Morning always began a bit later inside the city-forts. Their towering walls kept the sun out of the streets for a full hour past the official sunrise, creating a strange, shadowy environment as light reflected off the sky but did not hit the city directly. Endevara, as this city was known, was relatively small compared to others within the realm of Entaro. It was scarcely five square miles, compared to the fifty of the commerce centers or even the one hundred of the capitol. The cities were architectural marvels, tiered walls with buildings set into the inside of the innermost, tallest wall, which was at least one hundred and fifty feet tall. Between the walls, buildings were built more traditionally out of wood for the most part, but the skyscraping tenements and business hubs were reinforced with metal. The streets were narrow, with only enough room for two horse carts to slip by each other. The greater cities could afford to expand their walls, but Endevara had not the funds to do so.<br/><br/>It was in this bizarre twilight that Constance Cyntrona, Moderator of this city's New Trainer initiative, strolled casually on her way to the graduation ceremony. Today, dozens of young adults would set out to make their mark on the world. Most of them would fail, she knew. Many of them would die. For many reasons, however, the Trainer system was necessary. Philosophers, sociologists, and economists all agreed that it was the best way to manage both the hotbloodedness of youth and the population problem. With more youth out in the world, cities would be less cramped, trade would flourish, and the young would not suffer the powerful cabin fever engendered by castle towns. Constance prayed that some, or even just one, of her students would be successful out there in the violent wilds. Perhaps they would uncover an important relic, or save someone's life, or become successful competitors like she had been. It mattered little to her what they did; only that they thrive. Too many died. She knew, though, that the Trainer system was a sieve through which the government drained the population. Studies said it was successful. The public never saw these studies, obviously.<br/><br/>Next to Constance was her trusted familiar and life-mate, Jenevieve. Slightly shorter than Constance, Jen's demure, feminine manner contrasted with Connie's boyish quirks. Small steps beneath a long, flowing skirt moved quietly next to long, confident, pant-legged strides. The two of them were met with greetings from citizens of all shapes, sizes, and wallets; a city's Moderator was its most prominent member, and Endevara had the honor of hosting a national battling champion as their own. To the people here, Constance, or C.C. as the media liked to nickname her, was the greatest thing to ever happen to the world. She knew better, of course, having seen the world herself. Tournament battlers had barely scratched the surface of what familiars were capable of, and if any real threat were to appear, it wasn't going to be the competitive types that would have the strength to resist it. This was one of the reasons Constance had retired, but not the only. Not by far.<br/><br/>The stage set up in the courtyard of Endevara Educational Enterprises came into view as the two women rounded one final corner. Many students were milling about already, some chatting with teachers. Constance had not taught any classes herself, but she was a regular guest lecturer in both familiar-related and national events classes. Her success with “Pokemon,” the media's favorite commercial term for familiars (and co-opted by the younger generations), had brought her endless celebrity with the students, and more than one misguided marriage proposal from young people who were getting ahead of themselves. A gaggle of starry-eyed twenty-somethings gathered around her and Jenevieve as they entered the grounds. Pleasantries and congratulations were sent all around, until she was finally able to break away and slip behind the stage curtain. Jenevieve milled through the crowd, sending Connie telepathic updates of the situation outside, allowing Connie some peace, if not quiet, as she waited for everyone to arrive.