Zteel

Nyota sat at the center of one of the sparring stages in a kneeling position, his eyes closed.

Sage and Kilo lounged on the side of the court, Sage reading a book while Kilo scrolled through his phone.

It had been the next morning since Nyota had experienced MO abilities. Jora had taken their squadron to the courts once again for them to refine their skills and abilities as they saw fit.

The entire evening before, the three couldn't help but stay up and discuss Nyota's progression.

They figured it was best for him to meditate to hone his MO maturation and summoning, so they planned for him to spend his time for the next few days meditating for hours at a time.

They were so elated, in fact, they couldn't help but to get to the campus early and let Jora in on the exciting news that morning.

"Yo… Nyota," Kilo called without looking up. "It's been a minute, anything come up?"

"Not yet," Nyota responded. "It's a little bit hard to focus right now, not going to lie."

Sage sighed, closed his book and stepped onto the court. "Trust me, I get it. I wouldn't be able to focus in this environment either."

He looked around the outdoor area and noticed the volume, other cadets from their squadron and a few from others occupied the other outdoor sparring stages of the campus's outdoor court.

Nyota opened his eyes, stood up and exhaled sharply. "Guess I'll try later."

"I'm sure the meditation's helping, whether you can tell or not." Sage grabbed his baggage.

"It helps with familiarizing your mind with the static surges you were feeling yesterday. That way, honing your MO will become much more efficient."

"Yeah," Nyota responded as he grabbed his belongings as well. "I'm sure you're right."

Kilo jumped in, "Another thing I'd consider building is stamina. We can't have you fainting on us again like you did yesterday, had me beyond scared."

Nyota chuckled and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Alright," Sage clapped his hands. "Let's go check in with Jora and head inside."

The three walked over to him as he was observing a small group of cadets sparring at another stage across the outdoor court.

"Jora!" Kilo called. "We're heading back inside."

He turned around. "Already? We're supposed to be out here for about half an hour longer."

"Yeah," Nyota responded. "It's a little hard for me to focus, everybody's doing their thing and the commotion's disturbing."

"That's fine, just make sure that you're in homeroom before we get back. I've taken note of your diligence and hard work, keep it up."

"Got it!" The three nodded and responded as they headed back inside for the rest of the day.

The next day was Saturday, marking the end of the week for instruction and the start of the weekend. Nyota, Sage and Kilo intended to stay in their dorm for the next couple of days.

Kilo was lazily napping on the couch in the living room with the television on, his feet propped up on one of its arms. Sage was cooking a meal in the kitchen.

Nyota meditated in his neatly arranged room, sitting on a rug on the ground with his legs crossed.

With his eyes closed, he focused on familiarizing his mind with the tingling sensation he felt when his MO activated while sparring with the brothers.

He blocked out hindrances, the smell of the food, the distant sound of the television in the background. He began to focus on his breathing, its sound, weight and patterns.

He imagined a double door in the darkness, one that could only be opened by a single key.

Behind the door, he imagined a flow of cerulean electric energy that, once the door opened, would connect to his consciousness.

Once connected, he would be able to summon his MO at will.

The key was his breathing, which he could manipulate the shape of so long as it was consistently maintained for an elongated amount of time.

The longer he focused, the more he could feel the door prying open, jammed but progressing.

The closer it was to opening, the more intensely Nyota's focus had grown until eventually, the door shut and it and the key were swallowed by the darkness, prompting him to give in and open his eyes.

"Soon," he thought to himself, not too long before Kilo knocked on and opened his door.

"Sage told me to get you, food's done."

After eating with the brothers, Nyota rushed back to his room without saying a word.

The brothers looked at him, then each other as he stood from the dining table and hurried back to meditate again.

"Hey, Nyota," Before he reached his room door, Sage called. He paused and looked back at him and Kilo. "Remember to take it easy." Sage nodded as Kilo continued to eat.

Nyota gestured back. "I will, thanks. Maybe energy is all I need."

The next and last day of the weekend, he was still heavy at work.

Sage and Kilo had been out for a couple hours, so Nyota relocated his meditation to the living room area, once again imagining the door, practicing his breathing to form the right key to open it.

The key took many shapes. With each one, he manipulated his breathing into various patterns, testing to see if each one could fit in the doors' lock, let alone open them.

After an hour or so of consistent meditation, Nyota was able to find the right key, one that could fit within the aperture. However, his focus was beginning to run dry, so he proceeded with urgency.

Using his breathing, the key entered into the door and turned, prompting it to open. Through the crevice of the double door, a bright aura began to permeate and flow out, eventually filling his entire head space.

A light feeling overcame Nyota's chest, then dispersed through his arms, bringing about a tingling sensation which filled the nerves within his hands.

He then opened his eyes, but he could still feel the tingling, he could feel a feeling of adrenaline rush over him. He lifted his hands and small flickers of electricity blue in color jumped and flashed between his hands.

He had successfully willed his MO once again.

"Cool," he thought to himself, a rather anticlimactic response caused by the lack of energy that had remained within him, as mustering his MO had once again drained him of his vigor.

As he adored the miniature flashes of light that jumped between his fingertips, Sage and Kilo opened the dorm door and walked in.

"Nyota, we're back!" Sage's voice trailed off as he and Kilo's eyes were met with an activated yet exhausted Nyota seated in the center of the living space.

"Oh, my gods," Kilo laughed surprisingly. "You did it!"

Nyota looked up from his hands at the brothers and chuckled briefly, a fatigued expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" Sage noticed something was wrong. He dropped his baggage and hurried to him. "Kilo," he commanded. "Get him some water."

"On it!" Kilo hurried to the kitchen.

"Are you good?" He asked.

Nyota's gaze remained on his hands, "Yeah, I'm fine…" he spoke in short breaths as his voice trailed.

"Try to concentrate, hone your MO for as long as you can. Familiarize yourself with it."

"Trying," Nyota bared his teeth at the discomfort he was feeling, until soon after, his powers wore off and he passed out.

Kilo came back with the water. "Here," he handed it to Sage.

"Took you long enough." Sage grabbed the water. Before giving it to Nyota to drink, he and Kilo lifted him up and sat him on the living room couch. Eventually, he came back to consciousness.

Nyota grabbed the water from Sage. "Were you like this when you first learned how to use your MO?"

"I mean, I experienced fatigue early on sometimes, sure." Sage scratched his head. "But I never fainted or anything."

Kilo added, "Your MO's unusually intense, especially for how immature it is. Like, I really don't think this is normal at all."

"Maybe you're right. Although it could be because my MO matured later."

Sage shook his head. "Can't be. When you really think about it, your maturation isn't late at all.

I'm hardly older than you and when I first experienced my MO, I was your age. Kilo is a year younger than you and hasn't experienced anything.

The timing isn't unusual in the slightest; it's typical."

Kilo crossed his arms and sighed. "Well, I don't have to tell you two what we're doing first thing tomorrow morning, right?"

Nyota looked up at him and nodded. "We're going straight to Jora."

Eager, he and the brothers met with Jora first thing the following morning of instruction to inform him of Nyota's progress.

They reached their homeroom, where they knew he would be at.

They swung the door open. "Jora!"

He was sitting at his desk, reading through papers as usual. He removed his glasses and looked up at them, holding them in hand.

"First of all, morning to you, too. Secondly, respect the door."

Nyota, Sage and Kilo stopped in their tracks to gather themselves. "Sorry."

Jora continued, "What's up?"

The brothers pointed at Nyota, who was standing between them with his hands up as though he was presenting himself.

Jora rested his glasses on his desk and smirked.

"Well, sit down and tell me all about it."

The three grabbed chairs and brought them closer to Jora's desk. It would be quite some time before the period of instruction started, so they used the time to update him.

They explained to him how they collectively decided to have Nyota develop his MO through meditation.

Nyota explained how the process went, the door, key and whatever else he had thought of.

He described the manipulation and control of his breathing, and that being the key to connect his inner MO with his mind.

He finished by talking about his powers.

"Once I manage to control my breathing, my fingers generate electricity and it's always blue in color."

Jora laughed. "So that's your MO, huh? Electricity."

Nyota nodded. "I guess so."

"It's a cool one to have, also pretty practical in combat. As I've said before, I've taken note of your diligence, and the world couldn't have asked for better prodigies.

Jora paused and stood up, as did Nyota and the brothers.

"Alright then, this is good, just in time for your internship. You haven't forgotten, right?"

The three shook their heads. "No sir, of course not!"

"Continue on, tomorrow is Tuesday, but it isn't an attendance day because of the holidays. You all should pack and be prepared to leave tomorrow.

Meet me here at 12 p.m., sharp. Don't be late. You'll meet your colleagues here and we'll do a little bit of housekeeping before your departure."

"How will we get there?" Kilo asked.

"You'll catch a bullet train that runs throughout the District, from here to the southwest region of Lunanova."

"Sounds fun."

"It can be, any other questions?"

"No sir!"

"Alright then, looking forward to it, and I hope you are too."

Nyota, Sage and Kilo acknowledged his words and returned the seats to their desks.

--

"I can't wait!" Kilo rejoiced. "We might actually get to fight crime and combat real criminals! Real delinquents!"

"I don't know if I can handle another delinquent," Sage teased. "I already have to deal with you on a daily basis."

When Nyota and the brothers returned to their dorm later the following evening, none of them could sleep.

Late into the night, Nyota and Sage packed their bags attentively in the living room.

Kilo, who had already hastily packed his, remained restless, finding random things to do, from push-ups to jumping jacks.

Nyota chuckled to himself, continuing to pack his luggage.

Provoked, Kilo quickly turned to him. "Nyota, you see this? You see how mean he's being, right? Go on, tell him to stop."

Nyota threw his hands in the air. "I'm just trying to pack my clothes," he said.

"Whatever you two have got going on is between you, it's got nothing to do with me. But I'm not going to lie, you kind of walked into that one."

Kilo responded. "Whatever." He started shadowboxing, which disrupted and disturbed Sage.

"Kilo, quit it, it's getting late. If you're gonna cause a raucous, then go to your room and sleep. We need all the energy we can manage for tomorrow."

Kilo groaned and hopped onto the couch. Laying down, he stared intently at the ceiling. After a short while, he spoke again. "Hey, Nyota,"

"Yeah?" He was still packing his belongings.

"What was it truly like to get to experience your MO?"

Nyota paused to answer his question. Kneeling, Sage continued to pack, only moving his gaze to Kilo through the side of his eyes.

"Well, it certainly was something," Nyota chuckled. "I had to work to mature it, it didn't just come.

If I'm being honest, the entire process was mostly exhausting. It made me fatigued and was tiring. At times, even excruciating.

But you know, it was all worth it. When you want something and you dedicate your time and mind to it, even if not attained, the end result's got to be positive, right?"

Sage paused and chuckled.

Kilo fixed his gaze from the ceiling to Nyota. "Right."

Sage spoke. "If you're concerned about your MO, you should consider a few things. You're still pretty young.

If you experienced your MO now, you'd be an anomaly. But also know that you'll have one for sure, likely the same as mine."

"I know, I know," he returned his gaze to the ceiling. "I just can't wait. You two have yours, I just need mine and we can complete the trio, you know?"

"I get it, and I'm awaiting the day you do."

Shortly after, Kilo dozed off and fell asleep. Nyota and Sage were wrapping up their packing as they looked at each other and laughed.

"I know I can be hard on him, but he's family. We share the same blood."

"I understand. I mean, I wouldn't know anything about the family part, but I get it. If I'm him, I'm just glad I can say I have an older brother who's really cool, smart and talented."

Sage chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, well you know, blood isn't the only determinant of family. You heard what he said, he wants to complete the 'trio.' It's not just him and me anymore."

Sage looked at Kilo and continued. "You're a great guy, Nyota. And I think I can speak for the both of us when I say we're glad that you're with us. Let's hope this friendship lasts a while."

Sage stood up and put his hand on Nyota's shoulder. "You're family now."

Involuntarily, Nyota's eyes began to water, but he held back any tears he had to shed. "Likewise," he murmured.

Sage yawned as he stretched and walked to his room. "Now, I've gotta get some shut eye. You should too. Tomorrow marks the real start of our adventure together. Good night, brother."

Nyota nodded his head. "Night."

The next morning, Nyota, Sage and Kilo did exactly what Jora had instructed, packing their belongings and meeting with him back at the main campus building.

When they left their dorm and reached the building, Jora awaited them alone at the front foyer.

"Well, well, you're early, though I can't say I expected anything less." Jora clapped and held his hands together. "Your colleagues should be arriving any minute now. Are you ready?"

The three nodded their heads. "Yessir!"

"Great," Jora rubbed his hands together. "I just wanted to let you guys know before you leave that I really don't think I could've asked for better mentees."

"So you've said," Nyota laughed.

"Aww," Kilo teased. "You're not gonna cry because we're leaving, are you?" He laughed.

"Of course not, I'm a grown ass man!" Jora retorted.

"You're not much older than Sage, though," Nyota mentioned.

"What," Sage turned to Nyota. "Are you calling me old, now?" They all laughed together.

Jora continued. "Yeah, but still. You've been working hard, day in and day out, hours I'm not even on the campus premises, and I stay after late almost every day.

It's been fun watching you grow. There's no reason for me to think you won't, but make sure you come back in one piece, or I won't have anyone to torment anymore."

"You got it," Sage assured. "And when we come back, we'll all be better than we were before. That is the whole purpose of it, after all."

The four of them stood waiting and talking. After only a few minutes, three cadets approached them from down the hallway.

As they grew closer, Nyota and the brothers immediately recognized them.

"Ah, yes! Here they are, about time." Jora clapped his hands together and held them up.

"Nyota, Sage, Kilo, I'd like you to meet your colleagues and fellow cadets for this internship: Idalia, Tatius and Enki."

Tatius looked drowsy, he yawned and waved as they reached Jora, Nyota and the brothers.

Enki scowled, his eyes glued to Nyota, who was looking back at him without saying a word. Taking note of his disdain for him, Enki jammed his hands into his pockets, looked to the side and began to laugh.

Idalia chuckled, her staff hanging on her back from its cross-chest strap. "Oh wow, what a pleasant surprise."

"Likewise," Sage greeted. "Looking forward to working with you for the next week or so." He shook hands with her.

"Well, isn't that something?" Kilo began to laugh uncontrollably.

Jora read the room. "I take it you all have met each other before?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Nyota's eyes remained affixed on Enki until his gaze turned to Jora.

Jora noticed the intensity between them, prompting him to take his glasses off and pinch the inner corners of his eyes. He exhaled and let out a suppressed laugh.

"Well, follow me. We're going to head to a classroom to run over things. Then you can depart from here."

The six cadets followed Jora to the same room that he spent most of his time in in the building, Nyota, Sage and Kilo's homeroom.

Once they reached there, Jora had a checklist of belongings the six had to ensure they would bring. He gave them the rundown of what they were to expect.

"Alright, listen up!" He called as the cadets were checking over their belongings. "Once again now that you're all packed, from here, you are to board one of Lunanova's long-distance bullet trains for the southwestern region.

It's scheduled to leave in a few hours at 5 p.m. Two taxicabs await you outside that will take you to the station.

When you get off, you are to go to the central southwestern Lunanova District police precinct, where Jora will be located. You're expected to get there very early in the morning, so don't be surprised by the timing.

From there, Lieutenant Doran Bakar will assume leadership over you and will help you get situated, he's a good friend of mine.

I'll be expecting occasional updates from you on your work and progress. Any questions?"

"No, sir!" The six shouted in unison.

Jora smiled. "Great, and remember to have fun, within reason. Keep in mind there's a reason this special opportunity's been granted to you six alone, let alone this early in the year. Don't take it for granted."

They all nodded as a sign of their acknowledgement and departed the building for their taxis. Jora trailed behind as he prepared the campus building for closure for the day.

Driving away, Nyota, Sage and Kilo looked out the windows of their cab to wave Jora goodbye as he returned the gesture.

Once they reached the train station, they got out of the cabs and rolled into it with their luggages.

The station was rather expansive in size and seemed like it stretched for miles, much like an airport. It was bustling with countless other people and families traveling to and fro.

After grabbing tickets, the six lounged around the refreshment sector of the station with many restaurants and restrooms.

Eventually, their scheduled train prepared to depart from the station for southwestern Lunanova and they boarded and took their seats.

Despite the hustle and bustle of the station, the train carts remained relatively clean, and the carts weren't too crowded as a result of their innumerable amount.

After many long hours, Nyota and the others had reached their destination. They exited the train and departed from the station, Enki trailed behind a bit.

As they reached outside, the night sky was riddled with bright stars. Their eyes were met with countless glowing skyscrapers in the distance that lined it, beyond a river with many bridges that connected their side of land with the other.

"So, this is southwestern Lunanova, huh?" Idalia spoke.

Sage nodded. "It's quite the scenery, isn't it?"

Kilo added. "And I thought where we were from was amazing. This, for sure, takes the cake."

Nyota was in awe, too. The view was rather breathtaking, but they hadn't traveled as far as they did for nothing. They were on a mission.

"Come on, Jora said there should be two cabs nearby that are waiting for us." He continued to walk ahead, down the concrete steps of the entrance of the many stations they had exited from, to the lengthy sidewalk that lined the road.

"This kid's about his business," Tatius joked. "He's just like me, for real." Tatius followed after him, prompting the others to follow as well.

Once they reached the sidewalk, Enki remained at the top of the steps, an irritated expression on his face.

Idalia looked back. "Enki, are you okay?" She called. "Come on! We've got to go!"

He scowled. "I'm coming, don't rush me."

"This kid's got some nerve, taking over my team." He thought to himself. "Who does he think he is?"

Once they found the cabs, the six hopped into them before taking them to the central police precinct of the region.

Once reached, they got out as a man approached them.

The precinct was large, a large building with a glass dome atop. Although late into the night, lights could be seen from within it.

"You all must be Jora's kids." The man called as they grabbed their luggages, a toothpick in mouth.

Sage answered. "Yes sir, we are."

He reached and stood in front of them, a single hand rested in one of his pockets.

"Doran Bakar's the name, pleased to meet you all. Follow me, let's get you all rested and comfortable. I'll explain what we'll be doing in the morning."

He turned around and walked up the small set of concrete steps, returning inside the precinct.

Nyota and the others looked at one another. Before stepping in, he turned back, and they were still standing in place with their luggages.

"I wasn't asking, by the way. I'm trying to be nice, that was an order."

"R-Right!" They hustled behind him.

"He's clearly not to be toyed with," Kilo whispered drowsily. "I'll try to stay on his good side."

"You should do that regardless," Sage yawned.

"Aw man," Kilo whined. "C'mon, it's too late for this. Can't the ridicule wait till morning?"

As the six entered the precinct, it was relatively quiet, most of the EPSA and RSAA officers who would have been working during the day had long departed home for the night.

"Rest up here," Doran directed Nyota and the others to a lounging space. "Come sunrise, we'll get you some actual rooms to stay in. But if I were you, I wouldn't expect to be there so often."

They placed their baggage down and rested. "Thank you," Sage, Idalia, Nyota and Tatius replied.

"Thank you," Kilo echoed, his voice trailing off as he put his feet up and fell asleep.

Enki hadn't responded, he sat in a chair and attempted to sleep.

"I'll still be here to wake you up. Be prepared to wake up come morning. I'll be just around the corner doing some more work if you need anything. Just call my name." Doran left the room.

Idalia and Tatius prepared to go to sleep as well, only Nyota and Sage remained awake.

Sage removed his glasses and placed them on a nearby table. "Aren't you tired Nyota?"

He shook his head. "Not much. I slept a bit on the train ride and in the taxi. Perhaps it's the adrenaline."

"Well, try to get some shut eye, anyway. It seems like we're most definitely going to need it."

Nyota nodded. "Sure, I'll try."

"Night, man." Sage dozed off. Nyota stayed awake a short while after until he, too, grew tired again.

He was ready to work, but he knew he had to rest up for it first.