Blaring noises of the alarm clock rang in my ears, I jumped out of bed instinctively and quickly got dressed, I was still in the haze of the morning, but I was ready to go.
"Look who got up early today!" A familiar voice, Ootaea's, sitting on her bed and eating breakfast. How early did she wake up to be this well prepared already? And are we even allowed to eat breakfast in our dorms? "Don't worry about this, and don't tell on me either. If you do, I'll tell on you for sleeping in!"
"Yeah, whatever, I don't care." I muttered, "Why are you awake so early anyways?"
She shrugged and continued eating, "Eh, I dunno, couldn't sleep, so I decided to get up and grab some food from the mess hall."
"Why couldn't you sleep?"
"Nightmares! Night terrors! Terrible dreams! Bad thoughts! Bad dreams! Horrible memories! I had a really good dream, then I had a terrible nightmare, so I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. So, I went to the mess hall and got some food." She said, stuffing her face full of eggs and bacon, "Mmmmm! This stuff is good, who would've known that they don't feed us rations?"
"Huh." I responded, not knowing how to reply to that. Then again, I didn't really need to respond to anything, since I was just listening to her ramble on about whatever she was talking about.
I began heading for the door to leave the dorm, before Ootaea called out, "Hey, where are you going?" She asked.
"To the briefing room." I replied, not bothering to look back at her stuffing her face.
"I'll come with you, hold on a sec." She said, putting her food down and walking over to me, "C'mon, let's go."
I nodded and opened the door, stepping outside, Ootaea followed behind me, closing the door behind her.
We walked through the hallway in silence, or rather, mostly silence. She hummed a tune that I didn't recognize while we walked, but otherwise, she didn't speak a word.
At some point, before I registered it in my mind, she spoke up, "Hey, can you believe that today is finally the day that we start our mission?" She asked.
I looked at her, she seemed nervous and anxious, but I couldn't blame her, after all, it's probably life or death out there for her. I mean, if we were to die, then maybe this entire world would just cease to exist. It seems like a lot of responsibility, and I wonder if she's truly prepared for it? Perhaps I wasn't, either.
"Yeah, it is." I responded.
She nodded, and continued to hum that same familiar tune. I couldn't quite place it, but it was a calming melody that made me feel serene and peaceful, as if I was floating through space and time itself, free of all the worries and anxieties that plague me daily.
After some time, we arrived at the briefing room, with Tiette's gruff voice greeting us as soon as we walked in.
"Good morning, rookies..." Does this guy never get any sleep or what? I mean, seriously, he looks like shit, and yet, he still seems to be working non-stop. "Take a seat... I will explain in detail... What your mission will be today."
I sat down, and Ootaea followed suit. She seemed to have been thinking about something, or perhaps she was just nervous about this mission.
"First off... Your mission today is simple... You will be escorting a supply convoy from North to here... The convoy is currently located at a military base in the nearby town, it will be heading west from there till it arrives at this facility."
"So... We're just going to walk to the town and back with the convoy?" Ootaea asked.
"Correct. The reason you two have been chosen for this mission is that we do not have enough personnel within the ADF to send with the convoy... Thus, you two were the only promising candidates available." He explained.
"So... we're basically just supposed to babysit these trucks?" I asked, not trying to sound too sarcastic, but it came out that way anyways.
"Essentially, yes... The convoy is carrying supplies, ammunition, weaponry, and personnel... We need them to get here safely, and without any casualties... As the town borders the Blue Void, there are more chances to encounter an Amalgamate on our journey... You'll be accompanying another group of trainees, so don't worry too much about... being alone out there." Tiette said.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait... We're gonna be walking through the town? That means that... We're gonna see new places, meet new people, eat new food, and experience new things! And that means that... We might even get to fight some bad guys! Oh man, this is going to be so cool!" Jumping around with excitement, Ootaea, she really was a child in an adult's body, how does she even manage to function in society like that? I mean, sure, I'm a little excited, but I'm more anxious than ever... Did hearing the words "Blue Void" trigger me or something?
"Blue Void, as in the place where the Amalgamates spawn from?" I inquired, not sure what it was. It was probably a dangerous area, though.
"Yes, you are correct... It is a large expanse of empty land, or rather, it is a boundary between our world and theirs, the place where they emerge from. There is no solid ground, just a void, a blue emptiness where the laws of physics do not apply... and anything that enters it disappears. It is recommended that... You stay away from it." He said.
"What happens if we get too close?" A dumb question from a dumb person, but it was something that I had to know, because, well, curiosity killed the cat, and I'm curious.
"You will be torn apart by the very fabric of reality... Or so they say, but we have never tested this... No one has ever survived a trip into the Blue Void, but there have been reports of people seeing things from the outside, hearing voices... Seeing their dead loved ones..."
"Like ghosts?" Ootaea asked, her eyes filled with wonder. Seriously, is there no end to this girl's stupidity?
"Exactly, or perhaps they were tricks from the Blue Void itself, but either way, we know that it is a place that is best avoided. But there are... cases of people going missing near Blue Void... without explanation. Some people claim that the Amalgamates took others, some claim that they just vanished into thin air, others say that it is all just rumors spread by the government to keep us from... Venturing near the Void." Tiette said.
"So... Wait, if we're taking this supply convoy directly here, why should we worry about the void?" I had to ask, something about this seemed wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Because the convoy is taking a route that will constantly border the edge of the Blue Void, we cannot risk our soldiers to stray away from the path and get lost in the Void... It would be... Unacceptable and unprofessional, so please... Keep the convoy safe, and make sure that you do not let them get lost in the Void." Tiette said, before continuing, "Any questions...?"
"Can we take some food with us?" Ootaea asked, her stomach growling as if she had already eaten everything in the building, "We're going to be gone for a long time, yeah?"
"Worry not... The supply convoy... Will have plenty of food to feed everyone... You will not go hungry, but we advise against eating anything that you find in the wild... It could be dangerous or even poisonous." Tiette replied, "Is there anything else you want to know...?"
"What abo-"
"No, we've heard enough." I cut in, not wanting to hear anymore from this man, or Ootaea. And also because Ootaea was about to ask something stupid. "Let's go." I quickly left the room, hoping this would end now.
"Wait, Greenhorn! Don't leave me behind!" Ootaea shouted after me, her steps quickly following after mine. "Greenhorn! Greenhorn! Wait!"
"What could you have to say? I'm tired of hearing that stupid nickname you gave me, too!" I snapped back, stopping to face her.
"W-well... Uh... Um..." She stammered, looking down. "I just wanted to tell you that... I think that this will be fun! I'm glad to be working with you, honest!" She smiled and looked back up at me.
"Right... Uh... Me too, I guess." I replied, not knowing what else to say. I wasn't exactly the best at socializing, but I didn't want to be rude either, so I just nodded and walked on. "Come on, let's go."
I walked away from her, not really caring if she followed me or not, but I could hear her steps following behind me in the same rhythm that she always did. I stopped for a second to look at her, and just looked at her for a moment.
Blue, long hair, air vents at the top, a face that looked unnatural, but beautiful, the same smile, same nose, same eyes. She was slightly shorter than I was, but still taller than average. She was beautiful, yes, but she was also annoying, yes. I couldn't help but feel annoyed by her. But then again, at this point in time, she was the only person I could really call a friend. Well, maybe not a friend, but someone I could trust.
As we reached the exit of the ADF building, I noticed a group of people standing outside, waiting for something. They seemed to be in a formation, but they were all dressed in the same white uniform.
"Are those the guys that will take us to the convoy?" I asked.
"Yup, that's them, I'm guessing... They're the trainees that Tiette talked about. I hope they're friendly, we're going to be with them for a long time." She replied.
"Right... Let's go."
As we approached the group, we noticed a lot of people wearing the same uniform as us, but with different colored badges and insignias. Most of them were young men, with a couple of women mixed in, but none of them seemed to be older than thirty or forty years old. They were all armed with some type of firearm, ranging from pistols, rifles, shotguns, and even machine guns... Wow, the ADF really has a huge arsenal of weapons.
"Hey there, Dofro, Ootaea! Are you ready to go?" A tall, skinny man said, he had brown hair, hazel eyes, and a beard, he wore glasses and a black shirt underneath his uniform.
It felt like a sweet release, finally seeing a color that wasn't just 'white', I don't think this man has the slightest idea how much he has done for me... I'm grateful.
I nodded at him and replied, "Yes, we're ready to go."
"Good, good! Let me introduce the crew for you... This is Trainee Squad 3, we have a total of ten soldiers, all of them have been trained for a year now, and we're going to escort the supply convoy from the military base in Point A, and then we're going to escort it all the way back here! You two are going to be the new members of the squad, as we have a lot of space for two newbies!"
We're going to be a part of a trainee squad? I suppose it only makes sense as I have been here for less than a week.
"And, since we already have a captain, you two will be given a new rank... You will be Private First Class, which means that you are officially a part of our squad, and we're going to defend your lives with ours!" The man continued, "But, don't worry too much about holding up appearances, here, in Trainee Squad 3, we are like family, so just call me by my name."
"Alright, and... Your name is?" I asked, looking at him.
"Name's Leurnim! I'm the squad's captain, and I am very excited to meet you two! I heard a buncha good things about you, Dofro!"
"And what about me!? I was also training with Greenhorn!" Ootaea complained.
"Oh, right, right, sorry. You two have been doing great! Now, let's go! The sun is almost up, and we have a lot of miles to go!"
And with that, we began our journey to the supply convoy, which was located in Point A, in the northern town.