'I probably shouldn't take too long.'
Knowing that he was supposed to meet the Captain, Ren couldn't relax and enjoy a well-deserved, long shower, so he put on a towel, then got out after doing the bare minimum and went back to the changing room.
Before putting his new uniform on, Ren gave his reflection a look, his eyes wandering over his body.
He saw his wet black hair, unkempt and a little overgrown. His sharp, dark eyes, which seemed more haggard than he remembered. And his lean body, forged through years of hardship under Cain's training. Finally, his eyes rested on the web of burn scars on his arms.
He sighed.
'This crappy feeling isn't going away any time soon, is it?'
Reminding himself that he shouldn't waste time, Ren shifted his focus onto his Striker uniform.
Ren ran a hand over the fabric of his new striker uniform, remembering the numerous times he imagined wearing one. It consisted of a dark, form-fitting high-neck undersuit reinforced with subtle, diamond-patterned chest padding. Over it sat a heavy, knee-length black trench coat, its high collar and inner lapels lined with a striking, vibrant cobalt blue. Polished, segmented armor plates sat on the shoulders, sloping down into matching elbow guards. Complete with leather gloves and knee-high combat boots, the uniform felt incredibly light despite its layered protection.
'Man, this feels better than I thought!'
Donning his new outfit, with one star on his lapel, Ren gave himself another quick glance in the mirror. He looked… happier.
"Phew… time to go meet the Captain."
Ren took a deep breath to brace himself, then stepped out of the shower room.
"I'm ready."
Cain gave him a cursory glance.
"You look good. It suits you."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Thanks, it… suits you too, you know."
Cain nodded.
"Now, let's go."
Ren followed Cain once more through the hallways of the striker headquarters until they reached the Captain's office.
Cain knocked lightly on the door.
"You enter without me, the Captain called for you alone."
A deep voice sounded from the office.
"Come in."
Ren gave Cain a nod and stepped into the office.
What met him was a wide office with a simplistic design, an empty desk lay between two bookshelves on the right, and a door on the left next to a couch and coffee table.
On the opposite side of the room a desk was facing him with a large balcony door behind it, sitting in that desk was Captain Finn Smith, a class 5 wonder, the lightning cleaver, Sierra's protector, and the leader of this branch of the Striker corps.
His large build was accentuated by the inner wear of the uniform, his hair a grayish silver, portraying both his dual-element and age.
His face looked gruff with a scar on his jaw that only added to his dangerous aura.
"Welcome, Ren. Come, sit down."
The Captain said while pointing to the chair on the opposite side of the desk.
Ren took a deep breath and sat down on the chair.
"It's an honor, Captain, sir. I've admired you for a long time."
Finn's eyebrow raised slightly.
"Admired me you say, why is that?"
An incredulous expression took Ren's face.
"Why? Sir, respectfully, there's nobody that deserves admiration more than you in this whole city. You've been protecting this city from before I was even born, if that's not worthy of admiration, then I don't know what is."
Ren took a deep breath.
"Not to mention sir, I've always wanted to be a striker, and who better to look up to than the strongest striker around?"
The Captain smirked.
"Ha ha ha, the strongest striker around eh? Not bad for a title, but it's gotta be true first."
Ren's head tilted to the side.
"What do you mean, sir? You're a class 5 wonder, not to mention you're a dual-elemental. Who deserves the title of strongest more than you?"
The Captain gave Ren a serious look before asking,
"Ren, how much do you know about our world?"
Ren furrowed his eyebrows.
"How much? As much as everyone else I guess, our world was peaceful once, spirits didn't exist and all the world had was humans and some animals. Oh! The world was also much wider before the spirit realms started taking it over.
Ren pointed towards the horizon outside the window behind the Captain. A massive, undulating, vertical ocean seemed as restless as a storm in the middle of the sea.
"That world ended when the spirits arrived. Our efforts to stop their advance were futile, at least for the mid and high class spirits, and humanity was at a loss."
"Those were the events of the Spiritfall 300 years ago. And that state continued until the first attuned appeared. Then, little by little, the tide of the battle changed until we achieved a fragile balance, and that balance is still going till today. Maintained by the Striker corps from all around Votum."
Ren's eyes shined a little while speaking, as if proud of his predecessors' achievements.
"Lastly, our Votum is surrounded from all sides by the spirit realms, which can be seen on the horizon if you get close enough, The eternal storm, the realm of water in the north, which is closest to us."
"The tempest of blades, the realm of air in the south, The Bogged mountain, the realm of earth in the east, and finally, the blinding sun, the realm of fire in the west.
The Captain sat there in silence as he listened to Ren's recounting of the world's history, rarely offering a slight nod as feedback.
"That's basically it, other than the general location of the other cities, that's all I know."
The Captain ran his hand down his short beard.
"I see, you know a lot for a young man of your age."
Ren's chest puffed up a bit.
"It's nothing sir, I just enjoy reading in my spare time after training sessions, and I've always been interested in strikers, so it's only natural."
The Captain gave Ren a slight smile.
"That's a good habit to have…"
Then his smile faded.
"But you should also make a habit of not believing everything you read."
Ren's eyes widened.
"W-what do you mean, sir?"
"I'm saying your information is not wrong but has several important issues, and by design."
Before Ren could ask anything else, the Captain continued.
"Let's start with the biggest issue, those borders surrounding Votum…"
Ren's breath grew unsteady.
'Borders?'
"They aren't the spirit realms."