In the weeks that followed, things were different for Thepa. From the moment she hobbled away into the night to the time they returned to the overrun outpost, every member of the team obediently followed her orders, whether they wanted to or not. At first, everything was awkward. They treaded around her, like a youngling carrying an egg. She caught their glances, saw the hesitation in their steps, but it didn't matter. As long as they followed her lead, she was content. If she had to bring out the fire inside her to put them back in line, she would do it, not that she knew how she did it in the first place.

Over time, things changed. Camaraderie improved. They laughed more, argued less. The invisible walls that once divided them began to crumble. She noticed it in the small things: how Rory shared a joke during long night watches or how Bidant loosened his rigid posture. In a strange, unexpected way, she even began to think of them as friends.

Currently, Thepa stood behind the Archduke, surveying the Senate Hall. It was the busiest she had ever seen it, each nation's leader seated around the table and their representatives from the team standing behind them. In front of her the Archduke turn to Mistress Deeprabbit on his left, who was smiling at him mischievously. Thepa didn't know what the look represented, but if the rumors about their secret tryst were true, she would bet her beret that it had something to do with it.

Behind Mistress Deeprabbit stood Claudia at attention, stoic as ever. Despite weeks of exhausting missions that had left the team dirty and tired, Claudia had managed to find time to clean her armor, which currently shone in the dim light of the room.

Next to the Mistress sat President Skydane, with Will standing behind him. Since the outpost incident, Will had undergone a remarkable transformation, shedding his snobbish and aloof attitude for a more helpful, considerate, and attentive demeanor. Once, he surprised everyone by joining Rory in a duet during one of her songs, his enchanting voice drawing the entire team into the melody, herself included. At the end of it, Thepa couldn't help but wonder if, in another life, he would have wielded a lute instead of a sword.

Across the table, the Matriarch sat, her gaze fixed on Thepa. As important as this meeting was for Thepa and the team, in that moment, all Thepa wanted to know was what her mother was thinking.

Sister Vivian, the least changed of the group, stood behind the Matriarch. After the outpost incident, Thepa had hesitated but finally asked her if she had spoken to their mother about her outburst. Vivian's answer had been a simple shake of the head, followed by a small smile.

"But maybe I should," she added. "It would make your mother proud." Thepa couldn't fathom the idea of her mother being proud of her, but Sister Vivian's words brought a glimmer of hope to her heart.

Next to her mother was King Starmoon, bored as usual, Bidant standing behind him. Of the five, Bidant had changed the most since their encounter at the outpost. Before, he had been skiddish and tense, but now he exuded poise and grace. He even took on a more proactive role in planning their missions, often coming up with brilliant ideas that led to successful outcomes. The last plan of his they executed was so successful, Thepa doubted there was a better way to do it.

However, her attention was drawn to Gildie, whose presence worried her greatly. The loss of his support would not only be a blow to the team, but also to her friendship with his daughter Lily. The two of them had grown close since the incident. In the aftermath, Lily had apologized to Thepa. Since then, it was not uncommon to find her in Thepa's quarters or training with Claudia. One night, Lily had confided in Thepa about the difficulties she faced growing up in Swampspell, a sentiment that resonated within her. Lily might have been Gildie's daughter, but no one ever took it easy on her.

Finally, the Archduke spoke, "Are we missing one?"

Thepa almost smirked. She had already informed the Archduke the previous evening of Rory's whereabouts, so she knew he was asking for the benefit of the crowd. She was about to answer when Mistress Deeprabbit beat her to it. "The priestess is on assignment for Wildehaven." It wasn't entirely accurate, but it would suffice.

"Not too dangerous, I hope?" Gildie asked.

Mistress Deeprabbit replied, "She's helping her family prepare for a joint intelligence mission with Lightmount. I don't have all the details, as Mistress Verola is in charge of it. However, I imagine the priestess should be back in a day or two."

"Shall we begin?" asked the Archduke, redirecting them.

Thepa snapped to attention and spoke, "Over the past three months Elite Team Zero has successfully completed twenty-six out of twenty-six missions."

Mistress Deeprabbit looked at her quizzically. "Elite Team Zero?"

"My idea," giggled Lily.

The Archduke nodded and chuckled, "Excellent. Tell me about the strengths of the team."

She continued, "Each member of the team is an expert in their respective field. Our combined strengths and skills have made us almost invincible against the beast's horde."

"Very impressive," commended the Archduke. "Weaknesses?"

Thepa took a deep breath. It was hard admitting her faults and they were her faults. "We faced challenges initially. Mistrust and conflicts amongst team members almost caused us to fail our second mission. We were lucky to have survived an attack from an enemy spellcaster that nearly killed us."

The Archduke listened carefully and encouraged Thepa to continue, "Please go on."

Thepa hesitated feeling the weight of her mother's eyes bearing down on her. "The problem was compounded by my failure to take charge as a leader. I—I took too long to step up."

"You're being too hard on yourself," Lily countered. "It was always in my nature to be distrustful. You did nothing wrong."

The Archduke nodded. "Anything else?"

"No," Thepa replied. "Unless any of my team has something to add."

The Archduke waited, but no one spoke up, "Very well. Do you have any recommendations to improve the team's performance?"

She looked around the room, meeting the gaze of each member of her team, who nodded with approval. Here we go, she thought to herself.

"The team and I have agreed that the overall mission of Elite Team Zero was successful, but we could benefit from improvements. We needed more training. Although we are all excellent individually, we struggled to work together. I suspect this is because each of us is used to being in charge."

"Understandable," said the Archduke with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Anything else?"

"Just one more thing," she added. "It might be better if the new team chooses their own leader instead of having one assigned by Goldale. Trust has to be earned. If a new team could place their trust in someone of their own choosing, they wouldn't have a trust problem. After all, it was the nations that chose to put their trust in Goldale."

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Claudia turned towards Thepa. "You did a great job."

"Hear, hear!" said the strong voice of Sister Vivian, whose response caught her off guard. In that moment, she dared to look at her mother, who for the briefest of seconds looked pleased.

"Perhaps," said King Starmoon, looking thoughtful. "Instead of throwing soldiers together in the field, we could teach them in a setting similar to how military squads learn in basic training."

The Archduke turned to the king. "A noble idea. What say the rest of you?"

"Last week General Nel informed me of the completion of our new training facility," said the president. "I suppose it could be in our best interest to rent it out to train these new teams."

King Starmoon looked at President Skydane and said, "And you would be willing to let the new team use this facility?"

He nodded as Thepa looked on at the two of them in amazement. It was very uncharacteristic for them to speak together in this manner. It was polite, it was gracious, and it was civil. She thought if things continued at this rate, they could win the war in a month.

"Great!" said the Archduke. "Let's put it to a vote. All in favor of the permanent creation of Elite Team One, for them to train together under the tutelage of General Nel, and that this training take place in the new training facility in Lightmount?"

One by one the hands of all the leaders went up in the air, except for Gildie. Instead, he turned to his daughter and spoke, "What say you youngling? I told you this was your call."

Thepa held her breath. It was the moment of truth, and she hoped her new found friend wouldn't let her down.

Lily turned to her and said, "I don't know what Elite Team One will look like. However," she paused, walked up to Thepa and grabbed her arm hooking it with hers causing Thepa to blush. "It's time for Swampspell to kick some serious beast ass. I think we should do it. Swampspell votes aye."

The Archduke sat back with excitement and said, "Very well. Leaders have your new elites report to General Nel for training in Lightmount two weeks from today. Perhaps some celebration is in order?"

"Excellent idea!" cheered Mistress Deeprabbit. "Thepa go fetch the sherry. I'm sure you know where it is."

A few of them laughed at Thepa's expense as the Archduke summoned an attendant to bring wine. Together, they all raised their glasses in a toast to the success of the new Elite Team One.

Things were going so well that Thepa let herself get tipsy along with the rest of the group, laughter and celebration filling the air. At the end of it, she made her way back to army headquarters, the warm glow of their success wrapped around her like a comforting cloak. If only she could fix things with her mother, then everything would be perfect. But she refused to let that dampen her spirits. For the first time in what felt like ages, she allowed herself to simply be happy.

Thepa entered her room for what she had hoped for a quiet night's sleep. However, her expectations were immediately shattered by a shift in the darkness and a sudden bright light.

"Gamma!" Thepa exclaimed, her shout coming off a bit louder than she intended. "What are you doing here?"

Gamma frowned. She approached Thepa, chanting a spell and placed her glowing hand on Thepa's chest. Immediately, Thepa's head cleared and her inebriation along with it.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, Ms. Thepa," Gamma apologized, "but I need your undivided attention."

Thepa nodded, motioning for Gamma to take a seat in the chair by her desk. "Of course, Gamma. Is there something wrong? Is Rory alright?"

Gamma sat down and sighed. "For the moment Ms. Rory is fine. She is spending some much-needed time with Mr. and Mrs. Fox. In fact, she doesn't even know I'm here. As far as anyone is concerned, I'm using up some leave time."

Thepa furrowed her brow. "Is something going on? Should I be concerned?"

Again, Gamma hesitated. She started to speak then stopped several times before blurting out the thing she had been holding in. "I believe Ms. Rory may be in danger!"

"Danger?" Thepa's blue eyes widened in shock. "What kind of danger?"

"Do you know about Ms. Rory's visits with the prophetess?"

Thepa nodded. "Yes, but she didn't say anything was wrong. Did she say something was going to happen?"

"Well..." Gamma began. "Maybe I should start from the beginning. A few completions ago, Ms. Rory started to have tea with the prophetess. At first, she was excited. I was excited. It was a great honor as the prophetess rarely interacted with anyone. She and I would go to the prophetess's high tower and though I would wait in the sitting room, she would always come back in high spirits. Then, she would share with me all the things they talked about as if we were two school-girls gossiping in the yard." She smiled a brief smile before continuing.

"However, as time went on, the excitement died. Ms. Rory started to keep the details of the meeting a secret. It was her prerogative, but I could tell something changed in her."

"Oh?" She asked. Apparently, the change was deeper than Thepa thought.

"Then, three months ago, she burst out of the prophetess' room in great urgency, saying we had to hurry to Goldale. As we made our way back to the Gate of the Mon, she hastily gathered her armor and weapons, while I gathered provisions. I tried to inquire what was going on, but she insisted we didn't have time and needed to leave immediately. It was then I noticed she grabbed her mask, Chandeidra's mask. Ms. Rory hates the mask. She always said that wearing the mask made her feel like she was hiding something. I thought I would ask her about it on the boat, but she locked herself in her cabin and refused to come out." Gamma sighed before continuing, "I didn't know what to do, so I waited. Once we arrived in Goldale, she stormed out of the room completely ignoring me, wearing both her armor and the mask. You already know what happens next."

Thepa did. She remembered she tackled Rory to the floor in her haste to disable an intruder. The thought of it made her wince.

"The rest of the journey, she made it impossible for me to meet with her alone," Gamma continued. "Then, when it was time for you to go on your first mission, she sent me away rather unceremoniously. I refused, but she paid a ship captain to take me back home by force."

Thepa was shocked to hear Rory would do such a thing. If it hadn't come from Gamma, she might not have believed it. "What did you do?" Thepa asked.

Gamma shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "I did the only thing I thought I could do," she said finally. "I went back to the temple and waited. After a while, I let my anger get the better of me. In my frustration, I decided I would force her to talk to me."

Thepa raised an eyebrow. "Force her to talk to you? That doesn't sound like a good idea."

"I know," Gamma said, looking down at her hands. "But I was so angry and hurt. I just wanted to know why she was treating me this way."

Thepa nodded, understanding where Gamma was coming from. "So, what happened?"

"Well, I had enough sense to know it would not do well to talk to Ms. Rory in anger. To calm myself, I went to my bag to pull out my hymnal to settle my spirit," Gamma said. "In the process, I found this." She reached into her bag and pulled out a book. Thepa took it and read the cover.

'The Personal Memoirs of Aurora Fox: High Priestess of Chandeidra.'

"It was a gift I gave her the day we first met. I thought it would help her to write down some of her personal thoughts, but also thought it could be used for future High Priests or Priestesses."

Thepa nodded. "That makes sense."

"Right. She must have accidently put it in my travel bag, but since I rarely unpack the thing, I didn't notice it until I looked for the hymnal. But remember, I was angry. In my hand I held in outlet for my anger, and for the second time that day, I did something I should not have done, I gave in to my iniquity. I do not justify my actions for invading her personal space. But when I read this entry, I absolutely knew something was wrong and that is why I'm here."

She then opened the book to the last entry dated only a few months ago. Thepa noticed the familiar writing of her friend that had always given her great joy to read. But as she read her words this time, she understood Gamma's fear and concern.

Completion 894, Month Four, Day Seven

I've never really thought about my last days on Sainta. I suppose like all people, I always knew that someday the end would come. We all charge forward as one who runs a race. Sometimes we sprint, sometimes we pace, but our goal is not to be the first to finish, but to get the prize. I anxiously waited for the time I will finally return home to the arms of Chandeidra, but now that I know the future, I struggle to understand my place in it. Have I been as faithful to her as I should have been? Could I have done more to help those in need? Have I kept the faith?

And yet, my life means nothing except to complete the task she has set before me. Sainta is at a crossroads and each passing day, the future becomes clearer. Choices will have to be made and sacrifices will be required. Chandeidra, please show me kindness and grant me the power to do what you need me to do so I may not fail when the time comes."

Thepa closed the book and her heart sank at the revelation. Suspecting what she already knew to be true, she looked at Gamma who stared back with sad eyes. "What does this mean?"

Gamma took the book back and hugged it to her chest. For a long time, the two of them sat there just staring at the other hoping that what Gamma was about to say would never come to pass, but given Rory's own words, they both very much doubted it.

"I think it means she knows she is going to die."