A misty haze hovered over the docking station amid the bright morning sun, casting it in an unusual array of light and shadow. It lasted for several hours before the sun finally won the battle, breaking through the fog and dispersing it, allowing a clear view of the docking station.

The Silent Whisper was held upward via a clear transparent glass that levitated above the water. Every ship was docked via levitation, to prevent them from falling into the water and thereby keeping them from the dangers of water damage. The water was a beautiful shade of shimmery turquoise, cheerfully provided by the ocean that flowed beside the steampunk city of Emerance.

The Gioden Shine was parked right beside the Silent Whisper, both ships in contrast with each other, both ships enjoying the warmth of the sunlight from above and the quiet soothing sound of the shimmery turquoise ocean water from below, the levitation glass providing the sturdy protection.

The Mijishian pirates were guarding Keth's ship. They had never seen a cell phone before and were trying to decipher the mystery of Vengimi's phone.

"What's this strange device?" Eevin Snet inquired as he turned the black Samsung Galaxy phone in his hand. It was a flip phone, the original 90's black cell phone. The battery was dead, so the screen didn't light up, and the phone was unable to receive any calls or messages.

"Is it a heat block? Those things you use to heat up food with?" Navid Tindrani wondered, holding a sandwich underneath the phone.

"Dude, it's cold and hard as a rock. If it was a heat block, it would've lit up or something," said Drew Lancer, tapping on the phone screen.

"Weird alien writing. Not sure what those letters or word markings are supposed to mean," Jace Winsgor mused. "Maybe it's a tracking device? Was the guy a criminal?"

"Didn't look like it," Navid said after he took a sip of his awesomely blended coffee with saffron and vanilla bean. "He looked totally innocent of crime."

"You know....I think it's a seashell. A very ugly seashell," said Eevin, admiring the phone.

Drew took the phone, opened it up, and shut it directly in front of Eevin's face. "Does this look like a seashell to you?"

Eevin blinked and backed away, startled. "Dude, don't do that again!"

"Or you'll what?" Drew menacingly held the phone towards Eevin, as if it was a weapon. "This thing is harmless."

"Maybe we should just throw it in the ocean," Jace suggested.

"What if it's worth something? We'd be idiots to throw it away," said Drew, holding the phone.

"Sure doesn't look valuable to me," Navid murmured.

"I think it's a deformed rock or piece of coal," Jace stated.

Drew shook his head. "No, look at this design. Somebody cut it and shaped it into this form. For what purpose?"

The men were silent for a moment, each pondering an answer.

"I still think it's a heat block," said Navid. "Might need to be charged. Have no idea what charges it, though."

"How about we just leave it alone?" Jace asked, the most cautious of the men. "Just put it back inside the ship next to that guy's sword."

"I'm interested to see how much this would sell for," said Drew.

"Let's see what Zylin has to say," Eevin said, his eyes fixed ahead to where Zylin and Fredye were returning to the docking station and heading their way.

"So how much did we get for the men?" Drew asked, always the one with an eye for profit and income. He was considered the treasurer of the crew.

Zylin smiled. "Enough to keep us loaded for another year," he said cheerfully. "The King was pleased with his new recruits. Word is, the two lads have been accepted for illusionist training."

"That means we might finally have some inside men," Navid said in hope. "Once they pass the Path of Shattered Glass, they can finally tell us what the King is up to."

"And we can then plan our siege accordingly," Zylin agreed. "The greatest treasure trove on the entire planet will soon be ours for the taking."

"Which leaves us one last thing: what are we to do with this alien device from planet Earth?" Drew handed the cell phone to Zylin, who inspected it carefully.

"Leave it on the ship," Zylin said, handing the phone to Eevin. "We'll place a preservation field over the ship to keep it in pristine condition and to keep out thieves and such. But first, I must try that rare tea blend, the one with irislan jasmine flowers. Maybe I'll surprise the lad with an expensive tea set if he follows through with the illusionist training and passes the Path of Shattered Glass."

Zylin sighed, remembering how he once attempted to pass the Path of Shattered Glass, and failed. Not many people passed. "Let's hope the lads pass," he said softly, willing it to be so.

________________

The land of Tashnar was adjacent to the Tieyota Macsima, just like the King said. There was another palace called the Verena Osena that was specifically intended for illusionist training.

Unlike the King's palace with its gaudiness and fancy water fountains, the Verena Osena wasn't lavish and extravagant, but it was impressive in appearance, arrayed in purple and silver. Mountains surrounded the Verena Osena, providing a slightly colder climate. A crystalline diamond white waterfall roared beside the Verena Osena, the heavy sound of rushing water becoming louder the closer in range. There was an invisible sound barrier placed between the waterfall and the Verena Osena, to silence the roar.

"What is it with Mijishians naming buildings as though they were people?" Osian asked as the ten recruits were escorted towards the building. Osian Aneirin had straight black hair that went past his shoulders, his almond shaped eyes the color of peridot gemstones. He was originally from planet Torra.

"An excellent question," Keth murmured, looking over the intrinsic surface of the Verena Osena. "I do like this much better than the palace. Less gaudy, more stylish."

Vengimi was captivated by the waterfall, admiring how bright white it was, as though it was liquid diamond inlaid with shimmers. It reminded him of the way water shone from a water faucet when the sun hit it a certain way, making the water sparkle a vivid white.

It took him back to a pleasant memory of washing the car with his son. Vengimi laughed as Matvei splashed him with the water hose, the water droplets forming a holographic rainbow oil slick on the driveway. Matvei chased Vengimi with the water hose as Vengimi ran around the car, playfully hiding to avoid getting splashed. Matvei raised the water hose above the car, successfully drenching Vengimi in water, and earning a laugh and a warm delighted hug.

"Whoa hey, you're getting too close to the waterfall," Keth said, grabbing Vengimi's arm and pulling him back. "Don't want you to fall in."

Vengimi was instantly brought back to the present, his face shocked to learn he was walking towards the waterfall without realizing he was doing so. He was thankful for Keth keeping an eye on him, for being watchful of him. He quickly stepped away from the waterfall, staying close to Keth as the men were led inside the Verena Osena.

A purple and silver coat of arms greeted the men, along with elegant banners emblazoned with a purple rose flower. The floor was a spectacular mirrored shattered glass, the illusion of broken mirrors forcing the men to walk carefully, fearing being cut with broken glass, surprised to find the glass was as smooth as windowpane. Their boots and shoes were unharmed, any dirt and dust vanishing like vapor from the floor.

"Hello! Welcome to the Verena Osena!" a woman spoke excitedly as she approached the men from the other end of the entrance room.

The woman was dressed stylishly in purple, the long sleeved shirt and slim fit pants conforming nicely to her body and hourglass figure. She wore a purple leather jacket over her outfit, which had silver detailing. The purple leather jacket had silver slits with royal blue ribbons and it reached all the way to her knees. Her long ankle length dark brown hair was in a high ponytail, her steel blue sapphire eyes sparkling beautifully. "I am Eirena Irenairina, the Administrator of Illusionary Warfare. I supervise everything in the Verena Osena.

"I will receive and read the weekly progress reports of your illusionist training and weaponry skills. My expectations are for you to engage in professional behavior and to be courteous to one another. Please be mindful of others and treat each other with respect. Any bullying or harassment will result in disciplinary action. Repeated offenses will result in expulsion. Any criminal behavior will result in the blade.

"As you can see, this is unlike most military schools. You will start by building your physical health with plentiful exercise and balanced meals. You will then proceed to weaponry where you will learn how to use guns, swords, daggers, explosives, and other weapons. After weaponry is combat training where you will learn self-defense and how to fight in combat. After combat training is celestial navigation and ship piloting. Some of this will include learning how to swim in water and how to climb up walls.

"Last but not least, the Path of Shattered Glass. The hardest path you'll ever take. Most people fail this path. Those who pass will become illusionist soldiers in the King's army."

Berian asked, "What happens if we fail?"

Eirena responded, "If you fail, you'll either be set free or you will serve in the homebase army, which is the military stationed throughout planet Mijishin. Those of the homebase army keep order on our planet, serving in place of cops and police."

"Then I shall like to be set free," Keth said, thankful for that option. "May I fail in the path that allows me the greatest freedom."

"Many do fail," Eirena informed him. "Very few pass."

"If we pass, we are given no other choice but to serve the King?" Vengimi asked, wanting to be clear on what was expected of him.

"Correct," said Eirena, confirming his guess. "If you would follow me, I will lead you to your rooms. You will have rooms assigned to you, sorta like dorms on a college campus. Two will share a room. Each of you will have a silver key you can use to lock and unlock your room. No spares will be given unless you somehow lose your key. Therefore, do not lose your key. Losing a key will result in an unsatisfactory headache."

"Ain't that the truth," Pirez murmured, recalling the times he misplaced his keys or wallet.

The men followed Eirena to a suite of rooms located on the east wing. The rooms were simple, clean, of satisfactory taste and style. There were warm blankets, comfortable pillows, a dresser for each person, a walk-in closet, and a bathroom. When asked why a small kitchen wasn't included in the rooms, Eirena advised that all the men would meet in the cafeteria for their meals.

Keth asked if he could share a room with Vengimi. Eirena accepted his request, assigning them a room on one of the ends, that way they weren't sandwiched between rooms and only shared one wall between their room and another room. The room was the same as all the others, but it was nice and welcoming. The men were sent to dine in the cafeteria while clothes were sent to their assigned rooms.

"Wow, this food is out of this world!" Keth exclaimed happily as he looked upon the choice options of mashed potatoes, salmon, fish, garlic breadsticks, chicken tortilla soup, creamy potato soup, salad, beans, steak, dumplings, ravioli, spaghetti pasta, noodles, sandwiches, pudding, and much more.

Both men and women ate together in the cafeteria; there was no division there. The men were pleased to finally see women recruits. They made comments to each other while they checked them out, some bold enough to speak or flirt with them.

Vengimi and Keth didn't speak as they ate their meal, enjoying the food and the wonderfulness of the Verena Osena. Away from the King's palace and all the royal formality and legality and such, the men felt invigorated to be in a place they could feel they were able to fully be themselves.

After their meal, an official named Tezin Apacizy took the men on a tour of the Verena Osena and showed them everything of relevance to their training. They were then taken to the workout center where they started their workout regime via daily stretches and workout to build physical strength and to keep their bodies in shape.

"This will be daily, every morning at seven," the workout instructor Fleven Ketqerat told them. "Do not be late or you will not be permitted to the cafeteria that day."

"Wow, that's harsh," Ninian remarked. "No way I want to miss out on a meal."

By the time they were sent to their rooms for the evening, Vengimi felt like he had just experienced the first day of school and was learning all the classrooms and such. Keth felt like this was an exciting new adventure, one filled with wonderful meals and a chance to learn important skills.

"This is wonderful, Ven," Keth said happily as he held a pillow to his chest while laying on a bed. "Even better than the bunk beds at the palace. It seems we stumbled across a golden opportunity. We'll be working out, getting in shape, enjoying wonderful meals, learning weaponry and combat skills, and you'll finally learn how to navigate a ship. All skills that shall become useful if you were to ever encounter your horrid wife. All this just serves to improve our objective. After we complete the illusionist training and fail the Path of Shattered Glass, we will be set free, which means we'll be able to recover my ship and find your son and be merrily on our way to whatever adventure we seek."

"What if one of us passes the Path of Shattered Glass?" Vengimi said quietly. "There's no guarantee we will both fail."

Keth sat up, setting the pillow aside. "I'm not worried of that prospect. Either way, we'll proceed with our original objective, regardless if we pass or fail."

"I hope we fail," said Vengimi.

"I hope so too," said Keth.

________________

✨ I miss flip phones. It was so fun to hang up the phone back in the day. The late 90's/early 2000s really were the best times. I was lucky I got to experience it. So apparently there's a PURPLE version of Vengimi's phone?? Wish it was an iPhone. Mine is crimson red like Crimson's comect :) At least they're finally making phones in cool different colors instead of the usual black, silver, or grey.

✨ They didn't have the "Find my iPhone" or "Find my Comect" feature back in the 90's, and Vengimi has an Android phone, so it wouldn't have worked anyway (another reason why iPhones are better than Androids, but Iredescent comects are superior over any phone in the galaxy). I made Vengimi's phone an Android because of the Galaxy part that alludes to him traveling the galaxy, so it just made sense for Vengimi to have a Samsung Galaxy than an iPhone. If Keth had an iPhone, imagine the surprise when the location read "outer space" or "planet Mijishin" or "another dimension". Wish mine read "planet Iredescent" 💫🪐

✨ Veren is Bulgarian for faithful and Osena is a play on the Russian word for fall, which is pronounced oh-seen. So Osena would be pronounced oh-seen-ah. Made Verena Osena to mean faithful fall, for it will look super beautiful, especially with the waterfall. It is currently summer on planet Mijishin, but it will turn into fall during the illusionist training, which will only be a couple chapters.

✨ I wrote myself in another story again (why do I keep doing that? Maybe because I love my Iredescent world so much and I want to be a part of it somehow, since I obviously can't in the Real world) but anyways, what do you think of the story so far?

✨ A picture of Eirena Irenairina ✨