41. Innocent
Trespassed
Nathan Marks made his way through the dormitory halls, anguish and worry
dotting his face.
He’d been inducted into the 4th division only a month ago,
and from that point on, it seemed like he’d fallen prey to every embarrassing
slip-up that could possibly happen. He lost his identification card, his first uniform
had been set on fire, and he'd been late to nearly every meeting.
It was dinnertime now, and he was late yet again. Even after a month,
Nathan still hadn't gotten used to navigating the confusing halls of the Guild.
Compared to the rest of his division, it was pathetic, but Nathan was used to
being pathetic. He was only fifteen years old, the youngest Dimensional Knight
present in the Guild. Most kids his age were taller than him, and soft, light brown
hair fell just above his frail brown eyes. Freckles littered his pale, pudgy
skin. He was certainly in the worst physical condition out of any of the Knights,
and he was unbelievably weak. Nathan could barely keep on his feet when he fired
a gun, and had trouble holding even the lightest sword. He was slow, with a very
low tolerance to pain, and no knowledge of any sort of military strategy.
How had he become a Dimensional Knight in the first place? The miracle
of it all still amazed him. From the beginning, he’d felt like he had no hope –
but something deep inside told him that trying it once would still be better
than not trying at all. In order to enter training, one had to pass a grueling
half-day written examination as well as three separate physical exams. On top of
that, there were extensive background checks and interviews. Nathan had even been
forced to pull up records of which preschool he had attended.
The background checks weren't a problem. Nathan had been a sheltered
boy his entire life, and had done absolutely nothing exciting, let alone anything
dangerous or suspicious. The problem was the endurance test.
He had to go through multiple simulated battle environments and survive
through attacking enemy forces. Of course, he got ‘killed’ numerous times and failed
miserably. The second part was a hand-to-hand combat simulator, and Nathan had
tripped over his own legs. Finally, there was a speed simulator, where Nathan had
to run over a mile through a jungle, dodging obstacles and jumping over dangerous
traps. He hadn't even finished that one.
At that point, Nathan felt as if his dreams had been shattered, ground
up, and spit into an ashtray by some invisible monster that was out to get him.
He hadn't seen any way he could have redeemed himself at that point, even
though he did have a perfect background check. All his life, he'd been ridiculed
by his peers and elders, never acknowledged for anything beyond his outward appearance.
Nathan wanted to prove them wrong so badly. He wanted to show them that he
could be successful, that he wasn't a lost cause that had to be pitied by
everyone he came across. Nathan assumed his parents already believed was going
to be a total failure at life, and that they would have to support him until he
found some poor girl to marry and relieve them. It was so pathetic.
He’d decided to go home after the physical examinations and say goodbye
to his dreams of becoming a valiant Dimensional Knight, and then possibly leave
Elysiana forever. But the woman who had been proctoring the exam changed all that.
She had had long, flowing, blonde hair, porcelain skin, and a deep,
commanding voice. She wore the same clothes every time he saw her: a white top
that came to a V in the front, with a heavy pleated skirt. On top of that, her
aura was frighteningly powerful.
Her name was Azuka Ingram, and she later became Nathan's superior.
Right as he decided he was going to quit, she had approached him and told him about
the final test: a written exam with dozens of questions across multiple areas
of study. Many Knights didn't even finish in time, and relied on the physical
examinations to boost their overall score.
Right after that, Nathan rushed out of the Guild, hurried back to his
hotel room in Ieon City and began studying. He didn't sleep a wink, and instead
focused every ounce of energy he had on learning as much material as possible. He
was surprised to find out that he already knew most of it simply from all the
reading he had done on the Guild in his spare time. He started to feel more confident,
and as the clock struck eight the next morning, Nathan was more than sure he
could pass the test.
The exam time was scheduled from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon,
with only a half hour lunch break in between. Nathan breezed through the entire
thing with two hours to spare, racing against his own exhaustion.
Nathan not only passed the test, he aced it. Between his 100% on the
written examination, and his 20% on the physical examination, awarded to him for
good effort, he got an overall score of 60%, one percentage point away from
failing the whole examination. The important part wasn't that he passed, but
that he had done it all himself, through his own know-how and willpower. He proved
to his parents and peers back home that he could be something – that deep down,
he was successful, and that he would eventually become a valiant warrior.
The Guild’s first 15-year-old trainee relocated himself to a dorm room
in the Guild, and was coincidentally signed up as a Knight-in-Training under the
4th division. His parents cried their hearts out, amazed at their
son's unbelievable achievement, while Nathan courageously waved goodbye to them
and stepped out into a world of danger and adventure.
Most of his fellow Knights had welcomed him with open arms, completely opposite
to the animosity he’d faced back in his hometown of Epoch. They treated him as
an equal, respected him, and helped him with anything that he didn't
understand. He was happy there.
One thing that most people didn't tolerate, however, was tardiness. And
here he was, dashing over to the transport wing and hoping he wouldn’t get
chewed out this time. The 1st division had entered the Vipassanarium, the last
bastion of the headquarters at the southern end. Meanwhile, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
divisions had all gone to numerous locations to train themselves privately. The
Knights who remained had been sent off on minor missions, but Nathan had
remained to assist the Seneschal at the Guild.
Nathan picked up his pace, trying to move as fast as he could with his
stubby legs. It had been a while since the last time he had seen Captain Azuka,
and with the tournament approaching, the Seneschal had agreed that she was most
likely trying to make the most of her last few days with her students. Thus, Nathan
had been tasked with taking them a care package to help them get through the
last spurt. Wildly stumbling up to the storage vault counter, Nathan explained
his task and had the Knight in charge lend him a tunneler so he could open a portal
to Sagacia. After a few moments, Nathan was finally on his way.
Stepping through the portal, Nathan saw the dark, barren expanse of the
ruined dimension. All he had to do now was try and sense Captain Azuka’s psynergy
aura – he only hoped she hadn’t set up camp too far away from the beacon.
As Nathan focused his mind, he felt a strange, milky aura emanating
nearby. He couldn’t recall it belonging to any Knight he knew, nor Vance or Eden,
who he had briefly seen in the last full assembly. Then, he saw a figure move
out from a curved crag to the side. It was a lady, with golden-brown hair
curled down around her shoulders, smushed under a strange metal headset. She looked
as if she was in her upper forties, with a face smothered in blush and mascara.
Milky white psynergy spilled out from her body, clashing roughly with her black
and blue pinstriped suit. Their eyes met, and he backed up a little bit, startled.
"Hello there," Naomi called to Nathan. "You're a Dimensional
Knight, aren't you?"
Nathan quickly stuttered to answer her. "Y-yes, ma'am, I'm a Knight
of the 4th division."
"I think I'm a little lost..." Naomi said helplessly.
"I'm looking for a Dimensional Knight named Vance Darcouver. Do you know
where he is? He's a little older than you, much taller, and has long black hair.
Do you know him?"
"Yeah," Nathan said warily. "He's in my division, as a
matter of fact, but I don't know him very well."
"That's fine." Naomi smiled happily at him. "I need to
see him as soon as possible, it's very urgent."
Nathan bit his lip. "But how did you get here? This dimension is
deserted..."
Naomi gave the boy a stern eye and approached him, "Now, you
listen here. This is a very important matter. I need you to take me to him."
"I'm sorry, but I can’t." Nathan backed up against a boulder,
trying to gather psynergy into his free hand.
Naomi frowned and snapped her fingers, instantly materializing four hardened
white orbs. Nathan looked at them, puzzled, and then saw Naomi raise her hands.
The orbs shot forward, each slamming into a different pressure point on Nathan's
upper body. The wind was knocked out of him, and he crumpled to his feet. The
care package for Captain Azuka clattered to the ground next to him.
"Tell me where he is." Naomi stomped over to the boy and gave
him a sharp kick in the stomach. He coughed in pain and looking up at her with
tear-stained eyes.
"I...I..."
"What?" Naomi kicked him again. "Speak louder."
"It doesn't matter if you get to them..." Nathan coughed.
"Captain Azuka's there. And she'll beat you."
Naomi scoffed. "We'll see about that."
Next: Beyond the Mountain
