Nova Airport, Sector E Landing Field.
The vast landing field teemed with a spectrum of human emotion. Thousands of teenagers, luggage in hand, stood as the focal points of smaller, heartfelt storms of farewell. Today was the day of departure to their various academies, the first, definitive step onto the path of an Abilitan.
Families clustered around their sons and daughters, creating intimate pockets of laughter, tears, and proud, trembling smiles. Younger siblings clung to older ones, their faces crumpled with the impending loss of their heroes. Parents offered final, earnest advice, their words a mixture of encouragement and barely-concealed worry. Friends clapped each other on the back, making promises to stay in touch across the distances of their new lives.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Zack!!!" Sora's voice was muffled against his chest as she held him in a fierce, almost desperate embrace, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
"I'm not leaving forever. We'll see each other during breaks," Zack said softly, patting her head with a fondness that belied his own swirling emotions.
"But the house is going to be so boring without you! And who's going to do all the hard work?" she protested, refusing to loosen her grip.
Zack wore an awkward smile. "Well, you'll just have to manage, won't you?"
"Alright, that's enough hugging. You need to let him breathe," their mother chided gently, though her own eyes were soft.
Sora finally, reluctantly, pulled back just an inch, still holding onto his sleeves.
"It's going to be a bit lonely when you leave," his mother admitted, her sweet smile tinged with a sadness she couldn't fully hide.
"I'm going to miss you guys too," Zack said, his voice warm. "Especially this little troublemaker here." He reached out and playfully pulled at Sora's cheeks, making her swat his hand away with a half-hearted pout.
His gaze shifted to the scene nearby with Alex's family.
"Brother, please don't go! We haven't finished the last level of Knight Saga Reborn!" A boy of about thirteen, with the same light-brown complexion and eyes as Alex but with shoulder-length hair, had wrapped himself around Alex's torso like a koala, tears and sniffles staining Alex's jacket.
"Hey, Damien, let go of him. And for heaven's sake, don't clean your snot on his shirt," a woman's voice, both exasperated and affectionate, cut in.
She had the same bright light-brown eyes as her sons. Her long brown hair was tied in an elegant bun, secured with a decorative pin, with a few artful strands framing her face. With a petite nose and rose-red lips, she carried a mature, radiant beauty. She wore a smart white button-up shirt and a modest brown skirt that still managed to hint at a shapely, curvy figure.
"Mom, don't worry. He'll get over it," Alex said, trying to pry his little brother off with a patient smile.
"It might take him a whole day to cool down. It's going to be one heck of a headache," she sighed, the weight of being a single mother evident in her tired but loving expression.
"But… I'm really going to miss my little boy," she said, her voice suddenly thick. She pulled Alex into a sudden, smothering hug, burying his face in the softness of her chest.
"Um… Mom… if you don't let go now, you won't have a son anymore…" Alex's voice was muffled and strained as he struggled for air.
"Oh!" She immediately released him and peeled a still-clinging Damien off his side.
"Mom, it's a bit embarrassing to call me 'little'," Alex said, his cheeks flushed. "I'm a fully grown seventeen-year-old."
"You'll always be my little boy," she chuckled, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye.
"Mom, that's embarrassing for Big Bro," Damien chimed in, squinting at her.
"Thinking of you leaving… I feel like I'm going to cry," she said, her eyes welling up for real this time.
-___-
Alex and Damien shared an identical, long-suffering look.
The deep, resonant hum of powerful engines suddenly echoed across Sector E. One by one, the academy transports descended from the clear blue sky. They hovered with impossible grace before settling onto designated pads, their thrusters kicking up gusts of wind that swirled dust and fluttered clothing.
"Well, I guess our ride is here," Zack said, turning to watch the majestic vessels land.
Each aircraft was a masterpiece of futuristic engineering, a seamless blend of aerodynamic plane and sleek starship, huge and imposing. Their hulls, forged from advanced alloys, gleamed under the sun, each bearing the proud insignia of its academy. These were the next generation of vessels, designed after the Catastrophe to be faster, tougher, and shielded against the threats lurking in the skies over the Forgotten Lands. To someone from five hundred years ago, they would have been unmistakable spaceships.
Announcements began to ring out, amplified and clear:
"Those admitted to Cassell's Academy, please proceed to Landing Pad 004!"
"Star Spark Academy, proceed to Pad 007!"
"Wade Academy, Pad 001!"
And then, the one they were waiting for:
"Those admitted to Bright Gold Academy, please proceed to Landing Pad 009!"
A current of movement passed through the crowd as students detached from their families, heading toward the corresponding gates. Each landing pad had a numbered archway—the final checkpoint, the last point of contact.
"I guess this is it, Mum," Zack said, turning back to his family. "But I'll call. Always."
"Then I'll always be waiting by the communicator," she replied, her smile returning, steady and sure.
"Alright, Sora, it's really time to let your brother go now," her mother said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Sora shook her head, burying her face back into Zack's shirt.
Zack knew what was coming. A moment later, a gentle but firm knock sounded on the top of Sora's head from their mother. Sora yelped and finally released him, rubbing her head with a dramatic sulk.
"This sister of yours is something else," their mother said, squinting at the pouting Sora.
"Yeah, I agree with you, Mum," Zack nodded, a wry grin on his face.
"Okay. I think this is goodbye," his mother said, her lovely smile back in place, though her eyes were suspiciously bright.
"I guess so," Zack said, his voice low. Then, in a sudden move, he stepped forward and wrapped her in a tight hug, surprising her. After a beat, her arms came around him, holding him just as tightly.
"Mum," he whispered near her ear, his voice firm with resolve. "I promise. I'll get to the top. I'll take back everything that was meant to be ours."
He pulled back, and she saw the unshakable determination blazing in his blue eyes. Her surprise melted into a profound, trusting pride.
"I believe you," she said, and her smile was the most beautiful thing he'd seen all day.
Alex walked over then, his mother and brother in tow, his own luggage in hand.
"Bro, you done? We gotta get going," Alex said, nudging Zack with his elbow.
"Yeah. Let's roll," Zack said, hefting his own bag.
"Alright, we're off now!" Zack called to his family.
"I guess this is goodbye, then," Alex said, turning to his mom and brother.
Together, they turned and joined the line already forming for Bright Gold Academy.
"Zack! Make sure you do well at the academy!" his mother called out.
"Big Bro! Bring back the good games from the capital when you visit!" Damien yelled, jumping up and down.
"Brother! Do your best to stay away from those vixens at the academy! And don't forget to always contact me and Mum!" Sora shouted, her hands cupped around her mouth.
-___-
Zack facepalmed. Alex, meanwhile, broke into a wide, mischievous grin.
"Don't worry, Sora!" Alex yelled back over his shoulder. "With me here, he won't go astray!"
-____-
"My little baby! It's heartbreaking watching you leave! Do your best!" Alex's mother cried out, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.
Alex's embarrassment was palpable, but when he caught the pure, loving look on his mother's face, a woman who had sacrificed so much, his expression softened into one of tender gratitude.
"Looks like we've got a mommy's boy here," Zack snickered.
"Bro, forget how she's acting now," Alex whispered, leaning closer as they walked. "She gets really emotional. But let me tell you, this mother of mine can be scary when she's angry."
"Really?"
"Bro, one time, me and Damien were trying to beat the final boss of the Astra Dungeon in Knight Saga Reborn. It was past midnight. When she found us… she hung me upside down from the doorframe for an hour. She spared Damien because he 'looked too innocent.'" Alex's face was a mask of pure, betrayed trauma.
As they neared the gate, they saw her. Zoe. She was already in line, standing out like a jewel amidst the crowd. As beautiful and composed as ever in a stylish travel outfit, she drew glances from every boy nearby. Then her eyes fell on Zack and Alex joining the line.
A shockwave of pure disbelief passed over her face.
'What is he doing here?' The question was clear in her wide, stunned eyes.
Zack and Alex ignored her, falling into line behind the other select few from Spectra City who had earned a place at Bright Gold. They presented their admission letters to the academy personnel, who were dressed in sharp gold-and-white uniforms, their demeanor one of calm, graceful authority.
"Please show your admission letter."
They handed them over. The personnel gave the official seals only a cursory glance before nodding.
"Clear to proceed."
They stepped through the archway onto Landing Pad 009. Almost in unison, they stopped and turned for one last look back. At the gate, their families were a blur of waving hands and hopeful faces. Both boys raised their hands in a final, smiling farewell.
"Those smiles on their faces," Zack said quietly, his gaze fixed on his mother and sister. "We should make sure they stay that way."
"Yeah," Alex agreed, his voice uncharacteristically solemn. "You're right, bro."
"Then off we go."
They turned their backs on the world they knew and faced the future.
The aircraft awaiting them was a behemoth of silver and gold, its hull shining with a metallic luster. Its design was sleek and predatory, the front shaped like a hawk's beak, its wings seamlessly fused to the body. It towered over them like a silent, two-story titan, utterly awe-inspiring.
"Isn't it a thing of beauty?" Alex breathed, admiration washing over his face.
"Yeah," Zack answered, feeling a similar sense of wonder. "It is."
"Shall we?" Alex gestured with a flourish.
"Of course."
Side by side, they walked the final distance and boarded the craft that would carry them to their destiny.
High above the clouds, at an altitude old-world planes could never have dared to reach, the gold-and-silver vessel cut through the sky. It moved with an incredible, silent speed, a faint golden force field shimmering around its hull. Inside, the journey was smooth as glass.
On an observation deck, Zack and Alex leaned against a safety railing, watching the endless sea of clouds stream past below.
"Man, there's nothing to see. Just clouds," Alex complained, his bored expression returning.
"Well, what did you expect?" Zack replied, his eyes on the horizon. "We're crossing the airspace of the Forgotten Lands. It's safest to stay above the weather… and above most of the things that might want to take a bite out of us."
"I thought I could at least get a glimpse of the lands from up here," Alex sighed, his curiosity unquenched.
"Curiosity, right?"
"Yeah."
"I get it. We've spent our whole lives behind those walls. It's only natural. But here we are now," Zack said, a slow smile spreading. "On our way."
"Bright Gold Academy," Alex said, the name full of anticipation. "Here we come."
The aircraft, a sliver of gold against the blue, shot forward. The proud insignia of Bright Gold Academy emblazoned on its hull caught the sun's dying rays and flared with light. Two friends, bound by shared survival and newfound purpose, were now en route. Ahead lay a future ready to test them, a new and perilous path, the path of an Abilitan.