Chapter 5

No matter how many were injured, the assessment was to reach the finish line. The finish line was just about up ahead. By this time, no one was running again, too many injured students were being carried, which slowed down their pace. 

At the end of the finish line, there was a loud beep and the scenery changed to what seemed to be a locker-room. "Ugh, I hate school," some grumbled. 

Seraphina sat on of the benches trying to digest what had just occurred, 'Is this how it's going to be every day?' She thought to herself. Her shaky hands gripped her hair as she felt traumatized by what had happened. 

"Class today is done." Hveni said, standing with a hand towel. Placing the towel on Seraphina's head, she sits down next to her.

"Is everything alright?" 

"It's nothing," she let out a nervous laugh and gave an uneasy smile.

 Once she was done changing out of the messy clothes she wore, Hveni gestured for her to follow her out. Classes were done for today as the teacher announced. This was the perfect time to check out the place she would be living.

The outside of the school didn't look like the weird red planet they were trained on. Instead, it appeared to be a normal school with green surroundings and trees. They were about five different buildings which resembled the tech house buildings in Caparius. One thing that piqued Seraphina's interest was why a large wall surrounded the camp. Its height was undetermined, like they were hiding from something, or they were hiding something.

She knew the military operated in secret, but to her, it seemed ridiculous. Most military academies that she knew of operated out in the open, they even shared events with regular academies.

Around the campus, students gathered around chatting, laughing. Seraphina somewhere in her heart missed those times, the times when she wasn't considered a downgraded specie. If anyone were to find out her power level was really 0, and it wasn't just a glitch of her watch, she wondered how they would treat her.

They entered one of the buildings, the inside looked like a mall. Different shops with different items.

"The points you get from training, or assessment, can also be called credits. The credits can be used to buy daily needs, battle equipment and so on," Hveni explained.

"So I can buy anything?"

"Hmm. You're given 10 credits for first timers. Go on, buy something." Seraphina walked up to a shop called "Granny Outfits". In front, stood a sign holder who looked like he was holding a grudge at any stranger.

"Welcome to granny outfits… Come buy granny outfits," he said in a bored tone as he pointed at the shop with the sign.

"You?" Seraphina immediately recognized him as the boy who saved her from one of the worms. The boy who fought with Hveni to defeat most of the worms at the assessment. Under the mask, she could see his gray misty eyes.

'It seems normal here that people here look different.' She had seen so many normal human looking students here, but the ones she seemed to have a relation with looked entirely different.

"Why will a granny outfit store be put in a school mall?" Hveni stood looking at the sign holder like he was a mortal enemy.

"I think we should patronize them at least. Tough times, you know." Seraphina whispered to Hveni as they entered the shop.

"I don't know, something about this seems suspicious." Hveni said, eyeing the sign holder. She felt a terrifying sense from under the mask he wore. The sign holder wore a granny mask, but one could tell underneath was a young person.

"Ah Customers! We don't get much here," a boy stood at the counter. The boy had slick blue hair and dark brown eyes with a chiseled face and sharp jawline. His watch shining a power level of 7.

"Hveni, my love!" He dashed towards Hveni with his arms open. Immediately, Hveni went into self-defense mode and threw him away.

"Conan, I should have known. Why open a granny shop in the school mall, and who's the sign holder?"

"Shh, my love. You ask too many questions. So, what brings you here?"

"My friend got attracted to your shop. Do you sell magical items?"

"Nope! Just granny outfits."

"…"

"Hmm… A friend. Power level 0?" He said with a confused tone.

"I'm just as confused as you are. But anyway, is there any normal thing we can buy?"

"You can buy me if you'd like." He said, he turned his body as if showcasing himself. All this while, Seraphina looked at the person's watch; power level 7. There seemed to be no rank attached to it.

"Seraph. Let's go check out other shops." Hveni said.

"Two cups of voke please." Hveni told the waiter, and two cups with clear liquid appeared. They were in a drink shop after checking out the shops in the mall.

"The beasts you kill during assessment give you points. Don't worry, I wasn't told that on my first day too," Hveni spoke as she took a sip out of the cup.

"I heard about it, but it's not like I can-"

"Kill any beasts." Hveni completed. This shocked Seraphina, it was like Hveni had read her like a book. 'But how?'

"You're in level 0 because you have no ability cells. Am I right?" Hveni asked as she placed her cup on the table. She looked up to the shocked Seraphina and gave her a teasing smile.

"Your reaction says it all, but I don't mind."

"I came from a family of super humans. Well, superheroes. I was supposed to get my superpowers, but it didn't come. I had no signs or whatsoever, but I kept on believing I would."

"I find it rather strange. They say the world evolved right. Devolution doesn't just occur."

"Maybe all this isn't real. Could be I'm just a late bloomer."

"The supposed law of the Earth,, huh?" Seraphina looked up to Hveni while in thoughts. She noticed her left eye that was pink and purple was completely normal like the other eye.

"It makes me wonder if there's a fault somewhere, but why will the military choose you if they have a goal of fighting the Daelaiw."

"I'm aware I won't be able to fight, but I'll have to try my best no matter what. If the strong humans of the past can be able to handle wars by themselves, then I can."

"Then I'll assist you. You're one of the first I've ever been comfortable to talk to, but we have to do something about your watch. People might see it and start to wonder."

"I was sure you would ignore me if you knew." Seraphina bit her lip as she fiddled with her shirt.

"You weren't sure enough. I have no right to ignore you, you didn't do anything. By the way, we stay in the same room." Perhaps it was fate, or possibly a different motive entirely, but Seraphina enjoyed it. She didn't have to face this new world alone. She still wasn't sure if she could trust Hveni entirely, but now she had a friend.

Dusk had come, and the free day was spent with Hveni showing Seraphina around. Entering the school's large hall, students were either hanging around with their friends or entering their dorms.

Hveni led Seraph to one of the gyms. "I heard that in the outside world, they're different types of sports." That's right, they weren't in the part of the world that civilizations lived.  

Zirturiu Military Base didn't just focus on people from Earth, they focused on other species who seem to have lost their way back home to be trained and fight the Daelaiw. As said, the Daelaiw didn't just focus on planet Earth. The extremely mutated beings ventured out of the world, causing trouble wherever they went. 

"Yeah, but I haven't seen any like this before." She said, staring into the strange-looking hoop that looked like a basketball hoop, but this had a basketball floating on the hoop without moving.

Hveni saw Seraphina staring at the equipment with surprise and then spoke. "This is used for training military generals. It tests your level of strength, if you're able to push that ball down into the hoop, your ability level increases."

"I never asked. What is your ability?" The regular academies all over the world used superpowers, but the military to be precise used the term abilities among themselves. It was obvious that the military didn't operate like other schools. Especially this academy.

"Mine?" She opened her palm and a pinkish purple light emanated from it, tiny glitter flew out of her palm to form a butterfly. On its left, it had a pink wing with purple dots and on its right it had purple wing with pink dots. It laminated a glowing feeling that brought light to the entire gym.

"Neon butterflies is my ability."

"I've never heard of it before. Is that why your other eye is, you know."

"Yes. However, I continue using the spear," and the butterfly changed shape to that of a spear. This once again surprised Seraphina. Hveni walked up to the hoop and threw the spear in her hands at it.

"The basketball floating on the top of the hoop had now fallen down and rolled off to the corner. 

When Hveni was done showing Seraphina around, they returned to their dorms.

"Where do you sleep?" Seraphina noticed as there was only one bed in the odd white room. Hveni smiled and went to the corner and touched it, and the bed slowly rolled out from the wall.

Unfortunately for Seraphina, the bed was more like a wood bench, she was used to the normal sweet soft bed. After turning left and right, trying not to get an ache on her back, she stood up and peeped to see if Hveni was awake. 

She let out a sigh of relief when she heard small snores coming from her. 'Where's the bathroom anyway?' She thought to herself. She searched the walls checking if there was a button or automatic switch, and she was right. A space in the wall opened, and the bathroom was revealed. Looking in a mirror, she was taken aback at first, then she remembered she cut it off. It seemed not to have grown at all,, and she liked it the way it was.

She felt a pound in her heart, she turned back to the open space that led to the room. The feeling of something calling her once more, drawing her to it. She took slow steps out of the room and noticed the dark room having a red glow. She felt sweat dripping down her face as she walked to where the red glow was coming from. Under the bench-like-bed was where the glow came from. She looked under the bed to see a box, it had the same design pattern as the one she had before. 

Daughter of the Light…

She could hear voices, this time loud and clear. She hesitantly peeped into the box. Her eyes widened in shock, the stone she was looking for.

Daughter of the Light.

She heard it like a whisper in her ear, the stone floated up and…