"Please sign here for release," noted the registration officer inside the busy office. The man behind the desk didn't even look at Arman, and it seemed no one inside the lobby was interested in him being there. Arman looked around, the office was full of desk officers and naval technicians scrambling around the large open floor of the building.

Everyone inside the administration hub were actively relaying important documents and broadcasting reconnaissance communications between the West Sea Division Headquarters and its mainland branch in the Aseatic Defense Division. An important announcement from the Mulawin was being broadcasted so no one had even noticed the young recruit, with his bag full of belongings, who patiently waited for his inevitable dismissal.

"Alright," continued the registration officer as he handed the signed forms to Arman. The man's voice had a lazy, monotone attitude to it.

"Head on over to the camp exit to your left over there." The man hands over Arman's certificate of release as he swung his desk chair back again to his computer. He then briefly paused a moment and turned to the boy once again, grabbing back the paper.

"Forgot to do the whole schtick. Alright, let's see. Here you go..." The officer cleared his throat and recited the form in front of him.

"Armando Bruno, of Class 324 Delta, you are hereby discharged from the 24th Aseatic Defense Division Training Program dated March yada-yada-yada. You are to be released from all obligations blah-blah-blah pertaining to the program along with its coinciding provisions and privileges. You have 24 hours until the Metro Citizenship granted upon you will cease its validity."

The registration officer handed back the certificate to Arman and went back to his duties. The whole office floor was up and moving about which made it harder for Arman to head towards the exit which was blocked by a number of officers speeding through.

As Arman shuffled across the busy office space, one of the officers sitting by the side accidentally knocked Arman down. The officer was listening to a communications relay in one of his headsets and had to rush out to confirm with the logistics department.

Arman stood slowly and picked up his bag. He could hear a blurring voice from the officer's headset hanging by the side of the desk.

"Bzzzt.. Urgent.... Relay... Bzzzt... Mulawin... Omega... Cavalry... Fleet Admiral... Isagani Ami... Bzzzt..."

Isagani? Arman thought as held the headset closely to his ear, trying to decipher the message being broadcasted but was soon stopped by another officer making rounds.

"What are you doing here, recruit?! Put that down!" The officer snapped at the recruit as he abruptly escorted Arman outside the premises and towards the camp gates.

Arman Bruno, on his sixth day training to become a West Sea Explorer, had stepped outside the camp gates as an ordinary citizen. An ordinary Metro Citizen for a few hours more, at least. The metal barrier rolled slowly to a close behind him as Harbor Point's shadowy landscape greeted the ex-recruit. It was an hour before midnight and Arman had no choice but to wander the streets of the harbor, waiting for the Metro Hyper Train's scheduled route the next day.

He tucked the dismissal papers behind his back and started walking aimlessly towards the Commerce District. Arman thought it was a bit far but seeing as he had nothing else to lose he might as well see what all the fuss was about. He started to walk the empty street, thinking about what he was going to do after.

The night was uncannily silent. Arman would never had thought that there were other parts of the city that actually slept with calm serenity to lull everyone to pleasant dreams. He tried to let the peaceful ambiance around him consume his restless mind but to no avail.

To Arman, no matter how peaceful it got, he was still expelled from the Training Program and would still have his citizenship revoked by tomorrow. He began trying to conjure up some semblance of a plan that could get him through his ordeal as he whispered his thoughts to the cool breeze that rolled in between the buildings.

"There's nowhere else to go. I'm out of luck and by tomorrow I'm back where I started. Tero's going to have blast when he sees I'm back. I shouldn't have mouthed off at Officer de Sol like that, maybe I could've stayed... No, that's not the problem. They're the ones with the problem. I think I made the right choice leaving that place. But still, if there was a way to get back. Damn that Marcus! I should've known he'll try and pin everything on me. If only Dara or Trio were there... No, it wouldn't have made a difference. I hope Trio's okay, though. Sigh. Everyone is scared of Marcus. Should've punched him in the face when I had the chance. Damn silver-spooned freaks, all of them."

Arman mumbled in the darkness as he reached the checkpoint. The edge between the harbor and the Commerce district had a slow shifting curve, like a concave surface rising towards the peak of the city. Arman was about the see what was hanging over his head all those years living under the shadows of the tenements.

***Thank you for taking the time to read my work. It would really mean a lot if you could leave some comments as I would like to hear what you have to say about the chapter. You can also vote and share this to your friends and help spread the story of The West Sea.***