Krystal Tears

Chapter Three - Gwynn

"And that's all the time we have for today, class. Go ahead and gather your things and I'll see you tomorrow! Prepare yourself for the announcement in a few minutes and make your way to the great hall," Ms. Allai told us, setting her screen-pad down on her desk and shutting down the large screen on the wall. A boy in the back of the class whooped as we gathered our supplies. I grabbed my techbook, my stylus, and my water bottle, before following the crowd out the door as the bell rang with a cheerful and well-loved chime.

I smiled slightly as I made my way down the hall, my messenger bag slung over my shoulder. It was almost the end of the day. All I had to do was get through this "announcement" the headmaster had scheduled for this afternoon.

"Gwynn!" E-lissa ran up to me and grinned. "Finally. You walk too fast!" Her face had a small amount of makeup, but her natural features shone through, together making her face glow. Her blonde and magenta streaked hair fell in a messy braid down her back.

"There you are, E-lissa!" My smile truly was a smile now. "Almost done for the day. So close."

"Yes! I can't wait!" E-lissa giggled. "Do you know what this announcement is about?"

"No, do you?" I looked at her.

"I heard from Mr. Ali that it has something to do with the war," E-lissa's smile dipped into a frown.

"Hmm..." I mirrored her expression. "Let's go. I wanna find out what this is about."

When we got to the grand hall, we took our seats in the bleachers, waiting as the rest of the school filed in. Up on the stage, our headmaster, Galai Finrai, waited as well, more patiently than the rest of us. When everyone had taken their seats, he stepped forward, raising a hand to silence all murmurs and whispers. The crowd quieted and E-lissa and I turned our attention to the stage.

"Good afternoon, students of Prestigious Academy of Knowledge," The headmaster moved his gaze across the audience, greeting us all. "You may have heard by now that our progress in the war is not going well. Our forces are not outnumbered, but are being... brought down by the well trained warrior realm. In order to combat our dwindling numbers, we have decided to send out the young and capable from this school. So gentlemen, please make your way down to the stage and form a single file line. You all will be registered, whether you like it or not. If you live to see victory, we will owe you and thank you for your service."

My gut dropped. Ronny. My sweet and wise younger brother.

"Oh god..." E-Lissa whispered, a hand over her mouth.

He was going to be part of the army. And was going to get completely slaughtered.

I watched with a sinking heart as he and his group of friends started towards the stage. Ronny looked slightly nervous, but a few of his friends looked excited. They lined up in a row, awaiting the headmaster's approval. The headmaster looked at each boy, then handed them a sword. A sword? Seriously? That's so low tech. They're going to get slaughtered!

E-Lissa seemed to think the same, hissing, "How are they going to fight with those when the warriors have guns? They're not even crystal blades! They're just plain old metal!"

"I don't know. Oh, Ronny, he's going to- They're going to-" I stopped my whimpers before they could start, but couldn't hide my dismay entirely.

"I'm sure he'll... He'll be fine." E-Lissa assured, though it seemed stretched on her part.

I shook my head, wildly thinking of some way I could stop this, but by the time my brain started to whur, Ronny was already at the front of the line.

The hadmaster handed him a sword.