Alma 26 He Hated I

The locations of all training academies weren't accessible on standard navigational records as a security measure. Few had the privilege of knowing the reason for this decision in the modern era. Most people thought that it was a useless, outdated policy from a bygone time. They were wrong.

It was created for an important reason; it was far more... chaotic back when the four empires were founded. No -- it wouldn't be a lie to say that the earth and sky ran red with blood several thousand years ago.

Calling it a bygone era would be a gross mistake; it was a completely different world. It was an alien hellscape rife with conflict and savagery, unlike anything Mulia's modern descendants could ever imagine.

Contenders were nothing more than foot soldiers and were considered expendable assets during the unification wars that raged across the continent. They served as the main combatants and had the highest death rate during those maddening years of brutal conflict against the staunch rebellion.

The insurrectionist movement that opposed the four empires -- the New Mulian Federation -- was particularly malicious and unforgiving during these wars.

They were astonishing cruel and heartless to great success in battle. Often, surprise attacks were normal. Especially on enemy training grounds to snuff out potential strategic threats -- the massacres ensued that left even the most battle-hardened troops horrified.

As a result, it became military protocol to keep the location of contender training grounds top-secret, even to the highest brass in the military. Even so, the number of contenders across the continent dwindled to a precious few after the war.

Even after hundreds of years of peace, contenders have remained scarce, to the point that they've become somewhat precious in the modern era.

Contenders in modern times now enjoyed privileges that their ancestors would have never even dreamt about. They were now precious seedlings. Investments instead of the cannon fodder they once were during the days of yore.

It was humorous if not tragic; how the wheel of fate turned for the status of being a contender. For they were but cheap pawns for their masters many moons ago; now celebrated as living demi-gods, pampered by the same people who once threw them into oblivion.

Not that any of them would ever know the truth; almost everyone who lived during this bloody period had already died except for a notable few...

Reed sneezed. He wondered if he had caught a cold and rubbed his frozen nose as he continued observing the deserted plaza. He continued to hesitate, but he knew that he'd eventually have to get this over and done with. Sticking around here like a mindless dunce would not do him any favors.

If he got caught, well -- c'est la vie, as the common folk often said. What more could he do about it? He'd deal with that problem if it came down to it. Reed resolved himself and focused on the job at hand; sneaking up to Axtorius's office undetected.

He'd already thought up a variety of tricks that'd give him an edge, but none of them were without flaws, so to speak. Creating a self-sustaining invisibility field by warping light was easy, but it had the flaw of being difficult to keep up while moving. He hadn't mastered the technique to point of moving and keeping it active, which was an issue of its own to consider.

Flying? If was he actually capable of doing it, he wouldn't even need to worry about this mess; he could have flown up to Axtorius's office from the outside in a flash. But it out of the question.

He could shake off gravity's shackles, but he knew that he had no fine control when it came to down to it. Chances were that'd he rocket off into the stratosphere like a human bullet if he attempted using the technique right now.

It was another example that proved he was woefully lacking finesse despite his outrageous talent. He knew he couldn't make up for hard-earned experience gained through practice even if he was a genius and that frustrated him.

An awful idea arose in the depths of his mind; he immediately hated it.

Short-range teleportation.

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He knew that'd be instantaneous, but he feared the possibility of another disaster. Even he understood that avoiding a bit of trouble and embarrassment wasn't enough to warrant the use of teleportation, even if it was short-ranged this time around. If he messed up again, it'd be another three-month vacation or worse with his luck. This was by far the dumbest idea he'd thought up and was the one he detested the most.

Reed mulled over his options and let out a deep sigh as if he'd let his soul escape his body. He had decided.

"Alright. Lu'um, here's the plan we're gonna go with..." Reed said as he explained what they were going to do. The absent-minded girl listened to the boy's plan and nodded as she looked at his twisted countenance. She laughed and gave a thumbs-up in approval...

It'd already three months since the boy's disappearance; was he still alive, or had he already died? The question continued to haunt him whenever he let his mind wander off.

Axtorius wished to know the truth, one way or another. He languidly lifted his cup of coffee and continued reading the reports that'd been sent to him by his subordinates. Over the last month, he even mobilized his intelligence network to no avail. Violett had told him the truth and understood why it'd be near-impossible to locate him; it was a frustrating but also delightful situation.

The little brat knew how to keep him on his toes -- who else would brazenly open a spatial tear they couldn't control? More importantly, how was he even able to do it? His learning rate was off the charts; even now, it still left him speechless whenever he thought about it.

A year-old contender that hadn't even completed basic training accomplished what many in the community considered to be the final milestone in their path of growth. It was the informal dividing line that separated the measly contender from a conqueror and yet, the boy did it in the span of his first year as a contender.

It was the equivalent of an infant who'd been born a year ago standing up and entering a full sprint. Not only that but also sprinting at an olympic-level pace. None of it made sense when he thought about it. Axtorius was worried. Reed was growing way too fast and now it'd caught the full attention of the four royal families.

The Kingscrowns were on high-alert and classified the event to the highest level of secrecy, but somehow the event still got leaked a month into their investigation. Once the other three families learned of the situation everything went as he expected. They started furiously searching their domains, hoping that the young boy had warped into their lands. Everyone was searching for the miracle child in secret while they kept the truth hidden from their vassals. The last thing they wanted was for them to interfere in their little duck hunt, he surmised.

He couldn't blame them for their actions though, as the boy was certainly worth the grueling effort they'd put in over the last three months. It was not an exaggeration in the slightest that the boy was unique beyond compare; many among the royal echelons believed that as long as the boy survived the warp into the void, he'd become their holy grail.

The fifth sovereign to walk upon these lands, they clamored in secret meetings across the world. He would upset the delicate balance established by the four empires, or so they thought.

None of that mattered to Axtorius; he knew the boy's character all too well. He'd never become what they wanted because the boy's ambitions were... special, so to speak. Axtorius let out a chortle when he thought about the young boy who told him that he was planning on, "settling down near some beach down in the South."

The kid didn't have a single ambitious bone in his body; it'd be impossible for him to hold onto a crown. The youngster would probably die than accept the responsibility...

Axtorius drank from his cup and noticed that'd it gone cold, again. He sighed; he started heating his drink and his office began shook with a vengeance. His hair bristled in surprise and his reflexes got the best of him. He quickly stood up and began channeling the surrounding Anima towards himself in preparation...

Space-time shook and screeched in protest as a bubble of distorted imaginary space came into existence above his desk. It violently contracted a couple of times before it finally burst. The exploding bubble turned everything in Axtorius's office into shreds as it finally stabilized with real-space.

Two figures stepped out of torn space; a young boy and a girl. The young boy looked at the destruction their entrance caused and a grimace formed on his face. The girl seemed entirely unconcerned by the mess they'd created and looked at the mess with indifference.

Finally, the youngster noticed the dumbstruck Axtorius and said, "It's a been a while, hasn't it? I'm back, old goat. Sorry 'bout the office, by the way."

Reed looked at his paralyzed instructor and barked, "You alright? Did you have a stroke or something, geezer? Don't freeze up on me, it's making me nervous." It looked like the old man wasn't able to handle the sudden turn of events. A solid minute passed until the astonished elder finally processed what happened.

Axtorius rushed up to Reed in a flash and began inspecting him as if he were some exotic specimen; it annoyed him but he let the ancient fart do as he pleased. Better to get on his good side than piss him off from the start.

Eventually, Axtorius had his fill and said, "Looks like this isn't a hallucination... you've made it back!" He cracked a toothy grin and patted Reed energetically. "You've done good, brat! Consider your return an astounding success and take a breather, for now. We've got a lot to talk about later, but right now I've got to make some very important calls..."

Reed let out of a sigh of relief. He was sure that he was in good hands now and his shoulders drooped a bit. He felt his tension melt away at the sight of the old man; it felt wonderful having a dependable pillar he could rely on. It was the first time he felt blessed that he had someone like the geezer watch over him, although he'd never admit it out loud.

After a couple of minutes, Axtorius finished talking whomever he needed to call and said, "By the way, it's a bit abrupt but she's coming over to meet you, boy. I had to tell her that you were back, after all, she was the one who was the most worried about you. No hard feelings, kid."

"What are you talking about? Wait, you don't mean that Vio-"

Reed's question was drowned out by a deafening explosion that rang out from outside of the office. It immediately put Reed on guard. He instantly understood who Axtorius had called and cursed a pox on the old bastard's name.

Oh, no.

Reed slumped his shoulders in despair and accepted that he wouldn't be able to run away from what was about to happen. He gritted his teeth. The office door slowly opened and...

It wasn't what he expected.

Chapter end