The next morning in the rehabilitation center’s briefing room, Clyde and Casca sat inside. This time, they sat toward the front because the room was nearly deserted, out of yesterday’s twenty attendees, only seven were present today, including the two of them. In addition, Mary sat right beside them to keep them company.
"Once this session ends, we’ll head straight to the guild. Julia already registered you both, so you can pick up your cards and dog tags at the front reception desk," Mary said.
"Got it. Understood," Clyde replied.
"Same here... To be honest, I’m pretty curious about the magic and everything," Casca added.
"Great. For now, just follow along with the presentation. Today we’re covering ORB processors, the organ called a mana sack, and weaponry," Mary replied.
Clyde and Casca nodded in response to Mary’s words. Shortly after, a heavily built man and two soldiers walked inside, followed by Daniel and Irena behind them, who took seats in the front row of the audience section. The heavily built man appeared to be in his late thirties, with close-cropped brown hair, white sideburns, and a thin mustache and beard. He stood before the microphone.
The moment Clyde saw the man, his face turned deathly pale. He slumped low into his seat and ducked his head. The man on the podium narrowed his eyes, looking toward Clyde, who seemed to be hiding, and Casca beside him, who was staring at Clyde in confusion. The man then turned to Daniel, who offered a nod, signaling "you may begin."
"All right. Good morning, everyone. My name is Ryker, rank Lieutenant Commander, and today I will be presenting the material on mana sacks, ORB processors, and our everyday weaponry," Ryker said.
All the participants wished Ryker a good morning, including Casca, but not Clyde, who kept his head down and tried his hardest not to look at Ryker, even as Ryker kept his eyes fixed on him. Then Ryker pressed a button on a remote and the room dimmed; the projector beamed a diagram of human DNA onto the screen, along with a full human body highlight focusing on an organ in the lower abdomen that looked like a diamond symbol. Ryker switched on his pointer.
"This organ is called a Mana Sack. It is the very organ that enables humans to wield magic, as it stores the mana originating from Gaia, which was explained yesterday. Because of this, humans born after the Transition Era possess a genetic mutation from birth that allows their bodies to harbor magic."
The explanation then continued into the functions of the mana sack and its integration with the human body. After that, the lesson shifted to the ORB, a processor implanted in the human brain, used when an individual cannot control their magic charge or bodily transformations. The ORB serves to regulate mana flow, generate abilities or magical skills corresponding to the user’s elemental type, and act as an inductor should the mana load within the body suddenly overload out of control.
Hearing this explanation, Clyde whistled in his mind to open his status screen. He looked at his bodily breakdown, which noted that an ORB processor was present within his system. He tightened his jaw and closed the screen with another mental whistle. Next, Ryker explained the application of magic in daily life and combat. His two subordinates demonstrated by generating electricity, fire, water, and even wind from their hands before hurling them at targets, leaving the participants, including Clyde and Casca, who had never seen such things while inside the simulation, watching in utter awe.
Once finished, the presentation moved on to weapons. Ryker pressed his remote, displaying the blueprint of a hollow, clear bullet, as well as a triggerless rifle that utilized magic circles and magic processors capable of driving GEMA units, tanks, vehicles, and the like. When discussing the ammunition, Ryker produced an actual bullet and placed it on the table. He rested his palm over the upright bullet, and a flame magic circle flared out, charging the round with fire magic. He then loaded it into a rifle and handed the carbine-style weapon to his subordinate.
The subordinate turned toward the target ahead, dropped to one knee, and took a shooting stance. After a count of three,
"Blam!"
A white magic circle flared in front of the muzzle as the bullet fired, striking the target and triggering a small explosion that sent flames licking across the target’s frame. Clyde and Casca watched in sheer amazement, having truly never witnessed anything like it before, to the point that Clyde forgot he was being watched by Ryker. Suddenly,
"You... the young black-haired man," Ryker called out.
Thump!
Clyde instantly froze. Out of everyone in the room, the only ones with black hair were himself, Casca, and Mary and among the young men, he was the sole black-haired individual. Clyde turned slowly to look at Ryker standing up front, who was staring directly at him.
"Um... me, sir?" Clyde asked.
"Yes... you... Hmm... I can’t quite place where, but I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before," Ryker replied, scrutinizing Clyde.
Thump-thump!
Clyde felt as though his heart were about to leap out of his chest upon hearing the words of Ryker, who was still examining him. Even Daniel and Irena, sitting further ahead, turned to look at him. Driven by curiosity, Mary asked,
"Do you know Commander Ryker, Clyde?" Mary whispered.
"Um... no... not at all. Not even in the simulation," Clyde answered.
"Couldn’t be in the simulation," Mary replied. She then turned to look at Ryker. "You might have the wrong person, sir. Clyde just woke up and arrived within the past week," Mary said, raising her hand.
Ryker went silent for a moment, keeping his eyes on Clyde before looking at Mary, who seemed certain.
"All right, I understand. Now that the material has been covered, are there any questions?" Ryker asked.
No one answered at all. Ryker then went on to explain the exoskeleton suit known as GEMA and the giant robot called GEAR, along with their operational methods and the influence of magic on both war machines. Clyde didn’t process a single word; he constantly turned away whenever Ryker glanced in his direction to avoid making eye contact with him. Irena was seen whispering to Daniel, who responded with brief nods, the two were clearly discussing Clyde and Casca as their eyes kept shifting back toward Clyde and Casca, while also discussing Ryker’s behavior of constantly keeping his eyes on Clyde.
Afterward, Ryker also explained the impact of magic on daily life, such as charging batteries, generating electrical currents used by the entire underground city, and everyday necessities like farming, livestock raising, cooking, or simply drawing water from a well. Clyde remained completely motionless, while Casca held his hand beside him to keep him calm. Once the second day of education concluded, the participants, still struggling to digest what had just been presented, were dismissed. They filed out of the room with expressions far more bewildered than when they had first entered.
Naturally, Clyde intended to leave as quickly as possible. He pulled Casca’s hand and stood up, but Mary suddenly stopped him from stepping out of the row of seats, standing up to block the aisle.
"Hey... don’t go home just yet. Let’s talk to Commander Ryker first. He’s the vice head of the guild from the military side, and as it happens, I’ve just joined his unit, which means you two are now registered in the same unit as me, under Commander Ryker’s command," Mary said.
Clang! Clyde felt as though lightning had struck his mind. He turned slowly to look at Ryker, who was standing tall and respectful while talking to Daniel and Irena. Mary walked out from the row of seats and stepped forward to approach Ryker, offering a salute to Daniel and Irena, who returned it. She then turned back and called out to Clyde and Casca, who were standing a short distance away. Seeing Clyde hesitate, and having noticed his strange behavior since the start of the session, a curious Casca finally asked,
"What’s wrong, Big Brother?" she asked.
Clyde pulled Casca back, turning away from Mary alongside her. He brought his mouth close to Casca’s ear,
"When I woke up from the pod, I was ambushed by this city’s military... and their commander was that Ryker guy," Clyde whispered in a voice meant for Casca’s ears alone.
Casca turned abruptly to look at Clyde, her face instantly washing over with the exact same mix of worry, anxiety, and fear that gripped him.