"See you later, Zero. Bye Zane”, Carol said while walking with her bag hanging on her shoulder towards the train station in the east of the island. In the distance the city and the bridge that connected the island were visible.
"See you! I'll pick you up later".
"Yep! See you! And good luck Zane!", Carol waved to both of them.
"Thanks! I'll do my best!”, he called after her with a raised thumb.
"Aren’t you a bit early too Zero?" Zane asked when Carol had disappeared from their sight. "You don't have to go to the academy that early".
"Yeah true, because of the exam, most of the classes are canceled, so I'll use the time until then for a few uhm ... errands."
"Aha ...", Zane knew what Zero meant, it was something that some in town who knew about it despised him for. Ben and the government of the city also knew about Zero's "errands", after all, he passed the monitored checkpoints. But since there had been no problems so far, he was allowed to go.
Zane wasn't exactly keen on it either, but he respected Zero and decided not to go into the matter further.
"Ok, see you later, Zero! And thanks again for breakfast”, he said goodbye and turned in the direction of the academy, which was located in the north-west of the island.
"Good luck! Asagi and I will cheer you on!"
"Thanks! Don't be late!”, he shouted to him while Zane went into a run.
“That's your job. I'm never late. "Zero laughed, waving after Zane.
With a mixture of joy and nervousness, Zane ran towards the academy. Today was the day of the final exam. Today was the day that he would get closer to his dream.
Soon he would be like the heroes who ended the war 22 years ago.
Soon he would be able to protect everyone too.
A smile crept onto Zane's face thinking about it.
It was a childish dream yes, Zane knew that, but he didn't care. No matter how much he was teased and mocked for his dream, nothing dissuaded him. On the contrary, it only motivated him even more and today was the day when he could show everyone that his efforts had not been in vain.
Zane ran through the streets full of vigor, it was early in the morning, therefore, there were many others on the streets next to him. Mothers who took their children to school, clerks on the way to the office, and vendors who distributed their packages. Spirits, little ghost creatures, flew through the streets while Zane passed the shop windows and advertising holograms.
But one group made it clear to everyone that the world was far from peace. Soldiers patrolled all over town.
One might think police officers would secure the streets, but not on Nykara and especially not in a peripheral town like Halsion which was the last big city before the Redzone.
Redzones were one of three general classifications for the areas on Nykara.
Bluezones described safe areas, they were mostly highly technological and had the necessary infrastructure. Due to the high level of security and comfort that they offered, most of the people on Nykara lived in such areas.
Following up were Yellowzones, which were mostly sparsely populated and marked by fighting. While most of the walls in Bluezones were a holdover from the Second Outbreak, the walls in Yellowzones were mostly due to the fact of those battles. Another effect of the fighting was that outside the cities like Halsion only the most necessary infrastructure was available, and the buildings mostly had more practical backgrounds. They were mostly cheap and kept rather low, in contrast to the kilometer-high skyscrapers that one found in some Bluezones.
Last came the Redzones, which made up the overwhelming majority of the zones on Nykara. These were areas of unexplored wild nature in which monsters were still roaming around, in which one still occasionally found remains of cities from the time of the Second Outbreak. Many adventurers and researchers were drawn to the Redzones in search of adventure and knowledge. But the Redzones were also interesting for the governments for reasons of expansion.
Halsion was in a Yellowzone and therefore had only a small police presence, but a relatively large military presence. In the cities deeper in the Bluezones, the police took care of law and order within the city, while the military took care of external defense. But in general, the police on Nykara played a rather subordinate role compared to all the regular military and private military contractors (PMC) present.
The reason for the military to take over the majority of the security efforts in the Yellowzones was due to the increased risk of attacks by the local flora and fauna as well as by other parties. But the situation in the Bluezones was also tense, the fights between the factions had never really ended, and Nykara was their new battlefield. Even if they were only minor skirmishes compared to the colonial war or the Second Outbreak.
Even before the Second Outbreaks, the factions were fighting for supremacy on the planet, the resources, and the secrets the planet harbored.
Above it all the fear of a Third Outbreak was omnipresent.
Zane passed one of the holographic information boards that took up an entire wall of a house. There was a report of the latest military developments in New Horizon.
New Horizon was the largest city and at the same time the first colony that was founded on Nykara. Most of the other cities were separated by the Redzones and therefore battles were mostly fought in Yellowzones on the edge of the area. Unlike in New Horizon. It was one of the few cities where the factions clashed directly and the struggles for control never seemed to end.
Upon looking at the report, Zane realized again that he too would soon be fighting in the battles that were raging everywhere. His aim to join the military magicians would sooner or later lead him to the front. However, Zane didn't want to fight for the fight's sake.
What Zane wanted was to protect the people. Just as he was once protected.
Determined to achieve his goal, Zane pressed his hands together and turned back to his path to the academy.
_____________
Comments (0)
See all