<div class="floatleft">(http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k512/MissF1R3/Incoming_zpswl2lgfjc.jpg)</div><br/><strong>Aterra Island<br/>Eros Academy<br/>Control Centre</strong><br/><br/><em>"There,"</em>said a Grim-Faced Man, pointing at the display before him,<em>"I just picked up the Shepard's signal. The new disciples are arriving as we speak. Alert the High Priest and the Principal. We need to be ready to greet them and get them training as soon as possible."</em>He was tall and lean, dressed in a dark blue uniform with white trim, his stoic demeanor supplemented by the dark color scheme and the rimless spectacles he was wearing. It all gave him a very professional, matter-of-fact vibe. His partner, a Buxom Woman seated beside him, while wearing the same uniform, was lit by the flashing displays and the reflections of a rainbow of colors played off her face. She seemed all the brighter for it and her smile enhanced this look.<em>"Yes, sir,"</em>she said, leaning over to press a button. A communication channel opened and she began to deliver a message.<em>"This is control, let the High Priest know they've arrived.."</em><br/><br/><strong>Eros Island Docks</strong><br/><br/>Aterra Island was the center of humanity's fight against the Dusk Circles. It was where the first one had formed and in those innocent days when there was but one, humanity built a fortress around it. The Dusk Circle was located in the center of the island and Eros Academy had formed around it. The circle spewed monsters on occasion, but these were handled by disciples on patrol around it's perimiter and automated defenses. This Dusk Circle had yet to become fully active, but it was still producing creatures of darkness. It was the perfect place to study and train. Outside of the protective wall around this circle is where the academy had blossomed.<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k512/MissF1R3/Aterra_zpsmnmruqfu.png)</div><br/>The new disciples arrived aboard the Shepard, a small transport ship designed to ferry people from the main continent to the island. With one special exception (which the students would see later) the island itself was too dense with forest for air travel. Indeed, the sprawling academy and the city that had formed around it seemed to be spilling off the island itself. As the new disciples disembarked the ship they would be arriving on a dock and even from there they could see the way the facility seemed to 'climb' the mountain that dominated the center of the island. Level after level of buildings rose up all around them, connected by paths and stairways. The architecture was less military than one might expect and it looked like the architects of the place had actually considered form as well as function. The city on Aterra island had more of a resort feel to it, than that of a military complex. Perhaps it was because the disciples were all teenagers and needed to feel at ease. Eros Academy dominated the center of the landscape, with it's massive main building right in the center of the city.<br/><br/>The students were not alone for long. Minutes after leaving the Shepard two guards approached. They were dressed in military-style uniforms dark blue in color with an emblem on the shoulder that depicted a stylized wing. The Angelus Industries logo. Angelus was one of the most respected companies in the world and had their hand in every pie you could imagine. Technology, corporate security, transportation, everything.<em>"Allow me to welcome you new disciples to Eros. If you all will come with me, I'll take you to the Welcome Center where you can relax a moment. The High Priest and Principal will be along shortly to go over your introduction."</em>The guard's introduction ended without the students being given a chance to ask questions. He and his partner turned and walked off, leading the group away from the docks.<br/><br/><strong>Welcome Center</strong><br/><br/>The journey was brief, only taking them just off the docks and away from the hustle and bustle of goods being delivered and ships being maintained. The group traveled through an arched gate and finally set foot into the city proper, where concrete below was replaced by smooth brick tile and the smell of the sea was overtaken by the scents of cooking food. The guards ushered the teenagers into a small white and blue building on the left. 'Eros Island Welcome Center', it proudly proclaimed. The interior was cooled by air conditioning, the place decorated in friendly white and blue. In the middle of the entry was a holographic display of a buxom young woman and a handsome young man, both bearing the mark and both dressed in Eros Academy's uniform. Framed posters hung on the wall, mostly advertisements for the academy. Some of them depicted heroic young men and women battling the demons and were lined with phrases like 'Thank you for fighting!'  or  'We're proud of you!'  or  'Humanity's last hope!'. All very inspiring - or at least they tried to be. From the entry, the students were taken into a smaller room which looked like a conference room gone casual Friday. The perimeter was lined with comfortable-looking couches and chairs and there was no great conference table to be seen, just a small platform with a projector on it, pointed at a bare wall. Between the furniture that lined the walls were smaller end tables, each holding a small selection of beverages and refreshments. Healthy things; water, juice, fruit.<em>"Please wait here for now, they'll be along shortly,"</em>said the guard curtly, before exiting the room with his partner.