Annabelle’s Bastion

There was an odd quintet in Bastion Academy.

A group of people who, despite their ordinary circumstances, lack of talent, and terrible placement records, were merrier than even the best students. Losing every battle in their combat classes seemed to not affect them.

One of them, the de facto leader, was a large man with a fade and dark brown hair combed neatly to the side. His dark brown eyes made him seem deadly in a perpetual squint, but he was anything but. A gentle bear, as his comrades so eloquently put it. But his name was Fred. At first, he was a favorite to win… but his enhancements took forever to reach the level he commanded them to—so he lost… repeatedly.

The next man, the one closest to the leader, was of the shorter variety. He had short, messy ash-brown hair, hazel eyes, and a pair of rectangular glasses. One would not be mistaken to treat him as an advisor for the entire group. His knowledge was appreciated, though it tended to be quite burdensome. His name was Rich. If only the battles in Bastion weren’t so fast-paced and melee-centric. If he could stay back and be more analytical? He may have won his battles.

Every friend group needed comedic relief, especially when suffering from the burden of heavy expectations, and that came in the third man. A man of average height, with his short hair dyed dark green and mischievous brown eyes. His name was Alex. Contrary to the rest, he simply didn’t care much for winning those fights. Of course, not that being weak was a pleasant feeling.

Then there was a woman, another of average height. She had long blonde hair in curls and bright hazel eyes, eyes that wouldn’t lead one to believe she had lost nearly all her spars. Actually, with one victory, she was technically the best in her group. But her rings took too long to form, eliminating her adaptability in combat. She was Elise.

Beside her, another girl, one of shorter-than-average height, with short, platinum blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. She seemed shy and took a natural position slightly behind the arm of the blonde woman. Her fights were interesting. She had no issues with her mana… she just didn’t want to fight. Even the thought of it terrified her. Even to this day, she wondered why her fellow Earthlings were so eager to beat on each other. She was Sophia, teased as the mascot of the group.

They were a tight-knit group, five people brought together by chance after their first combat classes. No connection on Earth, but a stronger connection in Bastion. And that was invaluable.

From their first encounter at the academy, where they bonded over their losses in their respective combat classes, to today. The day of Annabelle Frost’s highly publicized fight with Jared Castello. They all watched it carefully, filled with awe, respect... and jealousy.

They trained together, shared knowledge, and created a powerful bond in shared weakness and desire for growth.

And yet, despite their predicaments, the hope in their eyes never faded. 

Annabelle Frost, the girl they met in an odd encounter by the cliffside, and Aria, the enigmatic monster with profound strength. Those two could be credited with it.

“That was... an amazing fight,” Fred, the leader man, with reveration in his deep tone. Even saying that felt like a gross understatement to the man. He still felt the exhilaration from watching it.

They knew the fight was happening because a few people ran around the whole island, broadcasting it to literally everybody. A supposed redemption match between a cheater and the cheated. At least, that’s what they called it in advertising.

But the group knew better. Annabelle Frost, that short, adorable girl obsessed with mana control? No way she was a cheater.

“You’re telling me, man.” Alex quickly added, nodding his agreement. “A supporter beat a combatant? With her fists?! That’s fucking crazy!” As he spoke, he mimicked Annabelle’s punch that ended Jared.

“She’s obviously been trained in martial arts at some point,” Rich, ever the logical one, explained. “Her opponent, Jared, was just a brute given a modicum of power.” He sighed. He was jealous. Of course, he was. “Yes, though... it was impressive.”

“All of us would have lost,” Elise said sadly, dousing her whole group in the cold waters of reality. ”No competition.”

“Is it really all just talent?” Sophia said, a depression tinging her otherwise cute voice. “Are we... never going to make it to that level?” For her, it didn’t seem anywhere close to a possibility.

Nobody responded.

None of them could respond. After all, there wasn’t much to be said. Whether it be the degree of their enhancements, the strength of their barriers, or the speed of their flow, they fell behind.

So, then, what was their path? 

“You chose supporter too, right, Elise?” Rich asked.

Elise nodded. “I did, but I’m not in her class.” Unfortunately, Elise would love the chance to share even a little more information with Annabelle. But they hadn’t met since the first combat day.

“Right,” Rich said. “But do you think she used her Sigil? I didn’t see it, but she might have—”

“No!” Elise quickly interrupted. Was he going to say she activated it before the fight, cheating? “We only had one option as supporters, and she didn’t use it there.”

Of course, Elise couldn’t actually be certain of that. She wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between someone who used Hyper Enhancement and a normal mage. But the terrifying announcer would have!

“In other words...” Alex sighed. “Pure talent!”

“I don’t think so,” Sophia disagreed, the rarity drawing all the eyes in the group. Gazes that caused her to look down. “S-she just comprehended things we don’t.”

“But also talent,” Rich argued. Still, he shook his head. “I’m not dismissing her efforts, of course. But natural talent plays a big part here, as our combat trainers have said. Otherwise, why would even Fred lose?” 

Fred stopped, and his group stopped with him. 

“What’s up, big guy?” Alex asked.

For a moment, Rich thought he offended the gentle giant!

“Things need to change,” Fred said simply. Yet his tone, his body language. It conveyed the desire he had to attain a similar status to that of Annabelle Frost.

“Of course,” Rich agreed.

The rest nodded as well. 

“But... how?” Alex asked. He had the same desire, of course. In fact, he’d place his hopes right up there with Fred. Despite his nature, he wanted strength.

“I… don’t know,” Fred said, his head down and fists clenched tightly. Their magic journey had only just begun, yet the feeling that he was getting left behind—an ordinary human among titans—kept growing.

“M-maybe… maybe we can ask Aria to—” Sophia started, only for a sudden shiver to shake the entire group.

“How... I wonder,” a woman’s voice disrupted their conversation. 

The entire group whipped their heads around, but none could identify the source of the mysterious, distorted voice. 

“Who are you?” Fred, ever the leader, broke from his silence first. But he could hardly move a muscle, let alone attempt to put up a fight.

“Tell me, is your bond powerful? Will you be together once the academy ends?”

Nobody answered, not even Fred. They all felt that should they answer—should they converse with it—they would be committing a grave sin. To whom? They didn’t know.

“It’s a simple question, is it not? Or is your bond that fragile, built only to host yourselves up?”

“No!” Sophia suddenly shouted. “W-we’re… friends.”

Each member of the group looked at each other, and each saw the same thing in the other’s eyes.

Fred resolutely nodded. “Of course.”

The others nodded as well.

“Yeah!”

“I do view us as… friends.”

“Of course!”

The voice chuckled, its masked sound and hidden identity earning another shiver from each of them.

“Then you’re just what I need.”

“And... what… what is that?” Rich asked.

“Bottom of the barrel and a strong connection—you will be my students.” 

“Who are you?” Fred asked again. 

Fred knew it was a mage, but he wasn’t so quick to trust someone using a fake voice and hiding their face. Even if the desire had already been planted with just those words. He didn’t think himself so easily swayed… but after that fight, he knew there were no easy roads to strength.

“Your new master,” the voice answered. “Your group will be the result of my methods, and your meteoric rise will prove to the world my capability. See? We both get something.”

“What does that mean?” In another rare instance, Sophia asked what was on everyone’s mind.

“Simple, really. You will rise to the top outside of my… competitors’ methods. Your records, marked by repeated defeats, will suddenly be pristine.”

“Is that—” Elise started but paused. She intended to ask if it was an attempt to alter the way the academy worked. She heard from her dorm master that the academy was a constant subject of harsh debate. Nobody really knew the best way to run it. It wasn’t far-fetched to think someone wanted to prove something in order to usurp power over the place. “Are you trying—”

“No more questions, accept or deny.”

“We accept!” Fred took the initiative to say. He felt immeasurably guilty for speaking for his friends, but how could he not?

However, Rich just sent Fred a reasurring smile. For him, even if the new teacher was vile, they could figure out some way to report it. With how strict the place was with their rules, he fully believed they could try something… hopefully.

Nobody in that group would have rejected it. While the timing was suspiciously convenient, and they all knew it, it was simply too tempting. Despite the bravado about growing in strength, they knew it to be practically impossible. The academy had thousands of people! How many were just as desperate as them?

The voice knew, and they knew it knew. 

Would they be able to rise on their own?

Probably not.

“Very good! You will suffer, students, but it will not be in vain.”