Mission Briefing

"I wish I knew", said Lance as he sighed and controlled his emotions.

"Ey? You don't know? Oh well. You will find it out sooner or later, atleast if you plan on staying alive through the missions you are going to get.", said Attok as he finished pretending to tie his

shoelaces.

"So whats the deal with the missions?", asked Lance as he was still racking his brain for any clue about what his nature could be.

"Initiation missions are designed to make initiates comfortable in using their nature. Your nature is your inner self, and in today's world with the influence of technology and various other factors, humans especially of your age are losing the connection with their personality and thus intrinsic nature. There are many theories regarding intrinsic nature, with many regarding as something that is the core of the soul and thus is determined at birth. Others argue that external factors and development of the human result in the nature. Whatever the scientists say, intrinsic nature has been seen to change in rare cases. It could be the cause of severe trauma, or even severe self doubt. What is even rarer is the change not resulting in death. As the intrinsic nature is connected to the very core of your being, any damage to it results in the unraveling of your consciousness."

"I am telling you all of this now to advise you to never lose confidence in yourself and your abilities. Intrinsic nature might decide your potential in the early stages, but there have been many cases where people with ordinary natures achieved something extraordinary, simply because of their grit and determination never to give up. Never underestimate people based on their intrinsic nature. From personal experience, this is one lesson that the sooner you learn the better."

"Missions also have other objectives. There are clues around the world regarding the true history of earth and the purpose behind the initial creation of IE. In order to honor the sacrifices of many generations of ancestors, missions are designed with the main theme of finding this history from the setting that you are put in. To entice initiates into doing their best, missions are also scored and the top scorers can redeem their points for cultivation resources. This is a topic for later though, as you have to first earn some points. Just know that resources enable you to leap past obstacles in your path to power. Remember, you need to atleast pass the mission to receive the cultivation method for your level."

"There are 3 initiation missions which each give the cultivation methods up to the Apprentice, Master and Legend level. These are the first assets that any member of IE must earn before being deemed worthy of honor of defending earth."

Attok raised his arm on which he was wearing a weird watch. The watch strangely had a hollow in the middle where the time was supposed to be shown. It had no buttons so Lance wondered what it even was. As Attok raised his arm to a horizontal level in front of his chest, a light flashed on his forehead before a holographic display magically popped up. A woman's face was in the projection, and she said,"Brain wave identified. Please state your purpose for contacting high command."

Attok's face took an authoritative shade as he answered,"Candidate Lance has been assessed by his Ancestor Attok. He does not know how he escaped the test. He is ready for mission briefing."

The hologram looked so lifelike that Lance could'nt help but put his hand through the woman's face that was hovering in the air. He felt a faint warmth on his arm as it passed right through the 3D projection.

"Affirmative.", answered the woman before collapsing into the watch. Lance looked at the watch a little longer before looking up to see Attok glaring at him.

"Boy, curiosity is fine but you have to learn how to control it. In advanced versions of the holowatch, a solid replica of the head is reproduced using fine particles which are stored inside and gather particles in the air to make the replica. In those cases, touching the projection results in the person on the other side feeling the sensation of being touched. If mine had been that version, that woman could have killed you with a slap of her hand. Be careful in the future unless you want to die an unwarranted death."

Sweat appeared on Lance's forehead as he listened to the old man's explanation. He vowed to control his curiosity from now on as he had no plan to become paste just because he wanted to feel how something felt like.

"Anyway, prepare for your mission briefing. Be successful, and I will explain any other questions that you have. There will be a grace period between missions anyway when you will have to stay on the station."

Lance nodded as he sat down again to wait for the mission briefing. Attok sat beside him, imitating his posture and looking up at the stars.

Side by side, both men waited for the briefing and the mission that could either kill their dreams or make them come true.