Nero listened in silence as Gabriel explained the dangers he would face, and the complicated social situations he would encounter. The words were different, the topics were different, the concern was different, but Nero could see a pattern.
Whether it was Footer, who was warning him of the dangers of the military, or Gabriel warning of the dangers of the great families, all Nero could sense was the fear in them. They were not cowards, far from it, but on some level, they had let a certain fear take hold of them.
That fear brought out their cautious side, and the instinct to avoid the danger they were fearing. They had not said that in so many words, but Nero could feel it nonetheless. The fear had a grip on them that even they did not seem to realise.
Maybe they had suffered a certain defeat, a setback, some kind of inconvenience or great pain, or maybe they just thought that Nero would not be able to handle it, but whatever it was, they had allowed others a certain power over themselves.
But Nero did not understand fear. He had felt it on occasion, for sure. When he was on the verge of being choked to death by vines, his body had certainly felt a wave of fear, amidst everything else it was feeling. But in his mind, Nero did not know fear. He did not understand it, nor would he let it slow his footsteps.
He was not a fool, and understood the need for caution, but he just could not understand why those around him could not see what he saw. Footer and Gabriel were both capable men, so why did they only see the dangers of the upcoming event, and not the opportunities?
Nero was not afraid of picking sides. He was not afraid of politics and families and networking with his superiors. These were all opportunities. He had been working hard to raise his strength, but personal connections were also a form of strength, and he would never shy away from an opportunity to grow stronger.
So Nero said nothing as Gabriel talked. He only listened. He absorbed all his warnings, all his knowledge of traps, all the potential dangers, and not only memorised them to watch out for them, but also to add into his own arsenal. Just because he was a nobody now did not mean he would always be a nobody.
The tools and techniques that were adequate to be used by the rich and powerful today would be his tools and techniques tomorrow, if not more refined versions of them.
Nero felt himself recede from the world into his mind, and everything happening around him seemed to become a play, of sorts. Over the next couple of days when he trained, when he ate, when he rested, when he studied, when he prepared for the coming event, to him it all seemed like he was just watching a play.
He became a little more silent over these days, and worked just a little bit harder. Those around him sensed the subtle change and thought that maybe he was feeling the pressure. But that was not it. He was just reminding himself that for all the warnings anyone gave him, if the powerful wanted to use him, it could not be stopped.
He had no recollection of it, which is why he had doubts, and was almost certain that the time he had pointed a finger at a sage, he was being manipulated somehow. But he felt no anger at being used, though he rightly should have been angry. Instead, he accepted that the powerful had used him, and focused on how he could benefit from it.
For better or for worse, he was about to enter the public view, even if only briefly. He had to think about how he could use that to his benefit.
Like this, amidst his training, preparation and introspection, Friday arrived. When he woke up that morning it felt no different than yesterday, even though that day held a lot more potential than before.
Nero woke up even before his alarm went off, but that did not stop him from getting up. He entered the shower and cleaned himself rigorously. Today, more than any other day, he could not allow even the smallest of flaws, for he would be heavily scrutinised. Every fault or blemish in his performance would be a weakness that could be exploited.
He had prepared a new uniform set for today. Although it would still just be his school uniform, and nothing special, it reflected his status as a student. Footer also approved, although dressing up formally was also an option.
Nero adorned himself with the uniform, making sure that it remained creaseless even after he put it on. Something strange happened while he was doing so. As he buttoned up his shirt, he felt himself leave the strange state of observation he had entered a few days prior, and returned to his normal self.
He had made all the preparations he could. Now it was time to act on them.
Once he was fully dressed, and his hair combed to perfection, and observed himself in a full length mirror, checking for any flaws. Once he was sure there were none, he retrieved a card given to him the day prior.
Name: Pristine figure
Image: A mannequin wearing a suit
Type: Augmentation
Star rank: 0
Ability: [Freeze the state of the users apparel, preventing them from creasing, staining or wrinkling]
Flavour text: "First impressions last," - Tony Furgessun
Nero had heard of cards that were used solely for everyday, mundane reasons, but had never encountered them. Pristine figure was not something he had been familiar with, and was something Vanessa had given him, but he appreciated how useful it could be.
Not that he didn't trust her or anything, but he tried it out several times since he got it to test its limits. Discovering no issue, and learning exactly what it would take to ruin the effects of the card, Nero was confident that it would be helpful and that he could maintain it throughout.
Apparently, this Tony Furgessun was a well known figure in Nova, and though he was not an artisan, he was the one who had commissioned such a card to be crafted in the first place. The only flaw, if it could be called a flaw, was that this card only worked on his clothes, and would not keep his hair from swaying with the wind. That was also why he had gotten a haircut yesterday.
With everything ready, he departed. Gabriel and his friends would have liked to join him, but they were not allowed. They would have to watch him on stream. That was why, early in the morning before the sun even began to rise, Nero left his apartment, leaving his knife and cards behind, and walked out.
Footer, as well as a few guards, were standing waiting for him outside the hostel gates alongside a military jeep. The fact that his teacher had somehow managed to get himself an invitation was quite impressive, since the ceremony was meant to be extremely restricted, and would have surprised Nero a lot more had he not known the man was actually from Whisper guard.
There were no words exchanged. The guards simply checked Nero's ID card to verify his identity, before allowing him to sit in the jeep alongside the stern teacher, who even now wore no additional expressions on his face.
The drive was a long one. Nero did not know the actual venue, but he was mildly surprised when the jeep drove through the gates surrounding Aetherpeak and out into the open country. Venturing out was usually not the safest experience, but maybe that was not such a major concern on that day specifically.
Nero watched the passing trees and the distant, foggy mountains as the sky began to lighten little by little. It was difficult to keep track of the roads they were taking in the darkness, but Nero tried to learn the route nevertheless.
An hour went by, and then another. By the time they reached the military base which was their destination, the sun had already parted ways from the horizon.
Within the base there was a sudden shift. He went from seeing vast, open lands with few to no humans at all, to a suddenly packed environment with large grey walls that blocked off the view.
But no matter how high they built the walls, they could not block out the towering mountains. This was the closest Nero had ever come to the mountains themselves and the fog around them. He was pretty sure this base was also new, though there was no way of knowing.
Whatever the case, the base was filled with a vibrancy and energy that thoroughly enticed Nero. Hundreds of soldiers manned the walls, and even more filled the massive base itself. Even though he could see signs of many non-military personnel having come, that did not interfere with the operations here. Nero could feel the power of thousands of soldiers in every brick and stone in this base.
It resonated with him.