The Metal Military Academy
Chapter 8: The Box

10 Days later....

“Shining light.... My seeds.... Confidently.”

“I can't believe.... Hi, thou.... A transvestite.”

The digital clock on the nightstand was immediately booted apart by the figure of a young man who was already literate on the bed. She had just woken up after hearing the song alarm from the digital clock she had set.

His silver eyes were still literate, even more visible glaring towards the white ceiling of his room.

“Alarmnya nyebelin.”

....

Whistling merrily, Ardan who had just finished bathing and dressed was mirrored in the mirror of the closet while ruffling his pink hair. He was so cool with his orange vest that it still showed the shape of his muscles, t-shirt tops, cargo pants, and boots.

“Wih.... Who is this most handsome guy?” pede said.

While busy praising himself, his gaze turned to one of the teak wood framed photographs hung on the wall. The photo shows a man and a woman smiling while hugging happily to the camera.

The woman had curly black hair with beautiful round silver eyes and fair skin. While the orange-haired man was messy by wearing a headband, yellow-silver heterochrome eyes with a wound in one eye, and has a mature brown skin color.

“Dad.... Mother...”

Ardan drew closer to the photo, looking deeper into it while putting both hands in his pants pocket.

Yeah, they're both Ardan's real parents. Sania Cordelia Wezz as the mother, and Astan Pradipta Cornell as the father. Both have not been together for long. Sania dies right after giving birth to Ardan, while Astan is rumored to die in the middle of the battlefield.

His eyes are now more focused on the figure of the father. During this time, Astan has been very meritorious to be a single parent in the midst of his busy life who was working as one of the members of the military unit. Ardan attended the Space Military Academy because he was motivated by the struggles of his father in the past who is known as the most meritorious figure.

“Dad.” Ardan spoke as if he were facing his father directly. “This week I ‘dah started entering the academy again. Already entered level two.”

Ardan briefly bit his lip before continuing, “I'm sorry, Dad. Yesterday, I let go of using the power of Arms Control. B-but, don't worry. No one knows my true strength. I'm still hiding that power like you asked me to.”

“I see, that power is very dangerous. Especially now that I still can't control it properly, and the source of his own strength is also too strong, making it difficult for me to perfect it. I promise you I'll hide this power well and take care of it, Dad. And while in heaven, I beg you and Mother to pray for me the best as long as I fight in this world.”

Ardan gave a happy smile. “You are my best father, Father.”

Then his gaze shifted to the figure of Sania, his mother.

“Mother, I have never met you in my entire life. But I'm sure you're the best mother who fought to bring me into this beautiful world and risked my life. I hope you can settle down there with Dad too. Thank God for giving my best parents for me even if it's only temporary.”

Ardan looked down sad, but he raised his face again with a distinctive smile that could always make anyone happy when he saw it.

Yes, even though Ardan has lost both his parents. But, he should not be drawn into grief. He will fight to be a great warrior, proud of his parents who are already with God.

“Ardan..!”

Ardan turned his head towards the door when he heard a knock accompanied by the sound of a woman calling out to him.

“Eh? Login, Bi.”

The door was opened, revealing a mature woman who still looked young at her age who was no longer young. Coupled with his tiny body that is only limited to Ardan's chest.

The woman had long black hair graded green, a pair of honey-brown eyes, and wore formal all-black clothing. He also carried a long city in his hand, walking in toward Ardan.

The woman was named Arni Siragan, Ardan's aunt who had been taking care of her after Astan's death. Together with her husband, Arni took care of, nurtured, and financed Ardan's needs and education like her own son.

“Morning, Ardan.” greet Arni with a smile.

“Morning too, Aunt Arni,” reply Ardan with a smile anyway.

“How is the preparation? Are you all ready?”

A moment Ardan saw his gloomy backpack was already on the bed. “Udah everything, Bi. At least check again, only times there is forgetfulness packed.”

Arni nodded, then asked again, “Today have just entered, Dan? Didn't you start attending the academy on Monday? It's still Thursday, you know.”

Ardan shuffled his gray hair for a moment. “Aaa..... My friend yesterday contacted me, he asked me to change’in his friend who can not attend to take care of orientation activities tomorrow.”

“Oh, yes.... Same Rafa too, huh? Nadia just entered akmil this year, meaning you and Rafa are following her orientation period, right?”

Ardan replied, “Depends on the group, anyway, Bi. Can only later Nadia entered the group that did not me or Rafa take care of. You see, it had not been able to check the list of orientation groups.”

After chatting for a while, Arni handed the box he brought earlier to Ardan. Of course the man was confused and curious about what was in the box and what Arni handed the box to him for.

“What's this, Bi?”

“Open,” pinta Arni with a smile.

Ardan opened the box. He was quite surprised by the contents of the box. It contained a familiar headband cloth he saw and a tube covered in black cloth.

Ardan was almost speechless when he saw those things. “A-sau, Bi.... It—.”

“That's your father's relics. I just found it while unloading the warehouse yesterday,” replied Arni.

Ardan did not expect that Astan's relics were still here, and the items still look good, especially the headband that has always been an iconic item belonging to his father.

Arni also began to explain one by one the two items, starting from the patterned reddish-brown headband.

“This is the headband that your father has always used since he was a hunter. The fabric is made of the best materials, so it remains durable to tens or even hundreds of years.”

“It's a very mandatory item I use, isn't it?”

Arni responds with a smile at Ardan's guess, “That's right.”

Then, Arni takes the last object, which is a tube covered by a black cloth. Ardan himself was curious about the thing. For a long time, he never knew that his father kept such a mysterious object.

Before opening the cloth covering the body of the tube, Arni asked, “You remember the story of your father who experienced illusions and strange possession while infiltrating a spaceship?”

Ardan nodded back. He recalled the story where since then Astan struggled to free himself from the influence of illusions that had been influenced by some kind of system or something that Ardan did not understand.

Fortunately, the present-day Life System has been abolished.

“Well, this is the main cause of your father is often disturbed illusion.”

Arni also opened the black cloth. After opening, how shocked Ardan to know the contents of the glass tube.

...~*~*~*~...

Lyric Source: Fluxcup 🗿