy in red welcomed, peeling himself from the wall to give him a handshake and a pat on the back.
"And Snow!" The short, feathery-haired girl added.
She reached her arms out for a hug. Snow paused for a second to examine the gesture. Then, she raised her arms to meet the faunus.
The boy in red looked to Snow, then back to Caspian. "Your sister too cool for us, or what?"
"Basically," Caspian responded with a chuckle. "Said she didn't have time to meet up with everyone first. Not even Lilly, and those two have been inseparable since they were like four."
"The exam starts in an hour and a half," the lanky boy remarked with the time projecting from his wrist. "She's just too cool for us, I guess! What I wanna know is where Laurel is. Seeing her will give me the strength to get through this test."
"Rowan, cut it out," Lilly gently objected. She turned. "And Ichigo. Have you realized your friends are here?"
"I saw them before the rest of you noticed, but we get to see them all the time," Ichigo replied. His eyes flicked back to the screen. "What you don't see all the time anymore is a deadly Grimm attack. I'm trying to get into the database for the Port Cyrreine PD. I'd bet they're hiding some juicy details from us."
"On school internet, dude?" Rowan objected.
"Not exactly. They can't find me."
"Whatever the case, I certainly hope deadly Grimm attacks don't become the norm again..." Lilly commented solemnly. She folded her hands together. "It's already both tragic and scary, but it happened only a couple of miles from here."
"I've got a bad feeling this won't be the only one..." Caspian replied. He sighed, and pointed to the entrance of the SFC. "Anyway, I'll try to make it quick. Snow, are you gonna stay with them?"
"Yes, I'll stay."
If it weren't for the storm of Sentinel applicants descending on the locker room in semi-controlled chaos, Caspian knew he would have been lost in the SFC. It was a huge, multi-floor building with lockers, a weightlifting gym, and a pool in the basement; workout equipment and a couple of small indoor courts on the ground floor. Caspian noticed stairs leading up, but they were blocked off. The directory noted four floors, each one just as big.
Caspian settled in the quietest corner of the locker room, but there were still a few others nearby. He looked at one young man, halfway in his combat uniform. Broad-shouldered and brawny, a head taller than Caspian, and nearly twice as wide. Exactly what he expected of his competition.
He sighed, and wriggled his way out of his sweater. A few minutes later, and he was adjusting the final straps on his silver greaves. He strode over to the mirror to ensure his outfit was complete. He was particularly proud of his overcoat. It was perfectly tailored to his body, dark greyish-blue with two silver rings on each sleeve, and a silver trim at its edges that curved to separate chest and torso from black shoulderpads: flexible, but sturdy. Underneath, cobalt blue steel in the shape of an anchor marked the ridges of a black chestplate. The coat came down to his mid-thigh, partly covering the tight black pants he wore.
Caspian turned halfway, then back the other way. The blue of his eyes flashed across the glass, and he met his reflection's gaze. He took a deep breath.
Lazula cut through the crowd clutching the strap of her blue and gold duffle bag. The slack jaws and star-struck stares of those who separated before her were nothing unusual. Her eyes remained fixed dead ahead. Still, their whispers. As grating as usual.
"I-Is that..."
"That's her!"
"She hasn't lost. Once."
"Did you know she has a twin brother?"
"Wait, really?"
"Stop staring, you're being too obvious!"
"That's enough of that."
Her eyes narrowed, finally lowering to look down at her bag as she pulled its zipper. She slipped a pair of headphones on, and drowned out their voices. She continued into the fitness center and into the locker rooms, plopping her bag down on the bench. Her fingers began to work at the drawstring of her joggers, but paused. She looked to the end of the row, where two girls peered around the corner, making little attempt at secrecy.
"Really?" Lazula thought. "I can't even change in peace."
She slid her headphones to her shoulders.
"Will you stop staring? I'd like to change."
Changing in and out of her combat attire was a lengthy process Lazula had grown used to. Half an hour of an average morning was spent fastening and unfastening each strap on the plates of armor guarding her thighs, every band between her spaulders and gorget, all the buckles of her fingerless gloves and elbow pads, the laces of her boots, and the two belts of coarse leather securing her sheath at her side. One was strapped across her waist, the other over her shoulder. She'd change in and out of it all every morning. Sometimes, twice or three times a day.
Apart from the grey of her armor and the brown of both boots and belts, almost everything Lazula wore was blue and gold. Her tunic fell to the top of her thigh, made of a material manufactured solely for her outfit: fabric thick enough to block the slash of a sword, yet soft, flexible, and breathable. It was double-breasted with a high collar, trim and buttons gleaming gold. Her pants were made from the same material, but a shade away from black. The look was completed by the waist-length cape that attached to her shoulder pads. Thin lines of gold traced down the cape to each side of her symbol; her sword running down the middle of her shield, the crossguard and top of her shield forming an eight-pointed star.
Lazula raised her wrist to the locker. A pulse of green at the small screen by the latch and a metallic clink indicated its unlocking. The light poured in, reflecting off her impenetrable heater shield, Aegis. Gold at its raised spine and its frame, a rich and glossy blue between the highlights. Three golden spokes radiated from the top center of her shield. The longest stuck straight up from the spine, with a smaller one at an angle to each side.
An excited murmur arose as Lazula pulled Aegis from her locker, and began to strap it to her arm. Lazula reached inside once again, producing her sheathed sword and the belts that fastened it to her hip. The rapidly gathering crowd broke into a wild clamor, enlivened by the glimpse at the resplendent shine of her sword, Impetus.
Her eyes narrowed at the crowd that had gathered under the exit sign. A hush falling over them, the girls began to disperse.
By the time Caspian arrived at the bridge to Sentinel's practice area, an island nestled in the most inland point of the bay, a throng of applicants had already gathered. A stage was set at the mouth of the bridge and four airships lined the water's edge to each side. Barricuda-Class, judging by their pointed, pencil-shaped bodies and thin wings. Past the stage, and past the bridge, Caspian could see a set of grandstands lining the entry. The broken remains of buildings, a thicket of trees, and a small mountain were all visible from the shore.
Next to each ship stood what appeared to be a huntsman, dust baton held at their right side. More were dispersed within the crowd, surrounding it, and at both ends of the bridge. However, each one wore the same lightly armored uniform of white, silver, black, and violet; the outfit given to each of Frontline Biomedical's Organic Androids.
Caspian huffed. "A lot of Organds today," he noted.
"I'm glad," Lilly replied. "With what happened yesterday, there's no way of knowing when the Red Claw will attack again..."
"But, you know..." Rowan began. He swept his arm in front of his body, looking forward at the mass of applicants. "School full of huntsmen in training? Of all the places to attack, I feel like this one would be kinda pointless."
"There are two instances of schools being attacked in the past," Snow stated. "One resulted in severe property damage and loss of life, both within the school and the surrounding area. I believe your parents were present for said attack. The other was almost entirely averted, but resulted in the death of the school's Headmaster."
"How reassuring. Thank you, Snow!" Ichigo chimed in.
"There was, of course, the complete destruction of Atlas Academy along with the kingdom several months later."
"By the way, where is Lazula? Still too cool for us?" Rowan guessed.
"Her just being here would cause a commotion," Caspian replied. "She's probably off by herself somewhere. Whatever the airships are for, I'm surprised she's not on her own private one."
"Would it be blue and gold, too?" Ichigo joked.
Caspian chuckled. "Probably."
"Well, that's one thing about not being the 'Indomitable Girl.' You don't get hassled everywhere you go!" Rowan added. "You're free to blend in with the crowd!"
Caspian grit his teeth. "Yeah, I guess that's true!"
His friends laughed. Caspian guessed his facade had worked.
A growing rumble of excitement pulled Caspian's attention to the stage, where a man strode up to the microphone. Despite only approaching middle-age, he supported his marked limp with a cane, and his stone grey blazer matched his hair; parted neatly at one side, sweeping across his forehead and back toward his ear. His green eyes —behind a pair of glasses— had once shown with verdant passion, but dulled with age. Caspian and Lazula's mother accompanied him to the stage.
Headmaster Skye, of Sentinel Academy. Dad.
"All this time, and I'm still not certain how to begin my speeches," the Headmaster began. A murmur of laughter rose from the crowd, and the Headmaster let out a deep breath. "You've all gathered here today, leaving homes and families in search of something even greater. You believed you were coming to a school that would both prepare you for your future, and train you to protect the people of Remnant, should they ever need protecting. Maybe in five years, ten years. Or maybe you would go onto the Professional League, using your skills for entertainment and sport. But just last night, the world changed. At times, our future may seem uncertain. At times, it is. But it is my promise as Headmaster that I will do everything in my power to keep the people safe. Not just those of Port Cyrreine, not just those of Vale. The people of the world. I trust you all to fight alongside me."
Rowan joined the crowd in its cheer. The rest settled for applause.
"But, there is one final obstacle standing between you and Sentinel Academy," the Headmistress spoke up. "These past several months of rigorous tests, both physical and mental, come to a head today, with our Final Entrance Examination."
"Before the exam, you will be randomly selected to board one of our eight airships. Each airship has a different trajectory, and your drop order will be randomized," the Headmaster explained. A screen flashed behind him, displaying the outline of a person being encased in what appeared to be a bubble.
"You will be dropped in a Holosphere. The sphere falls slowly, and mitigates most impact, minimizing the risk of injury upon landing. However, once on the ground, your well-being is not guaranteed," he continued. "You will face animatronic Grimm of all types. These Grimm will be ranked on a points system. Naturally, larger, more dangerous Grimm are worth more points. I must stress, these animatronic Grimm will be your only enemy within the arena. If you purposefully turn your weapon against another applicant, you will be immediately disqualified. Furthermore, while schools of the past may have been more... lax, student safety is our top priority. If at any time your aura level falls to zero, the animatronics will cease to attack you and your score will be frozen, rendering your test over."
"You will partner up with the first person you lock eyes with upon landing," the Headmistress took over. "If some reason, such as biases or another compelling personal reason, prevent you from working together, you may find a new partner." She started, as if remembering something suddenly. "Before the test, you will also be provided a school-issued Holoband. If you already own one, you may use your own for the rest of your time at Sentinel. If not, consider the one you are provided today yours. Don't lose it!"
"You will partner up with the first person you lock eyes with." The words echoed in Caspian's mind. Assuming he passed, the thought that finding someone, anyone, by pure chance today would have an indisputable effect on the next four years of his life made his heart race.
Headmaster Skye spoke up again. "Within the time limit, earn two-hundred points alone, or three-hundred and fifty as a pair, and you will pass. For those of you who do, this will double as initiation, and you will be assigned a team today. For those who do not, your transcripts and paperwork will be transferred to all other huntsman academies. However, you will not be admitted to Sentinel."
"We wish you all the best of luck," Headmistress Skye said. "Those of you without Holobands, please come to the front in an orderly fashion. Those of you who already own them, do note they will be disabled while within testing grounds, apart from contact with your partner, and viewing of applicant rankings."
Caspian felt a pulse of vibration from his Holoband. He looked down, a quizzical expression flashing across his face as the number three projected in bold.
"You have now been assigned airships," Headmaster Skye explained. He held an arm out. "Ships one through four are to my right, five through eight are on my left. Please, make your way to the ship with number matching the one on your scroll."
"Three, anyone?" Caspian asked, looking around to his friends.
"I have been assigned ship six," Snow declared.
"Nope, ship two. Sorry," Rowan responded.
"Ship two?" Ichigo repeated, holding up his arm. The number two projected from it.
"Yeah! Ship two!" Rowan exclaimed, enthusiastically initiating a high-five.
Lilly sighed. "It looks like I've been assigned ship seven. Maybe Laurel or Lazula will be on yours?" Lilly offered.
"Maybe..." Caspian managed. He sighed, an attempt at stifling the pang of unease in his gut. He cracked a knuckle and bit his lip, eyes flicking to the rapidly dispersing crowd. Rowan, Ichigo, Lilly, and Snow began to join them. His thoughts shifted to Laurel. The two had known each other forever, and of course shared the same group of friends. Yet out of all of them, she was, for whatever reason, the one person he had talked to least. And, well... she was a little intimidating too, Caspian thought. Then, Lazula.
He would feel the need to apologize to her if he ended up as her partner.
Caspian began to make his way to airship three, thoughts still meandering well after he settled into the line for the airship. He verified his identity with the android at the entrance and filed into the windowless cabin, then shuffled past a handful of applicants to take a seat at the far wall. He could feel his heartbeat now, and his breath came uneasily whenever he gave half a thought to where he was, and what he was about to do.
He closed his eyes, taking in for a second the anxious rumble of the cabin. Not many onboard spoke, Caspian noticed. They did as he did; focusing their thoughts, and staring down the competition. As Caspian's eyes began to wander, they settled on a pair of hands wearing what looked like weightlifting gloves, with a colored stud at each knuckle. Its owner, a brunette with a messy chin-length bob of hair, was dressed in a tan tank top, baggy brown cargo pants tucked into hiking boots, and a brown scarf. Judging by the knitting, Caspian guessed it to have been made by a hobbyist, rather than a professional or a machine.
A bushy squirrel tail twitched once, marking the faunus's victory in securing the school-issued Holoband to her wrist. Her tail twitched again as she projected a screen from the device, and gingerly extended a hand to pass her fingers through the hologram. She looked up to meet Caspian's eyes, and flashed a smile.
"Hey! Good luck!"
"Uh- Th-Thanks, y-you too!" Caspian stammered. He didn't know where the light dancing in her eyes came from, considering how thoroughly dull the cabin was. It was a kind of goofy smile, even and shapely despite holding enough energy to drive Caspian's heart back into his throat.
The ship's engines burst to life, and their vigorous rumble reminded Caspian where he was and drowned out the few voices in the cabin. Right as he felt the ship begin to take off a voice spoke through the loudspeaker, accompanied by a pulse of vibration from his Holoband.
"You have all just been issued your drop order number," the voice announced. "Please form a single-file line, with those first in the drop order at the back of the cabin. Thank you."
Caspian let out a shaky breath in an attempt to calm himself. The cabin before him began to shift, all prospective students coalescing into a single, disorganized mass. A swarm of numbers filled the air. Caspian listened, eventually finding his place among the line. A few minutes later, another announcement. The one Caspian had been dreading most.
"Holosphere drops will now begin. If you are not already in your designated order, please find your place in line immediately."
Beams of light flooded the cabin as the doors at the back opened. An assistant next to the door placed his hand on the first girl's shoulder. They exchanged a few words, and she disappeared from the ship.
The line shuffled forward.
One by one, the people in front of Caspian dropped. Some jumped on their own, others practically had to be thrown out. Each time, the line inched forward, and Caspian's heart beat harder. Then, Caspian was at the front. Wind ripped through his coattails and his legs began to wobble beneath him as he looked down. The ship was above the middle of Sentinel's training island, but he could see most of the city from their height. The forest was at one side, city at the other, Caspian analyzed. Depending on the wind, he could end up in eith—
Caspian felt a hand between his shoulder blades, and it pushed him forward.