It was Saturday, just one day before their portal outing was to take place, and all the students were brought in for a big discussion at one of the training grounds.
Nathan's voice boomed through the students.
This was the second time they were seeing their first-year head general so soon, and everyone assumed the big discussion was about the portal outing. But to their surprise, when the announcement came, they were hugely disappointed.
"Attention, everyone," Nathan announced. "Your portal outing will be delayed due to the unexpected arrival of the head of the Great Truedream family.
To prepare for this, we need to make the name of our military base higher than any other. We will be arranging certain programs, and your participation is mandatory. We will have programs to impress the head of Truedream, and I will need proper coordination from you."
The meeting was then dismissed, and classes were canceled again for the day.
Some students were excited to meet one of the Big Four, while others were disappointed.
At one of the training halls, Erin, Vorden, Quinn, Layla, and Peter were discussing the new schedule changes. Alongside them was another student with an air of charm — none other than Fex.
The arrival of this new student meant one more had to be incorporated into a team. Fex tried to join a team, but none of them were interested until Quinn recruited him. Erin protested strongly — she was already annoyed about having Peter on the team — and when she learned another first-year was joining, she was even more irritated. Of course, Vorden was there to support Quinn's decision. Quinn himself wanted Fex close, knowing the boy was a vampire and that his own system was vampire-based.
After practicing together as a team, they dispersed and continued participating in decorating the school for Truedream's arrival.
It was now Sunday morning, and the eight sergeants had gathered inside the portal hall. Four second-year sergeants stood on one side, and four first-year sergeants on the opposite side, forming two lines in front of the portal.
Each of them straightened their posture, unmovable, assuming their best stance before the single portal. The portal had been pulled out and placed in the center of the room. Its color was neither green, orange, nor red; it glowed with the purity of white, looking like a blank canvas.
Just like the traveling stations, the white color indicated that the portal's destination was Earth.
The doors to the training hall opened, and every sergeant immediately saluted the four men who entered.
Duke, the head of the second-year students; Nathan, the head of the first-year students; and Mike stood in the center. Out of all the generals, Mike was the oldest and most respected. Though he didn't hold the highest rank, he was in charge of communications between military bases.
Finally, behind them, stood a man in a black-and-white tailored suit. He had never been seen in anything else — it was the head general, Paul.
"Duke, I hope everything is already prepared, yes?" Paul asked.
"Yes, everything is proceeding well, and we should reach the quota as usual. All the students will gather in the assembly hall this afternoon. We shall advance with everything else right after," Duke replied.
"Good," Paul said, looking at another comrade. "Mike, how are the preparations for the upcoming event going?"
"Not to worry. We still have a month of leeway before the event. Students will soon be able to choose which events they want to participate in. I'm sure we'll come out on top this year — I know we will," Mike said, laughing loudly.
"Nathan, how is the portal training going?" Paul asked.
Nathan raised a concern he had been thinking about for a long time, but now, with Paul present, he could speak freely. "Sir, this is crazy! They're only first-year students. Why do we need to push them so fast and so early into an orange portal?"
"There are reports that the Dalki are becoming more aggressive with their exploration. We must compete with them. This order has been made by all of us. We must push forward, and at the same time, we cannot willingly lose our regular men. Earth is the number one priority, and we must protect it at all costs."
"So they chose to sacrifice the children instead!" Nathan complained, utterly distraught.
"War will soon be waged, and the Dalki do not discriminate, whether they are children or not. Age will not matter when that time comes. It's better they get the experience now. I have already given you permission to send a couple of sergeants with them for their safeguarding, instead of regular teachers. That's it. This is an order and it's final. I do not want to hear any opposition."
Orange portals posed heightened risks. There were shelters on the planet, but much of it remained unexplored. When the military arrived, the goal was to expand and explore unknown areas.
If they were lucky and finished exploration, the portal would shift to green. If high-level beasts were discovered, the portal would remain orange.
Nathan felt the first-years were far too inexperienced for such a task. Unlike green portal planets, orange portals required traveling as a single unit rather than in teams. Additionally, the students had yet to understand the importance of working together.
The generals stood a few feet away from the circular teleporter. Paul checked his watch — it was 8:59.
9:00.
As soon as the watch displayed 9:00, the portal warped slightly, and three figures emerged. In the center was a bald man wearing sunglasses and a suit.
"Jack!" Paul greeted. "It's been a while." He hugged him warmly.
"That's him?" Fay whispered to Hayley. "I can't believe two of the strongest people on our planet look like shady businessmen."
Although Jack Truedream didn't look imposing alone, the two men beside him did. One was nearly seven feet tall, encased in grey beast armor resembling a rhino, carrying a massive two-handed axe.
The other was small and lean, wearing dark green armor with a mask. Unlike his companion, he wore light armor but radiated deadly skill.
Even from a distance, Fay could tell they were high-level beast gear, far beyond advanced tier. Jack had truly brought his strongest guards.
It reminded Fay that even allies could not be underestimated. Jack's choice was a statement of power, a reminder of his family's influence.
There was an odd balance among ability users in the world, leading to small-scale skirmishes. The military's strongest force was the eight head generals, led by the first military base's head general. Alongside them were the Big Four families, decision-makers in global affairs. Occasionally, strength had to be displayed to prevent rebellion.
Paul gestured politely. "How about breakfast together? My chiefs have prepared a great meal."
"No thanks, I ate before coming," Jack replied.
Jack had planned to visit the base later, but when Duke reported a new, unknown ability, Jack arrived early. He wanted to witness it before the students entered the orange portal. Orange portals were dangerous, especially for first-years. If Jack missed this chance, he would regret not seeing the ability firsthand.