The desert, of course, was not completely dark. Just as the sky was not entirely black either. There were some scattered rays of light coming from the east. Signs that dawn was about to arrive. But for the moment, dawn had yet to come. Those scattered rays of light were not enough to drive away the darkness of the darkest time of the day. The dim red glow of the walls behind him though…

Alnea blinked, shifting his gaze down to the sea of sand below him. It was black, as it should have been. The desert was named as the Black Desert for a reason. Except for the dim red light radiating from the city behind him, illuminating a small area around him, including the two guards standing in front of the main gate, most of the desert was enshrouded in the double darkness of the sky and the ground.

No wonder he did not see anyone coming to the city gates at this time of the day. They were probably waiting for dawn, as any normal Wanderer would. The Black Desert was dangerous enough as it was, there was no need to make it even more dangerous by risking it in darkness. If not for the time he had spent within the Night Canyons, or the confidence he had found in the smiles of the girls, he would have probably begun blaming himself for making the wrong decision once again.

Fortunately, he was experienced with the darkness, and had many ways to deal with it. Not to mention that the area around the city’s walls was not too dark to being with. At best, it was just a little darker, and a bit more eerie… Calming the waves in his Heart, Alnea took a step to the side, just as the door behind him opened once again. And as he took that step, he could not help noticing the difference.

The step… It was much harder to take than normal. The ground just fell apart at the touch of his feet, parting ways to welcome its arrival. When he tried to lift his feet though, it became quite reluctant to part with him, sticking to him even after he had lifted his feet. It was only after he used his Aspects to cover the soles of his feet, and push against the sand underneath him, that his steps became a bit more normal.

So, the question was, what did he wish to expend to walk in the desert? Physical strength, or Spirit Power? Maybe a mix of both would do… Making a mental note to experiment later, Alnea turned around, and saw Cecilia coming out with a grin on her face, completely ignoring the darkness in the distance. She did not even bother with the sand under her feet, casually using her Aspects to strengthen her grip on the ground. As expected of her…

“…You should move out of the way before someone bumps in you,” Alnea said, turning his gaze back towards the depths of desert, wondering what method he should use to deal with the darkness.

“…Finally,” Cecilia said, putting Forne down onto the ground after walking up to his side, and stretching out her limbs. “No more one on one fights. No more just watching from the side… My hands are already starting to itch.”

“…Control them for now. There should be no Oren Beasts in this area.”

“…That is another part of the trial,” Yuri said, stepping to his other side. “Searching for the Oren Beasts hidden in the endless sea of desert. Or in this case, in the endless darkness.”

“…The darkness should go away in a while, but we cannot waste our time just standing around till that happens… Who is going to be the scout this time?”

“Not me,” Cecilia said, shaking her head. “This time, I want to fight. Up close. Hand to hand. Or hand to claws. Whatever it is. I just want to bash up something with my fists.”

Vestia walked out from the door just as Cecilia was smashing her right fist into her left palm, clamouring about beating up their enemies.

“…I think we should let Alnea decide our roles in the team. That is the role of our Captain, after all.”

Cecilia glared at Vestia for a couple of moments, before letting out a snort, and turning towards Alnea.

“What do you think, Alnea?”

“…You can act as a Warrior. But only if you promise to cooperate with others. Especially Vestia. The two of you will be acting as our primary Warriors, so I need you to stop quarrelling, and focus on keeping our enemies away from our Scholars and Arcanists.”

“…Fine,” Cecilia grumbled, and turned her head away from Vestia, while Forne began to stretch out its limbs, getting ready for its hunt. Even though it had not been in the wild for a while, the moment it stepped out of the city, it had already sensed the dangers lurking in the darkness. But at the same time, it had also sensed its numerous preys, waiting for it devour, and fill its belly. More importantly, it had helpers by its side. Even if the hunt would be dangerous, it would be much safer than its hunts in the Night Canyons…

That was probably what the dumb cat was thinking. Alnea could tell from the way it licked its lips, and kept mewing, while nudging Cecilia’s legs with its head. It even sent pleading gazes towards him, asking him for help… When did the dumb cat become so smart? Probably from spending too much time with him. Then, should he not charge some fees for making it smart? Like asking it to find some Oren Beasts…

“…I want to act as a Scholar,” Karl said, creeping up behind him with his special trait of invisibleness. “Just in case you forget…”

“…I might forget about everyone else, but I will never forget your preference. Do not worry. You can stay at the back, and play whatever role you want. Just make sure to support our Warriors, and ensure that they are not hurt. That is your only task.”

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“…You can leave the task of protecting everyone to me,” Zain said, walking towards him with his raised chin. “The White Arcanist will ensure that no one gets hurt.”

“…No,” Alnea said, shaking his head. “What you are saying is too vague… and impractical. Instead of stretching yourself out, and becoming practically useless, it would be better if used your Arcanas to support the team. I will leave the decision of who would be in more need of your help to you. After all, only you know your Arcanas best. But in case of emergencies, you will have to listen to my orders. No questions asked.”

“…Supporting other people? How could something like that prove—

“And no useless chattering either,” Alnea said. “Although you have become famous recently, it is only because of your large repertoire of Arcanas. No one in the city actually recognises you for your strength, or talent. Maybe if you show your individual brilliance from time to time, people may indeed begin to recognise you for your talent. But there is a limit to what individual brilliance can bring to you. Only when we work as a team will we be able to reach greater heights.”

“…Only when we work as a team will we be able to reach greater heights,” Ralph mumbled, taking up his position next to Zain. “I hope that the day we Star Seekers reach such heights would not be too far…”

“…The day will come sooner than you imagine,” Alnea said, turning around to nod at Ralph, before turning back towards the darkness.

“It looks like you are arranging roles for everyone…”

“…I should have done it earlier, but it is not too late now,” Alnea said, still looking towards the depths of the desert. “Do not worry. I have thought about everyone’s specialisations, and their preferences, before deciding their roles in the team.”

“…Will everyone agree to it?”

“This is not a question of will, or will not,” Yuri answered for Alnea. “If we are going to act as a team, then we must act in an organised manner. Or else, what would be the difference between a team, and a chaotic group of Wanderers?”

“…I am not saying that we should not act in roles,” Ralph said, with a hint of red on his cheeks. “Just… adapting to specific roles might be a little difficult.”

“…How have you been dealing with your enemies the past month then?”

“…Everyone just acts on their own. But we have enough understanding with each other to not interfere in our battles.”

“…Vestia, next time, remind me to not give out the rewards before checking if everyone has actually completed their tasks.”

“…Indeed,” Vestia said, narrowing her eyes at Zain and Ralph, making them squirm uncomfortably, before turning back to Alnea. “After I heard that all five of them have gained their own monikers, I thought that they have achieved a certain degree of cooperation… I should have known. Assumptions should never be made on incomplete information. Next time, I will not make such a low level mistake.”

“…Mistake?” Fran said, walking out of the city, with Norren, and Aren following closely behind him. “…What happened in the short time that we were separated?”

“Nothing as such happened,” Alnea said, motioning for Vestia and Cecilia to not calm down, and let him handle the matter. “We just learned that your cooperation may not be as good as we had imagined it to be. But that is not a problem. We were going to start from scratch anyway.”

“…We have enough cooperation.”

“…There is a difference between a group of Wanderers fighting side by side, and a group of Wanderers fighting together,” Yuri said, shaking her head in disappointment.

“…We managed to do well enough with fighting side by side.”

“This is not a negotiation, Fran,” Alnea said, turning towards the green robed man. “This is why we gathered together in the first place. To help each other, to cooperate with each other. I know trusting other people will be a little hard for you. And I am not asking you to trust anyone either. But you should at least trust strength. After all, strength is what you are after, right?

“…So?”

“So, all I am saying is that there is a limit to individual strength. Only if we gather our strength together, can we break that limit, and reach new heights…”

“…Only the strength you have is true strength. Rest everything is just an illusion.”

“…Maybe you are right. But if you do not even try the strength of a team, a true team in every sense of the word, then how can you say that you are doing everything to pursue strength?”

“…I will listen to what you say. But I still believe that the strength I have is the only strength I can use.”

“…First it was Zain, then Karl, and now him,” Cecilia mumbled. “I knew that none of these men are any good.”

“…What did I hear?” Vestia said, looking at Cecilia in surprise. “You cursed three of our team members, but you left me out? How come? Is it because you are still sleeping, or is it because I am starting to grow on you?”

“…It is because you are the worst.”

“…Aw, come on. No need to be shy.”

Ignoring the antics of the two girls, Yuri glanced at the indignant and stubborn faces of Fran and Ralph, before turning towards Alnea.

“…Since these people do not understand what a team means, how about we show it to them?”

“…Just the three of us?”

“Just the three of us.”

“…Then let’s do it,” Alnea said, before turning back to the rest of the Star Seekers. “Since you people do not understand the meaning of cooperation, and a team—

“I do!”

“…me too… In fact, I would prefer it if we always acted as a team…”

“…Then next, let the three of us—

“I can also help a little.”

“…Not now, Vestia. I know that you want to support me, but as the matter stands, only Cecilia, Yuri, and I have any experience in acting as a team. If we carelessly add other people in our plan, then we will not be able to show everyone how a team should be.”

“…Then after you show off your teamwork with Yuri and Cecilia, will you work on your teamwork with me?”

“…Vixen.”

“…Sure.”

“Good. Then go ahead. And remember your promise.”

…When did he promise anything?

“…Vixen, indeed.”

…Ignoring the girls, Alnea turned back towards the men, and continued where he had left off.

“As I was saying, since you people do not understand the meaning of cooperation, and a team, then next, let the three of us show you the difference between individual strength, and the strength of a team.”