“Now,” Elara’s voice echoed from behind the veil of the archway. Above its frame, there a holographic screen projected live view of her face flickered to life. She looked down at the recruits with a playful, heavy-lidded smile.
Nothing but silent in could be heard in the Administrative Hall. One hundred and forty one remaining recruits stood there frozen. No one dares to make a move, to take initiative, be the first one who walks the path.
“I’ll go,” a rough and confident voice broke the quiet.
It was Darius, he shoved his way to the front, marched straight up to the front of the veil, then crossed his massive arms over his chest, and deliberately spat on the floor next to the archway.
He looked up at the hologram, let out a grin. “Let’s get this over with, lady. I ain’t got all day for your stupid magic tricks.”
On the screen, Elara stayed calm, she didn’t flinch and didn’t even blink. Instead, she let her smile widened, turning into something made it cat like. She looked at Darius, the way you would look at a yapping chihuahua.
“My, my, oh my” her voice amplified through the hall. “Aren’t you the feisty one? Spitting like that on the floor like a bad puppy?”
Darius get annoyed and response, “Watch your mouth—”
“Hush now” she cut him off
Her tone was light but her eyes is fierce like it has the weight of authority in the room. “Let’s see if the one that bark can bite, you may proceed to enter the veil“
Then Darius angrily entered the veil, to the recruits behind him, the veil looked like a flash of bright red light. But on Elara’s side, she had a unseen screen that only her can look at, the screen display visual of what the true potential and how did the serum awoken their inner potential, and for Darius, his visual on the screen was terrifyingly distinct.
It was a barren landscape there are only mountains constructed entirely from the crushed remains bone of smaller beast like wyvern creature. Standing atop the highest point of the mountains was a massive, black-scaled dragon. It stood upright on two of its powerful legs, it has vast, leathery wings that spread wide, Its neck was thick, armored with jagged spikes, and its eyes were red, burning with fury. To Elara it was a beast that grew strong by surviving with the rule of nature, survival of the fittest, the strong survives the weak fall. It roared, breathing fire over the corpses of weak who does not survived.
Elara’s eyes narrowed. “such a ferocious tyrant”, she thought. “For the serum to merged with him and then make the serpent to this form is admirable, he at least going to be Level 3 or higher, should he understand and strive to his desire or goal, he might be able to go beyond, hmmm”
“Oh my,” she teased, tapping her cheek on the screen. “So red and bright, a angry one i see, Do you stand atop of your throne of the mountain bones of the small, you don’t like the “weak” don‘t ’you? One either become strong or be stomped by the strong one?”
Darius grin and said. “I will crush anything in my way.”
“I’m sure you do,” she chuckled softly. “Try not to break yourself in the process Strong one“.
Unit: NIDDRAZ
“Go on, shoo.”
Darius walked off, confused and annoyed that she didn‘t get’ intimidated by him in the slightest.
Jin was next. He lunge forward, full with energy. He stopped in front of the archway and looked up at the giant hologram on the top of it.
He placed a hand over his chest and bowed, then said. “Hello! It is an honor! I’m ready when you are, Ma’am!” in polite way to Elara
Elara’s expression on the screen shifted instantly to delighted. “Gosh! Finally, a gentleman!” “You may proceed then”
Jin then walks through the veil, the veil’s color changed, from the normal light blue colored to glowing white with warm yellow surrounding its most outer side, the veil shined bright for a moment enough to outshine the lights in the hall. Elara narrowed her gaze and put her hand slightly above her forehead to make cover, once the Jin get through the veil the shines dimmed and then the veil turned back to its normal blue color.
“I… Didn’t break anything aren’t i?” said Jin with a concerning voice
Elara put her hand down and respond, “It’s alright, nothing to worry about, let me see..”
The unseen hologram popped up in front of her, naturally Jin cannot seen it. The hologram displayed a vast clear blue sky, bright with clouds scatter throughout the landscape, and soaring through the clouds was magnificent creature with a long, serpent like body covered in fur of white gold, it has feather wings that spanned the horizon, and antlers that seemed made out of ancient trees branched from its head. Elara eyes were widen and can’t avert her gaze from the display.
“Roam free in the sky”, she thought, her heart pounding. “it’s just like him before…”Elara started to let out tears unconsciously.
Jin notices this and approach her, “You okay mam?? What can i do for you? You are sick? Or?”
Elara remembers once there is a man that offer her hand like this, this was long gone past, a moment she could never forget, he said the same exact lines as Jin.
“You okay?? What can i do for you?”
“Ahh… I’m okay” Elara wiped her tears responding to Jin. “It just… You remind me of someone, someone that i know from the past…”
“Me? Oh… Is it painful? If it’s i’m so sorry to cause you discomfort like this” said Jin while bowing her head.
Elara walked straight up to Jin with relief yet affectionate glint in her eyes, and put her hands between his face.
Jin was caught by surprised with what her did, and then she said
“You…”
Jin stiffened, his face going red. “U-Uh… Ma’am?”
Because Jin was shorter than her she leaned down, bringing her lips dangerously close to his ear. She then rested a hand on his chest, her fingers trailing lightly over his uniform.
“You shine so bright…” she teased with soft voice that made Jin’s knees weak. “You remind me of an old flame… If you weren’t so young, I might just keep you for myself…”
She pulled back and let go of him, winking at him as he stood there paralyzed and steaming.
“But for now,” she announced loudly, beaming.
“You belong with!”
Unit: NIDDRAZ
Jin stumbled away, holding his chest, looking like he had just fallen in love or had a heart attack.
Violet stepped forward next.
She moved swiftly as within blink of an eye from the crowd to the archway as if she were just taking a step to go from one point to another. She didn’t look at the hologram displayed above the archway, her gaze focus to the veil.
On the screen, Elara leaned her chin on her hand, her playful smile widening. She notice her fast movement before.
“My, my” her voice filled with amusement. “You move like a ghost, my dear. So fast, are you trying to pa—”
“Shut it up,” Violet said. Her voice not loud but it sliced through the Priestess’s monologue, and interrupt her. “Just run me through.”
No one interrupted the High Priestess before, not even Darius was dare to do that,
On the screen, Elara blinked, she make sure that her playful demeanor is not the reason of her being interrupted as she sharpen her gaze toward Violet. She realized instantly that this wasn’t someone that barks a lot like Darius.
“Oh my sorry, you’re like straight to business treatment?” Elara asked, her tone shifting from teasing to intrigued. “But, I want to know more about the our new recru-”
“Not interested with telling you bedtime story, so either i go through this veil without your order or let me through” Violet cut her off again, her tone now was like cold and absolute. She stopped twirling her pen, throwing it inside her sleeves.
Elara then stops her playful demeanor. “Alright. The placement”
Elara keep her stare at her even though Violet never once look at the screen above. Then, a slow, genuine smirk spread across the Priestess’s face.
“You may proceed” Elara said.
The Veil color turned bright purple with black lighting sparks scatter around, on Elara’s hidden hologram screen, she saw a landscape that filled with liquid, that looks like water but It was a thick, bubbling expanse of violet sludge, resemble the liqud that pours out of the Rift, but this sea of liquid looks more like a sea of poison. Rising its depths was a enormous twin-headed leviathan. Its scales were dark and armored with thorns, and the way it moves to the surface were silent. Both heads hissed in unison, looking straight at Elara.
Elara fascinated with the view said “Interesting, this is new to me” smirking after seeing the hologram screen, then she directed her view to Violet that just gone through the veil. “You’re interesting one young lady, This aura of yours, i remembered i have felt the same before, was it the nob—”
“Are we done?” Violet interrupted for the third time, but this time there were intense gaze coming from here, and the air were tensed, Elara felt the pressure from this girl just by her gazing at her, she continues “Or are you going to keep talking until the air runs out?”
Elara laughed. It was a dry, impressed sound. She had lost control of the conversation three times in a row and this was turning into intense situation but she found it delightful.
“You force my hand,” Elara response, snaping her finger and then, there gust of wind swirls around her and Violet.
Violet surprised with her eyes were widen a little bit, Elara just smiled and nodded at her.
“Yep, Yep, You belong where the sharpest one are kept”
Unit: NIDDRAZ
Violet didn’t say thank you. She didn’t smirk back at her. She simply walked away, none of her steps were made any sound whatsoever it was silent.
“Well i guess i don’t get any thank you from that” Elara smiles while looking at her leaving,
“Next then”
Tusk is the next recruit, he fidgeting nervously before the archway and turned his head up and see Elara “Uh, hi! Is Negi-chan watching this too? Can I say hi to her?”
Elara giggled and response “Focus on your assignment first, then maybe she will watch this” and winking at him. “You may proceed” said her again.
Tusk then walked through the veil, its color changes to colorful one after he entered, and keep changing form one color to another, forming tricolor combination. Elara sees the hologram screen and what she saw was three medium sized like wyvern dragons, one red, one green, one blue, and they were appeared floating making a circle movement tailing one another, their mouths were constantly moving, snapping and arguing with one another.
Elara was confused with the image and cannot say much to him, once Tusk has gone through. She just look at him and said.
Unit: FORTZVEL
And then smiles at him with “I Hope you will see Negi-chan” and wave at him. Tusk then wave back and smiling nervously while leaving.
Gion stumbled walking to the archway, he’s the next one. He reek of booze, All other recruits that he passed on were pinching their noses, He squinted up while standing in the front of the veil and look up at the massive floating hologram screen of Elara, While he keep his stance straight his body is swaying around to break it, he let few hiccups, then he look at her in lecherous grin spread across his face.
“Whoa… Mama,” pointing while swinging his hand around at Elara’s chest on the screen. “You… You’re hiding some heavy artillery under those robes, huh? Well shit, I’d say it’s very… stacked. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA”
All recruits reactions to his lines were varied, some wanted to laugh, some of the female recruits look disgusted, and Eric were just baffled at the way Gion act, in his mind he said.
“Damn son, what the hell are you doing? Talking to like the High-Priestess like that?? That dude must be out of his mind, nay, out of this world!, i wonder what is he having to become that high, maybe i should get one of those”
On the screen, Elara didn’t look offended, it was the least feeling she could’ve sown, she instead rested her cheek on her palm, looking down at him with amused expression and half lidded eyes, and then let out playful smirk.
“My eyes are up here, darling,” in her voice a sultry. “But I appreciate the appraisal of so called my “heavy artillery""
Gion laughed, and then talk backs, “Hey… Listen Mommy, If I… Hehehe, I-If I become a big name… You know, the big shot… Thingy, hehehe, The TOPPPPPPP out of them… Hehehehe, Does that mean, Ah, well you know uh… I get a Beauty heavy artillery chicks like you? OR BETTER YET YOU!!? Hahahaha, Just you and me? Maybe share a drink, maybe more? Hehehehe?”
Elara laughed, a genuine, delightful one, she then leaned closer to the camera. “Oh My my, you’re a bold one, I like that hmmm” “Alright, if you become a big shot, I might just let you do those things. But you have to reach the top first” and then she smiles towards him.
She then lean back and in her index finger making gesture tapping her cheek, “Buuuttt, Can you climb that high though?, little one?” smiles back at him again this one with her head high,
Gion firming his stand, his eyes suddenly focusing their glaze for a split second to Elara. “Watch me, I’m gonna get so high… I’ll touch the sky and reach the heaven for you”
“Hmm, is that so? Then you may proceed” replied Elara back to him,
Gion then walks through the veil, the moment he entered, the veil color changed to brown murky one, but atop of the archway area it was bright and shining gold color. As he entered, his inner potential projection started to appear on Elara’s screen, the image that got displayed was a Serpent, but, this one had massive, muscular arms or legs? They look the same spawn across its body, with the same length and width, like reptile legs, this serpent were on a tower, climbing it with its jagged claws pierced into the inner tower, crushing the masonry as it hauled its massive body upward.
The usual recruits usually displayed their potential in the screen with just a serpent that swims in the ocean, it was the original image that supposed to appeared when someone got injected with the serum and they accepted it, it was the integral part of the serum as enhancement, and to have completed it thus meant that they’re ready to become a soldier. So far there were some that got displayed differently than the what supposed to be displayed, they’re called high potential soldiers, and someone different landscape displayed on the screen, the recruits like Darius, Jin, Violet, and even Tusk, these are uncommon, and they are not the normal one, although alteration were to be expected since Elara also have seen many of those who their inner potential instead of being awaken by the serum were just “Amplified” by it, still the amount of time she has seen it back to back like this time was basically never, she has never seen so much potential in recruit enlistment than what she had today.
The serpent despite there was water surrounding the area, the beast seemed to have “refused” to swim in the water and climbing instead it decided to climb the tower and perhaps because of this its grown a legs to do so? Why not wings like the others recruits had? Like Darius and Jin? But Elara also notices that why perhaps this Serpent has no wings It was massive, like a size of a mountain, the tower itself also seemed to be like impossibly massive structure.
Elara’s eyes widened, “These many high potential recruits in one day is, something i’m not expected” while let out a grin watching the screen.
She looked at the serpent in focus, she notices that every each high potential candidate have had their reflection in their vision, like Darius one signifying his brutal and urge to fight nature, Violet, Jin and even tusk are the same. This serpent climbing up the tower, above it was massive clouds that hinder the view, from it there was shimmering glowing golden light illuminating the tower and ground below, the serpent looked like it was desperate to breach the clouds.
“Hmm, normal serpents were content to stays in the ocean of the mind, others were have already in their domain, but this one?” Elara said in her thought.
“It seems hated the water and doesn’t want to stay in the ground either, It seems those claws had grown solely climb and separate itself away from the “reality below” Interesting!” she continues.
“To evolve those legs and claws just to climb higher and essentially run away…” Elara fascinated by the sheer desperation of the serpent.
“Climb High to be the top eh? He might be can climb to the top” Elara still pondering, then she said to Gion that just on the other side now, his eyes were locked at her
“To climb so high that the nothing can’t touch you anymore” Elara said to Gion.
“Getting high… Is my specialty,” Gion grinned, while losing his balance.
“Indeed, you are” she chuckled softly.
“Go climb to the top then, i will wait atop of the heaven” Elara smiles to him with encouraging gesture.
Unit: FORTZVEL
Gion gave a lazy and unstable two-finger salute to Elara and said.
“Save yourself for me, Mama.”
He then wandered off, leaving Elara giggling at him.