09:02 JST - Daelic Crucible, Briefing Room
The woman was lean, with a sharp bob-cut and eyes like ice chips. The man beside her adjusted his bracelet, flexing his fingers.
"I'm Kabastis, Komain." The woman said flatly. "Third-year. Combat Division. You will address me as Senior Kabastis."
The man gave a two-finger salute that was more sarcastic than respectful. "Kazuya, Souma. Third-year, Logistics. You won't need to remember that. Unless you start screwing up."
Sekhmet tilted her head slightly, confused with the contrasting upperclassmen.
These are our upper classmen? I don't like her, she's too stern. The other… he's too laid back.
"Let's make this simple," Kabastis continued. "This is not a tour. This is not an orientation. This will be a test simulation. You will be put up against a class D Spiral within a building."
Kazuya yawned, "don't worry. Only one of you usually vomits the first day."
Some of the recruits laughed nervously.
Ew… that's disgusting.
Kabastis pointed toward the building behind her. "Inside, you'll be divided into fireteams. We are working strictly on Formation Tactics and Comms. First team to secure the objective passes. Last team…" Her voice paused. "Will be evaluated accordingly."
The room went silent, some cadets exchanging uneasy glances. Sekhmet's stomach twisted at the thought of being on the "last team."
We… are getting dropped into the battlefield just like that?
Kazuya was already walking toward the terminal station, whistling casually. "Alright, newbies. Grouping assignments uploading now. If you get me as your senior, congrats, your odds of dying are only 17%."
Sekhmet's name blinked onto the board.
Unit B — Lead: Kabastis / Oversight: Kazuya/ Members: Sekhmet Isshin-Namikaze, Tokuda Ryō, Yamashita Sana
None of the names were familiar.
A sharp sigh slipped out of Kabastis as she read over the roster. "Great, babysitting duty."
Kazuya raised an eyebrow. "Wow. That was fast, even for you."
Kabastis didn't look at him.
"A foreigner with no combat data means I'm taking a baby chick into shark week."
Sekhmet blinked, trying to process the bizarre analogy.
Harsh much?
"A reapplicant who only made it in because his uncle sits on the board."
Sekhmet saw a cadet look away with guilt.
Ah, so he must be Tokuda Ryō. Has a decent build, but he looks like he hasn't seen a day of battle… I can't say the same for Kabastis, or—"
"And Sana, who thinks Drive Forms are fashion statements."
"So what? At least they would make me look better than you."
Everyone in the room turned toward the voice.
A quaint woman stood tall as she pushed up her glasses. "They'd obviously fit my style better than your brutish militaristic ideology."
Sekhmet looked at her dumbfounded.
Wow… I did not have a cadet being this brave on my 'bingo card'.
Kabastis turned toward Kazuya, ignoring the remark.
"And you. A squad leader who hasn't even synced past 74% in a live trial. Tell me, are you here to lead or just die first?"
A few juniors flinched.
Kazuya chuckled, "You're just mad because you're not leading a 'good team'."
Kabastis brushed past him, "You're right, I don't lead scrap."
She opened her hand just to close it viciously.
"I obliterate it."
A long silence stretched before everyone broke into their fireteams.
Sana looked at Sekhmet.
"Hmph, some flashy Gyaru you are. Don't hold us back with your gaudy looks and no fighting experience."
Sekhmet was baffled.
Don't get mad, don't get mad… That vintage maid and cadet 'Bribe' are your squadmates.
Sekhmet's gaze flicked to Tokuda, Mr. Nepotism himself. He wouldn't even meet her eyes.
Uncle's little favor really got him in, huh?
She sighed, then clapped her hands lightly. "Well, at least we're not a boring crew."
A few glances flicked her way.
Sana scoffed and walked away. "I don't want to be associated with you or cadet bribe.
She hid her anger with a smile. "I'm excited to work with all of you, even if some of us are stuck in the vint- I mean new."
Kabastis looked over, one brow raised. "Bold move, acting like your life isn't on the line."
Sekhmet turned her head just slightly. "Oh? Our valiant team leader cares about the baby chick?" She smiled at her.
Kabastis flashed her teeth. "Bold words for fresh meat!" They both got in each other's face, ready to fight.
"I wonder if you can obliterate this 'scrap' of a team… Senpaiii ~," Sekhmet taunted.
The other cadets stared, scared the confrontation was going to get worse.
Kazuya blinked. "I was not expecting the foreigner or the half-sibling to stand up against you, 'Devilot'."
Kabastis snapped her head toward Kazuya, who nervously looked away and whistled.
Some cadets snorted, while others covered their mouth, trying not to grin. Kabastis gave a dry 'hmph' before turning toward the exit.
"Scraps. Briefing room. Now."
09:42 JST - Daelic Crucible, Briefing Room
Sekhmet, Tokuda and Sana stepped into the tiered seating while other cadets filed in with uneven steps.
Some were still flushed from Nishiyama's barbs, others whispering behind cupped hands.
Sekhmet sat in the center of her team, hands still folded behind her back while she glanced at the room layout.
A large holo-display at the front. Figures—that's where they'll hammer us with battle plans.
She then noticed the Crucible banners all around the room. Her eyes spotted the academy motto:
"Temper the Blade. Forge the Will."
Oh… that's very… militaristic.
Kazuya slumped into a seat facing the tiered seats. "I always forget how much this place looks like a boardroom for war crimes," he muttered.
Sana, still avoiding Kabastis' eyes, mumbled, "Better than those disgusting dorm rooms were shoved in…"
Tokuda nodded. "Smells like scorched chalk dust in here."
Sekhmet leaned slightly toward them, "maybe it's meant to smell like failure. Keep us on edge."
Tokuda blinked, then sighed. Inching away from her with a nervous laugh. "You're…not wrong."
She stared at him while he started shrinking in his seat.
For a build like his, you'd think he'd be more… friendly and open…
The door slid shut as the rest of the cadets took their seats. Kabastis stepped forward to the head of the room without pause.
The holo-display lit up, shifting through a map overlay of the training deck.
Sekhmet leaned forward, eyes widening.
A mock town? Narrow streets, alleys, low storefronts… big enough for multi-story buildings. They actually built a city in here…
Kabastis spoke without flourish. "My scraps, our unit is designated as B. The mission is simple. Secure and extract the Flux Beacon on Floor 3 before other units do. Kazuya will be evaluating communication clarity and field judgment."
Kazuya put up two fingers and smiled. Kabastis decked him once before switching slides.
The holo shifted to a map of the training deck—three floors of a mock town.
Kabastis' tone flattened. "Mock Spirals will appear throughout the sim. We will not be grading kills. We're grading maneuvering, teamwork, and whether you come back."
Sekhmet raised her hand politely, knowing the answer.
"Question—"
Kabastis put her hand on her face and huffed. "Oh God..."
Sekhmet continued, sweetly, "Will the mock Spirals try to attack us?"
Kabastis gave her a hard stare. "Hmmm, let me think… would a vulture fly past an uneaten carcass?"
Silence. A nervous giggle escaped from the back. Tokuda cracked a half-smile.
Sana looked at Sekhmet like she had 9 heads, "What's wrong with your head? Did you eat rainbows and sunshine before coming here?"
Sekhmet hid her agitation with a light shrug and smile. "Jokes keep a room warm, maid. Maybe it could knock some nerves loose, something you don't know how to do."
Sana folded her arms. "If you're done with the comedy act—"
"Almost," Sekhmet cut in abruptly before turning back to Kabastis. "Do we get matching jackets if we win? Or is that a tier-two reward?"
That earned a twitch from Kabastis' eye.
More of the cadets started to laugh and comment on her "questions".
Kazuya leaned forward, rubbing his face. "Oh my god, she's real…"
Kabastis' voice dropped, "This is your team handler. We'll function as one or fail as one." She whipped her head toward Sana and Sekhmet, "Keep talking, and I'll raise the difficulty mid-sim."
A pale timer pulsed in the corner of the holo:
00:18:34 until simulation start
Kabastis stepped back. "You have ten minutes to review your strategy. My scraps, I will be observing, not fighting. You will not be able to impress me." She turned and walked to the ready room.
Kazuya sighed. "Alright, team. Circle up. Before she tells me to turn the training drones into real ones."
Sekhmet leaned forward, still cheerful. "So! Who's good at not dying?"
Kazuya groaned. "Can we not find out the hard way?"
She chuckled. "But that's the fun way!"
09:47 JST - Daelic Crucible, Briefing Room
Tokuda raised his hand halfway.
Kazuya saw the hand and pointed toward him. "Yes, Cadet 'Bribe'?
Tokuda looked away. "Before we 'die smiling,' could someone actually explain how Drives work? No one at orientation gave me a breakdown."
Both Sana and Kazuya looked at him dumbfounded. Sekhmet stifled her laugh.
Is he serious?? Now he's making that Uncle's favor rumor sound real.
Kazuya exhaled through his nose, brushing a finger along the edge of his Drive. "You all passed the baseline sync exam, right?"
Tokuda nodded his head yes, Sana rolled her eyes.
"A test like that is for babies. Of course everyone passed the baseline exam."
She paused, then smirked at Tokuda and Sekhmet.
"Ah… never mind. Cadet 'Bribe' got in on a favor and the Gyaru over here has no combat data. She definitely got in by underhanded tactics."
Sekhmet's hands slammed the desk as she shot up, clearly agitated by her words.
"HUUUUH?! Underhanded tactics? Please. I can smell family connections from across the room."
A hush fell over the cadets. Even Tokuda looked guilty.
Kazuya shook his head, exhaling through his nose.
"Okay!"
He clapped, pulling the attention off the conversation.
"Love the drama, but Drives don't run on gossip. Back on topic. Even if you didn't get through by normal means, you should know the basics."
Sekhmet folded her arms, still fuming silently, but let the comment slide.
He held his left arm up and pointed to the bangle.
"This is a Drive."
He tapped it once.
"Standardized Crucible tech. Built from stabilized Spira-bio cores."
Tokuda looked at him scared. "Huh? Spira-bio cores?"
Kazuya nodded his head. "Yes. The bio-cores are usually harvested Rasenzou organs but refined. Once refined, it gets embedded into a frame."
Sana looked at him like she saw a ghost. "So… we're using… Spirals?" She shuddered. "Yeah, I can't use something like that."
"Spiral parts," Kazuya corrected. "But not to worry, we specifically designed it to use Spiral energy without turning you into a monster."
Tokuda scratched his neck, confused with all the information. "So a Drive is just a weapon?"
Kazuya smirked. "It's a conduit fueled by your Flux, shaped by your will."
"What is Flux?"
Every cadet turned to him. Silence.
Sana rounded on him, voice dripping venom. "You don't even know THAT? Kindergarteners know Flux. So what—you're admitting a six-year-old is smarter than you?"
Tokuda flinched, muttering, "…no one explained it to me."
Sana folded her arms, sneering. "And yet you're 'blessed' enough to sit here while the rest of us bled for the entrance exams."
Sekhmet tilted her head, biting back a laugh.
Seriously Tokuda? Not knowing Flux? Now he looks like a puppy that wandered into a wolf den.
A couple cadets whispered behind their hands.
"How did he even get in…?"
"Must be true about his uncle…"
Another snickered, "Forget cadet bribe, he's cadet daycare."
Sekhmet sighed.
Great, this squad's already a joke and I'm stuck in the middle of it.
The door slid open with a violent hiss.
Kabastis strode in, eyes sweeping the room like blades. "What's this noise?"
The whispers died instantly.
"If you have time to bicker, you have time to train."
Her gaze pinned Tokuda, then flicked to Sekhmet and Sana before looking at the other cadets. "You scraps are already wasting my air. Get your head together before I grind you with them into the floor."
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and stalked out. The door slammed shut with a metallic hiss.
The silence stretched. Then Kazuya cleared his throat, clapping once.
"Well! That was motivating." He rolled his shoulders, flashing a lopsided grin.
He raised his arm, tapping the Drive again. "As I was saying: conduit, Flux, willpower. That's the holy trinity. Without those, you've just got a shiny Drive."
A cadet raised their hand. "Wait… what happens if your Drive fails?"
"If it's a hardware failure?" Kazuya shrugged. "Nothing much honestly. It just fails to activate."
Another cadet raised her hand. "Are we getting Drives now?"
Kazuya laughed. "No, you don't get a Drive today."
The cadet frowned. "Wait, I thought—"
You thought wrong," Kazuya cut in. "Welcome to simulation rules. Kabastis restricted all Drive usage for the first-years. Something about 'testing your worth before handing you the real toys.'"
Sana stopped barking at Tokuda after overhearing Kazuya's last line. "So that stick is telling us to fight with our fists? Typical muscle-brained idiot…"
"Training field's rigged to measure your field instincts. Comms, formation cohesion, and survival without tech crutches." Kazuya confirmed.
Sekhmet tilted her head. "But we will get Drives eventually, right?"
Kazuya gave a short nod. "Eventually. Once the Crucible decides you're not going to misuse them."
Sekhmet folded her arms loosely. "So today we prove we can survive without them."
Kazuya met her eyes. "Exactly. This is your baseline. Your trial run. You screw this up, and your file says: Not Drive Compatible."
Tokuda winced. "That's… harsh."
"No," Kazuya said, smiling thinly. "It's reality."
Sekhmet tilted her head. "Huh. And here I thought 'Not Drive Compatible' was your personal motto."
Kazuya froze for a beat. "...Excuse me?"
She gestured lazily toward him. "You know. The slouch, the overwhelming aura of wanting to be anywhere else."
She tapped a finger to her chin, mock-pensive. "It looks very on-brand for you."
Sana gave a sharp inhale through her teeth. The other cadets tried, and failed not to laugh. Before Kazuya could fire back, a voice cut in.
"She's not wrong." Kabastis didn't raise her voice. "You always coast when no one's watching. Lazy until things go to hell. Then suddenly, miracle Kazuya. It's exhausting."
Kazuya blinked. "You were just outside, what are you still doing here?"
Now she looked up. Just for a second. Her eyes sharp. "Is your little spiel over? I want to get this done and throw these scraps out."
A beat of silence passed.
Kazuya groaned. "I liked it better when we were strangers." Kabastis' gaze drifted over the team, lingering a little too long on Sekhmet, then Tokuda, then Sana.
"Three minutes. Act like a team or I'll find ways to make sure you never touch a Drive."
She turned and left before anyone could answer.
A quiet stretched.
Yeah… she's a real stick in the mud…
Then—
Kazuya exhaled. "Right. Everyone find your fireteam and talk. Now."
All Cadets turned toward their teammates and conversed.
Tokuda raised his hand slightly. Sana glared at him and he flinched a little before continuing. "My Uncle said my Spira ability is Shock Hand. I found out I can conduct it and channel the lighting through my fingers."
A small spark jumped off his fingers onto a nearby table, startling the fireteam there.
Sana scoffed. "For a deadweight like you, you have a strong ability… Still don't know how no one taught you what Flux is or what the Crucible is about."
She picked up the sides of her dress and bowed a little."My Spira ability is Body Double. Nothing fancy."
A shimmer rippled down her frame, and suddenly a second Sana stood at her side, arms crossed in perfect sync. Both gave Sekhmet the same flat glare.
Sekhmet blinked. Great. Two maids to nag me.
A couple cadets muttered, impressed. "That's… actually useful."
Sana dismissed the double with a flick, brushing an imaginary speck off her sleeve. "Useful, yes. Entertaining? No. Unlike some of you, I didn't come here to play."
Kazuya let out a soft sigh, leaning against the wall. "Figures. Someone has to be serious around here."
He tapped the edge of his Drive. "Vector Control is my Spira ability. Push-pull mechanics, barrier lacing. I do have to touch the target for the big stuff, but it keeps life interesting."
Sekhmet tilted her head. Typical Kazuya… not trying to sound cool, but still impressive.
Sekhmet turned to Kabastis, "What about you, Senior Kabastis?" The third-year didn't respond right away. Just glanced toward the timer ticking down.
Then.
""You'll see… If you survive long enough."
09:55 JST - Daelic Crucible, Training Decks – Simulation Start
[SIMULATION INITIALIZED]
The lights flickered. A low, synthetic hum echoed across the deck as the floor lit up in shifting gridlines.
A voice echoed through the room:
"Simulation online. Mock Spirals deploying."
Unit B stood in a semicircle at the entry zone, the faint shimmer of the arena's barrier field flickering behind them. Sekhmet stood shoulder to shoulder with her squad, one hand resting on her thigh, the other adjusting her scarf.
Sekhmet let out a soft breath. "Alright, Captain Kabastis. What's our first move?."
Kabastis ignored her and swiped her fingers through the air, pulling up the local terrain. "Three floors, nine possible Spiral points, and a single Beacon. We need to get in, and avoid engagements."
Sekhmet tilted her head. "You're using actual tactics with us scraps. I'm shocked." Kabastis glanced at her. "Use that mouth again, I dare you."
"Woah, woah. No need to fight you two." Kazuya's voice chimed in. "Remember, you have twenty minutes to complete this scenario." He was already watching from the ops deck above. "Time's ticking, Unit B."