Chapter 4 - Charles Military Academy (2)

"Right, this place will do," Stephanie led us inside an old, abandoned mansion. "All of you have your weapons, right?" Stephanie asked. I nodded alongside my classmates. "And all of you have your ACR-D, right?" she added. "ARC-D?" I showed a puzzled look. "You mean this device?" Wortel raised an item shaped like a big chocolate bar. "Yes. That item in your hand is called ARC-D, short for Advanced Combat Rudimentary Device. Please open it and take a look," Stephanie said. I gently opened the device and found that it was a folded item. The top part of the device was a blank screen, like those from television. And the panel below had a large slot right in the middle. Then, there were six smaller slots surrounding it.

"You might be wondering, what are all those slots, right? And the blank screen, what does it do, right?" Stephanie asked with a hint of excitement in her eyes. "Well, let me tell you all about it," Stephanie puffed up her chest. Placing her hands on her waist, she continued, "ARC-D, the device in your hands, is mainly used by the army. It was created by Cho Technology and Helen Cho, who spearheaded the development. The ARC-D device is the evolution of the previous RC-D created by the late Professor Nicholas."

"ARC-D is used to extract the power of Aether for ordinary people to use. Do you see the large slot in the middle? That is where you will place an orb known as the Aether Core. Take a look at this," Stephanie pulled out her ARC-D and showed off the Aether Core. "This is my Aether Core. A blue Aether Core indicated that they are of the water element. As you all know, red represents fire, blue represents water, yellow represents earth, and green represents wind. There are also black and white; each represents the higher elements of time and space," Stephanie explained. "Now, here you go," Stephanie threw six orbs toward us. I caught the orb with reflex before opening my palm. "What I've given you six are Aether Cores customized specifically from your profile. Take a look and if you're done, insert it into your ARC-D," Stephanie instructed.

"Uh…." I uttered a sound when I saw the green Aether Core in my hand. "Wind element Aether Core?" I exclaimed. I rotated the green Aether Core before inserting it in the large middle slot. When I did, the blank screen lit up, and an interface popped up. I saw a green Aether Core floating in the center with six empty slots surrounding it. "See the user interface that popped up? That center point is your Aether Core. Tap it once," Stephanie said. I did what Stephanie said, and a small window popped up beside my green Aether Core. "Aeolus Wind Core?" I raised my eyebrows. "Aeolus Wind Core is a Wind Elemental Aether Core that will increase the user's movement speed and agility," I read out softly. 'Does this mean the academy chose this one for me based on my profile?' I pondered.

"Uhm, can I ask you something?" a female student with long, braided brown hair, brown eyes, and a pretty curvy figure raised her hand. "Of course, you can," Stephanie flashed a gentle smile. "How do I use it?" she asked. "Good question. It's simple. If you're done reading the information about your Aether Core, close your ARC-D and activate it by pressing the C symbol on the cover," Stephanie answered. I did as Stephanie said, and my ARC-D glowed green. That green glow started to creep out from my ARC-D before surrounding my whole body. "Whoa, this is odd," I exclaimed. I observed my surroundings and found my classmates were experiencing the same thing as I did.

"All of you feel different, right? That is the power of ARC-D, courtesy of Cho Technology," Stephanie said with a satisfied smile. "Any of you experience any sort of discomfort?" Stephanie asked. I shook my head, as did my classmates. "I will give you thirty seconds to familiarize yourself. Don't move and observe your own body. If you feel any sort of pain, immediately tell me, got it?" Stephanie instructed.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good."

After thirty seconds, I did not feel any sort of pain or discomfort in my body. I saw Stephanie turn her head over and over like an eagle looking for prey. "No discomfort?" Stephanie asked.

"No, ma'am."

"Good. I guess you are all ready," Stephanie let out a sly grin. "Then, good luck!" Stephanie smiled. Then, she snapped her fingers. After that, a beam of light suddenly hit me from above. I could feel my vision blurred. I heard my classmates scream, and I also heard Stephanie say, "Please do your best!" After that, my vision went completely dark.