Zev returned home after finishing his session with Miss Leya at the academy. He carried a folder containing his class transfer paperwork and an admission letter to the Theria Guild Oasis nearest his home, Sokwe Recon Oasis, which managed the cadet program called Swala Force.1 Upon stepping inside, he found his parents still deep in mourning. Grief clung to every corner of the house, so heavy that he could not bring himself to speak of his decision.
Luca Mablevi, his father, had moved out of Amare’s room. Though lucid again, he burned with a single-minded obsession: to find Amare. Each morning, he left to track down Officer Kwaro, determined to uncover even the smallest clue. Zev feared Officer Kwaro would never rest until Amare was found. Luca did not return home most nights.
Zev’s mother, Elina, was even less present. She had locked herself in Grey and Silas’s room, shutting out the rest of the household. She paid no mind to Zev or his intentions.
On the morning Zev departed for the Sokwe Recon Oasis, he told his grandmother only that he was going to school. She nodded in distracted acknowledgment, then carried a bowl of porridge to Elina, who lay curled on Grey’s bed. No one accompanied Zev to the training compound. Instead, he boarded a public Mobibus2 alone, one duffel bag in hand. It held a single change of clothes and a photograph of his family.
When he arrived at the Sokwe Recon Oasis Training Compound, mid-morning rain drummed on the rooftops. An officer in a khaki uniform met him at the gate and escorted him to the admission hall, where Zev formally registered with the Theria Guild. From there, he was taken to the disbursement center, where two cheerful officers handed over three sets of uniforms, three pairs of socks, two pairs of boots, two sweaters, and a Theria Guild blazer. They stamped his name and officer number on a pair of tags, directing him to the trainee quarters.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, Zev, at seventeen, became part of the most powerful army in the Afrotheria Empire. He had joined one of the most feared and revered forces in the land: the Theria Guild Guardians.
In his heart, he knew why. The rage that consumed him traced back to the night he watched a pack of ghost wraiths tear apart his brothers, Grey and Silas, and leave him powerless to protect Amare.
If not for those ghost wraiths, he might have kept Amare safe. That thought tormented him, guilt and grief roiling beneath every breath. He forced the darkness aside but could not silence it completely.
The next morning, he found himself on the training field, lungs aflame and side aching as he sprinted for the red line painted across the track. Sweat stung his eyes. He pushed himself harder and managed to cross the finish line just as his legs threatened to buckle. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.
“Again, Mablevi!” the instructor roared, his whistle shrilling in the damp air. “You’re too slow. One second too late, and you’re ghost wraith bait. Get up and do it again!”
Zev glared at the instructor, torn between resentment and admiration. There were fifteen cadets in his class, and their merciless trainer intended to whip them into shape through endless drills and punishing runs. Every muscle in Zev’s body burned. His lungs felt as though they might never inflate properly again.
A firm hand grasped his left arm, pulling him upright before he could even consider surrendering to the tarmac. Zev looked up, meeting the friendly grin of an older boy.
“He won’t stop hollering until you quit collapsing at the line,” the boy said. “I’m Saul. I joined a month before you. The trick is to stay on your feet until you’re off the track.”
Zev nodded, though he doubted he could remain upright another moment. A second boy, about his age, appeared on his right.
“I’m Noah. I can pace you so you cut your time,” Noah offered.
They returned to the starting line, Zev wedged between them.
The instructor blew the whistle, and they bolted forward. This time, Noah and Saul stayed at his sides, giving him a sense of unity he hadn’t felt since losing his brothers. For a moment, it felt as if training might be bearable.
Three days later, Zev realized how over his head he truly was.
He stood in a Santi Corp Simulation Training Room3, wearing crisp white cadet armor and a pair of smart VR glasses perched on his nose. In his hand, he clutched a Santi Sword specially modified for simulation battles.
“Mablevi, you’re seventeen and have never set foot in a simulation room,” the instructor’s voice echoed around the domed chamber. “You’re behind everyone else, so you’ll need to work twice as hard to catch up. We’re starting you at the most basic level. Here’s your first test: You’re in a forested village in the Teru hills, under threat of a ghost wraith reap. You don’t know how large the incoming pack is, only that it moves fast and will decimate any unprotected area. Your objective is to neutralize any ghost wraiths heading your way. Mission Commence: Cadet Mablevi, Basic Simulation 001, start!”
At once, the training room went dark, and a lush forest materialized before him under a bright sun. Birds chirped overhead in an almost cheerful cacophony. Zev had barely stepped forward when a ghost wraith lunged out of nowhere. His reaction came too late.
The simulation ended.
“You are dead,” the instructor announced flatly. “An entire village would have fallen, Cadet. Rule number one: focus. This is not a game. No one’s coming to save you, you’re the one who must do the saving. Mission Commence: Cadet Mablevi, Basic Simulation 002, start!”
No one’s coming to save you, you’re the one who must do the saving.
He died ten more times, managing only two steps each attempt.
By the fifteenth session he managed five steps. He hoped that by the thirtieth he might at least see the wraith before it shredded him. The ghost wraiths’ speed shook him to the core, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he had what it took to become a true guardian.
Time marched on, and Zev turned eighteen at the Sokwe Recon Oasis. On his birthday, two messages arrived on his Theria Guild console. The first was from Officer Kwaro, who wrote that two more girls had vanished after Amare, leaving only the faintest traces behind.
The second message was from his father, Luca: “We’re doing better. Happy birthday, Son.”
Zev replied to neither. Instead, he immersed himself in training. He had just received his Theria Guild combat armor4, far heavier than the white cadet gear he’d worn before. Crafted from advanced metal and flexible fabric, it conformed to his body while shielding him from most ghost wraith attacks.
Still, a ghost wraith’s bite was brutal enough to tear through an arm if it latched on hard and long. Only speed and skill could keep him safe.
The armor came in two pieces: trousers and a matching vest. His feet were in steel-toed military boots that required a fresh kind of dexterity to run and fight in. Fine black steel gloves protected his hands, while a helmet, engineered by Santi Corp, offered communication, real-time health tracking, and mission monitoring.
Every strike, dodge, and clash against a ghost wraith was recorded and analyzed by KISTech Researchers, who studied ghost wraith behavior, and by Theria Guild technicians, who used it for weapons development and advanced training.
Sometimes Zev caught himself studying the helmet’s inner workings, an echo of the technological fascination he once held. But that dream had evaporated with the old life he’d left behind. Now he was a Theria Guild Guardian whose sole mission was to protect the people and destroy ghost wraiths.
Finally, he received a cloak, clipped to his shoulders. Its color changed by rank; his was green5. The most revered cloak in the Theria Guild was red, reserved for the elite Strike Force Squad; an elusive unit that enjoyed unfettered freedom and resources. None knew exactly how to join, only that they accepted the absolute best.
Zev vowed he would someday wear that red cloak.
For four years after his eighteenth birthday, he lived, breathed, and trained for one goal: to earn a place in the Strike Force Squad, and to avenge the brothers and the life he had lost.
<<Previous | TOC | Next>>
Footnotes:
- The Swala Force is a unit within the Theria Guild Guardians, which is Afrotheria’s powerful army tasked with protecting its citizens from ghost wraiths. It serves as the starting point for newest recruits in the Theria Guild. ↩︎
- Mobibus – a public bus powered by solar power. ↩︎
- The Santi Corp Simulation Training Room is a specialized, large, dome-like chamber used by the Theria Guild Guardians for training purposes. Cadets, such as Zev Mablevi, use this room to practice combating ghost wraiths in simulated environments. ↩︎
- The Theria Guild Combat armor is a sophisticated and heavy protective gear worn by Guardians, the members of Afrotheria’s powerful army. This armor is distinct from the lighter cadet gear worn by new recruits during simulation training. ↩︎
- The Theria Guild Guardians wear cloaks, and the color of the cloak indicates a Guardian’s rank. Green Cloak: This is the color worn by Staff Sergeant Zev Mablevi, indicating his rank. Black Cloak: This color is worn by a squad leader. The Red Cloak is the “most revered cloak” in the Theria Guild and is reserved for the elite Strike Force Squad. These Guardians are the “absolute best” and are part of an elusive unit with unfettered freedom and resources. ↩︎
Leave a comment