As the onlookers watched in shock as Celeste had reigned her victory, Terra gazed in awe at her presence. His face began to feel warm; he was entranced. It took until Vio called out to him in his subconscious for him to snap back to reality.

"Uhh, Terra? You alright? Your heart is going crazy right now—"

"I-I'm alright!!" he quickly replied, shaking his head and covering his face with his arm. Despite being flustered, he continued to watch Celeste and Netz as they made their Arcanes fade away. The duel was settled, Celeste the victor.

She walked forward, pulling Netz up with a blank expression. "You're getting better." she stated, staring into his eyes. "Keep it up."

The tall man let out a chuckle, brushing himself off. "Platitudes from the White Reaper? I'm honored, Cat. If you could show happiness on that face of yours, I'm sure you would be smiling ear to ear right now."

Celeste simply stared at him.

. . .

As the two made their way up to where the other Plague Doctors were, they were quick to split up to avoid a lecture. All but Squad Four, who were waiting for the last remaining members to make their way to them.

"How many duels does that make it?" Fren asked, scratching his head curiously.

"I think that's about eighty-six now!" Kinae answered with a bright smile. "Celeste won all of them!"

"Well, if you're done having a good ol' measuring contest, weren't you supposed to be watching this guy?" Joker said, sliding Terra in front of them with his cane. Terra gasped, looked around for a moment, then gulped as he looked back at Celeste.

Celeste stared at him for a moment. Then another. Then another. The silence was torturous, making Terra increasingly sweat nervously. Finally, these words escaped her mouth.

"Try to catch up next time."

Terra practically fell over from the release of the tension, but stayed on his two feet just barely. With a sharp inhale, he lowered his head in shame.

"Yeahhh... I bumped into the hoodie guy here and lost you."

Fren pointed at himself with a surprised face, but was quickly smacked upside the head by Joker.

"Brother WHO ELSE?!"

The smack definitely jogged Fren's memory, as he let out a long "Ohhhh" after rubbing where he was struck.

Netz stepped forward, looking down at Terra with sharp eyes, reminiscent of Celeste's own gaze. He was quick to notice the lack of restraints on their newcomer.

"Where are they?"

Terra looked down, remembering that he lost the cuffs. With a nervous smile, he shrugged.

"Er... I got hungry...?"

"Did you somehow eat them?"

"N-no...?"

"Then how did you lose the restraints?"

"I uhh... asked."

"Asked who?"

Terra began to fumble his no-snitching prerogative, beginning to sweat again.

"Uhhhhh... A Plague Doctor?"

Kinae let out a loud groan, finally stepping forward.

"Me me me, it was me!!" she called out. "Please, you don't have to watch out for me so hard! Jeez!"

Netz stared at Terra more. Deeper. Deeper. Suddenly, he sunk a black string into his head, yanking out a familiar blue light from within it.

"Agh!! What the—?!" Terra grunted out, gripping his head and stumbling back from the newfound migraine he had gotten. When he looked back forward, it was then he saw it: Vio, trapped in the lanky man's black strings, unconscious. "H-hey, what the hell?! Don't touch her!!"

The rest of the team watched with surprise. A fae in the flesh, right in front of their eyes.

"An Azure Fae. Said to be a good luck charm amongst humanity, they boast incredible magical power while being rather illusive. Did you steal her, street urchin?" Netz questioned, narrowing his eyes as he holds Vio by the strings, letting her dangle. "Only those in political power have these creatures by their side."

"What?! No, I didn't! Now give her back!!" Terra hissed back, clenching his fists. "That's my sister!!"

Netz's eyes widened for a moment, looking down at Vio with a peculiar stare. "Sister? Are you of fae origin, kid?"

"All I know is that when I was born, she was alongside me. We were twins..."

Netz walked forward, placing Vio in Terra's hand while grinning. "A near impossible chance, and even less so believable. To be twins with a fae... However the possibility, this taught me that I don't know nearly enough about you."

"Yeah." Terra mumbled out, letting Vio phase back into him. "Same goes for you..."

Netz continued his grinning, before promptly walking away, leaving the room with a slight pip in his step. Terra watched as he left, clicking his tongue against his teeth defiantly.

"The fuck is his problem?"

"Don't worry about him. He's a bit of a sadistic guy." Fren answered, walking up to Terra. "So, you have a fae? Didn't think anyone in this city would have one, besides the mayor."

Terra grimaced as he rubbed his head, letting out a groan. "Yeah... We're twins."

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"A twin fae is both a blessing and curse." Celeste finally chimed in, walking past the group. "As the legend goes, when a twin is a fae, the human appears in the Feywilds. Where that is, no one knows. The fae itself acts as a spiritual connection."

Not even Terra knew that. He closed his eyes, sighing. "Guess you learn something new everyday."

Within moments, Netz opened the door to the room again, looking at everyone with a sense of urgency. "We have a mission." he simply stated, leading the others to look at one another, before following over to him.

. . .

"As I disclosed with Celeste before" Commissioner Jackson started, pointing a laser pointer at the projector screen showing the abandoned docks, "In this harbor that was abandoned years ago, is where a group of Afflicted have taken to call their business. A gang our newest member has designated as "Suits" ship the Plague to across the shore. With this much coverage, they could spread significantly."

"How significantly?" Kinae asked, sitting criss-cross on the floor like a kid.

"We're looking around at least four Rats here."

Everyone looked at one another in shock, besides Terra, who was looking back and forth confused. "Rats? Like, the pest?"

"They're the carriers of the Plague." answered Celeste, staring at the projector, "With their influence around, stopping the Plague is impossible. They're high priority targets."

Terra nodded in response, crossing his arms.

"How many are we expecting? Afflicted?" Fren added on, scratching the stubble on his chin.

"Due to the model of the frigate they took over, alone from sheer size... Hundreds, at least."

The pressure grew heavy in the room, as everyone grew a worried expression. All but Celeste and Netz, who were still seemingly calm.

"We will set you out in due time. I'd say... a couple of hours. Prepare yourselves, and come back in one piece. Cure on, Plague Doctors."

"Cure on." all of them but Terra repeated back, with him joining in right after.

As they all turned and left, the commissioner raised his hand, signalling Terra to stay behind. "Not you yet. Just a moment of your time, Terra."

Terra walked up to his desk, crossing his arms. "Is something wrong, sir?"

"Just one thing. I heard about your... sister, was it?" Jackson began, resting his chin atop his clasped hands, resting his elbows on the table casually, "If you truly have a fae by your side, it would be catastrophic if she got into the hands of the Afflicted. Would you be comfortable if she stayed here at the precinct? We promise to take care of her."

Terra hesitated, closing his eyes, and bringing out Vio in front of him, holding her gently in his hand.

"Is that alright with you, sis? Staying here?"

"Do I really have a choice?" she simply replied, floating down to the desk and sitting on the edge of it, "We're captives, right?"

Terra scratched his forearm anxiously, before Jackson gave him a reassuring smile.

"You may be a captive with us, but if you prove yourself just as the others have, I see no reason why you can't make a fine Plague Doctor." he said, sliding a cup of tea over for Vio to sip from. "This world is full of corruption. All I want is to make it a bit brighter, day by day. Despite your previous transgressions, you just wanted to survive. I understand that well enough. So..."

The commissioner then leaned forward, smiling ear to ear.

"Do your best to keep your comrades safe, right? They will do the same for you, if you prove yourself."

Terra nodded, looking over at Vio with a worried expression. "Will you be alright?"

She was about to take a sip of the tea, looking over at him and scoffing. "Please, you've known me all your life. I can take care of myself if I have to!"

Terra meekly grinned, then stepped back.

"I'll go catch up with the others."

He waved casually, before stepping out of the room, closing it behind him overly cautiously not wanting to damage the door.

Vio took a long sip of the tea, getting a warm feeling in her cheeks from the heat. "This is really good, heh! You use honey?"

"Yes indeed!" Jackson answered, "I heard sweetness is a fae's favorite flavour, so it only seemed natural. Honey, sugar, and my usual herbs."

After answering, he leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. With a recollecting stare, these simple words escaped him, following a short laugh.

"Will he save her, I wonder?"

Vio looked up at him mid sip, letting out a happy exhale and grinning back.

"He's got a way with words, but his actions speak louder. Despite how desperate we are, it's still better than how it was out there." she said, closing her eyes and sitting back leisurely. "You treat us well, we'll treat you back better. It's just how it is."

His smile faded ever so slightly, but his eyes were still shimmering in the light.

"Is that so? Heh... You may be right."

. . .

Terra was standing against the wall with his arms crossed, staring down at the floor nervously. "What the hell did I get myself into...?" he thought to himself, biting the tip of his thumb, "How am I gonna handle this situation? I know I said I'd give info, but putting me on the team?! Doesn't that old man have too much faith in me?"

As he was lost in thought, Celeste suddenly passed by him, yanking on his shirt and pulling him off into a hall with haste.

"Huh?! W-wait wait! What's going on—?" as that question escaped him, he was slammed into the wall roughly, and given that sinister stare that he knew well by now. The eyes of the White Reaper.

"I don't know why you're on my team, what you're capable of, or anything about you besides your name." she said with a heavy expression, practically lifting him from the floor, "So let's get one thing settled... You try to use your Arcane at any point besides when I order you to? You're going to regret it. I won't have my team jeopardized again."

"Again...?"

She let go of him, narrowing her eyes.

"It's none of your business. Just keep my warning in the back of your mind, you hear me? I don't like repeating myself."

Terra gulped, nodding as he fixed his shirt. With that, she pressed a black metal bat on to his chest until he held it in his hands.

"To avoid using your Arcane, use this instead. It's an Alchemical Tool. Considering the story I heard from Jackson, I'm sure you can use blunt weapons well enough."

"Blunt weapons? All I did was throw a trashcan lid." Terra meekly replied with a nervous smile, scratching his neck while holding the bat.

All Celeste did was stare at him blankly a moment longer, then walked away.

"Don't forget. Follow my orders. Your life may depend on it."

As she turned the corner, Terra was frozen in place, still looking down the hall where she turned. After a moment, he couldn't help but let out a sigh, his cheeks brimming red just a tad.

"I'm such a loser... Feeling this way while crawling to them like a pest."

Terra inspected the bat, running his fingers along the white runic etches carved into it's base.

"The old man is right... I have to prove myself. I'll make sure I stay here, or else... or else..."

The thought of the Suits flashed in his subconscious, making him shiver as he remembers just narrowly dodging certain death.

"I won't mess up this opportunity."

. . .

The sun began to set on the city, casting down a shadow across the roads from the tops of the skyscrapers. The air grew tense, but cool. The streets, bustling with traffic, alongside the sidewalks brimming with people heading home from work.

On the street was a large black police van, passing by the quick illumination of street lights as it sped through. Printed on it's door was the insignia of a red crow. The emblem of the Plague Doctors. In the distance, the harbor that was dangerously familiar to Terra. The mission was close to beginning.

"That's the place." Terra said in the trunk of the truck, peeking his head through the back seat's headrest, "That's where the Suits are."

"I still can't believe they took a boat of all things. Makes sneaking cargo that much easier for those suckers." Joker admitted, cleaning his cane gently.

"It's logical, not smart." Celeste intervened, driving the van around the corner on the light and heading down the road towards the harbor, "Of course they would hide outside of our patrols. A smart person would hide where we wouldn't suspect."

"Smart or not, I just wanna beat their asses!" Kinae cheered on, raising a fist and smiling.

"You and me both."

As they started to park behind a building, Terra looked at the collection of Alchemical Tools around him, looking at all of the inscriptions, fascinated. Guns, blades, blunt weapons, and even a black pair of gloves, with a single silver gear on top of the left hand. Before he could touch any however, Joker's cane smacked the top of his hand, making him flinch back.

"Those ain't for you, kid. You got your weapon chosen by Snow White over here already, y'heard?"

Terra grimaced and nodded, holding up his bat, and looking out the window towards the boat.

"Right, right. Looks like it's time for round 2." he said, narrowing his eyes. "I won't run away again."

Celeste stared at him through the rear view mirror, before turning off the ignition and stepping outside. Looking out at the frigate, a slight grin crept on her face, but quickly faded as everyone left the car one by one.

"Alright. Operation, commence."