...
The boarding room was barely large enough for two people to live in. A narrow window high on the wall let in the pale morning light, casting long shadows across the cramped space. Two beds hugged opposite walls, and massive storage shelves stood like silent sentinels between them, dividing the room into two tiny territories. Clothes hung from the edges of the shelves, books in very wobbly piles, and gadgets, utensils, and tools laid scattered across the floor. The room had clearly lost the fight with the occupants.
A red blanket shifted, and a faint groan escaped from under it. Astra, short scarlet hair in a mess and eyes still half-closed, stretched and yawned. Her body, small but muscular, rolled off the bed with a thump. A sharp-edged scar ran over her left eyebrow, catching the morning light.
She walked over to the other side of the room and begun shouting.
"Andressa! Andressa!! Andressa!!!" she shouted, bouncing on the other bed.
Andressa's blue hair spilled across her pillow as she stirred, still groggy. "Shit… what's the time, Astra...?" she mumbled, nearly toppling out of bed.
...
Astra ignored her and grabbed her toothbrush, heading down the hallway lined with rows of identical doors. The hall buzzed faintly with early risers, some still clinging to sleep, others moving like robots or machines.
The floor was slightly cold under her feet, the kind of cold that wakes you up faster than anything else. The walls had faint glowing lines running across them, dim pulses of dimensional energy flowing through the structure like veins. Some doors were slightly open, voices leaking out.
"Bro i swear if i fail this again am done..." one voice muttered from inside a room.
"You said that last time too..." another replied lazily.
Astra smirked slightly but said nothing, brushing her teeth as she walked.
"Hey!! wait for me...." one person shouted running at her friend
"You are always slow Milie why would i wait for someone like you..." she exaggerated.
Millie fell sad at her friends insensitive response, slowing down a bit before jogging again to catch up.
Astra glanced at them for a split second.
'...people have too much energy this early in the morning...' she thought, brushing faster.
They wore squad uniforms — grey skirts with double stripped jackets with grey and purple jackets, emblazoned with the academy logo: a spinning universe encircled by a stylized spaceship. With two star circles around their left shoulder.
Some students in the uniforms saluted at Astra as she walked while other just casually walked away with their breakfast or with gadgets measuring different energy levels in the area.
One guy stopped mid step, looking at a small device in his hand.
"Bro... your reading just spiked again..."
"What? no way give me that..."
Astra passed them without caring, but for a second... she felt something.
A very faint... pull.
Like something brushed past her.
She paused.
Just for a second.
"..."
Then kept walking.
The bathing area lay at the end — extremely large, divided by low walls into shower stalls and sinks. The sound of running water echoed lightly across the space, steam rising and clinging to the ceiling.
Astra brushed her teeth and went over to the shower stalls, she stood under the water as it washed away her sleep bringing her to full.
The water hit her shoulders, warm at first then slightly hotter.
She exhaled slowly.
'...today feels weird...'
She frowned slightly.
Then shook her head.
'...probably just drills...'
Someone in the next stall spoke.
"Yo you ready for ranking?"
"nah man am cooked..."
Astra smirked again.
'...weak...'
She finished quickly, stepping out, drying her hair roughly without much care.
Meanwhile, Andressa had finally woken up from the morning fog. She moved with quiet efficiency, collecting her things and ironing the squad uniforms — grey skirts double stripped with grey and indigo jackets, emblazoned with the academy logo: a spinning universe encircled by a stylized spaceship with three stars circling on the left shoulder . Astra's set lay next to hers.
'I can't believe she left me to iron her clothes too… ahh, the iron is too hot. Let me just adjust the temperature,' she thought as she carefully pressed the uniforms.
She paused for a moment, staring at Astra's uniform.
Her fingers lightly touched the sleeve.
'...she really doesn't change...'
A small smile formed.
Then faded quickly.
'...but today is important...'
She straightened the collar again, making sure everything was perfect.
When Astra returned, she carried two plates stacked high with eggs, sausage, bread, and peas — a full English breakfast for champions in training. She placed one plate in front of Andressa and the other on her own side of the table.
"You know the rules," Astra said, half-smiling, "eat fast. Morning drills start in thirty. And don't burn your uniform this time."
Andressa shoved off the comment and replied....
"Rage-bait of that level does not work on me Astra Orin....Just eat up and hope you are ready for the drills" she said, clearly annoyed.
Astra began laughing.
"you say that every time but you still get mad..."
"I do not get mad..."
"You are mad right now..."
"I am not mad..."
"You sound mad..."
Andressa stopped eating for a second.
"...just eat Astra."
Astra grinned wider.
As they ate, different squads assembled in small groups around the hall.
Some were already in full gear, others still adjusting uniforms, some arguing, some laughing.
One squad nearby was arguing loudly.
"You missed the timing again!"
"nah your signal was late!"
"It was not late you just slow!"
Astra listened for a bit, then looked away.
'...not our problem...'
The hall was a large, spotless area where squads of all ranks, tiers, grades, and corps gathered for mission briefings held periodically. It had a stage and a seating area, like any normal hall, with many doors leading outside. Beyond the hall stretched a vast space where students and squads moved about in what appeared to be floating vehicles.
Some hovered silently.
Others moved fast leaving faint trails of light behind them.
The entire area was impeccably clean and sat at the center of a sprawling, high-tech city, alive with energy.
Even the smallest creatures, like ants, radiated this energy naturally.
Astra watched one for a moment.
A tiny glow.
Barely visible.
'...even that has more control than some people here...'
Some beings perceived it differently: certain creatures emitted faint green glows, while humans, depending on their tier, ranged from faint to very bright—or even very dark—colors.
For a second...
Astra's vision shifted.
Everything dimmed.
Then—
A pulse.
Sharp.
Then gone.
"..."
She blinked.
"...what..."
Then it was normal again.
She said nothing.
Their squad comprised of; Dan, the tanker, grumbled as he adjusted his gear, muscles already flexing for the first exercises of the day. He was looking all over the hall for Andressa and Astra.
'Damn it can these two ever be early for once in their live...' he thought to himself, visibly irritated.
"Dan relax they will come..." Lucky said calmly.
"I am relaxed..."
"You are not relaxed..."
"I am..."
"You are pacing..."
Dan stopped.
"...am not pacing..."
Lucky just smiled.
Professor Lucky, surprisingly agile for his age, monitored from the side, checking dimensional energy readouts on a small device.
"Hey Dan, check this out the readings are quite interesting today" he says, as he shows Dan the device readings.
The device flickered slightly.
Numbers rising.
Falling.
Then stabilizing.
The device was reading 4D catalysts approaching.
Dan frowned.
"...that normal?"
Lucky paused.
"...not exactly..."
And finally King sat apart from the rest, quietly analyzing the field, already calculating strategies for every possible scenario — a habit from years of being left alone in his first squad.
'Andressa Kingsman, she used to be the youngest operator aged 16, on her very first mission, well she is just 2 years older than i am, i wonder....would she be interested in younger guys...'
He paused.
"...why am i thinking about that right now..."
He shook his head slightly.
Then went back to observing.
His eyes moved across the hall.
Squads.
Energy levels.
Movements.
Patterns.
Then—
A flicker.
Something off.
Very small.
Near the entrance.
His eyes narrowed.
'...what was that...'
Astra's team had been specially selected as an experimental squad meant to test synergy of radically different dimensional abilities. Each member played a role, crucial to mission success:
Astra, Andressa, Dan and King.
Even now, the academy's hidden structure and ranking system dictated everything: tiers, energy grades, elite corps selection — rules that determined who could touch the field and who would remain in training.
But for Astra and her squad, today wasn't just another day of drills.
Something had already begun to stir up, subtle but undeniable.
The faint pulse of an anomalous energy threading through the hall, touching the edges of reality itself.
Not strong.
Not loud.
But wrong.
No one noticed it yet — except perhaps the Headmaster, watching from the distant observation tower, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
His vision did not see shapes.
It saw colors.
And right now—
One color did not belong.
Astra and Andressa finally arrived at the hall and sat with their squad-mates, after some casual greetings and checkups.
Visibly frustrated, Dan whispered his scolding about their repeated tardiness.
"You two are late again..."
"We are not late..." Astra replied instantly
"You are always late..."
"We are consistently late... that is different..."
"...that is not better..."
Andressa sighed.
"Can we just sit..."
The hall buzzed with people of all ranks, tiers, and corps. Everyone was waiting for the headmaster's debriefing, eager to find out which section would receive their missions or drills for the day. But today's unusual event wasn't a mission—it was a ranking.
A man wearing the same uniform but with a grey and black striped jacket his jacket which had seven stars and a long trouser,he was short and had a lean physic, walks to the middle of the stage and starts to speak on the mic.
The students that where shouting, gossiping whispering here and there all turn to look at him and...
Everyone around him goes quite and they all turn to hear what he says with eagerness and full time focus.
The air itself felt tighter.
More serious.
"Welcome everyone from your various fields today we will begin the monthly debrief with the headmaster but first everyone under the elite corps is requested to head to hall three and get your cards for your missions and everyone on the elite corps elite corps training and registration regiments are requested to head to building three and also get their specific final exam drills for everyone else under tier 2 or the vanguard title remain behind for your new ranks... " he mentioned with a very serious expression and waked back to sit on the chairs of the high ranked professors and instructors to the right of the headmaster a very old blind bald man who saw the world like other creatures through colors he looked most especially at Astra's squad as they left the hall with their different color representations dark green, green, dark blue, brick red and white.
...
Astra's squad reached the third building, part of the third hall, though the "buildings" were really just rooms within the hall. The place was high-tech, and magical-dimensional energy flowed freely, humming softly around them. The energy made them feel stronger, sharper, almost alive, as they walked down the long hallway of Hall Three toward the rooms under Building Three. The corridor gleamed with sleek surfaces, elegant panels, and softly glowing lights. Numerous candidates in uniforms identical to theirs moved in the same direction, their footsteps echoing in quiet rhythm. The other squads seemed eager and confident, wishing each other luck as they proceeded, anticipation crackling in the air.
Several instructors awaited their arrival. One of them, Allen, glanced at Astra and Andressa with a proud smile.
"These two were under my personal class, Class 4-15 of the 15 Regiment practices. I watched them go from Tier Five to Tier One. It feels like just yesterday they were small initiator girls… and now look at them: full-grown elite candidates, preparing for the Elite Corps regiment exam," she chuckled, his eyes gleaming with pride as the other instructors nodded in acknowledgment.
The rest of the squad's faces lit with pride, admiration for their teammates clear.
Another instructor stepped forward, voice firm, explaining their final mission before they could officially become Elite Corps members.
"As you all know, you first enter the academy as pupils, building your foundation in cultivation and dimensional energy awareness as initiators. Then you progress to Converters, Operators, and finally Vanguard, before becoming elite candidates, which you are now. Only after this can you join the Elite Corps and receive licenses to fight Dimens… yes," she said, her gaze sweeping over the seven squads assembled.
All squads shouted in agreement, standing perfectly straight, every movement precise, military-like.
The next instructor's voice boomed, "Most of you are repeats, while others skipped tiers, and some went through everything. Today, a few will pass, but many will fail. Each year, we only get about two out of seven squad candidates as Junior Elite Corps. Do not be sad if you fail—there's always next year."
Another instructor's tone was sharp, direct: "This year, you will undergo the usual drill as your first exam. But this time, you will fight actual Dimens, not simulations. Don't worry—they are D-grade, so they will not pose a problem for five elite candidates from each squad."
The first woman added, her voice steady and commanding, "Then comes the theory test as your second exam, followed by the mock field test as your final exam: you must locate and subdue a rogue Dimen. Understood?"
The candidates shouted in unison, "Understood, ma'am!" The sound echoed through the hallway, a mix of resolve and nervous excitement, as the energy in the building seemed to pulse along with their determination.
....