Annabelle’s Bastion

The experience was nothing—literally.

Underwhelming, to say the least.

One moment, Anna was blinded by a bright flash. The next—not even a second later—she stood on an open field of slightly darker grass. No feelings, no sensations of being moved across worlds. Nothing. She blinked, then wasn’t on Earth anymore.

It fiercely rocked her senses, and it took a minute to gain her bearings. Aside from that, it was like a god just snapped his fingers and transitioned them over.

As for the sights themselves… it wasn’t too overwhelming. Amazing, but she expected something so alien her brain couldn’t comprehend it.

Until she saw the trees.

Rolling hills of darker green eventually ended where a gargantuan forest started, a forest that dominated the skyline like mountains. Some pierced the clouds, others went even beyond that. Even with their varied sizes, the smallest one was larger than the largest back on Earth! Each was like a tower!

Anna took a single step forward—just one—and immediately felt the differences.

“Damn,” she muttered. At least she could speak.

The air felt slightly harder to breathe, and Anna’s steps felt heavier. Enough to be uncomfortable, but not enough to make it too challenging to do strenuous activity.

But the biggest thing just hit her arm.

The breeze seemed to phase through her body rather than hit her skin like she wasn’t even there. Yet it didn’t feel like the wind went… through her. Actually, it was a similar feeling to when Alisha first used her time-freezing, just without the vibrations.

Mana passing through the body.

And the last thing to remind them all it wasn’t Earth was that the world seemed to be layered in a faint yellowish hue. Just like the air and gravity, it wasn’t too noticeable. It was also similar to Alisha’s skill—the color when she froze time, yet it didn’t feel like magic.

Anna did a 180, only to see another shocking sight.

An incredible mountain range with mountains just as tall and expansive as the trees on the opposite side. Dotting the range were innumerable sharp-tipped spires and rectangular-shaped pillars that poked into the sky, far above the mountain peaks. Each one looked like a tower but was too thin for her to confidently say they were.

Were those natural? Alien life?

Those pillars reminded Anna of a place in China. But those mixed with the spires and unusual mountains finalized the alien landscape. To think, this was probably just a small piece of a whole planet!

On her left and right sides, in the far distance, the titan forest seemed to wrap the expansive green field in a perfect ring. 

“This is... insane,” someone said.

So engulfed in observation, Anna had forgotten the 59 others around her.

“It’s fucking beautiful,” another added. 

“Does anybody see a little uh... yellow?” a girl asked.

“Fuck that, do y’all feel the wind? Shit’s creepin’ me out.”

“Feels like it’s... phasing through my body,” Ashton commented. “Similar to feeling mana as an unawakened mage.”

“Yep, that—like a buncha ghosts.”

“Are we just ignoring those trees, bro?”

“Yeah, those, but the mountains back there are massive!”

The chatter of awe went on for a bit.

It just hit Anna; those around her were probably among the best in the academy. The strongest of them. She was surrounded by people who excelled in their combat class! That meant they came out on top every Monday, where their number of opponents increased by one per week.

She looked at Ashton with renewed consideration; he could definitely beat her in a fight.

They had to have fought at least five people just two days prior! 

Any one of them could fold her like a pretzel! Her, who hadn’t touched physical training since her battle with Jared!

Suddenly, she felt a whole lot more anxious about the whole thing.

Along with that, a resolve quickly formed, cementing her earlier decisions.

She desperately needed to obtain a Sigil from the core, or she’d only get further and further behind each passing week. And unless she expected the academy to hand out support Sigils, her growth... was on hold. There was only so much Hyper Enhancement could do.

She shook her head to clear the negative thoughts—it wasn’t the time for that.

The talking around Anna died once Jaxon stepped out from the crowd, his dominating presence making people move to the side even before seeing him emerge. He likely waited because he wanted everyone to get the initial shock out of their systems.

“Line up,” Jaxon commanded, his arms crossed and his perpetual glare just as intense. Once everyone complied, forming a sloppy line he appeared dissatisfied with, he continued, “The F-Tier core is comfortably corrupting that damn forest as we speak. Each second you waste is another gain in its strength. I will not aid you in its destruction, but I will guide you. Your first task is to make camp at the forest edge. Fuck it up, and you’ll sleep in the dirt.”

Someone on the other end of the line raised a hand.

Jaxon nodded. “Speak.”

“Do we gather the materials ourselves... sir?”

“We aren’t fucking barbaric,” Jaxon said, shaking his head. “Expeditions always head out with the supplies necessary, and I will provide them.”

Anna released a breath of relief. If they had to gather the materials by hand, that would be where most of the four-day duration went!

But, then, that revealed an exciting detail that clearly Anna wasn’t the only one to pick up on.

“Go, now; I will follow behind.”

After a short delay, like everyone was headless chickens, Ashton was the one who took the lead forward. Jaxon moved to the side, and the other members followed after. 

Anna was about to move, but she caught Jaxon’s commanding glare that seemed to be telling her to wait.

“Oh boy,” she muttered. 

She hated lectures!

While a few glanced back at her, they only smirked once they saw Jaxon’s darker expression. They weren’t expressions of ridicule but of jest at Anna’s expense, like when a student got publicly lectured back on Earth. That distinction was important for her to make.

“Frost,” Jaxon said once they were fairly isolated.

“Yes... sir?”

He scoffed. “You look like you swallowed a fucking bug whenever that word leaves your lips.”

Because she didn’t particularly enjoy saying it. No matter what position someone had or how much strength they developed, she wouldn’t like using that word to address them. But she knew when it was due.

She scratched her cheek. “Sorry, it’s just not a word I’m used to saying.”

“Despite what you may believe,” he said, uncrossing his arms. “You are under no obligation to refer to me as such.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “This is not the military, Frost.”

Anna quirked a brow. 

That guy did just have them line up like it was and seemed displeased that it wasn’t perfect!

“Thank you for letting me know,” Anna said, dipping her head slightly. “But I will respect your position.”

“Good,” he said, nodding. “It may not be required, but some—myself included—will prefer you follow the classical style. The chain of command is essential if you ever partake in major expeditions.”

“This one isn’t major?” Anna asked.

He glanced at the rest of the students and then back to Anna. “This, Frost, is as far from major as a mission can get.” He turned his body toward the forest, where the students neared the trees. “If we were in Bastion, this mission would be labeled—at best—as a Peculiar F-Rank.”

“Peculiar?” 

That was also how the announcement referred to the planet itself a few days ago.

“It means,” Jaxon explained without looking at her, “that while the threat it presents is at an F-Tier level, there are some peculiarities that could cause it to increase in rank and danger.”

“And what happens if...” Anna trailed off.

“Ninety percent of peculiarities end up being nothing.”

“Ten percent is a decent chance, though.”

“Yes,” he said darkly, then looked at Anna with a vicious smirk. “But that’s why I’m here instead of an ordinary supervisor.”

There that feeling was again.

The same one Anna felt when she came across Jaxon while looking for Alisha. A primal violence, like he was just waiting to be let loose. A drawn bow in the hands of someone barely capable of holding the arrow. That feeling made him seem more like a barbarian than Thagrin himself!

“That’s reasurring,” Anna said. “But what happens to cause that ten percent?”

Jaxon returned his squinted gaze to the forest. “It means something outside the core is affecting it in some way. Fuckin’ annoying.”

“And what does that mean?”

“I can’t say,” Jaxon said, shaking his head. “It can be anything, from the planet itself to another force entirely.”

“Another...” Anna paused, and her gaze went up to Jaxon. “Another force?”

“I will not discuss that with you.”

Anna clicked her tongue.

She knew there were other forces out there—of course, there were. For every good, there existed an equal evil. With the sheer scale of it all, there had to be many groups of Bastion’s size just as keen on destruction as Bastion was on protection.

Still, she desperately hoped it wouldn’t be something she had to deal with as a mere student with a low-tier Sigil.

Yet that thought felt like a curse to even have.

Anna sighed. “Did you want to speak with me about something else?”

“Oh, how fucking quickly you dropped the honorifics.” Jaxon snorted. “Whatever, I won’t be bothered unless you become disrespectful.”

“It won’t,” Anna said, shaking her head. “Probably.”

She wouldn’t be disrespectful unless they deserved it.

“Good.” Jaxon tentatively held out his palm. “You are... Alisha’s favorite.” He shook his head. “No, not Alisha’s—someone fucking higher. This is not a well-kept secret among the top.”

Anna nodded.

No attempts were made to hide it from her since all they had to do was not tell her anything.

Jaxon turned so his back faced the trees, preventing anybody from seeing what he was about to do.

Anna followed.

“I fucking disdain doing this stupid shit, but I follow my orders.” 

A bronze ring expended atop Jaxon’s open palm with a quiet but aggressive hum. Once it was as wide as his hand, the space within the ring filled with what appeared like a bronze pool. 

The center of his ring rippled, and an orb the size of an eye popped out. 

Jaxon caught it with his other hand, then dismissed his ring, aggressively sighing.

Anna’s shock was too great to control from showing on her face. 

That was a Sigil! The familiar, foreign symbols bounced around its insides along with the myriad colors. Yet it was bigger than Hyper Enhancement, a bit more colorful, and had a purple-black hue glowing around it.

“Sir?” Anna inquired with a shaky tone. “Is that...”

“A Sigil,” Jaxon stated simply. He directed his glare at her, and he looked like he was being forced to do something completely against his moral compass. “I should never fucking do this. But I was ordered to break the rules we hold sacred simply because somebody wishes to see you succeed and curry favor.”

Anna swallowed. “What is it, sir?”

“Something so fucking stupid that it would only have meaning as a damn gift to you.” Jaxon’s glare deepened with every word. “Something you can’t even use publically, or the students would become aware of the favoritism shown to you.”

It couldn’t be clearer that he vehemently rejected the idea of giving Anna the Sigil. But he was a stickler for order, and he was commanded.

Luckily for him, Anna didn’t need handouts, even if she wasn’t necessarily in a position to reject them. She shared that belief with Aria—Sigils should be earned.

Yet even still, she found the words difficult to say.

“You…” She reluctantly shook her head. “You don’t have to—”

“No,” Jaxon interrupted, “I do. Because I was ordered to. And you are not in a position to reject.”

“W-what does it do?” She couldn’t bite down her curiosity.

“Storage,” he spat.

Anna stared at the Sigil like she feared it would vanish. The Sigil that Jaxon used to store that one, and where he probably held all the camp supplies! A utility Sigil that would indeed be useful for the rest of her life. 

Could she really reject it?

Nope!

But despite the gold in her eyes, the scenario was still far too suspicious. She took a deep breath to collect herself, lest her excitement lead to a deal with the devil.

“Why?” she asked.

“Hell if I know,” Jaxon grumbled. “But this Sigil is rare enough that you wouldn’t fucking see it on your own for years—you cannot reject it.” He sighed and held the Sigil out to her. “I couldn’t fucking blame you, either. Many have wished they had this when they first began their path.”

Anna grabbed it as gently as she could and stared. The beautiful colors, the smooth surface, the foreign text. In her hands was one of the most beautiful objects she had ever laid eyes upon. 

“Things to note, Frost.” Jaxon broke her gaze from the Sigil. “Storing items that require specific conditions will take part of your mana to maintain. A negligible amount, but that depends on the item. Yes, this Sigil can grow in strength, but not many focus on it. It’s—”

“Wait, what?” Anna interrupted. “Focus?”

She thought Sigils naturally grew in strength as she trained!

“Yes, focus. Did you not pay attention in your damn classes? I didn’t peg you as the type.” He scoffed. “Sigils do grow in power as you grow, but that’s negligible compared to independent growth.”

Anna shook her head. “I was never told that.”

“Ah.” Jaxon paused for what felt like a minute. Then, he seemed to realize and tapped his forehead. “Right, they wouldn’t inform you yet. Sigil’s grow in two ways; focused training such as meditating, mana cycling, or direct growth from absorbing monster essence.”

“I’ve never heard of any of those,” Anna said, shaking her head. “Meditating, sure. But what is mana cycling and monster essences?”

That realization hit her like a truck. It wasn’t just a small thing, either; she would have to independently grow each Sigil she had. That could very well reach into the tens! And she was supposed to be a supporter…

How was she supposed to grow strong while still keeping her supporting Sigils growing?

“Cycling means converting your mana into something akin to essences,” Jaxon explained, uncaring for her shock. “Essences are residual traces of the soul when a beast passes on.”

“How... how hard is it to progress a Sigil?” Anna asked, eager to latch on to a bit of hope she could progress to match combatants before graduating. 

Jaxon stared at her, watching her expression and perhaps trying to glean something about her intentions. 

Eventually, he shook his head. “Your worries are unnecessary—for now. Your purity means you have an advantage.” He turned back to the forest, where the students were about to reach the edge. “If you get a combat Sigil within the year, you will temporarily match your peers in strength. Simply because we can’t yet run our students through monster zones, and we won’t delve into independent growth until all the basics have been covered. Your purity offers an innate edge… Damn, you earthlings are so fucking behind.” He sighed.

A weight off Anna’s shoulders. 

So, the methods to grow a Sigil weren’t readily available, but they were actively trying. Still, it only offered temporary respite; Anna would always have to find a proper balance between growing a support Sigil versus a combat one. 

Looked like she would have to tell Aria she would join in constant monster hunting! 

“Thank you, sir.” Anna bowed her head toward Jaxon, who wasn’t looking at her. “I understand the gravity of receiving this Sigil, and I will not disappoint the expectations placed on me.”

“I have none of you, Frost.” Jaxon still didn’t look at her. “In my eyes, you are the same as them, and I will treat you accordingly. Don’t get an ego—I will break it.”

“I would never.”

“Good, they’ve reached the treeline; walk ahead of me. Absorb the Sigil tonight, so it will finish by the morning.”

“Yes!”

She could hardly wait! Despite the suspiciousness of being given a Sigil, the effect wasn’t anything that would grant her an advantage over her peers in the combat-oriented academy. 

It was most likely to curry favor, a behavior she wasn’t foreign to. And if they thought it would bind her? Well, many have had similar thoughts.

And she could be quite shameless sometimes.