Albert Kelstring sat in his office doing some paperwork. Although he was primarily thinking about the reports on the two Manipulator Elves.
'They seem pretty well behaved, doing work in time without complaints. Getting along with others without getting in trouble. If only Jace was like them tch'
He thought about it for a second before sending a message to Jace through a communication device to have both Feyd and Ray come to his office.
'Amethyst said that they don't seem to have any ulterior motives, I'll trust her on that. Their combat capabilities are good, and there's no problems anywhere'
Amethyst was Albert's second disciple, and the other Vice Captain of the Wastelands. She was a serious, capable individual and was also a Manipulator. Although she didn't use her powers much so not many people knew she was a Manipulator.
She had taught Feyd and Ray on a few occasions and led them during missions on others. She was mainly responsible for keeping tabs on those two, since Jace wasn't responsible enough for that. Well, he wasn't responsible enough for most task but that's besides the point.
'Now if they only can pass the test...'
Their circumstances of both having amnesia, having powers, being Elves, being talented and strong. All of that combined was pretty suspicious.
Ofcourse they passed the interrogations and all, but being extra cautious wouldn't hurt now would it? The materials necessary for the test would arrive soon, and it would all happen without those two knowing. Other Captains might have let things go after the interrogations but Albert was a bit extra with these kind of matters.
Albert personally hoped they would pass the test. The military was facing a shortage of capable individuals and two talented Manipulators were exactly what was needed. They may not be useful immediately nor impact things greatly, but every bit counts doesn't it?
"Reporting, Vice Captain Jace. I have through both Trainees Feyd and Ray"
Feyd and Ray were both termed as 'Trainees' temporarily, since their ranks were still getting to he determined. Ranks in the Cecillia military was based on either strength/capability or merit. If you were strong enough you would be promoted, if you did enough work you would be promoted.
There have been cases of people rising meteorically due their quick advancements in strength, like the Flame of Dawn Sylas.
Depending on how strong Feyd and Ray would be by the end of their training their ranks would be assigned.
"Come in"
The door opened after Albert's approval. Jace walked in casually with Feyd and Ray trailing behind. Feyd seemed slightly nervous with his back a little too straight after seeibg Albert, while Ray was walking indifferently. He had already gotten over his brush in with Albert.
"Feyd, Ray. You two may sit down. Jace, you are dismissed"
"Ohhh, why can't I stay? Maybe me to help you pressure them? Or make some tea?", Jace spoke as Feyd and Ray took their seats with slightly awkward expressions.
"No need, just leave"
"Alright alright"
Jace left with an exaggerated 'good bye' wave of his hand and a smirk. Albert stared at the door for a few seconds before turning his gaze towards the two Elves.
"Alright, I'm sure this is our first time meeting properly. The name's Albert Kelstring, just call Captain Albert or sir or something along those lines"
"Yes, Captain Albert"
"No need to sound so stiff, things are casual in the military in a way. Have you guys been briefed on why I called you two here?"
Feyd glanced at Ray with a "Do you know?" look while Ray responded with a "Nah" expression.
"No sir"
"You two have been active in the nearby areas of the Wastelands for the past few weeks, so you guys must be familiar with how we do things. I plan to dispatch you two somewhere your talents can shine, not here where you guys will rot away"
Feyd got pretty excited but managed to calm himself down, while Ray was observing the room.
'There are two cameras and a mic hidden. I can feel the shadows of a secret compartment too, I wonder what's inside that'
Feyd asked, "I see, and where might that be?".
"Hmm, either to the North, for the war against the barbarians and monsters or to the East against the neighboring Empire".
Ray's eyebrows raised up slightly while Feyd nodded his head.
"Anways I also called you guys to inform you of an assessment. A month later I will test your skills, and how much you have grown, before assigning you your rank. Understood?"
"Yes sir"
"If you guys do good enough and get a good rank, you guys can also acquire the training method for a type of energy. I'm sure you guys know how precious that is by now"
"Yes sir"
By this point Ray simply nodded his head and made a slight noise in agreement, while Feyd continued to respond properly.
Although Manipulators were powerful, having an energy would make them even stronger!
It could be used alongside your abilities for stronger attacks, greater defenses, and much much more. It added another layer to an individual's combat prowess.
Also, most people used a type of energy as their main source of supernatural ability since not everyone was a Manipulator or Gifted, so it is a great boon to understand how an energy works to better fight someone that uses the same energy, or an energy in general.
The different types have all been collected and refined over the years. Mana was acquired from the Elves, Ki was stolen from the Vorn Empire, who had stolen it from a now destroyed country, and Aura was taught by Barbarians to a war hero who disseminated it to others.
Although the Kingdom itself didn't have an energy developed by itself, it did have the collective teachings of the other three energies and their own techniques to wield them.
Knowledge of energies and the ways to acquire them are a somewhat safeguarded secret. Although there have been cases of people awakening an energy by themselves, people mostly used the accompanying technique to awaken it.
The main reason the method to awaken energies is kept a secret is to prevent chaos in the Kingdom. Guns, explosives and cold weapons are already enough for crimes to occur in swats, so giving criminals an energy of any kind would do more harm than anything.
Civilians have no need in daily life for an energy source, and most common soldiers stationed in towns or cities aren't tight lipped enough to know of their existence. Instead Captains and trusted subordinates are taught to increase power of the military in a location to prevent any unforseen circumstances while also keeping the knowledge about energies in tight wraps.
"Now you can usually accommodate only one of the 3 energies the military offers, so make sure you choose wisely. I'm pretty sure you guys will pass the test so I'm telling you guys now, do not regret your decision in the future"
"Also just because you're an Elf doesn't mean you should use Mana. Every individual is different, you may be more suited to Aura or Ki instead"
"Yes sir, thank you for the advice"
A brief and awkward silence hung in the air between Feyd, Ray and Albert before Albert waved his hands and sent them away.
"Alright I have nothing more to say. This is getting awkward now, especially since you guys can't loosen up"
"Alright... Sir" "kay"
Feyd seemed hesitant to be casual while Ray simply answered as he would, since he had permission to be more casual ofcourse.
Feyd and Ray would've been more casual from the start, both with Albert– A Captain– and the two Vice Captains if they officially had ranks. However they were still rankless Trainees and it was common for people like them to be polite to everyone, even a Private.
The ranks in the Cecillia Military goes as follows:
Private
Cohort Leader
Lieutenant
Vice Captain
Captain
Vice General
Division General
Legion Commander
Commander
Marshal
Currently the position of Marshal was vacant, instead the Queen was taking up the duties untill a suitable individual could take up the post. The Marshal had died recently during the late kings rule, and with no one strong enough to take the position it was left vacant.
And now after the Queen ascended to the throne wars were beginning on multiple fronts, forcing someone to take the position. The two Commanders could've taken the position, but that would leave a vacancy in their post. Not only would that require a suitable individual to be promoted for which no one had the required power level, the commanders themselves weren't at the power level of a Marshal.
The Queen, someone who was around the strength of a Commmander yet didn't have a position in the military, was the one who was eventually chosen for the position as Acting-Marshal.
Only if Feyd and Ray could display the power level of a lieutenant during the upcoming assessment then would they be given an energy.
The two Elves left Albert's office swiftly and headed to their rooms within the headquarters. After joining they got a nice room.
Feyd spoke first:
"Alright, looks like things are gonna get exciting next month"
"What do you mean by 'exciting'? We'll be going to a war zone"
"Ehh I guess, but it's not like we won't make it through"
"Man you really are cracked in the head"
"That means basically nothing coming from you, you're usually crazier than me!"
"Whatever, did your instincts say anything yet?"
"No, nothing so far"
Feyd stretched his body before flopping onto his bed. He was very tired from training and working all week.
"Anyways how's your training been coming along?"
"Hmm it's going pretty good. I might catch up to your progress by next month"
"As if, your way behind! If you somehow catch up I'll eat dried squid and peanut butter"
Ray had begun to train diligently shortly after joining the Military. Feyd was slightly taken a back at first but felt it was natural. They had suffered a pretty bad fight against Steam Cannon prior so it made sense Ray got motivated.
'Sigh... I'm growing stronger faster than Eribos is recovering, but I'm not sure how long that will last...'
Eribos grows stronger the more Ray does. At first Ray was comfortable with staying weak for a long while, but he quickly realized it was a pipe dream.
Ray wanted to find out about his past, while also staying with Feyd. To do both things he needed to get stronger.
Also he wanted to take down Eribos himself, instead of leaving it to Feyd or someone else. Ray thought it would be unsatisfying if the person killing Eribos wasn't himself, but someone else.
And so after considering all of that, Ray decided to begin training in earnest, not only to stay with Feyd and find out about his past, but also to deal with Eribos. Ray's willpower was no longer weak ember like before, after 2 months of introspection It was now a calm and vast lake, ready to handle anything that may come its way.
"Well I better buy some in advance, otherwise you'll have to eat that in a war zone"
"Heh as if"
The two bantered back and forth for a while longer before the topic of their conversation shifted to something more serious.
"So, have you decided on how you're gonna use the crystal?"
"Yeah, I did. Actually just last night"
"Damn finally, it's been ages!"
Feyd had told Ray about his dilemma, whether to follow the path of his past self or a new one that might suit him a little better.
"So, what'ya choose?"
"Hehe, I think so I'll do things my own way, it'll be more interesting! Just think about it, forging your own path instead of following your past self. Sounds fun!"
Feyd smiled and gave a thumbs up as he spoke, clearly excited at the idea of what this decision might entail.
"Well glad you finally decided what you want"
Ray had already guessed Feyd would choose that, though he wasn't completely sure. Feyd had always followed the 'being kind' way of living, with 'since that's what his past self would've wanted' being his justification though Ray speculated Feyd might just be a good person at heart.
He didn't actually want to be like his past self, or atleast completely like him. Maybe he was curious but he acted as if he wasn't, or maybe he really wasn't curious about his past self, but one thing was that Feyd wanted to he himself, a new person.
"What about you? How have your investigations been going?"
"Hmm, well combing through their files and records have been difficult, but I've made good progress these past 2 months"
"Especially on matters like Aberrants, the supernatural, monsters, classified information, and stuff"
"Woah woah woah you sure you can say stuff like that here?"
Feyd's voice quieted down to a whisper towards the end of his sentence. His expression was akin to that of a startled and slightly scared animal.
"Man, you know I less careless than you, and by a long shot right? I would never talk about this without being sure we aren't being monitored"
"Phew, alright"
Ray had been secretly sifting through all the important files and general pieces of information he could find hidden away in the offices of important people in the headquarters, and the archive room.
At first Ray simply wanted to learn more about Aberrants and even tried to interrogate Steam Cannon personally before giving up, realizing it was too risky and dangerous.
Instead he used his Shadow Senses to fo through the files hidden away. It took a long time since Shadow Sense isn't like sight where he could just read through the files, instead he would 'feel' the contents of the file bit by but untill he got the full picture.
This ofcourse took longer than just reading it directly, but reading it directly wasn't possible since the files were hidden away in archives or locked cabinets with cameras monitoring constantly.
However it wasn't like it was all disadvantages. Ray could 'read' the whole file at once, and maybe even two or three files together if the conditions aligned. So although it was a bit slow he would eventually finish it.
The main problem was that he couldn't read some files. His senses required a shadow, and if shadows weren't being casted than how could be sense the files?
He needed the files themselves to past a shadow, so a light source, even a tiny one, was needed. It was fine if the light was dim, as long as a light was there.
However many of the offices or archives had their lights turned off when they weren't in use, thus there was no way for the files to cast a shadow.
A shadow is different than total darkness. It's the presence of less light, it's the outline of an object being casted somewhere causing a darker blotch compared to the rest.
Without a shadow, or being in complete darkness, Ray's powers would not work.
Thus Ray would have to wait for the office to be in use or for someone to forget to turn the lights off(Ray did that sometimes intentionally) to be able to read the files, since tiny cracks in the cabinets or drawers allowed some files to cast a shadow.
Ofcourse not every file could be read, but that was fine. Ray slowly raised his proficiency with Shadow Sense while learning valuable knowledge.
"Alright, let me tell you what I learned over these past 2 months..."