The Hidden World

Yuki quickly left his room and went outside to the lounge dressed in his tracksuit and armed with his weapons. The other first years had began to come out of their rooms at the same time.   

 

“What’s happening?” Aaron asked no one in particular. When he saw Yuki, his eyes widened. "And why do you have a sword?"

 

“An attack. Go to the bottom floor,” Yuki replied curtly as he walked toward the elevator.

 

“What!? An attack?” Tracy exclaimed. She was still dressed in her pajamas, a tiger onesie. “But I thought we were just supposed to be on alert?”

 

“Yes. And now you’re alert of an attack happening right now,” Yuki said. He paused before the elevator doors.

 

“Where’s Nagisa-san?” he asked, turning his head to the three in the room. Leo had also came of his bedroom.

 

“You mean Sayuri?” Leo said with a yawn. “She’s still sleeping. I don’t know how that girl managed to sleep through that explosion.”

 

With a sigh, Yuki quickly walked back to hall and stopped in front of Sayuri’s door. He knocked loudly and called out to her.

 

“Nagisa-san! We need to go right now!” he yelled.

 

“Nuuuuu,” she groaned back. “Let me sleeeep.”

 

“Get up!” he repeated. “We’re under attack.”

 

The door opened slowly and Sayuri poked her head out of the door rubbing her eyes. Yuki saw that she was already wearing her school uniform.

 

“Whaaa?” she asked.

 

Yuki grabbed her arm and dragged her with him as he marched to the elevator. She followed him obediently.

 

“The rest of you, follow me,” Yuki said to the other first years, opening the door.

 

“Where did you get a sword?” Aaron repeated as he hurried over to the elevator.

 

“That’s not important,” Yuki replied as he jammed his finger into the button for the first floor.

 

They went down three levels and the door opened with a ding. Yuki quickly walked out with the others following him closely. He spotted Robert standing in the middle of the hangar who seemed to be giving orders to a group of people clad in armor and armed with swords.

 

Robert noticed Yuki walking toward him and stopped.

 

“It seems like you were right,” Robert sighed. “We are currently trying to figure out the best course of action to deal with this situation.”

 

Robert pointed to the people around him.

 

“These people are our subjugation squad. They will be the ones that will be participating in this fight,” he explained. “Currently, our reinforced doors are holding back the monsters.”

 

He looked at Yuki and his companions with confusion on his face.

 

“Is this all? Where are the other students?” Robert asked. “I sent out a request for everyone to gather here.”

 

“The message said for everyone to just prepare,” Yuki told Robert.

 

“Those fucking Europeans. Goddammit,” Robert grumbled. “I forgot that they used the same systems as we did.”

 

He looked up again. The doors behind him shuddered.

 

“We don’t have much time,” Robert said, rushing his words. “If you wish to join this battle, then I will place you under Moyasu. If not, then you should go back to your rooms and barricade yourself in.”

 

“I will participate,” Yuki said quietly with steady resolve.

 

“Good,” Robert said with a smile. He pointed to a man near the front of the group of fighters. “Go over to Moyasu then. Anyone else?”

 

Of the four other first years, Aaron, Sayuri, and Leo decided to join the fight. Tracy went back to the elevator to return to her room. They went over to Moyasu where Yuki was standing.

 

“Hello,” Moyasu said to them with a tight smile. “Let’s do our best.”

 

Robert began to clap his hands for attention.

 

“Alright soldiers, listen up!” Robert yelled in a baritone. His tone shifted to that of a general leading his troops. “This is the situation currently. We have a group of monsters, numbers ranging from thirty to fifty units, that are attempting to break through and invade us. They are being led by a small command of humans that we suspect are from the a group of elementalist named the Founders.

 

“We have a total of thirty trained elementalists here as well as four trainees. Of these elementalists gathered, there are ten ice, twelve lightning, five naturae, and three fire. If we include me and the trainees that adds two wind users, one water, one fire, and a naturae. The odds are not with us. However, we do have the home terrain and we must use it to our advantage. So here is the plan.”

 

Robert pointed toward a door located at the side of the hangar. Then he pointed toward Moyasu with his other hand.

 

“Captain Moyasu will be taking half of you to flank the enemies. When they break through the door, the ones that remain will be under my command and we will distract the enemies until Moyasu could get into position and begin a surprise attack. Once that happens, the monsters should become disarrayed and we will be able to kill them easily. The most dangerous opponents that we will be facing will be the enemy elementalists. Our policy against them will be the same as when we battle criminals. That is, we will aim to capture, not kill. However, we cannot be certain that they will give us the same courtesy. If that is the case, then you must prioritize personal safety and fight to protect yourself. Even if that means that you must kill.”

 

The elementalists nodded their heads grimly. They understood.

 

“Now, the trainees will be going with Moyasu. This is to protect them. Are there any questions?”

 

There were none.

 

“Then get going!” Robert roared.

 

Moyasu signaled to the group and it split into two. Then he beckoned to the first years to follow him as he walked to a rack of weapons that rested against the wall.

 

“Pick one, hurry,” Moyasu ordered. “Yuki, I don’t know how you already have a weapon but if you want to use those then that is fine.”

 

Yuki nodded and the others grabbed one of the weapons. They had all picked swords as that was the only weapon that they were ever trained in during their time with Kaede.

 

Once they all had a weapon, Moyasu began to walk briskly to the door that Robert had pointed to previously. The other fifteen people that would be joining them had already gathered around it. He opened the door, revealing an exit the went out to the forest. Motioning to them to follow, Moyasu entered the door.

 

When they all had exited, Yuki heard a loud crash of metal and the chilling howls of dozens of monsters as they broke through the doors. And louder than them was the sound of one man.

 

“COME AND GET SOME YOU BASTARDS!” Robert roared back at them.