"I'm telling you I don't want to get up." Selkia protested, crossing her arms.

"I agree, but we seriously should." Touji yawned, fixing his hooded cloak around his neck.

"Quite yer belly ache. I was summoned by the bossess, so ya got no choice." Foss declared, swinging the door open in anticipation of their co-operation.

"Fine." Selkia sighed. She sluggishly swung her legs off the bed, rubbing the crust out of her eyes. "On second thought, I don't think I can." She pulled the blanket around her like a cocoon.

"What are you? Four?" Touji remarked, dragging her across the floor by the tip of the sheet.

"I don'wanna." Selkia whined beating her legs against the floor.

"You've got issues." He pulled harder, her body slipping slightly. "Over further examination, this isn't worth it." He then dropped the half asleep, half-awake adult child, letting her body fall on her head.

"Ahem." Foss cleared his throat. "Ya guys ready."

"As ready as I'll ever be." Touji stretched, cracking his knuckles.

Selkia didn't respond, her head buried beneath the blanket.

"We can leave her, right?"

Foss smiled in a reassuring manner as they both turned and left the room, a muffled sound coming from behind the door, their ears tuning it out.

"Wait-don't leave me!" Selkia mumbled, her voice muffled by the sheets. She was ignored.

Their footsteps reverberated down the hall, Touji's cloak swaying from side to side.

"I won't lie, this kinda suits my hoodie don't you think?" Touji chuckled.

His partner was too spaced out to even answer.

-Someone’s got ADHD.

Touji could simply not understand how Foss was able to keep track of where they were amongst the maze of doors and passageways. Everything appeared to have been designed to look exactly like the last, hence losing your way had become the intention it seemed.

"Now might be a good time to find out who the 'bossess' is?"

"Just the bossess. No questions. She doesn't like them."

"You do know that sentence made no sense, right?" Touji cut in.

Foss laughed it off as if it was a joke, meanwhile occasionally walking into a wall for literally zero reason.

Touji began to space himself out, as it felt like this was the appropriate decision to protect his eyes from the embarrassing person beside him. It had been a week since the incident. They had been living in the underground headquarters of the Black Tails and had barely left their bedroom since. Recovering from their injuries was apparently of the highest importance as the so-called ‘grown-ups’ tried to piece together the current state of affairs. Fairial and the others had made it safely back alive thank God, though Maphori's assistance was very much required for the black knight's recovery.

As things had quieted down over the past couple of days and little had occurred on the surface, a week's time wasn't at all enough to believe that any attempt at a comeback would be dangerous as hell, or so he was told. He could only sit and wait for himself and the Black Tails to recover and recoup, all though this meeting could imply some action was on the way.

The hallway continued down a spiral staircase, it's width and height quite small in some areas, enough to make Touji crouch. It brought him back to a time when he would dream of standing in such a unique and imaginative environment, if only the circumstances were different, he may have enjoyed this.

"We're almost there." Foss announced, dodging another wall as if it were a car. How he managed to pull this off Touji could only wonder.

They reached the end of the staircase, the door before them appearing vastly different from the ones above. The wood was much thicker and engraved with blue metal around its edges, a heavy scent wafting under its cracks.

Foss knocked three times, a faint voice coming from the other side.

"Enter."

***

Motivation. A force that defines what we do and don't. A force fueled by the want to obtain an object or an ideal. It's a symbol of what we care for. It's a drive that keeps us pushing forward for what we hold above the rest.

When things become easy, we tend to lose sight of it. When something becomes easily obtained it becomes less valuable and not worth the effort.

Motivation is a difficult thing to maintain for some and others have never needed it to begin with. It’s always until something they care for is threatened that they soon realize its value.

Motivation is born from a fear of not having and a fear of losing. In turn, fear breeds anger.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

-I will get her back. I will get home. I will not die.

"Touji, I get you are angry. But you must understand that there is simply nothing we can do. Not now."

"How? I get it, they're strong. But Foss took all of those thugs out himself. Why can't we just sneak in to wherever and have him smash their asses in?"

Asses probably was not the right word when speaking to a female in charge of an elite assassin organization but what was said was said so not much could be done about it.

Fairial folded her hands over her face. "Foss, please leave."

"Sure thing." He trotted out, shutting the large wooden door behind him with a loud crack. The sounds echoed throughout the stone room, the books on the wooden shelves threatening to fall to the floor.

Fairial placed the ink pen back into its container and pushed aside her work.

"Touji, understand our position. Right now, we are weakened. We barely have the manpower and supplies to keep us going. As it stands, if we even attempt to sneak into the castle, we will most likely be captured and if not killed, tortured for information. The only thing keeping us together are these catacombs. It's only a matter of time till they find these as well."

"But Foss-"

"He is strong, but not strong enough for ring one."

"I don't get it..."

"A package was delivered to the imperial's which is highly likely to have been the silver haired girl. This makes bringing her back an almost impossible task." She rubbed her forehead, her hand combing the knots out of her dark hair strings.

"What is so dangerous about the inner ring?"

"No one has left."

"..."

"Touji, please understand that no one here wants Chylum back more than you and I. But we have to be cautious and tactful."

Touji slumped into a chair shaking his knee and biting his nail. If what she was suggesting true, this was an impossible mission.

"What does it mean 'you can't leave'?"

"We don't know either. But not a single one of ours has made it out. Some as powerful and as skilled as the boy. I cannot send anymore in to find out why."

-Dammit, dammit, dammit. This is just dumb. You can’t enter and you don’t even know why?

She sighed. "Touji you're going to have to trust me."

"..."

"There is hope and strangely enough you were the one who brought it.” Touji’s ears perked.

“Whatever it is that is causing Their deaths, it's likely to be based off of their intrusion systems which rely entirely on their ability to track human arclight. You have none. Therefore, it is likely that you could enter without raising any suspicion. But this is just a theory."

"So, you want me to go in there and figure it out?" Goodbye homeland. Hello suicide squad.

Fairial stood up, her chair sliding back into place. She clasped her hand over her chest as a gesture of commitment.

"Not any time soon. You have a lot of training before that can even be considered and if you are unwilling, I promise not to force you."

There was a knock at the door. Fairial's eyes peered at the door as a voice came from the other end.

"Come in."

Foss entered, his feet dragging along the floor.

"Bossess, it's the count. Is here to see ya."

"Thank you, Foss. Show him in."

Fairial's demeanor suddenly changed as she sat down much straighter than previously, her expression cold and unfeeling.

Touji turned towards the door, his eyes locking onto a man dressed in a blue cloak. His hair was short and brown, his eyes matching the color. He was muscular in build, his height that of a skyscraper.

"Kemel." The man bowed; his arms outstretched.

"What brings you here?" Her tone drastically shifting to a higher pitch.

"I heard about the incident, and I want an explanation."

Fairial gaze turned to the floor, "Count, what do you want me to say? We were one up on."

"And I want to know why." he said sternly.

"I will take responsibility."

"You better. You get handed the reins and this is what you do with it? This war isn’t just about you, you know? These are people's lives at stake."

"Do you think I don’t understand that?"

"Well, to have put the entire squad in peril definitely makes me questions a few things."

"..."

He touched his thumb and index finger to his temples, "I told your father you were not ready. Damn that old man."

Touji stood there uncomfortably, wondering if now would be the time to book it out of there.

"Count." Fairial's voice was low. "Regardless of your respect for me and the position I’ve taken, this was my father's decision. I am only following his direction. I can assure you that protecting the boy is in our best interest, and my duty to my father as his last direction."

"I lost my respect for your father the day he let himself die. The old bastard."

"Don't. Talk. About. My. Father. Like. That." Fairial enunciated.

"This is ridiculous," he slammed his hands on the desk. "You are acting like a child. You think this boy was more valuable to us than your entire squad. What about risking the underground’s discovery? At least your father wouldn’t not make such a blunder."

Fairial clenched her fists. Her jaw was tightening.

"Can you stop defiling my dead father?"

"He’s dead. It shouldn’t matter anymore. I am the one who is raising the real army to take control of this country, not just this sad little city."

Touji backed against the wall, trying desperately to hide his presence so as not to be noticed.

"And where is the scarlet princess? We are in this situation because you lost her, so don't blame me for risking my knights for a possible queen. This whole stupid war is about risks." Fairial stated, her voice becoming more aggressive.

He then went quiet. His body assuming a more towering approach, as a glare pierced through her.

"Don't you dare mention my her again." His voice was deep and heavy, shaking the room with its vibrato.

Fairial's gaze became shaky. Her confidence was dwindling.

"I'm leaving. If you cause anymore blunders like this again, I will personally see to it that you kill yourself."

Touji watched as the Count exited, slamming the door behind him.

The two stood in silence. Fairial's eyes were cast down, her mouth slightly agape.

Her hair fell over her eyes.

"Please leave." Touji immediately complied as he stepped out, leaving Fairial alone with herself.

The door shut. Her fist met the desk, the ink splattering across the parchment and the book falling to the floor with a bang.

She peered back at the armor propped up against the wall.

-Why did you have to leave this part to me? I can't do this, and you know it.

***

The door creaked loudly as Touji slipped back into the hall. Foss stood leaning against the wall; his arms crossed.

"Hey kid."

"Sup. I am older though." Touji rubbed his head, a sense of irritation taking hold.

"You should probably steer clear of him." He pointed in the direction of the count.

"I can tell. He seemed pretty upset."

"Yep."

Touji leaned against the opposite wall, the rough texture scratching the back of his head.

"Who's the Scarlet princess?"

Foss remained silent, his mouth straight.

"Can't tell me, eh?"

The boy smiled his childish grin, his gold hair disorganized giving him a very awkward appearance. "It's secret. Shhh."

Touji returned a smile, the tension breaking.

"Let's go back."

"Yeah. We should probably check on Selkia."

"True."

As they began to walk down the hall Foss started a light hum, similar to that of Yankee Doodle, meanwhile slipping a gold coin into his pocket.

-It's a secret.