Hakro looked towards the horizon outside the cottage, tapping his foot idly.

'She has stamina. I'll give her that at least.'

"You went at her alone?!" Vas' voice came from behind. "Are you serious Hakro?"

Hakro turned staring down at the grumpy spectacle-head. "Yes, I did. And I would have killed her if Aomon hadn't interfered."

"Inu was here?" Yuko asked after appearing with Bri.

Jean and Luu were still missing. Hakro gave Bri a commanding look. She slumped her shoulders and disappeared again to go get Jean.

Hakro then looked to the oldest in the Hexa. Yuko was a dark gray-haired man with a serious disposition. He was the Senses of Hexa. He was a useful and respectable person. He was what Bri could have been if she had been respectable.

Hakro nodded at Yuko. "It seems Aomon has betrayed us."

Yuko put a hand on his chin. "Are you sure?"

"He fought me," Hakro said, showing off bruises on his arms.

Yuko tilted his head. "That may not indicate betrayal. It is to my understanding that he is not very fond of you."

Hakro deadpanned. "The girl took him with her. They seem to have allied themselves."

Yuko didn't pursue the topic further. A while later, Jean appeared. And after that, an older woman with light eyes and an almost ethereal presence.

She was the Nature of Hexa and served a supporting role much like Yuko, but her friendship with Bri was not a good look. Luu laughed more than she talked. Though that wasn't much.

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When everyone was briefed on the situation, the matter about Aomon was left undisclosed on the merit of Jean saying he had a different assignment from the King of Stratum than the Hexa.

Then Jean opened her mouth again and before the first words came, Hakro was already gritting his teeth.

"So let me get this straight. Yuko heard something from afar and informed Bri who then came to pick you up and dropped you off in the town..." she said to Hakro, speaking almost too fast to be comprehended. She always spoke that way when she wanted to make it extra clear how dumb you were compared to her. "And you decided it was a good idea to not wait for backup nor do reconnaissance, instead going in without a clue as to who or what was inside and letting the fugitive be the first to ever make the Hexa fail a mission."

"Tch, this mission hasn't failed. That was just a practice—"

"I'm going to have to report it to base. It is an important encounter. And it counts as a failure for all of us. All because you couldn't wait for Bri to transport us."

"What backup?! It was a head-on battle. What could—"

"Vas could've made your weapons and reinforced the cottage to prevent escape. Bri could have disrupted folds in space. Luu could have made mist to limit the girl's hypnosis and spatial manipulation. Yuko could have picked up her scent to make tracking her more effective in the future. I could've shown this sequence of events into your moronic little brain before you could fuck things up for us."

Silence followed.

She had been the one who suggested he go alone in the first place. Saying that would've only worsened the situation, though. Hakro sighed before saying, "Fine, report it to base. Send word to all corners of Stratum. Tell the whole wide world. Just know that my patience wears thin and your bones break like sticks."

"Was that a threat?" Jean asked her expression showing nothing as always.

Hakro walked away. "Figure it out."

Then a boy came running towards them yelling something about his home. Hakro was going to ignore him until he pulled on his clothes with tears and snot running down his face.

Hakro turned with cold eyes and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about the house." Then he gripped the shoulder hard and steeled his hand straight before shoving it through the boy's chest. "You won't be needing it anymore."

After he pulled out the hand, he turned back to the Hexa members and shook his bloody hand before remembering to untie his hair.

Yuko and Luu frowned. Jean tried her best to keep it cool, but her eyes were larger than usual. Vas' jaw hung loose. Bri was on the verge of tears.

Hakro scoffed with a smile before brushing his hair cleanly to the sides. "I tell no lies."