Republic of Kaldstein, Hospital Room: 936, July 7th, Saturday, 8:00 AM.
“That’s pretty much all I’m willing to tell you at the moment,” Sovereign explained—his crimson eye smiling at Claire. “You can choose not to believe me, but everything I said is true. I am a specter, and Cerberus’ new CEO. The mind behind every operation ever since the first of January of this year.”
Lost for words, the lieutenant remained quiet for a few short seconds, pressing her lips together as her mind processed the information. “You… you are messing with me…” She said with a low grunt as her eyebrows curved downwards—a mix of anger and confusion in her voice. “My spectral gear would’ve warned me about you,” she claimed. “If you were really a specter, I would’ve known. There’s just… no way.”
Sovereign smirked at the lieutenant’s claims, elevating his right hand next to his shoulder. Without uttering a single word, particles of crimson light gathered around his hand—emerging out of thin air to form a ball in the man’s palm. Suddenly—in a small burst of red, the crimson sphere in Sovereign’s hand suddenly transformed into one of Claire’s twin pistols—Jupiter.
“I am the creator of your gear too,” Sovereign stated. “So, it doesn’t work on me.” he continued to smirk with a smug expression. “Like Maulik told you, they aren’t technological weapons. I created them with my own energy, and designed them as to not blow my cover, of course.”
Claire’s eyes twitched in astonishment, as it took her arduous months of training to achieve a similar result. “But… how…” she furrowed her brows.
“You were already suspicious of me,” Sovereign relaxed the muscles on his face—taking a more neutral expression. “I’m actually quite surprised by your reaction. Didn’t you think I wasn’t human before?”
“I… I thought you were a gladean knight.” Claire confessed somewhat shyly. “You know… like the ones in the legends.”
The man’s shoulders dropped, his lips curving into a frown. “You thought… I don’t even have the physique to be a knight.” Jupiter suddenly vanished from his hand, leaving no trail of crimson particles behind. “Let alone the physical strength of one…”
“I thought maybe… you were a special case.”
“What books have you been reading?”
“That doesn’t matter! You…” a long sigh escaped from between the lieutenant’s lips—feeling fatigued by her injures. “I just… forget it, it doesn’t matter.”
“Disappointed?”
“That’s not it,” Claire snapped. “I’m just tired… let me be for now. I want to know more about it, but I can’t concentrate right now.”
Sovereign huffed a chuckle, standing up from the wooden stool. “Sure, but before I do that… you have to answer my question, remember?”
“Right…”
Resting both arms on his knees, Sovereign leaned forward to listen intently at the lieutenant’s story. “I’m all ears.”
With a quick sigh, Claire steeled herself to tell her story—aiming to keep it short. “You are right…” she admitted. “I am still afraid of them… the specters.” The lieutenant confessed—her head buried on the pillow.
Sovereign kept quiet throughout the lieutenant’s explanation, revealing parts of her life unknown to even him. She looked at ceiling, speaking her mind without a worry in the world.
“When they attacked my home,” Claire continued. “I was only a child… I was playing outside with my dog. His name was Rufus.” A quick chuckle escaped her lips as she mentioned the name of her pet. “It was just a normal day… mom was making breakfast while father was nearby taking care of the cows. That’s when I heard them… all it took was a single second to turn my life upside down.”
A long pause from Claire interrupted the story, but Sovereign remained quite as the lieutenant regained her composure—swallowing dry before continuing.
“Their screeches were the most terrifying thing I’ve ever heard,” she proceeded. “Father picked me up in his arms and began to run towards the house, and then… a specter leaped out from behind him. Father fell on his face and dropped me on the ground… that’s when I saw them. I can’t even remember how many of them attacked us, but they had already begun destroying everything they encountered in their path… the houses, the people, the animals. Misses Bridget, Mr. Albin, their son, he was just…” Claire’s voice began to quiver. “Rufus he… I could hear him crying for me, he was… I w—”
“Enough, Lionheart.” Sovereign hastily put a stop to the lieutenant—noticing her voice growing in distress. “Enough… I… I’m sorry…” he said, clenching his jaw.
Recollecting herself with a deep breath, Claire swallowed dry once more before huffing through her mouth. “I can’t let them catch me off guard again,” she said. “When I have them in front of me, I can fight… I know I can win, but when I can’t see them… all it takes is a single second… I drop my guard, and everything I once had is gone... I won’t let that happen again.”
“Sorry…”
Claire turned her head slightly to look at Sovereign, who was sulking next to her. “Why? It’s not your fault.”
The man clenched his jaw tight, biting down the words he couldn’t spell out—an uncontrollable fear clouding his mind. “Right… you…” he took a deep breath, leaning back to sit straight—curving his lips into a warm smile. “Thanks for telling me, Lionheart. This may mean nothing to you coming from me, but… for what is worth, no specters will be breaking into this room, I promise.” The man said as he winked.
His gesture drew a quick chuckle from Claire, who turned to look back at the ceiling. “I don’t know… I feel a lot calmer right now, maybe I’ll trust you on this one.”
“I have to leave soon, but I actually brought a gift for you.” Sovereign claimed as he led one hand inside the vest on his suit—standing from the wooden stool.
“Great… those are always fun coming from you.” The lieutenant replied with an obvious sarcastic tone which Sovereign caught on immediately.
“Hah, I’m not playing games this time.” he claimed with a chuckle—pulling out a small envelop from inside his vest. “This is actually really important. I’m sure you’ll be happy to see it.” Sovereign lowered his voice, speaking softly as he placed the letter next to Claire. “Open it.”
Curiously staring into the man’s crimson eye, the lieutenant lowered her gaze to look at the envelop—lifting it from the bed in one hand. “Can you…” she wabble the paper in front of the man’s face—asking for help as her other arm remained immobile.
“Let me,” Sovereign smiled as he aided Claire in opening the small envelop—allowing her to take out its contents.
“What is this?” the lieutenant whispered, feeling a strange plasticky sensation in her fingers. “…!” her eyes slowly widened and her mouth quivered.
In between her fingers, as she pulled out the contents of the envelop, Claire fixed her gaze on the small photo of three officers wearing the white and golden uniform of Cerberus. The massive wall protecting HQ from the hellish zone could be seen behind them, an extremely short woman was standing on the left side—an impressive looking mech suit proudly displayed behind her. On the right side of the picture was another woman, she had one leg lifted while supporting herself with crutches—wearing a white and black headband in her forehead.
Claire’s eyes twitched with a gleaming light—product of the tears accumulating on them. Her gaze was fixed on the man at the center of the picture—who among all present in the photo, had the brightest of smiles in her eyes. She sniffed while clenching her jaw, pressing her eyes shut before opening them again.
“Don’t look at me…” she said between gritted teeth—prompting Sovereign to turn his back towards her as he smiled with furrowed brows.
At the center of the photo, Claire could see her father clearly after many years of uncertainty. Sebastian had both hands placed on his hips—posing like a superhero for his daughter. His teeth were showing as he smiled widely, and his amber eyes stared into the camera—as if looking directly into hers.
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“He’s been busy in the Deadlands ever since he left you…” Sovereign explained—his back still turned towards Claire. “Sorry for not coming up with this earlier but… I really need him to keep things under control over there for me. I hope you can understand.”
The lieutenant sniffed while wiping her tears, swallowing dry as her throat tensed up. “Thank you…” she was able to let out.
“Think nothing of it, you’ve done a lot for me over these past few months and…” Sovereign stopped himself for a second. “It’s the least I can do... I still owe you a lot, more than you think.”
“I want to frame it…” Claire said—to which Sovereign turned to face her once more. “I want to keep it here… and then take it back home with me once I recover.” her smile was bright and innocent, as if all troubles in the world had suddenly disappeared from her mind.
“Sure,” the man said with a smile. “But that’s a mission only Bloodhound can accomplish, and I’m sure they’ll be here soon. They’ll bring you something special if you ask them.”
His words drew a quick chuckle from Claire, who couldn’t take her eyes off the picture. A small white object entering her field of view suddenly prompted her turn to her gaze away however, fixing her eyes on the white flower Sovereign held in his hand.
“That’s from your father’s part…” he said. “This one’s from me… it may not be much, but it comes from my heart… Lionheart.”
Claire looked into the man’s crimson eye once again, turning to look at the flower quickly after—gently lowering the photo in her chest to pick up the gift, her lips curving upwards into a gentle smile. “Thank you… Harumi.”
Sovereign laughed in a joyful manner, moving away from the bed. “Get well soon, but not a word of this to anyone, alright?”
“Hmm…” the lieutenant hummed with a pensive expression. “I don’t know… the others might want to hear about it.”
“…”
“I’m only joking,” she said with a smirk. “I’ll see you once I recover.”
After a quick nod and a smile, Sovereign strode his way outside of the room with no further words—where he placed a black wig on top of his head, hiding his crimson eye under its shadow. As expected, Eutychia awaited him in the hallway—her arms crossed as she leaned her back on the wall.
“Here I thought you were going to stay the night,” the princess said with slight irritation.
“Don’t worry, I’m all business now.” the man smugly grinned.
The pair proceeded to walk side by side across the halls of the hospital, with Eutychia garnering the attention of many passersby as the black armored princess stood out among the commonly dressed residents. As they neared the exit of the building, the automatic door slid open to reveal a group of four striding their way into the facility.
“Eric!” Tori pouted at the noble, who held a box of cereal in his hand—the words ‘Cards O’s O’s displayed on it. “I told you to bring a gift for the lieutenant!”
“I did, nothing better than the sugary joy of Cards O’s O’s to repair your broken ribs and limbs.”
Both Sovereign and Eutychia passed by Bloodhound without being noticed, as the group was too engrossed in their little fight to pay attention to their surroundings—all but Gaspard at least, who turned to look at the princess before offering a quick bow and a smile. Eutychia nodded at the butler with a stoic expression, covering Sovereign next to her with her body.
Leaving Bloodhound behind, the pair made its way into the snowy streets of Kaldstein, where a black vehicle with darkened windows waited for them. Sovereign opened the door for the princess, who sat in the back—quickly followed by the young CEO, taking the seat next to hers.
“So, Loewe Harumi.” Eutychia said. “What’s next in your schedule?”
“I assumed you’d be eavesdropping,” Sovereign smiled with little concern. “I promised you’d see your sister in the previous operation, but I guess that didn’t go quite as planned.”
“I did see my father’s knights…” the princess said with furrowed brows. “I know all of their names and faces… they used to train me when I was kid…” a hint of sadness covered her voice. “He was definitely involved in what we saw in that place…”
“Have you seen your father lately?”
The black knight turned to look at the young CEO with a slightly open mouth, proceeding to hum before offering her reply. “No, I haven’t. I don’t know where he went… he just… suddenly disappeared.”
“Then let’s discuss this further at Headquarters,” Sovereign said. “Eutychia, we are not the enemy of humanity. We’ll need your aid if we are to keep the order in check, and save as many people as we can from the specters.”
“Sovereign, do you mind if I ask something?” Yeon—who was driving the vehicle—suddenly interrupted.
“What is it?”
“How does lady Eutychia know your full name?”
“…”
“…”
“We’ll talk about this when we get home… Loewe.” Yeon’s tone was as a strict as a mother scolding her child, but her face was as calm as the gentlest of flowing rivers—causing an electrifying feeling to run across Sovereign’s spine.
“W-would you forgive me if I give you a flower… maybe dinner?”
Back at the hospital, where Bloodhound strode across the busy hallways of the building. The group continued their argument over their gifts for the lieutenant, each one of them carrying a different object in hand.
“Scott, you know she doesn’t like those!” Tori protested with furrowed brows—concerned by everyone’s presents.
Scott pushed the bridge of his glasses, lighting up the lenses with a bright white light. “That’s what she always says, but in reality, she is a big fan of the GrinBean. The lieutenant is just embarrassed to admit she too loves superheroes.”
“That’s not true…” Tori dropped her shoulders—sighing before turning to Gaspard. “What did you bring, Gaspard?”
The butler smiled brightly, offering his reply. “I’m afraid I didn’t bring anything today, miss Endel.” He claimed. “I do however, plan to prepare the most exquisite meal to the young miss once she recovers.”
“Oh, I love that!” Tori exclaimed. “Thank you, Gaspard!”
“It is my responsibility to take care of all you,” the butler said with a bow.
“I got Cards O’s O’s…” Eric said with a deadpan expression—looking straight into Tori’s eyes as he shook the box in his hand.
The group eventually reached Claire’s door, where they knocked before entering. Just like their previous visits, they found the lieutenant lying flat in her bed. This time however, instead of looking at the ceiling, she stared with a distant smile at a picture she held in front of her.
“Lieutenant!” Tori broke into a sprint—sitting on the wooden stool next to Claire’s bed. “We came to see you again!” Bloodhound soon arrived to check on her as well, all of them smiling happily at their lieutenant.
“Hello, Tori, everyone…” Claire laid the photo in her chest—which didn’t go unnoticed by the group.
“Is that?” Scott was the first to open his mouth.
“He looks just like you,” Eric commented on the picture.
Tori leaned on the bed, taking a closer look. “Lieutenant, that’s…”
Claire couldn’t help but smile proudly, introducing Bloodhound to Sebastian. “He is my father… he is fighting in the Deadlands still, but… I was sent this photo from HQ.”
“I’m so happy for you!” Tori couldn’t help but beam at her, taking Claire’s hand into hers and waving it up and down. “We need to frame it!”
“Haha…” the lieutenant chuckled. “That was the plan.”
Bloodhound stayed with Claire as she told them about Sebastian, unable to stop herself as the interest of her team grew with every story—eventually breaking into a fight over who will choose a frame for the photo. Running out of family stories to tell, the group decided to present their gifts to Claire, starting with Tori—who nervously offered hers.
“Th-this is an aromatic candle I bought, lieutenant.” Tori said. “I saved some money over the months, so I thought I would use it to buy this…” her hands quivered as she presented the candle. “It activates with a switch so you can use it with ease,” she concluded while turning the switch on.
Claire gave the candle a quick sniff, taking in the scent of vanilla flowing in the air. “Wow, it’s really good. I’ll definitely use this. Thank you, Tori.” she said with a warm smile—allowing Tori to place her gift on the desk next to her bed.
Tori giggle with flushed cheeks, opening space for Eric—who presented his gift next. “Cards O’s O’s…” he said—his expression matching the lieutenant’s dead gaze.
“…”
“Let’s eat.”
“Right now!?”
Eric then placed his present next to Tori’s, the proud Cards O’s O’s box displaying a white eyes blue dragon—roaring furiously with an intimidating yet impressive design.
“Open space for the king of gifts,” Scott pushed Eric away—placing both hands in front of him to present Claire with a comic book—a green bean smiling confidently in the cover, with a red cape attached to his shoulders. “We all know you love superheroes, lieutenant.” The man wrongfully claimed. “So, I bought you the first volume of the GrinBean, it was quite the task to find it, and expensive to buy it…” he muttered the last words. “But here it is, now let’s read!”
“I don’t—” Claire was quickly interrupted.
“I’m confident it will prove to be an interesting read,” Eric offered his opinion. “Excellently played, Foley. I guess you win this round.”
“No! I don’t like—” the lieutenant was interrupted was again.
“Here it is, lieutenant.” Scott placed the comic in Claire’s hand.
“I said I don’t—” Claire interrupted herself this time, moving her gaze towards Gaspard. “Gaspard, surely you have a good gift, right?” her eyes pleaded for a way out of the current situation.
“I am afraid my present will have to wait, young miss.” The butler said while bending his knees to sit on the floor—quickly followed by Eric, Scott, and even Tori—who seated on the stool instead. “I am however, very interested in hearing about this young superhero known as GrinBean.”
The team’s eyes beamed with eager enthusiasm to hear all about the story of GrinBean, with Tori smiling nervously as she furrowed her brows—her mind screaming, ‘I’m sorry, lieutenant.’
A long sigh escaped Claire’s lips as she surrendered to social pressure, opening the book on the first page. “You don’t stand a chance against me, evil doers! Said GrinBean…” although annoyed at first, the lieutenant couldn’t help but smile warmly at the cozy feeling of her loved ones surrounding her—all troubles disappearing from her mind.
END OF CHAPTER