Decision

A team of medical professionals were assembled as soon as the spaceship docked at station Sirius. Red saw to it that Anri was ushered off to the hospital wing of the station without anyone being the wiser. Several tests were performed on the sleeping boy, and after studying the results, they all came to one miraculous conclusion - Anri had suffered no debilitating or life-threatening injuries from his brush with a hyper arc. A thin snaking scar remained on his chest like a reminder to him of what had happened. It was the result of the second degree burns he had suffered during the attack that had hurt him but also filled him with magic.

The teenager was then allowed to recuperate inside a healing pod for three hours after which he was shifted to a comfortable bed. When he was finally woken up, Red had a few questions for Anri.

____

"How are you feeling?" The commander asked the sorcerer. Anri had been escorted to Red's office by a soldier who had been guarding his room at the hospital.

"Good."

Red's office was as austere as the man himself. Anri made that observation as he looked around the room. The sorcerer too was being scrutinised at the same time by the commander. He looked thin and his head had been shaved to a crew cut. The jumpsuit he had been wearing was traded off for some clothes that actually fit him.

"How old are you?"

The teenager cocked his head to the side like he couldn't understand what the commander was asking. "Old? Age?" He asked.

"Yes." Red was out of his armour but he had on a navy blue military uniform with a star-shaped insignia that Anri had come to associate with the human faction.

"I am," Anri paused. Should he keep pretending he was completely uneducated? He held up ten fingers and closed a hand into a fist. Fifteen.

"Fifteen. Good," Red answered. The man sat with his back so straight it made Anri feel like a slouch though his posture wasn't bad. "Would you like to attend military school?"

Anri blinked. Military school? He wasn't a soldier and had never planned to be one. "I don't- understand," the sorcerer replied. He wanted to practise magic and alchemy. He wanted to continue his magical studies and become a powerful sorcerer. But this wasn't the world he had come from. His aspirations too would have to adapt to reality. It was a difficult pill to swallow.

The commander folded his arms and leaned back into his seat, wondering how he was going to communicate the idea of military school to Anri. Because of how quickly the teenager was picking up federation, Red had forgotten that it hadn't even been a week since they'd rescued him. It frustrated the stoic looking man who decided this was why he preferred action. After all, beating an enemy to death transcended the boundaries of spoken language.

"Sir," Anri spoke as he noticed the look of mild frustration on Red's face. "Teach..." It was hard on the sorcerer to have to act dumb.

Red ate the crumb that Anri offered. "Teach? Do you want to learn?" He asked.

"Learn," Anri answered with a nod.

It was as much as he could ask for from someone who didn't speak federation. Red decided he would hire a tutor for Anri and have the boy go through tons of study material. There wasn't a lot of time left before enrollment would begin but the commander believed that the teenager before him was capable of exceeding his expectations. The short stint they had together had been enough for him to see that Anri wasn't just smart, he was a survivor and a fighter.

_____

Three hours later, Anri was sipping on a cold drink from a can while a large monitor played a romance movie he was only half paying attention to. The novelty of television was wearing out faster than he had anticipated. Relaxed on a large sofa in the room he had been assigned to, the teenager opened his fifth packet of some potato snack that he couldn't get enough of. It was salty and flavoured with cheese. And when it went into his mouth, the snack made a satisfying crunching sound between his teeth. Bliss.

The sorcerer had adapted very quickly to his environment and was highly appreciative of how convenience, luxury, and efficiency had been maxed out by the people of this world. Picking up another potato chip, he put it into his mouth and pressed a button on the remote control.

The image of a tall teenage girl in a glittering white gown appeared on television. Since arriving in the new world, Anri had never seen such a beautiful and nymph-like girl. Fair like the high waxing moon, she had long dark hair the shade of midnight. Her golden honey coloured eyes were cold and unsmiling despite their warm colour.

"Nova Ainsworth, daughter of Elliera Fern - Queen of the silver screen, has reportedly turned down a juicy role in a new and upcoming drama directed by H. Foster, an acclaimed director and star-maker. She will not follow her mother's footsteps, a close aide to the family has revealed. Fans of the beautiful Nova will be heartbroken by her continued decision to remain away from the limelight-"

Anri pressed the button on the remote again. It was another news channel reporting the same thing. There was a different picture of the same girl. She was standing beside a taller woman to whom she bore a very close resemblance. The woman had rich auburn coloured hair and the same honey gold eyes.

"-a rumour that Nova has decided to pursue a military career like her father."

Anri switched channels again. Beautiful women were a dime a dozen where he had come from. There was no shortage of half-human girls who were sired by elven fathers. They were aesthetically his favourites but Anri never did care much for dalliances with the opposite sex. He'd had a few during the rare occasions when his studies and adventures had allowed for it. Even so, no woman or girl had ever brought him close to the euphoria he would experience during his experiments.

Thinking so, the sorcerer lazily channel surfed and wondered about this new life. Going back to his original world was impossible now so he refused to dwell on it any longer. Anri turned over in his mind the idea of military school. The decision had been taken out of his hands, right? Since he had no idea how this world worked, he would study and play the role that the commander wanted him to. And maybe he would find purpose while discovering the secrets of space travel and the marvellous mechanical constructs that worked like magic in this world.