Sky was surprised when Ennith suddenly left the room. He didn't know what to make of the situation. Was she going to force him to work for her? Or was she going to execute him? He didn't know what to expect. It didn't take long for Sky to fall asleep, even with the strangeness of the situation.
The following day, Sky was woken up by a maidservant. She told him that Sir Matheo and Beric wanted to speak to him privately. The maidservant gave Sky a well-tailored suit that fit him perfectly. He was told to put it on and make himself presentable for the two gentlemen. After Sky had finished getting dressed, he made his way to the meeting room where Sir Matheo and Beric were waiting for him.
When he arrived, he saw that Sir Matheo, Sir Beric, and another man he didn't recognise were already there. They all looked serious, which made Sky nervous.
"Sit down, Sky," Sir Matheo said, gesturing to the seat in front of him.
Sky did as he was told and sat down. He looked at the three men, waiting for them to speak. Both Matheo and Beric looked quite friendly, but the third man Sky found confusing. He was a good-looking man with long white hair with piercing blue eyes. He had two wings on his back that looked like they were made of light.
"I'm sure you're wondering why we brought you here," Matheo said, breaking the silence.
"The truth is, we need your help," Beric said.
"My help?" Sky asked, surprised.
"Yes, your help," the third man said. "My name is Sirus, the Monarch of Skies. Recently we found you being used as part of a dark ritual, and currently, we are trying to uncover the people behind this. However, we need your help in order to do so."
"What do you need me to do?" Sky asked both warily and curious.
"We can't infiltrate the houses we suspect without any reason. A way round that is to infiltrate without them knowing." Matheo said.
"So you want me to become one of their people? Why can't you get someone else to do that?"
There was a pause before Beric spoke up, "It's because you're a zero, a person with no restarts. You're rare to find, and many laws are in place to protect people like you. These houses only hire zeros and then use them as part of their experiments."
"So you want me to be a guinea pig?" Sky asked, not sure if he liked where this was going.
"It's not as bad as it sounds," Sirus said. "You will be given a powerful artefact to protect you from harm. Two of our best agents will also support you in the background. I promise you, you will be safe."
"And what do I get out of this?" Sky asked.
"You will be handsomely compensated, and you will also have the chance to help us take down these people who are using zeros for their own gain," Matheo said.
Sky fell silent, thinking about what they were asking him to do. It was a lot of responsibility, and he wasn't sure if he was up for the task. It wasn't until a voice screaming in his head helped make the decision.
"An artefact?! Do it! Do it, Sky!" Avis said excitedly in his head.
"Fine, I'll do it," Sky said, defeated.
"Good, we'll start the training this afternoon," Matheo said, pleased with Sky's decision.
"Training?" Sky asked, confused.
"You need to learn how to use the artefact and if that's not enough, you also need to learn to protect yourself. So don't worry, we'll make sure you're well prepared before you go undercover." Beric said.
"I hope so," Sky said, not feeling as confident as they were.
After the meeting, Sky was taken to a training ground where he met his two handlers. One was tall and scaly with lizard-like features wearing thick metal armour. The other was a short woman like Ennith, with green eyes and short brown hair. They both looked like they could kill him with their bare hands, which made Sky very nervous.
The woman introduced herself as Fara, and the man introduced himself as Kroma. They both explained that they would teach him how to use the artefact and defend himself.
"The first thing you need to know is how to use the artefact. It's called Nova's Amulet. It has a very long history, but the most important thing you need to know is that it will protect you from harm." Fara said.
"How does it do that?" Sky asked curiously.
"It's a bit complicated, but basically, it will absorb any attack meant for you and transfer it to the attacker," Kroma explained.
"So, if someone hit me with a knife, the knife would end up hitting them instead?" Sky asked, trying to understand.
"Exactly. But rather than a knife returning to its owner, it would be a wave of light attribute energy. The strength of the attack depends on how strong the attacker is." Fara said.
"So, if someone as strong as you attacked me, would I be able to survive it?" Sky asked, not sure if he liked the sound of that.
"Yes, you would be unharmed, but the person attacking you would be severely harmed," Kroma said matter-of-factly.
"That's... terrifying," Sky said, feeling a little more enthusiastic about his well-being.
"It is a powerful weapon, but it is also perilous. You must never use it unless your life is in danger." Fara said sternly. "It's powered by ether which comes directly from you. The more you use it, the more ether you will lose. If you use it too much, you will die."
"How do I know how much I can use it?" Sky asked, not wanting to find out the hard way.
"You will need to learn to power the artefact. We can teach you how to do that." Kroma said.
"What about self-defence? I'm not exactly a fighter." Sky said, thinking about all the times he had encountered something or someone and needed aid.
"That's why we're here," Fara said with a smile. "We'll teach you everything you need to know."
And so the training began. It was gruelling, and Sky quickly realised he was not as physically fit as he thought. But with the help of his handlers, he slowly started to improve. He learned how to use the artefact after an hour or so. The trick was manipulating his ether in a specific pattern within the artefact which then linked it to him. The handlers were surprised at his talent with ether, but his physical training was a whole other story.
Sky was constantly getting beaten up during the training sessions, and both handlers were relentless in their efforts to make him into a fighter. They used every opportunity to attack him, and though Sky tried his best, he could never land a single hit on either of them. He started to get frustrated and angry, which only made the situation worse.
"You're not concentrating," Kroma said after yet another failed attempt by Sky to hit him. "If you don't focus, you will never be able to beat us."
"I am focusing," Sky yelled in frustration. "I'm just not as good as you are."
"That's not true," Fara said, coming to his defence. "You just need more practice."
"And that's why we're here," Kroma said, softer this time. "We'll keep training you until you're ready."
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