Unclassified; Zero and Still Standing

Yesu followed Mr. Ryco deep into the forest.

Neither of them had spoken since leaving the Base. Only the crunch of leaves beneath their feet broke the silence.

As they walked, Yesu found herself studying the man.

He looked far younger than most instructors.

More surprisingly, he moved like he was younger too.

His footsteps were light, effortless. There was hardly any sound whenever his boots touched the ground.

Eventually, Mr. Ryco came to a stop beneath a towering tree.

He lowered himself onto one of its thick, elevated roots and let out a weary sigh.

Only then did Yesu notice the dark circles beneath his eyes.

They were the eyes of someone who hadn’t slept properly in quite some time.

He pinched the bridge of his nose twice before looking up to see Yesu still standing where she was, watching him.

She looked strangely out of place.

Mr. Ryco’s gaze drifted over the cuts lining her arms, the burns on her face, and the soot still clinging stubbornly to parts of her uniform.

"You haven’t said a word since I arrived." He observed. You didn’t even question me when I asked you to come along."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Aren’t you curious about anything?" A small smile appeared. "Or wary, rather? Your squad certainly seemed to be."

Yesu thought about it. Then answered honestly.

"Being curious doesn’t solve anything most of the time." She looked him in the eye. "Some answers are always just beyond reach."

Mr. Ryco smiled to himself. "I expected nothing less from you."

Yesu still held his gaze.

"Whose idea was it to kidnap me the day before yesterday?"

"The order was simply passed down." Mr. Ryco replied. "Nothing more."

Yesu nodded in acceptance.

"Are you here to take me with you then?" She asked.

He chuckled.

"I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be able to do that even if I wanted to. On account of all your escapades so far.

His eyes wandered toward her hair. His head tilted ever so slightly, as though trying to see through it.

Toward the back of her skull.

"What are you staring at?" Yesu asked.

"You’ve been through quite a lot."

Yesu diverted. "Why did you ask me to come with if you weren’t planning to take me?"

Mr. Ryco rested his elbows on his knees.

"I wanted to check on you. See how you’re coping. This is your first Trial after all."

"I don’t see any reason why you should care so much," Yesu remarked. "You’re not even my Instructor."

Mr. Ryco smiled.

"APG Prep?" He asked. "Does that ring any bells?"

"You’ve only taught me once."

"Fair enough." He laughed quietly. "But I do hope you won’t skip my lessons once school resumes. You have a lot to learn."

Yesu almost groaned. Back to books. Back to reading.

Mr. Ryco pushed himself off the tree root.

"Well, I should get going."

Yesu’s eyes brightened. A mischievous smile slowly crept onto her face.

"Since you wanted to check how I’m doing..." She began. "You might as well hear me out."

Mr. Ryco looked at her curiously.

"Oh?"

Yesu immediately put on the most pitiful expression she could manage.

"The Trials have been really hard. Our squad keeps getting matched against the toughest opponents. We’ve all been injured."

She clicked her tongue sympathetically at herself, shaking her head slowly from side to side.

"If this keeps up, we’ll all be dead by the end of tomorrow."

Mr. Ryco folded his arms. Amusement flickered across his face.

"And what exactly would you like me to do about that?"

Yesu somehow looked even more helpless.

"The only reason we survived the day before yesterday was because we had enough time to prepare."

She sighed dramatically. Then looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"So... could you at least tell me what today’s Directive is? So my squad can prepare too?"

Mr. Ryco wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

"Telling you beforehand wouldn’t change anything. Trials are survival of the fittest. Besides, no amount of planning will help you in today’s Trial."

Yesu’s eyes gleamed.

"Is that what I think it is, Mr APG Prep?"

"Don’t get ahead of yourself."

Mr. Ryco turned to leave.

After two steps, he stopped. And looked back.

"What do you know about Finch Virel?" He asked suddenly.

The playfulness disappeared from Yesu’s face.

She appeared to think about it for a moment, then shrugged.

"Nothing important. At least nothing the Academy doesn’t already know."

Mr. Ryco studied her for a second. Then nodded.

"Alright."

A crease formed between Yesu’s brows.

"Is something wrong?" She asked with ease. "Is he dead?"

"No. It was simply a question."

Without another word, Mr. Ryco disappeared into the forest.

***

Mr. Ryco crossed the iron gates separating the Trial grounds from the Zone 25 facility.

Armed soldiers moved about as they always did.

Busy.

Purposeful.

None spared him more than a passing glance.

He entered the grey concrete building.

The wide corridors were cold and dim, the walls almost completely devoid of life.

He climbed the stairs.

Several instructors passed him along the way.

"Morning, Ryco."

"Morning."

One instructor was busy complaining about how hopeless her homeroom class was.

"...I don’t think they’ve understood a single Directive this week."

Another laughed.

"My class is doing wonderfully. At this rate, they’ll sweep the rankings."

Mr. Ryco smirked to himself as he continued walking.

Students fought over points. Instructors fought over performances.

Different battlefield, same competition.

At the end of the hallway sat a segregated office.

That was his destination.

Even up here, sunlight barely reached the corridor. The place made him feel strangely sick.

He opened the office door. The room was even darker.

Miss Heaven sat before the enormous monitor wall.

A dry-looking biscuit rested in one hand. A mug of coffee in the other.

Dozens of surveillance feeds played silently before her.

Mr. Ryco wasn’t surprised.

"I can’t remember the last time I saw you leave this office." He remarked. "When was the last time you even saw daylight?"

Without looking away from the screens, Miss Heaven answered,

"Recordings have to be archived almost immediately. Otherwise they’d be lost."

"That doesn’t mean you can’t take a break." Mr. Ryco frowned. "Doesn’t this place make you feel sick?"

"I fail to see how that is any of your concern." She finally bit into the biscuit. "Besides, not everyone is as sickly as you are."

Mr. Ryco pressed his lips together, raising both hands in surrender and turned to leave.

"Professor Wakefield stopped by." Miss Heaven said flatly.

Mr. Ryco’s hand paused on the doorknob. He looked back.

"Why?"

Miss Heaven sighed deeply and adjusted her glasses.

"I can’t stop wondering how you got stationed at APG Prep. Your thinking is becoming too slow for me to tolerate."

She spun her chair around to face him.

"So I’ll spare myself the annoyance and go straight to the point."

Mr. Ryco didn’t seem affected.

Miss Heaven didn’t care either way.

"Yesterday," she began. "An Expert senior student engaged an Adept junior student."

A brief pause.

"The senior was recovered with no visible major injuries but was completely unconscious. He still hasn’t woken up."

Her expression remained unreadable.

"The junior disappeared in thin air."

She folded her arms.

"And that junior just so happens to be an Air User. So you tell me, what do you think this is about?"

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