Ding dong. Now arriving at Trista Station.
Rinwell exhaled slowly, tightening her grip on her bag. "Well… here goes nothing."
"Yep," Shionne replied with a resigned nod.
They stowed their weapons in travel cases and grabbed the luggage Tet had thoughtfully provided. After a quick check of their wallets, they noticed he had also given them around ten thousand mira. It wasn't much in the long run, but it was still something to start with.
Stepping off the train, they made their way through the platform and out of the station. As they exited, they were greeted by the charming sight of the little town of Trista. A small, peaceful park sat directly in front of them, surrounded by quaint shops, and off in the distance, the imposing figure of Thors Military Academy overlooked the town like a silent guardian.
They paused to admire the view—until a sudden commotion behind them drew their attention. Turning, they spotted Rean helping Alisa to her feet after their less-than-graceful encounter.
Rinwell leaned closer to Shionne, whispering under her breath, "We aren't… targetable romance options, are we?"
Shionne gave her a look, lowering her voice. "Don't be ridiculous. This isn't a game anymore—it's real life. We're fine… I hope."
"Wow, so convincing," Rinwell muttered sarcastically. "Let's go."
The two girls continued on, climbing the hill toward the academy. When they finally arrived at the grand gates of Thors, they found George and Towa already waiting there.
George held out his hand with a polite but firm expression. "Sorry about this, but I have to take your weapons."
Towa stepped forward with an apologetic smile, her voice soft and reassuring. "Sorry, guys. You'll get them back right after the entrance ceremony, I promise."
Rinwell and Shionne reluctantly handed over their weapon cases. Rinwell looked George in the eye and said, "Take care of them for us."
George gave a confident nod. "No problem. They'll be safe with me—count on it."
"Thanks for understanding, girls," Towa added warmly. "The entrance ceremony is being held in the auditorium right over there."
The girls nodded in unison before heading off toward the auditorium.
Once they were out of earshot, Shionne leaned closer with a smirk. "Wow… Towa really is small and adorable. I can kind of understand why Angelica is so obsessed with her."
Rinwell chuckled under her breath. "And George is so nice. I can hardly believe he's acting."
Shionne sighed, a shadow crossing her face. "It's always the nice ones… even I didn't see his betrayal coming the first time I played the games."
As they walked, Rinwell squared her shoulders and said, "Alright, get ready. After the ceremony, the fun begins."
"Yep," Shionne replied simply, her expression firm.
The two entered the auditorium and found their seats among the other new students. They listened to the principal give his speech, then followed the flow of students as the soon-to-be members of Class VII were guided toward the old schoolhouse by Sara.
Inside, Sara stood confidently on the stage, her mischievous grin lighting up the room. "The name's Sara Valestein. I'm the instructor of Class VII, which means you get the pleasure of seeing me all year. Glad to finally meet you."
While the others fired off questions one after another, Rinwell and Shionne exchanged quiet words between themselves, keeping to the background. After answering everyone patiently, Sara's eyes narrowed curiously on the pair.
"Why so quiet, you two? No questions?" she asked with a teasing smile.
Rinwell shrugged, her tone calm but firm. "Nah, I'm good. Questioning and complaining won't change anything, so I'd rather just get the ball rolling."
Shionne added with a dry edge, "Same. What's the point in questioning the people in charge? We're not likely to get straight answers anyway."
Sara chuckled softly, clearly amused. "You two are pretty straightforward, aren't you?"
Backing up to a pillar near the back wall, she pressed a hidden button. "Alright… let's get started, shall we?"
The floor beneath them suddenly gave way. The students let out startled cries as they plummeted, sliding into the dungeon below.
Everyone else landed with groans and disorientation, but Rinwell, Shionne, and Fie touched down with graceful precision. Rinwell quietly used a subtle gust of wind Arte to cushion her fall. Shionne rolled with her landing, springing back to her feet fluidly, while Fie descended in near silence, her catlike reflexes carrying her to the ground unharmed.
Fie glanced at the two with a smirk tugging at her lips. "Not bad. You two have combat experience."
Shionne smirked back. "Something like that. You?"
Fie's smirk deepened just a fraction. "Something like that."
While the others were still trying to collect themselves, the three of them were already checking their gear. Rinwell tightened her grip on her staff, Shionne loaded bullets into her rifle with practiced ease, and Fie loaded and sheathed her twin gunblades in one smooth motion.
Fie walked over with her usual calm, unreadable expression. "Name's Fie Claussell. What about you two?"
Rinwell gave a small wave. "I'm Rinwell."
Shionne crossed her arms lightly. "And I'm Shionne."
Fie raised an eyebrow, clearly curious. "No last names?"
Rinwell shrugged, her tone casual. "Not really."
Fie mirrored the shrug. "I'm guessing there's a story there—but I don't pry into people's business."
Behind them, the others were beginning to wake up, groaning as they shook off their disorientation. Soon after, Rean and Alisa had their little dramatic moment.
Not long after that, everyone's Arcus units began ringing in unison. Rinwell pulled hers out of the case on her belt, studying it with surprise. Leaning closer to Shionne, she whispered, "Did you know we had these?"
Shionne blinked and shook her head. "Nope."
After everyone answered the call, Sara's voice came through, explaining what the Arcus was and informing them that each had a Master Quartz waiting by their weapon. The group hurried to grab their gear. Shionne and Rinwell quickly slotted in their quartz.
Rinwell held hers up. "Um Shionne—I have Sirius."
"And I have Virgo," Shionne said with a frown. "These weren't supposed to exist for another three years. What the hell, Tet?"
Rinwell sighed, lips twitching into a resigned smile. "Oh well… let's just roll with it."
Both their watches beeped, a crisp notification sounding. Ep bar and Arts page added.
Rinwell tilted her head and asked quietly, "Computer, what's the difference between the EP and mana bar?"
The watch replied smoothly, "EP comes from the Arcus, while mana comes from you. In future worlds, your watch will take the place of the Arcus."
Shionne brightened, smirking. "Well, that's cool. We've essentially got two magic meters now. We'd better pick up some powerful quartz."
Rinwell frowned, doubt creeping in. "Yeah, but isn't this a little too much? Won't we get too strong too quick if things keep progressing like this?"
Shionne waved her off. "Not really. Think about it—if we're getting strong early on, then we must be in for tough times ahead. I look at it like a game giving you tons of supplies just before a boss battle. It's nice, but it also just lets me know shit's about to get real."
Rinwell groaned, slumping. "And I went from feeling guilty to feeling dread. Thank you, my friend."
Shionne smirked, amused. "Anytime, buddy. Now come on—we can make friends later. I want to go ahead of everyone and get some grinding done."
"Right behind you," Rinwell replied, following as they dashed ahead.
As they ran, Rinwell noticed Fie slipping into step with them, her presence light and deliberate. "You hanging with us, or doing your own thing?" she asked.
"Was gonna do my own thing," Fie said with a shrug, "but you two are surprisingly quick. I think I'll stick with you."
Shionne lifted her rifle, eyes narrowing. "Heads up, ladies—we've got company."
Up ahead, two Grass Dromes oozed into view, flanked by two flying Felines and a pair of Coin Beetles.
Rinwell steadied her staff. "I've got the slimes."
Shionne lined up her rifle. "I'll take the cats."
Fie smirked, drawing her gunblades. "I'll handle the beetles."
With a blur of motion, Fie dashed forward. Shionne dropped to one knee, firing precision shots that brought the flying Felines down one by one. Rinwell channeled energy into her staff and unleashed a focused beam, striking the Grass Dromes dead center and turning them into puddles of liquid.
Moments later, Fie dispatched the beetles with swift, clean strikes, and the three regrouped.
Shionne stared at Rinwell's staff, brows raised. "What was that, Rinwell? I thought those orbal staves could only sling orbs of energy."
Rinwell scratched her cheek sheepishly. "Yeah, but… then I thought maybe they don't have to. So I tried using it like a gun instead of a lacrosse stick like everyone else seems to be doing, and it just sorta worked."
Fie deadpanned. "You suck at explaining things."
Rinwell rolled her eyes. "Okay, then you tell me how it happened."
"Can't," Fie replied flatly. "Don't know how those things work."
Rinwell smirked. "Look at that—neither do I."
Shionne sighed and shook her head. "Let's just keep moving."
The other two girls nodded, and together they pressed on through the dungeon. After multiple battles, they finally reached the end.
Dropping down to sit on the cool stone, Rinwell let out a breath. "I guess we gotta wait for everyone else."
"That's lame," Fie muttered, folding her arms.
"It is what it is," Shionne said, leaning back casually. "Let's just chill till they get here."
With a subtle motion, Rinwell pulled out a bag of candy from her inventory and passed some to Shionne and Fie. The three girls sat together, unwrapping sweets and snacking quietly as they waited for the others to arrive.