Elementals

Chapter 30

Earth: Year 3205
The Military Academy on the moon

Breeze:
There’s obviously no big welcoming-committee as we make it through the first halls of the Academy here. I don’t know if it’s because of the Elementals around being busy with training and other things related, or if it’s simply because they don’t care. The first few minutes we get to see of the inside of this Academy, is all mainly official-hallways where neither of us will have any business being. I even think I spot the Grand Master’s hallway for a moment as it seems much more restricted than other areas, but I let it go as we keep on walking.

The atmosphere around us is very different. Even with these gill-things I can still sense that breathing here is remarkably different than in the normal air down on Earth. After a while, we got to the end of the hallways and the door in front of us leads us all into an open arena that I suspect is where we’ll be spending most of our time – a training center. Blaze, Rain, Ember and I look around us, trying to imagine all of the exercises as we see some of them in progress. There are Elementals in training and we get to observe them slightly. The station where they weaponize the element more accurately is the one to catch my attention, but the rest seems to be merely physical if nothing else.

The Grand Master snaps us out of our admiring gazes after a while. “Elementals, this is where you’ll be finishing your training before entering the field. This is a different kind of training than what you’re used to. There will be a lot more physical training that you all must go through, but also some technical as well as mental. Be aware, your Seniors here will not go easy on you. They’ll be the ones you hate enough to push yourself even harder.” He goes on. “They are by far the strictest Seniors to ever train you.” He says as he casts a gaze over at Senior Pool for a moment, as if he’s trying to make a point. Senior Pool doesn’t seem to take it to the heart as I look back at the Grand Master to find him observing me and I immediately keep my head down.

“Master Elemental Storm will take you through each of the stations of training and then show you to your accommodation where you’ll be spending your nights. If you’ll excuse me, I have other businesses to attend to.” He says as he shares a few words with the Master Elemental before he walks past us. Blaze and I look at each other for a moment. It’s like I can see something in her eyes, something I haven’t seen before, despite that I haven’t spent much time looking her in the eyes. Something just seems out of place. After a while, I snap out of it as Master Elemental Storm in the front starts.

“One station where you’ll be training is combat-simulations with full tactical-gear. In general this is one of the last stations you train by. The ones here have passed most of the other tests. But once you’ve managed a decent score on this station, you are considered ready for the field…in varying degree of course, but there’s a high standard to manage before you’re granted to go.” He starts as he moves towards the next and we follow. Around us, the other Elementals are looking at us, as if they’re already judging us. I think it’s more about me and Blaze than Ember and Rain considering Blaze and I are way younger than the rest.

“This station over here is all about memory. You’ll be on and off this station for as long as it takes for you to develop a solid memory.” Storm starts as we all stop. “On the field, we don’t know for how long we’re in a given position. If that’s a position of importance regarding how we can use it as an advantage against our enemy, it’s important that you remember every single detail about it. It can be the difference between life and death.” He goes on as he looks over at Senior Pool quite distinctively before turning his attention back to us. “Any intel that can bring down the enemy is considered useful so you better wipe your memory of any unnecessary memories and focus on the ones that matters.” He lets out.