Chapter 16：Sun

The underground metro train came to a stop; a narrow station came into view, filled with brightly lit lamps that illuminated the entire section. It was in sharp contrast to the other stations that were dim, almost dark to the level of being black. The group consisting of 35 people alighted from the train, gazing at a couple of soldiers who hurriedly walked towards them.

The two soldiers performed a casual scan of their identities and allowed them entry, signalling for the train to depart. After the train left the platform, another train came into view. Seeing its approach, the two solders nudged their group to walk faster, prompting them to leave the station through an exit.

The exit was a lift that was wide enough to accommodate 100 people at a time, looking like a huge room that transported people. The lift doors opened as two soldiers walked out, making brief communication with the two that led their group before hurrying towards another group that alighted from the train that had arrived.

Heima noticed students accompanied by their parents and a couple of teachers, the same makeup as their group. Unlike her group, the students of the new group looked relatively normal, showing no signs of fear—except for the emotions already present in them due to the Induction Ceremony. Her group stood in silence as the lift doors closed, bringing them above ground.

Leaving the lift, Heima saw a small hall, the centre of which the operating lift arrived at. Directly opposite to her, she saw a door that led into an open space, leaking bright sunlight that illuminated the hall, looking like a beacon. The Principal led them towards the door through which sunlight shone through, stepping into it to reveal a large patch of grass.

Based on a preliminary estimate, Heima observed the ground to have a length of 1 kilometre, spanning 400 metres wide. To the sides were tall buildings, joined together to form a wall that enclosed the ground from the outside. Each section of the wall-like buildings were coloured different, a huge banner hung in front of each of them, an act to point out their purposes.

"Dad, sorry," Heima muttered, increasing the strength in her grip. "It was because of me a soldier lost his life."

Hancent looked at his daughter, his eyes filled with a trace of worry, "It wasn't your fault. If anything, it was due to a lack of management from their side, allowing soldiers who had just returned from a war to travel alongside children who had just undergone their Induction Ceremony."

"B-But, the fact that he lost control, whatever that means, is because of me right? If only…if only I could control…" Her eyes red, tears streamed out as Heima fell in her father's embrace, her muffled voice intermixed with her wails reverberated through the surroundings.

"You must remember one thing," Hancent said, his expression serious. "In this world, many things occur, leading to either salvation or disaster depending on all sorts of factors. You might just laugh at a joke and reveal your aura, but that might make someone lose control. You have two options: either stay weak so that you would never trouble someone, or become strong so that you have full control over your body. Remember, always having your body and mind in your control is a necessity if you don't want to experience such encounters ever again."

His words looked serious, weaved from his rich life experiences. The eyes of the middle-aged man who listened to their conversation became vacant, his expression a nostalgia. He glanced at Hancent from the corner of his eye, shook his head, and let out a sigh, walking away from the duo.

'If only having both our body and mind under our control was so easy… the day we survived the Induction Ceremony was the day our body was no longer our own.'

The Principal led them to a building on their right, one that was painted in violet. It led to a reception hall where a lady sat in front of a computer, casually talking to another person over the phone. Upon noticing then, she hung up the phone, tapping on her keyboard as she scoured through some files.

"Students of 1st Academy, April batch." The Principal handed over a set of documents that had the information of each student and their respective parent accompanying them in order. The reception lady inspected them, tapping on the keyboard as she inputted the details to the server and returned them.

"Your accommodations are in the Rhachis block, Indigo Building except for two students, Hiltol Grey and Stenna Ravis. Their accommodation is in Psychic block, Indigo Building. I'll call an attendant to lead you to your respective rooms. Also, we made some temporary arrangements for the parents to stay in the same room as their ward. It might be a little cramped, but please bear with it."

"Thank you," The Principal said and gestured for the group to follow after an attendant who walked forward. Another attendant walked from the side and beckoned for Hiltol and Stenna to follow him. The two kids—accompanied by their parents—hesitated a little to separate from the group, finally moving out under the repeated urging by the attendant.

The Principal and the four teachers from the 1st Academy didn't follow after them, staying behind to take care of the other registration process. Once they were done, they returned to the 1st Academy. They were no longer responsible for the 15 students; it was the responsibility of the military from now onwards.

The group consisting of 13 students, their respective parents, and one attendant scaled a flight of stairs, reaching the first floor. A long bright corridor, coloured in a resplendent shade of indigo appeared before them, spanning straight from one end to the other. To the right was the wall over which numerous oil paintings hung. To the left were rooms numbered from 1 to 20. What looked like a washroom was situated at the very end.

The attendant made a roll call, assigning each student to their respective room in alphabetical order. Heima noticed her friend Gita assigned to room 6 while she got room 7. Gita, still exuding a gloomy demeanour entered her room, her hand not leaving her mother's. Heima prevented herself from disturbing her friend; neither she nor her friend had enough mental strength to engage in a casual chatter.

The room was long and narrow: a bed was placed at the very end, situated alongside a window that revealed the ground below in full view. The breadth of the room was only as wide at the length of the bed, making it look cramped. Another bed was placed next to it, looking out of place, meant for the parent. There was a table placed on her left, near the door, facing the wall. A small cushion-less chair lacking an armrest was slid into the gaps below it.

A long row of cupboards spanned along the three walls, situated at a height of four feet from the ground, being 1 foot wide and 2 feet high. Transparent doors that looked a mix between glass and plastic covered them. Heima and Hancent entered the room, closing the door behind them. Heima then noticed a bulletin board affixed on the wall next to the door, looking olive green in colour.

There were three papers stamped on the bulletin board; taking a closer look, Heima read them with attention. The first paper was a timetable for her to follow, the second was the name-list of the faculty in charge of her--including the people she needed to approach for various facilities,—the third focused on all the facilities available there.

Four words, 'Military Academy Training Center' was inscribed on a steel plate and affixed at the top of the bulletin board. Looking at the room, Hancent sighed with nostalgia. He had also lived for a year in a similar room, just that it was situated in a different building meant for Espers.

The two unpacked their luggage which only consisted of clothes, some daily necessities, and books. They only brought Heima's luggage; since Hancent would leave for his work and their home was on the way, he didn't bother to bring his luggage. The room was already cramped as is; he didn't want to stuff it full with his luggage too. Moreover, he had plenty of confidential information which couldn't be brought here, lest it got exposed.

11:30 AM, the students were requested to assemble in an auditorium situated inside the Head Office. It was the building they arrived at through the lift connecting to the underground metro. Heima walked out of her room after some pep talk from Hancent, her expression livelier than before. Since only students were requested to assemble, Hancent didn't accompany her. Moreover, should any situation arise, he was ready to come to her rescue.

"Gita," Heima shouted, prompting her friend to turn back, her face still gloomy. Gita paused in place, looking at her friend with cloudy eyes, seemingly hiding a myriad of emotions, suppressed under a vibrant cover.

"Heima," Gita muttered the familiar name which, for some reason, felt alien to her. She shook her head and walked alongside Heima, slight hesitation apparent in her gait, her face filled with fear.

"H-Have you heard about our classmates…a-about how half of us…" Heima hurriedly shut her friend's mouth, looking sideways in fear of others overhearing their conversation. She pulled her friend to a corner, questioning in a muffled tone.

"Where did you hear of this?"

"F-From my mother," Gita said, her voice shivered as if she had been trapped in ice. "I also heard others talk about it. Tiffana, Mavet, and Heric, they all were saying how our class has obtained the lowest survival rate for the past three years."

"I see," Heima muttered in silence, thinking about her friends who had perished during the Induction Ceremony. She cleared her thoughts and dragged Gita towards the auditorium where they were supposed to assemble, all the while thinking of the means to get her friend to liven up.

Walking out of the indigo building and feeling the soft grass that covered the ground, Heima subconsciously felt a sense of peace permeate through her body. The faint scent that lingered in the air further eased her expression. Looking sideways, she noticed her friends too expressing similar behaviour, making her suspect if something special had been added to the grass.

Her group silently marched to the Head Office, boarding a lift under the instructions of the reception lady stationed there, getting off on the 10th floor. Pushing open the giant double door, the group of 13 entered inside, noticing hundreds of students their age seated in various seats. Even on a general estimate, Heima counted about 700 people. There were still people entering through the 6 doors that led into the auditorium from various locations.

Heima noticed some of the students seated looking at the dais in the centre with puzzled expressions. Curious, she turned her head and noticed an empty dais. Just when she was about to retract her gaze in puzzlement, her eyes turned green, allowing what looked like a sun come into view. Hovering above the dais, it looked like a celestial body, sending waves of shock and fear into her heart.