Chapter 189: Enlistment Day
It was nearly dawn when Drai suddenly jolted awake from his bed. His drowsiness instantly went away as he activated Nova Flux and turned to the rattle that had just interrupted his slumber.
Under his vigilant gaze, the bedroom windows swung open, revealing a figure he hadn’t seen for a while.
"Morning, sunshine," Max greeted with a slight grin while waving his hand. His usual hobo look could no longer be found, as he was now properly groomed and was draped in a fancy night robe.
Upon realizing the intruder’s identity, Drai sighed in relief and immediately dissipated his aura, leaving the surroundings dark once more. He then checked his comm before blurting, "What the hell are you doing this early?"
"Meeting you, of course," Max said as he climbed onto the window sill and settled there. "I’ve heard the news. You’re leaving for the army today, right?"
Drai plopped down on his bed before replying, "Yeah, but must you do this? You could’ve just seen me off later like a normal person. I slept pretty late, so I’m losing precious rest here."
"Bah! You can sleep later, but this might be the last time you see me in person since I won’t be there at your send-off. In case you haven’t realized, I’m trying to lay low."
"What happened to ’not wanting to live in hiding’? If you’re acting so timid like this, you should’ve just returned secretly from the start instead of barging through the front gates."
Hearing this, Max scratched his head with a helpless look before muttering, "Well... I hadn’t realized the current circumstances around my family are this complicated, otherwise I wouldn’t have blabbered like that or returned openly like we did."
"Is your family having problems? Why haven’t Auri told me about this or even hinted at this at all?"
"Because it’s not something her generation knows about. Even her parents might not have the full picture."
With an understanding look, Drai remarked, "I guess you can’t tell me about it either."
Max nodded. "Yeah, so no need to dig deeper. I’ll let you know more when the time’s right or if things change. Anyway, one of the reasons I came here is to ask you about something."
"You could’ve just called or texted me," Drai replied before letting out a big yawn. Drowsiness crept into him once more, turning his eyes heavier by the second.
"Well, I also really wanted to see my former campmate before he enlists, so I might as well visit you. If you somehow get killed in action, I’ll really regret not getting a last look of you."
"Wow... So much for parting words, Max. You should really brush up your civility, you know? We’re not in the wilderness anymore."
Max simply shrugged, looking aloof. It was obvious that his decades-long mannerism couldn’t drastically change in merely two weeks.
After another yawn, Drai said, "Anyway, what were you going to ask me?"
"Oh, it’s about him," Max replied while pointing at a large poster across the room picturing a gallant man whose hand rested on the shoulder of a visibly excited Drai as they posed in front of an exquisite wall.
Glancing at his new favorite poster, Drai remarked, "Alancho?"
"Yep. Were you the one that told him about my return?"
"Yeah, why? Did I cause any trouble?"
"Not really, but that’s because he’s pretty well acquainted with us and share a lot of our predicaments."
Max’s expression then turned stern as he said, "I’m sorry I have to tell you this, but please refrain from disclosing my return from now on, Drai. Whether it’s to your friends, parents, or even the ghosts of your ancestors, don’t ever reveal anything about me. And before you protest, this is not my personal thought but an unofficial warning from the Velles Elders."
Drai’s drowsiness receded once more as his heart sank. It was apparent to him that the General didn’t just quietly harbor the information but had been utilizing it for something and perhaps had also brought it up to the Elders, prompting this reprimand.
Drai eventually said, "I’m sorry, Max... I didn’t think it would implicate your family this much. I should’ve just kept quiet and ignored his photo and autograph offer when I blundered that day."
"Hey, relax. Didn’t I say you hadn’t really caused any trouble? This warning is just a preventive measure, no need to beat yourself up about it," Max quickly reassured. "We just want to make sure this information doesn’t end up in the hands of people who can leverage it far better—or from our family’s perspective, far worse—than Alancho ever could, as he’s practically in the same boat as us."
Max’s words managed to lift Drai’s mood, though he still felt quite guilty for his carelessness.
"Anyway, that’s all," Max said as he jumped down from the window, landing outside. "I better go back before the maids come to wash me."
"What the fuck?! You get bathed by maids?!" Drai blurted.
"Lad, I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that. Penny and Reina forced me into this, saying that I’ve totally forgotten how to clean myself up. They aren’t completely wrong though. You should’ve seen the piles of gunk after they first scrubbed me—even I was shocked."
"Just go, dude..." Drai helplessly beckoned, not at all interested in hearing the nasty details.
"Tsk, you really should go back to some wilderness and toughen up more, Drai. Anyway, stay safe and don’t go nuts there, okay? And don’t be a stranger—call or text me once in a while if they don’t confiscate your comm."
Waving goodbye, Max’s figure then blurred before vanishing from sight.
After a moment of silence, Drai rose from his bed and walked to the window that Max had left open. He stood quietly there, deeply inhaling the fresh air while gazing at the vast estate that was beginning to light up from the rising sun.
"See you, old man..." he muttered before closing the window and returning to his bed, ready to get a bit of sleep in before he had to prepare for departure.
As Drai lay there, his mind drifted to the thick roll of life-size posters in his dimensional storage, wondering if they had been worth revealing Max’s return to Alancho. And before long, Drai fell asleep once more, still unaware that within him, the previously untainted image of his number one idol had been marred ever so slightly.
***
A black sedan stopped in front of a tightly guarded entrance.
"We’ve arrived, Young Master Drai," the driver announced.
"Thanks, Colton. Take care and see you again," Drai replied as he grabbed his small suitcase and stepped out. He hadn’t packed much since he barely owned anything to begin with. It was only because Auri had bought him a few sets of clothes and a number of essential items that he ended up bringing this suitcase, otherwise he would’ve just stashed a few sets of sleeping robes in his bracelet.
As Colton drove away, Drai stood there in an unusually nice attire, taking in the sight before him. The metal walls surrounding the complex were unusually high and thick, with various unknown devices protruding across the uppermost section. Meanwhile, the particularly wide, sturdy-looking gates were completely open, leaving plenty of room for two cars to pass through both sides of a guard booth parting the entrance just behind the gates.
Looking at the complex’s name that was hugely plastered right next to the entrance, Drai let out a small chuckle, as it read "Scarlet Operations Facility". He figured it was derived from Alancho’s moniker since nothing in the complex was even remotely scarlet-colored, at least from what he could see.
’Maybe you get to name a military complex when you become a general,’ Drai mused before finally making his way in. Meanwhile, the surrounding guards closely watched Drai as he approached the guard booth.
"State your name and purpose, and show me some identification or scan yourself there," the guard behind the reception window ordered while pointing to his side where a device was protruding from the booth’s wall. "Also, if you have any relevant documents, show them as well."
"My name is Drai Varz. I’m here to enlist. I haven’t renewed—"
"Wrong address, boy," the guard swiftly cut him off. "Newcomers go to Brightpath Base. It’s a few kilometers from here, right next to Zane Swanney Bridge if you know it."
"Uhm... I’ve been told to come here though."
"Who told you that?"
"Sorry, I forgot his name, wait a second..." Drai muttered as he checked his inbox. "Here it is—Ailem Law."
Hearing the name, the guard furrowed his brows and said, "Really? Any proof of that?"
Drai immediately projected the message he received that clearly displayed the sender’s name.
The guard inspected Drai’s screen briefly before saying, "Please wait. I need to confirm this."
Following this, the guard rose from his seat and went further inside, where as Drai walked to the scanner, looking at it curiously.
’I wonder if it can still display my ID even if I haven’t updated it after my evolution...’ Drai thought as he stepped in front of the device.
With a beep, the scanner came alive and a robotic voice asked him to stay put until the scan was done.
Drai waited, but unlike most of his previous scans, there was no confirmation message or any screen displaying the result.
’Hmm, it probably sent the result straight to the guard. I guess it would be hard for him to see the result if it’s displayed here.’
Drai then walked back to the reception window, arriving right at the moment the guard reappeared.
"I’ve confirmed the matter. Now you just have to prove your identity."
"Oh, I’ve actually just taken a scan there, but I don’t know if the result matches me or if it even shows up since I haven’t updated my ID after reaching the second stage."
"You’re a second-stager?" the guard questioned, as he was sure Drai looked way too young for that. But before he could press further, one of his monitors suddenly lit up.
"Oh, here’s your scan result," the guard muttered as he examined the screen. "Hmm, looks like you’re in the clear. It doesn’t exactly pinpoint your ID, but the closest match is ’Drai Varz’ with eighty-three percent accuracy. That’s good enough for me."
"So can I enter now?"
"Yes, just follow the main road and turn left at the first junction. Then walk a bit further—you’ll find building 4B on the left side. It’s the one with a wide porch and a lot of benches."
"Okay, thank you, sir."
After Drai was gone, the guard returned to the details on Drai’s ID.
’Eighteen-year-old... There’s no way he’s a second-stager, but Cyclops did say he’s supposed to enlist here. Hmm...’
Thinking that there was something going on, the guard ran Drai’s ID through the system in case his track records could provide more clues. Immediately after, the results came out.
’Barely any records, huh? I guess eighteen-year-olds haven’t awakened long enough to leave their marks. Most of them probably haven’t even hit level two yet... Wait—what’s this? Priority Recommendation?’
Clicking one of the few lines in Drai’s record sheet, an official document immediately popped up. Upon reading it, the guard instantly broke into a sweat. After a brief pause, he stuck his head out of the window’s opening. Unfortunately, the young man from before was nowhere to be seen.
The guard slumped in his chair, feeling that he just missed the opportunity to befriend a future military star. After all, throughout all these years, not a single person recommended by the legendary Alancho Skyward had ever been less than exceptional.
