(Insectoid Empire – Planet Gadrion)
(Temple of the Great Weaver)
"Oh, valief vaire."
"Mercime ana váre- mime -iel ar her hinya.
"Lótesse se grow up healthime ar polda -esse i rúcima nór -o i humans."
"Anne- her i huore ana n- a hunter man does vamme caure"
Religious chanting echoed through the empty hall of the once prosperous temple as its sole occupant continued to kneel and pray diligently.
The temple was a holy place of the Arachnais tribe who worshiped the great weaver and mother of all arachnids.
The language spoken in the chants would not be found in the Federation's database, but the words roughly translated to,
"Oh, great weaver"
"Mercy to protect my daughter and her child."
"May she grow up healthy and strong in the terrible land of the humans."
"Give her the courage to be a hunter who does not fear"
Legend said that this god was once one of the primordial beings who hunted and killed all those who threatened creation.
The weaver was not a merciful god.
It was said that the Arachnais race were created in her image to give guidance and leadership to the other Insectoids.
Certain members of the royal family could even call upon her spirit to grant them strange and terrible abilities.
The former great empress of the Arachnais tribe seemed like a fragile elder as she bowed respectfully at the enormous statue of a spider carved from a mysterious metal that glowed in the darkness.
It had been three weeks since she had peacefully divorced from her husband and moved to this hidden planet to supposedly live out the rest of her days.
Perhaps she could have fought in the political court to maintain her position as she still had considerable influence over several large families but…. the empress was simply tired.
Ever since birth, she had been raised by her family to govern and rule one of the great races of the Insectoid Empire hand in hand with her husband.
The emperor was not an awful or unjust ruler and he even enjoyed great popularity among the younger Arachnais.
This was due to his war-like attitude towards the Unova Syndicate and the Earth Federation. Two universal powerhouses that lay beyond the empire's borders.
His darkest secret which he forced the empress to conceal was that he was unfaithful in his marriage.
Arachnais were supposed to be monogamous and they believed strictly in principals of loyalty and permanent companionship once two individuals had wed.
Emperor Fay'lle's indiscretions could have cost him a great deal of popularity from the older generations, so it was important to keep them a secret.
The presence of children who were birthed by his concubines was explained away as children adopted by the empress with no relation to him.
Emperor Fay'lle's excuses were obviously quite clumsy but none of his ministers dared to rip apart this farce.
It was an unpleasant situation but the empress was not treated badly by her husband nor had she suffered any apparent loss in power so she could only turn a blind eye.
She had two lovely daughters named princess Thai'lle and princess Rai'lle, one of whom would be the next leader of the Arachnais tribe.
Life was simple and unchanging until the emperor banished her eldest daughter permanently from the palace.
Just for the sin of bearing a hybrid offspring with a human.
It was then that the empress knew that all of her so-called power was nothing more than a lie.
Despite her begs and pleads, she could not overturn the emperor's decision and was forced to watch her daughter be chained and sent to an exile zone like a criminal.
Many laughed at her fall from grace, but the empress paid them no mind.
She was chained under the weight of all the different responsibilities of being the queen but now….
She could finally rescue her daughter.
(Zrudread University- Training Camp- Lunar Colony X-374)
"Welcome maggots to the first mass elimination event!" Instructor Selvon bared his fangs in a twisted grin as he observed the terrified students.
A week had passed since the training camp had first begun and Sophie was now perfectly settled into her new routine.
Classes would start promptly in the morning and last until late in the evening.
The instructors increased the workload drastically and many students struggled to keep up with the accelerated pace.
Students were still expected to cultivate regularly in the night and gene boasting serums were provided for free to aid in their cultivation practice.
Professor Macabre was quite demanding towards her students and Sophie found herself forced to stay for extra lessons from her enthusiastic teacher who paid her special attention.
It was quite tiring, but Sophie truly had nothing but respect for her teacher who passionately treated poison creation as an expression of art.
The only downside was that Sophie was too exhausted after a long day of work to fool around with Cleo in the night.
The two girls would just snuggle together under the blanket and fall asleep while hearing the soft sounds of their lover's beating heart.
Thirty students from the one hundred potential seedlings would be granted a spot in the elite class after the training camp so naturally there were two main events to reduce these numbers.
After one week, half of the students would be sent to the main campus to join the ordinary class while the final thirty would be selected at the end of the two-week training camp.
Those students who were initially placed in the elite class and lost their spot would still receive money and resources from their scholarship offer until the end of the first year.
If they still could not climb back into the elite class, then they would have no one to blame but themselves.
[Ring! Ring!]
Instructor Selvon pressed the alarm button on his megaphone to gain the attention of the students before beginning to speak.
"I will now say the names of the eliminated students," Instructor Selvon opened up his tablet and scrolled down the list of names.
Nervous glances were exchanged, and many students held their breath while praying that they had survived the elimination round.
"Leroy Harris."
"Dan Meadows."
"Leah Dudley."
"and Bianca Larson."
Silence fell over the students as Instructor Selvon read the last name on the list and mixed emotions could be felt.
Relief and joy could be seen on the remaining students who had not been eliminated which was in a direct contrast to the frustration and anger on faces of the students who had to return to the main campus.
"Listen up maggots," Instructor Selvon said solemnly as he peered deeply into the eyes of the disappointed students.
He did not want to see these students give up on themselves as their road to cultivation had only just begun.
Instructor Selvon lowered his voice and spoke with a rare moment of kindness and empathy,
"You can let this momentary failure define you or choose to press on and strive for constant improvement."
"The ordinary class at Zrudread University still provides resources far beyond what normal students outside of the four prestigious universities can afford."
"There will be multiple opportunities to enter the elite class during your stay at the university, but it is up to you to grasp the chances with your own will."
He too was once a student that had been dropped from the elite class and the surge of emotions at the time almost broke him.
But he pulled himself together and by the next midterm exam…..he had once again returned to the ranks of the elite class where he remained among the top five students in the year.
It was always easy for young geniuses to handle success but learning how to cope with failure was something that could not be taught.
The eyes of some of the eliminated students brightened after Instructor Selvon's speech but many still seemed downcast.
No one seemed to be in the mood for regular classes so the instructors simply announced that today would be considered a rest day.
Sophie entered her tent with uneasy thoughts running through her mind.
She was once again reminded of the intense struggle that the university had arranged between students.
This would prepare them for the cold hard truth of the universe which was that power was all that mattered.
Resources could only be fought over by those strong enough to take them.
Sophie shook those dark thoughts out of her head as it was a rare day of relaxation and she planned on spending time with her precious princess.
Maybe she could even….no…no…it was still daytime!!
"Sophie why are you blushing?" Cleo teased gently as the hybrid girl's ears had turned completely red.
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