by G L Rathweg
“A lot has transpired, and I don’t have the time to relate everything to you as we are in the middle of training. Robyn can you take over?” Anna asked.
“Who’s Robyn?” Lord Rhys asked.
“That would be me lady and gentlemen. I am Robyn the Affinity Intelligence extraordinaire.” The AI said, pride in his tone.
“You all have an Affinity Intelligence? When did you get it? What else is going on? Where are we exactly?” Ms. Smith asked, shooting out question after question in rapid fire.
“Actually, if you three will give me access to your AR-2 units I will fill you all in on what is going on. Anna continue your training it is time for Task 3, I will handle this. The task has just been sent to your AR-2s.” Robyn said.
Anna nodded to the air and then turned from the teachers and motioned for all of us to follow her. I accessed the message on my AR-2 as I followed along.
TASK NUMBER 3 – ALL STUDENTS ARE TO USE INTERNAL TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION TO REPLAY THE DAYS EVENTS AND BECOME ONE WITH YOUR INNER POWER. USE THE MEDITATION TO REFILL YOUR EMPTY AFFINITY POWER AND RECHARGE YOUR EXHAUSTION.
GOODLUCK,
ROBYN
The teachers headed to a new building that hadn’t been here when we left on Task 2, but I guess they needed somewhere to stay as well. It was located in between the two barracks. All of us went to the training circle and Anna ordered us to sit down in lotus position in a large circle. We all complied and when everyone was seated, we looked around at each other but that was it, everyone was still super exhausted and didn’t have the energy to do more.
“Access your AR-2s and begin when you are ready.” Anna commanded, then closed her eyes and set her palms on her knees in the Ohm symbol.
I looked at Bron then Ari and shrugged, following her lead I mimicked her position and closed my eyes and accessed my AR-2.
TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION – HOST USES MEDITATION TO CONNECT WITH THE WORLD AROUND THEM. WHEN SUCCESSFULLY PART OF THE OVER ARCHING CONSCIOUSNESS, OR ZEITGEIST, THE HOST MAY TAP INTO THE NATURAL FLOW OF AFFINITY MAGIC IN THEIR AREA AND USE IT TO RECHARGE THEIR AFFINTIY POWER AND INTERNAL ENERGIES. THE MORE ONE USES TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION THEIR SKILL LEVEL WILL INCREASE AND THE BENEFITS AS WELL. MASTERS OF TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION ARE SAID TO BE ABLE TO FULLY RECOVER THEIR AFFINITY POWER AND ENERGY AT WILL. THEY ARE SO SKILLED THEY NEVER RUN OUT OF AFFINITY MAGIC OR ENERGY.
After closing the window, I focused on the task. It was hard, really freaking hard. It seems silly after having run and swim dozens of miles and fighting hordes of MOBs that this meditation would be so hard, but it was. Trying to get my over exhausted mind to begin to meditate and not fall asleep was almost impossible. Every ten or twenty seconds someone would shout out in pain.
Apparently, if you fell asleep a powerful electric shock would be applied to your bottom and would wake you up. Judging by the yelps of the others who had fallen asleep it wasn’t a light shock either. A particularly loud yell from Bron helped me refocus and I finally got into the meditative trancelike state.
The world disappeared around me, not just my vision but everything, sounds, feeling, awareness of others, all of it was gone and replaced with nothing. My consciousness was inside a vast black space. It was like I was naked and floating in a never-ending sea of nothingness. I could still sense my friends and the world around me, but it was an afterthought, almost a memory of a memory. On an intellectual level I knew that I was still sitting next to my friends in the circle on Death Island, but it didn’t matter.
All that was important to me was the darkness, the nothingness. I hit a point where I thought no thoughts, I was just there. Then, as if I hit some sort of epiphany and reached a new plateau my mind began to move again, and I went through the events of the day in vivid detail. It was like I was reliving the memories again they were so perfect. Not only that, but I could fast forward, rewind, pause, change the viewing angles, and zoom in and out wherever I wanted.
I lost track of time as I played with the controls and studied every single aspect of every encounter since we arrived on the island. Starting with our arrival on the ships I burned the topography of the island in my mind and then began with our first step into the forest. Our encounter with the brownies came first and I watched my battle then every other students and made mental notes of the different strategies used. I also saw where attacks faltered, and defenses were broken. Then I tried to think of the right strategy that should have been used instead of the ones that were and which ones would be most effective and efficient in the future.
By the time I finished going through all the day’s events I realized only an hour had gone by, but it seemed like forever. After the memories, I changed focus to my body itself. I used my mind and thought myself as tiny as I could possibly be down to a molecular level. When my mind was small enough, I entered my body and started poring over every atom of it starting at the bottom of my feet and going to the top of my head. I went through all my bodies systems.
I started with my nervous system and rode the electrical currents around my body seeing how they controlled messages between the different parts of my anatomy. Each charge a separate and complete set of instructions that told a limb or organ what job to accomplish. This was the modus operandi for the rest of the body’s systems. The cardiovascular then the digestive, which was pretty cool watching food get processed and energy divvied out, followed by the endocrine, immune, and then the coup de grace the excretory system.
Now, I know that poop jokes are considered the lowest form of humor, but my Master and Sensei loved them, and you are a product of your environment they say. I was no different. My entire spirit rocked with mirth and I had an extremely difficult time even focusing I was laughing so hard. All I could think of was poop this, fart that, and so on. Finally, I got ahold of myself and was able to look at the excretory system as a whole and it was fascinating. It was part of all the other systems and without it none of them would be able to function.
The final system I studied was the Affinity Power system. This weaved around the body like the excretory but instead of carrying and eliminating waste it kept Affinity Magic balanced and infused into each and every cell in the body. It was crazy, I hadn’t realized that Affinity Magic infused our entire being though it made sense since we were able to use our Affinity Powers and skills in so many different and unusual ways.
I shook my head in wonder at the integration of it all and how every single part of each system was just as important as the others. It was like a metaphor for Affinity Ball, everyone’s position was just as important as the next. No one was better or more integral than anyone else. I finished my study of the body and was back in the blackness but this time I sensed my friends more intensely.
Slowly, the blackness started to fade and in its place light appeared. In moments, it was so bright that my mind’s eye blinked shut and then it faded, and I was sitting back in the clearing in lotus position, my friends around me again. The world was different though, the colors were more vibrant, and energy permeated the air around me. It was all very familiar and I recognized it immediately, I was in the Affinity Realm, all of us were.
Then I saw something else and smiled, all our AR-Sprites were here with us, hovering just in front of each of our positions. I studied Tuki for a moment, he was floating in the air a foot in front of my face surrounded in a cocoon of Affinity Magic. It was very similar to the one he was covered in when I first found him. A quick glance around showed the other sprites were in the exact same position covered in the same way. Tuki looked peaceful, his eyes were closed, and his expression was one of calm.
“Hey buddy, how’s it going?” I asked him.
At the sound of my voice his eyes snapped open and his expression changed to one of consternation. We locked eyes and I could sense the turmoil within him. The Affinity Magic cocoon pulsed a few times then dissipated.
“Hiro, we’ve found the Headmasters and other teachers, but we got to go now!” He said, urgen
cy filling his voice.
I could hear the other sprites saying the same to their partners and I refocused on my best friend.
“Tell me what we need to do.” I said.
EPILOGUE TRACK – THANK YOU! – HOME MADE KAZOKU
“How did you manage to find them?” I asked, Tuki.
We were flying through the Affinity Realm, all of us and our AR-Sprites. I looked to my left and smiled at Maggie, who was deep in conversation with her sprite, Marcel. She winked and smiled at me and then turned back to her sprite. I glanced to my other side and my two closest friends, not including Tuki, and they grinned back.
Everyone was covered in their Affinity Powered auras and moving at full speed towards where Tuki had said their Headmasters and teachers were being held. Our formation was spread out in a flying V and I was pulling up the center left, Anna was in the middle flanked by the other Sophomores. All us Freshman were on the sides, Justin and his group with the SNES students on the left and me, my friends, and the RKP on the right.
We had some time before we reached our destination, even flying at full speed through the Affinity Realm, at least a few hours. We’d have to stop and rest a few times before we made it. That wasn’t a big deal though because after the days training all of us had increased our Affinity Power by a factor of one and our ability to regenerate our AP and stamina had skyrocketed. Now, by just meditating for a few minutes we could fully recharge our batteries so to speak. This only worked in the Affinity Realm and not the real one yet, we still had more training to do before we were that good.
I was surprised when we found out that we could. I mean, we’d been on the cusp of exhaustion the entire day before we came to the Affinity Realm. I honestly thought some of us were going to die, well at the least pass out. Then Robyn had explained the results of our training and after Transcendental Mediation we had understood as well. It was freaking amazing. Just a few minutes of concentration and back to full power. I grinned thinking about how it would help us fight back against the NRE. Robyn had said by the end of our time on Death Island we’d all be at least Master level in power if not skill.
“Breaktime boss.” Tuki said, jogging me from my thoughts.
I nodded and looked up in time to see Anna making gestures to an open clearing down on the ground. I nodded in response and the group angled downward and to the open space. Hadji and Tiffany went ahead of the main group and scouted the area before we landed. After a thumbs up from them we joined them in the clearing. It was about fifty feet in diameter surrounded by forest on all sides and had a small stream running through it.
“OMG! That water looks amazing!” Sarah called, the moment we touched down and powered off our Affinity Powered skills.
“Last one there is a rotten egg!” Cayden called, then took off towards the glowing rainbow-colored water.
I smiled at my friends and at the cheek kiss Maggie gave me as she and almost everyone else joined them in the stream. In just a moment, everyone was in the water drinking, washing off, and playing around. I was just about to join them, Tuki was already halfway there when one of the strongest killing intents I had ever felt accosted the clearing. In seconds all the kids and Sprites in the water went silent and everyone dropped into defensive stances, looking around with wide eyes and not a little trepidation.
“What the hell?” I whispered, as Tuki reappeared on my shoulder.
“I don’t know boss but it’s dangerous. We are only a fourth of the way to the Dark Affinity Realm, everything we encounter on the way will be extremely dangerous.” He said solemnly, his head on swivel. Then roars sounded out from dozens of positions around us, so loud they deafened me for a moment.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
“We got company! Everyone, breakout offense! Blitzkrieg Zone 2, go!” Anna called, flaring her skill all the way to level three followed by the others.
I was no exception and brought Fire and Ice up to level three with a quickness, just as the MOBs appeared in the tree line. We were surrounded and not by weak little monsters, but something straight out of a nightmare.
“Oh no, Doppelgangers!” Blake yelled, as the MOB closest to him morphed into an exact replica of the Belmont boy.
I flicked my attention back to the MOBs closest to me and shook my head. Four heads just like my own shook their heads back and then smiled widely, showing sharp pointed teeth, like a wolf. This was going to suck. FML…
CREDITS TRACK – IT’S GONNA RAIN – BONNIE PINK
END EPISODE 5
WARRIOR ACADEMY
FRESHMAN YEAR
HIRO’S FALL
WARRIOR ACADEMY
Glossary of Terms:
Affinity – The connection between humanity and the global zeitgeist resulting in the development of the elemental schools of magic
Affinity Ball – The legendary craftsmen Cecil Smith created the sport after creating the ball itself. The ball is formed from A-Stones and A- Sand which is then encased in leather and metal then infused with each Affinity. Next the ball is spelled with Affinity Drain as its main ability. Affinity Ball is meant to be played in two variations.
9 versus 9 – League Standard
3 versus 3 – Amateur Standard
Affinity Drain – Ability that drains AP from target
Affinity Drone – Jack-of-all-trades workers made from pure AM.
Affinity Exhaustion – The weakness of body that results from using too much AP
Affinity Forge – A traditional blacksmith’s forge, the latest technology available, Affinities, and music combined to create a new machine that is able to make weapons and armor the likes of which the world has never seen
Affinity Intelligence – A sentient being created from Affinities to work with current human technology
Affinity Magic – The name given for the new abilities to control the elements that came after The Change
Affinity Memory Cube – These small cubes use Affinity Magic to store one memory up to a length of thirty minutes. The AMC will hold that memory until a new one is introduced. To access the memory the user will need to supply the right type of AM. It is recommended to use the AMC in a private place as the user will be incapacitated for duration of memory
Affinity Power – AP – The amount of magical power that resides in a host
Affinity Realm – Known as the Spirit Realm for eons, a place where all monsters and sprites come from. Adjacent to our own reality
Affinity Sand – Crushed and ground Affinity Stones infused with power used for testing Affinity abilities and training
Affinity Stone – Special rocks infused with different elements during The Change used to test AP
Affinity Tram – Public transportation that uses Affinities for power and movement
Affinity War 1 – AWI – First battle of Clans which almost destroyed the world a second time. Most Clans were killed off.
Affinity Warrior – A user of Affinities that powers their weapons and armor with their Affinity abilities and uses them in battle
Augmented Reality Reticule – AR2 – This unit is the size of a contact lens and was created by using Affinity Magic and current technological practices as a training and development tool for students at WA and other institutions
Augmented Reality Sprite – AR-Sprite – Hosts avatar; also known as the physical manifestation of one’s connection to the Affinities and the mass global consciousness or zeitgeist
Bia – A derogatory term the refers to a female dog
Dreaming Bowl – Affinity tool used to relive user’s memories
GEAS – Great Empathic Affinity Spell
MOB – Monsters of Battle
Pretender’s Uprising – Uprising led by rogue Clans after AW1
Qupie – A derogatory slur that infers someone is poor and/or LGBTQ
The Change – A fifty year period where the earth and all its inhabitants underwent an accelerated period of evolution resulting in the development of the current biosphere, flora, and fauna; it wa
s during this period where the massive loss of life led to the evolution of the global consciousness that fused with all of humanities social media and pop culture creating a new world
The Clans – Pockets of survivors from around the world who embraced The Change and helped to rebuild society; each Clan has a connection to some type of pop culture that was instrumental in its evolution; there are currently 15 known clans
The District – Area of the old capital of the United States which due to The Change had been destroyed but survivors settled and rebuilt the new city over the remains of the old one
WA Freshman Class S Yearbook
Hiro – Level 1 – Grade 9 – Class S – Rank Unknown
Warrior Academy – The Warriors
Race – Human
Weapon – Unknown
Affinities – Unknown
AR-Sprite – Tanuki – Tuki
Skills – Flame Skin (Level 2), Compound Blow (Level 1), Parkour (Level 2)
W/D/L – Unknown
Known Information – Student at WA – Unknown
Position – ? – Player Statistics – Height-6’3” – Weight – 210 lbs – Measurements-32/24/28 – Hair-Black
Flame Skin (Level 2) – Burning fire surrounds the host giving added speed, strength, and stamina. The host’s skin is not changed but the flame is so intense that it burns all it touches except the host. This ability has been advanced to second level. The Flame Skin grows hotter and the aura surrounding the host becomes blue as the heat intensifies. This skill is unknown to the Clans.
