Aurora felt arms gently hold her body before she fell forward after opening the door. As her mind was raging with near madness by the number of times she experienced her own death, she heard a soft whisper into her ear, "You were wonderful and made me proud. I do this so that you'll be ready, so forgive me."

Her mind felt like it was spinning as she tried to grasp onto the words spoken so lovingly to her, though they were already floating away into a fog of memories.

"I really hate the Pit," she mumbled groggily.

The voice chuckled sadly and said, "I know. Sleep now and dream of beautiful things." The voice faded away as Aurora lost consciousness and drifted into the darkness.

-------

Opening her eyes, Aurora saw a white ceiling and the sounds of flowing water. "I'm out," she whispered and sighed. Breathing in, there was the smell of roasted meat and spiced vegetables. Her stomach growled in response to the smell of delicious food.

"I figured you'd be hungry when you came to, so I had this prepared and ready for when you began showing signs of waking up," Melody said to her.

Aurora turned her head over to see Melody carefully placing dishes on top of a table. "How long was I out?"

"You were asleep for a day, but don't worry. The First Blade already wired over a message to all your professors to explain why you'd be missing classes. You've always taken a long time to recover from experiencing the Pit." Melody walked over to the bed Aurora was resting on. Laying a hand on top of Aurora's, she continued, "Blair, is waiting to hear that you've woken, so I'll have someone inform her. By the time she arrives, you should have finished eating and can great her at the entrance."

"Thanks, Melody," Aurora said as she slowly got out of the bed. Melody's footsteps could be heard walking out of the room. Placing both feet on the warm wooden floor, Aurora turned her head and rolled it as the last bit of drowsiness left her. Raising her right hand, she ran her fingers through her hair and shook off the memories from inside of the Pit. "I just need to put some food in me and I'll be fine, again," she told herself.

Reaching the table, she pulled back one of the chairs and sat down. In the middle was some roasted beef with some type of sauce drizzled over it. A bowl of rice was next to the meat. Looking like a fan, there were small dishes that had a variety of side dishes. She smiled seeing the spicy pickle, spinach, and spicy fermented cabbage amongst the dishes.

The number of cultures that existed inside of the university was bountiful, allowing students to experience a wide variety of influences they usually wouldn't be able to be exposed to in their small world. Aurora hadn't known that she was part of a larger culture until she arrived at the university, and appreciated being allowed to get in touch with her heritage.

Raising her left fist towards her head and having the thumb touch her forehead, Aurora thanked the Creator for all that he had done for her. She smiled thinking about how she had never been a religious person, but after learning more about the Creator and his ideals, Aurora felt drawn to the belief shared in the school.

Grabbing the chopsticks, she plunged into the meal. First eating the rice, she waved her hand at her mouth due to how hot it still was. Quickly, Aurora grabbed some spinach which cooled her mouth. The taste of the spinach and rice was excellent.

This time she grabbed a piece of the roasted meat. The taste of the slightly charred meat and light seasoning was what she needed, she could feel her body recovering. As she chewed, the juices from the meat seemed to explode in her mouth a small amount leaked out and dribbled down her chin. Grabbing a napkin, Aurora wiped off the grease and continued in her meal.

-----

Walking down the hallway, Aurora grinned as she saw Blair waiting for her at the entrance. Blair was chatting with Melody, when Blair noticed Aurora standing off to the side.

"Aurora! This is why I told you we needed to wake up early!" Blair ran towards Aurora and gave Aurora and fierce hug.

"Ooof! Happy to see you too." Aurora recovered her balance and hugged Blair. She was happy to see Blair again, especially after such a horrific experience.

Blair then pushed Aurora away and placed her hands on Aurora's face. "Are you okay? You look tired." Blair's face looked worried as she looked into Aurora's eyes.

"I'm okay. Really, I'm fine. You worry too much, Blair." Aurora tried to cheer Blair up.

"I wouldn't have to worry if you'd just listen to me," Blair punched Aurora on the shoulder angrily. "I knew you'd get in trouble with the First Blade and get sent into the Pit. A part of me wanted to run up to the First Blade and try to convince her, but I knew that it wouldn't do anything." Blair's face drooped as she recounted her memories. Then she punched Aurora again in the shoulder.

"Stop. Why are you hitting me?" Aurora asked as she rubbed her shoulder.

Ignoring her question, Blair looked at Melody and said, "Thanks, for letting me know that Aurora was out of the Pit and woke up. I know that the Knight business is usually..."

"Don't worry about it. I was also worried about Aurora and figured it would be worse for you, and figured I would want someone to let me know what was happening to someone I love." Melody said from her seat.

Blair had a thankful smile which turned to a glare when she looked at Aurora.

Aurora flinched at Blair's glare.

Looking at Melody again, Blair asked, "Is it alright if I take Aurora back with me?"

"I'm sorry, Blair, but Aurora will be needed later for a meeting," Melody said.

"Wait..., I thought Knights were allowed to skip training after coming out of the Pit?!" Blair demanded. After realizing she had shouted, her cheeks reddened.

Melody looked around and glanced down at her desk, likely checking something. She raised a cupped hand to her mouth and whispered, "This is related to what Ms. Winter had announced during the formation. It's not supposed to be available to the student population yet, but Aurora will be gone for a while on a mission. Just don't let people know that I told you."

Aurora could tell that Blair was about to yell up a storm, so she moved her hand and covered Blair's mouth so that only a stifled yell was heard. Judging by the look, Blair was giving her; Aurora sighed knowing that she was going to get an earful.

"Thanks, Aurora. Blair, I know that you're not happy with this news, but there's nothing that can be done about it. You'll also be in trouble if any of the Knights find out you knew, worse if one of the Blades find out."

When Blair looked a lot calmer, Aurora removed her hand from covering Blair's mouth. "Babe,..."

"You'll hear about this later," Blair cut her off.

Aurora didn't take Blair's words to heart, especially seeing Blair's trembling lips. She knew that Blair was trying her best to stay strong and avoiding any waterworks. Blair tried to be the strong one in the relationship, so she didn't care to cry in front of Aurora.

From Melody's silence, she likely understood what was happening.

Taking Blair into her arms, Aurora held someone that she loved dearly.

"I hate you," Blair said into her shoulder.

"I know," was all Aurora could say, not responding to the wet spot growing on her shoulder.

The two stayed like that for several moments, before Blair moved away. She took the box of tissues Melody offered, saying a word of thanks. Turning away from the two of them, Blair began wiping her face.

It was fortunate that it was the norm for most girls not to wear makeup, considering the mascara that would likely run down Blair's face after crying. Walking over to one of the trash units, Blair threw out the used tissues and went back to give Melody the box.

"Aurora, I just received a notice," Melody said.

"Knight, your presence is being requested in the Blades' planning area," Vera spoke to her through the earpiece.

"I just received the notice," Aurora said to Melody. Looking at Blair, "Sorry, I have...," she tried to say.

Blair held up a hand and shook her head. "I know."

When Aurora looked at Melody, she saw Melody nod her head about looking after Blair. She went down the hallway that was restricted to only Knights. Instead of going towards the elevator, she went up the stairs next to them. The upper level was reserved for those with the title of Blade given to them by Ms. Winter and the administration of the university, even if a Blade were to be defeated in the selection tournament a Blade title transfer had to be approved by them. With how much importance was placed on the title of Blade, resources were rained down on the ten top-level Knights.

At the top of the stairs was a door with an electronic lock on it. The lock glowed green when it sensed her near it. In the corners of the ceiling were several cameras that could see from any angle for added security. Sliding open the second door was seen. After the first door closed, there was silence before the second door's security lock turned green. The pause was due to a scan that was made to ensure that no listening devices were on the individual.

Walking into the secure level, Aurora saw a group of individuals sitting casually on a circular couch with a table in the middle. The funny part of the sofa was how it had no opening for people to walk in, so you were expected to jump over the couch into your seat. Getting out required a person to flip back. For a Blade, such a thing was easy for them which was likely why no one found it an annoyance.

"So our Sleeping Princess is finally awake?" Yazmin called out to her.

"Don't remind me," Aurora tilted her head back and sighed, thinking about the Pit.

"Yeah. Melody told us how long Zara had you inside of the Pit, which I think is the longest anyone has been inside there. Zara must have been really annoyed by your being late." Ellis commented.

The others sitting on the sofa nodded their heads in agreement.

"How many times?" Yazmin asked.

Aurora shook her head at the question. "I think I lost track after my eighth death."

"Wow! I've never lasted for that long before!" Pearl commented, who was sitting next to Yazmin.

"Yeah. I think I average around fifteen minutes after making contact with those things, which means you've been in there for a long time." Yazmin agreed with Pearl.

"The only reason why our Princess is the Fifth Blade is that of her sleeping habits and motivation level. If she were to fix those things, she could easily take over the Third Blade position." Opal laughed and elbowed Macy.

"You two suck," Lexi grumbled at Opal's insinuation and Macy joining in on Opal's teasing.

"Stop teasing Lexi, Opal," Ida lectured.

There was banter amongst them as they made fun of one another, Aurora enjoying the feeling of closeness between the eight of them.

A pair of footsteps were heard, and a sharp voice said, "You eight are acting like children. Just because the others can't see your behavior doesn't mean you can slack off in your professionalism."

"Yes, teacher," Opal mocked. Macy snickered at Opal's comment.

Xia's face turned murderous at hearing Opal's words and Macy's laugh.

Aurora kept imagining Xia as the evil stepmother that no one liked but had to deal with because that's how it was.

"Opal and Macy," Zara's voice was quiet, but its effect was instantaneous.

Both Opal and Macy looked like children who knew that they were in trouble. Everyone else was quiet, not wanting to receive Zara's disappointed voice which was worse than Xia's lectures.

Zara nodded her head when everyone was behaving correctly. Xia stood next to her, looking furious for not having the same effect as Zara but hiding it well.

"Aurora, I'm sorry that you won't be allowed to receive time to recover, but we have things that need to be done," Zara said sympathetically.

"I understand, Zara," Aurora said looking at her and giving a smile.

Zara didn't say anything, but there was a look of approval in her eyes. Addressing the rest of them, Zara said, "All of you were there to listen to Ms. Winter's words about what needs to be done. Our jobs are mainly to train and get ready for any combat situation, but now we'll be in charge of training students that aren't a part of the combat portion of the university."

Several of them nodded at Zara's words.

"But before then, we need to get a better understanding of what's happening on the ground. We have received some information through The Wire, but most of them don't paint a holistic picture of the situation. There seems to be a lot of confusion and misinformation related to these creatures."

No one seemed to move at listening to Zara's words. Aurora gulped thinking about what Zara was insinuating, and Aurora hoped what was going through her mind was wrong.

"We need to start working towards connecting the survivors in a way that'll help improve humanity's chance of surviving. This means that we'll be going on the battlefield and fighting against those creatures. The plan is for the Blades and several teams to look around the area, close to one of the surviving settlements and make contact." Zara explained.

Zara likely understood what was going through everyone's minds so she said, "Yes. This will be a live combat situation. Based on our estimate there will be a significant loss of life, but this is something that needs to be done."

"We're with you, First Blade, and let the Creator guide our journey," Ida said shakily.

"Don't worry, Tenth Blade, we have your back," Opal said, tapping the back of her hand on Macy, who nodded in agreement.

Ida smiled gratefully at them. Due to how Ida received her title, she was still lacking confidence and not feeling like she deserved being called a Blade.

Zara raised her hand and all of the Blades became attentive again. "Due to the nature of this mission, all of the Blades and Knights will not be allowed to leave this place. Departure will be in the morning, so all of you will be expected to get enough rest and be ready." At the last part, Zara looked directly at Aurora as if it was meant for her.

This caused all the Blades sitting on the couch to laugh. Even Zara's lips turned upwards in a small smile.

Aurora felt her face heating up from the embarrassment. It was even worse cause she couldn't argue against it.

Yazmin shouted out, "I get dibs in being Aurora's cuddle buddy and waking her up in the morning."

There were mock anger at Yazmin's words as if they also wanted to be Aurora's alarm clock. Everyone, aside from Xia, was understanding of Aurora's sleeping habits and was fond of her. They would make mock jeering noises whenever Blair was walking next to Aurora as if to say that she had stolen their cuddle pillow.

-----

Aurora was busy brushing her teeth, getting ready to sleep before the mission would begin. Even though she had stayed in the upper section, the building seemed to be filled with tension. Pearl and the others had mentioned how the Knights were looking stiff in anticipation to what they were going to see.

It was announced on the various screens and PA system which teams would be going on the mission. Each team is composed of ten Knights and three teams would be going along with the Blades.

"What are you thinking about?" Yazmin walked up to Aurora, just coming out of the baths, her hair wet.

"Thinking about how this mission is going to go down. Everyone, even us, lack real combat experience. Just thinking about how many are not going to come back..." Aurora's voice trailed off.

Yazmin placed a hand on Aurora's bare shoulder. "You can't think about it. It's something that's going to happen and nothing can be done about it. We can only hope that the Creator will guide those who fall into a better world." Yazmin lightly kissed Aurora's shoulder. "You have such a kind heart. It's probably the reason why you have that sleeping disorder."

"Maybe...," Aurora said unconvinced but appreciating Yazmin's words.

Spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing her mouth with water, she threw out the disposable toothbrush into one of the receptacles. In the changing room, she tore open the paper wrapping on her temporary sleeping wear. Feeling the soft fabric on her skin, she hummed a tune that she had heard when she was a kid.

"You always hum that tune," Yazmin commented as she also put on her sleeping wear.

Aurora shrugged her shoulders, saying, "It's just something I remember from when I was a kid. Sometimes I dream about when I was a kid and a woman who'd sing a song to me."

"I never hear you talk about your childhood," Yazmin said as the two of them walked towards the sleeping area for the Blades.

"There's nothing to talk about really. All that I remember is scrounging for food and just surviving. Even the memories of the woman are locked away where I can only see glimpses of her face." Aurora spoke softly.

The two of them walked into one of the rooms that had a light, a simple desk, and a bed. It was relatively minimalistic compared to the rest of the building. Aurora went to the far side of the bed and pulled the bed sheets, slipping under them. She soon felt arms wrap around her and Yazmin's face pressing against her back.

"What was she like?" she asked.

"In the dreams, she would smile happily at me and tell me how I was a special gift. The woman would hold me in her arms, and whisper how I was a special person. Then she would sing the same song about a woman waiting for the return of her loved one. Sometimes I would see her crying, but when I asked what was wrong she would tell me always to remember that 'in the eye of eternity, a moment away from a loved one is just a blink of an eye.'" Aurora moved her head and brushed aside the hair that fell in front of her face.

"She sounds like she really misses that person. I wonder if she was ever reunited with their loved one." Yazmin said. Her arms tightening around Aurora.

"I wish I knew if she was a real person and if she was, I wish she would tell me why I was abandoned..."