The Martial Unity

Runark pulled Ria as the two of them entered the school with curious and excited expressions. They were surrounded by a sea of other students who also made their way into the large campus. Never before had either Ria or Runark been surrounded by so many of their peers, with so many potential friends in the waiting.

Teachers quickly began sifting and guiding students to different classrooms based on the ID cards hanging around their necks. “Ah, both of you are in Class 1D.” One teacher knelt before them with a smile. “It’s right there around the corner. Why don’t you go in and take a seat among others?”

Runark and Ria nodded before entering the designated classroom with several other kids who loitered around the class despite the teacher’s instructions.

Ria immediately stepped forward with a smile, greeting them enthusiastically.

“My name is Ria. Will you be my friend?”

Naturally, most of them acquiesced, much to her delight. As promised by her father, she would be able to make many new friends when she got to school. By the time she took her seat, she was surrounded by many of them who buzzed about her with curiosity and intrigue.

“How old are you?”

“Five.”

“What is your favorite food?”

“Bread and stew.”

“What is your favorite game?”

“Whoosh,” Ria replied in a tone of certainty, as if everybody else would understand what she was referring to. Of course, not everybody had a father who could teleport to any location in the world in the blink of an eye upon the command ‘whoosh.’

“Alright, everybody,” the teacher smiled at all of them. “Settle down, and we can get started with a lot of fun!”

It took some convincing, but they soon took their seats and class officially began, even if the first day was merely to familiarize them with school and to have them introduce themselves to everybody.

“My name is Runark Dullahan!” he declared with a bold tone. “I am six years old. My favorite thing in the world is…”

He turned towards Ria, pointing at her.

“Ria! And one day, I’m going to grow up to become a Martial Artist so I can protect her!”

“Oh my, how sweet!” the teacher cooed with an expression of adoration while the others clapped.

Ria smiled at him warmly as he grinned at her, taking his seat. “And now, why don’t you introduce yourself?” The teacher turned towards Ria. “Tell us your name and something about yourself.”

Ria stood up, remembering what papa had told her about what her name was supposed to be.. “My name is Ria and my favorite thing in the world is…”

Her smile lit up with delight. “Papa!”

She went on to ramble about why she loved her papa so much, about why he was so special and strange, and why she enjoyed spending time with him so much.

“…and that is why I love my papa so much. And also, my papa is…” she braced herself for the word. “…tr-translucent!”

“Alright, alright,” the teacher furrowed her eyebrows about the translucent part. It was surprising that a five-year-old knew about that world, but she could only assume that the little girl didn’t know what it meant. “Now let’s get started with class, alright? Today, we’ll do something very basic and simple for this class. Now bring out your notebooks and let us start practicing the alphabet.”

Classes passed quickly as teachers gently eased their young students into what it meant to go to school. Ria found herself bored and restless. The things that the teachers taught her about different subjects were easy to learn, leaving her wishing she could play with Runark and her other new friends.

By the time the end of the day came, she was very eager to go home.

“Ah, we have one last class, all of you,” the teacher smiled. “A class that all of you must take. It’s a class to test whether you have the talent to be Martial Artists or not.”

“Martial Artist?” Ria muttered. She had heard the phrase, even if she didn’t know what it meant. She was aware that her parents were Martial Artists. However, her mother didn’t really seem all that different from anybody else.

Her papa was translucent, though. Maybe that had something to do with it?

The teachers guided them to a special facility in the school, one with the logo of the Martial Union engraved above the doors.

CLACK

The moment they entered, they entered a new world. Their eyes lit up as they found themselves in front of a vast training and sparring facility occupied with students older than them. They trained and sparred diligently and intensely.

All with the hope of becoming Martial Artists.

Even if the centrality of Martial Art in human civilization had diminished over the past six years in the Age of Prosperity pioneered by the Dawnbringer, Martial Art was still an enviable path to pursue, especially since the threshold of difficulty had been lowered considerably. New technologies and methodologies relied on information technology and a scientific approach to getting people to identify and resonate with their innate individuality, while making sure they made use of their nominal potential for combat more easily.

Now, the field of combat science had bloomed in its full potential under the direction of the Emperor, creating numerous combat scientists who constantly improved training and sparring technology.

“This way, children.”

The children were guided to a distinct section of the facility that was visibly more child-friendly. Machines were padded with foam while edges were blunted.

Even the floor had a soft layer to it to ensure that nobody got hurt if they fell.

“Now then,” the teacher smiled at them. “Let us get started with testing your Martial aptitude.”

None of the children knew what that meant, entirely. But they got the gist of what she was trying to say.

“Teacher, are you saying I can become a Martial Artist if I do well here?” Runark raised his hand, asking with a determined tone.