1 Chapter 1 Leap

It was just another day in the rumbling city of Polarity, the capital city of the shifted continents. Though it shouldn't be a surprise for everyone in the floating classroom that we were just watching a simulation of it. The real city of Polarity was destroyed lifetimes ago because of the war that would define all wars. They tried their best to unite humanity but that was clearly not the case. Humanity was doomed to fall on itself. Polarity is now just an ideal that people have in their heads. "Let's start up Polarity" or perhaps "I'll rebuild Polarity someday". It's now some kind of joke in our lives to mention Polarity. Except, someday they'll be someone out there that will actually have that dream come true. I know that somewhere out there someone will rebuild the great capital city of Polarity.

The class was still going on with the lecture but at this point I had already disconnected my teaching visor. I didn't want to relearn the history of Polarity for the nth time. My classmates on the other hand were still under the dream that maybe one of them could be that person by listening intently. However, I was much more excited for the next class. As I looked out the isolated classroom we had, I could see my reflection. Something that I knew would never change. My hair was still the same short black wavy hair, pale complexion. As I touched my face, I could see my thin fingers touching my face. Just like everyone elses my name tag was on my black and yellow uniform's arm. There it was plastered on my arm band, my designation or name was 24th Arc. I was born under the Arc family. A familia that was known for their hex users. Naturally, I've had an affinity for it unlike my other classmates. The other notable familia in the classroom were Nex, Terra, and Nitra. Just as my name says, I'm the 24th of the series of Arc children. Though my other siblings weren't given that designation. I was the special one who was given the name because of my pure abilities. Personally, I wished I didn't have these powers because then I would've lived a far better life. The life of a magic born is arduous and painful.

Teacher: And that'll be the end of today's lesson. Be sure to not to forget the upcoming practical tests for your magic coming up. History isn't something that we honestly shouldn't be studying. We don't want to recreate our past mistakes after all. May Adam shine on you all.

Our hologram teacher said with a smile and wave. After a second or two, the doors opened up. The air pressure was going to start to burst creating a huge shockwave soon. Everyone in the classroom started to cup their ears as the door opened up. We were starting to line up next to the door like some kind of mindless drones now. I could barely move properly because the door was sucking everything out. To anyone who was new to this, this would've been completely strange for a classroom. We hugged the wall with our lives then one by one jumped out. Did I mention that this was a floating classroom? Well this was a floating classroom thousands of distances away from the ground. I jumped out of the room into the roaring winds of whatever this place was. I could see my classmates triangulating to each other. Like I said, the life of a magic born was arduous. I tucked my arms in to boost myself further towards them. Each of them were all prepared for this. I reached out my arms for them as they did the same. Making sure everything was operational. I blinked twice while tinkering with the rest of my skin tight combat suit.

4th Terra: EVERYONE FALL IN!

72nd Nex: I KNOW! JUST GET CLOSE ALREADY! YOU'RE ALL TOO SLOW!

30th Nitra: WHY DO WE HAVE TO KEEP DOING THIS EVERY DROP?!

24th Arc: NO QUESTIONS! THE DROP ZONE IS COMING! FOCUS UP!

The sky was quite dry today meaning that we were dropping in a tropical biome. Today's lesson was to survive in the biome, I guess. We held our hands together as Nitra's eyes began to glow bright blue. Nitra was a girl that had an affinity for anything wind or air related. Meaning that she was able to make sure everyone's temperatures were stable, the air in any terrain was breathable, and we could drop from any distance without a care. She was still 16 rotations when she entered our class. She had a white pixie haircut. Apparently she did this a long time ago in her other classes because it annoyed her when she did magic. Her eyes glowed brighter and brighter. Nitra was the second oldest among us but her experience was different. As the drop slowly came closer, Nitra produced a magic symbol with her finger. Without a signal, a giant air tunnel manifested right below us. It swallowed us up into what felt like some kind of white wormhole. We kept our grip strong because if we let go we were going to shoot out into a different direction! If one of us jumped without Nitra, we would make a giant splat on the ground. This tunnel had two purposes, so when we landed it would lessen the drop speed and so we could observe the terrain passing by.

This biome had palm trees, tropical birds, and worse of all two suns! This was going to be a problem for some of us without good endurances. Water was going to be scarce even with our magic. So far nothing around us looked like immediate danger. Though that was definitely the problem. That means something is much more hidden compared to the other planets that have a clear sign of danger.

After a few more moments of surveying the area, Nitra was able to find us a plateau to land on. As we made it closer, she stopped it. I tucked myself in and tried to find my center to gain some mid air balance then dropped down. I made sure I dropped properly compared to the first time that Nitra did it training. I kept failing to the point it was starting to hurt my knees. Nex wasn't as lucky. It looked like he still didn't have a clue on what to do when the current died. He fumbled on the ground rolling this time. Terra landed gracefully like some kind of superhero as the same with Nitra. Those two were clearly used to it compared to us. Nex held his knees trying to mask the slight annoyance with himself. However, I was much more concerned with our surroundings. This planet was definitely hostile. We didn't need something like this happening over and over again especially on escapes. Top priority in classes would be to keep each other alive. Though that would only be second to the mission. Nitra rushed to Nex while I kept my distance from the team to recon the view.

Nitra: Oh my! Are you okay?! I should've collapsed it a bit smoother! Let me help you.

Terra: Stop babying him already! It's about time he got used to dropping properly on his own. Besides that drop was already close to the ground. Any more and the drop would've been harder.

Nitra: Still. Let me help.

Nex: I'm fine! I don't need your help. Terra is right. There's no need to help me out. So please, just move out of the way. I can do this!

Nitra: I see… I'm sorry.

Terra: Don't be sorry either! We don't have time for niceties. Start filtrating the air. I need to make sure this place doesn't have any strange seismic activity. Just worry about the survivability of the area before anything else! This is ain't the training dome.

If anyone couldn't tell, Terra was that hot headed leader type. She was a pain from day one but apparently that wasn't always the case according to Nitra. Her build was completely different to us. She had big muscles as well as staggering height compared to me and Nex. Terra had long blonde hair that she'd tie up into a ponytail before every class. Red eyes that looked like they were ready to kill. Her magic was that she could manipulate vibrations as well as having the ability to be sensitive to it! It's quite terrifying sometimes. She uses it to check the ground if the terrain is dangerous. Her power was also used to help us maintain caution if there was something dangerous like a foreign creature. Though most of the time, she made sure that bounty hunters didn't find us. She was the eldest of the group which obviously meant she had more experience. Naturally that made her the leader of this group. Though it would help if she wasn't such a constant drag. I came over to Nex to finally help him up off the ground. Nex was the youngest of the group, the most eager of all in the class. He always had something to prove especially to Terra. Sometimes I think he has a thing for her but I doubt that. There's no such thing as romance when within magic borns especially when they're in the same team. Despite the look that Nex gave me, he still took my hand anyway. Nitra breathed out seeing Nex was fine, relieved that he was okay. It's a good thing that our uniforms were quite durable for any situation. The only difference that our uniforms had were that girls could choose to wear a skirt or government issued leggings. Both Terra and Nitra wore leggings to better mobility. Our top uniforms were specially made shirts that had trackers but also had other functions as well. It was a black and yellow slim fit shirt that felt a bit uncomfy at first. The idea was that it would be easier to run in no matter what area. Along with that we also had black gloves which had unique symbols and a watch. The watch had a compass. It also doubles as a GPS to our trackers.

Terra: Hmph, Nex is just going to be a big baby if you keep doing that Arc.

Arc: Doesn't matter. I did it because I wanted to. Nothing wrong with that.

Terra: If he relies on you, then I'll make sure it's your responsibility.

Arc: He can take care of himself. Now quit your intimidation and get to scanning. We don't have time to sit here.

Terra: You're annoying as always. I'm just making sure y'all are prepared. This place is a lot bigger than I had hoped. But that also means a lot of fights.

Nex: Fights…

Nitra: I'd avoid detection at most actually.

Terra: You bunch are so weak willed. A fight is inevitable when it comes to these classes. Though I'm sure I wouldn't be so worried with Arc.

Arc: Just get to it.

Terra: Big mouth.

Nitra: Hey now, let's not fight. We're supposed to be a team. Arc please?

Arc: I'm not the one that started it.

Nex: Don't worry Terra! I'll be fine!

Terra: Shut it! I can't focus!

Terra's face changed from being an ass into a much serious one. Her hands touched the ground to make a special symbol. After a few seconds, her face changed into an angry one. That only meant one thing. As she stood up, she pointed out a few areas.

Terra: Four bogeys on our twelve then a camp on our nine. This is annoying. I thought they'd make this recovery much easier. Arc, you know what to do.

Arc: Got it. Give me time.

My powers were a bit more complicated. It's the ability to modify elements but only one at a time or at least for now. I can use my hexes to make snares, fake/real paths, foot prints, and even weapons. Though I can only use pure elements like water, earth, and fire for now. It's a bit lacking right now but I know it's going to be useful if I can imagine better ways for them. Though it would've been easier if I had a mentor from my familia. Touching the ground, I felt a rush of energy on my nervous system. It's like a surge of electricity that goes all over my body. I could see the patterns of the area as I felt magic around me. My eyes glowed while I concentrated my power through my finger then drew a triangle. That's the special symbol that I saw in my visions. Only magic borns can see their symbols, so I wouldn't know what those three use. The floor started to rumble a bit creating fake footprints everywhere. Sounds of the ground molding to my will could be heard from even up here. Nex felt a bit light footed from the small tremors I've made. This way even if someone would try to track us, it would be harder. Sometimes, magic doesn't even need to be drawn from the person. We can even carry "stamps" to place them on certain surfaces for them to work.

Terra: That should do it. Though I think we would've been fine if we fought them head on. They're just some random predatory hunters.

Nitra: Stealth is always an option, Terra.

Terra: As well as brute force. Whatever gets the job done.

Nitra: Well? What's the objective now?

Terra: Towards our destination of course. We don't want to burn daylight. Then again daylight isn't exactly scarce. This is Plaux.

Nex: What's that supposed to mean?

Arc: You've never heard of Plaux?

Nex: I wouldn't be asking if I did.

Arc: This was the tropical planet that was supposed to be the number one tourist destination. But after the war for Polarity the project was scrapped. I'm sure we could even see metal remnants of golems and structures if we walked around. It's not hard to miss.

Nitra: You could say this place is a relic of the past of ancient humanity. Though I don't study a lot of humanity's past.

Arc: It's best that one of us knows something about the past.

Terra: But that's not what we're here for. What's the main objective, Arc?

Arc: According to the documents that they've fed us on debriefing. We're supposed to find a blueprint that was sent here a long time ago. It was a schematic of something important, something from Polarity.

Nitra: Of what?

Arc: A supposedly new line of construction golems.

Terra: All of this just for blueprints?

Arc: This one is a very special golem schematic.

Nitra: How could it be so special?

Arc: Apparently this one doesn't need to be powered by a Foxphite or anything but it's arcane core.

Terra: That doesn't sound possible.

Arc: That's what it says on the class debrief.

Terra: How?! Wouldn't that mean- Nevermind! We shouldn't be asking questions. We need to find it and leave.

Arc: Terra is right. We need to go. If this is just a blueprint recovery then we'll be able to finish this quickly.

Nex: Is there anything else we need to know about?

Arc: Just like any other mission we've been given.. No time of return. This is a S class after all.

Nex: S again huh. I thought for sure we've completed those and we'd do an A class.

Nitra: What are you guys talking about?

Arc: This is a suicide mission. No return missions, if we call for help no one will come unless we have our objective prerequisites.

Nitra: No, I understood that but don't you guys do these things for a reason?

Terra: Enough Intros! Move out! May Adam be with us.!

Arc, Nitra, & Nex: Adam with us.

We propped up our black hoodies then scaled the mountain. Nex being 11 rotations, still needed help sometimes. I've made sure that the terrain on the ground would be smoother than usual. The funny thing about Nex was that when people would see him, they'd normally think that he'd be too young for these classes. Though they don't realize that having someone from the Nex familia was like having an edge on death itself. It made me a bit sick having someone so young being part of these classes but it still felt like some kind of insurance. Terra might be hard on Nex but she knew that having him stronger faster would benefit all of us. Nex was the smallest of the group too. The first time I've met him, I've mistaken him for a girl with how feminine he can be. He had a tiny torso similar to a little girl and a wavy blue bob cut. I've told him numerous times before that he had to cut it like a guy but he's just so adamant not to. From time to time, I could only see one of his green eyes while the other would be covered.

Reaching the base of the mountain, we made our way towards the forest. The ground was strangely loose despite the look of it which made it feel a bit hard to walk in. Vegetations were everywhere too. Though most of the creatures around were just common beasts with different variations. So far nothing unique about them other than their geographical evolution. Straying from the group, I walked up to a Kouba cub. Nex grabbed my elbow.

Nex: What are you doing?

Arc: It's a Kouba cub.

Nex: I know that's a Kouba cub but I'm asking why are you straying from the group?

Arc: I'm not far from them, our watches have our locations.

Nex: That still didn't answer anything! You need to get back or Terra is going to be mad.

Arc: I don't really care to be frank.

Nex: You can't just not care! She's the class leader!

Arc: I don't care.

Nex: How could you not be scared of Terra!?

Arc: How are you still scared of Terra? We've been with her for almost all the classes we've been in.

Nex: It's because she's strong ofcourse. Wouldn't you want to be with someone strong?

Arc: Why would you want to follow someone strong when you can be strong, Nex. But that's not the point. It's a Kouba cub, these things become a strong predatory species once it reaches its mature form. Yet, what's interesting is that it's a herbivore till then. It's evolution requires it to be strong.

Walking up to the Kouba cub. A quadrupedal mammal that has the innate ability to evolve much quicker than most species. Quite interesting and only rarely seen on planets. Though it is strange to see Plaux to be one of those planets that forces its inhabitants to adapt quickly. This Kouba has tropical colored fur to blend with its surroundings. It's feline facial features would only grow once it reaches adolescence or at least that's what I've read from the records.

Arc: Do you want to know what a Kouba's most defining feature is? And why is it commonly sought after by hunters?

Nex: It's eyes.

Arc: These eyes can see things beyond the normal spectrum. Perfect lenses for telescopes or other vision augments.

Nex: You're really into zoology or something?

Arc: Not really, I'm just a fan of life. The little ones in life.

Nex: I guess this can be cool. But these things are only cooler once they reach maturity. Their legs have enough power to chase an Artuskan at top speed and scale mountains. A perfect apex predator, that's why they're hunted too. Weak to strong. That's what I want to be.

Arc: Perhaps.

Nex: We should get back to the class, Arc. I don't want to anger Terra from being out of position.

Arc: Yes, we should. She gets quite violent especially with me when she does.

Nex: Sometimes I think you do it on purpose.

Arc: Not all the time. I've just known her for a long time is all.

Nex: We've both known her that long.

Arc: No, I've known her differently.

Nex: If you say so. Let's go. We have to catch up now.

As we made it back to the group, we moved cautiously around the palm trees. Keeping only to the trees and never open areas. The last thing we wanted was someone spotting us. Sharks in particular were the things that we wanted to stay away from. I've made sure that our physical traces were hard to spot but sharks were something else. They had strong noses that could smell magic particles. These people were failed experiments during the war. Sharks were the supposed counter to magic users. Hard to believe that people got so desperate to thin us out. Those horrid people even went as far as modifying their bodies to hunt magic borns. It's a no brainer that we're so scarce now.

As we moved on, we had to start switching to dashing tree branches instead of the ground. Bogeys were patrolling the areas, being spotted and fighting would only delay us. Nitra modified our running boots for us to glide from tree to tree. Terra was in the lead of our formation followed by me. Nitra would be at the back while Nex by me. If there was something that went wrong, I could modify the ground to burrow underground or cave us in. I'm basically a shield for the group too. I'm part of the defense of the squad while Nitra and Terra would fight. Their magic is more suited for offense.

After a couple more hours of traversing through the trees, we made it to the shelter located on the briefing. It was an uncompleted building that was said to be the town hall. But that was before the war, it didn't even have widows yet. The roof was still intact however. We synchronized our team watches then moved in closer by using the trees. Nitra flung us up in the air after a swift signal from Terra. Everyone aimed to the roof to gain a vantage point. Surveying the ground properly from above. We spotted them trying to camouflage. Bogeys guarding a point of interest.

They were some makeshift hunters on the ground. They looked dirty with their gas masks and metal spears. Primitive technology. I looked down to see no one else which I signaled back to Terra. I gave her a piece of rock with a hex on it. As she dropped down behind them, Nitra slowed the drop to make sure she wasn't heard. As she placed the rock on the ground, She jumped back up with the help of Nitra's air boost. Now it was my turn, I surged in my power to where I could see the symbol. The dirt rumbled which disoriented the guards. I could feel every piece of ground from the hex. With a swift gesture, a giant monstrous mouth opened up with sharp rocky teeth formed from the ground. The unknowing guards fell in and chewed up the guards. They screamed but there was no use. Terra had her powers active which made sound irrelevant to anyone who weren't close by. I stopped my surge as the screams finally faded. The ground once again returned to normal without even a trace of struggle except for a couple of body parts sticking out of the ground. We all dropped down towards the entrance. Nex looked like he wanted more of the action but I knew that he wasn't able to do anything in that instance. I patted his head to get his mind off it. Nitra looked over the corpses then finally regrouped to us.

Terra: Clean entrance. Let's keep this quick. I could still feel patrols nearby. They're going to notice their comrades aren't responding. Arc, strap the place up. Nitra, blow this place up if we don't signal back. Nex, on me. Meet up at 5.

Arc: Got it.

Nitra: Roger that.

Nex: Yes, leader!

With everyone having their orders, I went around the location making sure that there weren't blind spots that we've missed. I've made sure that there were pressure points on the ground to make some air burst ground mines. These mines had the ability to take someone's limbs off if they just stumbled near it. With each mine I create, I could slowly feel like a machine. This isn't the life I've pictured myself to be in when they said I could practice magic. A killer? They said that this was fun. Though I remember the faces of my other classmates over the years. Their faces are undaunted by the things we're doing. What the hell are we even doing anymore? How much longer? As I strapped up the last mine, Nitra was right behind me! I recoiled a bit and she couldn't help bring out a bit of a smile. What the hell was she smiling about? I forget that she doesn't have any footsteps because she prefers walking on air!

Nitra: Are you done?

Arc: Ack! Don't scare me like that!

Nitra: Sorry, I thought y'all were supposedly aware all the time.

Arc: Not all the time… You don't have any footsteps after all.

Nitra: I forget about that sometimes. So… What do you do for fun?

Arc: Fun?

Nitra: Yeah, don't y'all do something fun during classes? I mean of course this is just the official part but something in between?

Arc: I don't think you understand what kind of mission we're in.

Nitra: I know this is an S mission but I'm sure there's something.

Arc: No.

Nitra: I see…

Arc: Why are you even asking that anyway?

Nitra: I just wanted to talk I guess. Not everyone here in the class is known for talking. So I'd thought I'd start with you.

Arc: Don't you have work to do?

Nitra: I already strapped up the place with air mines too. I don't know, I'm just kind of bored. Just a bit.

Arc: We're not supposed to be like that.

Nitra: Well this is my first mission with y'all after all.

Arc: Right… You're from that team.

Nitra: You make it seem like it's a big deal.

Arc: It's nothing. Forget I said anything.

Nitra: I get it! You're the cool guy of the group right?

Arc: I have no clue what you're talking about.

Nitra: It's just something that I wanted to know. Your class is quite a mystery after all. Mission after mission, you guys don't rest at all.

Arc: Sure… Is this how you were in your old class?

Nitra: Not really. This is just exciting for me because I'm finally in this class. I've always wanted to know about you guys.

Arc: Strange...

Nitra: Come, let's regroup already. I can still see them on my sensors moving.

Our job now was to hold the position and sweep the rest of the people trying to help the people we took down. With each air mine going off, Nitra watched in glee the sheer stupidity of the citizens of the planet getting torn piece to piece with our traps. No remorse, just death. Was Nitra the same as them? The same as Terra at least. I wasn't even sure if humanity was something that magic borns have. We don't even have names. Just designations.

Nitra: Having magic is fun isn't it?

I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Magic is fun, isn't that something that kids would want to hear. Having the ability to cause utter mayhem and praying on the weaker side. I'm not sure how to deal with that. Just finish the mission, just finish the mission, just finish the mission. With the area being clear, we needed to regroup. We walked making sure our backs were covered but even then we were cautious. Terra was just up ahead along with Nex. Entering the building, the place was a lot smaller outside. However, the more we continued further this felt like some kind of crypt rather than a building or town hall. Rubble was everywhere, furniture molded, and the rotting smell of corpses. Their concrete walls were cracked all over making this place look even more damned. But that wasn't something that neither of us had seen. I'm more concerned for bogeys preparing an ambush. Golems were also lying around the place, some even still holding construction tools. Now they're just sleeping dusty forever without a drop of Foxphite to operate them. I walked over to one to see what this one's number was. This one in particular was a butler golem. There was just so much dust on this one that it was hard to tell what was written on it. After moving a bit of dust out of the way, I was able to see it. "Ev3". Nitra trailed on further looking around the deserted town hall, seeing the paintings destroyed and unrecognizable. Her expression told me that this wasn't the place she liked being in.

Nitra: Strange isn't it?

Arc: What is?

Nitra: That golems basically replaced human work in Polarity. I wouldn't have even imagined a world where no one did anything. No work or jobs for humans to do. Strange huh...

Arc: Now we don't have anything.

Nitra: We? I don't think we can even call ourselves humans. We're magic born, Adam's children. It's different. Even in Polarity we were ostracised.

Arc: …

Nitra: I'm sorry. This is a touchy subject within the Academy huh.

Arc: It's not something people usually talk about. The idea of Polarity was the driving force to why we put such an emphasis on it. Everyone has their own opinions on it but even then it's a bit touchy.

Nitra: Yeah, I get it. Newbie in this class. I shouldn't pry with every member.

Arc: That's not it. Humans died a long time ago in Polarity.

Nitra: Quite the philosophical one aren't you. I didn't think anyone would actually listen to those boring lectures.

Arc: We should keep going. Terra's waiting.

Nitra: Right… Maybe then we'll have a bit more fun.

We came closer to the rendezvous but something felt wrong. It was quiet. Something felt way too easy about this. My legs started moving on it's own to move quicker to the meeting point. Nitra after a while started to think the same and sprinted as well. The hall in front of us was filled with golems with missing parts. Some without legs, heads, or arms. They were building something down here! Nitra's eyes started to glow then modified our boots again. These mods allowed us to scale walls like some kind of stick shoes. It allowed us to get the drop on enemies expecting us to enter through the entrance. As we ran, there were stairs leading down towards a basement. This is going to be troublesome. Nitra must've felt especially heroic today because she ran in without saying anything! This newbie! I had to run after her too or we would be split up. The stairs lead down to a giant storage room filled with scrap parts. The place was giant and had no lights at all. The only thing that helped us see was a red lamp light from the ceiling. Some of the scrap parts towered into mountains and in the middle of the room was a stunned Terra. She looked a bit bruised from a fight. However, there wasn't anyone around the place which made things even more difficult. Not a single target to see. Something was waiting for us to get baited by Terra. Nitra was in a cold sweat and tunneled vision as she approached Terra.

Nitra: Terra! I'm coming!

She must've heard us because she looked our way. Nitra ran to her but this wasn't part of protocol! I tried to reach for her arm but she must've boosted her shoes again! She was just beyond my reach by a few inches!

Arc: NITRA, NO!

As she moved in closer to Terra, I saw Nex by the wall. His eyes were terrified at something. There was only one thing I knew about Terra. No matter what she would want to make sure that Nex was safe no matter what. He was going to be our lifeline, the last resort. My body raced towards Nex instead to make sure that he was safe. I grabbed him by his shoulders and looked to see if he had any damage on him. Nex wasn't saying anything! He was too terrified to say anything!

Arc: Nex! Are you okay? Snap out of it! Get to it!

Nex: Save Terra!

I turned back to see that the light wasn't a light. It was a giant mechanical Golem that had been looking down at us from the ceiling! It's several eyes were glowing with it's disfigured body clawing at the walls. It was like a giant arachnid golem made up of several components to keep itself working. Nitra didn't see it but it's sights were right on her! It's red eyes were moving all over the place!

Arc: NITRA!

It was for a split second that I remembered that this was our job. Our job was to fight, survive, and salvage. We were workers for our own government. Living and unfeeling workers sent on a suicide missions. Terra's face looked up to see the giant mechanical monstrosity. She knew that it was going to target Nitra. With a frustrated look, her eyes surged up! A loud horn-like sound shoved Nitra out of the way! Terra used her vibration magic. It knocked her back pretty hard in our direction. However, the golem must've been relying on motion. It sensed magic from Terra. She basically tackled us but it was fine. She was safe now. I grabbed her hand making sure she couldn't move. At this point we were praying that the golem wouldn't pounce on Terra. It's mass alone was enough to crush her no matter how hard she would push it away. The golem started to make some creaking noises like some kind of tin can banging with each other. Screws and bolts were falling from the ceiling. This thing was observing us! Nitra was shaking as she realized what was waiting for us. Terra was dripping in cold sweat as she tried to rack her brain around the situation. This situation was bad. A casualty this early in the mission could ruin everything! My stomach started to go cold while my brain fired up!

Terra: DON'T MOVE DUMBASS! WHY DID YOU RUN HERE! IT'S USING MOTION SENSING TECHNOLOGY.

Nitra: I'm sorry…

Arc: Sorry, it doesn't cut it! You could've killed us all!

Nitra: I'm…

Arc: Nex, you know what to do.

Nex: We're too far apart!

Arc: I know. This is going to be risky but I know what to do.

I tried my best to make sure my movements weren't obvious so the golem wouldn't notice. I grabbed something from my pocket. It was a mini grappling hook for scaling areas that didn't allow us to use magic for stealth purposes. My eyes locked with hers and she knew. Those red eyes of hers never failed to understand what I'm thinking.

Arc: TERRA! I'M INITIATING RETREAT!

Terra: GO FOR IT!

My blood started pumping hard. I could feel the adrenaline rushing in as I held in my fears. With all of my focus, I slowly pointed it towards Terra. My aim was pretty good but this didn't mean I had an immunity for error. This distance between me and Terra was life or death. I pressed the button on my gadget to shoot a fast hook wire towards Terra. As I shot, the Golem's motion sense felt it. Everything started to shake violently. It's movements were creating small tremors in the building! How huge was this thing!? The walls of the area started to crack up. The hook managed to land nearby on her left side which wasn't what I wanted. I could feel the stress build up in my arm. Nitra was staring hopelessly on the side while Nex was focusing.

Terra: IT'S ALRIGHT!

Arc: Nex, get ready!

Terra: NOW!

Without any hesitation, Terra leapt towards the wire! The giant golem suddenly pounced off the wall resulting in the entire building beginning to rumble! As it leapt off at terrifying speed, everything started to slow down. We weren't going to die, not here. Yet why did it feel like there was no dodging this! Nex eyes glowed with a bright blue! That was my signal to grab his shoulder too. I closed my eyes. Before I knew it, I could hear Terra screaming.

Nitra: TERRA!

I opened my eyes to see that Nitra sped her way to Terra. The area immediately changed. We were transported outside of the structure. All of us were safe now. I was able to finally catch my breath while the others scrambled to Terra. Nex's power was teleportation. If anything went wrong in the mission, he could teleport any of us to a spot he modified previously with his mark. It makes him an important asset to the class and recon units like Terra. But now, we're facing the first problem of the mission.

Terra: I'm alright. But more importantly you shouldn't be so fucking reckless! Who on Adam's name would sprint towards an obvious trap like that!

Nitra: I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!

Arc: Are you okay? You look terrible.

Terra: Negative. I messed up my arm fighting the golem. Guess someone found the blueprints first. New priority, we need to find another clue to figure out where the blueprints could be or we dismantle that thing to atoms to find an idea.

Nitra: What about your arm?!

Terra: It'll be fine hahahaha. I can still fight with the other! That thing got me before we made the jump. I might need to rest my leg too. It sorta crushed it. But not entirely. I can still walk but running is a different story. Didn't think this mission was going to be easy did you?

Nitra was already filled with emotions while Nex hurriedly tried to calm her down. My legs finally gave in and dropped down to the soft ground. I sighed some of my stress out but that wasn't what I was concerned about. They're laughing. Our lives are always on the line, yet they're taking it lightly. This wasn't the first time that we've almost died. It's naturally part of the job. Terra's smile didn't comfort me unlike the rest.

Nitra: Terra! Take this seriously!

Terra: I think it just barely got my leg. Any second later, I might have to just amputate it. Thanks to both of you. Nex and Arc. Another good save.

Nex: Let's just rest up.

Arc: I'll get started on the hexes.

As I walked out, all I could hear was their laughing. I guess it's good that she wasn't too phased on it but that wasn't the point. We weren't supposed to experience any of these things in the first place! These missions are terrible! Something that kids like us shouldn't even experience! However, someone had to do it. It was either going to us or another class of kids. Terra, Nitra, and Nex... If only any of them could remember..