Layla shook her head as they shifted into existence on a cliff outside of Arcodawn. The prized capital city of Nexus and home of their Ascendant Academy. The city stretched out as far as she could see. The predawn light filling the sky with golden rays, pushing away the unfamiliar stars. It was one of the most beautiful sites she had ever experienced in her life.

She could start to make out massive structures and tall spires but not in much detail from their distance. The city was shaped by six major roads running into an enormous octagon wall that made up the center of the sprawling metropolis.

She had researched Arcodawn the night before and found that it was broken down into eight districts and an inner-city part of the Academy campus. The inner city was not visible due to the campus being surrounded by a forest of ancient trees. The inner walls were controlled and run by NAA, while the 8 districts belonged to the eight original founding families of the city. It was even rumored that the founding members were still alive. Something that boggled Layla’s mind. She hadn’t asked Dory or Atom how old they were, but she knew they weren’t even close to their youthful outward appearance.

 

“What a dump. Good view though.” Atom said off to her right.

 

Layla ignored the man. His opinion of anything not counting for much in her book. The night before was still fresh in her mind. The time in the Slice was now fading into her memory like a dream. Tess had told her it would be that way. Something else Atom had done to her while she was in the cursed thing. She could remember everything about her training, but she couldn’t feel the lost time like she had when she first emerged. The temporal aspect fading away along with her initial confusion.

Adjusting the old dusky black robe, she glared at her bastard of a deity. Atom had forced her to wear the old thing, making her look more like a beggar than a new student of a prestigious academy. She had to admit that it was insanely comfortable. But it looked stupid, just like his face.

 

“I appreciate the view and all, but don’t I need to be somewhere?” Layla said as the sun crested the horizon.

 

Atom looked down at a wrist unit that she thought might be a mechanical time device now that she paid more attention to it. “Ah yes, we wouldn’t want to be late for orientation now would we.”

 

Layla took a deep breath. She wasn’t nervous exactly. The slice had taken care of most of the anxiety that she would normally feel about stressful events. But there was just something different to starting a journey. That's how she thought about this. Her old life died in the streets of Golar. This was the beginning of her path to freedom. To power. To justice.

 

Searing the beautiful sunrise blazing across her new home into her mind. She asked Atom a question, “Any words of wisdom oh mighty Mantle of shirk?”

 

He looked at her and smirked, “Yes, try not to die.” Then, not asking her permission, he touched her shoulder, and she shifted. Layla found herself falling face-first into a stone floor. Smacking the stone with a loud grunt, she jumped to her feet, ready to stab the bastard, but he was nowhere to be found. Cursing, she took in her surroundings to discover that she was in a bustling metro station.

People were moving at swift speeds to their destinations. All in fancy robes of different colors and designs. Black outer robe with a white inner shirt being the most common. She assumed it was the professional class off to do their menial tasks for whatever corporation or sect they were employed by.

 

“Castration is too good for that sadistic twat.” She grumbled as she stood there brushing off the dirt on her homeless beggar robe and waited for the other potentials to arrive.

Looking around, she took in the landing she found herself on. It was currently empty. A sign hanging from the ceiling in planner common said ‘NAA next departure one hour.’ Her gaze shifted back to the terminal and people. The man hadn’t been wrong about the robes. Everyone wore one, and she couldn’t find a single person that was in regular clothing. That included the terminals workers. The architecture design of the station was somewhere in between ancient temples and modern technology. Winged beings carved into stone that surrounded holographic displays of advertising which most people seem to ignore. Each landing filling up as the people waited to board the hovering passenger transports.

Some time passed before she made out an entourage of individuals breaking off from the pack of travelers to make their way on to the relatively spacious landing. The group had a team of servants carrying what Layla assumed was their luggage. All but the servants look to be around the same age as Layla. She counted ten. Their robes were deep red and deceptively plain in comparison to the station's other patrons. Once they came closer, Layla could make out the fine quality of the robes. Not even one looked to have been worn once and was custom fitted to each individual. She had a poor premonition of what was to come as the people moved closer.

 

Great, probably nobles or whatever makes up the upper crust of Society here. I’ve seen this trope play out way too many times on holovids and in books.

 

She braced herself as the group finally took notice of her. But to Layla's surprise and relief, the group only glanced at her curiously and went back to their own conversation. Over the next hour, many more groups appeared just like the first one, all in different solitary shades of colors. Blue, green, red, orange, yellow, white, black, pink, gray, brown, purple, and finally pink. Some had designs or crests on the back, but she couldn’t make out all of them without being rude.

The looks between the groups varied. Some seemed to be friendly, while others were outright hostile to each other. Not many acknowledged her, so Layla stood there silent as the landing filled. No one said anything to her, although she eventually got the expected disdain from several of the later arriving groups and a few snooty individuals. It didn’t faze her, though. She didn’t know anyone and didn’t plan to make enemies on the first day. Staying away from the spotlight was precisely what she was aiming for.

 

Where am I?

 

Layla jumped as she heard a faint voice. Looking around, she couldn’t find the owner anywhere. Shaking her head, figuring that she must have imagined the speech. It came again.

 

How did I get here?

 

She continued to scan her surrounding but still couldn’t find anyone close enough. The voice sounded like someone was right next to her or maybe in her head.

 

Who am I? I can…t remember. Why can’t I remember…

 

Getting tired of whoever was playing tricks on her, she called out, “Okay who the planes is messing with me?” The people around her looked at her strangely before giving her more space.

 

“Real smooth Layla.” She muttered as she adjusted her sun-bleached rags.

 

Who are you?

 

“Get out of my head.” She called out. Looking around for whoever was screwing with her. Not finding anyone again and more than one person beginning to look at her like she might have cracked, she pulled the hood of her robe up and hid her face. She put her hand over her ears, but it didn’t hinder the voice in any way.

 

You are in my head. You get out.

 

Now having confirmation that the voice was in her head and becoming defensive by their tone.

 

“Would you shut up. I don’t know who you are, but you’re in my head so get the planes out.” She hissed.

 

Where are my memories? Why is this person talking in my head? What's wrong with me…

 

The voice groaned before going silent. Layla felt a presence approaching her from behind, and she moved fluidly to the right as a person carrying boxes wiped out in front of her. Looking down, she realized that it was a girl.

 

“Oh no no no no,” came the girl's squeaky voice as she scrambled to pick up her things that had spilled out of the boxes she was carrying. Layla looked around and realized that no one was going to help.

 

She probably wouldn’t have wiped out like that if I hadn’t moved. Or it might have all ended up on my head. I should probably help.

 

Layla reached down and started grabbing items and placing them back into their boxes. The girl looked at her and smiled her thanks for the assistance. The two worked in silence as the crowd around them were engrossed in their own conversations. Ignoring the two completely, for which Layla was grateful. She wasn’t really in the mood to engage in conversation with large groups of people. She was aware that she hadn’t had any honest, meaningful conversations with anyone aside from Jogen. More concerned with her tinkering than trying to make more friends. Jogen had been the charismatic social one of the duo and could make friends with anyone he encountered. Layla wasn’t an introvert per se. Jogen had just been enough for her, and the people you can befriend when you were on the streets weren’t exactly the most trusted of individuals.

 

“Thank you. That was quite the embarrassing tumble,” said the girl in a now less squeaky, more soft voice after Layla put the last item into a box.

 

Layla waved her hand dismissively, “You’re welcome, and sorry about that. I probably could have steadied you instead of moving out of the way. You just surprised me is all.” Layla replied with an apologetic smile.

 

“Oh no, please don’t apologize. If you hadn’t moved, we both would have been on the floor.”

 

The girl had short messy black hair with glasses that were framed around green eyes. In Layla's opinion, her skin was almost too pale, but she knew some people were into that sort of thing. Especially given the number of pale females that surrounded her.

 

She’s cute. A little timid, but she doesn’t seem to be with anyone, so maybe just nervous. All right, Layla, let us try and make our first friend.

 

Dusting off her hands on her third-generation hand-me-down garments, she put one out, “The name is Layla Breeze-Walker. My friends call me Breezy.”

 

The girl put out her own and shook Layla’s in a surprisingly firm manner, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Breezy. I hope it’s okay if I call you that. I am Tiana Quillan, but everyone just calls me Tia.” Her face wincing at her last name for some unknown reason.

 

Strong grip. Guess the timidness doesn’t apply to hand strength. I must remember where I am. All these people are trying to become ascendants. Quillan, Quillan, sounds familiar, but I can’t think of where I’ve heard it before. Maybe I’ll ask later. I don’t want to be rude, and she was expecting me to react to it, so I won’t.

 

“Nice to meet you, Tia. Breezy is fine. I don’t know anyone here so it would be nice to have a new friend.” Layla said, releasing her grip. Tia smiled and a look of relief coming over her face.

 

Layla gestured down to the boxes, “You certainly brought a lot of things. Kind of makes me feel strange only having what’s on my back.”

 

Tia laughed nervously, “It’s my first time being away from home. I didn’t know what I would need so I sort of just grabbed everything I could think of.”

 

Layla gave her a big smile, “Sounds like a smart plan.” She hoped that the school would provide her with something. Dory was supposed to cover her expenses, but she didn’t know what that meant just yet. Layla guessed she would just have to see what she found in her room when she got there. Atom hadn’t said anything about it, not that that meant much.

 

That bastard will get what’s coming to him. I don’t know how or when, but as soon as I’m able. I will get him back.

 

Picturing herself laughing maniacally as Atom whaled before her. Tia interrupted her satisfying daydream of revenge on the ponce.

 

“Are you excited about starting?”

 

Layla thought about the question. Was she excited? Maybe, but the warning that Dory and Atom had conveyed about the Academies still laid heavy in her mind. She had to be careful here. There were too many groups, and Layla was only one person. She was confident in her ability to protect herself, but at some point, numbers would prevail.

 

“I think I am. I’ve been told it’s pretty cutthroat here though.”

 

Tia nodded, “Yes, you are not wrong. This program is especially dangerous from what my instructors told me. That just adds to the excitement if you ask me.”

 

Layla grinned as the shorter girl surprised her with the last statement. She hadn’t thought about it that way, but the added danger of the place did give it something more. An edge, maybe. A place to be challenged. If there was one thing, Layla liked it was being challenged. It had mainly been expressed in her tech designs, but she thought she was prepared to extend that to something else. Her thoughts going to her time in the slice.

 

“So, you had instructors? How was that?” Layla said, pulling off her hood.

 

“My family helped me there. They have… high expectations for me. The instructors were difficult, but the training was rewarding.”

 

“Overbearing parents huh?” Layla remarked.

 

“You have no idea. My life has been nothing but a calendar schedule since I was old enough to read. It’s sort of a relief to be away from them. They were too protective as well. I think it was hindering my training. My trainers refused to injure me in anyway. What about you? I bet you had awesome instructors that beat you to a pulp. Did you get any broken bones? I bet they broke your legs and then had you fight them only using kicks. Or wait no. They broke your forearms then had you punch stone walls till you broke through them.” Tia sighed dramatically as she stared up at the ceiling. Her cheeks were faintly red for some reason.

Layla’s mouth fell open. The conversation going into slightly disturbing territory. Her new friend seemed to have an unexpected kink. The slice had been worse, but she wouldn’t be discussing that time with anyone. At least not anytime soon.

 

Layla shrugged, “My training was… intense.”

 

Tia looked sullen at Layla's reply, “So luckyyy. One cut on my leg and I never saw that instructor again.”

 

Layla chuckled. “I’m sure we will receive an untold number of wounds and near-death experiences while we are here.”

 

Tia thrust her hand in the air and began doing a little dance, “I can’t wait. I can’t wait. I can’t wait.”

 

“You aren’t normal,” Layla said, bursting out laughing at the girl's antics.

 

Tia’s cheeks heated in embarrassment, “I’m weird. I hope that doesn’t creep you out. I haven’t had many friends.”

 

“Not at all. I love it. I think we are going to get along just fine.” Catching sight of something moving on the rails in front of her, she said, “Oh look here comes the transports. Want me to help you with your stuff?”

 

“If you don’t mind.”

 

“Not at all,” Layla replied.

 

The two picked up Tia’s things and waited for the silver passenger transports to stop in front of the crowd. The doors slid open, and they made their way inside. The passenger transports were very spacious with seating in the middle and on both sides. They found a place to sit in the front and put Tia’s boxes in the storage area above them. The two watched everyone come in and take their seats. A few scuffles broke out between groups with different color robes, but it was quickly broken up by the transport attendants.

Five minutes later and everyone aboard the transport started moving. Layla couldn’t feel the motion, but the lights in the tunnel blurred by. The shaft opened up, and the capital lay below them. Layla looked out the window as they sped across the city, heading towards the walled area. She took it all in, or at least she tried to. The speed of the transports was fast, ridiculously so. Layla wasn’t sure where the prick had dumped her off, but it seemed to be at the city's edge.

In less than a minute, it all passed before the transports slowed to a stop just outside the wall.

There was no opening in the wall that she could see. A small landing jutted out from the stone with a building placed in the middle. The singular door to the structure opened, but no one came out. Layla looked around to see that everyone on the transport was also waiting for someone to walk out. An individual in black robes covered by a long white haori appeared inside the middle of the carrier. A black symbol of a five-sided shape with lines coming out of each point at an angle. Triangles at the end of the lines. It looked almost like the figure was spinning. Layla knew the symbol. The emblem of the Nexus Academy.

She couldn’t see the face of the individual but assumed it was a man by the build. Shoulders too broad and black hair too short. He stood in perfect stillness, hands behind his back. An oppressive force from nowhere gripped her chest, and her lungs seized up. Layla strained to breathe as the pressure squeezed her insides. Her shoulders became heavy, and she began leaning forward unwillingly. Layla spied out of the corner of her eyes that she wasn't the only one who was affected, as more than one passenger looked to be on the verge of falling out at any moment. Layla strained as she straightened her back against the unseen force. Her new, more powerful body responding to her call barely. She was now confident that if she had come here before her slice experience, she most likely would have instantly hit the floor.

Gaining a modicum of control, she spied Tia starting to lean forward, and she grabbed the back of her robe. Covertly helping her new friend. Beads of sweat dripping down Tia’s temple, she gave Layla a strained smile. Looking around, she realized she wasn’t the only one upright. The individuals in the primary color robes all seemed to be in better shape. They, too, had straightened their backs against the pressure, but the strain was visible in their faces. She wondered if this was what Atom had done to the big guy back in the shop.

The force suddenly disappeared. Layla’s head slamming against the un-cushioned headrest. She cursed internally, rubbing what would surely be a lump but didn’t voice the complaint. Knowing it would be useless to do so. She glared at the man, blaming him for whatever garbage that had been. He hadn’t moved a single centimeter that she could tell. His presence silent and intimidating. Confused at the purpose of the display of power. Possibly a test, but she didn’t see the point. The lack of information given to her about anything continuing to annoy her. Everyone here had probably been more informed than she was, which made absolutely no sense when her patrons were two damn deities.

The transport started moving again, but the hum of chatter present prior to the man's appearance was now gone. She looked over to Tia and saw that the girl had composed herself and looked abnormally excited for some reason. Layla just shook her head, deciding that the girl had problems.

As they passed through the walls, a forest came into view. Layla gazed out the window as the ancient brown and grey centennials loomed over her, stretching into the sky. Blades of sunlight piercing the green canopy above. Layla had never seen an actual forest before. At least not in person. The part of Golar she had lived in being more of a dry, barren wasteland.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught something large moving towards their transport. Layla’s body going tense as she was having trouble making out what the thing looked like. It speeds too fast for her eyes to make out anything more than a blur.

She looked over to the unknown man, but he remained in his statue-like pose. Looking back again and bracing for the impact. The blur struck a golden barrier. The impact was significant enough to be felt in her chest. The thing stood up on its hind legs and roared at the now slowly moving transport. Layla had to cover her ears from the deafening sound of the beast, and it was most certainly a beast.

Black and green hairless skin with muscular humanoid limbs ended in long talons at both the hands and feet. A wicked-looking tail that had more in common with a mace than anything organic lashing behind it. The face was something that Layla wouldn’t mind ever seeing again but knew it would haunt her dreams. Nightmarish teeth of black filled the things maw, leaving her with no doubt that vegetation was not on the menu. A pair of giant orbs of blackness piercing into her soul as it glared at the passengers in hatred. Shocks of gold flaring out as it pounded on the only thing preventing it from making a snack out of them all.

The thing, finally realizing it couldn’t get through, calmed and squatted down. Layla continuing to watch the thing transfixed as they moved further away from it. Then the beast's body started shimmering and went invisible. She shuttered. Layla had seen some insanely scary races inside the slice, but there had never been any beasts, although it was difficult to tell at times.

“What the ever-loving mantle divine crap was that.” She whispered to Tia. Looking over to her, she found her new friend panting with her cheeks heated. She gazed longingly out at where the beast had been.

She turned to Layla grabbing her shoulder, “Can you even imagine what that thing could do to you? The kind of carnage it could do. That thing ravaging my bo …” Tia trailed off as Layla just stared at the girl in concern.

Tia coughed before continuing quietly, “I mean … uhm. I haven’t the slightest clue. It looked really dangerous and scary …”

Layla changing her expression to skepticism but eventually moved it to a smirk. “You should probably see someone about that,” Layla said and punched Tia in the arm. Tia’s pale, flushed cheeks turning a darker shade of red that continued to her ears, but she smiled, most likely realizing that Layla didn’t really care how weird she was. Layla didn’t.

The transport continued at its slow pace through the forest. All the passengers gazing out the windows. Expecting another terror, the carrier started sloping downward, eventually going into another tunnel. They came to a stop around twenty minutes later outside a landing of a similar size that had been picked up from. The man moved for the first time, putting Layla on edge. His movement was smooth and absolute. Complete control of his every limb. Her experience in the slice now making her aware of what sort of training it took to produce the effortless grace the man portrayed. His right foot hit the ground, and he vanished without a sound.

 

That one is very dangerous, but who am I kidding. Everyone here is dangerous.

 

The doors slid open, and everyone started making their way to the landing. Layla and Tia grabbed the boxes overhead, waiting their turn to exit the transport. There were whispers, but the overall upbeat cheer was now subdued by the man and the beast. Her fellow potentials now realizing that this might not be the place they expected.

A thick white line was painted into the grey stone of the landing before stairs that lead into a dark hallway a few meters past it. No one crossed the white line that Layla could see. She and Tia more towards the back as the crowd of several hundred potentials waited for some type of direction. The noise level on the landing began to rise as everyone became more restless. Conversations about what was going to happen next being the most prominent topic of discussion.

Layla said nothing as they waited. Closing her eyes and beginning to meditate. A habit that the slice had instilled in her. An unknown amount of time passed like this as she both ignored and tracked her surroundings. Aware of everything and nothing inside her void. She found herself searching. For what she didn’t know. The search part of the ritual in the meditation is also a habit.

Like a drop of water in a silent room, she felt something in the void. She rushed towards the sound that was not a sound. It was something, it was… there in front of her. A tower so vast that it absorbed almost all her void. No, it didn’t absorb it. It became the void. She found herself standing outside the tower. The size was beyond her comprehension. She couldn't see its edges. Had she not seen the outer on approach, she doubted that she would have known it was round.

The edges of her void were still visible outside the stairs she stood on. Stairs that led to a door of dark metal and handles of silver. Her attention fixating on the door, and she appeared in front of it. The entryway looming above her and only a few paces away. Layla knew that the size didn’t matter. If she pulled on the seemingly ordinary handles, the door would open for her. It wanted her to open it. Deeming her worthy and prepared. She did not know where those thoughts came from, only that they felt right. She took a step, her hand reaching out to pull on the silver loops of the colossal entryway.

The sound of a loud horn shattered her meditation. The tower and void disappearing. A feeling of dissatisfaction settling within her. Layla opened her eyes, looking toward the direction of the sound. Atom stood on the other side of the white line. Robes and white haori making him look professional. A big million credit smile on his disgustingly dashing face. Green eyes staring directly at Layla.

 

He knows exactly what he just did. What he stopped me from doing. Bastard.