Honor of Kings-Chapter 7: Orientation

Sky had been assigned to a room in the junior building. Unfortunately, he was stuck with a nosy neighbor—the blonde—whose room was right beside his. The entire junior building was designated for boys, while the senior building housed the girls.

Despite this, it didn't matter much; at least he had a whole room to himself. He could simply shut the two doors to achieve some peace and quiet.

Yes, two doors. He had been given a classroom, with one door at the front and another at the back. The room was quite spacious, featuring four large windows -one facing the outside and the other to the hallway. A low bed with iron frames, adjustable and retractable, occupied one corner, and that was all that filled the room.

He placed his luggage in one corner, stacking his bag on top. The lighting in the room was warm and fresh, which he disliked but couldn't change. Shadows felt more comforting to him than this brightness.

What could he do? Nothing.

Sky sat on the bed, stretching his legs out and staring at his slippers. He didn't bother unpacking just yet, planning to do that later at night.

For a few minutes, he felt calm. But soon, he felt restless and began wandering around, engaging in various pointless activities. Growing hyperactive, Sky started hopping around the room, stretching against the walls, and punching the air. Still, this wasn't enough. He couldn't wait for the whole military training to begin.

Almost as if they had heard him, the next thing Sky noticed was a knock on his window. He turned to see a face pressed against the glass, scanning the room and trying to say something, but the words were inaudible until he opened the door.

It was the blonde, staring at him like a creepy doll.

"Fuck this booze!" he muttered under his breath.

The blonde waved at him as if they were old friends meeting again after a long while.

"We're called to the field for more orientations about those aliens and other things. Let's go!"

The blonde moved ahead, and Sky followed behind reluctantly. His head turned repeatedly, taking in every detail of the hallway as they walked.

***

Students sat on the bleachers in the field, shielding their faces from the sun. It was puzzling why winter hadn't begun to take effect, with the sun still blazing high above. Climatic changes in the world were no longer surprising, especially after the invasion of the Exiles, which had brought about many mysterious occurrences.

One notable event was the emergence of sudden, localized heat waves that seemed to defy natural patterns. Areas that had always been cool and temperate now experienced scorching temperatures, leaving residents bewildered. Reports surfaced of strange atmospheric phenomena, like iridescent mirages and convoluted clouds that appeared out of nowhere, as if the weather itself was reacting to an esoteric influence.

Another curious development was the appearance of otherworldly plants that thrived in these altered conditions. These new species, with resplendent colors and unusual shapes, seemed to absorb sunlight differently, glowing faintly even during the day. Some people claimed they could hear a low hum emanating from the plants, as if they were communicating with one another or responding to the environment in ways that were entirely new and inexplicable.

Sky and the blonde arrived and took their seats in the upper levels of the bleachers, finding refuge under the shade of the trees at the back.

A couple of minutes later, Senior Private Donald approached them with his hands behind his back, giving each a quick, assessing look as if counting their numbers. He then glanced at a military officer standing a few meters away and shook his head. The officer promptly left for one of the larger tents nearby.

"Hello again." Donald's voice was as cold as Levitt's. "I'll be giving you a brief orientation about these aliens called Exiles."

The students fell silent almost instantly, allowing Donald's voice to carry clearly.

"These monstrosities have seamlessly evolved over the years, while some have remained unchanged. If you're wondering how they look, imagine an elongated human, deformed and standing upright, with long tendrils for hands that drip with deadly red acid. However, they come in various forms, and this is just the weakest among them. As you may know, they possess supernatural abilities and strengths."

He paused, glancing at the tent where the military officer had just entered, as if waiting for something.

After a moment, he turned his attention back to the students.

"As for how they arrived on Earth, we don't know. Perhaps they suddenly spawned, or they had been living in hiding and decided to take over humanity. Yes, they have intelligence; not all are exceptionally smart, but the stronger ones certainly are."

"To help you understand them better, I will carefully outline their rankings as formally established by the United Council..."

He glanced at the tent again and saw the officer emerging with a list, accompanied by another officer carrying a blue, translucent box filled with countless physical notepads.

The officer handed the list to Donald, while the other officer began distributing the notepads among the students, signaling them to each pick one and then take a pen from a tightly secured plastic jar in the box. The students, without hesitation, selected a notepad and pen.

'So we're about to start jotting things down. Nice... but I have a problem with studying. Boring,' Sky thought, staring at the notepad and pen in his hands.

He opened the notepad and found the paper brown and appearing old, yet somehow new.

"Note every single thing I say into the notepad for future reference."

Every student began to open theirs and prepared their pens to write, including the Class President, who sat in the front row of the bleachers. It wasn't surprising that she was here; some students had chosen to enlist because of her influence. Despite being one of the most disliked individuals due to her character, many ambitious students tried to get closer to her to learn from her.

Sky didn't harbor any hatred toward her, perhaps because he hadn't even registered her presence in class. He only knew there was something called a "Class President," so she held no significance for him.

"The rankings are as follows, from weakest to strongest, along with the various features of the Exiles:

Cinders: This is the weakest of them all; even a pea shooter- revolver-can penetrate their bodies. They come in different forms, one of which is the elongated humanoid form known as "Twilights." They do not possess any magical abilities and have remained the most frequently killed species by the United Army." He paused to allow them to take notes.

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The Twilights have been widely discussed online, though no one has ever successfully captured a clear photo of them. They are said to reproduce infinitely without the need for another gender, literally making them hermaphrodites. Their bodies are primarily dangerous due to the deadly substances within them, such as acid. In contrast, they tend to move in hordes since they are relatively weak.

After a few minutes, Donald continued, "In addition; actually, this isn't supposed to be revealed to you, but what's the use of keeping it a secret when it will likely get out eventually?"