As the game characters awaited Nathan's return, they seemed preoccupied with activities. It seemed as though Lilith was the only one truly worried for Nathan, as everyone else seemed calm.

Jack and Zack were watching a gore-filled violent movie on Zack's smartphone, with Olivia staying close to Jack (much to his chagrin) and Charles performing pull-ups while holding the top of the door frame. The blacksmith and doctor lounged around while the C. specialist ate chips.

Everyone partook in different things without worry; everyone except for Lilith, who was pacing around and biting her nails. Looking up from his phone screen, Zack noticed Lilith's behavior.

"Lilith, you should just sit down," Zack suggested. "The NPC and developer are fetching Nathan. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"How can I sit down when I don't know where Nathan is or if he's fine?" Lilith responded. "What if that person did something before the developer found him?"

Tsk, so loud. Jack thought with furrowed eyebrows as he watched the movie. I'm trying to watch a movie...

"I know you're worried for your boyfriend, but you gotta trust in the developer," Zack advised, which caused Lilith's cheeks to flush red. "There's no way the developer, who always looks out for Nathan, would let him die."

"B-B-Boyfriend?" Lilith stuttered. Before she could say anything in defense, the door of the abandoned building they occupied suddenly flew open. A mixture of relief and concern filled Lilith's face upon seeing the developer and NPC entering with an injured Nathan. She was, of course, relieved that Nathan was alive but concerned at the injuries he had sustained.

"See!?" Zack said. "Told you he'd come back!"

"We're back, my game characters--"

"Nathan! What happened to you!" Completely ignoring the developer, Lilith questioned Nathan as she quickly approached him.

"Don't worry, I'll be...alright," Nathan softly responded. Good...it seems like nothing happened here.

"Did that stranger do this to you!?" Lilith again questioned. "How could he do this to you!?"

"Uhm."

While Nathan was happy (as usual) about Lilith's concern, he couldn't keep up with her energy due to his injuries. The developer seemingly realized this as he gestured to the doctor. Understanding the gesture, the doctor approached Nathan and began healing his body.

"Oh, ah, thanks," Nathan expressed his appreciation. That's always a soothing feeling.

"No problem. I won't scold you this time," The doctor responded. "Since it isn't your reckless behavior that got you injured."

As the doctor walked off, Lilith stared at her with furrowed eyebrows and puffed-up cheeks.

"So, are you gonna tell us what that bastard said to you, mate?" Jack questioned as he looked up from the phone screen. "Did he say where he took that brat?"

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Tch, he didn't tell me anything like that..." Nathan retorted. "He brought me back to America to spar with me."

"Spar with you?" Zack and Lilith inquired in tandem.

"Oh...that's cool..." Jack, who had lost interest, muttered before putting his gaze back on the movie.

"Yeah, he wanted to see how strong I am," Nathan continued. "If I was fit...to be a damn game character."

"Huh!? He wanted to see how strong you were!?" Charles suddenly chimed in. "Then why didn't he fight me!?"

"...Good question, Charles," Nathan responded. If he had fought you instead, that bastard wouldn't have pissed me off by forcing me to remember unwanted memories.

* * *

Ryzen had made his return to the Enlightenment Program's campus. He currently occupied a conference room with the instructors and blessed soldiers of the Enlightenment Program.

"Why did you call us here?" Kreuger questioned. "Did you find Amber?"

"Yeah, I did, actually," Ryzen responded. "You're not gonna like what I'm gonna say next, though."

"Tch, just spit it out," Kreuger ordered. "Where is she?"

"She won't return to the campus for a while," Ryzen answered. "She's gone off to train."

Everyone reacted with extreme surprise upon hearing this. That was not the news they wanted to hear.

"What!? Why would she leave?" Sariel inquired with visible concern. "It's a terrible idea for her to go on her own! Jack wants to kill her!"

"Yeah, why did you let her leave, mate!?" Kreuger added. "Do you want her to die? Are you out of your damn mind!?"

"Hey, hey...let me finish, jeez. I didn't just leave Amber to train alone," Ryzen explained. "I sent her to a trusted comrade to receive training. In Japan, in fact."

"You sent her thousands of miles away!?" Altius questioned. "Why didn't you relay that to us before doing it!?"

"Who cares about that? If she wanted training, I could have helped her!" Kreuger said. "She didn't need to go to Japan for training. Hell, I bet she doesn't even understand Japanese."

"Well, Amber's trainer can speak English, so that's fine. Also, I wouldn't have sent her to Japan if she didn't want to go. Amber just never wanted to come back here," Ryzen explained.

"She never wanted to come back here?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah, she felt guilty that you were all put in danger because of her past with Jack," Ryzen continued. "That and the fact Jack told her he'll kill you guys made her pretty fearful. So, she thought by leaving, you guys wouldn't be in danger."

Amber's friends were speechless at that explanation. Amid their silence, a look of frustration came over their faces.

"That's so like Amber..." Aiden muttered. "But I wish she had talked to us...before leaving..."

"Tsk, if I don't have to deal with her being here, then she can train as long as she wants," Baran stated which visibly annoyed Amber's friends.

Please don't leave me too...Amber. Ariel thought. She was extremely depressed from Shadow's passing. Please...come back...quickly...

"Damn it, well...I guess her staying away...will be for the best," Altius said. "If we can eliminate Jack without her confronting him, that would be the best outcome."

Heh, wishful thinking. Ryzen thought.

Suddenly, Kreuger stood up.

"Sigh, since Amber is going to train, I guess I should too," Kreuger stated. He immediately turned his gaze to Amber's friends. "You guys should train with me, too."

"What?" Amber's friends uttered in tandem.

"You heard me. You're all going to train with me," Kreuger repeated. "You'll need to get stronger to fulfill your roles in eliminating Jack and the other S-Class criminals."

Immediately, the students' expressions became serious. The prospect of training with a strong individual like Kreuger intrigued them.

"When do we start?" Sariel inquired.

"Heh, good answer. I like the looks on your faces," Kreuger responded. "We'll start first thing in the morning."

I don't know why I'm exhausting myself to train these guys. I guess it's because they're friends of Amber, who I can relate to. Kreuger thought. I don't know, but this will be the final time I'm helping anyone here, so they better get strong enough to survive, at least.

The yellowish-red light which covered the horizon marked the conclusion of an eventful day like this.