Five planetary cycles until exams begin.
The dining hall was fairly quiet besides the clinking of utensils as Elara, Nara, Jinx, Rorik, Kaito, Finn, and Elysia ate their breakfast at one of the large tables. Outside the enormous panoramic window next to them, a ginormous green and yellow gas giant nearly filled the entire frame.
"IT'S HUGE!" Nara screeched out, unable to contain the awe and excitement in her body, witnessing such a spectacle so close.
Her sudden yell jolted everyone up slightly, as if that's what truly woke them up, besides Elara who kept eating her meal calmly. It was as if she's become accustomed to Nara's chaotic self in such a short span of time. On the other hand, Rorik nearly choked on his food. Jinx stopped eating and stood on her chair to be able to reach his back before she began patting it.
"What kind of planet is that? And why does it look so… different?" Nara continued without a care, her eyes sparkling with childlike fascination.
Rorik was finally able to clear his throat and quickly recomposed himself.
"That's what we call a gas giant. They're massive planets made up mostly of gases and liquids rather than solid ground."
Nara leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, completely fascinated hearing this. She'd never imagined such a world like that ever existing.
"A gas giant, huh? Woahhh... I bet it'd be amazing to fly around in there!"
Jinx scoffed with a mouth full of food and shook her head.
"You're a special kind of crazy if you actually believe that."
"Huh?" Nara cocked her head in confusion, her excitement fading slightly.
"Why's that big sis Jinx?"
Rorik chuckled a bit before he continued.
"Gas giants aren't exactly hospitable. Their atmospheres are crazy man, filled with storms large enough to swallow entire moons. Not to mention gravitational forces strong enough to crush most ships like they're nothing."
Jinx rolled her eyes dramatically, her mouth still full of food as she began to speak.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Forget the nerdy space talk, let's talk about something actually interesting." She paused, suddenly noticing an unfamiliar sheath sword strapped to Nara's hip.
She pointed at it with her fork.
"Since when did you start using a sword?"
Nara's expression brightened instantly, as if she was waiting for someone to notice it and say something.
"Oh, this? The captain thought it would be a good idea for me to switch up my old style and learn swordsmanship… that way I can learn her fighting style."
Immediately after saying that, all that was heard was the sound of forks and knives clattering against plates and the table as Jinx and Rorik stared at her, their jaws dropped in pure horror.
Nara's bright smile quickly morphed into nervous laughter.
"Uhh… Big bro…Big sis… Is everything okay? Did I say something wrong?"
Kaito was equally surprised, but quickly turned his attention to someone else that might've been interested in hearing that. He looked over to Finn who was absentmindedly pushing food around his plate, clearly lost in deep thought.
Across from them, Elysia showed no surprise on her face nor body. Instead, a curious yet cautious expression came over her face and her eyes flicked over to Elara, who calmly continued eating as if nothing unusual had been said.
"My, my, captain, don't you think teaching Nara your fighting style might be a bit… dangerous?" She said, her usual bubbly tone was there, but it felt different… forced almost.
Elara paused, delicately wiping her mouth with a napkin before answering calmly.
"Perhaps. But that's precisely why I'm the one teaching her."
Her response, however, wasn't directed at Elysia who was the one to ask the question. Her cool and composed red eyes were fixed squarely on Kaito.
"Kaito." She called for him softly yet firmly, causing him to snap to attention.
"How has your training with Kaeline been progressing? Any improvements?"
Kaito hesitated, opening his mouth slightly. But before anything could come out, Elysia cheerfully interrupted, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Kaito dear's training is going wonderfully, captain. His essence control has improved significantly in just the last—"
"Elysia." Elara said from across the table, her voice sharp yet calm.
"Forgive me, but I believe I was addressing Kaito directly, not you."
A small moment of silence seemingly engulfed the room and the air seemed to fill with a subtle tension. Nara's curious gaze shifted to Elysia, intrigued by the subtle confrontation unfolding before her… especially one directed at the captain herself. Kaito stiffened slightly, sensing the atmosphere rapidly changing. Elysia's smile never faltered though… if anything, it grew wider, almost as if she was enjoying it.
"Oh, I'm quite aware of that, captain."
"Then why interject? Kaito is perfectly capable of speaking for himself."
Elysia let out a soft chuckle, one that didn't seem to find anything funny, but instead one that carried a subtle edge of disrespect. Elara immediately picked up on this and placed her utensils gently onto the table.
"I don't recall anyone telling a joke. Mind enlightening me on what's so amusing, Elysia?" She said with a calm yet quiet authority.
Elysia's laughter faded away as she slowly leaned in, boldly wrapping an arm around Kaito and pulling his head against her chest. Kaito's eyes widened.
"I'm laughing because you already know why..." She said before her voice dropped into a softer, but more serious tone.
"Kaito dear will be my future captain someday. And to officially become that, he'll need to defeat you."
She tilted her head slightly and that bubbly facade finally gave way, revealing a chilling yet calculated gleam in her eyes.
"Forgive me if I'm out of line, but it doesn't seem wise to share strategic information when we're preparing to defeat you. After all… you wouldn't share critical intel with an enemy either, now would you… captain?"
Their eyes locked intensely and a quick yet silent battle began raging between them. After several tense seconds, Elara slowly closed her eyes, breaking the standoff with a quiet sigh.
"No, you're right. I apologize if I've overstepped."
Elysia released Kaito abruptly, allowing him to gasp for air, as he struggled to compose himself. She immediately returned to her cheerful demeanor, smiling sweetly.
"It's quite alright, captain. There's no need to worry, Kaito dear is in very good hands with miss Kaeline and myself."
As Kaito finally caught his breath, his gaze briefly met Elara's from across the table. Her eyes held a strange intensity as she stared at him silently. It was a fleeting look, but one that undoubtedly had words that wanted to be said along with. He began to feel something inside him stirring up, but he quickly looked away, unsure how to interpret the silent exchange that had just occurred between them.
Nara glanced sideways toward Kaito, her eyes narrowed slightly as if measuring him. She leaned forward with a thoughtful yet skeptical expression.
"Kaito… Do you really think you have what it takes to defeat the captain? I've seen how strong you are back on my homeworld—but even you must know there's no training in this universe capable of bridging the gap between you two so quickly. So, why even try?"
Before Kaito could formulate a proper response, Jinx snapped out of her earlier trance and turned towards him.
"Yeah, kid! What gives? You've barely joined us and you're already planning your exit strategy?" She said, her voice filled with genuine frustration mixed with subtle concern.
Rorik followed up quickly, shaking his head.
"No kidding man, are you crazy? You haven't even gotten your star traveler license yet. You saw firsthand on Nara's world just how strong these other crews could be. Isn't it way too soon to gamble everything?"
But their concerns were swiftly silenced by Elara's voice.
"That's enough."
All eyes immediately shifted towards her before she continued to speak.
"Kaito's decisions aren't up for debate or judgment. I welcomed him onto this crew to pursue his own dreams—exactly as I did with each and every one of you. Why discourage him now?"
Her words immediately filled Rorik and Jinx with regret. They both exchanged guilty glances to each other before looking back.
"Sorry, captain…" Jinx muttered softly before turning towards Kaito.
"And sorry, kid. I didn't mean it like that. It's just… we care about you and don't want you to do anything crazy."
Rorik followed her up, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Yeah, man… sorry if it sounded harsh. The universe is filled with all types of wonders, but also just as many dangers."
Kaito waved off their concerns with a small and warm smile spread across his face.
"Hey, it's alright. You guys are just worried and honestly… I appreciate it. It feels good, you know? Almost like having the older siblings I never got to have."
Jinx immediately groaned dramatically, wiping her eyes in fake distress. "
Aw, come on, kid! You're gonna make me cry."
Amidst the eased laughter, Rorik noticed Finn quietly sitting beside Kaito. He was still staring at his food, his fork pushing around things on his plate mindlessly. It was as if he was trapped in his own world, oblivious to the room's conversations going on.
"Hey, Finn." He called out, causing Finn to jump slightly, startled back into reality.
Finn sat upright, looking around.
"Huh—yeah, Rorik? Is something wrong?"
Rorik crossed his gigantic arms together and replied.
"I dunno, man—you tell me. You haven't said a single thing since we sat down. Plus, you've barely touched your food. Everything okay?"
Finn hesitated, but tried to play it off like nothing was wrong, but he wasn't able to as well as he thought he could. Whatever was bothering him was evident in the forced chuckle as he scratched nervously at his cheek.
"I… I think it's just nerves, you know? The exams are almost here, so..."
A loud scoff abruptly echoed from across the table. Nara leaned back in her seat, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly.
"What's up, Nara? You… good?" Rorik asked hesitantly.
She crossed her arms, and looked over to Rorik.
"Come on, big bro. How long are we gonna keep pretending?"
Finn visibly flinched, lowering his head again, sensing exactly where the conversation was headed.
"Nara…" Jinx cautiously interjected.
"What exactly do you mean?"
Nara didn't hesitate and pointed her finger bluntly towards Finn.
"Him. How long are we going to pretend he's actually going to stand a chance in these exams? Look at him. Do you really think he can handle becoming a star traveler? There's a reason he's our cook and nothing more."
"Nara, chill—"
BANG!!
Rorik quickly tried to diffuse the tension, but his words were blown away by a sudden, loud bang.
It was Finn.
He had slammed his hands hard onto the table, causing dishes to rattle and everyone, even Elara, to jump slightly. His arms trembled against the cold hard table, his hair blocking his eyes from their view. He pushed his chair back slowly then stood up without saying a single word and began to walk away from the table towards the kitchen's exit.
Jinx sighed loudly, glaring at Nara.
"Great. You know you've really got a way with words, don't you?"
Nara simply shrugged casually, returning to her food as if nothing had happened.
Kaito watched Finn go, a wave of sadness washing over him as he saw his friend leave the room… However, unnoticed by everyone else, Elysia's lips slowly curved upwards into a subtle smirk.
"It seems he's finally ready to enter the third stage, Miss Kaeline…" She thought to herself, her smile darkening just a bit more.
In the training room, Kaeline sat perfectly still, legs folded, hands resting gently together in meditation. But that was broken by something… something that caused her eyes to open slowly.
Almost on cue, the door hissed open, revealing Finn standing in the doorway. But this wasn't the Finn from two days ago… No. His back was straight, his shoulders squared, and his eyes were sharp and determined.
Kaeline looked at him silently for a brief moment.
"I'm sorry for taking so long, sensei. But I'm ready to finish what we started." He spoke, his voice steady and filled with an unfamiliar confidence.
Kaeline watched him carefully before she rose slowlyto her feet.
"Good. Then let's get to work."
He stepped forward, entering the room fully, leaving all hesitation behind as the doors hissed closed behind him.