Lila's parents stared her down, their expressions unreadable but heavy with expectation.
She swallowed, taking a breath before speaking. "Why are you here? Were you invited?"
Neither of them answered her. Instead, their sharp, discerning gazes shifted toward Noah, sizing him up with barely concealed disapproval. The scrutiny was suffocating, as if his very presence was offensive to them.
Then, her mother—tall, poised, and every bit the aristocrat—lifted a manicured hand and gestured toward him.
"Does your… friend not know the proper way to greet?" she asked, her tone drenched in condescension.
It was then that Noah finally snapped back to reality.
For a mont, he had been too shocked to process what was happening. Lila's parents were here. Not that he ever looked down on Lila—no, that wasn't it—but he just never thought of her like that. For her parents to be invited to an event like this, it ant they had to be highly ranked figures in society.
Lila cleared her throat, shifting slightly before looking at him, then back at her parents. "This is Noah Eclipse," she said, her voice asured. "Noah, these are my parents."
Noah straightened, offering a polite nod. "It's a pleasure to et you both," he said, extending a hand toward her father.
The man before him was broad-shouldered, his fra accentuated by the fine cut of his expensive suit. A well-grood mustache sat above his pursed lips, giving him a permanent look of disapproval. His dark eyes flickered down to Noah's outstretched hand before, after a brief pause, shaking it with an air of obligation rather than courtesy.
Lila's mother, a statuesque brunette, simply nodded, her forced smile not quite reaching her eyes. It made Noah briefly wonder where Lila got her blonde hair from.
The tension was thick, the air between them laced with unspoken judgnt.
Well, whatever this was, he wanted no part of it. He had already been on his way out before they arrived, so he politely excused himself. "I was just leaving. It was nice eting you both," he said before stepping away.
As soon as he disappeared into the gathering crowd, the carefully restrained expressions on her parents' faces dropped.
Her father's scowl deepened. "And here I was hoping I had misheard."
Lila tensed.
"So," she tried again, her voice softer this ti. "Why didn't anyone tell you were coming?"
Her father let out a low, humorless chuckle. "Why? So you could cover up your shaful act of gallivanting with nobodies?" His words dripped with disdain. "Because surely, the boy's na didn't ring any bells."
Lila bowed her head, saying nothing.
Her mother sighed, shaking her head slightly. "After this event, we'll need to have a talk about your… life choices."
With that, both parents turned and walked off, leaving Lila standing there—thoroughly embarrassed, thoroughly ashad.
But she refused to let it show.
Straightening her posture, she quickly glanced around to see if anyone had been watching. Her eyes searched for Noah, but he was already gone, swallowed up by the crowd.
Noah found Kelvin exactly where he expected—tucked away in a corner, leaning casually on his cane with that knowing smirk of his. The way his friend's eyes sparkled told Noah he'd witnessed the entire exchange.
"So," Kelvin drawled, "who were those delightful people that just graced us with their presence?"
Noah loosened his tie slightly, still feeling the weight of their judgnt. "Apparently, they're Lila's parents."
"*Apparently?*" Kelvin's eyebrow arched.
"Yeah, real bougie types. You know, old money kind of people." Noah tried to laugh it off, but sothing in Kelvin's expression made him pause. "What?"
"Maybe you should steer clear of that one," Kelvin said, his usual playful tone carrying an edge of seriousness.
Noah frowned, studying his friend. "That's... different. Last ti I ntioned Lila being off, you said I was being paranoid. Said she was just hurt about Sophie and ." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "What changed? Did you overhear sothing?"
Kelvin opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, darkness swept through the room like a tide. The sudden absence of light drew a collective gasp from the crowd, followed imdiately by excited whispers.
A single spotlight pierced the darkness, following a figure as he strode onto the stage. The whispers transford into a wave of applause and reverent murmurs: "He's here... He's here!"
Noah felt his breath catch. There, commanding the stage with his re presence, stood Headmaster Owen Sumr—Commander Owen himself. Even from a distance, the man radiated an authority that made Noah understand why everyone had fallen silent.
Commander Owen stepped up to the podium, his presence drawing the room to attention without effort. "Welco, everyone, to our annual gala," he said, his voice carrying clearly through the hall. "It's good to see so many familiar faces—our dedicated staff, our supportive parents, and of course, our honorary mbers."
His eyes swept across the crowd, nodding at various figures. "The Rowe family, thank you for gracing us with your presence tonight."
Noah glanced over to where Lila stood with her parents, the ntion of their na adding another piece to the puzzle he hadn't known existed. Who were the Rowes to warrant such recognition?
"And to our first-years," Owen continued, "this is our first proper eting. I apologize for my absence these past six months. The frontlines needed attention—Harbingers don't exactly believe in sleeping in." He paused, allowing a few nervous chuckles from the crowd. "Commander Albright, thank you for holding down the fort while I was away."
The vice headmaster raised his glass in acknowledgnt, but Owen's returning smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Traditionally, this gala serves as our mont of respite. However, tonight carries additional weight." Owen's expression grew solemn as he retrieved a letter from his pocket. "I have here a ssage from Supre General aboard the Arc."
Commander Owen unfolded the letter, the crisp sound echoing in the suddenly quiet hall.
"From the desk of Supre General," he began reading, his voice taking on a formal tone.
"To the esteed faculty and students of Eastern Military Academy,
I write to you from the Arc, where every day we witness both humanity's resilience and the growing threat we face. Your academy has consistently produced so of our finest warriors, minds that understand not just how to fight, but why we must.
Today, I'm not writing just to comnd your efforts. I'm writing because we need you. The Harbinger attacks have intensified across our colonial outposts. We've lost contact with three settlents in the past month alone. Our enemy is evolving, adapting, and we must do the sa.
To the cadets: Your training is no longer just about personal achievent. Each skill you master could an the difference between victory and defeat, between life and death for countless civilians. This is the weight of the uniform you're preparing to wear.
To the graduating class: Your deploynt dates are being moved forward. The details will be provided to your commanding officers, but prepare yourselves. War waits for no one.
Rember why we fight. Not for glory, not for honor, but for the simple right of humanity to exist among the stars we've reached for. Every human settlent, every colony, every outpost is counting on us.
The Arc stands ready. Do you?
Yours in service,
Supre General
Commander of the Earth's Arc Defense Force"
Owen lowered the letter slowly, letting the words sink in. The silence in the room was deafening. Even the usual whispers had died down as the reality of their situation settled over everyone.
Owen stepped back from the podium, letting the General's words hang in the air for a mont. Then he moved forward, gripping both sides of the podium as he surveyed the crowd.
"You know," he started, voice low but carrying, "when I was your age, soone asked why I chose to fight. Back then, I gave them so textbook answer about honor and duty." He shook his head, a slight smile playing at his lips. "I was wrong."
He stepped around the podium, moving to the edge of the stage.
"We don't fight because of so abstract concept of duty. We don't fight for dals or accolades or to see our nas in history books. We fight because right now, on a colony sixteen light years from Earth, a little girl born of both serving parents who has never been to her parent world is looking up at the stars, dreaming about what she'll be when she grows up. We fight because in the Green crown settlent, farrs are planning next season's crop. We fight because on Mars Base One, scientists are developing cures for diseases we haven't even encountered yet."
His voice rose steadily, passion bleeding into every word.
"Look around you! Look at the person standing next to you! That's why we fight! Because humanity... humanity doesn't just survive, we THRIVE! We shoot for the stars and they fall in our hands. We are soldiers, we don't miss!"
A few cheers erupted from the crowd. Owen's eyes blazed.
"The Harbingers? They think they can break us. They think if they hit us hard enough, if they take enough from us, we'll bow our heads and accept extinction. But they don't know us. They don't know that every ti they knock us down, we get back up STRONGER!"
More cheers now, scattered applause.
"You're not just students anymore. You're not just cadets. You are humanity's answer to every threat that dares to challenge our right to exist! When the Harbingers attack our colonies, YOU will be the shield! When they threaten our people, YOU will be the sword!"
The crowd was fully engaged now, energy rising through the room.
"They call us fragile. They call us weak. But I've seen what you can do. I've watched you train until your bones ached. I've seen you solve problems that seed impossible. I have seen the reports from Cannadah! I've witnessed you forge bonds stronger than steel with your fellow cadets. And I know - I KNOW - that when the ti cos, you will show them exactly what humanity is capable of!"
The room erupted in cheers. Students were on their feet, so punching the air, others clasping hands with their neighbors.
"So when the Supre General asks if you're ready?" Owen's voice cut through the noise, "I want him to hear your answer from here to the Arc itself! ARE YOU READY?"
The response was deafening. Even so of the normally reserved parents and faculty joined in the thunderous affirmative that shook the hall.
Owen let the roar wash over him for a mont before raising his hand for quiet. When the room finally settled, his expression shifted to sothing more asured, but his eyes still burned with intensity.
"That's what I thought," he said softly, pride evident in his voice. "And that's why, no matter what cos next, I know we will prevail."
When the applause died down, Owen's serious expression gave way to sothing lighter. "But as always, we follow darkness with light. Tonight, we have soone very special joining us." He gestured toward the side of the stage. "Please welco, Mr. Web Pithon!"
The crowd erupted. Noah watched as people craned their necks, trying to get a better view. The Pithon family na was legendary—their combat gear inventions had saved countless lives in the war against the Harbingers.
But when Noah turned to share in the excitent with Kelvin, he found his friend's face drained of color, eyes wide with disbelief.
"He ca?!" Kelvin whispered, the words barely audible over the continued applause.
Noah had never seen that look on Kelvin's face before. Not on Cannadah, not during their worst scrapes. It was the look of soone who'd just seen a ghost.
User Comments
0 comments from readers