"David Ortega," Kairo gasped.
There was no mistake possible. Present in this part of the gym were only the captains without any officer underneath the five star. The man standing just next to Mirelle could only be him.
"He looks even more impressive in real life. Captain of the reapers," Kairo said inwardly. He had heard a lot of speculations about them here. But very few people knew about what their job really was. Kairo came to understand it was linked to his star ranking. Just like with the secrets related to card magic, he needed a higher ranking to meet Ortega and the Reapers.
Kairo got closer with Fabian, making sure to keep his legs and shoulders straight. A smile on his face. His forcefully action appeared a little forced but Kairo could not stop. Ortega was one of those people that reminded Kairo the most of his father. He was straight as a pillar, calm like clear water, all embodied in a hard to decipher face.
Now standing face to face with Ortega, Kairo smiled, gathering his thoughts to sound elegant.
"Thank you," Ortega said, cutting Kairo midway. It was so direct and simple that Kairo's words got stuck in his throat. His flowery speech evaporated in his lost mind.
"What for?" Kairo's eyes flickered with surprise. But before anyone could answer, Kairo's mind replayed the events in the submarine. Almost instantly a name appeared in his mind. "Camilla," he said.
The submarine mission had almost turned into a complete fiasco with several human losses for the card mage police. Fortunately the engineers and Camilla had been safe all thanks to Nyx. For Kairo, he didn't play a big part in it.
"It's nothing, Captain Ortega. You would have raised your own cards if we had been the ones in danger," Kairo said after he gathered his thoughts. The initial shock gone, he regained his normal composure. Although Ortega was imposing, Kairo quickly found he was a very simplistic and easygoing person.
"Great, now we can start with today's assignment. Hold on your belts," Ortega said.
"Assignment? Wait, will Ortega train all of them?" Kairo's eyes illuminated. It was always said Mirelle was second only to Magnus in the card mage police. But Kairo had a vague feeling it was because this man was never at the HQ.
Thus Kairo came to believe she had nothing more to learn at her level. But from the look on the captain's face, Kairo figured out they were working even harder than the four-star officers.
"For formality's sake, let me remind you who I am," Ortega said. His voice was deliberately slow, each word sinking deep into them. That of a leader one wanted to listen to. "I am David Ortega, five-star officer and captain of the reapers," he said.
"The mission on the island will be presided by me and the reapers. Only a selected few from the HQ will be taken with us. Thus my presence here. If anyone of you is unable to show the bare minimum required to survive on the island, he will be left here. No matter his or her star ranking," Ortega said.
Kairo took a deep breath. Around him the captains all had a fighter's sharp expression. They all knew the risk and were ready for it. "He said the bare minimum. For the captains it can't be that difficult?" Kairo wanted to believe.
This was certainly the reason why all the four-star officers were training so hard today. Everyone had to go through this assessment before being allowed on the mission. It would be one of the greatest operations of the card mage police, and Kairo knew only the very best could take part in it.
"We are ready, Ortega. Our rank doesn't matter if we can't survive on the island. None of us will insist," Mirelle said. Even though she wasn't showing any worry, her words were clear for all. She was willing to step back if she didn't have the level.
Kairo felt a proud feeling rise in his heart. His mother was an example for him to follow. The mission was risky but was also certain to be a one-in-a-century event with unimaginable reward. Anyone could easily be blinded by greed and blind optimism. But not Mirelle. "No wonder she got that close with father. Their personalities complement each other. It's such a pity they separated because of me," Kairo sighed inwardly.
"A mission of this magnitude requires not only strength but also resilience. As a leader, I know you excel and stand at the very top of the card mage police. But now as a terrain officer, I need to make sure your comfortable seat has not made your cards dusty," Ortega said. His voice carried no form of superiority nor arrogance; for him it was just survival. Making sure everyone was ready.
Ortega then stepped into the middle of the training arena. "We will start with you, Kairo. First we will test your understanding of card resonance, and then assess three variables." While Ortega was talking, he ejected all three of his cards from the launcher, catching them swiftly in between his fingers. His movement effortless and fluid. Clearly he had done it an uncountable number of times.
Kairo's goofy face instantly shifted. "Didn't expect to be the first in line," Kairo said. His heartbeat increased with every step he took towards Ortega. No matter how stubborn he was, now it was clear: if he didn't have the minimum requirement, David was not going to allow him on the island. Kairo could see in his eyes he was the type of person that was very straight with his words, the type to stick to them no matter what.
"For each of you, I will test one of the variables without revealing what they are to you. Kairo, do you know what you know about card resonance?"
"You've got this." Kairo's smile was replaced by a more natural and eagle-sharp gaze. A finger on his chin, Kairo thought for a few seconds. After the incident at the fountain, he tried to make some research but found very little. Given how information was given only at higher ranks, Kairo was not surprised. Though he had a few ideas in mind.
"First, resonance occurs when two cards fuse completely with each other, creating a whole new card," Kairo said. This was exactly what had happened with The Protector and the rays of the ember sky.
"Is that all?" Ortega continued, his voice lingering as if he awaited more.
Kairo sighed, replaying the scene again and again in his head. "Not exactly," he said.
"The cards that fuse disappear afterwards. I think they are destroyed or something like this. From this we can imply card resonance is a double-edged sword. Whether the fusion succeeds or fails, the mage will inevitably lose the two cards," Kairo said. After the fusion, the original card of the protector was no more, replaced just by the Ember Sky Protector. He guessed Selis's card too was destroyed in the process.
"You're right, Kairo. No wonder," Ortega flashed a satisfied smile. "But this doesn't end here. In theory, resonance can happen only with cards that have the harmonic aura. It is a form of natural attraction. You can think of it as the opposite of counter cards, but not exactly."
"This is getting quite complicated," Kairo smiled awkwardly. On his first days, he never would have dreamed card magic mechanics were so complex to handle. It was just supposed to be throwing out badass magic, he had thought. But now he knew and understood how all of these cards worked was crucial, because without resonance back then he might have died or even worse.
Kairo could not help but remember what Nyx told him about her initial fight with Harid. It was because Harid understood the functioning of counter cards that he had almost gotten the upper hand against her. All of this wasn't thought through their one-year training.
"Neither Magnus nor I understand how nor why. But you have managed to fuse two cards without the harmonic aura, which is unheard of in the card mage police. I would like to see that card in action," Ortega added. The three cards he had in between his fingers all began gleaming with clear halos.
Kairo had seen many mages' auras over his days at the HQ. But this was the first time Kairo felt something this oppressive. Ortega's aura spread all over the gym, covering every single angle. Giving Kairo the impression he was everywhere at the exact same time.