Location - Kina's Training Room
"Kael, the real reason I called you here is because of Pioneer. I know you have been looking forward to it, your chance for revenge, but..remember, you are not alone anymore and each and every decision you make when you go out to the field will not only affect you but your team members too. Promise me that you'll keep this in mind, okay?"
"I understand, Master. I'll try my best to restrain myself during missions," Kael replied as he watched Kina who took a long sip from her bottle.
"Thanks. I'll trust you then, Kael," she said while stepping closer and patting him on his shoulder.
"When you need help or find the Xion who..you know, caused this pain to you, don't try to dive headfirst into it. Tell me and I'll help you," she commented, which startled Kael as he suddenly turned to look at Kina who had already begun to walk away from Kael after that statement.
"I don't understand, Master. Why.." Kael questioned before he was interrupted by his Master's heartfelt words
"What don't you understand? You're my disciple, so isn't it right for a Master to take care of the things that trouble my stupid disciple? Anyways, lock the room when you leave, Kael. I have a mission to prepare for," commented Kina as she exited the room.
As the door that led out of the room shut behind her as she walked out of the room, a fragile yet hopeful smile crept upon Kael's face "Thank you, Master. I'm so grateful for all you have done!"
Location - Kael's Room ( Recruit's Dormitories)
Kael walked into his room as he locked the door back. He showered and changed his clothes to something more comfortable, and taking his dinner, he climbed up into his bed to take a rest for the day's end.
'I'm so lucky to have so many people looking after me. I may have lost important people but I also gained precious things too. Things that I want to protect and keep safe so that I don't lose them again because I was not strong enough. Master, Lark, Monnae..." Kael's voice gradually trailed off as he was encapsulated by the sweet and warm embrace of sleep, his face losing tension and becoming more relaxed as he rested after comfortably laying on his bed.
The sunlight that peeked through the blinds in his room and cascaded on his face, triggering his awakening.
He rose up from his slumber, a bit disoriented but soon managing to click things back into place, he left the bed. After undergoing his normal morning schedule, he wore his recruit's uniform and after grabbing toast with spread, he walked out of his room.
He rushed out from his dormitory to meet up with Lark and Monnae while heading to the Pioneer's theatre where the exam results will be showcased with other vital information for the new recruits entering into Pioneer.
"Hey, Lark, Monnae" Kael greeted as he was approached by them as he was waiting on the bench for some minutes.
"Kael?! You're early! Or did you not sleep well after the beating from Team Leader Kina?" Monnae said, her cheerful voice barely trying to mask her laughter and mockery.
"Rude, Mon and besides, it was not that much hard to survive her beating. I took it all very easily and that is definitely not the reason why I woke up early," Kael argued, clearly frustrated by the conclusion Monnae came to when he arrived earlier to await them.
'And here I thought they would appreciate my effort. So much for that!' Kael thought in his mind as he glanced at his companions of Lark and Monnae.
"Oh! Lark, do you see, Kael has become strong now" Monnae said as she glanced at Lark who chuckled.
"Yeah, he sure has. I never thought he would be able to tank Team leader's Kina punishment"
Monnae quickly picked up, clearly wishing to make Kael more flustered "True. Imagine what Leader Kina would say if someone were to tell her about her discipe's speech and him making fun of her teaching…," while gaining a mischievous smile on her face.
"What?! Monnae, you demon! How can you do such a thing?!" Kael stood up abruptly from his seat, his eyes radiating his fear and his heart picking up its pace.
"Hahaha. Don't worry Kael, Mon won't do that" Lark interrupted to soften Kael's shock and his agitated mind.
"I don't believe her one bit, Lark. You and I both know what she's capable of despite the front she shows!" Kael said as he looked at Lark who was trying to calm down his nerves.
After what Kael said, Lark seemed to think about it in his mind and after coming to the same conclusion as Kael, he glanced at Moonae who was still smiling mischievously and addressed her "Mon, you're not going to do that right? You're not that evil, right?" as beads of sweat began to roll off both his and Kael's face as they waited in anticipation for her answer.
With a finger trailing her jawline, Monnae pondered on it for a bit, tension growing by the second, keeping both Lark and Monnae in silent suspense before finally speaking out
"Nah, I won't do that, Kael. I'm not that cruel," and then walking up to them, placing her hands over both their shoulders which made them lower themselves due to her short height.
"Away to the theatre. A new adventure awaits" with a soft and warm laughter to which without refusing, both Kael and Lark picked up their pace and walked in the direction of the Pionner's building, where Monnae was pointing to.
Location - Theatre in Pioneer (Sanctuary Base)
In the theatre, many other recruits had already taken their seats and after scanning the audience for some vacant seats, they found a group of three to which Kael and his companions took as their sitting position.
Some minutes later after they had all taken their position, a female walked in, her every step echoing on the ground and each movement demanding respect and radiating authority.
Her dark skin complimented with her tall figure wearing formal clothing walked into the theatre stage with an aura of mystery and strength radiating off of her.
She approached the podium in the middle of the raised platform that faced the whole theatre and then after taking her stance which brought silence to the once rowdy and unorganised students to silence and harmony.
She cleared her throat and began to address the recruits that were gathered in the theatre.
"Hello recruits. My name is Natasha Niel, the person that can somewhat be called one of the leaders of Pioneers. Today is a very special occasion that comes around once in every year, the day when recruits rise up through the ranks and contribute all they are towards helping humanity's rise and the Xions ever growing threat. We are very grateful for your help. This year, we have been able to gather many strong and promising recruits from the main Sanctuary and other small established human bases who will become the pioneers for humanity's greater tomorrow" she addressed as she made a pause and continued her speech.
"Today is a recognition for these young and full of potential and their future contributions. I shall list some of the top recruits starting from number one. Take note that the information here is incomplete so it would be better to have a glance at your Pioneer portal to get the full image. Now here they are :- Meisha Niel, Kira Kiomi, Monnae Silver, Sirette Wain, and Nieve Milt. They are our top five recruits of this batch, please give them a round of cheer as they approach the stage,"
Natasha said with her calm and cold face as she awaited the appearance of the names that she had just mentioned. In the space where Kael, Monnae and Lark were sitting, Kael questioned Monnae with shock as he heard her name as one of the top recruits of this batch.
"How..No, when did you become that smart?" he questioned, his tone skeptical and baffled at the result he was seeing. He remembered that Monnae said the test was quite easy but he did not expect her to pass it so much that she became one of the top recruits.
What gave him more shock was that he had always seen Monnae as the dumb and carefree type of individual so this was really not something one would have expected from someone like that, it was very weird and out of character for her.
"Monnae might act stupid, well... she is pretty silly sometimes, but she truly has the talent and potential. I expected something like this; after all, she's a genius, a silly genius, but a genius nonetheless."Lark explained to the baffled Kael, like he was talking about something which was common and not unusual but it definitely is, afterall it was Monnae and genius and smart being put together in a sentence, something Kael never though he would ever hear, especially coming from Lark of all people.
"Bleh..I guess you're the stupid one, Kael. Later guys, I have to give my speech at the stage." Monnae stuck out her tongue as she made a silly face and then as she swiftly stood up from her seat and began to walk forward in the direction of the raised platform.
'I'm the stupid one? I guess I really am if Monnae did better than me. Urghh…but she is dumber than me! I can't accept this, will I be the dumb one in our group now?!' Kael thought over repeatedly in his mind as he tried to make a better narrative that didn't lead to him possibly now being labelled the dumb one of the group.
Monnae along with other unfamiliar faces of those who were the those called to be among the top five candidates arrived on the stage. Natasha picked up where she left off as she continued to address the recruits.
"They are the recruits that have been chosen for their combat abilities, their survival knowledge and possible future potential." Natasha ended it as all the top recruits walked onto the stage and stood side by side with each other while facing the rest of the recruits.
"Introduce yourselves, recruits" Natasha said as she handed them a speaker that was connected to the audio system of the theatre. The first recruit, Meisha Niel picked up the speaker and addressed the rest of her mates.
"My name is Meisha, Meisha Niel. Yeah, me and the leader are related, she's my older sister but that doesn't change anything. I'm here for one reason only, to be the strongest and take those monsters down.We have lived far too long behind the walls of the Sanctuary, it is time to reclaim the world which is rightfully ours!"
Meisha stated, her long free flowing curly dark hair that framed her blue coloured eyes, perfectly highlighted by her dark skin and the mole under her right eyes. She was beautiful, hot and strong with an aura of mystery and charisma. After ending her speech, she handed the mic to the second place recruit, Kira Kiomi, a girl with mystery and a cold aura enveloping her, who took it and then spoke, her voice cold and straightforward.
"Kira Kiomi, future leader of Clan Kiomi. I have a goal of coming here. It is simple, be the strongest that can never be beaten. That is all I wish to achieve and from what I can see, I believe that this batch will make my time worthwhile here," she concluded her short speech, cold and mysterious, leaving more unanswered questions.
"Kiomi…Isn't that Master's surname?" Kael spoke in a soft tone to himself but was caught by Lark.
"Yeah…I think that's Team Leader Kina's surname…but I don't think she had a relative but I guess you can see the similarities" Lark concluded as he placed his hands to cup his forehead. Kael glanced at the mysterious young woman on the stage and after some seconds of observation, he commented "She really does seem like Master's relative but a bit more cold on the outside."
The mic then moved to the third of the top five recruits, Monnae Silver. With her same bubbly personality, she addressed the crowd of recruits. "Hello guys, my name is Monnae Silver. I'm sure you know about my family name if you have stayed long in the Sanctuary. So yes, I'm the current heir of the Silver family but it is my belief that we are all the same, humans who have suffered from the cruelty of Xions and their threats, so in this institution where we learn to fight them, giving humanity a chance, I believe that we therefore are all equal in status." She addressed the recruits effectively trying not to gain special status and that she was the same as anyone else.
"My dream is to become humanity's pillar and help to curb the Xions and reclaim our planet from their grasp. I cannot do this task alone, so I wish to implore every recruit, both weak and strong, to lend your help and strength to humanity's great cause. Thank you all for listening!" Monnae concluded her address on her cheerful note while giving off a cute smile.
Through the audience of recruits, conversations ranging from how she's cute or how cool and how they would want to follow a leader like her could be seen echoing through the arena. Monnae was quite charismatic effortlessly, that is something one couldn't deny, not even someone like Kael.
The mic passed to the next recruit, number four on the top five recruits lists, Sirette Wain and after accepting the mic, she began to address the recruits.
"I am Sirette Wain, a noble from Sector D-219 base. I am the only survivor of a Xion attack when I was still just a child. With the sacrifice of my parents, I was able to escape but the guilt and pain has stayed with me ever since. My goal for entering into Pioneer is in a way, a selfish reason but I believe that as humans, we are allowed to be selfish sometimes. For those who know the pain of losing people, lives and things you hold dear to those creatures, I want to be someone that you can stand with to purge out those monstrosities, no matter what. I will always lead the front charge to stop and destroy those monsters no matter which way I can. This is my promise and I never do break my promises," she concluded.
As she finished her statement, the recruit next to her glanced at her with an unknown gaze, eyes filled with something decipherable but primal nonetheless.
"She's beautiful" Kael murmured as he stared entranced at Sirette's valiant figure on the stage.
For Kael, he had found someone who could potentially understand his pain and sorrow. She had something that he believes no one else had had, the trauma and the same drive that moves him forward, his hate for Xion.
"Huh?..What did you just say, Kael?" Lark commented as he looked at his friend of two years with absolute shock, his mouth flung open. He never imagined that his friend would ever be able to say those words in this lifetime.
"She's beautiful. I don't understand but she just looks so beautiful to me" Kael repeated as he placed his gaze on Lark's now astonished look.
'Shit. Shit. Things just got more complicated. Monnae is not going to be happy when she hears Kael saying this to another girl. No, she would definitely be 100% furious. Shit! Why couldn't you say that about Monnae, Kael you bastard!' Lark thought, his mind becoming jumbled up with fear, shock and astonishment at the strange turn of events.
"I don't think I like her in a romantic way, Lark. I just wanted to say what I thought genuinely, that's all there is to it." Kael commented as he observed his friend's shocked expression but unknowing to him of the amount of chaos he had just caused for Lark.
The mic had now moved to the last and final of the top five recruits, Nieve Milt, a short girl with brown hair placed into a ponytail hair style with some strands of hair falling on her face and her giving her a cute but mature look. She took the mic and after clearing her throat, she addressed her fellow recruits
"Hello, my name is Nieve Milt. I'm from one of the outer bases that was attacked by Xions, but with the help of the other guard and Pioneers available, we were able to escape. This event taught me alot, like how the world is unfair and ready to take you if you're not ready, so that's why I joined Pioneer, to make sure that others don't have to go through the agony of always being afraid of what's to come tomorrow, afraid to love because you may lose that precious person, afraid to live and be happy and free. I want to change that." After taking a breather and placing her hands on her chest, she continued her speech.
"I want the world to be better and more promising to people like me. I believe that if we work together, we will be able to secure the smiles and laughter we have now and bring about much more in places where it is desolate. Thank you all for your support" She said as she finished her speech although with some pauses and hesitations while she said some parts of her speech.
Natasha was handed back the mic who then addressed the rest of the group. "This is your top five recruits. They have their goals, wishes, ideals and ways they wish to help humanity. They say the future is up to the next generation to decide and you all are the next generations, so I hope that you live up to your beliefs, hold them steadfast and strive to become in this unfair world. Thank you all and goodbye. We look forward to the opening day which will be revealed in a letter." Natasha concluded as she walked away from the theatre and after some minutes, others too began to evacuate from the theatre.