Page 21 of The Cerulean Sister
"The training center is not far."
I look up at him, waiting for more information, the evening light casting his armor in deep gold.
"Where Viathan soldiers train for combat. You can safely practice your light in that facility," he continues, guiding us down a different portion of the building, like he intends to take me there now.
"Shouldn't I change first?" I gesture down at my long black dress, the flowy skirt kicking out as I walk.
He takes the opportunity to scan my body for himself. "No, you should practice in the clothes you wear the most."
Even though he is calm and understanding, our tether gives away his small twinge of excitement to show me the training centers.
"Will I get to see you train?" I tease.
Again, he tilts his head slowly in my direction. "If you like."
He takes me to what looks like another courtyard when we exit the capital building, the outside showing a clear mix of Viathan beliefs, the old and new world. The architecture is literal and somewhat cold in its smooth lines and jutting towers.
Viathan commanders cluster in groups across the open space, some even practicing with long, pointed weapons. The smooth towering walls indent around the entire perimeter of the courtyard, creating a roof over the pathway. Metal doors line the outside, each with a different symbol.
The commanders bow their heads, pausing in place until we pass.
"The light is so strange here." I look up into a blue, perfect sky. There was a fiery pink sunset coming through the windows just before we stepped out of the capital doors.
"It is a controlled dome," 99 leans in to whisper and points to the seam of the walls where they meet the faux sky of the ceiling. "Helps with endurance."
The courtyard is not open air like the others but manipulated from conditions outside.
"Tricks you to think time has not passed?" I smile.
He nods and presses his heavy hand on the small of my back. "This way."
Before I can read the symbol on the door we approach, 99 opens it, gesturing for me to enter, and instructs my guards to stay outside.
There is a noticeable temperature difference, and my eyes can't adjust fast enough to the darker interior. But 99’s hand guides me forward, pressing gently on my spine.
"99th Commander! I was not expecting you," a man’s voice cracks in the chilly space.
He stands from a command station as we approach, speaking through the glass of his booth. The grey walls around him are lined with buttons and screens presenting images of other spaces.
"Clear the gallery, prepare the podium for 2 users," 99 instructs.
"Yes, sir." The commander comes out from the booth and bows his head. "Hello, Priestess Ferren."
"Hello," I say in a pitch too high. It always throws me when I am reminded that I am not invisible here.
The man disappears around a dark corner, going farther into the interior to complete his orders.
I look up at 99, confused we are back inside and not out with the other commanders who train in the courtyard. "Why are we in here?"
"This building is part of the training center." He sends me reassuring warmth in my mind's eye, persuading me to trust him.
I can still sense his anxious excitement biting at the restraints of his stoic mood, but this seems a strange place to practice my light. It's dim, cold, and the only illumination are strips along the floors and small, strategically placed spotlights.
"Ready, sir." The commander enters from around the corner, holding a data pad and punching in a sequence in his booth.
"A new weapon requires calibration into the system before we begin," 99 says.
"A new weapon?" The commander looks around, searching for it.
