[T A S K] : who do the seventh seal want??
The cold bodies of the rogue toppler group,
the Knights of the Round Table lay bare on the concrete floor.
Stripped of more than life, they had been stretched butt naked into a single file across the breadth of the warehouse.
A figure emerged from the darkness. Seven lines tattooed onto the nape of their neck.
Their redrobe swept the floor, barefeet threading the concrete gently.
They stood at the center of the line up, six bodies to their left and Six to their right.
And spoke a few words in a language much older than the empire.
Emerged from their robe were twelve blue vials.
Floating just above the bodies, it's contents were overturned into the open mouths.
"For one to be reborn," they whispered. "One must first be embraced by death's own hand."
In Unison, the eyes of the 12 knights glowed blue, their injuries healed.
They rose, their movements zombie like.
"Pathetic." Said the figure walking past them
"But you did die by the blade of the one who posesses the mark of nemesis."
"Come forward."They motioned to Mordred who stood in the middle.
Mordred staggered toward the figure in the red robe, it was clear there was not the slightest thought behind his actions.
"And to attain unfathomable power upon rebirth one must enter a blood oath with chaos". The figure cut their palm open. Blood rushed out.
"Drink."
The blood poured down the throat of the mindless Mordred.
It only took a moment, a red aura surrounded Mordred—
"Ahhhhhhhhgghhgggh" screams of agony and pain could be heard through the aura which quickly transformed into a hearty laughter.
Mordred had been reborn, his eyes glowing red once again.
He could feel the power surging through his naked frame and at once he went to ground on one knee, paying respect to his new Master.
"Rise child, what is your name??."
"Mordred." He replied, his gaze unable to meet the Master's.
"Mordred is dead, you my child have been called to the service of our father and baptized with the blood of his messenger. From this day forward, you will be known as Paul. Paul the Punisher."
A similar process was repeated for the remaining knights, each receiving their own names.
"The knights of rounds are no more."
"I herald our father. Chaos..." The figure said motioning to the men who now dawned white robes bearing the mark of the seventh seal on its back.
"And you are my Disciples."
....
Huey's hands were steady on the tablet, scanning every single evacuation route the trapped civilians could take out of the rift.
Two exits had been compromised, and Variant presence confirmed.
His earpiece crackled. "Cross, what's your take?"
Huey didn't have one, the situation was already far beyond his current ability.
The response came from Xu Zhao(Suzie).
"North stairwell's compromised but the elevator is still intact,"Said Suzie, highlighting the route. "Redirect emergency response to the service elevator shaft. It bypasses the Variants and exits directly out of the perimeter."
"Time frame?" It was Jonas who spoke this time, sweat dripping onto his cassock.
"Four minutes, four minutes before the rift expands into that area."
"And if you're wrong?"
"Then seventeen people die because of my carelessness."
The display on the hologram had changed, and now the civilians moved through her plotted route, green dots filing toward safety. Three minutes, forty seconds.
The rift expanded, but the last civilian cleared the building with twenty seconds to spare.
The simulation dissolved.
Professor Giacomo stood at the front of the lecture hall, arms crossed, buzz cut clean and that half smile indicating he was very much impressed with the results of this particular group as much as he tried to hide it.
"Good work, Zhao. Functional thinking under pressure." He turned to address the class.
"I tell you this everyday, Logistics and Support legion isn't about fighting variants. It's about making sure the people who do fight have everything they need, and the people who can't fight get home alive."
The Legion hall was built like an amphitheater, tens of curved rows of desks descending toward the professor's platform. The desks had charging ports and holographic displays built into them.
"Those of you whose groups didn't pass today's test," Giacomo continued, pulling up a list of names, "you'll have another chance during the field assessment next week. Arcanum Division is sending a supervisor to evaluate your practical skills."
A few groans echoed through the hall.
"I know, I know. Logistics and Support might not be University's most glamorous legion but we also play a big part in running today's society, along with every other legion in this University. From Combat all the way to Media and Entertainment."
Huey's phone buzzed but he clearly wasn't in a mood to answer it.
"Dismissed. Except you, Cross. We need to discuss your route optimization."
Students had already filed out, and following the much awaited end to Giacomo's extra lessons, Huey was getting ready to leave too.
His phone buzzed again, this time he pulled it out.
[Unknown Number]: "Tomorrow, 3PM, Old library east wing. Don't make me wait."
"No."
Huey's reply came instantly.
[Unknown Number]: "No??? You're joking"
He closed his phone and headed for the exit.
"Yo, Huey!"
A tall figure jogged up the steps toward him, red cassock including a hood which was pulled up over messy brown hair.
It was Willy Cross, Huey's best friend and distant cousin.
Something chittered on his shoulder.
It was a translucent squirrel made entirely of compressed wind. The construct's tiny arms crossed, and it made a sound that could've been a greeting or an insult.
Hard to tell with Wheeler.
"Wheeler says hi," said Willy
"I'm not to sure about that, but hi to him too" Huey kept walking.
"Saw you got called back by the professor, so I waited. To be fair you kind of logged out back there and Sexy Suzie had to bail you out"
Willy was looking down at Huey now, his black earring shinning just as much as his white teeth.
Times like this always made Huey recall how short he was in comparison despite being nearly a year older.
They walked through the colonnade connecting the academic buildings.
Students clustered in groups, some studying, others just gossiping. The central dome loomed ahead, gold cross gleaming at its peak.
"You eaten yet?" Willy asked. "We could hit the Grind before you disappear into your dorm for the night."
Huey's phone buzzed twice in quick succession.
He pulled it out.
[Unknown Number]: You're forgetting I have the video from the warehouse"
"No physical evidence, so I'm sure I'll be fine, and let's not forget AI can generate anything these days" he typed back.
[Unknown Number]: What are you, stupid???
He pocketed the phone.
"You good?" Willy was watching him.
"You've been glued to that thing since class ended."
"Yeah, just—"
"Did you finally have the balls to ask one of those Media legion girls out?" Willy's grin widened.
"I wish" said Huey with a sigh.
"Then what—"
"The debt collectors."
"Okay....."
They walked in silence for a moment, Wheeler hopping from Willy's shoulder to his head and back again.
"We need to get Sandwiches from the grind though, and don't worry I'm buying because I'm a generous cousin."
Huey sighed again. "Alright."
The Virelia Grind was by far the largest and hottest campus cafe, mainly because of it's aesthetic.
Vaulted ceilings and an architecture made almost entirely out of glass.
Students filled the tables with textbooks and tablets spread between half-empty mugs.
Huey grabbed his usual corner table while Willy ordered. His phone buzzed again.
[Unknown Number]: If you won't come to me, I'll come to you.
He didn't reply this time.
"One turkey club, with extra apples because you're a psychopath," Willy said, sliding into the seat across from him.
Wheeler perched on the edge of the table, sniffing at Huey's sandwich with obvious judgment.
"So you really not gonna tell me who really keeps blowing up your phone?"
"Nope."
"Cool, cool. I respect boundaries."
A commotion near the entrance made both of them look up.
Students were gathering near one of the larger tables, forming a loose circle, Whispers spreading through the cafe faster than the smell of coffee.
"What's going on?" Huey asked.
Willy stood up, craning his neck. "Can't see. Let's check it out."
They pushed through the crowd.
At the center stood Mira Veltman, purple-gray braids falling around her face, those pitch-black eyes with silver rings staring at someone across from her.
Her cassock worn smartly.
two gold lines across her upper right arm marking her as Presbyter rank 2. But what caught everyone's attention was her posture.
She was bowing.
"I formally request a challenge," Her voice echoeing above the murmurs of the crowd. "For advancement to Presbyter rank 3."
The person she was addressing sat at the table like he hadn't noticed the crowd gathering.
Long black hair styled into a wolfcut accenting his sharp facial features.
Three gold lines marked his cassock's right arm, and the edges of his robe bore intricate gold embroidery that screamed nobility.
Ji Zhao(Jimmy) didn't look up from his book.
"I'm aware of the protocols," Mira continued.
"But I have no intention to wait till the council awards it. My pneuma levels exceed the threshold. The only thing I currently require to request it directly is to defeat a presbyter 3 ranked toppler or higher in battle."
"I have no intention to accept your silly request." Jimmy replied for the first time.
"But you did come here on my asking did you not, and you and I both know you would be refusing to uphold your obligation as the sole Presbyter 3 ranked student on campus by rejecting my challenge."
That got his attention. Jimmy closed his book, finally staring at her with those Blood red eyes.
"You're a second year whose already achieved presbyter 2. So I came here to ask, why are you in such a haste to rise through the rankings."
"I don't have time."
Her voice dropped in pitch significantly.
Jimmy studied her for a long moment. "And What is it that's making you rush, princess?"
Mira's jaw tightened at the title. "That's my concern."
"You don't have to say a thing, It's clear the Veltmans have been on the losing end of this Major House power politics."
Ji Zhao stood up, and people actually stepped back. He was tall. "Fine, the cube in thirty minutes. Don't be late."
He walked past her without another word.
The crowd exploded into chatter.
Huey watched Mira's retreating back. Her posture was rigid. But her hands were still shaking.
"She's gonna lose. Bad." Remarked Huey.
"What? No way, Mira's the only omega potential toppler in Vitalis. Everyone knows just how powerful she is. "
"Potential isn't the same as actual strength. And Jimmy's had an extra year of training." Huey headed for the exit.
"Come on. If we don't move now, we won't get a good spot."