Mission Start

A group of ten has gathered. Although there is plenty of light, it isn't easy to determine who the individuals are. “We all have gathered. Why is it you have summoned us?” A stern male voice breaks the silence as one speaks up. “He has left this realm,” a calm female voice replies as all remaining members’ attention shifts to her. Although they might try to hide it, it is clear that those words caused everyone to become on edge. “We must do all in our power to find him,” another responds. A moment of silence follows as they all nod hesitantly. All ten make a sudden jump simultaneously.

A bump in the road brings me back to reality. That felt a bit too surreal to be a dream. A quick peek through the window I spot several run-down buildings passing by. We must have left the Sherry circle by now. “You must be quite relaxed if you managed to fall asleep while we are on a mission.” The voice comes from the guy sitting in front of me. His name is Joey, and it is clear that he is nervous. He is fidgeting around, and his hands are shaking. I’m in a car, or jeep to be more exact off on a mission. I take a glance at the passengers alongside us. Ten other members are strapped to their seats all attending their own business. Before long I shift my attention back to Joey.
“This is your first time being deployed, right Joey?”
Not feeling the need to answer his question directly, I respond with another question. He laughs nervously before responding looking a bit off to the distance.

 “Yeah, it is quite the honor to be sent out to be part of this mission”
“Just stay sharp out there”

Trying to reassure him I wave my hand to refer to the other members sitting in the jeep.

“We have quite the unit this time, so we should be fine”.

I must have gotten everyone’s attention as their eyes shifted to Joey and me. Lydia, the girl sitting next to Joey joined the conversation, placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Llyod’s right! You don’t have to worry Joey. You are doing great at the academy.”
It doesn’t take long before the others start joining in, all trying to cheer Joey up in their way. As everyone chimes in, Joey awkwardly laughs as he eases up a bit. Joey then turns his attention back to me. “Any tips for me Llyod,” His expression turns serious again. After our words of encouragement, I don’t feel like souring the mood again. Racking my brain to give a proper response. “Don’t lose!” We both laugh as everyone tends to do their business again. Probably doing their final preparations, as we should arrive in about 10 more minutes.

Our jeep drifts to a standstill. The driver, who has been quiet the entire ride, jumps out, opening the backdoor, and yelling at us to get into position. We don’t have to get told twice as we all gather outside. Although our target is a few meters away, it is always best to be alert, in this area. Some of us don’t see it that way, as Xander runs straight ahead. Except for the driver, Xander is the oldest of us, but he doesn’t seem to take that responsibility. With him rushing ahead the rest of us feel conflicted. A few quickly try and follow suit as they disappear into the building. Others circle the warehouse entering from different sides. Our group, divided into smaller teams, all moved inside to investigate. I’m the last one standing on the east side of the building. I should be able to manage on my own, though I can’t help but feel a bit antsy. I’ll probably never get used to this sensation. This is it. I went alone checking rooms on the far east side. Summer may have just passed but it is surprisingly cold inside. Especially since it was clear weather outside. The eerie silence is also starting to put me on edge. The first room. Empty. Moving to the second. It is also empty. After opening the third door I start hearing sounds of fights breaking out from inside the building. It seems it has begun. I hope everyone will stay safe. I run out of the room and after passing a small gate, I come across an open area. This must be the remnants of an old storage room. Other than some supporting pillars and a few boxes in the corner the room is empty. Just like the exterior, this place seems oddly well-maintained. Not something you would expect from the Ivanda circle. My train of thought gets interrupted when a hooded figure comes into my line of sight. Based on his posture, I would say I’m facing a thirty-something man. It seemed like he was standing in the corner waiting for me. It’s one of them! One of the children of Rhea. Guess I’ve found what I’ve been looking for.
“You people have been a constant threat for far too long! So now… finally, we are going to put an end to this!” I raise my hand, revealing my wristband. A green crystal attached to the wristband starts to glow. The man doesn’t respond vocally but grins and simply matches my gesture, pulling out a gadget out of his pocket, with a similar crystal attached to it. It, too starts to glow. The area around us starts to morph as we both get ready for battle.

Cryscity. Build from the ground up after a war that has destroyed so much. In its center, a tower looms over all, with a crystal at its peak for all to see. Inside the tower is a man in a suit standing in his office overlooking the city. Despite its size, the room has a giant desk and a chair. The man is standing next to the wall window. With his hands crossed behind his back and a calm and cold expression. A man with status that exudes confidence. Behind him, next to the giant desk, stands a worried man in a lab coat holding a notepad. He just entered the room but seemed a bit hesitant to speak.

“S-Sir, is it true? I heard a new unit has been sent!”

The man doesn’t bother turning around. Then, as if being interrupted during leisure time he confirms in a calm yet annoyed tone.

“But why!? Haven’t you read the report? Shouldn’t you proceed more cation with deploying newer members?”

“This is me being cautious. This dispatch will be a great measure to decide who can handle the increase in strength of our opponents.”

“You mean to sacrifice some of the students to gain information?”

The man sighs. He turns to face the doctor for the first time throughout their conversation. His demeanor doesn’t betray his state of mind, ironically making him more menacing. He slowly walks closer to the doctor. Being closer makes it easier for the man to look down upon the doctor despite their minimal height difference.

“Nothing can ever be obtained without sacrifices. It would be best to remember that good doctor. Or do you think all you achieved was done without sacrifice?”

The doctor doesn’t have a rebuttal. He looks down, biting his lip as he realizes how powerless he is. Seeing the doctor’s expression, the man sees that this conversation has ended. He walks back to his desk without saying another word. After a brief silence, the doctor leaves defeated.