North Pacific Ocean. On an island, three tall buildings could be sighted in three different regions on the island. Various superpowers in the world partly control this island. The island is named Wellington.
This is an island specially designed and built to train young minds from all over the world. People who specialize in unique skills could be spotted here, they would teach students and have them become future leaders of the world.
It's simply glory and an honor to be admitted to Wellington Academy.
Early afternoon, the sun is close to its peak. The weather is calm and still, a beautiful sunny day.
In front of the assembly hall, near a fountain, senior students are chatting with their classmates.
"Hey, when do we leave?"
"I'm clueless," a pretty-looking girl replied to her friend.
"I overheard a teacher saying we will be leaving in about 15 minutes" a female student stated while walking over.
The pretty girl then replied to her friend "This is our last school trip for the year, then our final exams. I'm totally stressed out thinking about the finals."
"This one-week vacation I'm going to relax and do nothing," the female student said.
The pretty girl replied with ambition, "I'm going to start studying on the school trip not wasting any time."
Many students started forming groups as they talked about the upcoming event.
A beautiful girl walked out of the assembly hall, an enchanted smile could be seen with a red flush on her cheeks making it difficult to hide her nervousness, and this caught the attention of many surrounding students. Her deep blue eyes would make anyone feel as if they were cruising a ship on a sunny day.
The girls' schoolwear attire looks very simple, yet she looked very attractive. Her chest is tight. An extremely small skirt clung to her bottom.
In front, a student stood quietly under the sun. He had a handsome face, fair skin, tall stature, average build, black hair, and black eyes. He could be seen as someone lost in his thoughts at this moment.
"Hey Arqus, am I disturbing you?" Lily Winter's voice slightly toned down as she stated, "Everyone is looking, let's move to a secure place in case someone sees us."
They strolled to a building. This building is the Pt teachers office, opposite this office is a basketball court.
She underwent psychological pressure for the last 2 weeks before she finally decided to indulge herself.
Lily Winter was very nervous. One of her very experienced girlfriends once said that Arqus provides the best service, and she would be happy. If you had money, you ought to enjoy yourself. You live life for the experience.
If she is caught her reputation would be ruined. But Lily Winter found it difficult to resist temptation. Lily Winter soon found the distance away from the crowd was enough to initiate the process.
She seemed stiff, her hands were moist and constantly clenched not knowing where to put them.
Arqus curiously questioned: "Is this your first time doing this kind of thing?"
Lily Winter lowered her head: "hmm… The first time, hurry up"
Arqus smiled and said: "A beautiful miss like you is very rare"
Lily Winter was slightly embarrassed: "My friend gave me your number, can I trust your service?" she asked
"People won't recommend me if I give them bad service, it seems I'm doing something right." Arqus replied as he searched his bag then taken out a folded piece of paper and a candy bar, "1000 Credits"
(Wellington had its own form of currency. Families would use their money, status, power, or connections to have their children enter Wellington. These students of such families would just ask for money. Every student had their own source of income here. You would hardly see students from Wellington Secondary having a permanent job on the Island. Each and every student had money and status, if a student received money from their family they would just convert it into Wellington currency.)
"Thanks." Lily Winter was extremely excited when she hastily paid and received the paper and candy bar.
Arqus quickly leaves and returned to the front of the assembly hall not to miss anything while Lily Winter inspects the paper. Lily Winter looks at the folded paper with expectation and opens it. Seeing the words 'enjoy' on the paper with an arrow underneath left her stumped. She crossed her brows looking in the direction Arqus left, she squashed the candy in her left hand and angrily threw the paper to Floor.
Just as she was about to run after Arqus, a slight breeze overturned the paper on the floor, and she saw the words 'Ingredients = chemistry'. She inspected the squashed candy bar in her left hand. It surprised her to identify the chemistry formulas on the back of the candy bar.
This was the best way for her to cheat in the next chemistry exam unnoticed! Without a hint of suspicious activity, she could enjoy her candy bar and cheat at the same time. All the answers for the final exam were in her hand.
While she was in a daze she quickly came back when she felt a presence, she quickly picked up the note and put it away with the candy bar.
"Young Miss, did you get what you came for?" a young teenage girl approached.
A teenager with a figure of a snake, hazel eyes, black hair, an amazing pair of legs, just her voice, and bewitching legs could drive anyone crazy.
Unfortunately, she has a cold temperament, making her unapproachable. She was a girl of few words. Yet at this time she had a smile that could lift any soul.
Lily Winter replied: "Yes and stop sneaking up on me Jun."
"It's my duty to assist you," Jun smiled. "Wish I could have taken chemistry classes with you" added Jun with a slightly sad face.
Lily Winter stared at Jun and said: "Seeing your face in each class, I will be annoyed." Jun wasn't bother at all by her response and just smiled "Young miss, let's go before you miss the bus."
Arqus returned and waited for the bus. A classmate spotted him and gave him a greeting "Brother. I didn't see you in the assembly hall" Kazuno Kage started with a peaceful smile.
"I arrived a bit late," Arqus replied with a slight nod.
Arqus could be considered a brother to Kazuno Kage. Arqus and Kazuno Kage received a scholarship to attend Wellington. This school is prestigious, it has many rich students attending whose families have status and money. The school only funded their tuition, it didn't pay for their living expenses, the brothers had to find ways to earn money and survive.
They were orphans of the same age just three months apart, Arqus being the eldest, a nun named Emily found the two baby boys in front of the church. Arqus had nothing in his possession while Kazuno Kage had with him a small pendant around his neck.
The reason why students rarely saw Arqus was because he was out working since he entered Wellington, he had a job, however, after a while, he quit with the saved up money and started to build a network of information in the dark with Kazuno.
Kazuno Kage is very resourceful, as well as intelligent and handsome. He's well-connected in Wellington. He studied computer science, and a few months later, he started hacking.
He would relay any information Arqus required, such as the school final exam papers, which Arqus creatively changed to appear in a more suitable and appropriate way for any customer, earning him an income.
About ten minutes passed till a PT teacher came forward and gave an announcement.
He shouted: "All students prepare to board the bus"
The three buses arrived about a minute later and students excitedly boarded.
"Turtle Mountain here we come." A student shouted while raising a fist in the air as he boarded the bus.
Arqus got onto the bus and found two empty seats on the left side of the bus. Taking the seat near the window
Just as he was about to close his eyes and take a nap Lily Winter approached "Can I have this seat?" she asked with a smile.
Arqus replied with a bored look: "Yes, just don't disturb my sleep."
Lily Winter's eyes twitched for a second, seemingly annoyed by the response, but she sat down nonetheless.
Two seats right behind them Jun sat and kept note of her surroundings
"Miss Winter you look quite beautiful today" Luke Trafalgar eyes lit up as he got on the bus and spotted Lily Winter
He smelled like women's perfume and had the looks of a playboy. Every student knew he had been trying to pursue Lily Winter ever since he laid eyes on her.
Lily Winter glanced at him and ignored him.
Luke Trafalgar spotted this but still suggested: "Miss Winter I would like to spend some time with you." He sighted Arqus next to her and commanded authoritatively: "Hey clever boy, get off my seat!"
Luke Trafalgar refers to Arqus as the 'clever boy' because he is one of the top 10 students in Wellington. However, he wasn't popular, even though his name was well-known and held in high regard. Students hardly saw Arqus outside of class, and they didn't know his personality. Hence, he was declared a loner by students.
Arqus look at him with tired eyes and smiled "Dogs bark a lot these days."
"You…"
Just when the tension was about to rise any further, a teacher boarded the bus stated, "Take your seats immediately, we are about to leave."
Luke Trafalgar could only walk to his seat. "Our paths will cross again," he threatened while leaving, heading to his seat on the opposite side of Jun.
"A woman's beauty can bring trouble" Arqus stated.
Lily Winter amusing replied: "That's just one of the perks"
"Truly," Arqus exclaimed, closing his eyes. He wanted to rest for a bit, but he couldn't.
They had small talks from time to time as the bus drove and the sun was starting to set
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Turtle Mountain
This mountain has the shape of a turtle, and the scenery brings calmness to one's eyes. The mountain is a resort containing hot springs, wildlife, and dense forestry. At the foot of the mountain is a lake and quite a number of wooden buildings, which surround the lake. The architecture has done its best to be one with nature and kept it simple. Additionally, there was also a lake on the mountain, which was also surrounded by a forest.
When the students stepped off the bus, they were all excited. "All right, I will assign a group of four students to each house. When I call out your name, come and receive your house key and leave to your designated home." A teacher announced.
"Charles September"
"Hiriko Hoshi"
"Molly Mayer"
"Kazuno Kage"
"Meet you at the house brother," Kazuno Kage assured as he departed towards the house. He tempered with the housing arrangements, having assured that he and Arqus place together however he left the other two spots open for the school to assign themselves.
"Lily Winter"
"Luke Trafalgar"
About a few moments later Arqus got his keys and traveled to the house. He passed many shops, stalls, and restaurants until he came to his house. The house was close to the Lake Forest, like many other houses, they all looked the same.
As he approached the porch of the house two figures came before his sight, it was Lily Winter and Jun. At the same time, they noticed him.
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Arqus asked with a puzzled expression.
"We've been assigned to this house" Lily exclaimed, she then noticed the key in Arqus' hand. "It can't be…"
The door opened. "Brother you here, lets… "Kazuno Kage was surprised as he noticed Lily Winter and Jun also here.
"How did you manage to get inside?" Lily Winter questioned, as she was also surprised to see him here.
"With a key." Kazuno Kage replied. He didn't expect these two female students to be here, it didn't matter either way as he ignored their questioning gaze and got to the issue at hand "Since you're here just find a room."
Lily Winter took the initiative and went inside to find a room. Now that everyone had a room and all settled down, they met in the living room. The atmosphere was awkward since nobody spoke however it broke the moment Kazuno Kage stomach growled
"Arqus you are way more skillful in the kitchen than me," Kazuno said
Arqus smiled then went to the kitchen and checked for any ingredients. After a few minutes he had things on the kitchen counter "Well you ladies like pizza?" he asked
"Yes," they both replied in unison.
When the pizza was done being prepared, Lily and Jun were both shocked at how appealing and delicious it looked.
After the meal, they decided to take a walk and explore turtle mountain stores. They shop at a few stalls buying savories and souvenirs.
"Isn't that Wellington Academy students?" Lily stated while looking in the distance.
A group of 5 students wearing their academy uniforms walked towards a shop and entered.
A few moments later they exit the shop, each carrying a travel bag at their side as they travel out of sight.
"I wonder where they heading to" Kazuno stated
"It's getting dark, we girls will head back," Lily said. She glanced at the two boys before leaving with Jun.
"Brother, I've got some information on the private network. It's been known that the locals are terrified to enter the forest because of some strange beast that one local spotted in the forest " Kazuno explained. He was eager to learn what was residing there and he knew that Arqus is adventurous, students really didn't know how Arqus outside the class even though they label him as a loner.
"Let's go take a look" with a curious expression Arqus stated. He was eager to know what was there as well.
The two journeyed towards the forest on the top of the mountain. The mountain was surrounded by dense forestry with only three paths leading to the top. Because cloud where always passing by on the mountain it was layered in mist.
About a two day ago locals stopped entering the inner territory of the forest. They would only enter the forest outer area to get herbs or hunt animals. This was because of a wild beast that would frighten them with a loud roar sending shivers down their spine. The locals thought it was a wild animal at first but then one local spotted it from far and reported the beast.
Unexpectedly since they entered the inner area of the forest they haven't met a single animal. It was deadly silent.
'This beast should be extremely horrifying if no animal is willing to step in the area.' Arqus was surprised when he noticed the silence in the forest and thought of this. Even if animals had their own territory, they would still step into another in consideration for their own benefits.
They traveled quite the distance until the lake came into view. It gave them an eerie feeling just standing beside the lake, and because of the mist above the water, they couldn't see far.
"Roar!" A terrifying sound of anger echoed throughout the forest, instilling fear into the animals within.
"We shouldn't have come here" Kazuno shuddered the moment he heard the roar of the beast, he wanted to leave immediately.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest, a group of five was fighting with a strange beast. These were the academy students that Lily saw when they were out exploring the shops.
"Captain, how the hell are we supposed to kill this thing!"
A beast that had the body of a white tiger, it had a small horn on its head and at the end of its tail was a blue flame. It ruthlessly stared at this group for entering its territory.
"I don't know, it's too fast," Mason said, he's the captain and this is his team's first time hunting a beast. The beast was agile and had a quick reaction speed. Instead of being the hunter
"How did this beast even get through the gate?" Alice declared, her voice tinged with fear, she held the position of lieutenant within the team.
Each of them gripped a needle-like weapon tightly in their hands.
"Encircle it" Mason shouted, he charged at the beast and made a simple strike, "Release!" the needle started to glow, an electric arc formed and shot out.
It landed. The beast got stunned and its movement slowed down but it was enraged, the beast roared and its tail wiped Mason against his chest leaving him severely wounded and burned. Its tail lashed out again, piercing another teammate's arm, leaving him defenseless. The beast took this opportunity and lashed its tail out again to finish him off. But before that could happen, a guy jumped out and slashed with a needle-like weapon to defend him.
The beast took the gap and ran away. "It's escaping, follow it" Mason ordered, he was down and heavily injured. He could only leave the rest to his companions. Mason and the guy who got his arm injured could only stay behind.
Alice took the initiative and led the group to follow. They chased the beast until it reached the lake. The beast moved sluggishly, allowing them to catch up with its slow pace.
Alice took a chance "Silent Moon," her needle released the element of wind. She slashed and it finally hit the beast leaving a small wound. "So strong" she was doubting what she saw and in the corner of her eye after she attacked she saw two people. This was Arqus and Kazuno
Arqus immediately felt danger when he saw the beast and Alice fighting it.
"What is that beast? What is that weapon?" Arqus thought
Alice's team inflicted severe injuries upon the beast as it staggered under their relentless assault.
"Only a matter of time before the stun effect fades," Alice realized, feeling the urgency to kill it swiftly.
As Alice was about to deal a blow, the flame on the beast's tail disappeared. This quickly caught the attention of everyone.
"Roar" A blue flame erupted out the beast's mouth, luckily Alice managed to sidestep with a weird movement and avoid it but unfortunately her team members got burnt to ashes. Immediately she felt fear, taking the opportunity the beast tail wiped against her chest giving her a severe injury. A huge open wound
She coughs blood as she laid down on the ground, "is this the end." she watched as the beast approached her.
Just as the beast was about to kill her for good
A stone hit the beast, the beast shifted its attention to the source and discovered Kazuno standing by a tree, his expression filled with anxiety. Realizing he had been spotted, Kazuno swiftly turned and ran away from the beast
The beast immediately sprinted after him. Just as the beast passed the tree Kazuno was standing at, it saw in the corner of its eye Arqus standing behind the tree holding a needle.
Arqus strikes down with all his might hitting the beast near the neck. His heart rate was beating at an irregular pace, the attack didn't do anything, he didn't have the strength to fight such a beast.
The beast was infuriated. It didn't expect this at all, it wiped out its tail, slicing through the tree then against Arqus sending flying into the lake.
Kazuno stopped in his tracks when he glanced back. He didn't think at all when he turned around and wanted to run back to help his brother but before he could move any further a hand grabbed him by his shoulder.
"You'll die" Kazuno heard a voice next to him.
Kazuno looked next to him and saw someone wearing university attire but the only difference between Alice and his was it had a silver skull insignia on his collar.
Kazuno saw the beast then charging over to them. The person next to Kazuno dashed forward, meeting the beast head-on, and unsheathed his needle, striking the beast leaving a small wound.
"So strong!" he thought. He had hoped to at least deal a strong blow, but the beast's skin was incredibly sturdy.
The beast seemed to notice that its speed and strength couldn't overpower this person. It abandoned the fight immediately, fleeing into the forest.
"It ran away," Kazuno was worried as he wanted to get to the lake as soon as possible even if the beast was still around.
"He's dead" Kazuno heard that person stated and immediately got angry at him as he grabs him by his clothing.
His eyes were red as he said, "Why didn't you kill it?"
"Yugo?" Alice's voice traveled over as she laid there. Both of them looked over.
Kazuno released his hand from him as he then fell to the ground sobbing.
"I've come to assist" Yugo said as he walked over to Alice, taking out a green vile he pours the contents into her mouth.
Alice's pale face regained some color, but only slightly. She had been healed externally, but it was barely making a difference to the injury on her chest, and her bones were still cracked.
"My team will arrive soon, we found Mason dead along the way and sent the other to the ICU" Yugo stated
Alice was sad that she lost all her companions, she looked over at Kazuno "Sorry. He saved me. I'm grateful…"
"Find my brother" Kazuno cut her off. He wanted to give his brother a proper burial. "That's the least you can do"
A few moments later four people came over. They're Yugo team members, he immediately asked them to search the lake.
A few moments later, "There's nothing in the lake captain… "The lieutenant said to Yugo
Kazuno's mind was blank when he heard that. He spaced out and heard nothing after that.
"Alright, you have to come back with us for investigation. I have to give a report, hey are you listening?"
Kazuno dropped to the ground. Tears could be seen slowly running down his face, he felt utterly hopeless at this moment.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
"Sign… I'm about to pass out. All it took was one hit to send me flying. Fuck I'm so hungry. I should have eaten more. Well, it would be an appreciated meal if some fish could eat me here." These were his thoughts when his just about to run out of breath. If it were anyone else, they would have panicked. However, Arqus quickly accepted his situation. He knew from the moment he decided to fight the beast that he would likely die, but he did it anyway.
Slowly sinking down the lake Arqus was unable to move as his consciousness slowly drifts away. The moment he opened his mouth, the lake water gushed into his mouth. Arqus thought he was dead for sure now, his sight turned dark, at the bottom of the lake, a swirl wrapped around him, rapidly pushing him down…
As a swirling vortex materialized, he gradually descended deeper and deeper, unable to resist the pull.
In the center of the cave, a crystal floating above the ground. It reflected a myriad of colors with runes floating around it.
A teenage boy rested beneath the crystal, he could be stated as neither dead nor alive.
The crystal brightened up, a few runes slowly disappeared, what could be seen now is the boy's soul leaving his body floating towards the crystal and entering it. After a while the crystal dimmed down, losing all its color, the boy's soul then returned back to his body.
His eyes opened, the color of his pupils' had a gold light beaming in the very depths of it which contained mystery and profoundness. The last of runes spinning in a circular motion as the crystal deformed turning into liquid and entering his body, it started coursing through his veins, moving through his blood, organs and affecting his bones.
Crack, crack, crack
Bones could be heard breaking. His limbs, skin, flesh trembled and his entire body spasm. Beads of sweat traveling at terrifying speed. One could not imagine the pain for the body to react in such a manner.
Arqus didn't utter a single sound of pain as he clenched his teeth. It was extremely shocking. On his face, there actually appeared a little… excitement!
A while later the pain slowly subsides as his body regenerates at a rapid pace.
"Ah, my head hurts" He muttered while lifting himself from the ground.
Crack...
The ground cracked. "This…" with an astonished expression he then noticed he was in a cave.
"I'm in a cave, it should be really dark right now, but why does everything seem clear as day," The colors of crystal lit up the cave but now that it's gone, it was dark.
His eyesight tremendously improved to the state he could see in the dark and even see the particles in the air.
"What is this?" he noticed something else while looking around, he could see something other than dust. This was energy, he saw the energy that seamlessly floated everywhere around him.
The energy as if attracted to something slowly touches his skin and enters his body. He felt a slight sense of vigor and vitality coursing through him.
"Interesting." Arqus thought.