Glass City

There were three days till the trip to the city. Half the class was getting money sent from their parents and the other half already had their stuff on the ship. The classes were mostly light with very little heavy training. Val and Caira had gotten less awkward around each other (finally). But there was one last article of business that needed addressing before leaving for the city.

"Everyone, I want you down at the field in half an hour. There's one more thing I need to go over before we leave." Stated Sheppard. The class quickly got dressed and bolted down to the field as demanded by Mr. Sheppard.

"Alright, I know this is a more laid-back trip but you can never be too careful. With that philosophy I want you guys to have something you're best with. So I think it's time I give you guys your Talismans. These are objects, typically weapons, that synergize with your soul to become your ultimate method of both attack and defense. To start off, Ezekiel, you have been incredibly proficient with the Bo Staff and as such, that shall be your talisman." Ezekiel walked over to Mr. Sheppard and took what appeared to be a small cylindrical object from his hand. As he picked it up a small glow came from it and as did one from Ezekiel's eyes.

"It bonds with your soul so when you wish to use it, the staff will extend and be fully ready for use. All the attacks that come from it will be heavily amplified." Announced Sheppard. Everyone else was handed their Talismans, Tyson a Konda Blade, Issan two Sickles, Ubel a folding double-ended sword, Wade two pistols with long bayonets', Caira a lance, 'Ailani a Shark toothed club, and Calden a pair of spiked brass knuckles.

"You two, it seems the swords your parents gave you are actually infused with a Talisman for you, so you're all set." Sheppard said to Valentine and Elof.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's yours?" Val asked Sheppard.

"Well, these rings are." Sheppard pointed at the eighteen rings on his hands. "While I can't tell you what it does I can tell you that I rarely use it. This brings me to my next point. Most of you will achieve a power that is unrivaled by anything else you can reach through a normal attack with these. That power is known as an Enuma Elis. It is named after an ancient creation story from a civilization tens of thousands of years ago. The idea behind the name was that the user accesses the same power the creator of our world did to create us. However, while it's rare, your Enuma Elis may not come from your Talisman. Again it is rare but it is still a possibility." He continued.

"I heard about those, my dad mentioned them to me once or twice. Do you know anyone who can use a Enuma Elis without a Talisman?" Asked Calden.

"Only two, the Headmaster and one of the strongest people who fought in the war. A man named Eiten." Answered Sheppard, he turned to glance over at the twins.

"Alright. Everyone, get your things in order. The city waits." Stated Sheppard.

Three days passed of just more preparation, and finally came the day which they would leave for the city. Elof grabbed his bag and threw it into the cargo hold. He walked toward the main cabin. There was a big circular sofa in the center with a coffee table at the center.

"This is one hell of an airship ain't it." Issan told Elof.

"Yeah it really is, the flight might just be as good as the stay." Chuckled Elof. He walked over to the sofa and sat down. He pulled out his phone and began scrolling, nothing interesting on the news. Just the usual, a few titans here and there and some "unexplainable" deaths out in the west. Those stories always entertained him so he decided to read it through. Most of the deaths were caused by some sort of sharp object, likely a knife the article said. The one thing that caught his attention was it said there were around three a night over the span of nearly twenty miles.

"probably some sentinel that tweaked." Elof thought to himself. (Sentinel is the classification of an individual that fights titans.) A few hours passed as the ship sailed through the sky. At the edge of the clouds Elof noticed something bright, at first he thought it was just the sun but he realized they were heading east and it was five o'clock. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw Wade staring at the window as well. He got out of his seat and walked toward the window for a better look. Then he realized what he was looking at. It was the Glass City. Was like a beacon in the sky, massive, It looked to be nearly ten miles across. The Pillars at the center were nicknamed the pillars of creation, being named after the nebula. The ship pulled into the docking bay at the hotel they were staying at and bellhops quickly began unloading all the luggage to the appropriate rooms.

"This is one hell of a field trip. I'd say it's more like a free vacation." Issan Grinned.

"I'd agree, I feel like this is almost too good to be true." Said Valentine. He knew there must have been a bigger reason they were there, but he wasn't banking on anything yet. Valentine walked off of the ship with Elof, Issan, and Wade toward the rooms. The four had gotten a room together so that they could hang out together for most of the trip. The rooms were massive with a big TV and four queen-sized beds. There was also a large bay window at the end of the room that outlooked the rest of the city.

*Knock Knock*

"Hey guys, Sheppard wants us to head down to the lobby in five." Chirped Tyson.

"Gotcha, we'll be down in a sec." Responded Elof. Tyson turned to walk down but as he did someone bumped into him with their shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey man, aren't you gonna apologize?" Asked Tyson. The guy turned around and stared at him with a glaring look.

"Who the fuck are you to talk?" Said the guy. He was big, even bigger than Tyson (who in reference was six foot three and nearly two hundred pounds). The door swung open from the room next door and Caira came storming out.

'What the fuck crawled up your ass? Is a simple sorry too nice or some shit?" Snapped Caira.

"You have one hell of a mouth on ya missy. I wonder what else-"

*BAM!*

Caira socked the guy in the jaw. He fell to the floor like a sack of bricks, out cold.

"Shut the fuck up you creep! Get your perverted ass out of here and don't come back!" Caira Shouted.

One of the other two boys began to step forward in an aggressive manner. All the boys were massive, at least six foot and a hundred seventy pounds. But he was met with an arm blocking his path.

"Trust me, you don't want to do that. Just take him and go." Val said softly.

"Get the hell out of my way you little shit." The boy grunted. He swung at Val but was countered. His arm was twisted around as Val jumped into the air striking him in the side of the head with a spinning roundhouse. The boy fell to the ground in a heap also knocked unconscious. At that moment two more large kids turned the corner and looked in shock at what they were seeing.

"You two, I'm assuming you're with them so get over here and drag these sacks of shit back to wherever they came from." Valentine said sternly. The three boys that remained standing grabbed the other two and walked swiftly out of the hall. Valentine stepped to follow them and see where they were going but someone grabbed him by the shoulder.

"It's not worth it. You don't need to risk that type of reprimand." Warbled Caira.

"It would at least be good to figure out where they are." Responded Val.

"It doesn't matter because they aren't coming back." Caira told Valentine. She walked down the stairs on the opposite end of the hall. Everyone soon followed when Valentine realized that they had all of a minute and a half left to get down to Sheppard.

"Glad to see you could finally join us." Said Sheppard. "Anyway, all I really wanted to do was talk about some rules. To start You can go anywhere in the building until 23:00 hours. You can go anywhere in the block, shops, cafes, etc. until 20:00 hours. But you are not allowed outside the block unless directed by me. Is that all clear?" Sheppard stated.

"Can we go in between our dorms?" Chirped Calden.

"I'll allow it, just don't be stupid. You know what I mean." Replied Sheppard. "Ok that's it, do whatever you want, we'll be getting on to a proper schedule come noon tomorrow." He continued.

Valentine and the rest walked out toward the street intent on exploring what it had to offer. He turned the corner just outside the main entrance and saw the most lively and beautiful scene he had ever seen in a city. Everyone seemed abnormally happy, shuffling in and out of shops with not a frown to be seen. Everywhere he looked, signs read some kind of sale or special deal.

"No wonder the city's so popular, it's like a utopian getaway." He thought to himself.

Sheppard went back into the building and to his room. He had a call from the Headmaster.

"So what's the urgency for?" Asked Sheppard.

"To put it bluntly, things with the titans have gotten out of hand. They have gained allies in a few of the factions in every part of Vereinigen. We don't have much choice at this point other than making a declaration of war in hopes that we are backed by the Major Arcana. If we did, however, this would mean Zodiac Academy would become a military installation; and its students..." Faulknor paused.

"No, that's not happening. They're KIDS." Sheppard interjected.

"I know Valentine enough and he is not only capable enough but no doubt full willing-" Faulknor was cut off.

"Of course he's full willing, he's young and naïve, and of course he's capable he's been training his entire life!" Sheppard interrupted. "This conversation is over, we'll talk more about this when we return." He continued.

"Fine, but at the end of the day you know it is my call." Faulknor said sternly.

"I think you forget who I am Mael." Replied Sheppard. He hung up immediately. While he was confident he was also nervous. Unsure of what the future holds, and very uncertain of the future of Val and his class.