The Day had finally come, with the new term starting in only a couple of days; it was time for the big moment, allowing the Evolver Academy Classes of 2009 to Step foot into the Tower.
Standing half a mile from the gates, I looked out over a massive crowd of several hundred thousand young people while in my Nexus persona.
On stage with me were all of the Headmasters of each Academy, and while not every student who had graduated a few days prior was here since several decided to continue their studies in medical or other trade skill fields, well over 80% of the graduating students had shown up to enter the Tower and begin the lives they had spent the last year training for.
"I won’t bore you with another long-winded speech; each of you knows what to do; the lessons and friends you’ve made during your stay in the Academies are more than enough to get you through whatever you will experience inside the Tower."
"So I leave you with these parting words: watch over each other, stick together, and use what you have learned. The Tower isn’t a playground; it will kill you if given the chance, so DON’T be complacent; fight every battle as if your life is on the line because it is. Good Luck, and know you will always have a home at the Academies you studied at."
Gazing out at the cheering crowd, I could spot many familiar faces, some Returners, some famous internet celebrities from the Origin Timeline, and among them all, I could see a variety of different expressions, with the overarching one being excitement.
Excitement to finally obtain a superpower and system of their own, to become stronger, or some other reason only they knew; meanwhile, others were clearly scared shitless, and frankly, I couldn’t hold that against them because no matter how much training one went through, and how deep they made it into the dungeons, there was still a chance a strong monster would appear and wipe them out without giving the Graduate a chance to react.
Still, I tend to give credit where it was due, and the fact that each of these sla…pup…cough people was willing to show up and risk their lives for a better future was nearly praiseworthy.
I say nearly because even with their experience in the dungeons or knowledge obtained from classes, I didn’t doubt that at least half of them would be dead within the first couple of weeks.
And while I wouldn’t be able to get an accurate number until they made it up to the safezone city, it was a safe bet that the cocky ones would die first, the cautious ones would live the longest, and the smart ones would get the most gains.
’You sure about this, Brenden, it’s going to be annoying…’ Looking out over the crowd to where the graduates from the Central Florida Academy were located, I locked eyes with my brother and spoke through the telepathic connection.
’Yeah, I’m getting rusty sitting around every Day or fighting petty criminals, but I need a challenge. Plus, Dad is going in too, so it will be fine; the two of us will meet up in the lobby and climb together.’
’Plus, we still have no idea when Arkadia will Descent; it could be a week or ten years, so I have to fill the time somehow…’ looking over his shoulder, Brenden knew that Emilia was watching from the spectator stands not far away, and I could tell he was feeling a bit emotional.
She would be starting at the Academy in a couple of days; as such, they would be separated for some time.
’Sigh, remember that you need to crush the entrance token while stepping forward to give the appearance that you are going in with everyone else.’ I said while following his gaze toward the worried Emilia.
’Watch over everything here; I’ll be in touch when I can.’ Giving one final nod, Brenden followed the group from the Central Florida Academy as they were called up to enter the Tower.
And then, with a flash, thousands of graduates vanished into the shining gate.
’I’m going, see you in a few months; make sure to check in on your Stepmother and Abuela,’ half a beat after Brenden vanished, my father, who had left the stands, spoke up before finding a secluded area and crushing his token to follow into the Tower.
"Colonel Nexus, thank you for joining us today," Breaking my attention, One of the headmasters, a general from California, stated while walking up to shake my hand.
"The pleasure is all mine. I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to send off the next generation of Players, but I suppose congratulations are in order for you, General Chevallier; not only did your Academy win the inaugural tournament, but you have also been given your second Star."
Jumping straight into small talk with the General along with several other Headmasters, I never stopped keeping tabs on my surroundings; I wasn’t taking any chances with someone attempting a sneak attack, especially since, from a villains standpoint, this would be a perfect opportunity, given the fact that all of the Headmasters along with several higher-ups from the Academies were gathered in a singular location.
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And that was how, when everyone was oblivious to a tiny streaking light in the sky, I was the only one who took notice of it.
’Emilia, get out of here now, change, grab Xilia, and get back ASAP; a little bug has decided to buzz around.’
’Copy that,’ Without needing to be told twice or given any type of information, Emilia was gone from the stands, and I was slowly turning my head to look up at the vast sky.
"Gentlemen, it seems trouble has decided to show up at our doorstep." Not even half a second after I said that, everyone’s phones began blaring warning alarms, and the hundreds of thousands of Graduates began panicking and pointing toward the sky as one streak of light transformed into 10, then a hundred, until the entire horizon was filled with thousands of small, firefly sized lights.