LOCATION: SAPPHIRE GAZE DORMITORY
PLANET: LAPIS DIVINUS, ORION LUMINARY INSTITUTE
YEAR: 1 | DAY: 8 | TIME: 05:30
The first several days at the Orion Luminary Institute went by quickly.
As the new, superior Celestial Framework slowly burned itself through Kaela Sirova’s pathways, she and her roommate Milanon began their general overview course.
They learned first about how the passage of time was measured on Lapis Divinus and in the Orion Celestial Accord in general.
One Day = 30 Hours
One Month = 30 Days
One Year = 15 Months (or 450 Days)
One Iteration = 10,000 Years
One Grand Iteration = 1,000 Iterations (or 10 million Years)
Coming from a planet where modern civilization was still less than one Iteration old, Kaela found it staggering to witness the scale on which the Accord measured time.
They learned about the general structure of space, a topic in which Kaela had much interest. Clusters of galaxies made up a universe. That much was clear and obvious.
But when you pull back far enough, even an entire universe forms into a bubble. And from that vantage point, one would be able to see multiple bubbles. This was of course known as the multiverse. Kaela had heard the theories before. But to humanity from Earth, they were just that: theories based on scientific conjecture.
To the Orion Celestial Accord, however, it was proven fact.
She spent that first week with her head spinning, not just from the System integration work going on in the background, but from the sheer magnitude of scale at which the Accord operated.
As she fell asleep each night, she silently thanked Ambassador Skrixx for choosing her and making it possible for her to learn all of this, and to later pass it all on to the inhabitants of her tiny planet now so far away.
On the fifth day since her arrival, Kaela awoke in the morning to a new System message.
---
System Message
Your integration with The Celestial Framework is complete.
You now have access to the System in all Orion Celestial Accord worlds and sectors.
Your interface can now more easily connect to or, when needed, hack into governing Systems in hostile territories. Beware: exercise extreme caution when utilizing this feature.
When you visit newly inducted worlds or return to your own, you may choose to propagate the Celestial Framework into local Systems. Administrators will receive a prompt to accept or decline the invitation.
Your interface has been upgraded.
For a list of new features, scroll to the Settings menu.
---
It was a lot to take in, but Kaela was glad to see that her body and mind were now more compatible with not only the local System on Lapis Divinus, but also would be able to interact with Systems on all Accord-affiliated worlds.
But it was the eighth day that Kaela was most looking forward to.
Not every student at the Institute was interested in advancing their combat skills. In fact, Kaela’s roommate Milanon was one of them.
He could hold his own, of course. But being of a mainly support class, he did not thrive in or necessarily enjoy combat.
On the 7th night since their arrival, the two roommates were chatting in the common area of their room in the evening.
Kaela always opened the blinds to get a full floor-to-ceiling view of the sky and lake.
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The picturesque colors streaked across the sky as the blue-tinted daylight gave way to a deep purple that never quite reached total darkness. All of it was reflected against the enormous lake like a perfect canvas.
“I just can’t understand why you wouldn’t want to push yourself in all areas,” Kaela said.
“I prefer using my gifts to inspire others, and combat interests me less than taverns.”
Milanon chuckled at his own joke, then flashed his charming smile, causing Kaela to blush.
“Stop doing that,” she teased. “Using your Charisma on me isn’t cool, man.”
All students had to go through The Crucible to assess their combat prowess. It was mandatory for first-year students. After that, whether they took combat courses was up to them. But a baseline had to be set for everyone.
They talked a bit longer and headed to their respective rooms to get some rest before the early morning departure.
Kaela tossed and turned a bit, thinking of her family back home. Wondering what Elena was up to. If her parents were well. If the Peacekeepers were still hunting and destroying the Empire’s force projection planets.
“How much time has passed on Earth since my departure, anyway?” she muttered.
The passage of time on this alien world she now called home made it hard to do the math, and she finally drifted off to sleep while she thought about it.
At 05:00 the morning of the eighth day, Kaela arose. She stretched, then took a shower. As she got dressed, she looked in the mirror.
Her long, wavy hair resembled her mother’s, and was just past her shoulders. She reached up and pulled the auburn tresses together into a single pony tail.
She smiled.
This was going to be a good day.
Kaela met Milanon in the common area and she wished him luck one last time before they stepped through the portal to the training area of the Institute.
Air rushed by as Kaela felt the disruption in spacetime, starting in one place and ending in another with a single step.
She and Milanon were quickly ushered away from the portal toward a growing group of students that was already filling out the front of the large, open arena in which they were now gathering.
The ground was made of firmly packed sand, and Kaela could feel the coolness through her shoes.
They introduced themselves to a few others standing nearby as more and more students portaled in.
Once the arena was full, three women and two men walked across the raised dais to the north end of the space, stopping in the center.
They all wore matching outfits. Fitted midnight blue tunics and breeches were covered with flowing bright yellow robes. They each had simple leather boots that went up to their calves.
The man in the center held a wooden staff. The two women to his left and right both had long swords slung across their backs, and the outer two had daggers at their waists.
The outfits were plain, but Kaela suspected the flowing robes were designed to obscure footwork and conceal the first tell of a strike.
The man in the center cleared his throat, and as he spoke his voice boomed across the entire arena.
“Welcome, first-year students, to the Luminary Institute. There are 250 million of you to get through, so forgive me for skipping the long preamble. I’ve already given this speech twelve times, and I’ve got hundreds left to go.”
He turned to the others on the dais next to him.
“I am High Warden Zerathion Telvannis. Welcome to The Crucible. Here, your abilities in combat and problem solving will be tested. This is only to establish a baseline. You will not be graded on this. But your growth over time will be.”
He paused a moment as he let his gaze wander across the one million assembled students.
“We realize that not everybody is interested in combat or has a combat-oriented class. That is fine. The Crucible will sense this and adjust its parameters to test your unique skillset.”
He stepped to the side, and behind him a portal gate sat unmoving. It was almost boring in its simplicity.
“The Crucible was designed by our forefathers many Great Iterations ago, and has been used to test and assess the Accord’s warriors for thousands of generations.”
The High Warden lifted and slammed his staff down on the dais, and a purple and gold vortex appeared in the circular gate, swirling and undulating slowly.
Kaela could smell the ozone even from the distance.
“The Crucible is an instanced dungeon that is arranged into floors. You must enter alone. You must clear an entire floor or solve its puzzle in order to move on. After each floor, you will have the option to exit.”
He turned toward the assembled group once again.
“For those not interested in combat who are already pondering exiting after the first floor, let me speak to you first. Greatness can only be achieved when we step outside of our comfort zone. I urge you to challenge yourselves. You cannot die in The Crucible, although you will almost certainly experience pain.”
He smiled, and it looked sinister on his chiseled face.
High Warden Telvannis continued his speech.
“Now for those who are itching to get started, for those who are ready to prove yourself against the best the Accord has to offer, I welcome you. The early floors award Lumens for passing them. Later floors award higher amounts of Lumens and gear useful for your class.”
The High Warden concluded.
“Push yourselves!
Show me what you are capable of!
Impress me!”
With that simple exclamation, he and the other Wardens stepped to the side. Students began walking up the stairs to the dais, and through the portal.
The Wardens held the next student for just a moment in between, then wished them luck and good fortune before nudging them forward.
Kaela had to wait an hour before it was her turn.
When she stepped up to the center of the dais, the High Warden raised an eyebrow.
“Going in unarmed?” he asked.
Kaela smiled.
“I am never unarmed, High Warden.”
He laughed aloud and nudged her into the portal, making a mental note to follow this one’s progress.