The next morning at nine o’ clock, there was a knock at Fionn’s door

  “What’s his name again? Fee-on? Fiion? Fyun? Finn? Is it Finn?” Shakti’s voice was carried through the door, laced with confusion of his name

  “Apparently, it’s something Irish,” Julius said with a shrug

  Fionn opened the door, dressed in his new attire: a sleek, white trench coat with “DC.V.3” written in bold white letters outlined in black across the back, black pants, and white boots with flat soles

  “Finn is fine,”

  Shakti gave a surprised look at his new appearance. He looks really good in the new fit. She took the initiative to tease him immediately after the surprise wore off

  “Seems like your uniform arrived earlier than expected,” Shakti said, the obvious tease in her voice. “My… you actually look better in that outfit than your old one. You looked like a homeless guy.”

  Julius sighed, shaking his head. “You never miss the opportunity to tease someone, do you, Shakti? Irresistible?”

  “Why shouldn’t I?” she smirked. “Besides, you can’t even see him Juli.”

  “I don’t need to,” he said with a grin forming on his face

  With just the small interaction alone, Fionn could tell they were close as friends. It was nice to see even high ranking soldiers can find joy with one another. He observed their playful banter, going back and forth between each other like siblings. As they were instructed, they began walking around the facility, showing him what this place has to offer

  “We do have some time to kill before we’re set-off for our Trial,” Julius said. “With that being said, we might as well show you around.”

  “I already know my way around,” Fionn answered

  Both Julius and Shakti stopped in their tracks, looking back at him with equal confusion

  Shakti spoke first, her tone a mix of confusion and skepticism. “You already explored this place?”

  “Yeah,” he said with a shrug, sliding his hands into the pockets of his coat

  Julius, even without eyes, made a confused face with his eyebrows. “Ah… so you’re eager to show off in a Trial, aren’t you?” His teasing tone was very much similar to Shakti’s, though with more depth

  “They’re pretty fun to me,” he said simply. “Especially with strong Anomalies.”

  As they resumed walking, Shakti and Julius shared the same thought about him: “He’s crazy.”

  Their silent agreement was short lived as they instead went to the gear room. The room bustled with activity from all over. Sparks flew everywhere from the blacksmiths forging new armor and weapons, engineers tuning and fixing mechanisms and gadgets, and designers sketching concepts, clothes, and bags. Even construction workers were in here as well, fixing tables and adding more space. Among the workers, Fionn noticed there were some inhuman people also there that were treated normally

  A blue-skinned alien woman with black, human-like hair tied into a beautiful and neat ponytail stood at a table, adjusting her pair of glasses and ordering some people around. She was wearing a white lab coat, marking her as a scientist. Nearby, a bald male alien was busy welding materials. He had smooth, snow-white skin and featureless black eyes. Even with that, he looked incredibly focused and dedicated to his work

  Shakti noticed Fionn’s amazement, grinning slightly. Her voice was much softer than earlier. “They’re humans just like us in their own right,” she said. “Funnily enough, they spoke English naturally because of their technology.” Her and Julius guide him down the stairs

  “Humans aren’t the only beings within this facility. We even have other species in our Divisions. Our work is on an interdimensional scale, newbie,”

  Despite the unnecessary word, Fionn nods silently. It made sense to him. There were bound to be more than just humans with a facility this big. It would’ve been a let down if there wasn’t. As they continued through the workshop, he observed more of the other workers. He saw other species interact freely and without anyone mocking nor questioning them. No discrimination, no hatred… just a peaceful community. Despite the sheer size of C.R.P., it was clear each person–or being–played a huge role in a large puzzle

  “First, we need to get you some gear. Can’t go having the recruit out there bareboned.” Julius suggested. They walked up to the receptionist–a male cyclops with shaggy brown hair, light violet skin, one large orange eye, and a pair of sharp fangs peeking from his mouth

  “Is there something you need?” the boy asked, locking onto Fionn. “A new face..?”

  Shakti stepped forward. “Are there any tailors available? We’ve got a new recruit,” she said

  The receptionist immediately started checking through the records of who checked in, sorting it into categories and availability. It looked like his fingers were barely touching the keyboard “Ah, we have Yui available,” he answered

  Julius’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh, perfect! Yui’s always quick with her work. Just don’t move.”

  Fionn looked lost, blinking in confusion. “...Yui?” he thought. “Who the hell is that?”

  Before he could even get another thought through, a blur of motion was coming towards him. A girl with ram horns on her head came sprinting through before ramming straight into Fionn’s stomach. He grunted from the impact, bracing and stopping himself from falling to stay standing. It hurt more than he’d like to admit

  “Woah! Sorry about that! Got called in and ran over! Hahahahaha!” the ram-horned girl laughed. Fionn immediately thought she was crazy

  “Still as energetic as ever Yui, hahahaha!” Julius laughed

  “And a pain in the ass.” Shakti said with a grunt

  “But you have no ass, Shakti.” Yui teased. That made Shakti tense, much to Yui’s amusement

  “Who’s the new face?” Yui asked, coming way too close to him. She looked him up and down. “He’s really cute.”

  Fionn squinted his eyes in confusion, getting the vibe she’s too straightforward… then again, he’d be a hypocrite if he said she’s weird. “...Ugh,” he muttered

  “He’s the new recruit, Finn. He’s Aisling’s baby brother.” Julius answered

  That made her pause momentarily. Her laugh abruptly stopped. “That woman has a brother!?”

  “Surprising, isn’t it? Someone like Aisling actually has a family. Honestly, I thought she was just there.” Shakti said, shrugging with a slight smile

  Fionn titled his said side-to-side a bit. “Well… she’s not exactly wrong,” he thought

  Yui immediately checked out Fionn’s physical stature again. “So, pretty boy, what can you do?”

  “Create,” he shot without thinking

  There was an awkward pause, long enough that it started to make Fionn feel uncomfortable. It was as vague as they thought. Shakti looked at Fionn like he was stupid, though she wouldn’t be wrong, and Julius, even blind, looked at Fionn like he was hiding something. Even Yui was leaning more into Fionn, hoping he was leading onto something. After what seemed like four minutes, Julius cleared his throat to break the silence.

  “Uh… Finn… could you, like, be more specific?” Julius asked

  “It’s as vague as you think,” Fionn stated. “Anything – from simple fiction to godlike things.”

  That didn’t make the silence any better. Shakti, unsurprisingly, punched Fionn in the arm. “At least give an example. This is just awkward.”

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Fionn nods, casually spawning in a delicious floating piece of a vanilla-strawberry cake in the air. He points at it, then splits it into four slices, as if the cake was cutting itself. He shifted the cake pieces into slender javelins made up of rose petals that forged together to create a vivid blob of thick red paint. It looked as if Fionn was performing magic. He barely reacted to what he was doing. Yui, on the other hand, was visibly amazed

  “Woah!” Yui squealed, clapping her hands

  Shakti tries to sound unimpressed, though the tone in her voice lacks any real bite. “Yeah, yeah, magic or whatever,” Shakti said. Despite her words, a smirk forced its way to her lips

  To finish the act, Fionn dispersed the blob into thin air

  “Aww, that’s all?” Yui whined, giving a small pout

  “We have a Trial coming up, don’t we? I don’t want to waste any time.” Fionn reminded them

  “Oh! Right. Do you have any gear for us? Maybe trainee armor Finn could wear?” Julius asked

  “Not that I need it.” Fionn corrected

  “Don’t get cocky, newbie.” Shakti said

  Fionn just shrugs

  Yui thinks for a bit before responding. “I could maybe look through my storage. I don’t know if I’ll find anything for someone with this cool ability though.” she said, giving a salute. She grabbed Fionn’s sleeve and raced down the workshop. Only when they were halfway down the hall did Fionn notice the rocket boots Yui were wearing–real ones. In her personal workshop, Yui immediately rummaged through a metal box full of parts

  “So, how do you like Julius and Shakti so far? They’re, like, the only captains that actively visit me.” Yui said, trying to strike a conversation

  “Really? What about Division 1, 4, and so on?” Fionn said, slightly confused

  “Well… Elias isn’t really the talkative type, unless you’re in a panic. He’s a great comforter… and Logan is just annoying. That stupid captain always flexes his status as if it means anything. Even Julius gets annoyed at it, and he’s blind.” Yui complained

  “Oh… what about the past Division 3 Captain?” Fionn asked

  Yui visibly froze, snapping her head to look at him. “He… he was really creepy and rude,”

  “Hm?”

  “He would make these perverted comments about my horns, saying ‘Those look like handlebars. You should come by sometime, hottie,’ …It was just weird to me.”

  Fionn’s eyes visibly widened. “Oh… sorry, Yui.” he said softly

  She beamed at him with a bright smile. “Don’t worry. I heard you wanted to be Division 3’s new captain. That sounds rough,”

  “Doesn’t seem that bad honestly,” he shrugs, cracking his neck. “I just want to fight Anomalies.”

  That made Yui laugh slightly. “Really? You sound like a younger version of Aisling, hahaha,” she teased, gasping abruptly as if she realized something. “Oh! It runs in the family!”

  Fionn looked at her with a flat expression. “If only she knew…,” he thought to himself

  After rummaging through old stuff, Yui didn’t find anything that she could use on Fionn

  “Sorry I turned out empty-handed. I really don’t think even our current tech would help in any way,” she said, putting away the gadgets she taken out to look further in

  Fionn thinks for a second, looking at her boots. “Actually… I’m curious about something,”

  Yui snaps her head back at him again. “Hm?”

  Fionn points to her boots. “Did you make those yourself?” he asked curiously with a hint of fascination

  Yui’s eyes widened a bit when she saw where he was pointing. “Oh! Yeah… it took a lot of attempts, but I eventually made my own rocket boots…,” she said, sounding almost proud of herself. “No one else really noticed and just thought it was me being weird again.”

  Fionn crouched down, focusing his eyes on the design and detail put into it. Even the tiniest bit of details surprised him. “How long did it take?”

  “A couple years. I think… Was it seven? Nine? Something around a decade,”

  “They’re cool,” he said, looking up at her, smiling with actual amazement, not forced or even faking it

  Yui’s heart skips a beat, momentarily stunned before nervously laughing it off. The tone of his voice gave her comfort. “T-thanks… I shouldn’t keep you waiting. Just tell Julius and Shakti I couldn’t find anything,”

  “Actually… you gave me an idea,”

  She blinked. Then blinked again, surprised by his sincerity. “Wait, really?”

  He smiles at her, holding his index finger up. A fireball started forming at his fingertip. “Fire feet,”

  She pauses again. What did he mean by that? “Fire feet?” she muttered under her breath in confusion

  “I’ll show it in the Trial. Later, Yui!” he said, already running out of the workshop

  Meanwhile in Division 5, Shakti was getting finished with strapping her gear on, thinking about how to provide cover for Julius. Her equipment was precise and mobile: a white steel breastplate, shoulder guards, matching gauntlets, knee guards, leg guards, steel-toe boots, and a black gas mask. Her cybernetic sword was stationed at her hip, strapped around it by a worn leather belt. Over her armor, she wore her C.R.P. uniform. In Division 2, Julius was adjusting his armor, getting ready as well. He wore an identical piece, except the only difference was he had a black cloth blindfold over his already blind eyes Julius walked out of his changing room, immediately sensing Shakti’s presence behind him

  “Why do you still wear that thing?” she asked, raising a brow

  “You would wear one too if you could look as cool as me,” he teased

  Shakti grins at him. “Aww, did that girl from the Space Trial mean that much to you?” she mockingly said

  “Didn’t she throw you into a building out of spite?” he shot back

  Silence. Shakti scowled at him, folding her arms. “Jerk,” she muttered

  Fionn was sitting outside the workshop quietly. He spawned a crisp red apple, biting into it immediately. When Shakti and Julius finally showed up, he casually waved towards them

  “Yo,”

  Shakti squints her eyes, seeing no protection on him. “Where’s your gear? There’s no way Yui left you nude,”

  “Didn’t need it,” Fionn said, shrugging. “She didn’t find anything anyways.”

  “Ugh… no time. If you get killed, that’s on you,” Shakti scoffed

  “The irony in that sentence is astonishing…,” Julius teased. “You almost got your own Division killed four times out of ten.”

  “Shut up!”

  Shakti glanced at Fionn. “Follow us. We’re going to the Departure Room,”

  “If Trials spawn randomly, then how-!” he stopped, interrupted by Shakti

  “Wait until we get there before you start saying something stupid!”

  “Jeez… bossy.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” Julius smiled

  He pressed against the earpiece in his right ear with a finger. “Report to the Departure Room. I repeat, report to the Departure Room. That’s an order,” he demanded, his voice was much more serious than moments ago

  Shakti follows suit, clearing her voice before pressing hers. “Get your ass to the Departure Room! Now!” she screamed

  Fionn expected as much from someone like her. Shakti and Julius both laugh it off, even making fun of the other. Fionn starts to think again about how close they were as friends

  The trio stopped at a set of double silver doors with white handles

  “I wonder what class this'll be,” Fionn thought

  Upon opening the doors, Fionn could see this place was much more science-like than he originally thought. A huge teleporter sat in the center of the room. Scientists, engineers, technicians, and welders were all stationed around, engaged in casual chatter and laughs. The floor was a nice polished andesite, the walls fortified and reinforced with a thick amount of steel, and a glass control room high up in the middle of the left wall, looking down at everyone

  Shakti was the first to speak up. “Shakti Varma. Division 5,” she said, her tone was serious again

  “Julius Lee. Division 2,” he said, his tone sharpening too

  Fionn paused momentarily. His brain quickly shaped into being someone mature, taking a professional tone. “Fionn O’Dana. Future Division 3 Captain,”

  A technician came up to them. He was a young looking boy, seeming as if he was in his early twenties. “Ah… a new face in this hellhole. Anyways, welcome to Chrona Riftworks Protocol’s Departure Room,” he said with a sarcastic tone–definitely in his twenties “Just follow Captain Julius and Captain Shakti and you should be fine… emphasis on “should.” A smirk started to form on his lips

  Fionn didn’t question it, just nodding along

  One of the engineers turned on the teleporter. Surprisingly, it was quieter than it looked, only making a slight vibrating sound. A mix of blue-violet energy started to fill all around the machine’s conduit, before letting out a loud beep, signaling it was done powering. Another engineer checked around the sides, looking at each pipe and wire to make sure they were in place. After proper confirmation, the head engineer and head scientist gave a thumbs up to the control room

  An intercom turned on from the control room, crackling before a man cleared his voice to speak. “Trial Deployment in bound. Please keep your distance. I repeat–Trial Deployment in bound. Please keep your distance,” the man announced, hanging up right after. Fionn really takes in the atmosphere, thinking about how much work was put into this teleporter alone. His thoughts were interrupted when Shakti talks to him

  “This teleporter was worked on constantly for twenty years straight just to get it right. Thankfully, it teleports us into the magnitude of each Rift and into the Trial itself,” she said softly. She looks over her shoulder at him with a slight smile. “Better get used to the feeling if you’re going to be leading on your own.”

  Fionn nods–she’s right after all. This facility was made to protect and care for people all around the world. No matter what the Rift held, Chrona Riftworks Protocol was going to keep it from hurting innocent people within them

  Members of Division 2 and Division 5 marched in, walking in unison

  “Division 2 is ready, sir!”

  “Division 5 is ready, miss!”

  Julius looked directly at his squad. “I would like to introduce you all to the upcoming captain, Finn O’Dana. I will not tolerate any disrespect for him, am I clear?” Julius commanded

  Division 2 nods without hesitation

  Shakti lets out a low grunt, crossing her arms. “Hmph… fine. That goes for you as well,” Shakti reluctantly said

  Division 5 nods as well

  “Division 2 and 5 are ready for deployment!” Julius and Shakti said in unison

  As they all aboard the teleporter, the intercom turns on again

  “You’ll be deployed to a Gold-tier Anomaly Trial. If you have an important excuse, sickness note, or any other valid reason to not be sent on the Rift, please present it now,”

  No one moved

  “Understood. Deployment in five… four… three…,”

  Fionn sees the readiness in their faces. These are hardened soldiers, not just plain rookies like the tryouts. He couldn’t imagine what kind of horrors they saw or been through to get this far, but knowing they would willingly put their life on the line to save others is a happy thought to him

  As the intercom counted down to initiation, the teleporter beamed a bright white glow, surrounding itself in a purple electrical aura. As quickly as it happened, everyone standing on the teleporter was sent away in a bright flash

  Why… Why us?