6:34 A.M. (UTC+4)
The room was dimly lit from sunlight seeping through the curtains.
Zen sat on the floor, leaning against his bed, staring at the communication UI of his HUD.
The call rang for a few seconds longer than it should've, and then Aurora finally answered.
"How's everything?" Zen asked.
"The borders are in ruins," Aurora replied calmly. "Ansar and Ravynne have been scouting for threats for the past seventy-two hours."
Ansar and Ravynne glided along the border of Belarus and Lithuania at subsonic speed, scouting.
The sky over the charred terrain was faintly illuminated just before sunrise.
"5:34 A.M. UTC plus three. Moderate fog. Visibility reduced to two hundred meters," Ravynne logged.
Ansar's radar continued scanning.
"No hostile targets detected, yet."
Both of their points of view were being streamed live to Aurora at the Vanguard helicopter stationed at the nearest airbase.
Aurora's eyes shifted between the POV screens and the live radar feedback from both of their modules.
She connected Ansar and Ravynne to the call. Their live POVs popped up in Zen's HUD.
Zen could see the terrain below. Trees burnt, military posts destroyed, and the fencing separating the borders broken.
He exhaled sharply. "How are the forces holding up?"
"Fine, for now. Uncertain about how long. Defense systems are functional but limited."
"Casualties?"
"A few soldiers were injured. No fatalities yet..." She trailed off, eyes falling on the radar screen.
Multiple dots, clustered tightly together, kept flickering in and out.
Ansar and Ravynne braked mid-air.
"We have returns at 84 kilometers," Ravynne comm'd.
Ansar paused.
"The signal is abnormal and highly inconsistent."
Aurora raised an eyebrow.
"As if something is trying to hide but failing to do so."
Ravynne stared in the direction of the return.
"Shall we scout the signatures, Aurora?"
"The returns are from the other side of the border. Stick to your planned routes," Aurora replied.
"You should," Zen's voice came through.
Ansar and Ravynne exchanged glances. "...Sire?"
"But we don't even know what these could be," Aurora argued.
"Which is exactly why we should find out before it's too late," Zen replied.
"If they're that close to the border, it could be danger waiting to happen."
"And if there's anyone who can safely return from the other side, it's you two."
"Keep your thrusters low and your heads up."
They nodded.
"Copy."
Aurora reconsidered.
"Very well… Permission granted."
Ansar and Ravynne made preparations to cross the border.
They shut down their radars, set their thrusters low to reduce heat signatures, and double-checked that the live stream was on a secure, encrypted link.
Once ready, they crossed the border and started towards the radar return.
They flew low over a green forest to avoid or at least delay enemy radar detection.
After flying for about six minutes at subsonic speed, cutting through the fog, a giant, blurry silhouette came into view.
Aurora leaned closer to the screen.
"Is that..."
After closing in a little more, the full structure came into view.
A giant, grey, ninety-six-meter-tall body of metal, one knee on the ground, resting its weight on a massive hammer as long as the body itself.
Its chest area was open. Multiple men in military uniforms were busy with repairs, and others were conducting field operations around it.
Zen's eyes narrowed, never leaving his HUD.
"They brought a titan."
Ansar and Ravynne landed and peeked from the edge of the forest.
Ravynne scanned the titan.
"It's dormant at the moment. The core is probably malfunctioning."
"Crouched near the forest boundary, segmented armor, radar absorbing coating..." Ansar observed. "They were trying to mask its signature for a surprise attack."
Aurora processed the information.
"I'll alert the Legion, but countermeasures will take time."
As they observed, Ravynne's Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) started beeping occasionally.
"They're scanning the area," she said.
Ansar turned around.
"We should head back."
That's when his RWR started beeping faster than Ravynne's.
From afar, an alarm echoed from the enemy base.
Ravynne looked at the titan again and saw soldiers running at them.
"Get out of there. Now!" Aurora commanded.
Ravynne turned and immediately took flight behind Ansar.
They started flying back.
Ansar's RWR now beeped continuously.
"Radar lock!"
Ravynne's Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS) alarmed.
Several warnings popped up on her visor. "WARNING: MISSILE INBOUND!"
Both went supersonic, breaking the sound barrier that caused a loud sonic boom.
Ansar glanced behind and immediately spotted six missiles rapidly heading towards them. "Evasive maneuvers!"
"Copy!"
They split off. Ansar turned right. Ravynne went left.
Missiles chased behind them, three targeting each.
Ansar changed directions rapidly. Down, left, into a spin, and back up while deploying chaff.
One missile went for the chaff and exploded with a large boom.
The explosion pushed him hard.
His thrusters took a hit, but they didn't completely fail.
The other two missiles continued chasing him.
"Can't shake these off."
Ravynne flew straight towards him.
"Pulling them off you!"
She flew in and stopped between Ansar and the missile's path for just a second, spreading her magnetic wings wide to increase her Radar Cross Section (RCS), painting a bigger target on herself.
The missiles locked onto her, and she bolted again while Ansar maneuvered away.
With five surface-to-air missiles chasing her, she continued performing evasive maneuvers and then dove straight down towards the ground.
The missiles did too.
Ravynne approached the ground at rapid speed and at the last second pulled back up.
The missiles lost consistent tracking of her due to forest clutter at such a low altitude and crashed into the forest, covering the impact zone with a cloud of flame and smoke.
Ravynne caught back up to Ansar.
Ansar glanced at her and nodded.
"Well done."
"Thanks."
Both their RWRs beeped again.
Ansar scanned their flank.
"Two fighter jets on our six."
Behind them, both jets locked onto them and fired four Heatseeking (IR) missiles.
Ravynne's MAWS alarmed again.
All eight seekers locked onto the heat of Ansar and Ravynne's thrusters, approaching fast.
Ansar deployed a stream of flares, confusing the missile's tracking system.
All eight chased the heat of the flares instead, and eight consecutive blasts followed.
Ravynne turned mid-air, locked onto the frames of the jets, and launched her own barrage of guided missiles before turning back.
Both jets broke into evasive maneuvers while deploying flares and chaff.
A few missiles chased down one of the jets.
The jet took contact, and its right wing blew off.
The plane locked into a roll towards the ground, and the pilot ejected.
The other jet didn't chase further and flew away.
Ansar and Ravynne finally crossed the borders back to friendly airspace again.
"We're safe. Scouting mission successful. Hostiles taken down: one," Ansar comm'd.
Aurora, who had been watching all the chaos unfold live, finally sat down.
"Return to base."
Zen's voice came through. "Good job, both of you."
"Aurora, I'm sending Exo."
Aurora blinked.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes. A titan is waiting to attack once it's repaired. You'll need something to take it down or at least buy you enough time to prepare a counterattack."
Aurora nodded. "Understood."
The call cut off.
Zen navigated through the HUD options until the UI prompted him for his fingerprints.
"Authorize autonomous movement of ATCSM-DRG?"
He didn't hesitate and placed his right hand on the HUD.
It scanned all five of his fingers.
A green text popped up.
"Authorized."
He turned off the HUD and sighed, then looked out the window.
The sun was already rising, and the school campus would soon become busy.
His brain was still processing everything that had just happened in the past twenty minutes.
Three days ago, fireworks were lighting the sky over an amusement park, and today missiles covered the sky over a warzone.
He wrapped his hands around his knees and stared at the floor.
The chaos of a battlefield was more familiar than the silence of his bedroom.
"I guess someone was right. I really don't belong here."
8 A.M.
The academy was in mundane chaos.
Physical exams were already underway.
At one of the arenas, a traditional obstacle course, including a thousand-meter sprint, crawling under the net, climbing walls, etc., was set up to evaluate the non-elemental students.
Fifteen to twenty students at a time took a run.
Some failed. Some made it past everything with minimal effort. Some refused to give up, no matter the difficulty, making it to the finish line exhausted.
Students from different sections were divided into groups and provided with time schedules for their tests.
Finn and Alex had already finished their runs; their P.E. uniforms covered in sweat.
Alex wiped her face with a towel.
"Dude, I need a shower after this."
Finn let out a breathless laugh, hands on his knees.
"Yeah. Didn't expect the literal first test to be this intense."
Alex shook her head, smiling.
"And there's more left. Today's gonna be a long day."
Students waited outside a medical examination room, some excited, some anxious.
Max sat on a bench, leaning back against the wall, snoring away.
Edric sat right beside him, typing a message on his phone.
Inside the room, Justin stood in his gear tracksuit, surrounded on three sides by six panels.
"Alright," said the instructor, holding a tablet.
"Deploy your weapon and channel your elemental energy into it."
He deployed his Earth Great Hammer. Gripping it tight, he inhaled and began channeling with a groan.
His jaw tightened, muscles flexed, and a visible golden aura shimmered around him.
The panels picked up the energy. The meter slowly rose, flickering between eighty and eighty-three percent.
The instructor nodded as she observed the meter.
"Good. Now keep it sustained for at least ten seconds."
Each second passed. Justin felt himself growing tired. So, he pushed harder.
The meter beeped, dipping for a split second before climbing again.
The instructor logged the number.
"Eighty-two-point four percent. Impressive."
"You're free to go now."
"Next!"
Justin finally exhaled. He retracted his weapon and headed for the exit, breathing heavily.
Outside, Edric's ears perked up. He gave Max a nudge.
"Wake up. It's your turn."
Max startled awake.
"Huh? Wha-? Oh, right."
Max stood up, clearing his throat, and headed inside.
The instructor looked up from her tablet.
"Max Elliot Bennett."
"Please stand in the circle between the panels, deploy your weapon, and channel your elemental energy. You'll have to sustain it for at least ten seconds."
Max's eyes narrowed with determination.
"Right!"
He stood between the panels and deployed his weapon. A longsword with a pale grip and faint snowflake patterns on the blade.
He pointed the hilt towards the ground and gripped it with both hands.
One deep breath in, and he focused, channeling silently.
Light blue elemental energy shimmered around him, sucking heat from the air.
Trails of ice formed around his sword, looking like a weapon buried in snow for ages.
The panels picked up the energy.
The meter shot up.
The instructor glanced at it.
"98.8%"
Her eyes widened slightly.
Max kept channeling. His elemental reserve was slowly diminishing. The meter faltered just a little.
"96.9%"
He hit the ten-second mark and stopped.
Her eyes locked onto the meter—then stayed there.
"…You're free to go now."
Max retracted his weapon, catching his breath.
"What did I get?"
The instructor paused.
"You'll find out soon."
Max didn't push further. He nodded and walked away towards the exit.
The instructor logged the number.
"Well, that's not something you get to see every day," she murmured. "Next!"
At the target range, all students in the marksman class were undergoing tests.
A bullet hit the target on a moving drone thirty meters away—a seven.
"Final score: forty-four out of fifty," said the female instructor. "Excellent!"
Everyone applauded. The student walked back to the spectator's bench.
"Next up, Kyoya Aquila von Solheim," the instructor called.
Kyoya stepped up, spinning his pistol.
Students burst into cheers.
"Come on, Champion!"
"He's got this. Light work for him."
The girls, in particular, were the loudest.
He aimed at the first target, grinning confidently.
Then, his vision blurred for a split second.
"Huh?"
He tried to focus again, but the target blurred once more.
His eyes were getting heavy.
But still he pulled the trigger. It missed the bullseye—a nine.
Kyoya palmed his face.
The cheers slowly died.
"...Is he okay?"
"What's going on?"
"You guys are overreacting. A nine is not bad, right?"
The instructor glanced at him.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm... okay," Kyoya replied, pressing his face harder against the palm.
"Just give me a second."
He looked around until his eyes landed on a water bottle on a bench. He walked over to it, unscrewed the cap, and splashed water all over his face.
He took a few deep breaths—
"That feels better."
—and returned to his position.
He aimed at the second target but didn't shoot immediately like he always did.
He needed a moment to be sure, and when he was...
BANG!
Bullseye.
He aimed at the third target, took his time, and fired—another bullseye.
The crowd cheered again.
Two more targets followed. He remained slow and patient.
Maximum points.
The instructor smiled, nodding.
"Forty-nine out of fifty. Amazing!"
Kyoya didn't stand there to bask in the glory.
He immediately walked off, found an empty bench away from the crowd, and sat down.
His friends came to check.
"Everything alright?"
"You look tired."
Kyoya let out a long sigh.
"I just... didn't get enough sleep."
"Just give me some space. I'll be fine."
His friends backed away per his request.
Kyoya closed his eyes, unable to focus.
"I literally can't stop thinking about everything she said."
"I haven't been able to sleep properly ever since."
"And I don't think I can until I find out who was after them."
"This is bad."
The second-year students had different types of tests from the freshmen.
Julianna stood in her gear tracksuit as a probe scanned her, taking her body measurements.
Once done, the instructor gestured for her to enter the simulation room.
Julianna stepped in, and the door behind her slid closed.
The operator started the simulation.
The environment around Julianna shifted.
Simulated enemies wielding different types of weapons surrounded her, standing on different levels of elevated terrain.
Julianna focused. Leviathan deployed.
She spun her aquatic lance and took her stance.
The instructor glanced at the operator and nodded.
The operator started the timer.
3... 2... 1...
Begin!
All enemies leaped at Julianna.
Her eyes narrowed.
She lunged her lance into the stomach of an airborne enemy, dissolving it into ones and zeros before rolling back right before the others could get the jump on her.
All simulated entities charged together, fast.
A dense wall of water slid into her left, separating one group while she focused on another.
She dashed forward—slid out beneath them, and instantly jabbed her lance into the back of one.
An axe came directly for her head.
She ducked down, swept its feet, and knocked it down before immediately spinning around and hitting her lance on the head of another swinging its sword, staggering it back.
The other group pushed through the wall.
Julianna raised her hand. Water converged, taking the shape of a spear.
She threw it at them.
The water spear hit one of them and then blasted into vapor, taking down the others.
The operator spawned more entities.
They all locked onto her and jumped from different elevations.
She parried the first, then dodged a swing to her head and waist.
Sweeping her lance in a horizontal arc, she created space, then channeled her elemental energy, and the room suddenly filled with dense mist.
From the outside, no one could see anything.
Only lights flashed in the mist.
One entity eliminated after another—until the computer showed zero enemies left.
The simulation came to an end. The mist slowly faded.
Julianna stood alone, one hand on her hip, the other resting on her lance.
She retracted her weapon and walked out, stretching.
"Not my worst run."
The timer hadn't even ended.
The instructor logged the results.
"Not unexpected."
Madoka's eyes tracked her as Julianna walked by.
She had been watching, waiting for her turn.
"New technique?"
Julianna paused, a polite smile on her face as always.
"Takes quite a bit of energy."
Madoka gave her a teasing smirk.
"Still struggling with maintaining energy, huh?"
"Easy for you to say. You're a Null," Julianna whispered.
"That has nothing to do with my energy reserves," Madoka replied.
"Infused Nulls are not the same as Pure or Rogue Nulls."
Julianna chuckled softly.
"I know. I know. I'm just teasing."
She leaned in closer.
"Do me a favor. If we face each other in the tournament, don't suppress your powers."
"Huh. You sure?"
"I am. I've been curious to see how strong you really are."
Madoka tilted her head, giving her a side eye.
"Very well."
Julianna chuckled and waved as she walked away towards the exit.
Madoka watched her leave, then turned back to the simulation room.
The next student entered. She stood there, watching every move, waiting for her turn.
Cassie exhaled as she stepped out of the medical room.
Viara was waiting for her on a bench.
She stood up as Cassie walked out.
"How did it go?"
Cassie stared at the floor, gripping her right arm.
"Not that great. My energy output peaked at ninety-two percent, but I couldn't sustain it and... it dropped to eighty."
Viara gave her a reassuring smile.
"At least it's better than before."
"Yeah, by like five percent," Cassie said, eyes rolling.
Viara laughed softly.
"Still an improvement."
"I only had to show up for body measurements, so I'm free now."
"Heading back then?"
"No. I'll stay with you until you finish."
Cassie smiled.
"Alright. Then let's get some lunch from the cafeteria."
"I have time before my next test."
Viara nodded, falling in step beside Cassie as they headed to the cafeteria.
Viara waited outside because of the crowd while Cassie bought lunch for them both before they headed upstairs towards the rooftop for a quieter space.
Upon arriving, Viara noticed Finn and Alex already sitting at a table, talking.
"Hey. You two are here as well!"
Finn gestured toward Cassie.
"Well, she called us here."
Viara blinked.
"Huh?"
She looked at Cassie.
"You did?"
Cassie chuckled.
Julianna arrived beside Viara, smiling.
"We know you don't like crowds."
"So, we came here instead to have lunch together."
She gestured behind.
"And someone else is here too."
Cassie and Viara looked behind.
Kyoya stopped in front of them.
Cassie raised an eyebrow.
"Huh. You're the last person I thought would show up."
Kyoya walked past them.
"I don't mind spending some time with family. Don't get used to it, though."
Viara shrugged, smiling.
"I'm happy he even decided to show up."
She went ahead and joined Finn, Alex, and Kyoya at the table.
Julianna looked at Cassie.
"How are your tests going?"
Cassie sighed.
"Struggling with energy management."
Julianna chuckled, crossing her arms.
"Honestly, I also struggle with maintaining my energy reserves."
"If you want, I can give you some tips I use. Might help."
Cassie rolled her eyes.
"Wow. So generous of you."
Then both she and Julianna burst out laughing.
They joined others at the table.
Cassie sat down beside Finn.
"I haven't seen Zen in a while."
Her face fell for just a second.
"I hope he's doing okay now."
Finn returned a reassuring smile.
"He's doing fine. Don't worry."
"He just stays in his dorm since he's not required to take exams."
Cassie took a moment, then nodded.
"That's good to hear."
Madoka also arrived shortly after.
"Hope I'm not too late."
Finn gestured at her to take a seat.
"We just started."
"They should really make the combat simulation tests more difficult," Madoka said as she sat down.
"We are required to take combat simulation tests?" Cassie asked.
"Only second-year students," Julianna replied.
"Sounds fun. I wanna try someday," Finn said, excited.
Alex was busy on her phone, chewing food.
"Uh, guys..."
That caught everyone's attention.
"You should see this." Alex put the phone at the center of the table.
"This clip went viral in just a couple of hours."
Everyone leaned in, watching silently.
The phone played a video clip from a news channel.
"...factions are pushing through the borders into Lithuania with a giant ninety-six-meter-tall titan. Footage is limited due to the war belt and its surrounding areas being restricted zones for safety purposes. Stay with us for the latest updates."
The clip showed brief footage of a grey titan wielding a massive hammer, walking beside rows of tanks and military vehicles.
Viara's eyes widened. "A titan..."
"It's huge."
"There was one last year," Cassie said.
"Now there's another? How do they even build these so fast?"
"A more accurate question would be how many do they have in their arsenal," Julianna replied. "And the answer is—we genuinely don't have any idea."
Kyoya leaned back in his chair.
"After the Warriors Military Legion encountered the first few titans, they started their own programs. I've heard that a few prototypes are in testing."
"If they're ever looking for a pilot, I'm definitely volunteering."
Cassie scoffed, her smile teasing.
"Like they would let someone with ADHD pilot a titan."
The table broke out in laughter.
The ground shook as the titan crushed trees beneath its feet with each step forward.
Tanks, trucks, and armored vehicles advanced alongside it in staggered formation.
Six kilometers from the border, defensive tank groups held hull-down positions across key choke points.
Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (SAMs) were ready to take down aircraft.
Aurora stood on a small hill, watching the distant silhouette of the titan close in.
Ansar and Ravynne arrived beside her, both fully armed and modified for combat.
The captain of the squadron approached her.
"Commander, we are low on reinforcements."
"I don't think our defenses here will hold against their forces."
"Trust the plan. Hold the line," Aurora replied firmly.
The ground beneath their feet was visibly shaking.
The titan had breached the border. Forces were pushing along.
A few kilometers to the left of the first group, another group of tanks was in position.
Umbra-01 stood among them like a knight, hilt of his axe on the ground, hands resting on the grip.
His POV was being streamed live on the WML's secure private channels.
The titan stepped into range.
All the barrels of the tanks locked onto it.
Umbra-01 waited just a few more seconds for the right moment.
"Now," he said, his voice deep and unbothered.
"Fire!" the captain of the squadron yelled.
The battlefield thundered as tanks fired in sequence.
The titan took contact, slowing down for just a second as one shell after another exploded on its energy shield.
Other groups followed up with their attacks.
Aurora's group fired.
Shells flew kilometers away and hit the titan. But it was barely slowing down.
The captain panicked.
"It's not stopping!"
"We have to fall back!"
Just then, a roar echoed throughout the entire battlefield.
Everyone looked up—even the enemies and the titan.
The warzone went silent.
A large shadow tore through the clouds.
Sunlight reflected on its giant silver frame, body, and tail, pulsing with blue lines, flapping its wings of steel with a propulsion system cleanly integrated into the back edge.
The captain was in awe.
"Is that... a dragon?"
Aurora smirked.
"Aerial Titan-Class Siege Machine - Dragon variant."
"Nickname: Exo."
Exo's eyes locked onto the enemy units on the ground.
He braked mid-air and flapped his wings.
Dozens of energy shards rained down.
The shards struck the enemy units and exploded, covering the field in flames and dust.
The enemy Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns (SPAAGs) began shooting at Exo.
The titan took a step forward.
Exo locked onto it immediately.
He circled it at high speed, never closing in directly.
He opened his mouth with a roar, charged—then unleashed a continuous blue energy beam.
The titan put its arm in front, struggling to keep up as Exo circled it nonstop.
The energy shield on its armor began depleting.
Aurora's comms chimed. She picked up.
Tessa's voice came through, slightly amused.
"Anyone called for backup?"
The sound of rotors and jet engines echoed.
The Vanguard helicopter hovered overhead, Tessa standing at the cargo ramp with her dual blades as it opened.
Ansar and Ravynne looked up as dozens of fighter jets flew past, carrying air-to-ground bombs to strike the enemy ground units.
They exchanged glances and nodded.
Thrusters fired, heat burning the ground as they both took flight to join the fray.
Umbra stood still as tanks around him fired one after another.
He groaned that almost sounded like a smirk, gaze never leaving the flying beast.
"And they call me the monster."
Commander Stelle watched everything live on a big screen in the administration room through the WML's private channels.
"He'll always get involved, one way or another," she said. "He couldn't be there physically, so he sent his little pet to deal with it."
"I can already hear the high officials debating on this one."
Sayuri stood right beside her, arms crossed.
Saya watched on her computer screen from the room of the underground facilities, drinking bubble tea.
Zen watched through the eyes of Exo circling the titan on the holographic HUD of his housing unit, sitting on the floor, leaning against his bed.
Kaisen watched from the base he was stationed at. He immediately got news the moment Exo was deployed. And he knew exactly who did it.
Saya didn't blink.
"The tides have turned."
Zen's eyes narrowed.
"Don't hold back."
Kaisen smirked, eyes never leaving the screen.
"Well done."
Sayuri said nothing.