“Ah… okay!”

Maxine put down her phone and turned to the rest of the Special Investigation Squad. They were all out to clear their minds and to stop thinking about Jonathan’s case.

“I need to make a brief stop. It won’t take long.”

“Hm? Alright! We’ll go with you.”-V

“N-no it’s okay..”

Maxine was hesitant as she averted her eyes, but Celestia noticed that and frowned.

“It was Edward, wasn’t it? We’re going with you.”

Edward was three years older than Maxine, V, James, Vanessa, and John. However, he was only one year older than Celestia and the two shared a complicated relationship before he graduated.

Soon, the group of six arrived at a cozy restaurant that had no one but two people inside. It was obvious that Edward Orland reserved the whole place just to have a private talk with his younger sister.

Maxine was quite close with her brother, but as soon as she saw his solemn expression, she held herself back from giving him a hug and merely sat across from him.

Her colleagues sat at a nearby table, silent and sneaking glances at the handsome young man in a black military uniform.

Edward Orland was a stalwart 22-year-old young man, and though he was quite the troublemaker when he was young, his current demeanor portrayed him as mature and a bit distant.

He had short raven-black hair, a cleanly-shaven face, and a rather tall and well-built frame. His narrow hazy-brown eyes were cold, different from the usual warmth and caring they exuded. Behind him stood a bespectacled brown-haired young woman, wearing a similar outfit and standing motionless and expressionless like a statue.

Even before he said anything, Maxine knew what he was angry about, but she still remained silent and waited for him.

“You’ve been good, I see.”

His sister meekly nodded her head, not even meeting his piercing gaze.

“My talented and brave sister…” He paused for a couple of breaths, staring at her and ignoring Celestia and the rest.

“Explain to me why I have to hear about what happened from my superiors? Why, when my brother was put in danger more than once, I have to hear it from strangers?!”

“I…I was going to tell you. P-Principal Solas forbid us from-”

As she tried to explain herself, he loudly cut her off, “Forbade you? Forbade you, Maxine?! Are you kidding me right now? Do you not understand what you have done wrong?”

The look she gave him was a clear indication that she really didn’t know her mistake, but that only made him more infuriated. Nevertheless, Edward kept himself composed, but the veins almost bulging of his head were proof enough of his anger.

“It hasn’t been long since we talked… since I told you to look after Zeke, especially after he had a late awakening. Remember what you told me? Or is it something the Principal Forbade too? Let me remind you, dearest sister… ‘I will not any harm befall him, I promise,’ that’s what you told me! You did!”

He angrily banged his clenched fist on the table, startling Maxine.

V and James looked at each other, their brows furrowed. They weren’t used to Edward behaving like this, and even though they wanted to butt in and clarify, they couldn’t. The young woman behind Edward was glaring at them, a suffocating pressure emitting from her soulless eyes.

With slightly teary eyes and a reddened face, Maxine, who wasn’t used to seeing her caring brother act like this, stutteringly responded,

“I…I tried. I-I told Zeke to tell me if there’s any trouble. I even wanted to call you.”

“Told him? You’ve really outdone yourself, Maxine. Should I perhaps freshen your memory? Remind you of that day eleven years ago? I left Erys because I knew you’d still be there to look after Zeke. Yet, I hear about his involvement with Jonathan Stellar Link and how he was almost killed.”

“...”

Maxine lowered her head, her body trembling ever-so-slightly.

“You, better than anyone else, should know what to do. From the second he opens his eyes in the morning until he closes them back at night, you should’ve been next to him. Every single second until Jonathan either flees or gets captured. That’s what you should’ve done… not going around with your friends and playing detectives.”

“I have responsibilities. Erys has rules and obligations, furthermor-”

“To hell with all of that!”

He banged his fists again and stood up, his expression that of fury and rage. He waved his hand at her and shouted,

“It’s clear that you’re not up for it anymore. Get out of my sight.”

Maxine defiantly looked at her brother but, eventually, she stormed out of the restaurant, Vanessa and John chasing after her.

The remaining students; James, V, and Celestia, looked at the gloomy Edward.

“Hey! I know you’re upset but you didn’t have to lash out at her like that!”

V, the talkative one, snapped back but Edward ignored him.

James was the next, as he stepped closer to his senior and was about to grab his collar. However, he was the one who got caught as Edward’s hand grabbed his neck and lifted him off the ground.

“W-what are you doing?! Stop!”

V attempted to intervene but his body was pushed back by an invisible force. Celestia hesitated but, in the end, she stood still, her face slightly pale.

“Although I may not be a student anymore, I can still know what’s happening, James.”

James was usually a composed person, but right now, he thrashed around trying to free herself. Unfortunately, Edward was equipped with a monstrous strength that made him incapable of any form of retaliation.

“Whether it’s you or…” Edward swept his gaze across the three of them as he continued, “Anyone else, including the Principal, I will not care. Bring harm to Zeke and I swear to you that I will stop at nothing, nothing to kill you even if it means abandoning my principles and betraying the Department of Defense.”

Once he said his piece, he let go of James, who coughed and tried to breathe. Any thoughts of trying to ‘lecture’ had been purged from James’ mind as he collected himself and left along with V and the hesitant Celestia.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The empty restaurant returned to its silence as Edward looked at the street outside, seemingly absent-minded. After an indeterminate amount of time, the woman behind him spoke up,

“Would you like me to arrange a meeting with Zeke?”

“No. I’ve got too many eyes on me.”

The tall young man turned to face the stone-faced woman, a rare expression of hesitation plastered on his face. Noticing this, the woman performed a military salute and spoke again,

“Sir, I will do whatever you want me to do. Whatever the cost.”

Hearing this, Edward sighed, extended his hand, and lightly patted her shoulder.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, sir. You saved my life and I will stop at nothing to repay you.”

“...”

Edward had a pained expression as he struggled with himself. In the end, he sat back down, his tired body slumping on the chair.

“Katrina Vernerg, as of this moment onward, you are relieved from your duty.”

Even though she was dismissed, Katrina didn’t even flinch or show any reaction. She patiently waited for him to continue,

“You are to be Zeke’s shadow. Never… ever let him leave your sight. If you notice any irregularity, no matter how small, you must report to me through Jay.” Once he said that, Edward apologetically bowed his head and, with a shaky voice, added,

“And please… please keep my brother safe. He has been through enough.”

“It shall be done, sir.”

Just like a ghost, Katrina’s body turned blurry before vanishing into thin air. Apart from Edward, who had known her for eleven years already, no one knew about her real abilities, which were no weaker than his. She was his most hidden ‘sword’, his trump card that was nurtured for moments like these… moments he feared would never come.

As he was left alone, Edward Orland rested his head on his raised hands and shook his head, mumbling with a low voice,

“I still haven’t forgotten my promise, Zeke. I will hunt them down and get it for you. I will. I will…”

----------------------------------------

Maxine ran to an artificial fountain at the center of Kethra’s Arms and sat on the edge, her head buried in her knees as she ignored everyone else. Vanessa and John chased after her but stood close by, but they didn’t say anything as it was clear that she needed some time alone.

The hooded John, whose face was always hidden, turned towards Vanessa and asked,

“Any idea what they were talking about? What happened eleven years ago?”

The ashen-haired girl shook her head. She had been friends with Maxine for almost two years, but she rarely asked personal questions due to her naturally silent attitude.

“I can’t recall any major accident that happened to the Orland family at that time. Maybe V knows something? He’s known Max for a long time, after all.”

“It’s better if we ignore whatever we heard, John.”

“I guess you’re right.” He nonchalantly replied, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

…

Evening of Friday, after battling Bella Bross, Zeke recuperated for a bit left the campus. However, as soon as he stepped outside, someone appeared out of nowhere, a small notebook in hand.

“Hello friend! I’m Journalist Amaro Naksin from Slick Media. Do you mind sparing a bit of your time.”

Zeke frowned and looked at the handsome young man offering him his personal work card. He looked more like a wealthy person than a journalist, nevertheless, Zeke didn’t particularly care.

“No.”

He attempted to walk away but Journalist Amaro blocked his path again.

“It will only take a couple of minutes, I promise!”

“I’m not interested.”

Zeke’s gloomy appearance along with his cold voice were, fortunately, more than enough to make Amaro give up and try again with the other students leaving the campus.

‘He must want to know about Jonathan and the student’s involvement.’ Thought Zeke as he glanced at the journalist one last time before hastily walking away.

Soon, after taking the subway, he arrived at the solitary street in which Sulong’s office was located. Apart from a couple of old convenience stores and cheap motels, the street was average in size and lacked anything of interest to entice curious people.

Its location in the Sunken Metropolis notwithstanding, this small region as a whole looked more like a rural area that was rarely frequented by civilians.

There were a couple of scary-looking men, either drunk or about to be. Zeke even noticed a flashing red sign, which belonged to a legal brother.

While avoiding the prostitutes' eyes and quickening his steps, he reached the shabby two-story building.

“Woah! That’s so cool!”

Before he even entered the office, he heard Jack’s excited voice as he continuously clapped in fascination.

From what the System told him, Zeke already knew that something happened to Sulong, so, as he entered, he took a deep breath and prepared himself for the worst.

Unexpectedly, however, Sulong was as joyful as his friend, standing in the middle of the office with a small ball of crimson fire hovering above his open hand.

The bald and muscular Sulong had a smug expression when which instantly disappeared upon seeing the door open.

He hastily hid his hand but the fireball kept floating at the same spot.

“Some has been busy.” Remarked Zeke as he rolled his eyes and went to sit on the couch, his eyes sweeping across the startled Jack and the seemingly nervous Sulong.

“No need to try and hide it. I already know.”

“Y-you do?”

Sulong, who didn’t seem to have thought about the origin of his new powers, realized the truth only after giving it some thought and seeing Zeke’s stoic face.

“It must have been a reaction from those shards you picked up, yes?’

“It was a blinding light, it was! I thought a God descended.”

Zeke snorted at Jack’s exaggeration and clarified, “I helped you get that power.”

While that wasn’t the truth, Zeke had to use this situation to his advantage. Although his relationship with Sulong wasn’t that bad anymore, he still needed to reinforce it and build mutual trust.

“You? Why?”

Of course, someone like Sulong wouldn’t believe that on the spot. He was suspicious and confused, but Zeke made preparations for any plausible eventuality, therefore, he knew how to respond.

“I told you that I would need help. It’s better if you had the power to protect yourself.”

“W-wait! What about me? I can help too!” the lanky Jack raised his hand and protested with a weak and wronged tone.

“For the time being, I can only choose one person. So, what do you say, Sulong?”

The bald man paced around for a bit then pulled his sleeve and gazed at a crimson-red tattoo of a peacock.

‘A peacock? It symbolizes self-esteem, pride, dignity, and refinement. All of which Sulong lacks. Did the System choose him only because he had that shard? Or was there something I’m unaware of?’

Zeke mused with himself while Sulong was in deep pondering. Eventually, he unnecessarily sat down in a violent manner and cross his thick arms.

“I have always wondered what my thought will be if I could use Aether.”

He had a slightly sad and melancholic expression as he glanced at the silent Jack.

“If it was really you then…” Unexpectedly, he bowed his whole body and continued, “Thank you. I’m grateful.”

‘Now you’re making me feel bad.’

Put in an awkward position, Zeke nodded once but didn’t speak.

“If I learn and train, I’ll have the power to protect myself and my friends. I will not have to con people to live.”

“Conning people or being a loan shark are no longer viable options.” Retorted Zeke.

“Although it took me two tries, my warnings were heeded and you stopped your foolish attempt to rob people of their money. Furthermore, you two came with me to attack Jonathan and save Amelia, so it would be a lie to say that I don’t trust you. Still, this is but the first step… for all of us.”

Sulong was silent for a while, his brown eyes focused on Jack instead of Zeke.

“Are you with me, Jackie boy?”

The person in question, looking pumped, raised both arms in excitement and jumped childishly, “Of course! We mustn’t squander the opportunity at our doorstep.”

“Indeed.” Sulong chuckled and shifted his attention back to Zeke.

“Alright. No more bickering and disagreement. You granted me that which I seek, so I repay it in kind.” He stood up and walked toward the youth.

Zeke also stood up and faced the towering muscular man before him. They firmly shook hands, one expressionless and the other faintly smiling,

“This time… it’s for real. I hope that when you graduate and become a hotshot, you won’t forget about us.”

“Hah!” Zeke scoffed and said back, “You think I care about being a hot-shot? Still, I believe I won’t regret my choice… so you better not either. We are, after all, bonded by fate.”

“Always with the silver tongue, hahahaha…”

..

Within Zeke's subconscious, in that majestic mausoleum, golden words appeared beneath his statue, but they lasted for a couple of moments before vanishing...