Through the cool atmosphere punctuated by the warmth of morning sunlight, Cassie and Viara were walking towards the academy training grounds.
Dry leaves on the path crunched beneath their footsteps. Nearby, a broom slowly swept the pathway, its sound like a melody in the silence.
"The campus is so peaceful at this hour," Viara said, smiling.
"Yeah," Cassie replied. "You should also see the sunset from the arenas."
Viara gave Cassie a side-eye, her smile turning teasing. "You went to see the sunset without me?"
Cassie laughed. "It was one time by chance when you were sick."
A short walk later, they finally reached the training ground. Weapons clashing and gunshots could be heard from a distance.
Even on a weekend morning, the training grounds were moderately crowded.
Cassie's eyes scanned the crowd.
"And I miss the silence already."
That earned a small laugh.
Cassie spotted Madoka in the distance, arms crossed, and Finn chatting beside her.
As they approached, Viara waved and called out, "Hey! We're here."
Their heads turned. Finn waved back.
Madoka smirked. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Zen said we could join for morning practice. So, here we are," Cassie replied.
"I assume he told you already," Viara added.
Madoka and Finn exchanged a glance.
Finn shook his head in resignation.
"Of course he didn't."
Madoka sighed. "No worries, though. We were just getting started. Feel free to join us."
"Speaking of Zen, where is he? Shouldn't he be here too?" Viara asked.
"Uh… he wasn't feeling so good today. So, he's at rest," Finn replied, rubbing the back of his head.
Cassie and Viara exchanged worried glances.
"Oh. I hope he's doing okay," Viara said.
"Don't worry. He'll recover soon, hopefully," Finn said.
He gestured at Madoka and Cassie.
"Let's start. You two can go first. I'll wait for my turn."
Madoka smiled, her eyes teasing.
"Sure. I'm down to sample what our crown princess brings to the table."
Cassie met her eyes with a competitive spirit.
"Bring it on."
They both grabbed wooden swords and took positions.
Finn and Viara watched from the sidelines.
Madoka and Cassie circled each other for a few seconds, waiting for the other to make the first move.
Then, Cassie charged first with a vertical strike. Madoka blocked easily.
Cassie followed with another. Madoka dodged and countered with strikes of her own.
They traded swings back and forth. Their movements—precise and controlled, neither giving the other an opening.
Finn let out a low whistle.
"Now that's some serious competition."
Viara chuckled.
"Cass has been pushing herself for the exams. Honestly, it makes me a little worried."
Finn looked at her. "And what about you? Anyone specific you want to ass-kick in the tournament?"
Viara's eyes shifted to the ground, her smile slowly fading.
"I won't be participating."
Finn raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? Isn't participation mandatory?"
Viara nodded.
"Yes. But I spoke with the director. She gave me an exception."
"…everything okay?" Finn asked.
Viara's face fell as she stared at the palm of her hand.
"I've been… struggling to hold my weapon… ever since that night."
Finn remained silent for a moment.
"I'm sorry."
Viara forced a small smile, shaking her head.
"It's okay."
They both quietly watched as Madoka and Cassie continued sparring.
A few minutes passed before Alex appeared beside Viara.
"I don't remember the last time I saw you two here."
"We just returned today," Viara replied.
"Hey, Alex," Finn said, glancing around. "You're alone? That's unusual."
"You can probably guess," Alex replied.
"Ed's caught up with some student council paperwork."
Finn smirked. "Bet Max is sleeping like a rock right now."
"Quite the show going on here," a familiar voice said from behind.
Kyoya stopped beside Finn, arms crossed, his smile smug as usual.
"I was wondering what all the fuss is about this morning."
Alex rolled her eyes.
Cassie's gaze landed on Kyoya for a split second.
Madoka charged.
"Focus, princess."
Cassie's eyes snapped back to Madoka, and she blocked the strike barely in time.
Kyoya laughed.
"Lose focus like that, and you won't even make it past the group stage."
"Good morning, Kyoya," Viara said with a smile.
"How are your preparations?"
"Perfect scores on all aim drills, as usual," Kyoya replied with a shrug.
"There's no dodging my bullets. Unless you're hiding behind a boulder."
To his left, just within earshot, Justin Juan was bantering with his friends.
Now he wasn't.
One of his friends leaned in, voice low but sharp.
"Pretty sure he's insulting you indirectly."
Another friend muttered, "You just gonna let that slide?"
Tall, broad-shouldered, blonde-haired, one hand resting on the grip of his Earth-powered Great Hammer. Built as if he belonged more on a battlefield.
His jaw tightened as Kyoya's words reached his ears.
Justin exhaled once, then walked straight towards him.
"You ever shut up, Kyoya?"
Madoka and Cassie stopped mid-strike.
"Oh boy," Finn murmured.
Alex sighed.
"Here we go again."
Kyoya smiled. "Oh? Hit a nerve?"
Justin's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Your mouth runs more than your guns. You know that?"
"At least my mouth and my guns hit their target while you're playing catch-up," Kyoya countered with a confident smirk.
Justin stepped closer, face to face.
"Try me."
Kyoya's hot rod dual pistols formed in his hands with a metallic chime.
"With pleasure," he replied, spinning the pistol in his right hand.
"That's enough!" Alex stepped in between, pushing them both away from each other.
"We don't want the training ground turning into a mountain on fire. Whatever beef you guys have, settle it in the arenas."
Kyoya rolled his eyes.
"Bummer."
Madoka crossed her arms, her voice menacing.
"Stand down. Both of you."
Their expressions tightened.
Kyoya smiled innocently.
"On second thought, I'll be off now."
He immediately turned and walked away without another word, already waving.
Justin turned back to his friends.
"Hate that guy," he murmured as he left.
Madoka scoffed.
"Idiots."
"What was that?" Viara asked.
"Eh. Don't bother," Alex replied. "Those two always argue, often over dumb things. This one was actually more reasonable."
She turned to Finn.
"By the way, Morrison. Ed and I were planning to go for pizza later. Care to join?"
Finn nodded. "Sure."
He gestured at the others.
"Mind if my friends join?"
Alex smiled. "The more the merrier."
Below the academy, in the quiet maintenance room, Saya slept head down on the table.
The clock hit 4:00 P.M. The alarm on her phone rang.
Saya's eyes opened.
"Dismiss."
The alarm turned off.
She straightened up, yawning and stretching.
"Good nap. Back to work."
She looked at the computer display.
Damage Assessment: Alpha-02—progress: 82%.
"This is taking all day," she murmured.
Saya got up from her chair and walked to the gear hanger for another round of manual inspection.
Outside the room, footsteps approached.
The hydraulic door slid open, and Commander Stelle entered.
Saya turned towards the door. "Good afternoon, Commander."
"You don't have to be so formal in private, Sofia," Stelle said. "What's the progress?"
Saya sighed. "Depends on what you're asking about. Damage assessment? Eighty-two percent. Damage repaired? Zero."
"Plus, I'm waiting for the extra parts I ordered," she added.
Stelle approached the gear hanger.
"Don't be too hard on yourself. The damage looks severe."
"So, what brings you here?" Saya asked. "I assume you didn't come here just to check my progress."
Stelle chuckled. "Sharp as ever."
"Correct. I'm not," Stelle said. "Yesterday, all academies under the Nexus Academic Alliance received confirmation from the Warriors Military Legion."
Saya blinked. "About what?"
"About taking the Elite Operatives Initiative," Stelle replied. "With all the other islands at a crisis for manpower, NAA wants to ready its most capable students across all sectors for both offense and defense."
"And after what happened yesterday, I think it's our only option," she added.
Saya's face fell at the thought of last night.
She looked at A-02 at the gear hanger, eyes lingering on the malfunctioning hood, the crack on the armor, and the missing bits and pieces of the upper layer.
Stelle cleared her throat. "Which brings me to you. If you want to take part in the initiative, you can as a transfer student of this academy."
"We could use your technical and ace combat skills," she added.
Stelle turned and walked towards the door. "Inform me after you make a decision."
"I'm in," Saya said.
Stelle paused, looking back at her.
"Are you sure you don't need to discuss with Dr. Frank first?"
"I don't need to think twice. I'll convince him," Saya replied.
Stelle nodded. "Very well. I'll take care of the paperwork."
Saya smirked, shaking her head.
"Special treatment never leaves me alone."
Stelle chuckled. "You're his protégée for a reason."
Zen's eyes snapped open. He found himself lying on his bed, mind buzzing, vision blurry.
He stared at the ceiling until his eyesight cleared, then looked out the window.
The sun had set, and the dark of the night had already settled.
He pushed himself up and sat still on the edge of the bed, lingering for a minute before getting up.
Zen checked the fridge. He found the leftover chicken soup Finn had cooked last night.
He heated it in a pot, served himself a small portion in a bowl, and sat back down on his bed.
He slowly drank the soup with a spoon in complete silence, stirring it more than actually drinking.
The screen of his phone lit up beside the pillow.
He set the bowl down and picked up his phone. While scrolling through the notifications, a missed call and voice message from a contact named "Sora" caught his attention.
His fingers hovered over the play button of the voice message for a few seconds before he finally pressed.
The voice of a cheerful, bubbly girl played.
"Hey, big bro! I assume you're busy since you didn't pick up the call. It's been so long! We really miss you!"
"We were thinking about paying you a visit later since we heard you were nearby."
"If you're wondering, school has been great. Rank reassessment exams have started, and we're crushing it!"
"Well, except for Yuri. She badly twisted her ankle while skateboarding."
Another girl's voice came from the background. "Don't need to tell him that! I don't want to be grounded from skateboarding again!"
Sora giggled. "Alright. Bye, big bro! Take care. We love you!"
The audio ended.
Zen stared at his phone for a moment, no reaction.
Then, he finally smiled, a proper and genuine one.
He replied with a text.
"I'll call back soon. Take care. Love you all too!"
Zen put the phone down and picked up the bowl of soup again.
He quickly finished eating and cleaned up, then headed out towards the staircase after locking the door to his dorm room.
A short walk up the stairs, he reached the rooftop.
As he stepped outside, the chilling night air hit him, familiar and comfortable.
He closed the door behind him and slowly walked up to the railing.
As he stared up at the sky, his mind and body calmed.
Then, the wind whispered a presence. A familiar one.
He sighed, not even looking behind.
"Bold of you to show up inside a high-security perimeter."
Behind him, a female figure stood in black gear with red mechanical lines, hands clasped behind her back.
She chuckled softly, cold air catching the long, crimson twin tails of her hair as she took slow, deliberate steps towards him with predatory grace. "Oh... the yin to my yang. How I missed you, my dear."
She leaned on the railing beside him, propping her chin on one hand as she stared at him, her red eyes gleaming in the dark like gems.
"Found me again, huh?" Zen said, avoiding eye contact.
She laughed, amused. "I always knew where you were. The Queen's Blessing within you grows sweeter and sweeter the closer the Null King's Rage draws me."
"And the more you use it, the more it kills you," he said, almost angry.
"Says the one who trades his lifespan like currency to wield elements beyond his own," she argued.
Zen went silent, knuckles tightening on the railing. He took a few deep breaths to calm down.
"Why are you here, Kuroha?" Zen asked, like he had asked hundreds of times before.
"Why is The Rebellion here?"
Kuroha smiled.
"Me? I'm just here to chat," she replied, gently poking his cheek.
Zen grunted. She chuckled, clearly enjoying it.
Kuroha straightened up, stretching languidly.
"As for why the others are here... you'll have to figure that out yourself."
He finally looked at her.
"Don't tell me Master is here as well."
"No. She doesn't have time for petty missions."
"Honestly, a good thing."
A small silence stretched between them until Kuroha broke it.
"You don't look so good. Kageri sure went a little overboard."
Zen remained silent.
"I like the new hair color," she said. "You could keep the red eyes, though. They looked more... dangerous."
"It's temporary," Zen replied.
"Well... I suggest keeping the hair anyway," she said.
"None of your business," he replied.
Behind them, the knob of the door to the roof twisted.
Kuroha's eyes snapped towards the sound.
"Oh?"
The door swung open. Finn stepped out.
His eyes landed on Zen, standing by the railing, alone.
He approached him.
"Thought I would find you here."
Zen turned around.
"Yeah. I needed some fresh air."
Finn held up a bag of food.
"I brought pizza for dinner."
Zen walked past him towards the door.
"Sounds good."
Finn followed behind.
"I heard you talking earlier. Who was it?"
"My old... rival," he said, walking down the stairs.
Finn didn't need to question further.
From the high vantage point of the building to the left, Kuroha watched as Zen left.
"Such a shame our conversation came to an end so soon."
She turned to leave, smiling yet a little disappointed.
"Until we meet again, my dear Zen."