The dining room of the ship was warm and loud, the kind of loud that only happens when people are finally comfortable with each other. Bob had served the food. Benjamin had cooked it.
Abraham took one bite and put his fork down slowly. "Benjamin." He looked up. "This is incredible. You're really living up to your father, huh."
Rimazu paused mid-chew. "His father?"
Scarlet glanced over. "You don't know? Benjamin's family runs the biggest restaurant in the capital of Alulencia."
Aisha pointed her fork in agreement. "Their food is something else. I'm telling you — to die for."
Leona nodded. "I used to go just for the desserts."
Benjamin looked around the table. "How come I never saw any of you there?"
Abraham raised an eyebrow. "How come you never told anyone you're the head chef's son?"
Sulaiman waved his hand. "Come on. It's just food."
Ruqqaya didn't even look at him. She turned to Benjamin. "So why did you leave? From what everyone's saying you had a good life." She paused. "Well — at least you did."
Ryo turned to Benjamin. "You don't have to say anything. Tell us when you feel like it."
Benjamin looked down the table at Zain, who was sitting quietly in the middle of everyone. Zain picked up his cup, took a slow drink of water, and nodded.
Benjamin set his fork down. "Alright. I'll tell you." He looked around at the table. "But first — isn't someone going to wake up Ali?"
Scarlet glanced to her right. Then smacked him.
Ali jolted upright. "What — what's happening?"
"I'll catch you up later," Scarlet said. "Go on, Benjamin."
Benjamin folded his hands on the table.
"I have an older sister. Two years ago she was taken for the war — not to fight, but to cook. To feed soldiers." He paused. "This was after Team Z — back when it was just three members, Captain Zain, Eliza, and Elizabeth — came back from their obligatory six month journey. From what I understand, the war broke out almost as soon as they returned. It dragged on for months. It ended sometime in Rajabia — middle of the month, I think, I can't remember exactly. When they came back, they told us a masked man had taken my sister." He looked at the table. "They said she was probably dead."
The dining room was quiet.
"But I had a feeling she was still alive. So I joined the military. I worked to get picked by Captain Zain — he'd just been appointed head of Team Z by our late Commander and Chief, Elizabeth." He shrugged, but it didn't look like a shrug. "And that's it. That's why I'm here."
The table sat with that for a moment.
Then Ali leaned forward. "Wait — how does your military system work? I'm confused."
Zain set his cup down. "Ours is probably the most complex out of any nation. Here's how it works. You pass the military exams and they rank you. If you place below S rank you don't get assigned to a team — you fight as an independent. But that rank isn't permanent. Every year when the exams are held again you can improve."
Rimazu asked, "And once you reach S rank?"
"You get placed in a team. The Commander of the military selects the three strongest in all of Alulancia and gives each of them a team to lead. There are three teams — Team A, Team K, and Team Z."
Leona added, "And each captain gets to choose whoever they want for their roster."
Rimazu looked at Zain. "So you chose Aisha, Scarlet, Benjamin, Abraham, and Ryo yourself."
"That's right," Leona confirmed.
Bob, who had been clearing plates quietly, paused. "If I may add — each team is also given six months to travel before active duty. The idea is to familiarize themselves with the world they'll be fighting in. There are three main departure gates, each leading a different route. No two teams take the same path." He set a cup down neatly. "However — all three routes converge at the same destination. The Land of Dragons." A beat. "Teams are strictly forbidden from entering."
The table went quiet again, but a different kind of quiet this time.
"That's all the relevant information I'm able to provide," Bob added, and stepped back.
Zain stood up. "Alright. Time to sleep. Halihalu is waiting."
Chairs scraped back. Voices overlapped with goodnights. One by one, the dining room emptied.
Zain went outside alone.
He climbed until he was standing on top of the ship's flag, and leaned against it, looking out at the dark water. The wind moved around him without disturbing him.
When we were Team Z — the original three — we broke that rule.
He closed his eyes.
The curiosity got the best of us. I still don't know whose idea it was first. Maybe it was mine. Doesn't matter now. He exhaled slowly. What I saw that day — the history of the world, laid out in front of us like it had been waiting — I wasn't ready for it. None of us were. We were too young to carry that.
He looked out at the horizon.
I won't let these kids take that on. Not yet. Not like I did.
The next morning, Team Z made landfall on the first island of Halihalu.
They stepped off the ship onto the shore, the air warm and thick with salt, the sound of the water behind them. Ryo looked around. The island was quiet. Too quiet for a landing.
They weren't surrounded by natives.
They were surrounded by old friends of Zain.
Twelve of them. Blades drawn. Eyes sharp. The kind of people whose reputations arrived in a room before they did.
The Revolt.
Zain looked around at all of them without flinching. Then his eyes landed on the man standing at the front — dark skinned, afro, jacket tied loosely around his waist, a blade pointed directly at Zain's throat. There was a grin spreading slowly across his face that said this wasn't a threat so much as a greeting.
Zain smiled back.
"Long time no see—" he said.
"—Kaisen."