Kade released his breath before drinking a sip of water. Two days had passed in training. Most had managed to learn basic circulation techniques to constantly generate Altaris the day before and had advanced to class-specific training. His instructor was the same apostle that had displayed the ice magic days earlier, Graakas. He preferred a combined approach of explaining, showing, then practicing.

The first task was to gain enough control of Altaris to project it from your body. Even covering a finger in the mist-like energy was acceptable. However, that proved to be quite difficult. This was a basic technique though. Those that were melee-based could get away with simply fortifying their body internally in the beginning, but mages needed a greater level of control.

Attempting to project Altaris outside of the body was exhausting, so they had to rest frequently. The stress and frustration had already built up for some soldiers to the point that a few abandoned the path of a mage. He had watched three leave already. Kade knew better though, after all, few things that were worth doing were easy. Even so, he couldn't help feeling disappointed at the end of the day.

"It's difficult in the beginning." Graakas spoke on their way out "Even the best mages struggled. Eventually, things will start to click and you'll be surprised at how easy this seems."

Kade nodded before returning to his quarters. He scarfed down a protein bar and half a bottle of water before relaxing his body and continuing his practice. He didn't plan to skate by on the bare minimum, that wasn't his style.

Days passed in repetition, On day three, Kade managed to reach an acceptable standard by covering a finger in Altaris. By day five, he could shroud his entire hand. When compared with the soldiers left in his group, he had far surpassed their accomplishments. However, after five days, those that remained had managed to project Altaris to some degree, and so the training progressed. The pace seemed incredibly slow as they worked their way through the bare minimums for becoming a mage. Projecting Altaris, controlling the released energy, changing its shapes, and activating spell models.

Kade held his hand out, palm upward as he channeled Altaris. It formed into a line that looked like a piece of twine before slowly forming a circle. It zig-zagged inside the circle until it formed a pattern and turned a light red color. A flame burst into life and grew quickly as he pumped energy into the spell before stabilizing just slightly smaller than a baseball.

This was the most simple spells for mages, inferior fireball. By manipulating Altaris, the user formed a pattern that somehow converted Altaris to fire element particles. The pattern also dictated the parameters for the fireball, from the shape, size, and even the temperature. He dismissed the energy and watched as the fire died out before picking up a thick book given to him by Graakas. It was a resource that displayed the most basic spell models for him to learn. Every spell in the book had a pattern model, referred to as tracery or trace.

As he studied the traces and marveled at their intricate designs, he couldn't help but dream of the moment that he created an original trace and cast a spell of his own making.

"This should conclude your training. Of course, it's still too soon for you all to participate in combat. So you should continue to practice on your own. Increase your speed and efficiency, learn a few more spells, and learn to maintain composure under stress. I'll be here to answer your questions when needed."

Kade stood from his chair and walked up to Graakas before extending his hand. The sentiment might fall short for an apostle, but this was the best sign of respect and appreciation.

Graakas stared curiously for a few moments before grasping his hand.

"Thanks." Kade said before releasing the apostle's hand and leaving for open space.

A significant portion of the base had been converted into a training ground for the Champions, so it was easy to find a safe area to cast spells.

Without wasting any time, he immediately began firing off fireballs. He took nearly a minute between each cast, allowing time to process all of the small details of the action. He was able to cast seven times before he had exhausted his energy.

With labored breaths, he plopped to the ground. Regenerating Altaris was simple and felt natural. Little effort had to be devoted to it, so he could manage light rumination while maintaining his regeneration speed.

And he didn't waste a second be replaying his experiences rousing, projecting, and controlling of Altaris while casting the spell. Then he focused on the trace, energy transfer, and activation of the spell. these were the most enjoyable things he could do at the moment as well as the most beneficial for his future

It took never eight hours to fully regenerate his Altaris, which gave him plenty of time to analyze his experience and identify a plethora of flaws. Once again, he went back to casting spells. He found one mistake and corrected it before finding another. When he encountered a particularly confusing issue, he consulted Graakas.

This continued for another seven days until his improvements began to slow down. Now, he could cast a full power fireball in two seconds and it consumed less energy, allowing him to fire ten consecutively before needing to rest. Finding satisfaction with his results, he moved on to learning a new spell. Not only would he expand his skills, but he would also deepen his knowledge of Altaris as a whole.

...

Nearly two months passed since the appearance of the apostles. Many soldiers had finally reached an acceptable level to be called Champions, and teams were beginning to form in preparation.

Kade sat cross-legged on a patch of grass, composing himself. Over the six weeks, he had learned a total of four spells to a satisfactory level. Fireball, Freeze, Blind, and Barrier. The fireball was his only offensive damage spell.

The freeze spell would allow him to freeze part of an enemy, restricting their movement. The effectiveness was based on his skill, the energy supplied, and the enemy's strength. Blind was a bright flash of light that was emitted from his hand. Much like walking out of a dark room into the sunlight, it would inhibit the vision of anyone that saw it. The barrier spell was his defensive option. He could apply a shroud of energy to himself or an ally that acted as a shield for the entire body.

All of the spell's effectiveness was determined by his power, skill, and circumstance. As he grew stronger, his spells would as well up to a point. This, along with his increased regeneration speed and Altaris control, he felt that he could hold his own and be an asset to any team. As such, it was time to begin looking for a team. Thankfully, the majority of the soldiers on base had decided to try to become champions, and many teams were forming.

Not far from him thousands of soldiers were crowded, shouting their requirements. Kade joined the crowd and perked his ears up. After a few minutes, he heard the call he was waiting for.

"Moonlight squad, 5 out of 6 members. We are looking for a magic-user or a medic!"

Kade filtered through the crowd and to the man that shouted. "I'm a mage. I know four spells, all of which can be cast in two seconds or less."

"That works!" The man grinned enthusiastically "Do you have any supportive spells?"

Kade nodded before explaining his skill set. He was confident that the team would be satisfied with him.

"Good, good!" The man clapped "Welcome to the team. I'm Dallas, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team." He gestured for Kade to follow.

Kade followed and soon grouped with four others. The introduction process went by quickly.

Dallas was the team leader and primary damage dealer. Victor was the tank. Chelsea was the ranged damage. Paul was the secondary damage. Finally, Julian was the stealth and scout.

Kade scratched his beard as he thought of his options. The team wasn't balanced as they lacked a healer, but he couldn't be too picky right now. Altaris was just introduced to humans and it was expected that they would lack a lot early. With the difficulty of learning magic, he knew that healers would be just as rare as mages were right now. Chances were, few teams would have a healer. The main upside was that they all knew some basic first aid, and Julian was a combat medic. Plus, he might be able to learn a few supportive healing spells later.

"We are lacking a healer, but I think we are pretty well rounded. We can always expand the team later for a healer." Dallas said as he led the team through the base.

They went to the mess hall and began to discuss the details of the partnership. Things like splitting spoils, goals, and their early plans. After, they spent time learning each other's abilities. Kade realized that these five were actually good friends that had decided to form a team. That was good, they should work together well and there was less of a chance that the team would split up.

"Ahem." Dallas cleared his throat to get everyone's attention "We need to decide if we are going to join a faction."

Kade furrowed his brow. The US Government had decided to give all soldiers turned champions two options. Continue service as a champion, or accept an honorable discharge. Accepting the discharge would likely be the most popular choice, as the US government definitely couldn't provide the level of benefits that a god-faction could.

"Why don't we bring it to a vote?" Victor, the de facto second in command, suggested.

"I vote god-faction."

"Military. I'll always be a soldier at heart."

"god-faction, hands down."

"definitely god-faction. The military can't help us grow anymore."

"You crazy bro? What happened to ya'lls patriotism? Military all the way!"

Soon, everyone was looking at Kade, who raised a brow.

"There is a third option, right?" He asked "Independent champions."

"What?" Chelsea was the first to question him "Why would we do that? We'd get no benefits that way."

"Simple." Kade smiled "With no affiliation, we have no responsibility to anyone. We've paid our dues to the military with our service, and we can repay the kindness of the apostles on our own terms."

"True, but why wouldn't we just join a god-faction and repay them with service too?" Dallas inquired "That way we also reap more benefits."

"Because I'm sure they will want to take a percentage of our spoils if we are subordinate to them. Truthfully, we don't know the dynamic between us and them. Maybe it would be worth it, but it would feel pretty bad to get shafted in a deal because we rushed into it."

The rest seemed to ponder for a moment, before dismissing his idea. Everyone was stubborn to an extent and believed they were right, which resulted in an argument. They raised their voices as they tried to convince each side.

"Look, majority wins. The choice with the most votes is the god-faction, so that's what we go with!" Victor spouted, spittle flying

"Bullshit!" Paul exclaimed "That ain't fair! we are a team of six, it should take at least four votes before passing!"

Kade rubbed his brow and lightly shook his head while listening to the debacle. This is why he preferred a more monarchial dynamic with an unbiased leader in small groups. Sure, everyone deserved to have their opinions heard, and if a decision can be reached then great. But if not, the leader should decide.

"You guys are killin' me." Dallas said with a red face "We can't make a decision that will satisfy everyone right now, so how about we just go with Kade's suggestion and freelance for now?"

Kade raised a brow, surprised that his suggestion was brought up again. They seemed opposed to it just a few minutes earlier. He watched as they each nodded after some time. That was one of the benefits of his suggestion. It was a neutral option that didn't bind them through oaths or contracts and they could always join a faction later.

"Alright, then it's settled!" Dallas said with excitement as he stood "Just in time too, the first transport to the gates leaves at 0200. We will meet here at 0100."

Nodding, they dispersed. Everyone had to make preparations, as little time was left.

...

Kade followed the others off of the cargo plane and surveyed his surroundings. Less than two hundred meters away, a huge, uniform spatial tear was visible. Its peak towered high in the sky and stretched out for hundreds of meters. The edges were rounded, and it seemed so clear as if it was a window.

His excitement grew, and apprehension bubbled up. The unknown was always like this, and the fact that this was far more unknown than anything he had ever experienced, served to exacerbate his emotions.

"Whew." He released a breath and hopped on the balls of his feet for a moment before rousing his Altaris, all in an attempt to steady his heartbeat.

He glanced at his teammates and took solace in the fact that he wasn't the only one feeling this way. It took everyone a few minutes to hype themselves up enough, after which they continued.

After thirty minutes of processing, they were finally allowed to enter the gate. Kade raised his brows in surprise as he stepped through. It felt as if he was covered in water and he felt slightly nauseous, but the moment his body emerged on the other side the feeling disappeared. He wasn't even wet.

Taking his mind off of the gate, he immersed himself in the new land. The air was unbelievably clean and crisp, containing a slight sweetness that was almost overshadowed by the scent of pine. An intermittent breeze brushed his skin, bringing a refreshing coolness.The scenery seemed both familiar and foreign. Some of the trees resembled some of those from Earth, while others only shared the shape. Plants and flowers with vibrant colors dotted the land and scaled trees.

Perhaps the most stunning feature was the topography. Hills, ravines, cliffs, overhangs that seemed to defy physics. A huge forest laden with dark green canopies and colorful flora covered the horizon, feeling familiar while, at the same time, foreign. The entire landscape seemed like something from a fantasy movie, but this was reality. Albeit, a new one.

"Wow." Chelsea was the first to voice her wonder.

"Well, I'll be." Paul followed.

"It's pretty, but we'll be seeing plenty of it." Dallas said in an aloof tone "Let's move."

As expected of soldiers on a mission, everyone reigned in their stupor and adopted proper demeanor. They weren't survivalists, but they had military training and knew what was important. First, they needed to find a safe location to make camp. Then, they needed to familiarize themselves with their new environment.

During their exploration, they had to use their weapons to clear the way. This land was thick with vegetation without intelligent life to pollute the planet and destroy nature. It only took three hours for exhaustion to overcome the group, so they were forced to stop. Thankfully, their travel path had intersected a small river that they had elected to follow. Since they already had a water source nearby, they decided to make camp.

After selecting an area, everyone got to work. Kade, Chelsea, and Julian went to gather wood, water, and look for food while the others worked on fortifying the area. Kade picked up a stick and filtered it through the paracord he had before cinching the slipknot and slinging the bundle over his shoulder.

"Kade, come check this out!" Chelsea exclaimed

Walking over, Kade mimicked Chelsea and peered into the water, which was clearer than crystal. Beneath the surface, countless odd-looking fish swam. Some followed the current, some fought it, while others skimmed the bottom.

"Wonder how they taste." Kade mused.

"Pfft." Chelsea scoffed while glaring at him "Is there no man that can just enjoy the beauty of something? You see a bright yellow fish and your first thought is 'is it edible'?"

"Hah, what's wrong with that?"

"It's barbaric."

"No, It's practical." Kade retorted as he stepped away "Humans eat to survive. Besides, there is beauty in an enjoyable flavor." a smirk formed on his face.

He ignored the beauty of things as he worked, but his curiosity remained. The benefit of the menial job of gathering firewood was that he could explore and learn. He poked and prodded everything, even harvesting flowers and other plant life. Of course, plants weren't his only target. Anything that he deemed safe, he grabbed. By the time he had gathered enough firewood, he was struggling to walk with all the extra weight.

He met back up with Chelsea and Julian, who had managed to catch a few fish and they walked back together.

"And you say that I'm barbaric?" Kade teased as he eyed the dead fish.

Julian chuckled, while Chelsea rolled her eyes and walked faster to create distance.

"Don't mind her, she's feisty and opinionated. She means no harm though."

"Sure." Kade replied with a nod.

Upon returning to camp, he eyed the new defensive measures. There was now a trench a few feet deep that surrounded the camp, as well as an alarm system made of paracord and bells. Perhaps there were more, but he didn't notice them. He tossed his bag over the trench before jumping it. Walking to the center of the circle, he dug a pit and processed the larger sticks before forming a small pyramid. Victor assisted with breaking down the larger branches into usable sizes.

Once prepared, Kade channeled his Altaris, and fire formed in his palm. Placing his hand under the sticks, the fire spread.

"How'd you do that?" Victor asked, his voice a bit gruff.

"Do what, create fire?"

"Well, yea, but I meant project Altaris like that."

Kade frowned "Wait, are you telling me that you can't project Altaris?" he asked.

Victor shook his head "I managed to release a bit once, but I haven't been able to do it again."

Kade's hand came to rest on his face. They had discussed their abilities the day before and everyone claimed to have achieved Altaris projection. However, it seemed that he misunderstood.

"Dallas." Kade called "Can you project your Altaris?"

"Huh?" Dallas turned toward him "Oh, yeah." He raised a hand to demonstrate. His face scrunched up and he appeared constipated as he exerted himself. After nearly ten seconds, a nearly imperceptible shroud covered his pinky.

Kade's heart sunk as he saw the confident grin on Dallas's face. As he suspected, there was a huge misunderstanding. When they claimed to have achieved Altaris projection, they meant they had performed it a single time, which was probably a requirement of their training. He felt duped. He hoped that they were strong without the need to project Altaris because otherwise, he had fucked up majorly.