Eligible
The secret passage they followed led them to a different district called Raven.
Raven is a district located in the fourth province and was the most well doing city they had ever come across but no matter how good it was on the outside, they knew they still couldn't find a stable place of their own.
At some point they had given thought to returning home to Ferrous but they did not know how to. Even if they did, they didn't have the resources to sponsor their journey.
Other than that, they also couldn't forget their mother's letter which had specifically said they should leave Ferrous.
After taking all that into thought, they stayed.
After the incident at the mansion, Diana didn't have any more absurd energy drain occurrences.
In fact after they escaped, the tingle and surge of strength in her body wore out. She also noticed her body strength drop causing her to get weak after doing just menial work.
The incident shook her entire system thoroughly but she stabilized after some time.
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"Go away you filthy children. Hmph!" A grumpy middle aged man said with a scowl on his face.He was the owner of a restaurant that benefited Axel and Diana greatly.
"There are no left overs for you today. Now leave before you chase away all the customers" He
They had volunteered to be the ones Washing his dishes but the customers were complaining of the stink they caused so he fired them.
He was however ready to feed them left overs when they came in the evening but today, he was more than angry.
He must have reached his limit.
They left the little restaurant and walked down the street, heading to the middle of town with hopes of getting some cash.
On their way, they saw a message being displayed on massive screen placed on a high tower.
This tower, called the telecast tower was used to transmit information from the authority to the civilians.
The screen was visible to most part of the district which made information dissemination easy. It was also used by companies to market their products. Of course they had to pay to be telecasted on such a major platform.
Now on the other side of the road adjacent to the position of the telecast tower they saw something odd.
The town which was usually in a bustle had slowed down with a crowd accumulating just below the tower at a range of best sight.
Some cars cars moving in the road had parked to watch the news while others kept moving unconcerned.
A silvery blond haired woman was speaking to the public addressing an upcoming program.
"That looks interesting" Diana pointed her chin at the crowd around the building.
Axel looked up to the screen and frowned "Hmm. It seems a bit too good to be true. Just like the other times they promise a better future for all Citizens but here we are, still wallowing in filth" He sounded even more grumpy than the old man.
" ....citizens of STEM. Yes it's that time of the year again" The woman's powerful but elegant voice that demanded attention echoed.
" Polaris Academy is now accepting new entries.
Polaris Academy, the prestigious institution raising our nation's unique gems into future heroes is once again open for another journey to perfecting their abilities.
If you believe that you or someone you know has what it takes to be the next game changers of the surface exploration and beast annihilation race, then this is your chance to prove it." She smiled as she spoke fluently and confidently.
"...All food, air, water, clothing and shelter requirements of the candidates will be taken care of by the Academy authority. No fees are required for an entry or any point in the study program either. We at Polaris believe abilities are a more valuable currency than Xyrones.
Do note that our services are at its peak so you can be sure that all candidates will be treated right regardless of backgrounds."
That bit of information perked up their interest and they moved towards the crowd subconsciously.
"...Whoever desires to be a candidate of this program should report to any blood scan machine located in the city and have their blood samples tested.
If eligible, the printed blood tests will be your ticket at the teleportation station which will bring you at light speed to the Academy. All transportation bills are also covered by the Academy.
No former participants are allowed. If discovered to be a former participant, you will be banned from all Polaris affiliated organizations " Now among the large crowd that had gathered below the tower, they looked up.
She ended the speech with the national motto "United in Strength" after that, the crowd resounded the motto and the message ended.
After the message ended, the crowd dispersed with a lot of noise from different people, all having smiles on their faces.
"Did you hear that? I've been waiting for this moment for so long. My abilities are now amazing! I'm almost a hundred percent sure I'm eligible.
I fall in the right age range and I've been training" A boy standing beside Axel boasted as he talked to his friend.
"Oh please, even if you were eligible, those students at the Academy would crush your fat face. " His friend who was more fit stated bluntly making the fat boy frown and angry.
" How dare you! After all I've done for you. This is how I get repaid?!"
Their voices faded as Diana focused on her brother's 'brainstorming face'
"Free food, water, and air? Brother this is what we have been praying for" Her eyes which had lost its color looked bright after what seemed like forever.
"It seems a a little too good to be true" He grunted with a frown. Axel stopped trusting the government a long time ago. He was always cursing and insulting their incompetence.
"But everyone knows that false news cannot be displayed on that screen. It's the city's news screen and it looks like that woman up there is a respected figure. This has to be true." His face started loosening up and then he looked back at her.
"Maybe applying won't be a bad idea but they said something about eligibility and blood tissue purity. We both know our blood is anything but pure." She nodded her head but didn't lose hope.
"At least we have to try. How long can we survive out here?" She asked a rhetorical question which earned her his darting gaze.
" In that school we have the opportunity to make a difference in our lives. We could be ....normal." She uttered the last bit of the sentence with raw longiness in her voice.
He listened to her quietly with an aching heart. After a long while of silence between them, he spoke.
"Let's go take that test"
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They were about to submit their blood samples to the blood analyzer.
It was a machine of a vertical rectangular shape. With a height of about 3ft and width of the range of 1foot, it had a transparent glass plate holding difgerent little vessels in which the blood sample was inserted at the top of the machine.
This machine was property of the government placed in different locations of the district to make the process of blood tests easier and more user friendly.
If an individual was sick and wanted to know what was wrong, they could use the blood analyzer for an instant report of their body system.
After inserting their blood in the machine, they selected the test type they would like to carry out.
They had come to know of this machine and how to use it when Diana had fallen sick. They used the machine to check what was wrong with her but found nothing wrong with her.
It was strange but what was stranger, was that she recovered without professional medical help.
After going through a list of different tests, they came across the option: 'blood-tissue purity and ability eligibility'.
After placing in their blood for the test, They waited for less than half an hour patiently while holding hands and staring at the machine run its scan on the blood.
When the scan was over, the results were displayed.
Blood sample-1
Blood tissue purity 67%
Ability host- Eligible
Blood sample -2
Blood tissue purity 67%
Ability host- eligible.
The same values? And they were both eligible?
Anna laughed for the first time after a long time.
"We're eligible!" Can you believe it? The joy washed over them as they both smiled.
After collecting a print out of their test results, they went to the teleportation station located in a different end of the district from where they lived.
They decided to travel as soon as possible.
They didn't take anything with them as the woman from Polaris had specified that.
They had to ask around for directions.
While most people were giving them strange looks for looking for a teleportation station when they obviously didn't look like they could afford to travel by light speed technology, some were nice enough to help.
When they arrived at the station which was a large building of about 9 stories, at the gate of the building, the guards gave them the usual dirty looks they got from people but they didn't mind.
"What are you doing here?"A guard asked as they approached him.
Behind him was a large gate with the words 'Titani Travels'engraved on it. The building it enclosed rose high enough for outsiders to see the portal travel brand written on it too.
"We're here to to travel" Axel answered him as politely as he could.
"Children, are you sure you can afford it?
In there, is the most expensive means of travelling known to mankind." He pointed at the building behind him.
"Oh we won't be paying for it.
We're eligible for Polaris Academy. " Axel waved his slip before the man.
"Show me the proof" He challenged. There was no way these two were eligible.
The blood-tissue purity test analyzed the blood and tissue purity percentage and also it's affinity for impurities and resistance to contamination. The higher the percentage, the higher the ability of that individual.
Those with a low percentage had low grade abilities that required a lot to manual training and into perfection. Those with very little percentage had abilities that were dormant, which means they were nonfunctional.
They looked like that class of people.
They showed him their test slip and the moment he laid eyes on them, his eyes bulged like they were about to pop out of their sockets.
"How... This isn't possible" He muttered as he looked at the results.
He looked up at the children who claimed to own such result and looked back at the results.
Then he looked back at them again.
He kept repeating the process until they interrupted him.
"May we enter now?"They stretched their hands for their test results.
"I can't believe it..." He whispered as he shook his head.