Felix headed to the head quarter’s lobby with his head lowered, where he found Nero sitting down on the couch with a cup of tea at his side and a laptop in front of him.

“Put your legs off the table…” The blue-eyed man scolded as he walked up to him.

“Can’t. Busy watching.” Nero answered with his red eyes glued to the screen.

Felix lifted up his own leg and slowly pushed off Nero’s legs off the table, yet the blond man continued watching as if nothing happened.

“Nero?” A deep voice called out. “Is that you?”

The two of them glanced over towards an older gentleman approaching them. A well-built old man with finely cut white hair and a beard. He was taller than both of them, dressed in a black tracksuit with a body that did not resemble his old age, standing in peak physical condition, and a lightning-shaped scar over his left, deep blue eye.

“Yeah... Hey there, Marshal.” Nero answered awkwardly.

“How are you doing?” The old man’s voice was deep, but bubbly and full of liveliness.

“I-I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad you’re doing all right. Had I known you were going to join in the agency, I would’ve—”

“I wanted to do things on my own.” Nero swiftly cut him off.

“I see.” The old man, Marshal, responded as he sat down next to him. “I’m sorry this isn’t the right time, but now that I finally see you again, I wanted to apologize for not being able to attend your father’s—”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about those kinds of things.” The blond man quickly cut him off.

“Hehe.” The man softly laughed to himself, “I’m glad you’ve grown up to be a splendid young man.”

“That’s debatable.” Felix snarkily muttered in a low voice, looking to the side with a snide grin.

“My, I didn’t notice you. Name’s Marshal Frost, and you are?” Marshal responded.

“Marshal Frost.” He echoed, “I see, I’m Felix Aster.”

“Ah, yes, so you’re the Black C— I mean, Blue Phantom. It’s nice to meet you.” The old man quickly corrected himself.

“Likewise. And you must be the Paladin?” Felix asked.

“That’s right. You’re almost exactly as Luna described. Though I was informed that you only had one blue eye.” The older gentleman extended his hand.

“Ah, that changed a little while ago... Though I’m glad to know Luna talked about me.” His tone softened as he shook the old man’s hand.

“On the rare occasion that I got to see her, she would often speak fondly of you.”

“... I see. What was she like?”

“Interested, are we?” The old man tilted his head with a grin, “Well, when I first met her, she was rather clumsy. It looked to me like she didn’t know left form right.”

“Clumsy? Luna?”

“Yes. Outside of fighting, I heard that she would sometimes even cause problems, and she often lamented how she had “bad luck.””

“Ah, yeah, she would always say that ‘luck of the Irish is a load of bollocks.’”

“Right, right. There was even one time that our missions crossed paths and I had to take a bullet for her.”

“You saved her?”

“Many years ago, when she first arrived here in the Golden Lion. I still have the scar to prove it.” The old man revealed his arm, which was riddled with scars.

“I see. It’s because of you that, I got to meet her. Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

“No, really. I can’t thank you enough. You have my deepest gratitude.” The blue-eyed young man scratched his cheek.

“Really? Then, if you truly are grateful to me, then perhaps one day, you could show Anya the same consideration, and save her if she were ever in danger.” The old man smiled.

“Anya?” He echoed curiously.

“His niece, Anastasia Frost.” Nero chimed in.

“Oh, I see. Agent Tundra… Yeah, I’m not sure I can protect someone ranked higher than me...”

“Come now, ranks hold no meaning. Surely you realize that by now.” The silver fox grinned.

The memory of his battle against Harbinger resurfaced for a moment before responding, “… right.”

“She may seem cold and reserved when you meet her, but deep down she’s very kind and soft-hearted.”

“... If the time ever comes, I’ll do what I can.”

“If that ever happens, consider your gratitude repaid, young man. You’ve already done enough for her, but let me be selfish.” The old man gave a cheeky grin.

“Right, I understand.”

“Good. A young man like you could use more confidence. I’ll be counting on you from now on. Both of you.” Marshal placed his hand reassuringly on Felix’s shoulder. “Well then, I’m off. But before I go, here. For you, too, Nero.” He said as he left something in their hands.

“Ah, good luck, and leave nothing to chance.” Felix smiled at Marshal.

“Thank you.” He replied as he left the two.

As Felix opened his palm, he found candies on it. “These candies. Luna said she would sometimes get them from a kind old man. I didn’t know she meant that it was from the Paladin.” He smirked.

“The Paladin. So that’s his codename…” Nero muttered without removing his eyes from the screen.

Felix then glanced over at the blond esper, “And how do you know him?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“And your dad and him were acquainted?”

“That they were.” Nero sipped his tea, not paying much mind to Felix, “So, that luck of the Irish thing. Is that why you were called the Black Cat of Ruin?”

His eyebrows furrowed, giving it a few seconds of thought, “I think that was the logic behind it.”

“Sigh.”

“Felix.” A feminine voice called out, approaching him.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Oh, hey Marie, and... Isabelle?” He awkwardly greeted.

Maria walked up to them with a cup in her hand, sipping soda through a straw, “She wanted to tag along.”

“I… didn’t want to be alone… ehehe…” Isabelle twirled her silver-hair.

“So, who was that old guy just now?” Maria asked.

“Marshal Frost. The Paladin.”

“Okay. Um… anything else I need to know?”

“Not really. He did give us these candies, though.” Felix handed one of the candies to her.

“Alright.” She popped the candy in her mouth. Her eyes began to tear up and she started panting, “Sssssspicy!”

“Yup. I hate these things.” Felix smirked.

Another figure waved to them, with deep brown hair and crimson eyes, with a wide smile and a peppy exterior. “Hey. There’s a table here we could all sit!” He called out from the small cafeteria on the other side.

“That’s nice.” Maria responded with a bright smile before turning her back on him.

Awkwardly, his hand lowered. His lips flattened, and his eyes furrowed as she ignored him.

Felix turned to the two of them and said, “I think he wanted us to go sit with him.”

“And?” Maria responded.

“I’m busy.” Nero commented as his eyes were focused on the film he watched.

“Marie…”, “Nero…” Both Felix and Isabelle respectively grumbled, the frustrations they felt towards their partners were summarized in the exasperated tone they spoke in.

Grant walked up to them and pointed over to the small cafeteria in the next room, “Let’s go over there, there’s a table where we could all eat.”

“Umm.”

“Come on, I wanted us to get to know each other better since we’re working with each other. it’s not like we espers have anyone else to talk to.”

“Ah, sure.” Isabelle answered.

Felix and Isabelle looked at each other and nodded, silently coming to an agreement.

Grant smiled awkwardly as he watched the both of them carry their partners to the table where he had pointed to.

Felix picked up Maria in his arms. “Wh-what are you doing?!” She stammered with a flustered, red expression.

Isabelle picked up Nero, who made no sound other than sipping the tea in her arms as he continued watching on the laptop on his lap.

“So, how was your morning?” Grant asked, his head perched on his hand with a bright smile.

“Terrible.” Both Felix and Isabelle spoke in tandem with a dejected sigh.

“Why, what happened?”

Isabelle muttered, “Meeting the director…”

“…was incredibly stressful.” Felix finished her sentence.

“Sounds tough, but I bet you’ll get through it. Nothing a little bit of coffee can’t fix.” Maria patted him on the back.

“Right…” Felix smiled softly.

“I’m surprised. You’re all surprisingly good-looking. Especially…” Grant looked to Felix. Of which Felix responded with an eyebrow raised.

“Cut the crap, what do you want with us?” Maria asked bluntly with low, uninterested eyes.

“Alright then, I’ll cut to the chase; I want to ask you all what your reason for being here is. It doesn’t have to be specific, just the idea would be fine.”

“What’s yours?” Felix asked.

“A number of reasons. First; I’m after a certain Golden Lioness...” He scratched the back of his head and a flushed red face.

“Do you mean Allison? She doesn’t seem like the romantic type.” Isabelle replied.

“We can’t be sure until I’ve tried.” Grant confidently shrugged.

“And the second?” Nero asked.

“There’s someone else I’m after... I need power, and the agency is gonna help me.”

“But you’re an esper. You already have power.” Isabelle replied.

“I meant something else.”

“What kind of power?” Nero asked as he looked at him with sharp eyes.

“Power to right my wrongs, I think everyone here needed that sort of power.”

“…Everyone, huh?” Maria scoffed.

“What do you mean ‘wrongs?’” Felix asked.

“See, war never really changes, but the men who tread through it do.” Grant explained.

“That doesn’t answer my—”

“What about you guys?”

“Cryptic bastard.” Felix mumbled out.

“Let’s start with Isa.”

“Why me?”

“You’re young and cute, so I want to know why you’re in a place like this.”

“Quit being flirty, it’s creepy.”

Grant sighed slightly and asked her earnestly, “Well?”

“Sigh… I needed the money.” Isabelle answered reluctantly, looking to the side, where she wouldn’t have to look anyone in the eye.

“Alright, I can tell you don’t want to talk about it... but why the Project ASTRAEA?”

“I was told that it would… mhm. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Grant then turned towards the blond, red-eyed man, “Nero, what about you?”

“Same reason you do. For power.” Nero responded without a hint of hesitation.

“What for?”

“It’s not something as vague or noble as writing my wrongs like you think yours is. I have my own mission.” Nero explained.

“I see… and what about you, Felix?”

“To become number one.” Felix answered.

“No, I meant… why are you here?”

“To… to protect the peace.”

“Isn’t that just the agency’s mantra? I’m asking why you’re here.”

“I-- I don’t...”

“Grant.” Maria’s cup crumpled slightly as she glared at him.

He immediately got the message, “Ah, right... touchy subject. Then what about you, Marie?”

There was a brief pause before Maria responded. She sipped her soda until the cup was empty. “… Money, obviously.”

“Really? Something tells me that’s not the case.”

“What, you want me to talk about some overblown tale, some tragic backstory of love and revenge? Sorry to disappoint. But, no such luck, so stop prying into everyone’s privacy.” Maria shrugged as she stood up and threw away her cup.

Felix turned to her and asked, “M-Marie, where are you—?

“I still have to attend to processing the Matrix Key. Apparently, Carol found another fragment, so I’m gonna take another stab at it.”

“Ah… she escaped.” Grant blurted out.

“If she doesn’t want to talk about it, we have to respect her privacy.” Isabelle chastised him.

“Right. Still, I just wanted to know what you were all like, since we’re all going to be working with each other. Now, let’s get something to eat.”

Nero got up from his chair and cracked his neck.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Isabelle asked.

“Bathroom, be back in a minute.” He answered as he left the table, leaving his stuff behind.

“Oh good, you’re all here. I take it you’re here for lunch?” The chief as she got up to them. Beside her stood a short, red-haired girl with a white eyepatch that barely covered the burn mark on her left eye.

“Chief?”

“Allow me to order us the special.”

“You’re…” Grant mumbled out loud with an eyebrow raised.

“Hello, Grant, right? And you must be Felix Aster?” The red-haired woman asked.

“You’re Anastasia, I take it?” Felix replied as he got up.

Chin in hand, she eyed him down with a penetrating glare, and with cold-hearted indifference she told him, “This is your first test.” Anastasia handed him a clear bottle with blue markings, and an eighty-seven percent labeled on it.

Felix scowled and looked at her with uncertainty, “Vodka?”

“Yes.”

As he opened it, its strong, sharp scent invaded his nostrils.

“I’m supposed to… drink this?”

She did not respond a second time and only stared at him dead in the eye.

“All of it?”

“A-Anya?” Chief asked.

“I don’t think that’s—” Isabelle chimed in.

“Bottom’s up.” He brought the glass bottle to his mouth while pinching his nose.

They all watched with concerned expressions as he chugged it all down in one continuous gulp.

As he finished its contents, Felix let out a sharp exhale and put down the empty bottle on the table, “That— was… hic…”

“Felix, are you alright?” Isabelle asked.

“I’m just, hic, I’m… fiiiii….” Before finishing the last word of his sentence, he collapsed to the ground entirely.

“He must be out cold.” Nero commented as he got back up to them.

“Pfft…” The red-haired woman let out, and all of them turned their heads toward her. “Puhahahahaha!” She burst out laughing

Nero looked at Anastasia with a familiar smile.

“Hic.”

A large figure in a suit then approached them, “Sorry I’m late. Why is Felix on the ground?” He asked with a deep voice. He had orange hair and radiating orange eyes.

“Nothing…” Anastasia responded, preventing herself from laughter.

“Welcome, David. I would like you to meet our three new recruits.”

The large man glanced at the bottle on the ground, he then pointed towards them with his mechanical arm, “This doesn’t seem like nothing. So I take it you three are Nero, Grant—”

“Actually, I’m Nero—”

A chair slammed against the table as Grant sprang away from them. All of them turned their attention to the brown-haired man, who had been standing in the distance, as if ready for battle. His sharp stare was a mix of fear, hostility and confusion that locked onto David.

“Grant?” Isabelle muttered.

“Hm? What’s wrong, you’re leaking out bloodlust.” David.

“You’re… sorry…” Grant mumbled out as he quietly sat back down, hoping they would not pay attention.

“Heeeehh…” Felix whimpered out as liquids leaked out of his mouth.

“That doesn’t seem like it was nothing, but I’ll let it slide. For now…” David picked up the bottle beside the out cold man. “This bottle… it’s over eighty percent.”

“And he did it in one sitting. I’m impressed. Even I couldn’t do that.”

David’s eyebrows furrowed, “Why would you make him do this?”

“I just… wanted to see how far he would go… the crazy bastard went all the way.” She couldn’t help herself from giggling.

“I had an idea, what if we picked him up instead of leaving him on the floor?” Isabelle interjected in a scolding voice.

“Right, right.” Anastasia started going back to her cold exterior.

As the table was prepared, Felix sat in between David and Isabelle, still out cold. There was a full course meal prepared for all of them, and a pie next to David.

There was a thick sense of discomfort in the air as they ate. Anastasia was quiet as she faced Nero, and so was Grant as he was catching sharp glances at David.

“So how about introductions, my name is Isabelle Castella, it’s nice to meet you um…” Isabelle attempted to break the silence and faced the large man with the metal arm.

“David Soldier. Feel free to call me Dave if you like.” The large man introduced himself.

“Alright, and um miss…”

“Anastasia Frost.” The short, red-haired woman responded.

“If the glowing orange eyes didn’t give it away already, these are your seniors, and your trainers.” Chief stated.

“Trainers?”

“That’s right. David will train you three, while, as per someone’s request,” Chief glared at Isabelle “Felix will be taught by Anya, and you will be relocating to a training facility. Your training starts today.”

~