The serenity of this moment. No pain, yet no pleasure. Nothingness, but I feel yearning for something. Everything hurts. I don't want to be here, yet my mind and heart can't decide. My mind wishes to leave to be free finally. My heart cries to hold on to... stay. It's so cold and dark, I refuse, or should I accept?
My mind's eye slowly builds the scene it remembers last. I see a nice field of grass and rubble, a mirage it has to be. I feel my back against the bark of a tree. I open my eyes to view the scene in reality, only to be sitting on a train.
"Oh, you're awake now. Awesome!" A girl sits across from me. I can't make out much else.
"What, where am I?" Getting a grasp on the train, her side is clean and sleek, besides the seat being covered in blood. Mine is rusted, damaged with nature trying to reclaim it.
"Well that should be obvious you're on a train." She laughs at my confusion. She gets up and begins to leave the train car.
"I see that, I'm asking how? I was sure I was in a field earlier." When I speak she simply nods her head, then turns to face me.
"Yeah, I guess that's the confusing bit, isn't it?" Her smile is quite somber.
"Well yeah, no shit I wanna know why." She seems a little taken aback by my response at first before laughing.
"Wow, you have quite the vulgar mouth. To think you're the best choice." She snaps her fingers. "Well I guess that proves how horribly wrong this situation has become." She leaves the cabin to the next. How does my vulgar mouth have to do with me being a choice? What situation?
I go to follow. I've got questions after all and I bet she's got answers. However, a pain in my chest burns greatly. I grasp it tightly, I feel no heartbeat from myself. I do feel my old cross, I take it off and throw it to the side. The pain subsides the second I do.
'Don't follow her' A unbelievably quiet voice whispered in my mind. I couldn't tell if the voice was a man or a woman.
I proceed forward despite the clear instructions from whatever that voice was. I open the cabin door to chase after her.
"Who would have thought it would end up like this huh?" I see her and hear her mutter to herself. "That this kind of option would be needed."
I try to speak but my vocal cords burn. The pain in my chest comes back pathetically weak compared to before. 'I told you fool not to follow her.' The voice in my mind speaks louder, more commanding. After I shake it off I loom to where the young girl was only to see her gone. I move to the next cabin.
"I reject the seven koans and yearn to silence Jericho. Please if you would repeat those words back to me." She is standing not too far away from me now. I'm unsure what to do next, I feel like if I say that back I'll be trapped. Unable to finally stop.
Right as I'm about to speak I feel a different sensation in my chest, a soft caress almost.
'Come young man rest, you've endured enough. Let the mind wonder.' That sounds so nice. I feel my hand gently grabbed bringing me back to the cabin. I'm looking right into the young girl's eyes, our faces practically touching.
"Please say it." Her voice sounds begging almost.
'Don't.' The voice in my mind says softly.
"I reject the seven koans and yearn to silence Jericho." For the briefest moment I feel a heartbeat in my chest. Like at this moment, my heart won out over the mind and could breathe once more. However my body suddenly feels heavy. I fall forward only for the young lady to catch me, she gently puts me on a seat. Removing my damaged glasses from my face.
"You may see all of this as a shackle. You may even want to try and be free of it. All I ask is that you give it a chance. Maybe you'll start to find the place to your liking. Maybe you'll call it home." She gently strokes my hair as my eyelids finally fall over my eyes.
My eyes open, bright light floods them, damn it fucking hurts. Christ turn off the fucking flood lights damn. My eyes adjusted but still, who's bright idea was it to wake me like this. My body hurts like I've been stiff for a good bit. I get up and shake a little along with tapping my feet. Eventually I notice my ears are buzzing like I'm deaf. Thankfully the buzzing slowly stops, and I can hear my feet tapping the ground.
"If you're quite done now Sensei." I hear a slightly irritated voice and turn to face it. It's a young lady with black rimmed glasses, white dress attire, pointy ears and a halo?
"Umm can I help you?" I ask grimacing at her. I just woke up and I'm not fully accumulated yet. Damn what happened to me? I feel unbelievably heavy for some reason. Thankfully the feeling eventually fades.
"Quite I-
"I think you misunderstood the way I said that. I said it with a voice that says I don't give a solitary fuck." I say glaring at her. You can't expect someone to recover instantly after, well whatever I just got out of. I press my hand against my chest and freeze. I don't feel a heartbeat, that can't be right. Maybe my sense of feeling is still off.
"I recommend you give one then, preferably now." Her growl actually has me slightly scared. Damn she has sharp eyes and a mean glare.
"I will if you actually let me acclimate here." I stretch a bit more than fully bend my arms and knees. "There it didn't take so long." I say with a bit of venom. I try to feel for my heartbeat again, I feel it only for a moment. That took far longer than it should've.
"What was she thinking?" Is what she mumbles before reaching into her coat and holding a phone towards me. "Here apparently this is yours." I took the phone from her. "Also my name is Rin Nanagami" she states.
I nod my head towards her then check out my phone, it's battered and worn. The case that is protecting it is ripped up as well. The screens cracked pretty bad too. I press the power button and it comes on. The lock screen is a desert background with a misbegotten city within it. Huh pretty depressing for a lock screen. I watched her begin to leave and I got a funny feeling I should follow.
"Your phone is quite strange. It's similar to cell phones used by many residents. However, its make and functions are quite mysterious even the developer is a mystery. I'm hoping you can shed some light on that later." She states as we walk through the halls all the way to the elevator. She hits the 20th floor button, and we begin our descent.
As we descend, I turn the phone on. A passcode is needed to access it, along with a thumbprint. I entered the numbers first, 11:18. I let my thumb rest on the screen, and it begins booting up. A single symbol appears, a man holding a bag while pushing a boulder. A dog hops along with him until the image of both of them fade away. And words greet my eyes.
'Hello, fool.'
Yeesh talk about demeaning. The phone's words vanish from view, and I'm given a peculiar view. A destroyed classroom with a single misbegotten teacher's desk all alone. There are wheels on the bottom of the desk and its wheels are covered in vines like it's trapped. Through a hole in the wall of the classroom I can make out ruins. Destroyed buildings, broken down barricades and rusted metal machines of war based on their make. Nature is slowly reclaiming all of it. There's a solar eclipse happening as well. It's nostalgic.
Oh yeah, I better tune back into the little lady and pretend that I'm listening. So far, I've been going auto pilot and just following her around like a dog on a leash.
"That is what will be expected of you, do I make myself clear?" Oh, I'm pretty sure what she said was important.
"Crystal." Is all I can say with a neutral expression painting my face. Hopefully she doesn't know how to read body language well.
"Grand, I'm happy you decided to be more professional now." Never mind, I enjoyed having her tuned out. "Although we'll need to get clothes for you to fit the bill." She gestures at my attire. My clothes consist of very heavy tan cargo pants with tears all over. A white shirt with a stick finger holding a brain saying you dropped this. A rather torn up mangy fleece coat with as many pockets as my cargo pants. And finally, some well-worn hiking boots, I think? At least I think the boots are hiking boots, so dirty you can't tell. In fact I can't remember much of anything from my memories, it's just a haze.
"I'll procure you a suit that resembles the general student council standard uniform." Hold on a suit, I'd rather she kill me.
"No, I don't think I'll wear that." The moment those words leave my mouth she turns on me with that same fierce stare, yikes!
"I believe I'm correct in assuming that you're supposed to wear proper attire." Wait, assume?
"Ummm what?" I don't think I'm supposed to wear said attire.
"Well, I'm sure the general student council president would've told you to wear appropriate attire." Her lips are pursed a bit.
"Who?" I ask while tilting my head.
"You know, sky blue hair. Wears a uniform similar to mine. Her halo has a blue like star in it. Also a unique sense of humor." I tilt my head a bit more, who the hell is she describing?
We stare at each other in awkward silence. Almost like we're both contemplating the words just exchanged. Then almost horrifically we both sighed at the same time.
"You've never met her, have you, Sensei." She looks like she's having an aneurysm. After pinching her nose for a second, her eyes have a hint of annoyance in them.
"No, I haven't, hell I don't know what she looks like." I don't blame her for feeling a bit annoyed. I don't even know what my deal with this GSC president entails.
Soon we began to walk and talk again or rather she talked I didn't listen. I started tapping at the screen only for two apps to appear.
'Elpízo, my gift to you.'
What?
'Symforá, the burden I give you.'
I don't understand a single thing. What do these apps even do? Could you answer that at least since they're grayed out? Could everything just slow down!
'No.'
Great. Also, did it just read my thoughts? I didn't get a single response back.
Okay than. Tuning back into the world there's four young women standing in front of us then they darted off. I guess I must've missed something important. After all, they weren't wearing the same outfit as Rin here. I watch them go and then make eye contact with my original chaperone who ushers me to follow her. Hmmm you know it would be grand to follow those other girls instead. I've got a bad feeling about following them but hey it can't be that bad right?
(Three minutes later.)
Bullets are flying by, and grenades are going off. What the hell is going on?! Who would even give teenagers this kind of weaponry?! Don't they know teenagers are the most complex part of the human life cycle?! A bullet whizzed right past my head and nails Rin right in the face. It only left a massive welt though. Are these girls bulletproof or some shit?!
Rin wanted to take the helicopter, but my dumbass decided to follow the other four young ladies to wherever we're going. Now I'm ducking and weaving hoping I don't get shot. This doesn't feel like my first time in a firefight but I sure as shit don't want to die to a teenage girl!
I barely managed to dodge a couple more rounds that came flying at me. I quickly shifted my gaze to the two knuckleheads that fired at me. They both froze on the spot allowing me to find new cover. Once I hit the new cover, I find myself next to the rather tall, winged girl. She wields an older style rifle. She looks at me with concern right as a grenade landed between us.
I've never acted so fast in my life as I pick it up and huff it back. It blows up near a building causing some debris to fall on some poor girls. Talk about unlucky I wasn't even aiming for the building. I panicked and dodged more shots before spotting Rin across the way. I began making my way over to the car she's hiding behind. Panic dodging like a headless chicken before messing a dodge roll up to finish my beeline toward her.
"So, uh is this normal." I ask her while I grab another grenade that was thrown at us, sending it back to the deliverer. When I turn back to look at Rin her face is one of slight fear and confusion. Not that I blame her, things are rather chaotic right now. I look away from her and take a peak, pulling my head back right as a bullet hits the cover where we're sitting behind. "Hmm, they don't seem to like you specifically." I jokingly say to her, earning a glare in return. Gimme me a break here Rin I didn't expect to be trying to survive in my first moments of waking. As we sit a couple more bullets keep flying. Eventually I get an idea but it ain't smart. "Rin, how good is your aim?" I ask while opening the car door closest to me.
"My pistol isn't for show." Rin why did you say that like I was insinuating that you were a bad shot?
"Good, I hope you're ready for the toad advance." From my hazy memories that are clearing somewhat up, I recalled this stupid strategy.
"What advance?" You know Rin you have every right to look at me like I'm an idiot.
"Look, just get on my shoulders." Is all I say showing my back to her. I could feel her confusion, aversion and then finally begrudging acceptance. I feel her clamber onto my shoulders, huh she is really light. I thought she would be heavier.
"I'm on your back now what?" I prepared myself and examined the door. Looks pretty flimsy, practically about ready to fall right off the car.
"Hold on tight." I say while backing up and readying myself for the most monstrous sprint of my life.
"What do you mean hold on tiiiiii." Rin's question was cut off as I barreled forward. Breaking down the car door. Sprinting, weaving and blocking bullet fire. Rin eventually regained her bearings and began returning fire. The bangs of her hand cannon cause my ears to buzz like earlier again.
The wannabe thugs scrambled from my sprint forward, some diving out of the way, others quickly readjusting their positions. One poor soul I just trampled, she had no time to even react as I plowed her out of the way, I think I broke her smg under my boots. I notice the other four girls that were with us take note of my reckless advance.
Enemy bullets continue to bounce off the car door. A girl wielding a marksman's rifle aims at Rin, I move the shield blocking the shot. Rin fires back hitting her square in the face. I notice two girls with mini guns revving both, set to fire on use. I plant the makeshift shield down near a roadblock. Rin clambers off my shoulders, positioning herself behind said roadblock. Bullets keep hitting the shield, the barrage is so unrelenting I can't move forward.
Turning my head to the left to find a way out, I notice the white haired girl. Does she have a wing coming out of her head?! She finally noticed me staring at her amidst the gunfire. I nod to the heavy gunners peppering my "shield". She nods her head in understanding, pulling out a stun grenade and huffing it at them. The grenade bounces on the ground twice, landing between the two.
"Holy shi-
Was all one of them could utter before the loud bang happened. I take this chance sprinting forwards again, gunning it towards the two. I have to beat them down right now, I rather not see this "shield" break from abuse of that caliber again. Sadly the two regained their senses, lucky the girl with twin smgs gunned them down. I hit the cover next to her right as another hailstorm of bullets came towards me.
"Ugh, why fmj rounds! How did a bunch of thugs even get fmj rounds!" She sighs in annoyance. She dips back down reloading her smgs before finally noticing me next to her. We make eye contact, I simply wave at her. "Ummmmm hi?" Before I can say hi back another barrage starts from the few remaining thugs. Causing us both to hunker lower behind the cover which based on it being whittled down, will soon no longer exist. So this means another reckless charge may have to occur.
"When a break happens in their firing we charge forward, got it." I look at her, she quickly nods her head in agreement. I spotted the tall winged girl again and whistled, catching her attetion. I quickly peak around the cover I'm behind and point directly at what seems to be the head honcho of the wannabe thugs. As I do I watch said boss get domed by a sniper round immediately. "Alright now move." Is all the twin smg girl gets from me as I sprint from cover. She follows behind me with some weird glowing sphere that blocks bullets. The second we got into their main line, disorder practically erupted. Some broke from the line fleeing into alleyways to escape, others surrendered and the occasional few tried fighting back only to get crushed by the girls I was with. I even joined in bashing some wannabe thugs in the face with the car door if they approached me. However I did feel some pang of guilt for some reason while doing it. I'm sure it's nothing though.
I finally look up after the girls catch the last remaining few. And look at the massive tower we've had to fight to get too. So I guess it's time to go in.
"Sensei please wait for me!" I hear Rin shout. I turn to look at her. I guess having a bulletproof teenager with you could prove useful. Especially if there's thugs lurking inside the building.
(Inside Schale, two minutes after initial conquest.)
Man, getting to this building was a slog and heart pounding time. To think my first couple of moments upon waking up would be in a firefight.
I walk down the main flight of stairs. Rin said she's going to the main office. So, I might as well check out the downstairs office. Upon entering I see a young lady with a mask going through some drawers. Best to avoid her, in fact I think I'll just leave.
*Crunch*
I look down at my foot and notice how I stepped on some glass that was broken. Well shoot. I look up and see the young lady is staring at me. Her hand is near the trigger and her finger dangerously close to pulling it. I take action which causes her to aim and fire missing. I close the distance grabbing her rifle and pointing it at the floor and restrain her other hand. Our faces are practically touching. Well, my face and her mask. I grip her hand tight enough she eventually lets out a pained yelp along with dropping her rifle.
"Alright on the ground little lady, I really don't want to hurt you! But I will if I must defend myself." She tries to resist but I easily overpowered her. Laying her onto the floor holding her arms behind her back with one hand, then I pat her sides with my free hand. I don't feel anything so I guess she didn't loot. "Alright I'm going to let you get up, you can leave peacefully as long as you don't attack me." I let her go and back up myself. I really don't want to keep her prisoner here. After all, she radiates a dangerous aura.
She slowly gets up then she sharply turns and faces me. I put my hands up in mock surrender, I then followed her gaze tracing it to her weapon. Her gun is next to my feet. I reach down slowly and hand it to her. "An elegant gun for an elegant lady huh?" I ask in sincerity, the gun really is quite nice looking, a weapon that wouldn't belong to those wannabe thugs we fought earlier. Given her attire she doesnt seem like a thug. Perhaps she ran inside to hide from those girls.
"Oh...ummm" she says while getting slightly nervous? It's hard to tell with her body language alone. "Goodbye!" She shouts while dashing out like a fox. I swear she had ears and a tail for a second. No, that's just as absurd as those two girls with the wings. I'm just still shaking off whatever I have from waking up. After all people can't shake off bullets, people don't have halos and no city would allow teenagers to have guns or explosives.
Overall though that interaction could've gone a lot worse. Well, I might as well meet Rin at the halfway point of the building. Even if I'm curious about this weird room it's obvious there is nothing of note here. If there was that young lady that just scampered away would've had it on her. So I begin my trot through the hallway.
It's very dull, completely and utterly bland. It's all white walls, white tiles and even the roof is white. There're blue streaks here and there but overall, it's horrific. So sterile, like a damn doctor's office. I should totally bastardize this place if I'm stuck here. I feel a buzzing and stop walking. I reach into a pocket within my coat and pull out my phone. A single message appears from my mysterious companion.
'Use me to transfer control.'
Control? Control for what, talk about foreboding and not at all scary. I sigh and shove my phone back into my pocket. Only for it to vibrate again.
'Transfer control now.'
I look at the symbol that appeared. The eclipse from my phone's wallpaper, I sigh and press the icon. Anything to make my phone revert to normal. I feel my phone heat up and my side hurts the hell's going on?
'Transfer is complete, when asked simply say you found an alternative method.'
Huh?
"There you are." I look across the way and see Rin approaching me holding a tablet. It looks like a piece of junk tablet that's been outdated for eight years. She stops in her tracks and looks concerned.
" Is something wrong Rin?" She seems mortified.
"Your shirt." Really still on that I need to wear proper attire.
"What about my shir-"
I look down at my shirt and notice a bloodstain along with a bullet hole. Huh, I guess that fox masked girl did hit because of adrenaline I didn't feel a damn thing. But I don't feel weak or dizzy. In fact, I feel completely fine. Like there's no wound at all. I lift my shirt and expose my midriff only to see a scar in place of where a hole should be. How did I heal so fast?
"Huh I guess I'm fine." I say letting my shirt fall and looking back at Rin. Her expression is a mixture of concern and confusion. She shakes her head and holds the piece of junk tablet to me.
"Here, this device was left for you." I take it from her hands and look at the screen. Looking at it, the thing requires a password. "Once you activate it, you'll have to transfer control of the Sanctum Tower to the general student council."
I look at her. What was she talking about, oh god was she actually giving me critical information back at the other building. The transfer control thing my phone was talking about is probably this.
"There was a button in the downstairs office on the computer." I felt my phone vibrate in approval most likely. The vibrating wasn't anything compared to Rin's deadpan expression.
"What are you talking about?" Her face was a look of utter neutrality.
"Yeah the computer downstairs apparently had a failsafe to transfer control of the Sanctum Tower to the general student council." I shrugged at her.
She breathes deeply, turns and begins to walk away. "Well, regardless you'll still need the shittim chest." It seems like she doesn't even want to figure out if I'm lying or not.
I watch her go, it seems like she's done with me. Maybe she noticed I wasn't listening to her at all. Now I just feel like a dick, well maybe I should say something. In fact I feel compelled for some reason.
"Happy trails Rin." I shout at her which causes her to stop.
"Happy trails? I've never heard anyone say goodbye like that." She looks at me.
"Well goodbye or farewell makes it sound like we'll never meet again. But happy trails makes it open that we might. It also lets you know I hope you have a good rest of the day." Is all I can really say. She smiles just a little hell, it's more of a smirk but I'll take it. I'm kind of happy to see her smiling for some reason.
"Then happy trails to you too, Sensei."
I watch as she walks away, and I walk back to that office from earlier. I really need to check out that space the little fox lady shot me in. So, time to trot along. In all honesty Schale feels empty, cold. Like this place is supposed to be full of people. Wait what did Rin keep calling me.
"Then happy trails to you too, Sensei."
"Sensei."
"SENSEI."
Doesn't that mean teacher. When did I become a teacher, last I remembered I only saw a field. But I can't recall a damn thing before that. Or rather I get pieces and fragments, before the field and sitting against the tree on a hill.
Beforr I contemplate all of that. I stop walking and look out a window to an urban sprawl. I need to figure out where I am! I'm sure Rin told me when I was with her early, but I didn't listen at all! Why didn't I listen one bit, what is wrong with me?!
I resume my walk with a sigh, god I'm dumb. Eventually I get to the office and see the obelisk sitting in the middle of the room. How did I not notice that before? Weird, but I have more pressing matters like snooping around.
(Schale lower basement. One hour later.)
I've found nothing of note! Not a damn thing to tell me where I am and what I'm doing here! You think someone important besides Rin would have left some kind of guide but nope. There's only one book on the shelf and I doubt that it's important. Ugh to think my snooping didn't provide me with any information in the slightest. I only have one real viable option now. I look at the tablet Rin gave me. She called it the shittim chest if I remember correctly. I boot it up and see a password is needed. For some reason I know the password.
"I reject the seven koans and yearn to silence Jericho." After typing the phrase in before I can press continue, I feel my phone vibrating. The hell does it want now. I take it out and look at the screen.
'Do not agree to the chest's covenant.'
What the hell are you talking about?
'I'm your shield against mortal blows. Without me that young women would have silenced you.'
I touch my side where the bloodstain and bullet hole is, that explains a lot.
'Without me, you'll surely perish. Without me you won't make it home.'
You know a lot about me huh, about my home.
'Indeed, though it isn't my place to inform you. Know this however, under my protection and guidance you can go home.'
Yeah, well what about the chest? Surely, I can ask it questions though right?
'You may ask it your inquiries but do not enter a covenant with it. You can only have one at any given moment after all.'
That makes sense, I guess? I can't really refute it can I.
'You cannot.'
Would it kill you not to read my thoughts?
'No.'
Then stop!
'No.'
I can only growl. Alright fine asking questions is okay, just don't enter a covenant with it. How will I know that it's trying to make a covenant?
'It will require a touch of creation.'
Mind elaborating? Hello?
Bastard. Well, if you're going to be my covenant, what's your name? I know this is my phone from my memories at least I think it is, but I don't remember you.
'You may call me Pandora.'
Alright, got the name, what about me not remembering you going to answer that?
'No'
Alright well thanks Pandora I'll be careful, I guess. The phone doesn't respond to me going silent instead. I look at the shimmering giant S symbol and tap it causing the scenery to completely change. Suddenly I find myself in a room with desks everywhere. And a couple outside all stacked on each other.
How did I even get inside this little classroom by the sea? It's kind of nice I guess, looking around I notice a small blue haired girl sleeping at a desk. I walk over and examine her features. She can't be older than thirteen and she sure does drool a lot. There's a puddle forming on the desk. She's wearing a blue shirt that exposes her stomach and a white skirt with sneakers.
Is it bad she seems more put together than me. I sigh and poke her cheek lightly.
"Mm, sensei stop." She mumbles as I poke her cheek. You know she's kind of adorable, like a little teddy bear. I continue poking her cheek.
"Nooooo." She lazily tries to fend my hand off with no success. Eventually the young tween gives in and opens her eyes. Slowly yet steadily she comes to.
"Aaaaah." She screams and falls flat on her back. I can only look puzzled at her, she seemed terrified. I watch her slowly get up while hiding behind a chair. "Uuum, who are you?" You know her question is fair. I just appeared in this room and woke her up.
"Umm I'm sensei apparently." I say, she seems skeptical of me. To be fair I also am not so sure about it.
"Hmmm." She gives me the most childish discerning eye I've ever seen. Like she's trying to decipher me. "You're not sensei, you're more like...ummmm."
"A substitute." I add, she seems so confused. Poor thing.
"Yeah that!" She says with a confident look on her face while pointing at me.
"Well sadly I'm the best you got it seems." I sigh while shrugging.
"Oh, what happened to sensei then?" Such concern, poor girl is worrying for them huh.
"Don't know myself." Though that would explain why this feels kind of, well wrong.
"I see." She sulks down in sadness a little. Her halo turned dark blue with water drips.
"Hey now, I may not be the person you were waiting for, but at least you're not alone right.I'll stay until they show up." I put my hand on her shoulder and smirk a little. She looks at me with the sadness in her eyes turning to a slight happiness. Really, I want to leave but she doesn't need to know that.
"You mean that?" The hope in her voice is astonishing. But I'm glad it's there, no child should feel that kind of sadness.
"I promise that." My smirk turned into a reassuring smile for her. She slowly almost cautiously points her finger towards me. Then she leaves her finger to hover. "What are you doing?"
"You need to be authorized to use the chest." Her voice is quiet. I look at her finger, is this the covenant Pandora spoke of. I can't accept it because I need Pandora's protection and his knowledge. Also, it would feel more wrong than me being here.
"How about you save that for your actual user. Wouldn't want them to be unable to use the chest right?" She looks a little dejected but understands the point I'm making. "Hey, don't look so down, after all you got company." She nods her head and smiles a little. Even her halo has turned green, neat.
I stretch a little and look around the classroom we're in. This place feels more at ease than the one on my phone. Not as doom and gloomy but still lonely. Must've been tough being here by herself. Sometimes serenity can lead to loneliness.
"Welp since that's all squared away, I've got a lot of questions and the first is what's your name little tween." I look at her with a slight smirk upon seeing her pouting.
"My names Arona and don't call me a tween it sounds like an insult!" She's something when angry.
"Well, a tween is a child transitioning to teenage years. You can't be any older than thirteen, right?" Now I'm curious. Is she actually younger than thirteen?
"I'll have you know I'm a super advanced high performance ai, I don't age like people!" She says with a bit of pride that borders on smugness.
"Okay then when were you first created?" I ask since A.I. are created and well not birthed, at least I think.
"That's not important!" She declares. How is that not important? That seems pretty important if you ask me. Doesn't matter, I've got other questions to ask.
"So Arona, how about a nice long chat where you inform this substitute what's going on." I can only smirk upon seeing her halo become an exclamation mark.
"Ask away than substitute sensei!" And so, we began our long winded discourse of the place I'm in and how it works. To put it bluntly, it's a lot to digest.
(Three hours later.)
I snap back to sitting at the desk I was at originally. Then I feel a sudden lurch in my stomach and dash towards a trash bin. Okay moving from the chest and reality gives intense whiplash. It's comparable to an old machine of war from my world. I can't believe I just got a fragment of my memory back because of this.
"Blghgh oh god why?" I continue throwing up for about a good three minutes and feel absolutely parched. If the actual sensei is supposed to be able to do this god, they're a trooper. I know for a fact I will not be happy to go back into the chest anytime soon.
Still, I learned a lot from Arona. This place is called Kivotos and it's a federated city. It's also something called an academy city which I thought only existed in shows or comics. But low and behold I'm in the real thing. Secondly there are nine major schools but thousands of smaller ones. The big nine are just the ones that have the most power and influence. So Kivotos is kind of like the U.S.A. just a bunch of smaller nations pretending to be a bigger one. Each little nation has their own laws like a state would, but they have to follow federal laws still. The only other place that's similar in my mind is the E.U.
What bothers me though is these schools lack teachers. Apparently, everything is organized by students. Even the government which I should've pieced together myself, I guess? But that raises only one question for me.
Who was I substituting for in these schools? If there's not a single damn teacher! Am I supposed to be the only teacher! Scratch that there's no way they expect me to teach literally millions of students by myself. Yeah, that would be crazy if I was expected to do that. Apparently though the original sensei of Schale was expected to assist any students that needed their assistance. Which means since that's who I'm filling in for right now I guess I better start studying again. After all, I know it's been a while since I've taken any courses from college or high school. So, my fragmented to basically erased memories is a real damn detriment.
Maybe Pandora can help me out. He seems to know a good bit about me to an extent. I whip out my phone and look at the blank screen with that nostalgic view. Come on Pandora don't leave me in the dark help me out here!
'No.'
I almost, almost threw my phone in heated rage. It's not like I was asking anything groundbreaking Pandora! Just asking for some help, maybe relearning stuff I learned back in high school!
'You must overcome this hardship with your own will.'
You piece of junk! In fact throwing you into a wall might just be the stress relief I need right about now! Before I can contemplate that thought further the chest flicks on with Arona coming into full view.
"Substitute sensei someone's at Schale's main door." I look at Arona,her hands are forming a square with a video playing from a camera. Isn't that the submachine gun girl who helped retake Schale? "Um are you just going to stare at the feed or go down and see her?" Arona's right I can't leave her out there. I guess my retribution will have to wait, count yourself lucky Pandora.
A/N Welp this is my first story. Hopefully the prologue was enjoyable. If so I'm happy, if not any tips for me improving would be helpful.