I sat on the edge, taking in the view that spread out before me. The vine-like circuits intertwining and dangling from the metal ceilings and walls, the miniature robots gliding about performing their assigned tasks, the constant beeping of the operators. It has all become the norm for me.
"Azura!" someone yelled my name. They always did, to get one thing or the other done.
Upon arriving, I saw my colleague standing with an unfamiliar girl. Looks like another newcomer. They're all the same.
"She's a newbie. Teach her everything she needs to know about here. You know the drill, don't you?"
She walked off without waiting for my response. Not that she needed to anyways, of course I knew the drill.
I sized up the new girl, who kept her head down the whole time. Her entire appearance reeked of exhaustion. Her facial expression was a mix of fear, confusion, and despondency. Her body quivered ever so slightly, giving off a vibe of timidity and meekness.
It was nothing strange. As I had said before, they're all the same. They come in anxious and scared, which isn't that surprising given the circumstances surrounding their arrival into this new world which will strip them of any remaining humanity and break them to harden their souls.
"Alright, listen up," I say in a straight tone as she raises her head to look up at me. "I'm going to give you a rundown of how things work around here, so stay sharp. Got it?"
She nodded slowly.
"Mind telling me your name?"
She stayed quiet for a while, but finally opened her mouth to speak for what seems to be the first time since she got here.
"Ciara."
"Well Ciara, welcome to the Armageddon." I told her. "This is a syndicate of young females enclosed within the four walls of this establishment." My hand gestures around the digitalized building.
"You see, this organisation utilizes an evolution of technology that remains undisclosed to the rest of mankind. We refer to it as Verlvin. It facilitates our work as a group. There's no need pondering over the type of work we do. To put it simply, we kill people. Consider it purging the earth off tainted, unruly souls." She blinked at my statement.
"This place is run by five main factions: Floes, Undam, Saxem, Eurus, and Ignis. Each of them has their designated roles. Floes are in charge of cleaning up after the purging is completed. Their goal is to leave no traces of our work behind. Tending to injuries and monitoring our health is the responsibility of Undam. Their members are grounded in the medical field. Saxem manages everything to do with Verlvin: its inventions, maintenance, and testing. Consider them the epicentre of tech. Eurus is the administrative unit. All our activities are monitored by them and supervised under their orders. Many won't want to admit it, but you could say that they're the superiors around here. They guide the ranks of members among factions. Heading them is the highest seat of acting authority in the Armageddon: the Marchioness."
"Then there's Ignis—the combat unit. Ignis carries out the main aim of Armageddon: protecting innocent souls whilst eliminating the rotten ones. Their rankings consist of SC, SA, and SR. Currently, I'm an SR-ranking member at the highest rank. I believe that you're still at the lowest rank—SC. The higher your strength and abilities, the higher you rise in the rankings. Anyone who peaks in the rankings is often called upon by Eurus to join the "External Executive Squad" and is transferred out of quarters. Details about this squad remain undisclosed; we just know that its work is critical and highly confidential."
Her eyes looked at me attentively as she absorbed my words.
"Now for your equipment. Verlvin is modified into numerous forms to aid our work. The first thing assigned to you is your Lyle. They come in various shapes and sizes, whether it's an appliance, toy, clothing, or weapon. Lyles enable their wielders to possess unique abilities. It's like having a superpower."
I tucked my long amaranth hair behind my ears, revealing a pair of sparkling dangling earrings with a black stud that somewhat contrasts with their nearly elegant look.
"These earrings are my Lyle," I pointed a finger towards my ear. "They grant me Permeation and Barricade. This means my body can phase through any matter, and I can create protective barriers at will," I explained.
"In addition to your Lyle, there is a specialized weapon designed for the wielder's persona. Like a superhero has one magical weapon or another, think of these supernatural weapons as a bonus to your abilities. It'd be sketchy if we were seen roaming around with lethal weapons, so it's disguised as a regular keychain, which transforms into its true form once taken out for combat."
"Next is your Zynthra." I pulled out the gizmo shaped like a compact mirror. It takes a rental scan and opens up revealing a floating screen. " This is Armageddon's key communication tool. It scans your features to ensure privacy and processes data twelve times faster than a supercomputer. Untraceable by external parties, this device can't be hacked, nor can the information on it be accessed by outsiders. Basically, every piece of information you'd need on your assignments is here, so be sure to keep it safe." I warned.
"Then, most importantly, you'd need your Xile." I rolled up the right sleeve of my orange hoodie to show her the metal cuboid with a green glowing screen strapped to my wrist.
"It measures and stores Effernity-your life force." I chuckled inwardly as her eyes widened at my statement.
"We're not charity workers. We don't do our jobs for the sole purpose of saving people. You see, when we annihilate the horrid souls, we relieve their victims of a burden. That uplifting emits an energy off them called Effernity, which is absorbed into your Xile. Male victims produce far more Effernity than females. The females, on the other hand... I'm sure you already know what happens." At my words, her gaze finds its way back to the ground.
"On your Xile's screen, green indicates that you have efficient Effernity. Red, however, means that you're lacking, and it beeps the lower it goes. When one runs out of Effernity, something bad happens. It's said they 'cease to exist.' As such, we strive to store enough Effernity in us in order to sustain our existence."
With that, she nodded her head in understanding and headed off to clean up. I wondered how long she'd last before cracking. Not that it really mattered; we all do eventually.
The buzzing of my Zynthra snapped me out of my thoughts. I was being summoned to the Marchioness's quarters. Not many Ignis members get summoned there, not even amongst the SR. Other units seldom even go near it. However, in my case, I'd been summoned a couple of times already, not that it's anything to be proud of, at least to me.
I dreaded standing in that room, if I could even call it that. Covered in an unorthodox mist, the eerie domain seemed to have no end. Its intimidating ambience was so heavy that it hurt the back of my throat just breathing in there.
The few minutes I spent feel like an eternity. I detested standing before her, trying my best to stand upright before the piercing gaze of her teal eyes, as though she were trying to puncture my soul from her throne, positioned on a platform several feet above the ground.
Her hair was a lighter teal than her eyes, tied up into buns with wavy pigtails extending down to her waist. She donned a black unzipped ankle-length jacket, which featured pockets and straps that stretched out from the pockets to the middle of her forearm, with matching buckled straps reaching just above her knees and thigh-high boots.
She was a person of few words, yet her whole figure screamed authority. Her word was law as she stared down at her subjects, sitting in mid-air. She's Verena, the Marchioness of Armageddon.