Prophecy of the Nexus

Chapter 10

I was dreading the upcoming Angelway games. Though I was now doing regular exercises with Marcus and Sir Atticus, I was still not ready for the following trials. It, therefore, was a relief to hear the second games had got cancelled. Being a Squire had made me completely forget what time of year it was. It was the City of Light season. The month when we celebrated everything to do with the Order: the angels, the Order's creation, and the founding of City of Aurelia. I had always enjoyed the festival. It was an excuse for a day off school when it happened on a weekday and just another reason to party on the weekend. Though I had never been to the Aurelia, I knew about its founding from back to front. Primemaster Aurelian, the Order of Angels creator, founded it in the first century AV. Why he had placed it there was a bit of a mystery; however, his logic had been solid. Aurelia was at the South Pole and had never witnessed a demon attack.

As the founding of the capital was heavily linked with the Order, the Arknights usually played a big role in the celebrations. The week before we went through drill after drill, directing where we were supposed to go and the timetable for the day. Most of this was done through the Arknight teachers who took this day very seriously. This was one of the few days civilians actively saw the Arknights so they had to make a good impression.

So, that Saturday morning, I woke up with the other girls and, instead of putting on our usual training uniform, we put on smarter clothes. A fine shirt and a tight skirt with tights gave each of us a look of power and authority. I couldn't help but smile to see myself looking so good. That smile quickly faded as I noticed the girls putting on their berets. The beret was a sign of achievement as a Squire, proof after so many years of training that they could do the job. I, of course, had yet to prove any of that so I stuck out like a sore thumb as we left the girls dormitory. It was even more apparent at the canteen as I spotted younger Squires with their berets on. It made me feel inadequate seeing how proud everyone seemed to wear them.

However, I knew I had to earn that beret. It came when I had mastered a couple of things: mastery of weapon, physical fitness, and knowledge. Sir Atticus assured me we would get there in time. Though I was learning the knowledge fast, my fitness was slow progress, and my weapon expertise was basically non-existent. I was getting a used to the handgun, but anything bigger, I couldn't aim for toffee. Still, none of the guys seemed to notice, though I'm sure Virgil had told his gang about my disastrous shooting performance.

After breakfast, we meet Sir Atticus outside. The Arknights wore the same uniform as us, but they had strips and medals. Some were just simple wing patterns that barely caught the eye. Others had a shining medal, with full-on suns and angels insignia printed from glowing metal. When we arrived outside, Sir Atticus was having a disagreement with an Arknight I hadn't met before. "Our first festival after placement and I'm going to be damned if you don't show off your medals," she said, pointing her finger into Sir Atticus's chest. The woman was almost the same height as Sir Atticus, with gemstone blue eyes and a small nose. She was a little lanky, but I knew she probably had quite a punch.

Sir Atticus looked uncomfortable. "I can't go walking around with this thing on my chest. It's far too gregarious," he said. In his hand was something I had only heard of. I gasped. The Divine Wings medal was the highest honour a soldier could be awarded. It was so rare only a few had been given out over the past decade. Anyone who earned one received it at Aurelia by the Princess of Light herself.

The woman nodded before taking the medal and pinning it to Sir Atticus' uniform. "I don't care if it is gregarious. You earned it. Angels, we earned one worrying you weren't coming back." Both Sir Atticus and Marcus shifted slightly as she said this. My body froze for a second as that realisation dawned on me. Even though I had been on an army base for over a month now, death was not something I had thought about. Let alone the death of someone that I knew. Plus, neither Sir Atticus nor Marcus had ever mentioned near-death missions. Though by the looks of things, neither wanted to think about it. The conversation was interrupted as Lex appeared by our side. "Ma'am," she said, saluting the woman.