"As you all already know, our world is slowly dying due to the invasion of the World Beyond the Veil. To date, we still have not been able to determine what this World Beyond the Veil is actually called, only that it is home to creatures and species that are not only hostile to us, but powerful enough to completely destroy and overtake our world."
The instructor who spoke was a tall man in dark robes. He had wide shoulders, brown eyes, an athletic build, and a gorgeous brown beard.
In front of him, on the podium, was a whisper-globe which magically projected a large screen for the entire class to see. On the screen were pictures of various, different horrific monsters: some resembling impossible, chitinous insects taller than trees; others, vast hordes of giant, diseased rats; and one particularly chilling image of a serpentine beast wrapped around what was clearly the ruins of a once-great city.
Every cadet seated in the class paid close attention as Instructor Raymond pointed toward the projected screen and continued speaking in his measured, gravely serious tone:
"The only reason this world has not yet been overtaken by these hideous creatures is because of our Dominants who venture Beyond the Veil on the days of the lunar eclipse to destroy them and stop them crossing over."
He paused for a moment, sweeping his gaze over the terrified cadets, then he sighed somberly and his measured voice dropped to a low, grim timbre:
"The Lunar Eclipse is in just a few weeks, and as such, all of you seated here will be expected to journey Beyond the Veil when that time comes. Now, some of you might think you are strong, that you are well prepared, or that your Bond is powerful enough to protect you, but I must say this plainly right now: Many of you seated here will die. Many of you will lose your Bonds. And most especially, those who think too highly of themselves, their noble standing, and their abilities will die even faster and, likely, in the most agonizing way possible."
The already fear-stricken and shaken Dominants began to murmur among themselves, but Instructor Raymond continued in the same serious tone.
"Put aside your petty rivalries, your blind faith in your own power, and your aristocratic pride and work with each other. We are all nobles here, bound by the same oath to the Empire and the same danger from the Outside. What truly distinguishes nobles, like us gathered here, from the lowly commoners of the Empire, is the fact that we have been blessed with Bonds who grant us great power. But that power is not a luxury; it is a burden. That means that it is our sacred duty to protect and defend our world, as we are the only ones who possess the strength required to do so."
'Get to the important part already...' I yawned, as I couldn't bear with the long, preachy speech any longer.
Of course I already knew that many of the cadets here would die. In fact, over sixty percent of the cadets from the first year didn't make it back from their first trip Beyond the Veil. Some died due to their pride, others due to their carelessness, and most just due to bad luck. If I could remember correctly from the game, even Celeste Martini, my supposed sister, died during our first trip.
However, I was not concerned about all of this, including the whole noble duty to one another or to this world. I was only concerned about my own survival, and so I needed the instructor to hurry up and give us information about the basics and what to watch out for when newly entering the World Beyond the Veil, so that I could compare this information with what I already knew.
Another reason I was so interested in this was because I skipped the cutscenes of the classes explaining all this basic stuff while playing the game, and as a result, I struggled and died many times in the beginning after journeying to the world beyond the veil while playing as Leon, only learning after restarting several checkpoints. Since I did not have that luxury here, I needed as much information that I did not know as possible.
The preachy speech went on for several more minutes.
Finally, the instructor got to the good part. He paused for a moment, giving us some time to process his earlier words before continuing:
"I will now talk about the World Beyond the Veil, what you should expect on your arrival, and what you should do to enhance your chances of survival."
I straightened up in my chair. 'Finally!'
The instructor pointed to the projected screen on the whisper-globe. At that moment, the previous images of monsters dissolved, replaced by what looked like a bizarre map.
There was a small circle in the middle. Outside that initial circle was another, and outside that one was yet another, creating a series of concentric rings, over six circles in total, stretching across the screen.
"This is the rough map that we have been able to come up with of that world so far."
He pointed to the smallest circle in the center of the screen. "When you all cross the Veil on the night of the lunar eclipse, you will all be transported here, which is known as the First Ring.
"The First Ring is made up of a whole lot of territories belonging to different species of the First Grade, up to the Third Grade, some of which are more dangerous than others irrespective of the Grade.
"The problem here is that we cannot tell exactly which of these territories you'll be sent to once you cross over the Veil. Some of you, the lucky ones, may wake up in the territory of a First Grade. Those who do would have a higher chance of survival. Some of you may wake up in the territory of a Second Grade. If you do, please try to make sure that you are not alone. Find as much of your fellow cadets as possible to increase your chances of survival."
The instructor paused for a moment and then his tone grew more serious: "Now, though it rarely happens, if some of you are unlucky to wake up in the territory of the Third Grades, please, please, please, find a way to leave that territory as soon as possible. Do not try to attack that territory as that is the home of the Lords of the First Ring. You can only attack the territory should you wish to do so when you at least have more than thirty strong cadets in your party. Any less would spell doom for you."
The cadets murmured frantically among themselves for a moment after. A few seconds passed before the professor clapped his hands once, demanding silence. Then he pointed towards the screen and continued:
"The goals of this expedition are as follows."
He lifted a finger. "The first, and most important, is that you all find the Red Bridge and destroy it. If you do not destroy the Red Bridge, then this year's expedition to the First Ring will be useless as the creatures there would be able to cross over to our world using it when it matures."
The ways to cross between worlds were known as bridges. Everyone already knew this information. Once every Lunar Eclipse, while a Blue Bridge known as the Veil appeared in our world, letting us cross over, a Red Bridge also appeared on the other side. The difference was that the creatures on the other side could not cross over until after the bridge matured, which usually took a few months. The main goal of the expedition for the first years in all the Bastions to the First Ring was to find the Red Bridge and destroy it before it matured.
Instructor Raymond went on. "I do hope and pray that the Red Bridge for this Lunar Eclipse is in a Grade One territory, making it easier for you to make your way to it and destroy it."
He raised a second finger. "As you all already know, once you cross the veil over to that world, you cannot come back until after six months."
In a year, a Lunar Eclipse occurred twice, precisely every six months. And so, while a Blue Bridge appeared on this side for those journeying during the current eclipse to cross over, a second Blue Bridge would also appear somewhere on the other side for those who had journeyed during the last eclipse to use and cross back to our world.
This meant that once we crossed over, we would need to wait six months until a Blue Bridge appeared over there before we would be able to come back using it.
"The second goal is that you survive until the end of the six months. Find as much of your colleagues as possible and protect each other in that horrible world until the Blue Bridge appears. Those are the only goals of the expedition."
That last bit… was a lie.
Of course there was a third goal he wouldn't dare to say, and that was to challenge and kill the Lords of the First Ring.
The reason we journey every Lunar Eclipse to destroy a Red Bridge is that as long as the Ring Lords are still alive, Red Bridges would be born every lunar eclipse. And so, unless they are all killed, Dominants will have to keep journeying to the First Ring every Lunar Eclipse.
But killing the Ring Lords was extremely difficult, if not almost impossible. That was why no one before us had been able to do so, and had just focused on destroying the Red Bridges.
Did I plan to be different and challenge the Ring Lords during this Lunar Eclipse? Hell no!
My own personal goal for this eclipse is just to survive until the end of it, while also growing my power to the best of my ability, and that's it.
I also don't have any noble duty to protect anyone, and so I don't plan to.
'Though to increase my chances of survival, I'll need to hang around the main protagonist.'
He's strong, so I don't mind rolling behind him.