Astral hated the cold. She would have shaken her fist at the wisp of wet, frigid air as it whooshed by her if it weren't for the fact that she had to concentrate on maintaining her footing on a narrow ledge. Her opinion of the Military Games remained the same; they were training soldiers in the wrong kind of terrain for the wrong kind of enemy.

She continued to press her back into the man-made canyon wall behind her. The thinness of her wind resistant uniform came with the perk of being able to feel every uncomfortable edge as the rocky surface behind her expertly found its way around her body armor. Body armor was an exaggeration of reality. Her formally pristine white uniform was made up of a grapheme composite. The protective gear wasn't quite the same make as the body armor that the military used, which was mildly better, but it suited the purposes of the game. She desperately wanted to itch at the scanners that were fitted throughout her suit. Beyond feeling the mild static shock of the electrical pulse it emitted when it updated the game data, the electronics were embedded in a thin waterproof flexible casing. She understood that the pulses were designed to react to the game's energy weapons to mimic real life consequences without all of the blood and gore caused by bullets and explosives.

The rush of the rapids a hundred feet below roared against smooth stones. She imagined smooth stones at least; she wasn't about to look down, fearing that the sudden shift of her head would be just enough to convince the narrow path beneath her feet to crumble. Reality most likely didn't work that way, but she could feel the Fates watching her, biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to ruin her day. She already knew that her day was going to end with her getting very wet and very cold. It was one of those things she just knew; like she had performed this action time and time again, unable to change its results. She didn't look forward to the inevitable.

She inched her way along the narrow ledge, right behind Seth. The path lead across the game field at an uncomfortable incline. Astral's body hummed, sensing the build up energy stores nearby. She could feel her core crave the reserves, silently begging for release. Seth's arm lashed out, forcing her against the wall as though she had been hogging the narrow space the whole time. An explosion rocked the field causing debris to fall. One of two bridges that span the gap between Squad VII and Squad VIII's respective sides was no longer in play . Their explosives expert must have run down just moments ago, placed the charge and triggered the detonation when the squad member was safe from the energy pulse. Interesting, he could sense energy stores as well.

The pair hugged the wall, waiting for a scout to peak over the edge several hundred feet above them. No one came. Sloppy.

How did Seth talk her into such a stupid idea? Oh right. She needed to find the other access points to the ghost in the machine and verify that the entity was on an isolated system. She wasn't an idiot. She could feel the ghost getting stronger after every training session. She would have liked to have eased Seth into the lessons, as oppose to terrifying him into blind obedience. His fear was feeding the demon. His confidence fed it. His shattered ego fed it. Bit by bit, it was growing stronger by consuming pieces of Seth. Could Seth sense the ghost's energy?

She should have destroyed it as soon as he revealed its existence. She should have found another way to train him. No. She should have reported him to Lord Leon. Maybe, the E.M.I. could have taken him in a year earlier. No, they wouldn't have. Taking in want-to-be Hunters was not how they were organized, even if the subject had potential.

She suspected that the squad captain knew what she was up to. He wasn't exactly forthcoming about where the abandoned tunnels were. She glared at the back of his head. She could take him if he decided to do anything funny. She had intentionally kept him unarmed during their sessions. He needed to learn how to rely on his environment to do his killing. After two months, he just wasn't getting it.

He had every right to get angry at her. His anger fueled the machine. He'd attempt to be subtle about his questions about her scythe. His desperation fed the machine. Cutting back their training sessions was the only thing she could do.

She needed the sleep. A few hours before dawn, an hour at lunch, an hour at dinner. It just wasn't enough.

"It's not much further!" Seth shouted over his shoulder.

Homework proved to be a weak excuse. It wasn't long before she found Seth attempting to train on his own. The boy was a liability, not only to herself, but to the campus. She grimaced. At this point, he was a bigger threat to the student population than the demons pacing along the outer rim of the shields. It was only a small relief that it took nine weeks before the demons were drawn to her presence. She needed to relocate. If those shields went down while she was at the Council's Academy...

She didn't want to think about it. She couldn't step foot outside of the demon shields; her presence would announce itself like a massive skylight. For the time being, she could deal with a stray demon or dozen by focusing her energy through the scythe to launch a few spectral blades toward her target. Safe behind the shields or not, she didn't like wobbling back to her room in the middle of the night, where she would collapse in bed, dead to the world until Seth harassed her through the intercom.

Ice cold water sprayed her. They were too close to the water for Astral's comfort. Didn't that boy know anything? Depth mattered very little to water demons, which could alter the environment and drag an unsuspecting victim into their world. Water demons were a particularly clever bunch with the unique ability to phase shift between realms with ease. It wasn't a far stretch to believe that shields might not have any effect in preventing water demons from attacking.

Seth jumped in. The water pushed in against his hips in a vain attempt to pull him down the river. If the squad captain lost his footing, he could wash up well outside the Academy's grounds.

He reached out for her. "Come on! I know the water's cold, but this is the only way to reach the access point."

"What about the data key?" Astral shouted over the water. She didn't want to have to come back for it if they had to leave it behind. Securing the data key first was the only way Seth was willing to take her to the tunnels. She understood that the team who had the key and activated it at their home base were declared the winner. Having the winning condition in their possession while they explored the ruined remains of the former Military Regime meant that there was no way for his opponents to win the game.

"If it doesn't work, we'll have to take out the other players! They won't be able to find us until we're back on the field. If they get impatient they can call a forfeit," Seth explained.

Astral frowned. "Don't tell me this is how you've been winning?" She thought it was rather clever. Waiting out the enemy was a valid military tactic.

Seth glowered at her insinuation. "Do you want to do this or not?"