Eve of the Duel - Military School (Part 6)

3 days had passed in a flash. I wasn't able to find more traces of that clown in the park where I and Shizuko fought but that wasn't a priority right now. I got summoned by the Academy of Warfare which is basically the Cloud Empire’s school for new recruits.  

Shizuko also gave me some advice for coping with my new life and also a report about my fighting capabilities.
I was actually quite shocked to see the results. She gave me an A in defence, AA in offence and S for speed. Those were the main things that Shizuko accounted for during the fight but she gave me a B and above for everything else like reaction speed, battle IQ, etc. 

She actually gave it to Heodia before Heodia passed it to me. I’m rather proud of my current stats but I knew it wasn’t enough to beat Vula right now. But since that night, there’s still no information about our duel. Since Uto also notified me about it, it’s bound to happen. I’m about head to the Academy of Warfare School Grounds to get a tour of the place and tomorrow, I’ll be taking my first classes. 

Kanles Battle Arena, Captial City Blae, Cloud Empire

“So?” asked a person. “What did you think of his fighting capabilities, Shi?” 

“Shi? How many times I have told you not to call me by your weird nicknames, Vula?” 

Vula walked out of the shadows and snickered. “Uhm. It’s pretty funny to see your reaction, Shizuko.” 

“Yes, yes, alright. But back on topic,” Shizuko handed Vula a tablet. “It contains all of the data including video footage from our fight. To be honest, he’s way stronger than anyone I had fought yet… in hand-to-hand combat at least.”

“Even stronger than Martial Art Champion Axruo?” asked Vula. 

“Yeah. But the strange thing is, his movements were…” 

“Go on.” 

“…His movements were like an amateur’s.” Shizuko said. 

“Really?” questioned Vula. 

“Yes. You can take a look at the video footage to see for yourself.” 

Vula looked at the tablet before unlocking it and scrolling down to the video section. She pressed on the first video she saw. After analysing it a couple of times, she closed the tablet. 

“What did you think?” 

“Yeah… his movements were quite like an amateur’s like you said. But the strange thing is, the way he applied the techniques and moves to defend or attack was like…, a master's.” Vula answered. 

“Yeah. I also reached the same conclusion. It’s like he’s two people in one.” 

“Hm. Yes,” Vula raised a grin. “Now our duel would be an interesting one indeed…” she whispered. 

“Hm?” 

“Oh, nothing. But also, I want to share something too.” Vula suddenly said. 

“Alright. What is it?” asked Shizuko. 

“It’s about Void.” 

“As expected.” she replied.

“Yes. As you know, he has an enormous amount of Divine Essence.” 

“Hm. Yes, what about it?” 

“Well, the thing is, the density of his Divine Essence are too dense for the walls of reality to handle. When I talked to him a couple of days ago, a crack of reality appeared near he was sitting. I tossed a shard of reality that we found in a shelter in Touimai into the crack and it violently disappeared.” 

“So? What does that mean, Vula?” 

“I’m saying that are you sure he is not a threat to the Cloud Empire? As 3rd Seat of the 10 Guardians, I recommend eliminating him as soon as possible!” 

“Now, now, calm down. We all agreed that he is not a threat for now. We put him on our watch list still. Just have some trust in just and me… and I’m not saying this as your superior or as Vice-Commander but as your friend, Vula. Please. Trust me in our decision.” Shizuko asked. 

“…”

“…”

“Agh. Fine. I’ll trust you for now. And also do me a favour. Tell or send Void a message. Tell him to meet me in this arena, Kanles Battle Arena in a day or two. We’ll have our promised duel.” 

“Got it.” Shizuko replied as Vula walked off. “And one more thing, Vula before you go.” 

“What is it?” 

“Thank you.” Shizuko said. 

Vula smiled and waved as she walked away into the shadows of the arena before disappearing. 

Academy of Warfare School Grounds, Captial City Blae, Cloud Empire

"So this building over here is where you would take shooting classes..." 

I was bored out of my mind. Quite literally. I sat down under a tree to enjoy the shade and some wind while the rest of my group along with our guide a teacher in the academy were under the hot sun. 
And why I was bored? Well, I wasn't that interested, to be honest. Though I did acknowledge that this information was pretty important. Of course, I was still listening to the words of our guide, explaining which building is used for what and what classes we would be taking tomorrow. I got up once I was refreshed and made joined the group once again. 

"And this is the last place for today. This is Homan's Building, one of the most important buildings in the entire academy. It was founded by Homan Polifes, hence the name, and it is where you will take the 'final exam'. You can take this final exam anytime you wish, whether it will be 3 days after you start or 20 years later. If you pass the exam, then you are qualified for the battlefield and if you fail... then you can try again." the guide said. "The test would be one based on everything you know, to medical procedures, fighting stances, and so on. If you are feeling confident, please meet me after this, and you'll be taking the final exam." 

Excited conversations in the group emerged about the final exam. I wasn't too keen on listening to the conversations
But I was curious about one thing. I was about to ask the guide but I had last-second thoughts and decided not to. 

Then we were granted permission to leave and prepare for tomorrow which is when our group of around 700 starts our military school life. 
I immediately left and headed back to my hotel room which Heodia had been keeping clean and tidy. I was quite excited for today since it was the day we'll get the girl back from Uto. She should already be in Heodia's care and if she isn't then she should be arriving sooner or later. 

Control Centre, Atlantis, Planet Earth 

"Sir, are you sure that it is a good idea to send the girl to the care of Void and Heodia?" someone asked Uto. 

"I'm very sure, Reimei. It was very hard to find and detect but I'm sure of it, that girl contains or has Divine Energy. Other known as the power of the gods." he replied. 

"Divine Energy? Is that like Divine Essence but on a whole other level?" 

"Yes, you can put it like that since the properties are very similar. You can probably make a Divine Hierarchy from Energy at the top to Essence and then to like unproven ones like Atoms." Uto jokingly said. "But anyway, back on topic, I believe that girl knows she has Divine Energy and is constantly trying to hide the fact from us. And if we put her in the care of Void and Heodia, then we might, just might able to make her use her Divine Energy." 

"I see. If we can prove if she can actually use Divine Energy then we can prove that she's a god in disguise and if we can trap her then we can create weapons to counter the divine better." 

"Exactly. This project may take some time but I'm willing to gamble on this." 

"Hm. I fully understand now sir." Reimei said. 

"You do?" replied Uto. "Well, that's good. I'm sure Void and uh- Heodia, would take good care of her."

"Hm? How so, sir?" 

"I have confirmed for myself multiple times that he is quite observant, though I'm not too sure he himself has noticed. He was able to locate a submachine gun hidden by me in Heodia within a minute or so and was able to calculate how long the bullet fired from the gun would take to hit him. Pretty impressive." he explained.

"I see." Reimei responded. "That is impressive for a being in that world." 
Reimei walked away and continued her work as Uto stood there, thinking. 

 "Maybe it's going self-aware? Then I might have to take action soon." Uto whispered 

Capital City Blae, Cloud Empire

How do I describe it? When I first looked at the girl again, she had this more 'mature' aura compared to when I first met her back at Touimai. And what exactly was she doing all alone in a dark alleyway was something I am still unable to answer. But, I was glad that we got the girl back. After all, it was what I and Heodia agreed upon, we would take care of the girl like it was our own. Pretty strange request now I think about it but eh, who cares. 
We decided to give her a name and of course, we got her permission first. We first asked the girl if she can remember anything about prior to meeting us but unfortunately, she couldn't remember anything. 

From her black hair to crystal blue eyes and pale white skin, I first tried to think of a name from the Northern Continent, a landmass that is constantly showered with blizzards, snowfall and freezing temperatures. 

"Oh. Does Allin work?" I said. "I heard it's a name from the ancient kingdom that the Sagen Empire destroyed. I think it can mean rock. Since you know, her hair is a beautiful shade of black?" 

"Do you really think a name that means rock in an ancient language is suitable for a cute, charming and beautiful girl like her?" Heodia asked. 

"Alright, I'll think of another one." 

A few minutes pass before another name would come to mind. 

"Oh, I got another one." 

"Let's hear it." 

"Charlu or Charlin. Char for her black hair and 'lu' for the short form of the name that means snow, and 'lin' which I combined several names that mean snow or ice to fit the theme." 

"Hm. Yeah, that sounds pretty good. Charlu, Charlin... let's go with Charlin. Easier to say." Heodia turned to the girl. "Do you think the name Charlin fits you? 'Char' for your black hair and 'lin' for your crystal blue eyes and pale white skin." 

The girl nodded back in excitement, quite happy about her new name, Charlin. 

"Well, since that's over with, what do you want to do now? We can rest early and prepare for tomorrow or do something else." 

"I recommend you to rest early, maybe now is a good time since you got a few physical activities tomorrow. Basic hand-to-hand combat, formation studies, shooting training and a couple more are your classes tomorrow." 

"Wait, how do you know that?" I asked in a state of shock. As Heodia was able to reply, a knock interrupted us followed by a very familiar voice. 

"Hello there!" Shizuko said as she busted in. 

"I thought so. It was indeed Shizuko." I whispered to myself. 

"Hm? What did you say, Void?" 

"Nothing! And besides, what are you doing here?" I asked her. I quickly eyed Heodia to take Charlin and put her somewhere out of view. A small nod came from Heodia as a reply and she quickly hid in the shadows before disappearing into another room. 

"Oh, uh, I got a message from Vula." she answered blankly as she handed me the message.

"Oh? An update on our duel? I thought she already forgot about the duel." 

"Yeah, she wants to meet you at Kanles Battle Arena tomorrow at 9 am sharp. And I'll attend your classes for you if you want, but you owe me one." 

"Thanks." was all I was able to reply at that moment. Shizuko left just like how she arrived and I was mostly dumbfounded by what just happened. 

"Well, you better go to sleep now I guess. Good luck defeating the Lieutenant General tomorrow, Void." Heodia said as she reappeared, resting a hand on my shoulder. 

...

Happy New Year everyone. - SnowDust5