Blood splattered on the floor and the head that rolled stopped in front of Val.

Val decided to pick up the head, lifting it up, and said, "Hmmm. This should be a good warning, isn't it?" looking at the rest of them.

This time, it was Exeo who replied from the earpiece, "Yes-"

When suddenly, the door swung open and a small boy in tattered clothes appeared. Everyone looked in the door's direction and saw the boy who they can't figure out his actions whether brave or foolish. It's definitely not normal for a kid who would rush into a scene this gruesome.

Riggs widened his eyes in shock and was about to go towards the direction of the boy when he was held up by his wrist by Val.

"What are you doing here?" Riggs asked.

***

Ember was staring at the boy as he stood at the door. The boy just stared at Ember. After a minute of staring, Ember started to walk toward the boy.

He passed Arthur's head to Bo and came close to the boy before stopping a few feet away from him. He examined the boy before speaking in a cold voice, "Who are you?"

The boy stared at him, "I'm Fon."

"Okay, Fon. So tell me, why did you come in here?"

Fon replied, "I went back here after burying my friend with the help of that man.", he pointed at Riggs who was beside Val. He continued, "Then I heard noises so I decided to check it out."

"You should be afraid of what's happening here."

Fon stared at Ember for a second before replying, "I'm not afraid."

Ember gave a small chuckle before continuing, "You're a weird kid. Anyway if you want to keep that kind of bravado, then keep it. You don't want to die here, right? You should go.", waving his hand to the boy shooing him away.

Fon answered with a simple shake of his head, "I'll be fine." Ember raised an eyebrow in confusion at Fon's response.

"Who are you?" Fon asked again, "You're not like those guys who work here, are you?"

This time, it was Val who walked toward the two near the door and said, "No. We're not. We're just here for a job."

Fon looked at him, "I see. Are you done then? I'm going now." He turned his back and walked away before Ember shouted, "Hey!"

Fon turned back, "What is it?"

Ember pointed at him, "You still need to answer my question. Why did you come back here?"

The boy didn't respond immediately as he was thinking. He finally answered, "I didn't have anything to do after burying my friend. I thought I might as well come back."

Ember gave another chuckle before replying, "And you think it's safe in here? I'm sure you've seen enough. Leave."

Fon shook his head, "I'll be fine."

"Leave!"

Fon started to walk again when Val stopped him.

"No. Come with us."

The boy looked at him dumbfounded, "Huh?"

Val continued, "You don't have any place to go, right?" Ember was taken aback by Val's words.

Ember crossed his arms tightly across his chest, glaring at Valens with frustration. "Protecting innocent lives from the shadows is our job, yes. But involving an untrained child? That's beyond reckless!"

He stared at Ember as he talked, "There are still some empty rooms to stay in our manor and if you still want to work, I can arrange that."

Fon suddenly interjected, "You'll take me to your place?"

Val answered, "Yes. Let's go." and held the boy's hands out to the building. The three men inside, Bo, Riggs, and Ember were stupefied. Ember had this dumbfounded look and asked Exeo frantically, "Did you hear that? Everything Val had said?"

All they could hear from their earpieces was a pronounced sigh.

***

And so, all five of them, Val, Riggs, Ember, Bo, and the small boy, Fon, decided to go back to the hotel as the mission was done as well.

When they arrived at the hotel, Exeo greeted them in his room. Everyone was behind the boy, and Exeo stared down at him and bent down to his eye level. He said, "So, you're Fon."

The boy just stared at him for a second and said, "I see. So you're with them.", pointing at the men behind him.

Exeo chuckled at what he heard and stood up, ruffling his hair. He let them in and told Riggs to have the boy take a shower. Riggs followed the orders and motioned for the boy to go to the bathroom which was on the left side of the room.

Exeo sat down on the edge of his bed and said, "I'll be assigning some of few to stay here a few more days to monitor if there would still be more activities. If there's none, report back to headquarters."

Everyone nodded and was handed over some documents, "You three will stay momentarily and if there are no significant movements, you can leave here. I'll have to go first along with the two inside," pointing towards the direction of the bathroom, he continued, "And report to Gen. Luis."

***

And so, Exeo, Riggs, and the boy, Fon had left at Uryo and went back to report including the involvement of the kid. While Bo, Ember, and Val were left to monitor for any suspicious activities.

After a few more days of stay, it was Ember who announced, "I don't think there are more who'd continue their operation here. I'd say we all can go back to headquarters.".

The other two nodded and stretched out their bodies from stiffness and packed their stuff.

When they arrived, Ember told the two that he will be going back to the dorms first to wash up before reporting back to Gen. Luis, to which the two agreed.

On the way, Bo couldn't help but talk.

"That kid really got you thinking, eh?"

Val nodded, "Yeah. There is something about him that made me want to help him."

"What are you gonna do about him then? You know Ember would say no to that right?"

"I don't care. I'm just gonna have to convince him somehow."

"Well, good luck with that. I'll go ahead now. I'll report back first to Gen. Luis, you go ahead and talk to Ember first".

Val nodded to Bo and muttered a 'Thank you' and went towards the dorms.

After a minute, Val walked into the dorms. When he entered the small living room, he found Ember sitting on the couch. He immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

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Ember answered, "Nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking."

"About?"

Ember said nothing as he kept quiet and kept staring at the table. Val sighed and said, "If you're going to say no, then you should just say it now."

Ember was surprised by the statement, "Why would I say no?"

"Then what is it that's making you so quiet then?"

"It's just... I just thought that maybe it would be better if we didn't take that kid with us. I mean he's just a kid."

Val sighed, "We should do this because we don't know what is going to happen after tomorrow. That kid may come in handy later, who knows?"

Ember frowned, clearly conflicted. "I understand your point, Val. But bringing a child into our line of work, it's dangerous. We've seen what happens to people who get involved with ability users. It's not pretty."

However, Valens stood his ground, unyielding in his resolve. "Brother, I understand the risks involved, but we have a responsibility towards this child," he asserted boldly. "He has seen too much, and it's our duty to ensure his safety."

Ember stared at him for a minute, then sighed pronouncedly, and said. "Alright, alright. But promise me, he will not be with us during missions. Also, might as well report this back to Gen. Luis so that he can give insights into what we can do. Although, you might first have to suffer from an earful from him."

Val nodded and smiled at Ember knowing he was able to convince his older brother.

"Now, now, let's go see Gen. Luis.", Ember stood up shooing Val away out of the dorm's room.

When they arrived at Gen. Luis's office, the two went inside when they were allowed to go in and stood in front of the general.

Although Exeo was the first to return and gave a report, he only reported briefly that there was a civilian involved which Gen. Luis had already seen. Exeo also mentioned to the general that more of the detailed report would be done by Ember.

And so, Ember began recounting the details of the mission, his voice steady and confident, he couldn't help but notice Valens fidgeting beside him. His younger brother seemed restless, a determined glint in his eyes. Ember knew that look all too well – it meant trouble.

"Sir, during the mission, something unforeseen occurred," Ember began, choosing his words carefully. "A kid witnessed everything, and against my initial judgment, Valens here decided to bring him back with us."

Even though the general already heard it from Exeo, it was just brief, and hearing it from Ember in detail, Gen. Luis's eyebrows can't help but furrowed in confusion as he processed this information. The atmosphere in the room shifted, becoming heavier with every passing second. He let out a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You brought a witness? Are you out of your minds?!" Gen. Luis exclaimed, his voice filled with anger and disbelief.

"This is not some game we're playing! Our operations rely on secrecy and no witnesses are allowed!"

General Luis's stern gaze fell upon Val, his eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and anger. "Explain yourself," he demanded, his voice cutting through the tense silence.

Valens took a deep breath, summoning all his courage. "Sir, during our mission, we encountered a child who had 'accidentally' stumbled upon our operation. He saw everything."

A flicker of annoyance crossed the general's face, but Valens pressed on. "I made the decision to bring him back with us, sir. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving an innocent child alone in such a dangerous situation."

The room fell silent as everyone awaited his response. His gaze moved between the two brothers, contemplating their actions.

Finally, after tapping his finger a few more times on the table, and after careful consideration, he begrudgingly allowed Val's plan to proceed, albeit with a stern warning about the consequences.

Gen. Luis said, "I will be keeping an eye on that child, and if possible, he will be made to join our forces." He continued, "But you've put me in a very difficult position. I must report back to the top brass. I hope you understand what you're doing."

Ember spoke, "We do, sir. However, I believe it's worth it."

General Luis stood up and began to walk toward the two men. He grabbed Valens by the shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"You know how things are done in this line of work," he said. "Do you still have the stomach for it?"

Valens answered without hesitation, his voice clear and determined. "Yes, sir."

The general released Valens' shoulder and smiled a bit, a hint of pride in his voice as he spoke. "Good." He turned towards Ember, the stern look returning to his face. "And you, Ember?"

Ember answered, "I would do the same for my brother, sir. If only to make sure that he was safe."

The general gave a small nod.

"I have full faith in your loyalty, Ember, Valens." He began to walk away, stopping when he reached the door to the office. He turned back, a smile on his face. "Go bring this kid home. I'll have Exeo stay there and help with his training."

He then left, leaving the two behind him.

Valens and Ember stood in silence, processing everything that had just happened.

Ember finally spoke, "Now what? We're supposed to be back at the dorms and rest. And it's already past midnight."

"Would you like to do some sparring sessions, just to let out some steam?" Val replied, a mischievous grin on his face.

Ember chuckled. "Always the troublemaker, aren't you?"

"You know me well. What do you think?"

Ember thought for a moment before nodding. "I suppose it won't hurt to let out some steam."

"Let's go, then!"

And so, the two began sparring with some little pranks here and there and then headed back to the dorms to rest, satisfied that they were able to convince the general.

The next day, after the general had talked to the top brass, they decided to have Exeo stay at the general's house and supervise Fon's training. They didn't know what the kid would become and wanted to have him join their ranks one day.

While the three brothers stayed at their own military dorms, Fon and Exeo started to get acquainted.

***

It was a week after the mission has ended, and Ember, Riggs, Bo, and Valens were at the training doing their sparring sessions.

Valens and Ember were in the middle of their session while the others were watching. Riggs and Bo were the only two who were not sparring at the moment.

The room was filled with the sounds of blows being struck, along with sparks of weapons clashing.

While Valens and Ember were sparring, Fon was watching and was impressed at how their moves were precise and agile, even if their attacks were strong.

"Are they always like this?" he asked Exeo who was next to him.

"Hmmm, yes," Exeo answered. "You can see them do their training sessions when we're not on a mission."

Fon replied, "I see."

Then, all of a sudden, Val pulled Ember's hair from behind when he avoided Ember's sword attack.

"Ack! Hey! That's a low blow Val!", rubbed his head and scowled.

Val snickered and just motioned to Ember with his hand to attack him.

Ember somehow got pissed at Val's action and soon attacked him. This time, it was Ember who got payback.

"Ack! What the fu-"

"Continue saying it." Ember suddenly got into Val's face, taunting him to continue what he was saying.

Val pursed his lips in frustration and soon swung his sword towards Ember, but he evaded it.

While the onlookers, Bo and Riggs sighed at the two and thought the same thing, 'Here they go again.'

This time, Bo and Riggs silently agreed to stop these two and instead joined the sparring between the two brothers. The intensity of the sparring session was higher than before.

Fon asked innocently while his eyes are still glued at the now four people sparring intensely, "Is pulling hair also a part of the sparring session?"

Exeo sweatdropped, he kept quiet but answered eventually, "No, it's not. It's just how those two spar. They pull pranks with each other from time to time."

"Hmm. I see."

Bo and Riggs were clearly trying to outdo each other and were panting from exhaustion. Ember seemed to have the upper hand as his attacks were stronger than Riggs and Bo.

As for Valens, he had a determined look on his face, and it seemed like he was determined to take down Ember. Even though Val had the most powerful ability, when it comes to experience, he is still outranked by his older brothers.

A few minutes after, the three stopped when Ember said, "Okay, that's enough for today."

Ember walked towards the water cooler, and drank some water, along with Riggs, Bo, and Valens.

"It seems like they're getting stronger every day."

Exeo smiled, "Yes, they are. They're both highly skilled in their own way."

Fon asked, "But what about you? You're also one of them, right?"

Exeo was silent for a moment as he contemplated the question when Ember butted in when he heard Fon's question. "Do you know who this man is?"

Fon looked at Ember and said, "No. I don't."

"He's Exeo," Ember said. "I'm sure you've heard of Exeo Bellator, isn't it?"

Fon's eyes widened in shock when he heard Ember's words. "Wait, you mean the Exeo Bellator? The strongest ability user?"

Fon's eyes widened in shock when he heard Ember's words. "Wait, you mean the Exeo Bellator? The strongest ability user?"

Ember nodded and chuckled a bit. "Yes, for now." Ember didn't explain further that in due time, their youngest, Valens, would undoubtedly surpass them in the future.

Ember thought, 'But we don't know that now, right?'

After a few more minutes of resting and drinking water, Ember, Riggs, Bo, and Valens were called to report at Gen. Luis's office.

Exeo also called Fon along to the meeting, as he was now their responsibility.

They were inside his office when he started to talk, "So, Fon, how are you feeling so far?"

Fon answered, "It's amazing here! Everyone is very nice!"

"I see. That's good to hear."

Gen. Luis then looked at the team, "Now, about your next mission. It's another assassination mission."

Ember asked, "Which country is it?"

"A country called Carem. Last time, you had your mission in Uryo country with the slave trade. However, this time, it would be different."

The general continued, "Our target is a member of the royal family. He's the cousin of the current king."

Riggs raised a brow in confusion, "Then why kill him? I mean, if we kill him, won't it cause chaos in the country?"

"Yes, you're right. But his cousin had made a deal with a dangerous group that is trying to take over the country. Our top brass is worried about this situation, so we want to end this quickly."

Ember frowned, "It will be very risky. This will be our first assassination of a member of the royal family. We've killed nobles before, though it was only me and Exeo, but this...this is a whole other thing."

"Yes, it is," General Luis affirmed.

"I'll let you know more when I receive the full report. You are free to go for now. You may now leave."

And so, they left Gen. Luis's office after finishing the briefing and returned to the dorms.