Page 17 of Bonds of Starfall

Kit was a level three, anywhere from his fifth to ninth life.

While Rin was decidedly on her first.

And what a life it had been so far.

Maybe she’d have better luck next time.

Rin’s palms were sweaty.

She wiped them on the hem of her black pants as she walked up the staircase, leading to the very top floor of the Hunter’s Guild Academy—right where Alpha Team headquarters was.

The Academy was structured so that each of the five Teams occupied a floor; Alpha Team occupied the highest floor, and Delta the second level. The ground floor was dedicated to training grounds, an eating hall, and a med bay—for when they inevitably got hurt on an assignment. She had taken the tourbefore she passed the entry exams, so thankfully, she knew her way around with relative ease.

The open staircase circled the Academy’s central atrium. She peeked her head over the railing, peering down the floors into the hustle and bustle of the main portion, watching as seasoned Hunters walked side by side, armored with Echoguns and Echoswords. Maybe that would be her, one day.

Rin cursed the Academy for not having an elevator as she finally reached the last step, into the floor of the Alpha Team. A wide open expanse, bordered by railings. Noise filtered through the entire space, making her wonder how anyone got work done.

She braced herself with a deep breath, the soles of her issued boots clicking against the polished, dark floors. Computers lined one wall, cubicles with desks, and a large briefing room enclosed by glass was set into the far wall, furnished with a boardroom table and chairs. But that wasn’t what caught her attention—the floor-to-ceiling case of displayed weapons made a full-fledged smile break free on her lips.

"Pretty cool, right?" someone said from behind her.

Rin turned, not having realized someone had come up to her other side—a young man with deep brown skin and light blue eyes. His dark hair was shorn closely to his scalp, and his features were hard. Muscles strained against the simple black fabric of his shirt. But the soft quirk to his lips softened his appearance.

"I’m Keir. Third year."

"Hi," Rin replied quietly, inching closer to the wall of weapons. Gleaming Echoswords of all sizes filled the wall, and the lower part was filled with Echoguns—rifles, pistols, machine guns.

She was jolted away from her staring by Keir, who raised an expectant brow as he said, "What year are you? I’m assuming a first year since I’ve never seen you before."

She nodded. "I’m Rin." Her words were quiet. At his soft huff of amusement, she added with reluctance, "Vesperin Blackfall."

"Oh, shit, for real? You’re the Aetherborn."

"I am." Rin turned from Keir, annoyed by the way his eyes lit up.

"Not that you asked, but I’m a Waterborn. Level seven. So, what level are?—?"

"Keir, stop annoying the new recruit. You’re the reason they never stick around on Alpha Team."

Rin jolted, looking up to where the voice came from.

There was a small staircase tucked near the far wall, leading to a balcony that overlooked the floor. A tall, toned woman with deep red hair pulled away from her face in many braids leaned over the railing. Ink covered her skin, trailing over her neck.

"Don’t blame me, blame the Rogues. They love fresh meat," Keir shot back.

The woman laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners as she quickly jumped over the railing of the balcony. Rin gasped as swirls of air caught her, cushioning her fall.

An Airborn.

"Director Ilsa," said Keir from her side.

Rin’s mouth popped open. She hurried to incline her head in respect. "Director Ilsa. I’m?—"

"I know who you are," Director Ilsa said, not unkindly.

Rin looked up, finding the middle-aged woman standing before her. She wore a more conservative uniform than Rin had been given—she gritted her jaw, fingers fidgeting at her side as she tried not to cover her bare midriff. For some reason, the female trainees were given skintight black pants and an equally tight black top that revealed their stomachs. The fabric stopped right above Rin’s navel, and the corset-style harness held many spaces to store weapons—all currently empty. She dreamed of filling it with a few Echoguns.

"We do things a little differently here at Alpha Team, compared to the others," Director Ilsa started, dark green eyes seeming to size Rin up. "You train like you alreadyarea Hunter, because if you’re on my team, you have the skillset to be one. We don’t have traditional mandatory training classes, but a certain number of training hours must be completed before each week is over. Twenty-four hours a week for first years. Your time sheets have to be completed by Sunday night."