Friendship.

「𝐀𝐑𝐂 - 𝟐 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆」

LOCATION: Albus Military Academy, City Project Connection

DATE: 14.03.2046

A greenhouse-like gym large enough to gather hundred thousand masses of people was filled to brim with students of the age varying from twelve to eighteen.

The bustling and hectic crowd became silent in a flash seeing a pale-skinned 7-foot man with neat pomaded hair, his eyes shining blood red delineating his race, walking through to the large stage levitating in front of them.

He adjusted a little device on his ear and spoke,

𝘼𝙝𝙚𝙢!--

"Attention, students of Albus Military Academy!"

The words echoed throughout the space making everyone stiff and straight.

He continued,

"Let me introduce myself! My name is Edward. B, Chief & Inspector of Awakening Examinations! You all smell enthusiastic! There will be hardships ahead of you all, you all have to endure this till you get awakened and get selected by the Military! The new students will be having their first pre-awakening test tomorrow and another one two years later, so everyone, work hard to surpass your genetic limit!"

After these words, the atmosphere changed. The temperature went down making it hard for everyone to breathe. Mr Edward wasn't finished, his eyes shined redder like dull rubies making everyone who looked into them shiver.

He concluded his speech,

"𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩."

These words made him let out a little bloodlust making every student sweat heavily and gasp for breath.

Some weak students fell unconscious from the intense gaze.

Later, the students were dismissed and were sent to their respective classes.

....

In a certain rowdy class, a flabby looking boy who had curly and scruffed hair seeing someone sitting, pointed and whispered to his friends,

"Oh, isn't this Suki? What's he doing here?"

One of his friends replied, "I think he came to get his a** beaten up by us"

Enya intervened, "He looks different though, last time we saw him he was a little thin."

The flabby looking jokingly spurted, "Looks like he became a pig. Look at him walking."

The three of them started laughing and started walking towards Suka with some wicked schemes inside their heads.

Before the three of them could approach him, a personable lad with long black hair asked the chubby boy,

"Isn't that the WDX-42 Model Dex Aircraft?! Where'd you get the miniature from bro? I even searched 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 for it!" -[1]

The boy listening to the unanticipated question answered stutteringly,

"I-I pre-booked it b-before the release."

The black-haired boy intriguingly responded,

"Woah! Let's be friends, here take my DIGID! I like collecting those miniatures too!"

Otsuka suddenly remembering something replied,

"Ah no! I don't want your DIGID."

The black-haired confusingly put forth,

"Oh, it's okay. I am Araz. G, by the way. What's your name, friend?"

Otsuka muttered,

"I-I am n-not your friend."

Araz startled at his words, added,

"Uhhm Yes, sorry. But let's become friends, I will show you my Dex and Heft Aircraft miniatures!"

Otsuka was silent at Araz's words, the other three boys who were planning to approach Suka intervened both and one of them, Enya while putting his hands on Suka's shoulders said,

"Suki, let's go to the cafeteria!" making Suka uncomfortable.

Watching Suka become uncomfortable, Araz came forth and asked,

"Friend, are these your friends?"

Suka replied,

"N-no, they are my f-frien-"

Listening to those words, Araz gazed at Enya and interrupted,

"𝘗𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮."

These hair raising words stopped Enya and the others, making them step back from Otsuka.

Enya pointing his finger at the two stuttered,

"I-I'll see you both after school! Be careful, you n-nerds."

The three of them left embarrassingly.

Araz concerned about Suka, asked,

"Do they bully you? Let's report it, we ca-"

Otsuka raising his voice interfered,

"Please leave me alone! Sor-sorry but I have some work to do."

Otsuka left after revealing his interest in becoming friends with Araz but Araz wasn't the type to stop. He was a real stubborn fellow who liked people who had the same interest as him.

He followed Suka to the cafeteria and sat beside the seat where Suka had been seated.

He started a conversation by saying,

"Otsuka, do you know about the FL-1 Model Pent Aircraft? The miniature was sold for a million vercs at an auction!"

Otsuka ignored him and started having his lunch.

Araz continued, "Also, do you know the academy adds Branuis cockroaches' blood in the soup. Ew!'

This made Otsuka spit the soup he had consumed.

Araz seeing Suka spit it laughed and said,

''I was joking, joking Hahahaha. You really just coughed out the soup."

Otsuka left the cafeteria making Araz stop laughing.

Otsuka left for home after his academy but Araz was still following him like a baby duck. Otsuka realised that and stopped making the person behind him stop too, he said,

"Please don't follow me."

Araz disagreeing responded, "Who's following you? It's just that we have the same route."

Otsuka ignored and continued walking his way home.

Araz too continued following him by the side, he asked Suka while walking,

"You live near the Project Connection Lab? Can we visit the lab, I'm really interested in knowing more about the head scientist, Taru Illmarinen. If it weren't for him we would have been living the same. Hell, I wouldn't even be born. He is such a great man!"

Otsuka listening to this replied,

"You don't know anything about him, he is nothing but a facade. The Human Alliance would have found us even without him. Also, what do you want from me? I don't need friends."

Araz wonderingly asked,

"Why? Am I too ugly or weird? We are destined to be friends, bro. I like Aircrafts, you like them too, so we become friends."

Otsuka irritated, replied,

"No! You don't know me, you don't anything about me! I don't like friends! They leave and betray you!"

Confused at his words Araz responded,

"Then I want to know about you! I don't know what happened with you but people are different Suka, not everyone betrays you. There are good people too, you just have to be lucky enough to find them or get found by them.

Think about my words."

Arza walked away letting out what he wanted to speak.

Otsuka returned to his home, upon entering the house, his mother who was waiting for him said,

"How was your first day at the Academy, Suka? What did you learn? Did you make any new friends?"

Otsuka replied,

"Everything was the same, I only had two more extra classes: Awakening practical and theory classes. Anyways I'll eat later, I am going to get some sleep. I'm tired."

Otsuka went to his room and laid down, thinking what Araz had said to him.

Lost in his thoughts, Otsuka slept without eating.

...

The next morning, Otsuka woke up and found that he slept wearing his uniform. He quickly got ready for the Academy and changed his uniform.

While leaving the house, his mother stopped him and said,

"You didn't eat yesterday too. Have your breakfast before leaving."

Otsuka replied,

"No mom, I-I'll-

His mother intervened,

"You are not leaving the house without eating."

These words made Otsuka's headache a little, startled at the sudden headache he returned and had his breakfast before leaving.

After having his breakfast, he stepped outside and saw a familiar face standing outside his house. He was a little annoyed to see him again.

The boy standing outside his house greeted,

"Good morning Suka, let's walk to the academy together!"

Otsuka annoyed by his appearance, asked,

𝙏𝙨𝙠 𝙩𝙨𝙠!--

"Why are you here?"

Araz replied cheerfully,

"Come on! I thought we became friends yesterday. Anyways let's rush to the academy or else we'll be late."

He started running gripping Suka's hands after declaring his 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LOCATION: PLANET EL SHFÆZR.

In a large gloomy, cold and windowless space, many people were assembled near the conference table. A man hidden in the shadows drew the attention of the personages and disclosed,

"Greetings! I will try not to waste your time by going straight to the topic. The three 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴 send to capture the 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 were killed, rather massacred. The 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦𝘴 have to get involved to capture him before 𝙝𝙚 is born."

These words made chaos amongst the folks. The moderator addressed the personages to calm down.

One of the personages asked,

"Wasn't A High Elf Prince send for the mission? Even he couldn't stop him?"

Another one argued,

"He was from the Grytnare Family! Do you think the 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦𝘴 will be silent after his death?"

A pale-skinned man smirked and whispered,

"The Grytnare Family always gets their a**es in trouble."

This made the Grytnare Family's personage angrily yell,

"You blood-sucking beast! How dare you address us with such insolence?!"

Before something could develop, the moderator interfered,

"Dear personages! Please don't argue amongst yourselves, this is what the enemy wants us to do! We have to take action before it's too late!"

Making everyone present silent. Unbeknownst to them, something even greater was assailing towards them.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[1] - 𝘈 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘦-𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯