The Citadel was humongously large. It could easily be the largest structure in the world! It would take hours upon hours just to take a tour around the base. They told me that personnel are stationed at different sectors to avoid that issue. They relay information through radio and have the personnel on that sector to deal with it.
Not counting the immensely huge Citadel, there's also a city blanketing the land around the base. It's not as big as Wilbell City but it's definitely bigger than Creekswood. The city was mostly occupied by people from the Shinki or people that has someone working for the Shinki.
Mr. Osura took me to the mess hall first after I woke up. It was already afternoon so people were already taking their lunch at the cafeteria.
Now, I know that there are a lot of races in the world. From what I've seen there were only Unimans, Ninhonai, Salacknovekian, and the Malak'Habdi. There were also some minor races on the side as well. But never in my wildest dreams did I think to see actual elves and orcs right before my eyes. The entire hall was filled with people in varying races.
Elves look like just how I'd imagine them to be... except for their current clothing, which is what I assume the Shinki uniform. They tend to have long ears and elegant features. They have varying hair color the same as us humans. But from what I can see, most of them have beautiful blonde hair. They also don't seem to stand out that much besides the fact that they have protruding ears that constantly pops out underneath their hair.
Orcs on the other hand, somewhat look different from what I see in movies and books. First of all, they don't have green skin. They have the same shade as us, although varying as well. But most of the orcs I see have a brownish color to their skin. They all have sharp lower jaws with tusks sticking out. Most of them also have stylized and well kept beards. Some even tied them up and went with different beard braids. When I asked Mr. Osura, he replied that it was a beauty standard for the orcs to have large tusks and beautiful beards.
I decided not to push further into that topic. Hey, people have their own beauty standards and I totally respect that.
As for Ergonians, this one here is one I haven't heard of before. I've heard stories of giants, and they always tend to scare me in my younger years. The thought of being picked and getting eaten after hearing "FEE FI FO FUM" was terrifying for me back then. But when I looked at the Ergonians, they seemed to smile a lot. They'd given me the impression that they're actually very wholesome people. I bumped into one earlier. Surprisingly, he was the one to apologize first, so it did strike me kind of awkward.
"So what do you want to get?" Mr. Osura's question snapped me back to reality. We were standing in line to get food. I quickly look around at the menu and found out that it was extremely huge. They had lots of dishes that I didn't even knew existed. Probably dishes from other countries. I didn't know that the Shinki catered food for people that are far from their home.
With that in mind, I instinctively searched for something I've been yearning to try again for years. My eyes darted through the options and landed on the Ninho section.
Ramen....
There it is! I tugged at Osura to get his attention.
"Um, Ramen seems to be in the menu. And also a bowl of rice on the side sounds good..." I told him.
"Ahh yes. Embrace our native delicacies!" he laughs heartily.
Apparently the food was free as long as you're in the Shinki ranks. Man, Shinki workers are eating well everyday. I carried my tray towards our table. Mr. Osura sat at the opposite side of me. He only has rice balls and soba for his lunch. The food smelled delicious and it brings a massive wave of nostalgia. I remember eating this back when I was still five years old.
Mom used to treat us to a ramen shop every special occasion. As I took my first sip, I was immediately five years old again. The meat, the egg, the noodles, everything was perfect. I paired it with rice and it was just a bliss. I miss eating stuff from my homeland. Most of my life, I've been eating off Uniman food. I can't say I've grown tired of it, but it was sure nice to taste ramen again.
Me and Osura mostly kept silent while eating, allowing us to truly savor in the flavor of home. I appreciated that gesture.
"Well, now that we're done, are you ready to see the rest of the base?" Mr. Osura asked, standing up and fixing his coat. I sipped my bowl one last time, getting all of the remaining broth and drinking it. After, I set the bowls aside and stood up from the table.
"Yes sir, I am ready." I replied.
Osura smiled at me and began to head off in a direction. I just quietly followed beside him. He began lecturing me as soon as I reached his side. He said that the cafeteria was one of the areas that surrounded The Rift. And it was visible enough to see. The Rift's beacon blasting all the way to the sky above.
He brought me to the dormitories next, where soldiers are said to sleep. The Shinki's military force wasn't near comparable to that of an actual government military force. The Shinki's soldier count only reach up to a hundred thousand. And that's already the collective number of all the Shinki branches in other continents combined. The estimated ratio of personnel were thirty-nine percent elves, eleven percent orcs, fifty percent humans, and four percent ergonians.
The dormitory we're in isn't actually the main dorm as Osura said. It was just the dorm for this sector. He also mentioned that the Shinki has around fifty thousand soldiers in reserve if the need arises. So some soldiers don't technically live in the dorms per se. I was also told that during missions, Shinki soldiers on duty tend to go to hotels or motels that are secretly owned by the Shinki. That explains the Inn that housed us when we arrived in Smokes City.
It took a while to navigate through the dormitory corridors, as this place was big. Of course, the doors on this part of the building opens up to a large warehouse containing the Shinki's armory. I can see people checking on stocks and cleaning weapons. This is actually the first time I've seen actual firearms up close. And I can't deny the fact that the thought of me handling one soon is quite intimidating.
Osura and I didn't delve in too much on the armory section, although we did get to greet and get greeted by some people. Apparently, people called Mr. Osura "Gajin". I still didn't know what that means, so I finally decided to ask him.
"Hey, Mr. Osura? Just asking out of curiosity, why do people call you Gajin here?" I asked him.
"Oh that? Ah, pay that no mind for now."
I remained silent and just continued to stare at him, as if expecting for an answer. Eventually, he sighed and started explaining.
"Well, the Gajin is a title given to the top commanding officer of a base continent. So yes, currently, I am the Gajin of the Human continent. Therefore all the generals and the superintendents report to me. Besides me, there's also the Nijin of the Elven continent. The Ujin of the Orcish continent. And finally the Kajin of the Ergonians continent. The Kajin is one of the biggest financers of the Shinki." He explained while walking.
"You know about generals in the army right? A Jin is kind of like the General of The Army. I hope that gives you more insight. This is the best breakdown I can give to you." He chuckled. I silently muttered
"Oh.." under my breath after hearing that information. 'So, apparently I am with one of the most powerful person in the entire organization.' I thought to myself. 'How should I act? Should I be more formal? Maybe this is a chance for me to get a good impression on my first day.' Thoughts rush into my mind. I straightened my back and prepared to address Mr. Osura in a formal way. He held up a hand in front of me and smirked,
"I know what you're thinking, Hikori. There's no need for that now. Save it for when you become an official soldier of the Shinki Corps. But as of the moment, treat me how you normally treat me, okay?" Osura says, smiling as he lowers his hand.
The tour continues as Mr. Osura leads me to as much locations as he can before dinner. The med bay, The comicly large garage, The shooting range, the sparring dojos, and so on so forth. One of the places that interested me is the research department of the Citadel. It is one of the largest sectors of the base as it was mainly focused on the research of Drakai biology. Before entering there, Osura and I were prompted to be disinfected. I heard it was so that no contamination will occur or something. And that was where I saw all my eyes could not believe. Monsters... Displayed on large glass containers filled with fluid. Strange body membranes splayed over various research tables. Scientists wearing blue trench coats pacing through the entire sector, wearing a busy expression that's visible even under a face mask. The research sector is large and expansive, with a large source of light shining down from the ceiling around fifty feet above. Three levels of railings can be seen on the sides of the large room which leads to even more rooms which I cannot see from my angle. Mr. Osura seems to be talking with a female elven researcher about an important matter. I cannot fully understand what they are talking about, but I do notice that the elf looks relatively young. Probably around sixteen or seventeen. She seems to have a small build, with a choppy shoulder length haircut. Eventually the girl's eyes landed on me and looked at me up and down. She crosses her arms and muttered.
"What's this guy doing with Mr. Osura?" It seemed like she was muttering to herself. But I decided to rub the back of my neck and reply, "Well, it's uh... Well... Mr. Osura is just nice enough to show me around is all-"
Mr. Osura let out a hearty laugh and placed his hand on my back. "Let's introduce you to each other eh? Hikori, this here is Harribel. One of the youngest, brightest minds in the research division! And Harribel, this is Hikori. A soon-to-be cadet of the Shinki Corps!" Mr. Osura ushers me towards Harribel. I held out my hand awkwardly for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you, Harribel." I said.
She takes my hand and firmly shakes it. Her expressions softening a bit.
"Nice to meet you too, Hikori. I truly hope you won't regret joining in this wild experience." She teases as she takes her hand back, brushing her hair to the side before looking at Mr. Osura and bowing.
"If you'll excuse me sir, I'll get back to my task." Said Harribel, them urgently went back to one of the research groups working on an operation table.
After Harribel left, my eyes fell back to the Drakai body that's in a large tube right beside me. My gaze deepens as I try to remember the figure I saw back at our blown up apartment. 'It... Doesn't look the same.. But this hatred.. feels...'. My hands unconsciously tightened as thoughts flowed through my mind. I felt Mr. Osura place his hand on my shoulders.
"Hikori, are you.. feeling alright?" he asked.
"Y-yeah.. Just feel.. a little bit weird.." I replied.
I turned to look at him and saw his face etched with worry. I broke eye contact and lightly shook my head. I've been causing nothing but trouble recently. He has been here with me through all of the things ever since the apartment blew up. After steeling myself, I turned back to look at him.
"Is there more you want to show to me, Mr. Osura?" I asked.
"Actually, I don't think we would have the time to, Hikori. The opening ceremony for the cadets would be in half an hour. We have to get you ready." He replied, walking ahead expecting me to follow.
"Let's get you all cleaned up and ready for the ceremony."
I followed him through the winding corridors of the Citadel. Passing by more sectors, it made me curious to explore the Citadel more. Mr. Osura brought me back to his room and told me to get a bath.
"After you're done, I'll have a personnel deliver some fresh clothes here and bring you to the orientation hall. I shall be leaving first as I have to prepare myself as well, being of a Jin rank and all." he said.
I nodded in reply, making my way towards the shower.
"And, Hikori?" he called out.
I stopped in my tracks and turned my head towards him. He them gave me a smile and said.
"Goodluck"
He smiled before leaving and closing the door behind him.
I bathed for quite a while. Thoughts lingered through my head. The memories of what happened still fresh. The fact that everything that led me to here is still strange to me. The survivor's guilt. The pain of having no one. The burden of losing everyone and those whom you care bearing down on me brought me to my knees, and wound up crying on the bathroom once more.
It took me fifteen minutes in the bathroom. After stepping outside, there was a fresh change of clothes. Quite formal too. It was a white button up shirt paired with matte black trousers and some black rubber shoes. I dried my hair and put on the clothes. After making myself presentable, I opened the door outside and saw a tall woman wearing a red trench coat leaning on the wall smoking a cigarette. She gave me a side-eye and she snuffed her cigarette out with her gloved hand and shoved it to her pocket.
"Yer the grunt big guy told me to escort? Tsk. Took you a while in his room. What're you doing in there?" she asked, with occasional grunts in between sentences. She looks a little bit pissed or annoyed. I tried to reply but she continued with-
"Zippit, I'm tired as shit." She pushed herself off the wall and immediately begins to walk down the corridor.
"Follow close, squirt! I ain't coming back to fetch ya."
I started to follow close to her as she leads me through the halls. She seems to be taking me to the western sector near the Rift. As we continue walking, we can already hear the trumpets and a military March song.
"Um.. Are we close? They seem to be starting." I asked.
"It's because you took your goddamn time in that room." she grunts in reply.
"Sorry..." I replied in a very small voice.
After a few more turns, we finally reached the area with lots of people are forming lines in front of a large wooden double-door.
"There's your spot, kiddo. Get your ass in line now." She nudges me forward.
"Thanks.." I told her, as I started making my way towards the line. It was cramped, lots of people pushing at each other and such. I tried to make my way in but I'm being pushed back. I can always just stand at the back but I don't think I'd see much if that's the case. There seems to be at least more than three hundred of us in this large room alone. Possibly more! After like a lot of shoving and pushing, I finally found a spot that I'm comfortable in. I sighed in relief knowing that I made it.
"Umm, actually that's my spot there. You just butted in." says a voice behind me. I turned around and saw an elf girl with long blonde hair that's tied at the end. Hair tucked neatly behind her long, pointy ears. She looks at me with one eye brow raised and her arms crossed.
"So? Are you gonna move or not?" she continued.
"Well, it's not really a line on wether who goes first right? I don't think-"
"Just give her the spot. No point in arguing about it." says another voice behind the elf girl.
This time, it seems to be an orc around my age as well. He's slightly taller than me and wears an uninterested look. His hands are shoved in his pockets as he breaks eye contact with me when I looked at him. I don't think there's a reason to argue with what he said and what he said makes sense. I stepped to the side and let the elf girl stand in front of me.
"Thanks" she smiled as she stepped forward.
"You seem to be quite young to be here. I'm Suiren! What're your names?" she asked, holding out her hand for a handshake.
"I'm.. Hikori. And, you seem to be young yourself, miss.. " I replied and shook her hand. She chuckled and replied.
"Well, true. But I don't think we'd want to dive in too deep as to why now, am I right?"
She then leans sideways and looked at the orc behind me, smiling.
The orc still maintained not making eye contact. After a few seconds, he muttered out his name. "Niren"
"Great! That already makes us acquaintances! Nice to meet you all!" she says brightly.
Seeing her act all cheery made me smile. For some reason it brings warmth and makes me feel... Normal.
Suiren continues to talk about a lot of different stuff while the ceremony is about to begin. While half-listening to her, I noticed an abnormally large ergonian walking line after line. Looking for a place to stand. He seems to be around nine to ten feet tall! Easily the largest ergonian I have seen before. He walks around with a crutch as big as my size for support. Probably from his enormous size. I saw him get rejected again and again by people. I feel pity for him. 'I mean, I understand the people. I wouldn't see anything if a guy like that is in front of me.' he then slowly makes his way towards us. He stops near us and gave us a look. Not saying anything. He's probably tired of asking. He looked at us for about fifteen seconds. Before deciding on moving on. As he was about to go away, I bit my lower lip and was about to call out to him and offer him a place in front of me. But Niren beat me to it.
He whistled towards the giant. The ergonian turned back to look at Niren. Niren then nods his head between me and him, stepping back to make space for him.
Complaints can be heard from behind. "What the fuck are you thinking?"
"Hey! What about us here in the back, ye?!"
But Niren's expression doesn't seem to show that he cares. He ignored them. The ergonian slowly walks back to us and takes his space between me and Niren. He turned back to Niren and said a subtle 'Thank You'.
Suiren looks at the ergonian up and down and smiles once more.
"Looks like you finally found a place, pal! And boy, you are so tall! What's your name?" she asked.
"Mori.." he replied, shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Mori! I'm Suiren! Let's be good acquaintances!" She smiled from ear to ear.
Mori nods and smiles sheepishly.
Shortly after Mori settled in, the double doors opened to reveal an extremely large hall with a large stage at the far end. We can see lots of officials on the stage, and that includes Mr. Osura in all his glory. We begin to enter the room in an organized manner, and we stood on certain spots assigned to us through our lines. Each of us evenly spaced and stood at attention.
"Good afternoon, cadets!" A man on the microphone begins to speak. He seems to be a highly decorated officer with lots of badges to represent him.
"You have proven well enough to be scouted and recruited as talents and people brimming with potential to service our organization! And while in this establishment, you are not a human, not an orc, not an elf, nor are you an ergonian! You are a SOLDIER! A soldier that will ACT as the first line of defense against the supernaturals that threaten the balance of our world! Soldiers that will lay their life for the lives of those unfortunate to be inflicted havoc upon by these beings! Soldiers that will understand, that strength is used to protect those who do not have it. Do I make my self clear?!" He barked out.
"Yes, Sir!" Replied the officials behind him. To which the cadets followed as well.
"Good, then I shall formally start our annual opening orientation for our new cadets of the Shinki Armed Forces! I am Major General Sejwick L. Samson. And I shall be personally be monitoring each and everyone of all your progress during your four year period in our Shinki Academy! Here at the Shinki, we expect the best of the best of the best! So expect training regimens to be harsh and brutal! All nighters for exams! And not all of you will be qualified to become a soldier by the end of the term! So work hard, and be better! First two years of the academy will cover all of your basic education as well as the accurate world history on what happened within the Shinki's perspective. And the final two years shall focus on the objective of your soldier duties, which will contain learning what these damned monsters are and basic to advanced military training. You will also be sorted into your respective Coat Division depending on your performance throughout the years! The three coat divisions are:
The Blue coats, personnel who is behind mission control. Data gatherers, and researchers. Most of the Shinki Technology we have today is all thanks to their combined effort and skills.
The Green coats, trackers, scouts, and information gatherers. The success of each mission relies on the information they bring and deliver to central intelligence!
And finally, the Red coats, exterminators. Cleaners who cleanse the Drakai in our grounds and bring them to ashes beneath the ground. Specializing in Drakai neutralization. By the end of this term, I expect those who pass to be the peak of their condition! Becoming a soldier of our corps will give you the following benefits.." the major then pulls out a list from his coat and begins to read.
"Free healthcare and lodgings here at our Citadel. Void of taxes while living at our establishment here in our Citadel. Immediate pay out after each successful mission. Access to equipment, licenses, and food while a member of the corps. And free healthcare, housing, with additional service of protection to your families while in active duty. This shall be stated in the twenty years contract of service which will be signed by YOU after graduation. Should you fail to comply, you shall be asked to pay for the debt that you shall owe the organization. Extreme violation of contract will be viewed as an illegal law and shall be dealt with in such manner. Now then, we shall begin with assessment tests shortly after. Questions?!" he finishes. Everyone replied with,"None, sir!"
"Good, orientation shall be continued after the tests. Goodluck, cadets. Supervisors, carry on." He then steps back as everyone applauds. I then saw people begin to file out on different fields led by superintendents. Unfortunately, I was separated from the recent new people I just met.
"Bye, guys! Hope to meet you all soon!" called out Suiren as she's being dragged in her own group as well. I waved goodbye to them and only saw Mori and Suiren wave back. Niren still being the silent one.
And this starts... My four years journey with the Shinki Academy. I do hope I become at least a decent soldier upon graduation...