The Day Everything was Ruined

-February 11th, 2446-

--Sky's Perspective--

Orion's guards had been rapidly searching for Noboki, which meant that she had been serious all along. Somehow, Orion wasn't able to tell where we had been stationed in the trees thanks to the reflective plates lining the bottom of it. It hid our base well and made it seem as if nothing lived on the Isle anymore. The trees had all officially died, even the Redwood Trees were being held up by support beams stuck inside of the trunks so our home didn't collapse to the ground hundreds of feet below us.

With the war being this close to fruition, people were constantly on edge. Everybody in the base was already suited in their armor and we were all eating as much as we could before the fated time on this day came and we would go to war with no turning back.

"You're still sure that tattoo doesn't hurt?" Dani asked me. I shook my head as we all walked toward the elevator. Carl, Charlie, Dani, Ullr, Mandi, Lia, and I were all in the same squad together. Xavier, Griff, Jeff, and Helen were all stationed further back as doctors, while Tavian, Ellie, and Noboki would take the lead.

Noboki was surprisingly content with being jailed and even proved her innocence after saving Carl from a falling barrel on a shelf. Sure, it wouldn't have hurt him, but we couldn't have known that until we searched the barrel for the contents inside. I trusted Noboki after that. She could've easily let it fall on Carl. During lunch when it happened, she dropped her plate of food out of instinct to push Carl out of the way and Tavian happened to witness it. That was the day she was left unattended for the first time, and she officially became one of us.

Noboki had a dead look in her eyes I couldn't mimic if I tried. Just like Lia when I first saw her, Noboki was the epitome of that look, but it was constant. She never smiled, never frowned, never showed anything but that straight face.

Noboki had taken an interest in me after I told her about the tattoo I had during lunch one day. That's when I had filled everybody in on what was happening to me. The arm that was taken from my body, the regeneration, the red eyes, the strands, everybody now knew of my situation and it made it harder to stay calm. Anything and everything invoked some kind of anger within me. Knowing this would all be taken away is what bothered me the most, and what gave me the urge to murder Orion.

With the squadrons set and several fighters tightening the plate-mail Drake helped them construct, we were all ready to continue forward. Even Cody, Tyler, Robby, and David were ready, waving to me in their own squadron about fifteen feet away from us. I walked past my squad to go and meet up with them one last time.

"You nervous Bossman?" Robby asked me.

"No time to be nervous. And why are you calling me that too?" I asked him with a disapproving look directed at Ullr. Ullr whistled and directed his attention away from me.

"It's a catchy name! And it's factual!" David told me. I sighed and looked away from them. I realized I didn't do what I came over here to do in the first place.

I held out my hand to each of the boys I trained, shaking each one respectively. "Don't let me down, boys. Prove to me your training wasn't for nothing." I told them. Each one nodded with a happy smile and affirmative statements before I walked back to my squad. Tavian, Ellie, and Noboki had walked by with smiles and waves, from two of them at least.

"Noboki... I'm giving you this switch, blow it when you see fit, alright?" Tavian handed Noboki the explosives switch to destroy the backline. That was a big step for Noboki and even invoked some surprise in her face for the first time. Noboki smiled with her tired eyes and nodded.

"Sky! Get your ass up here!" Tavian stood on a rock right next to a tree tall enough so we could see our forces.

"I'm not good with public speaking dammit... fine!" I said, climbing up the rock next to him to observe all of the people under me.

It was unreal what I could see. Pure silence, all of these people with their eyes directed at me... and I could name almost every single one of them. These people I spent so much time getting to know, training, doing small tasks for them, helping them, guiding them... being their leader. They were my family now, but I could've never seen that if it weren't for Tavian's influence. I owed him big-time.

"Now! As the fated day had slowly arrived, we all prepared accordingly and made several plates of armor for every one of us. In your chest pockets, located right under your chest plates behind the metal, there is a pocket with a stim-shot in it. This will artificially boost adrenaline and stop bleeding all around your body, but you need to ration it off! Use it in absolute emergencies! You all have grindstones in your pockets broken off from the most potent one on top of the volcano, use it to sharpen your blades when they get dull! And above all else! We are a family, and we do not leave ANYBODY behind, am I clear?!" Tavian yelled out in a serious tone after using his informative one. Everybody nodded.

"Sky... your turn." Tavian turned to me while whispering. I couldn't believe I dared to stand up to this crowd after being overshadowed by Tavian's overwhelming tone. It felt like anything I said wouldn't matter after he said his piece.

"I don't really know how to do speeches... I don't know what to say to you guys. I know our bond goes a lot deeper than simply being friends or family. I don't even see myself as worthy enough to stand next to Tavian. Sure, I've worked hard, but haven't we all? I guess... um... Tavian was the one who taught me that to do something I needed a clear head, something I didn't have before I met him. I endangered the people I knew and regarded as my family before I was introduced to all of you guys because of the anger I had for this world and the things it did to me. Somewhere along the way, I decided that I wouldn't be fighting for this world... that I would be fighting for the people in it. I can't change the world because I don't like the people, I need to change the people because I don't like the world. I want to be an influence to all, I grew beside Tavian not only as a leader but as a true Arkian who knows and loves all of his family... I hope I gave everybody here the hope to move on to be the best people we can all be, and I hope to be the motivation for the future as we fix this world I've come to despise. My calling as a White Stone... as I'm nervously meeting everybody's gaze in this crowd, has finally come to me. I am a leader who will fix this world with my actions, not just words. Let me prove to you that I'm worthy enough to be held to such a high standard by all of you." I told the crowd.

"Look at that, you aren't so bad at this," Tavian murmured to me as I covered my face in embarrassment.

"You heard the man! We're fighting under the White Stone who will become the Arkian who surpassed them all! Now! We charge forward! The future rides on this fight! So give it good wheels!" With a loud chant from Tavian and the others, the motivation had successfully planted itself within all of our hearts. As I slid down the rock to return to Dani and the others, they smiled at me, ready to push forward with all of our might.

"ARKIANS! LET'S TAKE BACK THIS ISLE THAT HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM THE MILLIONS WHO HAVE PERISHED! LET US RECLAIM THIS WORLD FOR THE GOOD! ORION! PREPARE FOR OUR WRATH!"