"No way!" Nathan suddenly yelled, much to the developer's surprise.

"Huh?" The developer uttered.

"You just said our 'second mission' or whatever is to help Jack take down the UK, right?" Nathan explained. "But why the hell do I have to help him clean his damn mess up!?"

"C'mon, Nathan. Won't you help him for the sake of camaraderie?" The developer teased.

"Camaraderie? With this group?" With his right eyebrow raised, Nathan snarkily asked. "I got forced into this damn schtick, but this mission is Jack's problem!"

"That's crazy, mate," Jack said with folded arms and his right eyebrow raised.

"But does it matter if Jack's the cause?" Charles asked. "When there's a good chance of having fun fighting strong people?"

"He got you there," Zack added. In response, Nathan sighed in exasperation.

"Plus...Jack...has saved us before..." Olivia said. "We should...return the favor..."

Happy with her favor towards him, Jack smiled at her and made a thumbs-up gesture.

"Ha, you heard them, mate!" Jack remarked.

Tsk...of course, everyone's on the side of helping Jack... Nathan thought.

"Psst, I'm okay with whatever decision you make, Nate." Lilith inputted. Upon looking at her, Nathan's eyes slightly widened.

Oh, yeah...I forgot for a second. I'm already an S-Class criminal...I'll run into enemies sooner or later... Nathan pondered. If I want to protect Lilith...I guess...these stupid missions are the only way.

"Fine, how about a little incentive?" The developer interjected. "If you guys help Jack and successfully eliminate all the possible threats, I'll give you all a reward."

"A reward?" Lilith asked.

"Yeah, I'll grant any one wish you guys may have, like before," The developer explained. "And Nathan...don't waste your wish this time..."

"...Fine...I'll help..." Nathan said as he finally relented.

"Excellent!" The developer exclaimed.

* * *

The scene changes to the outside of the hospital where Amber received treatment. Parked at the outside was a grey Honda CR-V, with Barry leaning on the side. From his pose, he seemed expectant of someone as Barry kept his gaze on the hospital doors.

Suddenly, the doors flew open, and someone stepped out. Barry's expression turned into a wholesome smile as he noticed the person. It was Amber, the reason for Barry's expectant wait.

"Glad to see you again, Amber!" Barry greeted her with a wave. Judging by her red eyes and the forced smile she gave, it was obvious that she still replayed the trauma of losing her family before her eyes.

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"...Thank you for picking me up."

"C'mon, let's go...we're going to be late if we idle," Barry suggested before entering the vehicle, causing Amber to raise her eyebrow.

Late? For what? Amber thought.

Agreeing with his suggestion, Amber entered the passenger's seat, and they left.

Silence filled the car as Barry drove. As if understanding the internal strife Amber was going through, Barry didn't want to plague her with any questions.

"Um...you said we would be late, right?" Amber asked as she broke the silence. "What am I going to be late for?"

"Oh, yeah. I didn't tell you," Barry responded as he scratched his hair. "The Enlightenment Program training begins today,"

"What!?" Amber uttered. "But...I don't have proper clothes! My clothes...got destroyed in the fire."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. At the program, clothing, and lodging will be given to you."

"Phew...oh," Amber exhaled with relief.

"Also, I'm sure you will be fond of the program. Its setting is that of a university," Barry explained. "But more so geared towards power training."

"Oh?"

"Yes, and the rest of the participants will be of similar age groups,"

Hearing that, Amber smiled slightly, "...That's good,"

Hopefully, you can make some good friends... Barry thought. To fill that loss you have experienced from your family's death.

The rest of the ride was met with silence, but unlike before, Amber seemed expectant for her new life. Finally, they arrived seemingly in the middle of nowhere, which confused Amber.

"Huh? Are you sure this is the right area?" Amber asked.

"We've arrived," Barry said, making Amber more bewildered. "This is the farthest I can bring you."

"But this is the middle of nowhere!"

"Don't worry, all you need to do is go straight," Barry said. "You'll find your destination if you do."

"...But,"

"Remember when I said this training will be tough?" Barry asked. "Yeah, it'll be bloody tough...but I know you can do it."

"...Alright," Amber said before disembarking the vehicle.

"Good luck! I've got a lot of work 'cause I'm the Defense Chief, but I'll drop by now and again." Barry said before turning the car around. "Later!"

With that said, Barry left, with Amber standing in the middle of nowhere. Well, there was a path outlined in the dirt, which Amber noticed.

"...He said to go straight, right?" Amber reminded herself. "Okay, here we go..."

After ten minutes of walking, Amber broke out in sweat.

"Ugh...how long have I been walking for?" Amber asked as she began to pant. However, her panting ceased as something caught her attention: up ahead was a large metallic wall with what seemed to be a red holographic gate as the entrance.

In front of the gate were numerous individuals of both genders. They seemed to be of similar ages to Amber.

"Phew...this looks to be the place...and...I guess these must be the other participants?" Amber said as she wiped the sweat from her face. Quickly, she approached the group of individuals to get in place. As she got closer, she noticed that the participants were abnormal.

Some had gadgets on their bodies, some carried weapons, and some even with special features on their body. These are things that she noticed, but what caught Amber's eye was a woman with what seemed to be a red and green feathered hawk on her right shoulder. She also had a large black-furred dog sitting beside her.

The woman seemed to be feeding them treats from two bags.

Wow.. there are so many interesting people here...makes me a bit nervous... Amber thought.

Don't worry...you need not be nervous, The voice of Amber's 'god' spoke in her mind, surprising Amber. You're just as special...because I am always with you.

Hearing the words and encouragement, Amber began to smile.

Yeah, you're right... Amber agreed. She then clenched her locket necklace that was around her neck. As long as you guys are with me...I can do this...

"Alright...I'm ready!"