Two weeks after all the chaos, the city was still recovering. News of significant arrests dominated headlines.
The academy had finally lifted the lockdown. The Rank Reassessment Tournaments were continuing in less than a week.
Training grounds were open and busy again. Practice was in full swing.
In a quiet corner of the training field, Viara smiled confidently as she stepped forward with each chained strike of her wooden sword. "I've been feeling more aggressive lately. I can't tell why."
Zen stepped back with each block. "That's how it should be after everything you've been through recently. They don't say 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' for nothing."
Viara stopped and reset her stance.
"So, this is how it feels to build combat experience."
"You're not the only one who'll be feeling more aggressive. To everyone involved that night, this tournament won't feel the same as before, even if they may not be self-conscious enough like you to understand why." Zen adopted a defensive stance.
Viara adjusted her grip and charged forward again.
From the training ground's gear hangers, Cassie was watching. Of course, her presence meant others were keeping their distance. But Shiori stood right beside her, hands clasped demurely, also watching. This wasn't the first time they had seen each other, and even though their first interactions weren't exactly friendly, they weren't hostile either.
She glanced at Cassie from the corner of her eye, noticing the small smile on her lips.
"How long have you known him for?"
Cassie blinked, slightly startled by the sudden question.
"...A little more than a month."
Shiori stared at her a second before shifting her gaze back to Zen and Viara.
"You two seem to have grown quite close in such a short period. He rarely makes new friends."
That triggered a thought in Cassie's mind. Even in all the chaos that night, something stuck with her. She remembered how tired and broken he had arrived. And still, what she heard the next moment was, "I don't care. You hurt my friends…"
Her eyes softened, shifting to the ground—but her smile didn't falter.
"Now that I think about it, he's been more than a friend."
Shiori tilted her head.
"Oh. How so?"
Her gaze slowly lifted back towards Zen and Viara sparring. "Well... we became friends through shared trouble to begin with, and ever since, he's saved us more than once and also shared his insight—even if only two or three times and in fragments. But they have helped Vi and me understand what weeks of classes couldn't. Honestly, I've sparred a lot with Madoka, mostly because he said so—even more than I've actually sparred with him. It took me some time to realize why. It's as if he's there to point out your fundamental mistakes and help you surpass the benchmark that Madoka is. And I think that shows he's a great protector and also can be a great mentor."
Shiori's lips slowly curved into a small smile.
"Those are a few of his alluring qualities."
"If he were ever to become an instructor, the next generation would be very lucky to have him," Saya chimed in as she approached from behind alongside Finn. "Back when I was mentally struggling with all the expectations that came with being a prodigy. He taught me meditation and even helped me to look at things more practically than theoretically. All that time sitting around to calm your mind and body paid off," she added with a small laugh.
"And I asked him to show me hand-to-hand combat just out of curiosity," Finn said with an amused grin. "I ended up becoming a precision brawler instead of a marksman, and my father had to make me gauntlets instead of guns."
That earned a laugh from everyone.
"On second thought, he's also quite blunt sometimes, and uses morally gray tactics," Saya said with a chuckle.
"Or slips into overwhelming force that makes your life flash before your eyes." Cassie raised a hand. "Speaking from personal experience."
Finn was getting a stomachache from hearing all the comments.
Shiori never lost composure even in banter.
"We all have our flaws."
At the same time, Zen and Viara walked back towards the gear hangers for a short break.
Meanwhile, a small group of students was quietly observing Cassie and Shiori. Two heirs of two different ruling families of elemental races, standing together. Both intimidating in their own ways. Both hard to approach.
Right as Zen passed the small crowd behind Viara, the group glared at him.
"Lucky bastard…," one guy said, just loud enough for everyone around.
"He really thinks he fits in with the top scorers, huh?" another added.
"I heard he's got some chronic condition. He's not even participating in the exams," a girl whispered.
Her friend scoffed. "Why even leave your bed and come to a warrior academy if you're dying from cancer or something?"
Every word reached his ears. He decided to ignore it all—until the last line hit and forced him to look at his left arm.
It wasn't cancer. But there was no denying the elemental infection he had been carrying for years that every medicine Dr. Frank made failed to cure.
He only let the thought linger for a second before pushing it away.
Viara frowned.
"Are you okay?"
Zen shook his head.
"It's nothing."
Saya rolled her eyes. Cassie went silent and let it slide. Finn tilted his head and scratched behind his ear.
Shiori's smile died as her eyes narrowed to a dangerous green glow and snapped to the group. The moment she tried to move, she couldn't anymore.
"Don't. Hold. Me. Back…"
Zen stepped into the gear hanger and paused beside her.
"Not worth wasting your energy on."
"A Warrior does not tolerate insults directed at their sensei," Shiori said, her voice low.
"A Warrior isn't meant to disobey their sensei either."
He finally opened his left fist and walked away inside.
"Moving on."
The wind finally let go of its grip on her.
Everyone except Shiori headed back inside the gear hangers.
Finn and Saya switched topics as they walked back side by side, their voices fading away the longer Shiori stood there in silence.
"By the way, I'm done repairing all gears except Alpha. Come pick up yours whenever…"
"Already? I thought it would take longer? How do you fix them so fast…"
"I may not be a traditional speedster, but lightning sure helps with getting things done fast…"
The group of students laughed at the quiet retreat.
"Yeah, yeah, run along now," one guy said dismissively.
Shiori's hands curled into fists. She turned and walked away—but not before her right hand glowed faintly green as she performed a few hand gestures.
A green vine popped out of the ground beside the smug guy, startling everyone around. It instantly swung from right to left, slapping him audibly in the face, then left to right one more time before swiftly retreating into the ground.
The guy clutched both sides of his face that were visibly swelling, groaning in pain.
A short distance to their right, Alex was wiping her face with a towel. She shook her head in resignation.
"They're lucky Madoka Fuyukawa isn't here at the moment," Edric murmured.
Justin was doing push-ups with some of his friends not far away. He glanced once at them, let out a small sigh, and returned to his exercise. "Morons…"
The academy's facilities for the second-year students included a limited number of small combat simulators.
Students were already leaving for lunch. Thus, the simulation rooms were naturally shut down for now—all except one.
Madoka's black katana sliced through the air fast and efficiently.
Enemies from behind—sweep kick their feet.
Enemies from left, right, and center—parry, block, slice through.
Even after defeating them as fast as she could, the number of opponents was only growing. Every hit and swing that registered on her training gear chipped away at its pool of virtual hit points—until it finally hit zero. The room went red with a chime, and the simulation ended.
Knees hit the ground. Katana landed with a clang of steel against tiles. Sweat dripped down her cheeks, and she breathed in short gasps.
Her teeth clenched.
This was the fifth time today. And she certainly didn't plan for it to be the last.
She finally sat down on a bench, frowning at herself. She pressed a towel against her face, letting it soak up all the sweat—and the next second, cold metal pressed against her left cheek, startling her.
"Huh? When did you arrive?"
Sayuri let out a soft laugh.
"When you were busy hiding your face in that towel."
She handed Madoka an energy drink, sat down beside her, and popped her own can.
"Pushing yourself a bit too hard, don't you think?"
Madoka took a long sip and remained quiet for a moment. A sigh finally escaped her. "If I don't, that idiot will."
She stared at her own faint reflection on the tiled floor. "If only I were capable enough to deal with even one of them that night, maybe he wouldn't have to lose a whole hour's worth of his life in a few minutes and end up in the condition he did."
Sayuri's expression turned thoughtful.
"So that's what this is about."
"Humans have a natural lifespan of sixty to eighty years. But no one truly knows how long they really have." Madoka closed her eyes and palmed her face. "If I were him, I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing tomorrow could be my last day, and every use of my power is a gamble between life and death." She let out a shuddering breath. "I don't know how he's okay with it. Even after I tried to explain so many times."
"Easy there, lil sis. Can't really blame yourself, you know." Sayuri put her hand on her head, threading through Madoka's hair. "Over my years as a Warrior, I've witnessed many amazing people pass away young. I resent this world for putting so much burden on a single person. But the best thing we can do is help them out as much as possible in our own way."
"...And what if that person doesn't accept your help?"
"...We can't stop trying."
None of them spoke further for the moment. Then Sayuri finished her drink in one go before getting back on her feet. "Come have lunch. You'll need it if you plan to keep going."
The door clicked open. Justin stepped into his dorm room.
Finn was at the small kitchenette.
"Hey, bro. Welcome back."
Justin sighed, walked up to his bed, and sat down.
"What's cooking?"
"Threw the leftovers from last night together into an egg fried rice. Should taste great with a side of beef," Finn replied.
"Yeah... Sounds good."
Finn kept stirring but couldn't help glancing at Justin from the corner of his eye.
"...Are you upset that Aquila forfeited the tournament?"
Justin groaned. "Absolutely not! Well... partially. Maybe. I don't know. I just wanted to beat him up... formally or something. Every time I hear words like 'royalty' or 'nobility', I feel like punching a damn wall."
He clenched his fist so hard the veins in his arms looked like they would burst, before he finally calmed down. "But I've got better reasons to be angry about."
Finn snorted at that. He finished cooking, served two plates, handed one to Justin, and sat down on his own bed.
Justin started with a big spoonful.
"...Mmm, tastes pretty good."
Finn smiled.
"Thanks. There's more on the stove if you want."
As they ate, Finn quietly read a group chat conversation of a few dozen students.
"I doubt it's possible. Science says otherwise."
"Yeah, there's no way a body would survive channeling more than one element."
"Sounds like a bunch of bullshit."
"But what if you could, though? Maybe there's something we haven't discovered yet?"
Finn chewing slowed.
"Damn, people are still talking about this?" he murmured.
"Others call them rumors. I call them facts," Justin said. "You remember, right? That dude summoned a small tornado, a whole water whale, used ice, and even healed us. Felt like I was dreaming."
"That... does sound like a dream."
"Yeah. Imagine if we could become that strong. I'd finally be able to take back what they stole from me."
"You mean your family?"
Justin nodded.
Finn shook his head, smiling in resignation. "Is that the only reason you decided to become a Warrior?"
"Oi, Hector," Andreas called, loading a mag into one of Hector's high-caliber pistols.
Hector walked up to the makeshift table.
"Done fixing already?"
Andreas tossed him the gun.
Hector gripped it firmly.
"Good as new, eh?"
He tipped his hat.
"Thank you, friend. Amazing job. Hehe."
"Not a big deal," Andreas replied.
"Mind keeping down, you two? I'm trying to catch some sleep here," Kageri said while shifting sides in her sleeping bag.
Both stared at her for a second.
"How about a walk outside?" Hector suggested. "We're almost out of water anyway."
Andreas simply shrugged.
Both climbed the stairs, closed the basement metal door as quietly as they could, and hit the small road.
As they continued walking, Hector spoke again.
"I meant what I said. You're amazing at your work. Your father was a gear mechanic, yes?"
Andreas nodded. "I owe him for that. Or at least I would if he were still around. Lost both my parents to a Null disaster."
"That explains quite a bit. But, as much as I've studied the orphanage's history, you didn't seem to live there like most upper-level Rebellion members."
"I still had my family home, luckily."
"But then, how did you end up here?"
"Well, when I used to work at construction sites, I learned about the free training sessions Kurenai gave and got in during my free time. She soon learned about my situation and…"
"They really don't pay you enough for all the work you put in," Kurenai said, lazily spinning a wooden staff in her hand.
"I have to make a living somehow," Andreas replied, putting all the training weapons back into the rack.
Kurenai walked up to the rack, put her staff away, and turned to him. "You said you know mechanical work. If you want, I can get you an opportunity at the Warrior Academy Maintenance Department to show what you've got. As for whether they'll keep you or not, that depends on your effort."
His eyes widened.
"Really? That would be amazing."
"Yeah. At least they'll pay way better."
He stood in a navy-blue worker uniform in front of the gear-hanger console of the academy's maintenance hall. "Shield recharged, old support mechanisms have been swapped with fresh ones, and armor plates have been realigned according to your movement preferences. You're all good to go."
Kageri stepped closer with a surprised smile, hands on hips, taking a better look at her combat gear. "Dang, you got all that done so fast."
"Are you still sure, though? Both sides of your waist will be more vulnerable without armor plates once your shield depletes."
Kageri waved it off.
"I'll be fine. I prefer flexible movement over physical protection for a spot I can guard."
Not far away, Kurenai watched, arms crossed.
The department manager stopped beside her.
"I can't thank you enough for bringing him in. He's made work much easier to handle for the rest of the crew."
Kurenai shook her head.
"I only made sure his talents don't go to waste. All he needed was a chance to prove himself."
"But then disaster struck her too, and she decided to leave the very path that defined her. I couldn't just sit and watch. So, I left it all behind and followed."
Hector tilted his head.
"So, everyone made the choice to follow her out of loyalty, except him."
Andreas went silent for a moment, crossing his arms.
"...Honestly, I don't blame that kid. He only chose the lesser evil out of the two. It was the most logical choice in my opinion."
"Yet here you are."
Andreas sighed.
"That's because... I listened to my emotions and loyalty instead of cold logic… for once."
"You don't think he betrayed you all, as part of the Rebellion does?"
"No." Andreas shook his head. "I understand why some like Kageri think he betrayed us. We chose to stay by Kurenai's side. He chose to leave and uphold her old teaching. They didn't like the latter."
"But you also don't hold back when facing him."
"Maybe he was a friend and adversary to me. He still is an adversary. But orders take priority. And if he's standing in the way, I have no choice but to move him aside by force."
"Hmmm... Quite the complications. In my time working for the Black Helix, I've also dealt with that kid many times. But I couldn't dig up much about him. Now it seems like I've hit a goldmine of intel."
Andreas gave him a side-eye.
"You're welcome, I guess."