"Hello"

That single word was all I managed as my eyes fixated on the captivating Iris Karsus, gracefully rising from her beanbag and stretching like a feline.

I realized I was staring and averted my gaze.

I was right about her scars.

Her entire body was covered in them, some looked so horrible I was amazed she even survived the injuries that made them.

And she was only here for a year.

Goodness.

Although I must admit, it is not that difficult to accumulate that many scars in a short time.

Just look at me.

It's only been a month and I already have multiple scars on my limbs and torso.

So far, none on my face. I was very careful not to mar this beautiful face of mine.

"Oh please. You act like you've never seen a girl minus the dress," Iris remarked, noticing my shifting gaze.

She gestured to her current attire, "I'm wearing this to not unsettle my new roommate. My usual underwear is more of the breezy kind."

My imagination went wild.

Calm down, Mordred. She's thirteen years old and so am I, well currently.

But still, it is quite weird.

"Uh, okay?" I stammered, feeling unsettled

"Stop it, Iris. You're making him uncomfortable," Damien chided and gave me a look of understanding.

"Iris usually prefers to dress light so this is the norm for her."

"What can I say? I'm kind of free-spirited," Iris shrugged with a smug look.

"If by free-spirited you mean absolutely shameless, then yeah. You are the most free-spirited person I've ever met in my life," Damien retorted.

"Hey!", the blue-eyed beauty protested with a frown, "Isn't that a bit too harsh?"

But Damien wasn't done. He turned to me.

"To tell you how shameless Iris can be. She once barged into Felix's room straight out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around her body."

"He said it was urgent!", Iris protested.

Damien's exasperated voice echoed, "You could've put on an oversized T-shirt at the very least! The poor guy was begging for forgiveness from his very confused fiancee through the phone after your visit."

A small laugh escaped my mouth and then my heart stung at the thought of Felix.

"That would be something Felix would do. He did say that Jasper can get quite scary," I said with a sad smile.

There was a heavy silence as Felix's absence weighed on our hearts.

"Felix was the best," Iris sighed and looked at me, "It was you who suggested delivering his body to his fiancee. That was a good call."

I shrugged, "I just felt that was the right thing to do."

"And it was," Iris replied and clapped her hands.

"Ah yes! Felix requested me to tell you something before he went with the hunting party."

I and Damien looked at her.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'll tell you but before that, let's go for a hunt," Iris pointed at her wardrobe and a tendril of darkness snaked from her finger, opened the door, and grabbed a jacket.

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I blinked in confusion, "A hunt?"

"Yeah. A hunt."

"Why?", Damien asked as he squinted at her.

Iris didn't respond and turned to us, "How about you guys sit somewhere while I change?"

"No thank you. We mind," Damien grabbed my shoulders and guided me out of the room before closing the door behind us.

"Honestly! How shameless can she be?", he sighed.

I suddenly got reminded of a certain white-haired girl by the name of Merlin.

"She is quite the interesting child," I remarked.

Damien arched his eyebrows, "Mordred, you are a child as well."

It didn't take long for us to wait for Iris.

"Alright then! Let's go!", she chirped and stepped into the corridor.

She was stunning a moment ago but after changing into her Deathwalker uniform, her beauty has become more jaw-dropping.

Her uniform had a similar design to mine with a few adjustments, particularly the reversed colors.

She wore a red sleeveless turtleneck crop top that exposed her navel under a black Deathwalker jacket with red accents that she wore off the shoulder.

Her black slacks had crimson designs that perfectly aligned with the black designs on her crimson boots.

I was stunned. For a girl who prefers to dress lightly, Iris is quite the fashionable one.

"You like it?", Iris caught me admiring her uniform, "I made the designs myself and had Dorothy alter my uniform."

"You are quite good," I remarked.

She shrugged, "I just picked it up in the Shield. Dorothy helped a lot."

"Anyway. Shall we go for a hunt? I already informed Minerva so you cannot back out now," she said, turning to me.

Damien looked perplexed, "Why are we going on a hunt.?"

"That's because I want to see what His Highness is capable of. You know a lot about a person when you hunt with them," she replied and looked at him.

"And no. You are not coming. It's just me and Mordred."

Damien suddenly looked concerned, "You sure?"

Iris rolled her eyes, "Of course I am sure. I'm stronger than you."

The brown-eyed Deathwalker shook his head, "I'm more concerned about you accompanying Mordred."

"He'll be fine. What? You don't trust me?", Iris's expression suddenly darkened and her blue irises glowed.

Heh. Get it?

The light panels flickered as tendrils of darkness curled around us and an ominous chill made me shiver.

Damien raised his hands in resignation, "Alright! I trust you. Just don't get him killed."

The ominous chill along with the darkness quickly dissipated and Iris's eyes stopped glowing.

She huffed, "Of course, I'll not get him killed. I'll step in if things get dangerous."

The girl turned to me, "Follow me!"

"Mordred," Damien grabbed my shoulder as I followed her. He really did look quite concerned.

"As long as she is with you, you are safe from any threats you'll face in the mountains. If you ever feel lost, do not hesitate to call Minerva, and do not follow Iris if she tells you of a shortcut."

He emphasized the last part as if taking a shortcut with Iris is the same as bumping into Asphodel.

I nodded and with a hasty farewell, I ran to catch up with the retreating form of Iris.

*******

"So. What are we hunting?", I asked loudly over the high winds.

These strong winds of the mountains slapped me in the face with their unrelenting cold.

Fortunately, the ruthless cold of Les Anciennes virtually does not affect me due to the advanced temperature control of my uniform.

It feels a bit nippy but I am not trembling like a hypercharged chihuahua.

Iris on the other hand was unaffected by the bone-chilling cold despite not even fully putting on her jacket.

Her deep blue eyes searched for something hidden among the heavy snowfall of the mountains.

We are currently in a forest a good distance from the Shield and Iris stopped to survey the area.

"A Glacial Hornbear," she replied after looking around, "This area is clear."

"You mean a Pookie Bear?", I asked, surprised.

"Incarni! I hate that name!", Iris huffed, "I once got mauled by one of those while on a hunt."

She looked at me, "And I tell you. There is nothing 'pookie' about them."

I grimaced, "Must've been nasty. So you are hunting hornbears for revenge now?"

"Oh. I already killed the one that mauled me. This time you will be hunting one," she looked ahead, "Felix asked me to make you a part of Unit 21 before his...untimely demise."

That stung worse than the cold wind hitting me in the face.

"How did you first meet him?", I asked in a melancholy voice as we trudged alongside each other on the snow.

"In my second battle. He practically saved my life and introduced me to Unit 21. He was the brother I always wanted, unlike my very own."

I detected a faint disdain when she spoke the last four words.

She stopped and glanced back at me, her blue eyes piercing into mine, "The only reason why you and I are standing here is because of that guy."

And with that heartwrenching statement, we continued ahead.

After some time of trudging through the snow, avoiding low-hanging branches, and trying not to trip on roots while the wind slapped like an ice-cold wet towel, I was starting to get worried.

"Can't we ask Minerva for the Pookie bears' location?" I suggested, looking at our surroundings anxiously.

I heard a scoff from Iris, "Don't worry, your spoiled Highness! I've hunted in these parts of the mountains before. I know the location of the hornbears even better than that moody AI."

She gave me a confident smile, "You just need to kill one or more of those cuddly killing machines. You just need to follow me. I even know of a shortcut."

Damien's caution echoed in my mind and uneasiness blossomed in my stomach.

And no, it wasn't the spicy cheese fries I had for lunch.

I glanced at the bright blue ends of Iris's hair as she trudged ahead confidently and then behind me which showed only snow-laden trees, rocks, and the nearby mountains.

There was no sign of the massive Shield.

Feeling quite anxious I summoned a holographic keyboard from my bracelet and discreetly typed in a message without alerting the girl in front of me.

After sending I looked around again and then at Iris.

Things won't be that bad. Like Iris said, she'll be there.

Right?