Arc 2: The Tower of Power
Nora
The day has finally come to leave this place. I'm excited—today I begin my journey to fulfill my greatest dream: to catch up to my sister, Asura.
My main goal is to take her place as Supreme General of my father's army and eventually become the future queen of the Kingdom of Unandir. But to do that, I must first join the organization known as Zero, where I can gain influence and recognition.
The Zero organization is supported by some nations and hated by others. It was founded five hundred years ago, after the Second Great War.
After suffering immeasurable losses, the major nations decided to create an organization whose purpose was to protect humanity from future wars, conflicts, and other threats... Though it didn't help much, considering we still ended up having the Third Great War.
Joining this organization may help me reach my goals. I'm not sure which class I'll be assigned to, but I believe any of them will be satisfactory.
"Come on, Nora, enough daydreaming or we'll miss the ship to Zero Island," said my sister Helena as she tugged my arm firmly.
"Even grown up, this girl still acts like she's in charge of me."
I looked at Helena as we walked through the main corridor of the palace, heading for the exit door.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" I asked, making her stop in her tracks.
"Saying goodbye to Caju one last time?" she replied while gently stroking her lips with her fingers.
"I think the last thing your cat wants is your affection, considering he always runs away from you."
"Don't say that... He runs because he used to be a street cat."
"I seriously doubt that… Aren't you forgetting to say goodbye to mom?"
"Hmm? I'm not dying. I'll be back home soon—no need."
"Whatever you say."
As we approached the main gate, our brother Heith was waiting for us.
"Leaving without even giving me a hug?" he asked, spreading his arms open toward us.
We did the obvious: walked right past him without saying a word to that weirdo.
"Heeey… Good luck," he said.
As we descended the palace steps, we glanced back and replied:
"Don't worry, everything will be fine," we said with big smiles on our faces.
As we opened the royal gate, we were greeted by the cheering of the people.
"Good luck, my Lady!" shouted a citizen.
We stepped into an elegant, embroidered carriage drawn by two beautiful white horses. We headed to the city port, located in the southern part of the kingdom. The port was well developed, made of wood and iron. There were many large and small ships, and the place was full of guards escorting us.
When the carriage stopped, Helena asked:
"Isn't our father going a bit overboard?"
"Even though we're strong, we're still members of the royal family."
We stepped out of the carriage and went straight to the ship, which wasn't very big—made entirely of wood with linen sails. Someone who looked like a deckhand welcomed us.
"Come, ladies. I'll show you to your quarters."
At just 18 years old, we traveled for two long days to Zero Island. We were excited, even though it wasn't our first time taking such a long journey.
"We need to keep training our mana control," said Helena as she organized her clothes inside the cabin.
"Do you have a preferred class you'd like to join—if we pass the tests?" Helena asked me.
"There are so many classes… Any of them is a win."
Within the Zero organization, there are several divisions of power:
Guardians – Protectors of the world, they are the frontline of the organization, defending their kingdoms and continents.
Hunters – Track down outlaws, fugitives, and powerful individuals with bounties on their heads—those even the Guardians can't handle.
Monks – Protectors of the teachings of Light and Dark Mana. Few in number, but extremely powerful.
Hierophants – Hand-to-hand combatants, guardians of the knowledge and teachings about Mana.
Cardinals – Defenders of religious doctrines across various parts of the world.
Maestros – Focused on developing medicine and conducting research for the betterment of humanity. They are recognized as "heroes" for having once prevented a deadly disease from spreading.
And finally, though not the least important:
Adventurers – Explorers of uninhabited lands. They are the only ones with access to the Soul Portal (which leads to another dimension). Curiously, they are the only people in history to have mastered both Light and Dark Mana—but no Adventurer has been seen in over five hundred years.
We continued to train our Mana control and often sparred with each other. We competed many times to see who was stronger—and most of the time, I came out on top.
As I looked out the window toward the horizon, I noticed the silhouette of a small island. But what truly stood out was the massive tower rising up through the clouds.
To be continued...