A skyscraper pierced the clouds. In its front yard, a fountain with a dolphin statue shimmered among trimmed hedges. Two enforcers exited the building, their black uniforms gleaming under the sun.
"Seriously? They're going on another expedition?" The first one spoke in surprise.
"Yeah, I heard this is the biggest one yet! Both the AEOC and REOC will be sending their 1st units in this expedition with our supreme commanders as well. " The second one confirmed.
Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a man wearing the same clothes them. They stopped talking as Missio adjusted his collar, striding towards them. The guards tensed up, noticing the insignia on his chest.
"Greetings! Lieutenant General!" Both shouted at the same time.
"Good morning, please excuse me." Missio smiled gently.
The glass door slid open as the two let him pass. Missio nodded and entered the building. He entered the lobby and the entrance closed behind him. The lobby had lofty ceilings and many enforcers in it. There were two staircases leading to the next floor, between them was a reception desk. A portrait of a man was hung above the reception desk. The man had flashy red hair with golden eyes; he wore a toga picta and a laurel wreath was placed atop his head.
He marched towards the reception desk.
"Yes, what can I help you-Huh?! Lieutenant General? What brings you here? I'm quite sure you should be in your office…office. Ah, you want directions to your office. Am I right?"
"Yes…" Missio nodded anxiously.
The receptionist told him the location of his new office. Missio thanked the lady and ascended the stairs. The receptionist trailed him with her eyes, a gentle smile on her face.
"I hope you're prepared for tomorrow…" She whispered, quietly and went back to work.
From there, Missio entered the elevator and pressed the button to the second highest floor. He drew a deep breath. He had just been promoted to Lieutenant General of the black ops division yesterday.
"This is too much pressure for me, man…No, I shouldn't be like that…I'll try to make it work."
After several minutes, the doors of the elevator slid open. He stepped out, entering a long hallway. One side was made of glass while the other was made of fine metal. He paced down the hallway, making his way to a metal door. He scanned his insignia on the scanner and the door opened with a hum. He stepped inside his office which was made of shining steel with a balcony behind it.
He turned around and saw a television on top of the entrance. He walked towards the desk, sliding his palm along its surface. He placed his katana on the desk and sat down. He leaned back and gripped the armrest tighter than he meant to.
'Creating that insignia took a lot more than I expected…'
He rested for a moment, then picked up a nameplate with his name engraved on it. A sense of satisfaction washed over him as he smiled.
'Would you be proud of me right now?'
As he thought that, memories flashed before his eyes. His pupils dilated and he threw the nameplate down. He clutched his head, his breath becoming rapid. After a while, he sulked into his chair, his breathing shallow but steady.
***
Outside, a black car pull up into the parking lot. A group of people – four to be exact – stepped out of the vehicle wearing the same clothes as them.
A spiky brown-haired with eyes and skin of the same color. A man with ginger hair and evergreen eyes who wore glasses. A blue-eyed beauty with light blue – probably dyed hair who stuck close to the ginger and an amber-eyed, Golden-haired lady who had a cross hanging from her neck.
They marched towards the door and the glass doors slid open like smooth butter. They strolled through the lobby and ascended the stairs. After a ride on the elevator, they strolled through the hallway, making it to Missio's new office. A mischievous smile formed on the brown-eyed man's face as he knocked on the door. Missio leaned forward, opening his mouth.
"Come in."
As he gave a command, the door recognized his voice, opening itself to the individuals outside. Missio raised a brow as the shadow of a man stood in the doorway. He narrowed his eyes.
"Krishna?" He questioned.
"Hello, Lieutenant General~" Krishna teased.
"Don't tease me, dude. I'm already stressed as it is." Missio heaved a sigh.
"No worries, captain~. This humble private won't harm you at all…" Krishna said in a sarcastic voice.
"Just die, you jerk." Missio blurted.
"No." Krishna replied.
"Oh! Missio, I'm so happy for you. Say, how do you like the new office." The blue-eyed beauty asked.
"Oh, Eira. I like it. It's okay." Missio replied.
"Missio, Congrats on your promotion. I hope you continue to do great things in the future." The amber-eyed girl commented.
"Thanks…You're still as optimistic as ever, Mary." Missio smiled.
"So? How it like feeling in the lieutenant general's chair?" The ginger asked, leaning on the table.
"It's feels nice, Henry…It feels good…" Missio replied, rubbing his against the wooden surface.
"I would think so." Henry added. "But it should feel better for the fact that you're here after only being in the black ops for two years."
"Well…" Missio leaned back. "I did work a lot…for this…"
"It was more like 10 percent hard work and 90 percent talent." Krishan placed his hand on Henry's shoulder.
"Give him a break, Krishna. He deserves to be there." Eira stated, stepping forward.
Krishna scoffed. "I could do better."
"Yet, why aren't you in this position?" Henry adjusted his glasses.
"…Nepotism?" Krishna blurted.
All of them stared at Krishna with dumbfounded faces. Krishna stepped back and shrugged.
"Come on, he's part of the royal family. There's bound to be some favoritism besides his brother is the supreme commander of the REOC."
"And what does his brother say about nepotism, Krishna?" Mary inquired in a gentle tone.
"…to abolish nepotism…but I mean-"
Before he could speak any further, Henry cut him off.
"Shut up, your baseless talk is infecting my brain cells."
"You calling me stupid?" Krishna asked, gritting his teeth in a comedic fashion.
"Can you even tell whether I'm calling you stupid?" Henry smirked.
"Why you little son of a-"
But again, before Krishna could respond, Missio interrupted the team, coughing to draw their attention. He intertwined his fingers and locked eyes with them.
"Why don't we have a little trip to the training grounds?" He said.
"Sure." Henry replied without batting an eye as the rest – except Krishna – nodded.