How far would you go to NEVER fail again?
This question will push Noche L. Grim to the test as she attempts to join the Cross Military. With their resources she intends to find DeathTech and recover her memories.
However, when she lives on a conti...
Noche was surrounded by trees. She walked around aimlessly, unsure of how she got here. Approaching the closet tree, she noticed a carving in it. What she did not see was the tar creeping towards her from the shadows.
"It killed me."
These words were carved into the tree.
Noche took a step back, her foot landed in the tar. Like a living goo, it latched onto Noche's leg. She tried to pull it out, but the tar held tight. Soon the entire ground became pitch-black... Then she began to sink.
"You need to join Cross." Voices echoed.
Slowly, the tar pit dragged her down, as a shadowy figure appeared in the distance. Noche couldn't make out the finer details, but this figure looked similar to her. Except for the massive, tar soaked, albatross like wings. Then the tar caved in her eyes, penetrating the thin layer of skull behind them.
"If you don't pass the Cross entrance exam... That desert will catch you."
Noche woke up, drenched in sweat. Light flooded in from the window above her bed; it led to the mini patio north of the library. Looking around, her mind slowly cleared up as she recognized her familiar room. It was a very nautical themed room.
A life preserver hung under the window, an anchor leaned in the corner of the room closest to the door, some oars in an X pattern rested above the mantle of her bed, a diving helmet was on top of her clothing dresser, and various lighthouse statues were on a nearby bookshelf; with only a few books about nautical subjects and Cross text books.
Other miscellaneous things were lying about the room such as a glass orb tied to a rope, some buoys, fishing rods, a boat wheel, brass spy glass, sextant, and small boat figurines. She had a red and white stripped carpet, a sturdy looking ceiling fan, and dark lapis colored walls.
"Just... Just a nightmare..." Noche whispered to herself, "They'll stop once I join Cross... Once I escape that desert... Just gotta graduate... Just got to pass the Cross entrance exam..."
Noche sat up, wiping the crumbs out of her wet eyes. She did not notice the tiny black smudge of tar mixed in. She then stood up and undressed. Walking into the bathroom, she looked down at herself. Even though she's done so much physical therapy, her body was still quite anorexic.
Passing the mirror, she paused for a moment. She could have sworn she saw scars reflected that weren't there. Specifically on both her biceps and two dots on her shoulders. However, checking the mirror more carefully, it was just her imagination. After a quick hot shower, she put on her only pair of clothes; which she noted she really needed to wash.
Getting dressed, she noticed something was wrong. Her choker was missing; it wasn't on the bed-stand. A small part of Noche began to panic as she checked all around. She checked under the bed, behind the bed-stand, and even under the rug. After thirteen minutes of tearing her room apart, she finally found it sitting on the windowsill; oddly enough.
Choker back on, hiding her horrendous scar, Noche went to the fridge. Bread, peanut-butter, and near empty jar of jelly. Dregs voice rang in her head.
"A person with atrophy shouldn't skip their meals." It echoed.
Noche repeated the words out loud with a mocking tone. She grabbed the supplies and made some breakfast. Which she ate on the bed. She could have created a table and chair THAT was simple enough, but she liked the space she had in her small room.
Ready to begin the day, Noche entered the hall. Normally, these corridors had a warm peach color, but due to the approaching morning storm, it was a shadow of dark blue; making the day seem somber.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
From these windows one had a nice view of the Cross military below.
"Guess that's why HQ is up on this mountain. Its got a good view of all their corps and crap." Noche thought, "Three days... The exam starts in three days... Am I really ready?"
Then Noche saw the distant entrance. Those same gates where she encountered the guard yesterday. The one who asked her who she was.
