It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, though not on purpose. The dreams he had were completely black, though not empty—
RING. RING. RING.
"Wha—?"
He shot up, finding the phone given to him buzzing beside his bed. One look at the screen told him who was calling—
[Call Incoming: Director Ren]
"Hello?" He answered.
"//Have you settled in? May will be at your door in approximately five minutes. Put on your uniform and follow her.//"
"For what?—" Seven attempted to ask.
Before he could get an answer, the call had already been hung up.
'What was that about?' He questioned.
The idea of going against the Director's orders wasn't on his agenda, bringing him to his closet. Inside was an entire wardrobe of Bastian Academy uniforms, all perfectly ironed and set up.
He changed into the sleek, black military-like uniform, finding it perfectly tailored to his athletic build.
Knock. Knock.
Just as he adjusted the buttons on the collar, he found the visitor arriving right on the dot. As he stepped out, he found May standing there, dressed in a somewhat fancier uniform than he'd last seen her, with a flower pin on her breast.
"Oh, looking good! Suits you well," May greeted him with a laugh.
"Thanks," Seven said.
"Let's go! If we're late, the Director will chew us out, or worse," May said, leading the way down the corridor.
As he followed her through the sector for elite students, he noticed it was completely quiet this time. There wasn't a single person lounging in the recreational area, leaving it isolated.
"Where does the Director need us, anyway?" Seven asked, glancing at the glistening, marble walls.
May waved her finger, "It's where he needs you. Think of it like an opening ceremony."
"But the semester has already started, right?" Seven asked.
"Ah, yeah," May answered cheekily.
Though he followed the energetic girl as she led him to the elevator, he felt information was being withheld. Stepping into the clear lift, it rose with the prompt of May's hand against.
As he stood there, he noticed the shorter girl staring directly at his face as though he had food on his cheek.
"You just woke up, didn't you?" May asked.
"I was tired, alright," he admitted.
"Knew it! Your left cheek has a red mark," May pointed out with a playful laugh.
He ignored the remark, though feeling a tad bit embarrassed to be directly called out. With the elevator reaching the main floor of the academy, he was tugged along by the wrist as May rushed out.
"C'mon! Hurry up now—I really don't feel like getting swept in the crowd!" May urged.
"Crowd? What's even going on?!" He asked, following along.
As he glanced back, he could see through the windows that all of the students seemed to be leaving their dorms at the same time.
There was some kind of event on the precipice of starting, though he was clueless to what it was. The main halls of Bastian were immaculate, with glass displays lining the corridors, housing remnants of military equipment.
From archaic cannons to the husks of tanks, the history of humanity's firepower was kept preserved.
"Woah," Seven remarked, walking along the halls that almost served as a museum.
"Amazing, isn't it? A lot of it is pretty outdated—I mean, tanks couldn't stand a chance against anything the Fulminare sent down," May remarked, playfully tapping the glass.
"Yeah. I read researchers say humanity made a century worth of advancements in just the three years since the Fulminare attacked," Seven recalled.
"That's true," May confirmed.
He was led through the corridors, somehow finding himself in a dark, rather minimalistic room without any features.
"All right, good luck!" May waved to him.
"What?—"
Before he could get any sort of answer, the girl already left him in the room.
"You made it just in time. At least your timing is impeccable."
He was greeted by the familiar, yet daunting voice of a man he knew.
"Director," Seven said, glancing over.
The man of high authority within Bastian adjusted his glasses, coming in from another room. Director Ren tightened his gloves and straightened his tie, standing in front of the vast, black curtain at the end of the room.
"What's all this about?" Seven asked.
"A ceremony for humanity's future," Director Ren informed him, staring back. "—It's your welcome to Bastian Academy, as the first chosen by the Origin."
"Ceremony?—"
It was then that the curtain parted on their own, revealing that the small room he was in was merely the stage to a greater one—
"Ah."
He was there, side-by-side with the Director, staring at an auditorium that put sports arenas to shame. Not only were the hundreds of students of Bastian in attendance, but countless others who he could only assume were higher-ups of the government.
'All of this…is for me?' He thought.
As the spotlight shined down on him, he didn't know what to say. Was he supposed to speak? Was he missing a script? He didn't understand, glancing over at the Director—
"Welcome, students of Bastian! Future of mankind! Benefactors of humanity!" Director Ren spoke as his voice was carried through mighty speakers. "The day has come—the day that we strike back against the Fulminare!"
The rousing words of the Director incited the entire audience into a cheerful applause. It wasn't nothing he didn't relate to; everyone came from different countries, all brought together into one nation.
"So many have lost their homes. If we do not act, the one home we all have will be lost—Earth!" Director Ren announced. "—We have suffered defeat after defeat by the Fulminare! That is…until recently!"
With the words of the esteemed Director, Seven could feel countless eyes on him, as if expecting great things.
"The young man you see beside me has successfully eliminated one of the Fulminare!"
Director Ren's claim stoked disbelief in much of the crowd, most of which simply rejected the possibility, while others remained in quiet shock.
"Not just that, but a Fulminare of a 7.0 Disaster Magnitude!" The Director claimed.
Of course, a statement met with shock and rejection from the audience used to defeat—
"You all have doubts. That is understandable. That's why—Seven will showcase his abilities for all to witness!" The Director announced.
The young man sharply looked over, "Wait, what?—"
From the eruption of applause and cheers from the crowd, it seemed the decision was already set in stone.