Chương 7: Commitment

"Well, that was certainly something," a voice only vaguely familiar rang throughout the training room. Ray spun to face the direction the voice came from. What he saw was easily the last thing he imagined. A man in his mid-thirties with glowing green eyes and a presence that filled the entire room. It was Burgen. Instead of wearing the military garb he had before, the officer was now in a full set of Agility battlegear.

Burgen, who didn't seem much like an officer at the moment, was standing in the entryway of the training room. Ray had a sinking suspicion that the man had been watching him for a while. This was when Ray noticed the fluctuations in Mana around him, accompanied by a System message. [Large amounts of Mana detected] [Dark Mana, Rank 4 (Space)] The walls seemed to bend and warp as the Dark Mana rolled through the room. Ray then used the System to identify Burgen, and what he saw left even more fear behind.

[Commander, Stage: 7 Phase: 5]'What the actual fuck?' Ray thought.

'This guy is 2 whole Stages higher than Rize?' Burgen let out a low chuckle, obviously reading Ray's expression like a book. The man who Ray had thought to only be a government official sauntered across the room towards him. Burgen's steps were light and graceful, his body exuding an aura of strength.

"You seem to be a special kid, Ray," Burgen said, his tone not revealing anything.

"I'm sure you're confused." He scratched his chin in thought a moment before continuing.

"I've decided I will explain things to you. You're a long way from having clearance to know anything about what I'm about to say, but I'm in a position where I can decide you have the right to know. I'm one of 7 Commanders. Each of us specializes in an element and most of us spend our time on the frontlines. I've been on vacation." Burgen spoke the last sentence with a tone of disdain, one not matching the connotation of the word 'vacation'.

Ray was following along easily enough, but he was more focused on the drastic vibe change around his favorite officer. No… Commander? Whatever the case, this guy was the most powerful being he had ever laid eyes on. Every nerve in Ray's body was taut and screaming for him to vacate the premises. This man was a threat to his well-being and he wouldn't even be able to put up a fight.

"I also happen to be the oldest and weakest Commander, as my core can no longer be saturated further." Burgen continued speaking, letting his words hang heavily in the air.

"I lost a fight I had no business being in and now, I'm stuck at the peak of the 7th Stage. Your longevity increases as your power does, and let's just say, I have a lot of time left. Consider that the only common knowledge I will be discussing with you. Now, I want to explain a few things to you." He began to pace back and forth, raising his closed fist with the index finger extended.

"First. You are the second person to wake up within 72 hours of being initialized. In fact, you woke up a few hours before even Rize. This was why we had her train you. The other kids will be given training by new Soldiers. We told you otherwise to avoid you catching on to your unique situation. If that was all we had to worry about, you would just be a promising new System user." Burgen let out a long sigh.

"However, you also are dead set on not specializing and you have now created your first tech the same night you absorbed your first Essence. This is unprecedented. I'm fairly certain I understand how your Tech works, and if I'm right, you have an actual shot at using each of the elements. You would only have to train each attribute and develop a fighting style that caters to your versatility." Burgen had walked a few feet from Ray by this point.

The man's face was full of excitement and he stared deeply at the black-haired teen.

"You might be the single most promising new System user I have seen in my 30 years of service. That may sound like simple praise, but I say this to give you a warning." The room seemed to grow darker and the shadows reached from each corner like begging hands.

"I have had a hand in helping a few of the kids being brought into the program," Burgen continued." I simply wanted a way to spend my time while biding my eventual decline. I gave similar advice to each one of you. Simply improve yourself and everything else will fall into place. It's basic stuff, something I would just say when I had nothing else to say. That advice still stands, but now I have a bit more for you." Ray was nearly see-through with nerves at this point.

His skin was clammy and he was sweating more than the entire time he had been training the past few days.

The primal fear he felt was replaced with a deep unrest. He felt as if he was about to learn a secret only a few had the right to know. Burgen seemed to accept Ray's emotions as a sign of the teen paying full attention. The Commander only hoped the boy heeded his next words.

"The Empire is on the brink of ruin." The words hung like dead weight in the room.

"Our once most powerful protector is now nothing more than a hollow shell. They are barely able to remain a symbol at this point. The only Imperial System user to ever reach the 10th Stage. Emperor Strom." Ray couldn't believe what he had just heard. The Emperor was the strongest human? Not only that, but the strongest human was unable to defend them? Was he destined to just die in this world as well? The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Burgen's voice broke Ray out of his spiral.

"He will only live at maximum another few decades. We have less than half a century to create the next most powerful human, and as of right now, we aren't even close. 10th Stage Beasts are the rulers of the Beasts and seldom fight themselves. That's mostly due to the deterrent of us and the other 2 human civilizations. The Sky Kingdom and Morynia both have someone at the equivalent of the 10th Stage. This was how we managed to keep the balance, since the Beasts had always been at war from 3 sides, essentially.

That balance is on the verge of tipping. The world may need a new hero, and I would feel ashamed if I didn't try and help create one. You might have what it takes, kid. Just as much of a chance as any of us to become powerful and maybe more. You just need one more thing." His glowing green eyes pulsed.

"Commitment." Burgen left after ending his speech and Ray sat alone in the training room. His mind was a mess. The identity crisis that had plagued him for the past week seemed so inconsequential now.

'I've been so stupid,' he thought.

'It doesn't matter if I belong here or if this is even real. People are dying and things will only get worse. I actually have the chance to grow powerful and put a stop to it all.' Maybe Ray could reach the 11th Stage, if there was one, and then they wouldn't have to worry about the Beasts at all. He would wipe them out himself. Suddenly conscious of his worn-out body, Ray made his way out of the training room and back towards his own quarters.

Once inside, he removed the battlegear and plopped heavily onto the very comfortable bed. Burgen's words echoed in his mind, and a sensation he couldn't quite describe filled his very being. The urge to become stronger was brighter than ever, and in a weird way, Ray felt more at home than before talking to the Commander. Beyond his door, the base continued moving without him. Soldiers trained, personnel carried out their jobs, and people somewhere outside the walls depended on all of it holding together.

Ray still didn't understand half of what was happening to him. He just knew walking away no longer sounded like an option.

'This is my home,' he thought.

'I won't let them destroy it.' - Phora was from a very important family. They had been System users for generations. Her father had reached the 8th Stage and was a Commander. He was known as the second most powerful Commander and had many children that went on to become very high-ranking members of the military. This put a lot of pressure on the 19-year-old young woman, and she planned on meeting any expectations set on her family.

System initialization was a nerve-wracking experience for most, but the platinum-haired girl couldn't help but tingle with excitement during her procedure. It took exactly 7 days for Phora to awaken after initialization. This was the least amount of time most people spent asleep. She had heard rumors of people waking up earlier, but that was so rare she didn't even know of anyone who had. Well, there was one person. Her idol. Rize. The Ice Witch they called her.

Rize would rain devastation on her opponents in battle. Hail storms and glacier-sized shards of ice falling from the sky like meteors, killing anything dumb enough to remain in the vicinity. Phora wanted to be just like the famed Soldier, only hoping she could meet her someday. Someone of Rize's status would never be found hanging around at the GLMB; that would be ludicrous. This made seeing her in the hallway only minutes after waking up all the more confusing.

Her icy-blue hair seemed to ignore gravity as it swirled around her perfect figure, a figure that was accentuated by the form-fitting battlegear she donned. The Ice Witch seemed to notice Phora's gaze and turned to her with a smile.

"Hey, there," Rize said.

"You look like one of Hordon's kids." Phora couldn't believe that her idol recognized her father's features and, by proxy, recognized her.

"Y… yes," Phora said, her tone shy and reclusive.

"I just woke up, ma'am." Rize let out a soft giggle, pleased by the young girl's use of the honorifics.

"I'm only a few years older than you, silly," Rize said. Her voice was soft and reassuring." We'll be coworkers before you know it. Work hard!" Rize sauntered off, leaving Phora both dazed and ecstatic.

'She thinks I can be a Soldier!' she thought. Phora couldn't stop shaking. Even as she went through the introductory and Strength training, the young woman couldn't escape the excitement. Her instructor was a new Soldier, just into Stage 3. He was a clean-cut and polite man, making the training go smoothly and quickly. - The following 2 days went by rather quickly as she learned all about the different attributes. On the 4th day, Phora was given her first Essence.

Having decided to follow in her idol's footsteps, the young woman had chosen to focus on Intelligence. Though, Water would not be the Essence she chose. Her family was known for their use of Lightning Mana, and thus she would at least respect her father's wishes, picking a Rare Lightning Essence. The System message notified her of the Ability she gained once the absorption was complete.

[Essence absorption complete] [Lightning Essence Ability obtained] [Fulmination: User charges the surrounding area with electrical currents. Allowing for faster movement and increased Mana regeneration] [Fulmination (uncommon) Mana usage: low] [Lightning Mana, Rank 1 (Gold)] [Essence absorbed: 1/7]'Yes!' Phora cheered in her mind, happy to get the staple Ability of her family. Fulmination seemed like a simple Ability at first, but it was what made her father so deadly.

In the later Stages, her Ability would evolve alongside her and eventually become the centerpiece of her fighting style. Phora hailed from one of the 7 major cities in the Empire, each of which was known for a specific element. Zephyron was the most technologically advanced city in the Empire, being the main export for the technology that made the System even possible. Every bright mind wanted to go to the System University that was the main attraction of the city. Phora had grown up around very powerful people.

Her family were the most powerful people in the city, and that meant she had a reputation to uphold. This Ability would be the first step towards that goal. Phora went on to receive her battlegear and weapon. She decided on a long spear. It was made of plain Mana-infused metal, sturdy and reliable. It was her father's weapon of choice, and many fighting styles involving Lightning Mana would make use of a similar weapon.

- Having woken up nearly a week prior, Phora was not surprised to see dozens, maybe even a hundred different teenagers around the base. Each of them was going through the same training as she did and being given their Essence and battlegear. The youngest was no less than 16, and she had yet to see anyone much older than her. The last of them should have finished within the next day or so, meaning Phora would finally get a chance to try out her new power.

- The day finally arrived, ushering in a buzz around the base. Today, the Recruits would form groups and go on their first expedition. There had been rumors of someone who woke up super early and had already spent an additional week training post-Essence absorption. He had apparently garnered attention from the higher-ups. No one had seen the guy, though. Over 100 teens ranging from 16 to 19 years old gathered in one of the many giant complexes. Today, they would finally form teams and fight Beasts.