"What's wrong with your neural comm? Didn't you receive any message? The first batch of Explorers are going on an important mission in twenty sequences. I had to search over for you, until I met you here."
"My neural comm...Oh, I'm sorry about that, instructor Jet."
Raising his lips, instructor Jet nodded as he looked around.
"What are you doing here anyway? Indulgence with Liu Zhang and his cohort doesn't go down well. Try your best to abstain from them. They are quite troublesome, even as cadets their rank. Most Diver cadets from the second division abstain from Liu Zhang."
'This man... why did he care so much?' Bale thought, confused.
But then he asked, "Why would a Diver cadet abstain from Liu Zhang? Is he that notorious as a criminal?"
"Huh," Instructor Jet snickered. "Don't you know?" He said, shooting him a gaze.
Bale, who was getting slightly more confused, asked again, "Kn-know what?"
"Liu Zhang happens to be the last child of the influential Fei Zhang. You should know what that means."
"Fei Zhang, the head of the Zhang Clan and the Master of the Atlas Fringe Contingent?" Bale widened his eyes in disbelief. The guy, the well recognised troublemaker who was feared by all Scouts and some Divers was a child of the Master of Atlas Fringe.
Atlas Fringe, as initially known, was one of the three main sectors of the New Facility, and consisted of seven whole systems! The territory controlled by the whole Rithm Faction!
Since the three Factions of humanity shared equal power and authority, the Triarch Council was established to create a unified power—a form of governance meant to guide the laws and maintain order within New Facility.
Therefore, since each Faction was too vast to directly form the Council, they were instead represented through smaller organisations, known as the Contingents of the Triarch Council, with each Contingent headed by a Master.
Masters were widely known as the custodians of balance and authority within the Council structure, entrusted with representing the interests of their respective Factions while remaining bound to the collective will of the Triarch. Each Master exercised significant influence, yet none ruled in isolation, as their power was tempered by the presence of the others. Through counsel, deliberation, and command, they upheld the Council's laws, resolved disputes among Contingents, and ensured that no single Faction overreached its mandate. In this way, the Masters served not merely as leaders, but as stabilising pillars through which the Triarch Council sustained unity and order across New Facility.
Within New Facility, the authority of a Master was both far-reaching and unquestioned, their words capable of shaping policy, redirecting resources, and altering the course of entire sectors. Decisions made by the Masters resonated through every layer of governance, and their presence alone carried weight enough to command obedience. As such, they stood among the most influential figures in New Facility, their power felt not through excess, but through the permanence and reach of their rule.
"No wonder…" it finally dawned on Bale that Liu Zhang was merely basking in his father's influence. Children raised in such shadows often grew indulged, sometimes troublesome without even realizing it. And beyond that, belonging to the Zhang Clan alone was enough to quietly encourage such prideful behavior. The Zhang Clan was so vast that it owned various planets across different systems.
Even so, his growing confidence should have been reined in by the Academy itself, which held significant influence as one of the key pillars of the Vortex Frontier Program.
"Good for you to know. It's eighteen sequences already. Be ready." Instructor Jet said and went back to his work post at the Diagnostics Wing.
Bale spared himself few more seconds before returning back to the cubehalls.
Arriving at the large corridor between the cubes, he saw that all cadets were rushing out of their various cubes, their movement seemingly towards the assembly hall. Without sparing much time, he hurried into his cube, took his neural suit and neural comm, re-applied his neural nodes to his temples—mainly for syncing and communication—and jogged off to join the rest of the cadets.
---
"First Division cadets, you may be surprised by this sudden summons from the Academy's leadership. Still, it is a shared duty and a well-known mark of every cadet to be ready to answer when called. Today, that call has come to you. I trust that each of you will step forward and give your best, whatever this task may demand."
As one of the instructors, Instructor Finn declared through a neural comm which resounded benignly in every individual's head through their neural comms, or more put, neural nodes, some cadets were stirred at the last few words. Even Bale was not spared.
'...no matter what it is all about? Are we to be on a dangerous mission?'
However, Instructor Finn continued on.
"An urgent mission has emerged on this planet, far from the safety of the cadet Academy fort, where unrest has begun to take shape. For this reason, the finest Explorers and Scouts of the First Division are going to be called upon to join the Second and Third Division cadets, who will be guiding a vast caravan toward the point of emergence, alongside several Unbounds. This will not be a controlled exercise like in your theory classes or simulation hall synchronisations. It is a rare chance for you to face real anomalies in the living world, long before 'falling upward' can harden your instincts through growth. Understand this clearly. This call is not about glory. It is about responsibility. What you do out there will matter to not just to the caravan, but to the future we are trying to protect. Step forward with that in mind, and give this world your very best."
With this, there was a low uproar among the cadets. They were totally fazed by this newly dispensed information, as it was totally unexpected.
"Wait, did I just hear Unbounds? We're going to be meeting with an Unbound?"
"That's not possible. I thought they are very distant humans and don't work with us mundane humans."
"What?"
"Anomaly at the Academy? We're cooked."
"Don't tell me vortexes are beginning to open within New Facility. Someone pls tell."
"Nowhere's safe."
"Is the Academy under imminent danger?The Unbounds are there to save us. Why need us?"
"We're not safe here anymore. Even the Unbounds need mundane rats like us."
"Safe?Why were you here in the first place?To hide from the dangerous world or to fight it?"
"To fight it, but.."
"Finally, we're going to meet something different."
"If my name is not called upon, I'll definitely sneak my way in. I won't waste a lifetime opportunity to meet an Unbound, hmph!"
"Heh, we'll become one someday. There's no big deal about it."
"Explorers have no business in this."
"Most cadets will die soon."
"Who said that?Stop it pls."
"Order!"
The assembly hall retained silence again as Finn shouted for order. The voice rang deep in everyone's heads through their neural comms.
Though only a portion of the Explorers and Scouts would ultimately be selected, the Academy chose to summon them all. The intent was clear. The instructors wanted the remaining cadets—the Unfits, and the rest of the Scouts and Explorers—to share in that moment, and to feel a growing sense of camaraderie and a quiet responsibility to improve, so that next time, they too might be chosen. More than that, it was meant to deepen their awareness of the world around them, and to stir a stronger sense of sonder toward their surroundings and the New Facility itself.
Just then, instructor Finn descended the elevated platform, prompting the entrance of another Instructor. This time, it was the instructor with rimless spectacles and white hairs. Some cadets, especially the girls, felt elated upon seeing him again.
"He's so handsome."
Clearing his throat, he began calling the names of the selected Scouts and Explorers.
Hearing their names being called, the individual cadets would either get startled, while some, especially the girls, would get elated upon having their names called by him. Sequences later, the names got called and the chosen cadets were very few. They were just about thirty in number.
Bale stood among the rest of the crowd, looking unsurprised. He had known right from the onset that he was not among even the top two hundred if the first division, so he wasn't really expecting his name to be called.
'Well, that does it. I'll have more time for training, at least. Outstanding students like Tora, Tosin and Liu Zhang had been chosen, by the way. I have no way around them. At least for now.'
"Explorer Bale."
"Huh?" Bale looked around as a sudden chill ran down his spine. Did he just hear his name getting called? It must be some... glitch or some stuff. Or maybe he's beginning to develop some neural illnesses.
'Oh, I need to visit the Diagnostics again.'
But then, he happened to settle his eyes on the man who actually seemed to call his name.
The instructor appeared to carry an indescribable facade looking at him, as if he were some criminal.
Bale didn't know what to say. H was dumbfounded.
"W-what?Me?"
"Join them over there. You'll follow along."
At that moment, some gentlemen in vanda black suits and heavy dark spectacles came in unannounced, which caught the attention of everyone in the hall, of course. Knowing from the logo of the stylised flame encircled by an infinity symbol tagged on their chests, they were some members from Prometheus.
Adjusting his spectacle with his index, one of the men in suits added as he walked and stopped in front of Bale.
"Yes, you. Cadet Bale. You will be joining the mission."