The Synchronization Project

(For all of those who were brought into the school of combat, please report here AFTER getting your blood taken!)

Kassandra Ambrosia hummed as she sat in her space. This was the dormitories of most combatants. Of course, some of her underlings did end up with roommates from other schools, it was unavoidable. This was a special night, she would be getting the blood test results, and reading them out loud to her new recruits. She was High Guardian, so in other words, she was the head of her group that had banded together when it came time to graduate. She had been lucky enough to keep most of her Nuturing Group. Of course, Lux had jumped on their wagon after Aidas left, but that was another story for another day.

"Lux. I feel you here."

The expressionless boy stepped from the shadows and sat beside her, leaning his face into her arm. She stroked his soft, grey curls. "I don't want to socialize." His voice was like a whisper.

"You don't have to. I'll take care of it, go back upstairs."

"But that's draining for you."

"But maybe it'll fix yo-"

"I need no fixing, Kassandra. I was born like this, sync degree will never grace me with it's presence. Just because you're a sync di-"

Kassandra's hand covered Lux's mouth.

"Welcome!" She practically roared to the new students. "I'm Kassandra Ambrosia, and this is Lux de Tenebras. Welcome to the Combatants Gathering! I'm excited for all of you! Please take a seat wherever you please, and in a circle." She smiled brightly, covering her troubled expression from just moments earlier.

Erasai entered the room behind the others. She looked around, before hearing Kassandra call out for them to take seats. And so she did. So at last she was here. Her golden eyes couldn't help but wander around the room. Taking a deep breath, she readily took it all in.

"Erasai Hawke. It seems that your fellow Combatant has decided not to show. We will initiate him another day. I have your file." Kassandra spoke up after a few minutes of no one else showing up. "Besides, we do always get transfers."

"You have two choices, Erasai. Either join the Holy Guard and be forever placed there, doomed to serve there for the rest of your life, or allow me to change your energy so that I can tailor you for other places."

Kassandra had a blunt tone.

Erasai had glanced around, but looked back to Kassandra when she had begun to read her results. She did seem a bit confused, and opened her mouth momentarily, trying to figure out what to say.

A small cough, and she said, "What do you mean, change my energy?"

Of course that should have been obvious from the sounds of it, but she was confused on the hows, more than anything.

"I'm a sync diver. It runs in the family. I can access energy and change it. So long as you are willing, I can do it." As she spoke, Lux seemed to grow upset about something.

"Sync anythings are rare." She continued. "One of my teammates can cancel out energy."

Erasai nodded her head, showing understanding. "And what would you change it to?"

It was odd thinking that what she had grown up with could easily be changed into something she had never before experienced. It was frightening almost, and yet intriguing.

"That depends. You could just make it normal. Or, you could specialize it to your weapon. That's what I'm trying to do with Lux."

She had always wanted to be stronger with weapons, so her interest piqued when the idea of specializing her sync with her weapon was mentioned.

"That would... I think that would be preferred!" she said, sounding rather excited.

"Come here." She beckoned her over. "I'll need to be touching you. Push some of that energy out for me so I can convert it." Kassandra had a firm grip on the girl's hand.

Lux left the room, of course.

Kassandra's energy flowed around her. It was red, and it crackled in certain places, like lightning. "Don't be scared."

Erasai did as she was bid and went to the girl, holding out her hand. A slight golden aura formed around her skin as she pushed out some of her magic. "I'm not afraid," she said, being honest. After Lux had left, she spoke quietly. "He hasn't said much... I hope I didn't do anything wrong."

"Lux is forever destined to walk this world alone. He has no proper sync degree. It's there, but it's not attached to his soul, leaving him unable to connect." Kassandra smiled sadly. "John practically adopted him into our group when he was seventeen. He won't talk to anyone except for myself and a few others."

Her red energy wrapped around the girl's golden, shattering it into pieces. The red entered into the girl's body, replacing whatever golden energy had been there.

Kassandra pulled her hand away. "It is done. You are now initiated."

Erasai frowned at her words about Lux. She felt bad to be told that, and wanted to apologize, but there seemed to be little sense in it.

It was odd though, watching her aura shatter and her sync change. It almost made her shiver. "Ah, thanks... do you know what it will do now? Or do I need to test it out?"

"Actually, I would leave it. When we did it to the trip-" Ah, damn it, she couldn't tell her that.

"When someone is recovering from a sync regeneration, it's advised to not use it for a week or so. Your energy is black, now. I based it off of Guardian Korone's, after all. She uses double swords, but she's a full blown Blademaster." She explained.

"Oh, I see," she said, sounding a bit disappointed. That meant she wouldn't be able to practice much for a bit. "Thank you." She stood up, bowing her head. "So what do we do now?" It seemed like everything had gone quiet, and she wondered where everyone was.

"To the After-Gathering, of course. I have to outdrink his Holiness Prince Cryroch." There was a definite flood of sarcasm. Dmitri was her childhood friend, she could say whatever the hell she wanted to, and no one would reprimand her.

"Lux!" The male appeared at her side instantly, following them along to the gymnasium, where Kassandra disappeared within a few minutes, while Lux led the girl in before following the red-head. It seemed that he was rather attached to her.