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Chapter 83 - Nico & Olympus
🕑 Added 2024-11-11 00:15:57 +0000 UTC- Oliver -
Isabela used the teleport to return to Area 55. While Katherine headed home, for Oliver, the journey would be different. There was only one person outside the Academy whom he knew and whose whereabouts he was sure of. The boy sighed deeply, feeling the anticipation and long journey awaiting him.
‘I'm going to have to take the ship again,’ he thought, remembering how tiring the trip to Luna was. "Another eight hours of travel to get there."
There was no spaceport in Rome, but he could use teleportation to get to the nearest one. Oliver found himself there for the third time, yet he was still impressed by the colossal structure that rose before him. The space terminal resembled a maritime platform but on titanic proportions, allowing various ships to land and depart within minutes.
Slender towers—some gilded by the setting sun, others reflecting the soft light of the clouds—rose around an immense central dome. These towers helped dock ships and board passengers while the dome housed those waiting for upcoming trips. The constant flow of people and vessels created a technological ballet that fascinated Oliver whenever he witnessed it.
The deep blue sky was a good omen, indicating his journey would be smooth. Fortunately, he didn't need to buy a ticket; he just had to present his status as an Academy student. Oliver finally remembered to turn on his gauntlet, realizing he would need it to secure his entry.
| Finally! — A familiar voice sounded in his mind.
‘What?’ he thought, startled to see the notification from Athena, the 'artificial intelligence' of his gauntlet.
| You turned on the gauntlet; I was missing being connected to the Z Crystal - said Athena, in a tone that seemed slightly happy.
‘But you said you didn't need the energy?’ Oliver questioned mentally.
| Not needing it doesn't mean I don't like it - she replied.
‘You should have told me; I could have turned it on earlier,’ he made a final comment before looking at the attendant before him.
"Hello! Where would you like to travel?" asked the attendant with a professional smile.
"Luna, Selene. Please," Oliver replied.
"Certainly. We have one leaving shortly, in twenty minutes," the attendant explained, consulting his hologram.
"That's great," the boy responded.
"Place your gauntlet here," the attendant instructed.
Oliver extended his hand over the hologram, waiting. His gauntlet emitted a beep, and a notification appeared.
| 100 Credits debited.
"100 Credits?!" He was startled upon seeing the notification.
"Excuse me, but credits were debited. I'm from the Academy; shouldn't it be free?" Oliver questioned, frowning.
"Hmm. One moment." The attendant checked his hologram before replying. "It appears your enrollment is paused; in the meantime, paying to use our facilities is necessary."
Oliver hung his head upon discovering this, but luckily, he received a good amount of credits by advancing in the Trial Tower. With a resigned sigh, he thanked the attendant and headed to the waiting area, watching other ships depart while he awaited his turn.
"Flight to Luna, Selene, will depart in 10 minutes. Prepare for boarding," announced a female voice over the loudspeakers.
As soon as the announcement was made, a few dozen people lined up at the three designated entrances for the ship. The environment was a mixture of voices, machine sounds, and the distant hum of the ships' engines.
Without much delay, the ship departed for its eight-hour flight.
After long hours of travel, Oliver finally found himself back in Selene. The neon lights of the lunar city flickered under the transparent dome that protected the metropolis from the elements of space. Fortunately, he could easily contact Nico through one app he installed on his gauntlet. They agreed to meet at the old bar hidden in the lower areas of the city, a discreet and familiar place.
Upon entering the establishment, he was enveloped by the cozy atmosphere, illuminated by soft lights. Nico was already waiting for him at the bar with his drink prepared.
"How are you? Are you still in one piece?" Nico asked Oliver, pretending to check if the boy was missing parts.
"I'm fine. A bit roughed up, but fine," Oliver replied, showing a tired smile.
"I knew you'd come back in one piece," Nico commented, though he couldn't hide the relief in seeing his pupil before him. "Still, six months—that's rough. How was it over there?"
Oliver sighed, feeling the weight of recent memories. "You can imagine what Orks usually do with their captives."
Nico frowned.
"Actually, no. In my experience, you wouldn't have come out of that alive," Nico admitted with a slightly somber tone.
"I wish I could say it was easy or surprising, but to tell the truth, it was frightening," Oliver confessed. "For the first time, I faced a Red Ork."
Nico's eyes widened. "They didn't mention that in the news."
"It didn't even come close to what you had described. We didn't stand a chance; even four of us against one didn't make him break a sweat," the boy spoke wearily, recalling the failure.
"Don't worry; you're evolving quickly. With yesterday's announcement, soon you'll have the chance to become a Ranger. That will greatly reduce the gap between you and a Red Ork," Nico tried to encourage him.
Oliver gave a slight smile. "Right, but will that reduce the gap between me and a Titan?" he asked, almost jokingly.
Nico choked on his drink.
"Ti-Ti-Titan? Where did you encounter a Titan?" Nico stammered.
"It was one of the traps in the prison," Oliver explained, trying to sound casual.
"Then how are you here? Even an entire squadron of Rangers wouldn't be able to handle it," Nico said, incredulous.
"We had one of the Heirs with us," Oliver replied.
"Hmm," Nico nodded, understanding. He knew that some Heirs possessed extraordinary powers. "Which House?"
"York," Oliver explained.
"Gold. Makes sense," Nico responded thoughtfully.
"Exactly. By the way, what's up with that? Weren't there only five colors?" Oliver asked.
"It's more complicated than that. When you enter Ranger training, they'll explain. But even a Z Crystal has different quality levels. Different personalities."
"Right, but why are there the five main ones and these different ones?" Oliver asked.
"Sometimes, rarely, we find Z Crystals that are unique. They have a different signature from the others. The most common are the five basic colors, but occasionally we find ones like Green, White, Gold, and several others," Nico explained.
Oliver nodded, understanding a bit more of what he was explaining.
"By 'personality,' do you mean like Athena?" Oliver commented.
"Athena?" Nico asked.
"Yes, the AI that resides in the Crystal," Oliver explained.
| He's going to freak out - Athena commented.
"AI? In the Crystal? Are you talking about the Voice of the Crystal?" Nico asked.
"I think so?" Oliver responded.
"You hear the Voice of the Crystal?!" Nico exclaimed.
"If you're talking about the woman talking to me inside the system, yes," Oliver explained.
"Kid, you're something else. The Voice of the Crystal is a rare phenomenon. It indicates you're well attuned with the Z Crystal," Nico explained. "Each person connected at this level with the Crystal had some unique effect on the system. What's yours?" he asked curiously.
Oliver coughed, slightly embarrassed to reveal his secret.
"I'm not entirely sure what others can't do. But from what I've heard, my difference is that I can tell when I'm close to evolving, choose when I want to evolve, or wait and not evolve," the boy explained.
"AWESOME. Can you only know your status or others' as well?" Nico said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Just mine," he explained.
"A pity," Nico commented, smiling. "When's the next time you're going to evolve?"
Oliver consulted his gauntlet, where an interface displayed his data:
Status Page
User: Oliver [Nameless]
Level: 3 [Pawn]
Experience: [430/300] [Click to Evolve]
Credits: 7,100
"I could evolve now," Oliver explained.
Nico looked at him expectantly, seeming to assess every part of his body for any changes.
Noticing the Ranger's anticipation, Oliver took a deep breath. He had already decided to evolve while still in prison, but he had never done it with so many people nearby.
‘Let's do this. It doesn't hurt to test,’ Oliver thought before clicking the [Click to Evolve] button. ‘Next time, I’ll evolve my boons.’
Immediately, he felt his entire body burn. A sharp pain radiated from his right eye while his bones seemed to break and rebuild repeatedly. The world around him blurred.
"Wow, your evolution is horrendous," Nico commented, watching the boy writhe beneath the bar stool.
Oliver clenched his teeth, trying not to make sounds of pain. After a few minutes, the sensation began to subside, and he managed to breathe again.
"Anything different?" Oliver asked, getting up from the chair.
"Yes, you seem a bit taller again. But once more, your eye changed. The right one now has a yellow glow," Nico observed.
"Basically, that's what I can do," Oliver explained, still calming down.
"Fascinating. I'd heard of something like this. However, it's quite different from the average person. Of course, the evolution process is similar. But we don't know when we're close or far from evolving; it just happens at any moment," Nico explained.
Oliver sat back down, relieved to have completed the process.
"I don't need to tell you how important it is to keep this a secret. It's a good advantage over many others; some might get jealous because of it," Nico advised.
"I understand," Oliver agreed. He was already used to keeping secrets.
"But enough about me; how are you?" Oliver asked.
Nico smiled.
"I'm good. You got lucky; this is my last week in Selene. Any longer, and you wouldn't have found me here," Nico mentioned.
"What do you mean? Are they finally kicking you out?" Oliver joked, but with a hint of concern.
"No. The war has gotten so tough that even I've been recruited by a Great House," Nico explained, slightly pleased.
"Really? Which one?" Oliver asked.
"Dardanus. They're one of the weaker houses among the Great Houses, which made the negotiation easier, especially since their territory, Ganymede, is quite far from New Earth and suffered with the onset of the Wave," Nico explained.
Oliver had no idea which Great House that was.
"So you're moving to Ganymede?" the boy inquired.
"Unfortunately, no. I'm heading to the front lines. They're sending me to Olympus. Each House needs to contribute armies to contain the advance on front-line planets," Nico explained.
The boy nodded, slightly worried about his mentor.
"But don't worry. There's no way they'll kill me," Nico smiled confidently.
Perhaps a few days ago, Oliver would have agreed, but with the virus they had used on Alan, he was fearful for the Ranger.
"Oh! Do you know how Caine is? I had no information about him after the attack," Oliver asked, remembering the instructor.
"He was lucky. Seems he wasn't seriously injured; he's already returned to the Academy and continues teaching. Especially now that several of the trainers were injured or, worse, killed," Nico explained.
The two continued chatting for a few more hours about different subjects, trying to keep to lighter topics before it was time to say their goodbyes. Oliver would return to New Earth and use teleportation to Mars.
"It's time to get back to training."
