Duskfather

Chapter 23

A loud beep blared through the jet, forcing everyone from their sleep.

"This is your pilot speaking. The jet will begin its descent in two minutes—please prepare," the pilot announced over the speakers.

"Here we are," Jayson said, pressing his face against one of the jet's windows. He giggled as the clouds gave way, revealing the island below. A massive mountain stretched skyward from the center, its slopes covered on all sides by dense green canopies. The pilot gave them the luxury of a full 360-degree view before aligning the jet with the runway, guided by airport marshals holding blinking lights.

The jet finally came to a stop, and as the door opened, four women and an elderly man approached.

The colony's representatives disembarked, each greeted by one of the attendants, while the elderly man stood back, observing.

"Captain Edward," Isaac called as he walked toward him.

The old man grinned. "Isaac! Long time no see." They shook hands firmly.

Time had taken its toll on Captain Edward. Wrinkles creased his fair skin, especially around his eyes, making it seem as if his eyelids were permanently drawn together. But even dressed in a gray suit, his posture remained remarkably strong for an eighty-year-old man.

"I thought you had retired," Isaac said.

"And I thought you were dead," Edward replied.

"Well… long story," Isaac said, scratching the back of his head.

Edward turned as the other tutors who had arrived with their colonies approached.

"Vladimir! So nice to see you again," he greeted with a broad smile.

"You still haven't dropped this habit of—" Edward gestured vaguely with his hands.

"Something wrong with the way I dress, Gramps?" Vladimir smirked.

"I could make a list," the woman among them interjected.

Vladimir clicked his teeth in irritation.

"You must be…" Edward placed a hand on his chin, humming as if trying to recall a name.

"Vanguard-class hero Kazumi, sir," she said, bowing slightly as she held the sides of her flower-patterned silk gown. Her long raven-black hair was styled into a neat pigtail.

"Ah, yes—Kazumi from Aurora Kyoto. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Captain," she replied.

Then she turned to Isaac. "Isaac Hart—I was ecstatic to finally meet the famed hero of Sierra," she said with a smile.

"When I heard Mr. Hart was going to be the tutor representative for Sierra, I had to accept the offer," the last of them added, stretching out his dark-skinned hand.

"The name's Joao. Vanguard-class hero."

Isaac shook his hand, though almost reluctantly.

"You're the popular one, aren't you?" Vladimir said, stepping beside Isaac as he pulled a cigarette from its box and lit it.

"To think a member of the Blackfrost would become a tutor representative…"

"Not that I wanted to. Let's just say I was forced into the role," Vladimir answered, taking a long drag from his cigarette before slowly exhaling streams of smoke.

"You don't look like someone who takes orders."

Vladimir chuckled. "Maybe I'm not. I ran into one of your kids last night—the loud one."

"Jayson."

"Tell him to stay clear of Nikolai. He's way out of his league."

"And why is that?" Isaac asked.

Vladimir smirked. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He flicked the ash from his cigarette before walking after the rest of the group as they headed toward a towering building.

"That reminds me—after the orientation, the four of you should meet me in my office," Captain Edward said.

"Yes, sir," Kazumi responded.

Inside the Building"Whoa, this place is huge!" Jayson said, spinning around as he tried to take in every detail of the expansive hall.

Janice and Malick exchanged confused glances before Janice turned to Ezra, who walked beside her. "Is he always like that?"

Ezra chuckled. "Well… Jayson? Yeah."

"And her?" Janice nodded toward Dionne, who was striding as fast as she could across the hall, her hoodie pulled low over her face.

"Yeah… also her," Ezra admitted, trying to suppress an embarrassed smile.

Malick narrowed his eyes. "And how do we know you're not like them too?"

Ezra hesitated. "Well…"

"Guys," Janice interrupted, nodding toward Jayson, who had stopped in front of the Vostara group. At the front of the group stood Nikolai, his cold gaze locked onto Jayson.

"Sorry, I got carried away," Jayson said, grinning sheepishly.

"You hit me. You need to apologize properly," Nikolai said, his voice calm but firm.

"Sorry, I got carried away," Jayson repeated.

Nikolai's eyes narrowed. "It seems you don't understand—"

"What's going on?" Malick asked as he stepped forward, but Nikolai ignored him.

"It's okay, Malick. I've got this. I bumped lightly into Mr. Grumpy here, and—"

Nikolai grabbed Jayson by the jacket. "What did you just call me?"

Jayson just smiled.

"It's obvious he's trying to get you riled up, Nikolai. Let it go," a blonde girl from Nikolai's team said, placing a hand on his arm.

Nikolai smirked. "Well, if that's what he wants, why not give it to him? Right, Ivanna?"

"You could end up killing him," another teammate warned. "Worst case scenario? You'll level the building."

"Anatoly, what happens when our strength is questioned?" Nikolai asked, his grin widening.

The towering, dark-skinned Anatoly sighed, scratching his head. "We show them how strong we are—because strength is tempered in the coldest fire."

A sudden force sent Jayson flying toward the farthest wall. Just before impact, a figure appeared in an instant, grabbing Jayson by the shirt.

"Minato!" One of the Aurora Kyoto students gasped.

Minato glanced down at Jayson before dropping him gently onto the floor. "Shouldn't you be picking fights you can win, not ones you can't?"

Again, Minato vanished, reappearing in front of Nikolai.

Nikolai hissed under his breath.

"This is a training camp," Minato said, his voice calm but carrying enough weight to make Nikolai avert his gaze. "I know you Vostarans love battle, but let's not kill each other just yet."

Malick stared at Minato in disbelief as he walked back to his team.

"That's Minato," Isaac said as he approached. "One of the most promising heroes to come out of Aurora Kyoto."

"How did he move that fast? And…?" Malick gestured vaguely with his hands.

Isaac nodded. "His mutation is a well-guarded secret in Aurora Kyoto. But if he's here, it means he's become quite the capable hero."

He glanced around. "Where's Jayson?"

His gaze landed on Nikolai, who stood silently, staring at the floor.

Isaac frowned. "What could've happened?" he muttered to himself before shaking his head. "Alright, the hall is this way. Let's go."

Everyone followed him down the hallway.

As they moved, Anatoly placed a hand on Nikolai's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Nikolai muttered, brushing him off.

But as he walked away, the spot where he had stood revealed deep cracks in the ground, branching out like a spider's web.

Inside the HallThe hall, though relatively small compared to the rest of the building, stretched with neatly arranged seats that lined up to the far end. At the front stood a small elevated platform with a whiteboard behind it. On the platform, three figures dressed in black combat suits stood at attention.

The students filed into the hall, followed by their tutors, with Edward entering last. He climbed onto the platform and cleared his throat.

**"How are you all doing? Welcome to the Joint Hero Recruitment Training—the first of its kind, in a way. The purpose of gathering you all here is simple.

You are the most promising hero seedlings, individuals who, fortunately or unfortunately, developed their mutations at an early age. In an effort to foster unity between all colonies, we decided to initiate this joint training program, bringing together the best under-eighteen heroes.

This three-month program is not about teaching you how to be a hero—that is your own personal journey—but rather, how to grow into a powerful one. You will undergo rigorous training in hand-to-hand combat and mutation management, which will be led by these three lovely people."**

A hand shot up. "What about our tutors?" Ivanna asked.

"They will also play a role, though a more limited one," Edward replied.

**"Each colony will have its own captain, selected by the tutors. I will now call their names so you can familiarize yourselves with them.

For Aurora Kyoto—Minato.

For Vostara—Nikolai.

For Lima—Ximena.

And for Sierra—Malick."**

A stunned silence filled the hall.

"Wait, what?" Malick blurted out, turning in confusion.

Joao leaned toward Isaac. "How do you expect us to compete against Vostara and Aurora Kyoto?" he whispered.

"Both Minato and Nikolai have been in countless joint training programs, and there's bad blood between them. How strong is your guy? Because to go up against those two, he needs to be one hell of a powerhouse."

Isaac exhaled. "Well… it was a toss-up between Malick and Ezra, but… yeah, I believe we have a chance. But this isn't just about how strong the captains are."

"Not until team assignments," Joao muttered.

Edward clapped his hands. "Training begins in full tomorrow. Have a good day."

With that, he exited the room, followed by the tutors.

Edward's OfficeThe door clicked open, and Edward stepped into his office, followed by the tutors. The room was lined with two tall bookshelves, each packed to the brim. The walls bore portraits of former heads of the training camp, their watchful eyes seeming to survey the room.

Edward gestured toward a table by the window. As the tutors settled in, he walked over to a wooden bar near his desk and retrieved a bottle of wine.

"I'll make this quick since you're all tired from the journey," he said, setting down glasses and pouring.

Kazumi took a sip. "Very."

Edward leaned against the table, swirling his wine. "There have been reports about strange behavior among the Revenants recently. Specifically, their invasions have decreased significantly."

Vladimir scoffed. "Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?"

"On the surface, yes," Edward said, pressing a button on the table.

A massive screen descended from the ceiling, flickering to life. It displayed a map covered in clusters of red dots scattered across various locations.

Kazumi's eyes narrowed. "Are those…?"

"Yes. Different colonies have sent scouts to investigate, and the few that returned reported the same thing—the presence of both low- and high-level Revenants. But that's not all."

Kazumi leaned forward. "Revenants follow a distinct pattern—the weaker they are, the more they cluster together. But these formations…"

"Do they include Palelords?" Isaac asked.

Edward nodded. "Yes."

Vladimir exhaled smoke. "I don't like where this is going."

"Palelords are territorial," Vladimir continued. "For one to tolerate others in its vicinity, something much stronger has to be commanding them."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

"Which would mean…" Edward began.

Kazumi's voice was quiet but firm. "A theoretical new type of Revenant might have just emerged."

Edward set his glass down. "Your mission is to investigate whether a Duskfather has been born."