1 Chapter 1 History

In a classroom, a student laid his head on his desk with a bored expression. The boy was about 17 years old and had short black hair. He was about average height and had a toned body. His eyes as green as fresh spring leaves, vibrant and full of life. 

*smack*

"Are you even listening Orion? This is your senior year. This material will be the most important information you need for your finals."

The young man, Orion responded with a monotone, "Understood Mrs. Sterling."

The lecture was on the history of the world which had been repeated every school year since childhood. Once again, Orion zones out and half listens-half day dreams during the lecture.

"3000 years ago the world was ruled by humans who had the Goddess by their side. The Goddess, Celestina, blessed the humans who quickly grew in strength and in technology. However, not all things last forever. A formidable darkness hid beneath the earth corrupting and mutating anything it got its hands on. This darkness was the monster queen, or better referred to as the Mother Queen."

Some of the students interrupt the teacher saying they already know this stuff and to just move on already. Mrs. Sterling mean mugs them and tells them. "Silence, this stuff will be on the final exam to decide your life after high school."

Hearing her say this the students shut up and continue listening to her.

"After a century of growing her strength, the Mother Queen waged war on the humans. Her mutated beasts and corrupted monsters were initially being pushed back in the early stages of the war. Unfortunately, the Mother Queen and her force's strength at the time was not power, but their numbers and growth.

The beasts evolved into new species and variants that the humans could not defeat. Over time, the beasts reversed the tides of war and nearly exterminated the human race. The Goddess realized that the humans would lose this war and created a plan to sacrifice herself.

The plan consisted of creating multiple cities around the globe that had plasma barriers that incinerated anything they touched. Unable to find a power source for the highly energized barriers, the Goddess used her energy and sacrificed herself to power all the cities around the world.

Although the sanctuaries were created, the humans had no other way to fight or defend themselves against the beasts. So with the remaining power Goddess Celestina had, she created trees of life that produced "celestium." Celestium was material with the divine power of Celestina infused in it.

With Celestium, they created powerful weapons that could only be wielded by mana users we call knights. With the power of the knights we've barely survived to this day without even knowing how many cities still stand on Earth while the forces of darkness continue to grow to this day."

After the long lecture, the school bell finally rings, signaling the end of the door and freedom for the students. Mrs. Sterling gathers her lecture notes and asks anyone if they have any questions before dismissing them for the day.

Orion gathers his stuff and walks out of the classroom when he hears someone call his name from behind. "ORION! WAIT UP!" Turning around, Orion sees a chubby 17-year-old boy with a round face walking up to him.

"What's up Stuart? Need something?"

Stuart the chubby boy smiles and says, "You heading home? Let's go 'spot.'"

Orion shakes his head and sighs in disappointment, "I'm good you can go perv by yourself."

Stuart looks in shock at his blasphemous words and defends himself. "The 'spot' is a sacred place where we young boys can watch the sacred view of a woman's body."

"Yeah, Yeah, whatever you say. I'm heading back to the orphanage." 

Seeing that his friend is leaving him alone, Stuart is too timid to go spying at the hot springs alone and walks back to the orphanage alone with Orion. "Hey, Orion? Have you decided on what job field you want to aim for on the test or are you gonna see where you'll end up on your own?"

The test was an exam held by the city for all seniors and tested what working field would be best for you. Students who were interested in a specific job field would study the exam and try to answer in a way that would put them in that field.

"Well, we have no connections. So I'm thinking of entering the military." Stuart looked at Orion in fear and shock. "You wanna go out there? It's almost certain death. I mean yeah, recently within the last few years we've actually had success with the outside expeditions but you can still die in any given moment."

Orion smiles at the chubby boy and aimlessly says, "I don't really have a purpose in life. So, I've decided that I should at least use my life to do something meaningful and fight for humanity.

Stuart shook his head in disbelief, "You fu*king maniac. Whatever man, you can go and die with no dreams. But, my goal is to become a merchant. If I'm lucky I can get rich and live a laid back life for the rest of my life."

Arriving at the orphanage, Orion heads up to his room that he shares with Stuart and 3 other younger boys. The young boys run up to Orion asking him to carry them and play with them. 

After playing with children and eating dinner Orion lays in bed while his roommates all fall asleep. Orion thinks to himself, *Maybe if I get lucky and get promoted to a higher position in the army. I could get more funds for the orphanage. Then again that's coping too hard. I'll probably die in my first fight.*

_________________

Orion's senior year of high school quickly passes by and the final test has finally arrived. Walking into the city's massive auditorium, he sees many students from schools all over the city. Orion walks up to a soldier who seems to be collecting students' information before they can enter the testing site. "Hello sir, my name is Orion, no last name. My id number is "******" and I'd like to join the army instead of taking the test."

The soldier looks up after hearing what he said and raises an eyebrow, "Really? Ok then, let me write down your numbers real quick. Ooook, Done. Instead of heading inside the auditorium you'll be heading to the back of it and waiting for further instructions.

Orion nods his head and goes towards the instructed area. Behind him, Stuart shakes his head in disappointment thinking this is the last time he'll see you alive.

Behind the gym is a field with army tents set up and a group of people waiting for instructions. You enter the camp and a soldier hands Orion a tag and tells him to line up with the others. 

Orion looks around and analyzes the people around him. Next to him, on his right looks to be a boy of noble descent. You can easily tell by the way he looks down at everyone near him with a disgusted face towards those with dirtier appearances. The boy had blonde hair, a healthy-toned body, with purple eyes that Orion had never seen before. 

The boy had a raven badge on his clothes which Orion could only assume was the symbol of his family. Their eyes met and the noble simply clicked his tongue at Orion making him observe someone else.

To his left is a boy with raggedy clothes and his body looked to be more bones than meat. Orion thought, 'He's probably here for the free food that the army server while enlisted but he'll probably die during training. Unfortunately because humanity only recently has had successful expeditions, there isn't enough resources even for the orphanages.

Suddenly, Orion hears someone calling for attention and sees a man standing on a stage in front of them. The general with a fierce aura was a towering figure on the stage, his presence commanding attention and respect from allies and foes alike. Clad in intricately detailed armor that bore the marks of numerous battles, he stood as a living testament to the hardships and triumphs of war.

His stature was imposing, with a broad-shouldered frame that spoke of strength and resilience. Every movement he made was purposeful and calculated, a testament to the discipline and training that defined his persona. Scars crisscrossed his weathered face, souvenirs of past conflicts that only added to his aura of experience and authority.

"Attention please! Allow me to introduce myself, I am General Roland Braveheart of the Assault Force. From this point on you are all trainees in the army of Arcadia. All of you will undergo basic training for one month. Those of you who pass will be randomly assigned to a branch in the military.

The branches include the Vanguard the bravest souls who dive in head first in our expeditions. The Assault Force, who does most of the combat after the scouting from the vanguard. The Rearguard, who protect the noncombatants and the resources supplied for the expeditions. The city guard, who protect the city and patrol the streets of Arcadia. Finally, there's the royal guard who follow the orders of the king and other nobilities. 

Also for a little competition, the top 10 trainees will get to choose the branch they wish to go to. Now good luck with your training young ones. You'll need it."