God’s Cube

A few months had now passed since his conversation with the Tamer, and Thesi was almost able to not drift back to that moment every minute. The soft rocking of the ferry beneath Thesi's feet brought him back to reality in time for the shock of Malta heaving into view to hit him. The sun across the Mediterranean was painting the rocky cliffs and ancient fortresses in gold, casting long shadows on the waves. He could see, even from this distance, how the spires of the Mediterranean Academy towering over the island, its campus blending into the landscape like it was always there. 

The Academy had been used as an excuse to rebuild the island of Malta after most of its cities were destroyed from criminals that had attempted to use the powers the Cubes had granted them to take over the small nation. It was one of 3 major academies in the new European Union, but the only one open to members of allied nations and clans from outside the Union, as such it gained an infamous reputation for its competitiveness. Academies like this one served an important role to the new world’s ecosystem, they presented themselves as the next step for Cube graduates and shaped their futures. They’d prepare those who wished for an attempt at a second Cube somewhere along their curriculum, but were mostly an equivalent to universities to prepare the new enhanced to enter society at the valuable positions their powers enabled them to. 

He stood at the edge of the boat, hands clutched on the cool metal railing as he stared out toward the island. Augusto was beside him, his best friend had also opted to join the same Academy which came as a relief to Thesi.

“You're quiet, everything alright?"

It was Augusto that broke the silence. 

"Yeah. Just… thinking.”

At Thesi’s response, Augusto elbowed him jokingly. 

"About what? The weather? The view? Or that we will spend the next couple of years locked up on an island full of people that saw many of their friends die while they got enhanced?”

Thesi smiled despite himself. Augusto had always been able to reduce tension when he felt it. Thesi still felt it appropriate to answer him.

“More like the last one, there’s some that might even attempt a second cube throughout this experience, and I’m still deciding if I want to be one of those crazed few." 

Augusto's face clouded for a second before he shrugged. 

"We've made it this far. Besides, I have a really good feeling about this place. If you want answers, you’ll get them here.”

There were several moments of silence between them as the ferry drew closer to the island's stone pier. He could start to make out the old fortifications that surrounded the Academy grounds as they approached the harbor. In and of itself, the island had become a sprawling campus, complete with training fields, dormitories, libraries, and laboratories fitted out with the most advanced equipment money could buy.

Just beyond the pier itself, a mixture of both old and new students milled about, some of them showcasing their new powers, others simply looking at the views the campus offered. Some, especially those that had survived the Yellow Cube, carried visible reminders of their trials. 

Thesi’s view shifted to a woman, she was willowy and tall, but the element that caught Thesi’s eyes were the striking silver veins running down her neck and arms. A Yellow Cube survivor, her unnatural veins were one of the most common indicators of those that completed such a Trial. She was playing with a rock, slowing down its fall, her powers, Thesi assumed. As their eyes met, and her look sent a shiver down his spine.

As the ferry pulled in, the two of them gathered their luggage and fell in with the rest of the passengers disembarking. Amina and Vasko were already waiting at the end of the pier, knowing that Thesi even so little as exchanged a few words with them, was eager to contact them to form a group with more familiar faces from their high school. As they were from families outside the Union, if they wished to remain, this was their only real option, and given the quality, it was a given they’d join the duo here.

"Finally, You two took your time."

Amina called out, beckoning them over. But even as her keen eyes scanned the crowd, already sizing up the competition, there was a smile when they reached her. 

"We took a few extra days of back home, took part in our high school’s, post trial tradition" 

Augusto replied with a grin. He turned to Vasko-whose placid demeanor reminded him of Thesi's

"Are you ready for this?"

Vasko nodded once, his dark eyes fixed on the spires of the Academy long miles away, before turning his eyes back to Thesi, potentially hinting at their conversation on the train. 

"I have been preparing for a while now."

Vasko had said nothing about it, but Thesi knew he had his eyes on the Yellow Cube. The only ones who ever tried a Yellow as their second Cube were few and far between, most opting for the safety of going to a Red or a Blue, something more predictable. Still, Vasko wanted to live up to his family, the Rosariks. 

"I still think you're crazy, you already want to go for a second Cube. I’m thinking of taking my whole curriculum to make that decision, you look ready to dive in after half."

Amina said, and she hit Vasko lightly on the arm. 

Vasko's lips twisted in a little smile, but he did not say anything.

It was a long but scenic walk from the pier to the Academy; it had converted most of the newly rebuilt buildings into dorms for the students and facilities to train in.

Thesi fell into step with the others, his mind drifting to the years ahead. The Mediterranean Academy was prestigious, but that didn't mean everyone would leave. Some would drop out, and a not so insignificant amount would go for a second Cube, their attempt to shift the political landscape of their world. 

The entrance to the main campus was a towering archway, flanked by statues of notable figures who had graduated from this school, going on to achieve great things, many of them now Mixed.

As they came out into the open under the arch, the Academy began to open out before them. The central building was a huge stone thing that had taken inspiration from a fortress. Paths twisted through immaculately kept gardens, and beyond that, the cliffs fell away into the sea. It was pretty, but its nature gave Thesi a sense of entrapment. He was afterall in a fortress, on an island in the middle of the sea.