_Planet Caldinus I / Caldinus Interplanetary Army Base / Front Gate

I opened my mouth wide and let out a large yawn. 

"Are you really okay now Ryuu? You still look like you need some more rest." Rin, who stood beside me, asked in concern.

"Yeah. I'm alright now. Just a little sleepy." I gave her a placating smile and replied.

To be fair, when I saw my face in the mirror earlier today, it really looked like I was still in bad shape. The face which stared back at me on the other side of the mirror looked strikingly similar to my face as 'Myst', which gave me a surprise. The only difference was the hair color. My current one was jet black, while my hair as 'Myst' was a light shade of brown, just like my father's in 'that world'. 

My eyes were a little bloodshot and my cheeks were gaunt and pale. The doctors only permitted the discharge because I vehemently insisted.

I knew that the only way for me to rest easy and get some proper sleep was to finally get some answers. What happened just three nights ago really shook me and kept me on edge all this time. It was bugging me a lot. I waited for it to happen again, but there was no such luck these past few days. 

Uncle Hal said the person who knew the details about me was the acting director of the 353rd Experimental Tactical Armored Division. Maybe that person could also shed some light on the 'Dive' I experienced that night. So I insisted on being discharged in order to come to the base soon as possible.

Rin looked at me skeptically, but relented in the end. She let out a small sigh and grabbed my arm. She then snuggled close.

"If you say so Ryuu. But if there's anything bothering you, please tell me about it. Stop trying to take them all on by yourself. Maybe I can help a bit. We're family you know." she coaxed and gave me a sweet smile in return.

My own smile widened into a toothy grin. Honestly, why are my little sisters so damn awesome? I reached out my free hand and ruffled her silky hair. She cheerfully giggled and snuggled even closer.

"—Ahem."

An awkward sounding cough snapped us out of our earlier state. It was the gate guard we passed our I.D.s to for verification. Rin hastily let go of me while blushing furiously. I scratched my cheek in embarrassment as well. We then turned towards him.

The guard, a relatively young looking officer, beamed at the both of us with a good natured grin of his own. "Hehe. Sorry to ruin the moment guys. Here's your I.D.s back. We've finished verification. You can both enter now. Someone's already waiting for you guys inside."

"Thank you sir." the both of us replied. The young guard waved it off and gestured for us to enter. We passed the gate and finally entered the grounds of Caldinus Base.

It didn't have a spartan feel like that of a frontline base. It was instead quite spacious and had plenty of greenery. From a distance, we saw some soldiers performing standard drills, while some were jogging around the paved roads, which looked well maintained. The air was fresh and the scenery was beautiful. As expected of the main operations base which handled the mandatory reservist training of young yet already rich and famous people.

"Hey there, guys! You two finally made it." a cheery male voice called out. We turned towards the pedestrian walkway on the side of the road, and found a tall, handsome looking young officer waving energetically at the both of us. 

His silky, platinum blonde hair was neatly cut, and framed his features well. His build was slender, but it radiated strength befitting that of a soldier on active duty. He had a friendly atmosphere about him and sported a disarming smile; no doubt a potent weapon for flooring the ladies. In short, he was an honest to goodness pretty boy.

He quickly approached us and gave a hearty salute. "Lieutenant Rhames Avery, at your service guys!" he casually greeted. 

Gah! What the heck?! It might be just me hallucinating, but did shiny sparkles just suddenly appear behind him?

Rin and I were both stunned into inaction for a few seconds, but quickly composed ourselves and offered salutes of our own. Man, this guy's the real deal. Good thing Rin wasn't taken in by that Casanova smile of his.

"C'mon guys. No need to be so uptight. At ease. At ease." Lieutenant Avery implored. 

"Um, pardon me for asking Lieutenant; but are you an officer affiliated with the 353rd?" I inquired.

Lieutenant Avery nodded slightly. "You could say that. I'm technically just the Director's go-fer though." 

His answer raised my curiosity. "Go-fer?" I prodded.

"Ah, y'know. Assistant. Helper. Go-to-guy. Basically, I'm her loyal henchman number one." he nonchalantly replied.

"Assistant?" Rin chimed in.

"Yep." Lieutenant Avery nodded once more. "It's like serving as her adjutant. But our Director's a civilian through and through, so my rank doesn't really matter all that much." he added.

So the Director's a civilian huh? And Lieutenant Avery kept referring to the Director as 'her'. That means the Director's actually a lady. That sure is interesting. 

"Well, no use standing around here. Why don't we go on ahead to the Admin Building, where her office is. I'll guide you two." Lieutenant Avery offered. Rin and I both nodded in agreement and followed after him.

***

"Umm... Lieutenant Avery?" I called out a little hesitantly.

"Hm? What is it?" 

"This IS a military base right?" I asked.

"Uhuh. It sure is. It's one of the bases forming an interrelated defense network for the Central Caldinus Space Sector, to be exact. What's the matter?" Lt. Avery asked back.

"Oh, well... I was just curious why a lot of the trainees here are doing activities that are so... uh... relaxed."

We've seen several groups of trainees and soldiers as we walked around. The soldiers were doing some proper drills at least, but most of the trainees were either just performing rather drab activities like sweeping the grounds or outright lazing about without a care.

Lt. Avery guffawed at my question. "Relaxed, huh? Haha. Well, let me ask you this instead. Are you familiar with the history of Caldinus Base?"

"All I know is that it's a base famous for handling the mandatory reservist training of celebrities and rich kids." I answered.

"Right. But don't you wonder exacly why that's the case? Well, you see, this place was actually built as a result of a compromise between the traditionalists and the reformists in the Confederation's upper ranks." Lt. Avery began to explain. "You've learned about how the Confederation was formed at school, right?" he then asked. Rin and I both nodded in reply.

"The Confederation was formed after some outer Sectors originally belonging to the Emperium asserted their independence as a recourse to the Emperium's — I quote — 'borderline despotic rule'. A lot of the smaller interplanetary nations in danger of being annexed because of the Emperium's expansionist policies ended up joining in; thus creating the current Solaris Confederation."

"The tradition of having a mandatory reservist training program was actually carried over from the days when most of the Sectors of the Confederation were still under the Emperium. Some felt that it was a good program to continue, especially during the first few decades of the Confederation's inception, when tensions with the Emperium were at their peak."

"The program proved its usefulness during the Independence War back in C.C.E. 76. The Confederation troops were bolstered by the reservist corps and allowed it to withstand the attempts of the Emperium to annex back Confederation held Sectors."

Rin and I listened intently to the impromptu lecture. Some of the trainees noticed our group and tried to approach — no doubt eyeing Rin — but held back after seeing Lt. Avery walking with us. It was a curious reaction.

"Now here's the thing." Lt. Avery continued explaining. "It's been more than a couple decades since the Independence War ended. The Emperium has been lying low as of late, and the Confederation has managed to bolster its military capabilities by a great deal in the last few years. Some groups proposed that the reservist training program has run its due course, and it was now time to consider discontinuing it. Their proposed reforms don't just apply to the reservist training program, but all other existing programs and traditions which originally hailed from the Emperium."

"Really? That's news to me." I quipped. Lt. Avery flashed us another one of his killer smiles.

"That's because the traditionalists managed to keep the movement down in the end. But they still had to compromise. Some of the reformists were really powerful and influential individuals or groups within the Confederation after all. Thus, Caldinus Base was founded."

"This became the place where the reformists would send their people to undergo 'modern training programs specially tailored for a new generation of young leaders'. That basically means they get to do whatever the hell they want, and the military will turn a blind eye, just as long as the reformists get off their case."

"So that means..."

"Yep. This place is a military base only in name. It's a glorified school camp. It does have military officers stationed to run it, but a lot of these guys are delinquent soldiers reassigned here to 'get some time off in order to cool their heads'. It's a diplomatic way of telling them to consider an early retirement. When you get assigned here, you basically bid farewell to any chance of ever being promoted after all; unless someone else pulls the strings for you of course."

"Ah..." I gasped. I suddenly remembered the thing Marco Ramirez told me before the 'pirates' attacked.

'It's a place which can either be heaven or hell, depending on the type of person who's joining.'

'So that's it. So that doesn't just apply to the 353rd, but Caldinus Base as a whole.' I inwardly thought. I recounted my conversation with my late friend with Lt. Avery. He gave a quick thumbs up after hearing about it.

"That's it in a nutshell. Diligent honor students who just happened to earn the ire of some people up top and ended up getting assigned here would find the experience rather grueling in some way. Especially those who hold some ambitions. This place is stagnant water after all. As for those who could care less about advancing their career in the military and just want to mooch around while using up the people's hard earned taxes, this place is heaven; like some relatives of bigshot officers and politicians for example. Thus, it earned this particularly apt moniker among those in the know: The Slackers' Paradise."

"Geh. Sounds sleazy as hell." I commented. Lt. Avery just laughed it off.

"But after that recent major incident, there have been some heated debates among the top brass about how exactly this interplanetary base network should be run. They're still busy playing the blame game though, so you won't be seeing any changes in the system in the short term." he added.

"You mean—"

"Yep. The pirate attack on the Kestrel. Grisly stuff. There were no survivors after all."

"Huh? But—"

"There were no survivors Mr. Creed. And, for the record, you arrived at Caldinus I a day before that incident took place, on a different transport cruiser. You were hospitalized due to severe stomach pain you got from food poisoning due to the meal you ate at the cruisers mess hall. All the involved personnel have already been discharged." Lt. Avery insisted while sporting his trademark smile. It seemed there was no room for saying otherwise, so I just nodded in understanding.

Speaking of the Kestrel though—

"But why did the other trainees give me these weird looks when I mentioned I was getting assigned to the 353rd back in..."

Lt. Avery suddenly gave me a warning glare. I hurriedly corrected myself.

"...back in the transit station. Judging from your story sir, this whole place is a haven for those who either just want to slack off or have no choice in the matter. We were all in the same boat, so what's with their reactions?" I inquired. Those looks bugged me back then after all.

"Hm. Well, that just goes to show that even in a place filled with oddballs like Caldinus Base, there's an even greater group of oddballs lurking." he answered vaguely while making a suggestive grin. 

Ugh. What's with all the mystery? I became somewhat more uneasy. I glanced at Rin, and found her more composed than I was. She looked at me with upturned eyes and smiled sweetly. As expected of my little sister. I fought the urge to give her a hug and continued to follow after Lt. Avery.

***

"Here we are then." Lt. Avery said as he gestured towards a large modern building draped in blue, white and gold — the standard colors of the Confederation. We were then brought up to the third floor and guided in front of a large ornate wooden door situated on the far back of the left wing.

"Woah..." I gaped. 

"Amazing huh. The Director has a preference for this stuff. She even has a villa on Fluvia IV built mostly with organic wood and other natural materials." Lt. Avery informed. "Go ahead and enter then. She's been waiting for you for quite some time now. Oh, and before I forget—"

He went in front of Rin and gestured to the side. "Please follow me to the Guest Reception room Ms. Creed. The Director specified that she would be meeting with Mr. Creed alone today."

Rin's pretty features morphed into a scowl after hearing Lt. Avery. She was just about to tell him off when I moved to stop her. 

"Can you follow the Lieutenant for now Rin? I wanna go in alone after all." I implored.

Rin angrily turned towards me. "What do you mean you wanna enter alone?! I thought I made it clear to you already. I don't want you keeping things from me anymore. If you're in trouble, then we'll face it together!" she complained in a fit.

"It's not that Rin. I promise I'll tell you all about it later. Just humor your dork of a brother for now, kay? I won't keep any secrets from you anymore. Just... give me a bit of time first. Alright?" I coaxed. Rin stared hard at me for a couple more seconds, but gave up in the end.

"Fine. But I want to hear all the details later okay. You have to consider how I feel as well Ryuu. You nearly died you know. I was really scared when I saw you lying weakly in that med pod. I didn't even have a clue about what happened. It was the same with mom and dad. I didn't know a thing, and all I could do was watch as everything came crumbling down around me. I don't want to feel that helpless ever again. Okay, Ryuu?"

I nodded and gave her a tight hug. She squeezed in return and let go after a few moments. She then followed Lt. Avery while occasionally looking back, with worry evident on her expression. I smiled to reassure her. 

I watched as the two of them disappeared around the corner. I then turned towards the ornate doors, pushed them apart and entered the room. The ambiance within was unexpectedly subdued. Blue and white hues were predominant. It only had a few furnishings inside — some potted ornamental plants on the corners, a leather sofa for receiving guests, a wooden display cabinet which housed a few assorted trinkets and a small collection of rare paperback books placed on the shelves below, and a large wooden desk in the center with two chairs in front. The name plaque on top of the desk read 'Prof. Selena Vaughn Elmeth'.

My eyes opened wide in surprise after reading the name. They were then pulled towards an elegant figure standing near the reinforced glass window, with her back facing towards me. Her lithe silhouette was really mesmerizing. I found it extremely hard to look away and audibly gulped.

The figure stirred and slowly turned around. What greeted my gaze was an incredibly beautiful image: long, ocean blue hair which smoothly flowed down to her back, creamy complexion with a pinkish glow, limpid eyes akin to bright rubies and moist lips curved into a reserved smile. 

I was stunned speechless. This amazingly bewitching woman in front of me was exceedingly famous. She was often described to possess a beauty which could topple countries by various media. I've also seen some photos of her in e-magazine articles and videos showing glimpses of her in the evening news. But the impact of seeing her in person was so much greater — so great that it left me completely awestruck.

I then inwardly clicked my tongue. "Damn! That Slaine Reese Elmeth sure is one lucky dog!" I quietly muttered. I was suddenly filled with jealousy towards the man claimed to be the most wealthy tycoon in the entire Confederation. Good looks, more money than he could spend in several lifetimes and an absolute goddess for a wife. Some guys have all the luck...

"I see you're already here. Welcome to Caldinus Base, Mr. Ryuu Creed. I'm Selena Vaughn Elmeth. I assume you've already heard of me?" the perfect apparition spoke with a sweet, lilting voice. I barely managed to nod in reply.

She giggled at my reaction — obviously amused. It was akin to the tinkling of tiny bells. "Come now, Mr. Creed. There's no need to be that exaggerated. Here, sit. Let's begin our talk." she invited and gestured at one of the seats in front of her desk.

I seated myself nervously in front of her. She then began to inspect me with those deep, ruby eyes of hers. I can't see myself in a mirror right now, but I'm willing to bet I'm blushing up to my ears.

"Hm. You really do resemble Natsume quite a bit."

"You knew my mother?" I asked in surprise.

"Of course. We go a long way back. We were even classmates once." Mrs. Elmeth answered. 

"Really?" 

Wow. To think my mother knew such a bigshot. 

"Really. I'm truly sorry about your loss though. Your parents were such wonderful people. They loved you very much."

I quieted down after she mentioned the deaths of my parents in 'this world'. That fact actually hadn't sunk in for the current 'me' just yet. 'I' had inherited Ryuu's memories and feelings, but I also held Myst's within 'me'. My parents in 'that world' are presumably doing fine, but my parents in 'this one' had already died. This gave rise to some complicated feelings for the 'current me'. I only managed a curt "Yeah." in reply.

"I'm sure you must be feeling a little lost right now. After all, you also have Mister and Mrs. Evrard as parents back in the main time stream."

I jolted from my seat in shock. "H- How'd you—"

"Relax, Mr. Creed. I know plenty more about your other self: Myst Evrard. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Lucian and Melissa Evrard of Lindorf Border Village. Childhood friends with the Demon Slaying Hero, Vance Rayleigh and the current Sovereign Queen of Vandel Kingdom, Felise Altasia Vandel I. Served in the Galendris Militia Corps during the Demon War and played a pivotal role in stopping the demon offensive on Blakewood Pass, preventing a planned pincer attack on the Alliance forces then camped at the Falwynd Plains."

Her ruby eyes gazed straight at me, fixing me in place. I shivered in confusion and anxiety. Just how does she know all of this? 

"You were listed as one of the casualties in that battle, but unexpectedly returned to Lindorf a few days after. Your merits were never reported, and you remained relatively unknown; serving as a simple village guard and local guide instead."

"I- But- I wasn't- T- Those guys were the ones who were the r- real heroes. I only survived because they covered for me... I really don't deserve—"

My head was in an utter mess. I tried to reply but stammered too much and failed to say anything coherent.

Mrs. Elmeth sighed in exasperation. "You really are such a troublesome young idiot, just as described," she playfully admonished. "Don't worry. I'll try to clarify all your doubts as best I could. To start with, how about I introduce myself properly first?"

Her smile deepened and turned even more mesmerizing.

"You know me as Selena Vaughn Elmeth in this sub-temporal bubble. But in the main time stream, I went by another name: Lyanna Sirius — The Azure Calamity."

"Huh?! But that's—"

Her smile then suddenly got infused by hints of savagery and majestic bearing.

"That's right. Before Myrddin Sirius rose to the Crimson Throne and started the war, I was the one who led the Unblessed. Lyanna Sirius — a former 'Demon King'."