Seeing the Player Society abduct her brother had pissed Hana off, but it hadn’t surprised her. The Society had their noses in everything and it made sense that they would quarantine Jinyoung until they knew whether or not he was a threat.

Like any bureaucracy, the Society wasn’t as much an organization aimed at creating change as it was a bog of forms and applications. It had evolved from its early days as a grassroots organization into a hulking behemoth of referrals and citations.

It didn’t take long for the guards who stayed behind with Hana to realize they needed to send her up the chain of command or deal with her wrath on their own. As an instructor, it had been years since Hana had gone into battle, but her posture spoke of years of experience. Experience that the guards didn’t want to deal with. Not when they were so low on the totem pole. So they sent her to a case officer who referred her to a team lead who referred her other cogs in the machine. It was somewhere between an executive assistant and an assistant executive that Hana’s patience wore thin. Instead of reaching across the table and grabbing the bureaucrat by the throat, she politely excused herself and stepped outside.

The Player Society used to be housed in a two-story brick complex that had been rebuilt after being partially destroyed during an outbreak. Now, the complex was 30-stories tall and the exterior was a smooth, almost crystalline finish. The underground floors reached far down into the earth and included research centers, training halls, and, of course, holding cells.

Hana was tempted to go home and return with her shield so she could shatter the bright, shining windows. She was still imagining just how much effort it might take to bring down the building when the other woman opened the doors and approached her.

"Ever the petulant child."

Hana bristled at the sound of her voice.

"That doesn't mean much coming from a soulless bitch."

"If only your skills were as sharp as your tongue."

A dense silence hung in the air.

"All kidding aside, Hana, you could've come to me. I would've helped. No questions asked."

"It's a bit late to pretend like you care, Seah. And I don't need your help."

Seah laughed. It was hoarse. Mocking. "Forgive me, who was it that secured funding for the Academy when no one else would?"

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"A band-aid. A salve for your guilt."

"Still, hardly the actions of a soulless bitch though, wouldn't you say?"

"I'm not here to trade barbs with you Seah."

"No, you're here because Jinyoung was arrested and placed under an indefinite hold."

Hana's opened wide. "On what charges?"

"Threat to the realm."

Hana felt her blood boil and face flush with anger.

"That's-!!"

"Ridiculous. I know. That's why he'll be released under one very specific condition."

"Goddammit, Seah. He's not one of your pawns to tie up like-!!"

"The condition is that he be placed under your care."

Hana looked at Seah. It was impossible to imagine it now, but Hana could remember a time when she looked up to Seah. Even at the Academy, Seah was tall, beautiful, and dangerous. Everything Hana wanted to be when she grew up.

The memory lingered.

"Thank you."

Seah walked past Hana and looked back at the Society. The cool reflective surface looked so perfect from a distance.

"I saw him, you know. We have to take fingerprints, it’s procedure. But they led him right past me. All those years and... he didn't even glance in my direction."

For a moment, Hana saw Seah as she had been 20 years ago. When Jinyoung had vanished, they all scoured the dungeon for clues. For years after, they would gather or share any information they had gleaned during their travels. But slowly, those meetings would become fewer. Until…

Quietly, almost in a whisper, Seah spoke. "Maybe I am a soulless bitch."

Hana didn't know what to say. So she said nothing.

"Take care of him, won't you?"

"I will."

Seah gave a Hana knowing smile. Almost a smirk.

"What about him, Seah?"

For all her faults, Seah wasn't dangerous. Somewhere deep inside, she'd buried her conscience, but Hana had seen for herself that Seah was still trying. She still cared. The same couldn't be said of everyone.

"Hana, no matter what has happened and what you may think of us... you'll always be family. Jinyoung will always be family."

Seah turned to leave, but said one more thing before she walked back into her ivory tower of glass, steel, and blood.

"You know, it's still there. You should go visit sometime. If only to dust for cobwebs. And in any case, your little vacation has gone on long enough. Isn't it time you got back to the business of saving the world?"

The Shield Knight of the Blade grit her teeth and balled her fists in anger. The events of the day were maddening. And despite the possibility of her good intentions, Seah's appearance had brought more memories that Hana would rather not dwell on. And worst of all, she hated Seah's parting words.

Isn't it time you got back to the business of saving the world?

She was right.