"Here, I won't be allowed to take this inside," said Nero as he handed his mother his dagger. Back when he had synchronised, his mother had packed this dagger for him. It had been a part of his travel bag, and it had accompanied him through a lot. This dagger had saved his life on more than one occasion, and honestly it was quite unbelievable that it was still with him to begin with.
Yet now, it was time to part with it. The dagger had some wear on the blade, not to mention the handle, but that wasn't the reason for their separation. Once Nero entered KMA, he would officially be a cadet. Besides his cards, he would not be allowed to bring anything, and even the cards would be inspected by professionals - the reason he would not be able to take Radix Augmentation inside with him.
It wasn't like Nero would be without weapons - he would be provided weapons inside the academy. It just felt a little sentimental giving up the weapon - a relatively new occurrence. Previously, it wasn't that Nero was without emotions, he was just able to ignore them perfectly. Now… he was learning to give value to his emotions from time to time as well.
Marilyn took the dagger and brushed her fingers over the blade, feeling all the minor dents and nicks that it had accumulated. Since her innate ability was similar to Nero's in the sense that it absorbed the cold, she had resistance to the cold - though it was nowhere near as strong as Nero's near immunity.
Even so, the blade felt cold to her finger tips, the grooves and dents in it gave her a chill down the spine. Each of those had been earned in dire combat, with his life on the line. Feeling them, she felt grateful for how hard she had gone on them in their childhood. Who knew if Nero would have survived if she had gone any easier on them, or if Edward had not trained them so intensely.
"I'll have a new one ready for you when you graduate," she said, putting the dagger away. "Until then, you'll have to make do with standard army issue blades."
Nero smiled, looking at his mother dismissing army equipment as if it was cheap trash. Weapons were something the army absolutely did not hold back on.
"I'll be in the academy. I likely won't get much opportunity to use a dagger," Nero said, which earned a dismissive snort from his mother.
"What do you know? All third year and onwards get deployed on missions to steadily accumulate practical experience. Even before then, do you think that you're going on a vacation? Son, before this, you had it easy. This is the part where you actually join the army - everything prior was just a preview."
Instead of being daunted or intimidated by his mothers words, Nero grinned widely. That was the one thing he was looking forward to. Not joining the army, and not going to KMA - no, the thing Nero anticipated was having access to the best teachers, and the best educational system in the world, regardless of how tough it was going to be. Nero did not fear hardship.
"Take a good, long look at yourself before we head out," Irene said, adding to the conversation. "I don't know how it is in KMA, but I know regular enlistees have their hair shaved off."
As she spoke, Irene could not help but run her fingers through her own hair. The idea of shaving it off gave her shivers! Girls also had to get a cut, though at least they were spared the indignity of the extremely close cut that boys got.
Nero smirked as he glanced at himself in the mirror. Although he liked having hair, he wouldn't be too bothered even if it was shaved off.
"Alright, that's enough chit chat. Let's go or we'll be late," said Marilyn, glancing at the time. Outside, the sun had not yet begun to rise, but that was for the best because Nero needed to report by dawn.
Thus, under the stern gaze of his mother, Nero set out once more. Somehow, it reminded him of that early morning he had begun his journey as a Neophyte. There was a mix of excitement and anticipation coursing through his body, temporarily subduing the immense desire for strength that otherwise ruled his being.
Even though the sky was dark, the crescent moon and the countless stars added a hint of light to the otherwise endless void of blackness overhead. Down below, the town was covered in the soft, yellow of the streetlights, with regular patrols walking through the streets.
Despite the distance that they needed to cover, the three of them walked, softly chatting amongst themselves as they went - like a family heading to a picnic.
It was a harmonious sight, and one that filled Nero with a kind of warmth that even he was not immune to. Yet when they approached the building where they would see Nero off, there was no reluctance in his heart. He would see them again, but before that, there was a lot he needed to do.
"Well, this is it," Nero said, smiling at his mother. "Don't miss me too much, and try not to kill dad. I know both will be hard, but I believe in you."
Irene chuckled as she rubbed his head.
"Go get them. Show them what you're made of," she said warmly.
Marilyn, though she wore a neutral expression, also bid him farewell - in her own way.
"Go and make me proud," she said, revealing none of the many surging emotions within her. In public, she never displayed affection openly. It was not the way of things. Yet Nero did not mind. In her seemingly succinct message, he heard all the things she left unsaid.
Instead of prolonging things, Nero waved at his family, and then turned around to enter the building. Unlike last time, he had no luggage save the clothes on his back and his card case attached to his belt.
When he entered, Nero found that he was not the first to arrive, as the building already had almost a dozen other kids, all around his age, sitting in chairs waiting. He scanned the faces, hoping to find someone he knew, but was disappointed.
It made sense, actually. Everyone he knew who was going to attend KMA should have already joined months ago. He was late, but no matter. The delay had been worth it.