Small floodlights illuminated the training grounds during the night.
Metals clashed, and sparks flew as Cassie chained strikes with her double-bladed staff.
Zen blocked and parried each with his staff.
"I don't think it's a good idea to exhaust yourself before your match tomorrow."
Cassie didn't stop, focused.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Both were fully geared.
Cassie swung diagonally.
Zen drove in the lower blade with an arm spin.
Blocked!
She staggered back slightly and immediately followed with a stab.
He parried with a sweep.
She followed up again with the lower blade.
Cleanly blocked again.
She swung vertically.
CLANG!
It hit the hilt of the blade on Zen's staff.
"How many times have you practiced that one move?"
Cassie smirked, lowering her weapon.
"More times than I can count."
She took a stance again.
"Your turn to attack."
Zen spun his staff.
"Alright."
He charged with a basic swing of his upper blade.
Cassie blocked quickly.
Basic swing yet heavy.
Zen kept his speed moderate.
Using each hand for one of the two blades, he attacked continuously at point-blank range.
Then a wheel kick to push her back.
He spun his staff.
Cassie charged forward with a vertical strike to capitalize on the opening.
He drove in his rear blade again.
Weapons collided.
Cassie got forced to take a step back.
He went for a horizontal sweep for her head in the split second.
Cassie couldn't react.
Just as the blade was about to hit, it stopped.
Zen paused, then pulled back his staff.
Cassie didn't move. She couldn't move.
As if her body had forgotten how to.
Then, she finally sighed with relief.
"I felt like I was about to die right here, even though I have my gear on."
Zen spun his staff and rested the hilt on the ground.
"Sorry about that. Guess I went a little overboard."
At a safe distance from them, Saya and Viara monitored Cassie's gear on Saya's tablet.
"Everything seems to be working properly now," Viara said.
Saya nodded.
"Yep. No bugs can hide from me."
Viara laughed.
"Think you can take a look at my gear as well someday?"
"Of course. Bring it to me whenever," Saya replied.
Cassie checked her gear's HUD.
Zen stood silently, observing.
Then, his gaze slowly shifted from the HUD to Cassie, then past her towards the top of the building in the distance.
His eyes narrowed.
"Why is she here?"
Kuroha sat at the edge of the building's roof, munching on skewers and observing.
"Of course, he knows I'm here."
She finished her skewers, licked her fingers clean, then bit on one.
"Watching all these weaklings begging for your attention makes my skin burn."
"If only you'd give me the same, I would make every bit of it unforgettable."
Kuroha stared at Zen.
Zen stared at Kuroha.
Cassie placed a hand on Zen's shoulder.
"Something wrong?"
Zen's gaze shifted to Cassie.
"No."
He turned around.
"Let's get some rest."
Zen walked away towards Saya and Viara.
Cassie watched him go, then looked in the direction he was staring earlier.
After observing every visible spot, she found nothing and turned to follow behind him.
The edge of the building's roof in the distance was empty.
Werner walked towards Stelle's office, file in hand, composed as ever.
He stopped in front of the door and lightly knocked.
"Enter." Stelle's voice echoed.
Werner opened the door and slipped inside before closing it behind him.
Stelle looked up from her laptop.
"Good morning, Mr. Voss."
"Please, have a seat."
Werner approached the desk and took a seat.
"Good morning, Director Amarinth."
Stelle closed the lid of her laptop and leaned forward.
"So, how has everything been going on your end?"
Werner put the file in front of her.
"We've been checking the eastern island entries from overseas and neighboring islands in the past two months."
Stelle took the file and began flipping through detailed entry documents of the criminals arrested in recent cases. "Interesting…"
"The details of these individuals don't match their track records," Werner said.
Stelle put the file down.
"Seems like these were carefully forged to allow them entry."
"Given that the island borders have high security, it makes sense that they chose this method."
"Looks like the Security Department will have to go through some major remodeling, since they are the ones who handle the entries."
Werner nodded.
"Twenty-six of these individuals were involved in the case regarding Princess Lysandra and Lady Elysia."
"The other thirty-three individuals… Thanks to your cooperation, I was able to access their case files. I believe you have an explanation for this, Director?"
Stelle paused, then smirked.
"It's pretty self-explanatory, isn't it, Mr. Voss?"
"Hiding something so severe, such as an abduction attempt on Master Aquila, could put our alliance in jeopardy, don't you think?" Werner said.
"I didn't hide it, did I?" Stelle replied. "I permitted you access to classified databases because I thought the best way would be to let you find out for yourself."
Werner raised an eyebrow.
"So you do know who the mysterious warrior who saved Lady Elysia is?"
Stelle chuckled.
"I may be the top of the eastern island, but I'm not above the rules of the system, am I?"
"Many of our operatives' identities are classified."
Werner thought for a second.
"Understandable."
Stelle opened her laptop again.
"Whether you choose to tell Aquila about this incident is up to you. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it during the exams."
"Now, back to the real topic. As part of our agreement, I will share investigation reports from my end."
She opened a document on the laptop and rotated it towards Werner.
"We looked into the background of the mercenary leader and several others from both cases."
"They were involved in several serious criminal operations performed by The Foundation."
"I believe you've heard about them."
"It's hard not to know about them," Werner replied.
"An organization well known in the local black market for smuggling, heists, and even assassinations of high-value individuals such as the previous Mayor of the Northern Island."
"But it has been dormant for the past few years. You mean to say that The Foundation is behind all this?"
Stelle nodded.
"Precisely. Several cases that have caught my attention in the past few months point towards them."
"A few years ago, all six islands increased border security specifically because of The Foundation."
"The countermeasure worked, and their activities ceased to exist."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"But now, they might be aiming to return."
"And they are corrupting the system itself to achieve their goals."
Tournament Day 3.
Zen, Madoka, Saya, and Finn were already seated in the executive suite.
Madoka was having her daily suppressant drink.
"Who's her opponent?" Finn asked.
"Kyle Drummond," Saya replied.
"He's a water elemental, and a metal quarterstaff user."
"Fire against water, huh? Classic matchup."
Two seats to their right were Max, Edric, and Alex.
Alex and Edric were chatting.
Max was dozing off in his seat.
In the preparation room of the arena, Cassie was standing in front of the corridor, running her finger over the blade of her staff, already geared.
Her mind kept replaying every swing, movement, and gripping technique Zen had used against her last night.
An announcement came through the system.
"All combatants, please enter the arena."
Cassie's eyes were still on the blade.
Viara put a hand on her shoulder from behind.
"Ready?"
Cassie snapped back to her senses.
"Uh, yeah."
She marched forward.
Viara followed behind.
Kyle entered from one side of the arena, composed, lazily spinning his quarterstaff.
Cassie entered the field.
Viara stayed at the perimeter.
Cassie and Kyle stopped five meters apart.
Kyle gave her a polite bow.
Cassie blinked.
"He's really well-mannered."
She placed her right hand over her heart and returned his gesture, though a little more subtly.
The cheerful announcer cleared her throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back as we enter day three of the group stage."
"For today's opening match, we have The Crown Princess of Ignisar, Cassie Lysandra von Solheim, first-year section two, A-rank number four, in her custom combat gear, White Phoenix!"
The audience burst out in cheers!
"And on the other side, we have first-year section three, Kyle Drummond, A-rank number five!"
"He may be running standard combat gear, but he's proven himself in every test thrown at him!"
"Fire against water. A fan favorite. Who's hyped? Yeah!"
"As always, custom combat gears are limited to seventy percent power output. Best of luck to both!"
Cassie took an aggressive stance.
Kyle spun his staff behind him.
The countdown began.
Five… Four… Three… Two… One… FIGHT!
Cassie dashed forward.
Kyle didn't move.
She closed the distance and prepared to swing.
He made eye contact, face expressionless.
Then, right as Cassie swung, he took a step back.
Her blade barely missed.
She immediately spun to follow up with another attack.
He swung the rear of his staff upwards.
Cassie got parried.
He took another step back, spun as water converged around his staff.
Then, he performed three consecutive sweeps with his staff.
Three pressurized water blades hit her in quick succession, throwing her off balance.
Her shield ticked down.
"SHIELD INTEGRITY: 87%"
First blood!
Cassie regained her footing.
"Damnit!"
Madoka crossed her arms.
"Not a good start."
"She has the less versatile weapon," Zen said.
Cassie gritted her teeth.
Her elemental energy converged around her weapon, and the blades of her staff erupted into flames.
Fire-infused twin-blades.
Energy-intensive, but she had no choice.
She dashed forward again.
Kyle did too this time.
Both staff clashed!
Fire met water!
Fire started vaporizing the water!
Water began extinguishing the fire!
Both channeled harder.
Both elements erupted!
Neither element wanted to die first.
Cassie pushed Kyle back.
He took a defensive stance.
Cassie swung relentlessly, leaving a trail of fire in its path that made the air shimmer.
He blocked two strikes, then counterattacked.
Both swung at each other.
Neither could land a hit.
Each collision of their staff blew steam into the air.
Kyle flipped backwards and pointed his hand towards her.
A water orb formed and shot out.
Her gear took contact.
Cassie slid back.
"SHIELD INTEGRITY: 77%"
Viara watched from the perimeter, nervous.
"Come on, Cass! You got this!"
Cassie dashed towards him again to close the distance.
He rapidly fired seven more water orbs.
Cassie didn't stop.
Her footwork shifted.
She swung her staff with a spin and cut through each orb with full strength, vaporizing them.
Distance closed again.
Another chain of exchanges followed.
Cassie swung for his head.
He ducked with a sweep kick.
She jumped to avoid the kick.
He got up with a spin and lunged his staff towards her stomach.
She got staggered.
He aimed a strike at her head this time.
Cassie got hit hard.
She got knocked to the ground but got up in the same motion.
She paused, breathing heavy.
"This isn't working…"
A deep breath.
Then she closed her eyes for a second to calm her mind.
Her mind did, reminding her of the countless nights she's practiced.
Every move, every swing, every combat tutorial footage.
Discipline.
And then… memories from last night surfaced again.
His swings, his movements, his grip, and the feeling that she was about to die right there.
Her eyes snapped open.
"Alright."
She took her stance again, using each hand to drive each blade.
This time, she waited patiently.
Kyle's eyes narrowed.
"She's adapting…"
He spun his staff and dashed ahead.
As he neared, Cassie took a step forward.
The upper half of his staff got blocked by her upper blade.
She pushed the rear blade forward.
Kyle barely blocked.
She started switching between each blade continuously.
Strike after strike after strike.
Kyle couldn't react fast enough.
His shield began ticking down.
"91%"
"85%"
"79%"
"68%"
Then a wheel kick to push him back.
She spun her staff.
Kyle charged forward with a vertical strike.
CLANG!
Weapons collided.
She blocked with the hilt of her blade.
Time slowed as Kyle made eye contact.
"What?!"
His jaw tightened at the sight of the fire burning in her eyes.
Saya's eyes widened.
"Did she just…"
Zen's eyes narrowed.
"Did she… copy all that from me? In one night?"
Beside him, Madoka smirked.
"She's using your moves."
Cassie pushed his staff back and drove in her rear blade.
He blocked but was forced to take a step back.
She charged forward with vertical strikes.
He put his staff horizontally in front of him to defend.
Cassie swung at him relentlessly.
Every strike landing on his staff staggered him back.
Every strike Cassie landed gave her space to take a step forward.
Strikes continued.
Two!
Three!
Four!
Five!
Eight!
Nine!
Ten!
She didn't hesitate and suddenly switched her angle for a horizontal sweep to his waist.
Kyle couldn't react.
Cassie's strike slammed into his waist, heavy with heat and flame.
Kyle went rolling over the ground.
Cassie activated her arrow launcher.
He came to a stop and slowly pushed himself back up.
Just as he stood up, a flaming arrow hit him with a blast.
He fell on his knees.
"SHIELD INTEGRITY: 33%"
He groaned, trying to push back up one more time, but his body refused.
Not after that hit.
Cassie stood in front of him, pointing the hilt of her blade, breathing unevenly.
Kyle looked up at her, breathing heavy, clutching his waist.
"I… yield."
"And our winner is The Crown Princess of Ignisar, Cassie Lysandra von Solheim!"
The mega screen updated, showing her victorious.
Cassie raised her weapon.
The audience went wild, chanting her name.
Viara's face lit up.
"Yay!"
Back at the executive suite, Max's eyes snapped open.
"Huh? What did I miss?"
Edric shook his head.
Alex sighed.
Finn laughed out loud.
Zen stared at Cassie for a moment, then smirked.
"Well, that was unexpected."
Cassie sighed, clutching her head as she walked out of the nurse's office after receiving some necessary healing.
Viara stood up from the bench she was waiting on.
"Does it still hurt?"
Cassie gave her a small smile.
"I'm okay. Don't worry. Let's head back."
Viara nodded.
Just as both were about to leave, a few students came running at them.
"Princess Lysandra! Could you pleaseeee spare a few minutes for an interview? Pleaseeee?"
One girl looked at Cassie with innocent eyes.
Cassie blinked—twice.
"Umm… sure…"
Though she didn't want to.
"Not again…"
Zen, Madoka, and Saya were already waiting there.
Max, Alex, Edric, and Finn had left for the cafeteria.
Cassie and Viara finally arrived at the arena gate.
Saya waved at them.
"Congrats!"
Cassie waved back.
"Thanks."
"Going to the training grounds for maintenance?" Zen asked.
Cassie nodded.
"Then let's catch up with others at the cafeteria. We'll get some drinks and then head to the training grounds together," he said.
He then looked at Viara.
"If you're okay with it."
Viara gave a nervous smile.
"I'll wait outside. No worries."
Everyone started walking together towards the academy cafeteria.
Cassie, Viara, and Saya were gossiping and leading the way.
Madoka and Zen were right behind.
Madoka looked at Cassie laughing with the others.
"She's no longer the Cassie I remember from the start of the semester."
"She had potential," Zen said.
"She just needed the right guidance."
After a long day, Zen returned to his dorm.
He stretched, then got to tidying up his room.
A nice shower followed.
By the time he slipped into his casual clothes, the clock was already nearing 10:00 P.M.
He lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling, still wondering what Kuroha was up to.
His eyes became heavy and slowly drifted shut.
His breathing evened out, and for the next hour and fifty-nine minutes, silence was his only companion.
The digital clock on his bedside table kept ticking. Then, it hit 12:00 A.M.
Zen's eyes snapped open. But not from a nightmare.
From the continuous buzzing of his phone due to being flooded with notifications.
He grabbed it to check his messages.
A group chat caught his attention.
One that wasn't there before.
He opened the chat. And he went still.
Finn Morrison added Zen Fuyukawa to the group
Stelle Amarinth: "Happy Birthday, Captain."
Finn Morrison: "happy 20th birthday bro!"
Sayuri Harukaze: "I'll let you off grounding for today."
Madoka Fuyukawa: "Happy birthday idiot. You've caught up to me again."
Sofia Aleksandrovna Krylova: "Happy 20th Birthday, Zen!"
Finn replied to Madoka: "y'all are dinosaurs now. rawr!"
Nikolai Aleksandrovich Krylov: "Happy birthday, Sensei!"
Shiori Tachibana: "Happy Birthday, Zen-kun!"
Zen blinked.
"Shiori's here too?"
Madoka replied to Finn: "Only a year and a half until you join us."
Kirin Harukaze: "Happy birthday Onii-chan!"
Sora Harukaze: "Wait, Nee-san grounded him?"
Yuri Harukaze: "wait what?"
Yuna Harukaze: "Probably pushing himself too hard again. Well deserved lmao."
Zen's grip loosened.
The phone slipped out of his hand and fell flat on his face.
"… ow."
He put his phone aside and exhaled, staring at the ceiling.
Then, he held back a laugh.
"Dinosaur… Rawr!"
"Goodness, I feel old."
He closed his eyes again.
But couldn't keep them closed for long.
The wind whispered.
His eyes snapped open again.
He got up and looked towards the balcony.
"She's here again?"
No one was there.
His gaze landed on a small box on the balcony floor.
He got up from the bed and walked over to it.
There was a handwritten note with a winking face.
"Happy Birthday, my dear Zen. Thought I forgot? In your dreams. Brought you a small gift. The skewers are my favorite. Do try them. Enjoy your peace while it lasts!"
Zen looked around.
But there were no signs of Kuroha.
He picked up and opened the box.
"Guess she left."
Inside was a small chocolate cupcake, and lamb and vegetable skewers.
Zen headed back inside and closed the balcony glass door.
He put the box on his table for later and went back to bed.
Just as he relaxed, his comms pinged.
He didn't even open his eyes to see who it was.
Just brought his left hand to his ear, and his earpiece formed.
"Hey, Rora."
Aurora's voice came through.
"Happy birthday, Shane."
"I do apologize for calling this late."
"You remember, too, huh?"
Aurora chuckled.
"Forgetting was never an option."
"How's everything there?"
"Under control for now. Exo has left for the HQ for maintenance."
Aurora sent a picture to Zen.
Zen checked his HUD.
The image showed the titan from earlier, now lying on the ground, shut down, one arm severed, face half broken.
"The Legion has shifted its focus to salvaging the fallen titan for their projects," Aurora said.
"Though it proves difficult since the enemies haven't fully retreated from the border."
"Reinforcements are arriving in waves to push them further back."
Zen sighed.
"They really are a greedy bunch."
"If this goes wrong by any chance…"
He didn't finish.
"Let's hope for the best," Aurora said.