Darkness has settled over the ice-covered forest, the only light coming from the man-made bonfire reflecting off the trees. Despite the heat, none of the ice had melted so much as a drop of water. I stand near the Turt, a headlamp on my forehead. Beside me, Azu pokes around the beast, murmuring to herself and taking notes on a paper book. With a snap, she closes it, leaving a blinking red beacon on one of the spikes.

"It is a beacon that sends out an electromagnetic pulse, letting command know so they can send the scavengers to come collect the Shell," Azu grunts as she hops off the monster.

"Why don't you just send them a message on the glass?"

"We can't. It was discovered a long time ago that there is an interference that messes with tech. Communication is near impossible with things like radios. That's why the images you saw at the command center were so grainy."

I guess that's part of the reason exploring the forest has taken so long. "And the scavengers?"

"Those are the guys who couldn't pass the diver exam or are too stupid to value their own life. They deploy with whatever diver team is available to collect the dead Shells we kill, dissecting them and turning them into usable resources."

I say nothing as I stare at the hole my sword created.

"No luck, it would seem."

I sigh in frustration, "I tried for hours to get the damn thing out of the ice, but it won't budge."

Azu shrugs and heads for the bonfire. "Weapons with blood cores can be fickle like that. Most likely, it is absorbing power from the Turt."

I follow behind, careful not to trip over the large amounts of shattered ice, "It can do that?"

"Yes. Blood cores are known for it, though saying it absorbs power is misleading. It is more along the lines of giving the weapon more durability and sharpness. Think of it as a second forging. Zack's spear has a similar ability."

Wow, never knew that. I wonder what that spear is. It's such a mystery.

"Speaking of oddities, that weight core of yours is quite the enigma."

"How so?"

Azu sits on one of the stools around the bonfire, "I do not know as much about Neo Cores as Zack, but I have never seen a weight core be able to make an item lighter than air. Nor keep it in the exact same spot without so much of a tremble."

I shrug. "Maybe there was no wind." She shakes her head but says nothing, signaling our conversation over. With nothing left to do, I sit on a stool on the other side of the bonfire. Hearon finds me, dragging one behind him and plopping down with a huff. I glance down at his arm, but it has completely healed. I motion towards it.

"Ah. We Siphons have a better healing factor than regular humans. It takes us less than half the time regular people take to heal from major injuries, and small cuts and bruises heal almost immediately."

Wow. Wish I had that. It would seriously come in handy for all the past and future ass beatings I'm inevitably going to get.

Hearon looks at me, his expression unreadable, "However, I did not come here to talk about me. I came to talk about you and how you handled that fight."

I can't help but smile, "It was great, wasn't it? I may not be as strong as you guys, but I'm confident in my ability to come up with ideas on the fly. It's saved me more than once." Zack and Azu had walked over to us as I was talking, Moving to stand behind Hearon, whose expression had darkened as I spoke.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

He sighs heavily, a deep frown on his face. "No Silen. That was not "great." You endangered the whole team with that stunt. We did not allow you to join us for risky maneuvers that could completely destroy the balance of our team."

"What? What do you mean? We would've been even worse off if I didn't do something." What I did was insane, sure, but it ended the fight quickly and with almost zero negatives. Azu and Zack share a glance but remain silent. Zack looks especially troubled.

Hearon waves me off, "I am not saying you did not create results, but we cannot allow you to take risks like that. What you saw as an ingenious move, I saw as an unnecessary risk. We did not recruit you to fight."

"What did you recruit me for then? You were the one who said this team needed someone strong." Hearon mumbles something under his breath. It sounded like a curse.

Zack puts his hand on Hearon's shoulder, "I got this, boss." He nods and stands, taking Azu with him. I glance between them and Zack, completely confused.

"What is this about?"

Zack sits, forearms resting on his knees, "Listen, You're a lot like me. You have that fire in your eyes. That desire to fight and triumph, so it's only right I'm the one to bring you down."

Bring me down? That's very ominous wording.

He runs his hand through his hair quickly, "The best way I can say this is that we need you to make us a whole squad. Without a fourth, we aren't allowed on missions."

I scoff, "So I'm just a quota?" Zack says nothing and avoids my searching gaze. I stand, a wisp of anger flashing through me, "You're kidding, right?" He says nothing, causing that wisp to blaze, "So what, once we're done here, you're just going to toss me to the side like a used toy?"

Zack glares at me, a flash of anger in his eyes, "I never promised you anything."

I throw my hands up, anger turning to rage, "Never promised me anything? Who was the one who filled my head with ideas of teamwork and being part of the group? Who tried to be my friend and act like you cared!? Huh!?"

Zack was standing now, frustration clear on his face, "I was just trying to make you comfortable. Most secondaries don't even want to be here!" By this point, both I and Zack are yelling, and his two companions grab us, pulling us apart.

"Oh yeah? Make me comfortable? I never asked you to! I never asked any of you to even care! I came here on my own volition!" Azu gently but firmly grabs my shoulder. "Get off me!" I scream, shoving her. I didn't expect that to work, but surprisingly, she gave, stumbling back.

"Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" Zack struggles against Hearon's bear hug to no avail.

"I didn't ask for you people to come save me, nor did I ask to leave Titan, but you filled my head with things I had never heard of, places I couldn't imagine. And now I'm being told I have to live in another cage?"

Hearon sighs as Zack sags in his grip, "Listen, Silen. We can find you a nice job that will set you up to live comfortably for the rest of your life. That is an offer anyone in End City would beg for."

"Goddamnit!" I punch a nearby tree, the ice cracking slightly, "I don't want to live comfortably! I don't want to stagnate and become part of the crowd. I spent sixteen years of my life like that, living in the lap of luxury, but after everything I've been through and seen, do you think I can just forget it and waste it away? Like some civilian?"

"Yes." Hearon says, his face hardening, "Any diver worth their salt would get on their knees to receive the offer you're getting. All three of us would."

"But you don't! Do you!? Do you!?" Hearon goes quiet. I point to him, "You're a hypocrite. All of you are." I angrily wave my hand at them, "You want me to be an obedient dog, do as you say, and then leave so my death can't weigh on your conscience, but if you were in my shoes, you'd be just as angry. You live for this! You breathe it. You belong. Why can't I have that? Why can't I be part of the thrills and defeats? The fights. The discovery?"

My breath is coming out in gasps. I don't know where this came from. I've never felt like this, and I never thought these things before, but every word I muttered was real. It's how I truly feel. I can't go back. I'm not who I was three years ago, and I never will be.

"It's because you're weak." I glance at Zack, his head hung.

"What?" A sinking feeling in my gut drains out all the anger.

Zack shrugs off Hearon, much to his annoyance, "I said it's because you are weak. You were born weak and lived weak. Only recently did you realize what it meant to be strong, to feel strong. But you are not strong enough. This world will eat you and not leave anything left. It will take, and take, and take, never giving you a night without nightmares or a life without worry or fear!"

Rage flares up, but as a calm storm this time, not the ranging inferno it just was, and I say my following words loudly and clearly, "I have lived that life for three years. I have suffered far more than you will ever know. You do not know me; do not pretend to think you do." I turn away from them, a deep anger poking at me like a hot iron. Without a word, I go into my tent, closing it tight.