As it turns out, Elizabeth was wickedly good at video games. She dominated Sero in every match they played, refusing to take a shot even when she'd won. Her quick reflexes and strategic thinking made it impossible for him to keep up. Eventually, Sero found himself intoxicated, but it seemed that Elizabeth had a strong sense of sportsmanship as she willingly drank enough to match him after they were done playing.

"I can't believe I lost to you," Sero laughed, shaking his head tipsily. "I feel like I shouldn't have taken your offer when you first mentioned the loser taking a shot."

Elizabeth waved away his concerns. "Don't worry about it. It's not like you were terrible. You're just not as good as me." She grinned, taking another sip of her wine. A red flush began to bloom across her face. "Besides, I've always been a bit of a gamer. My brothers and I used to play all the time when we were kids."

"You have brothers? I thought it was just you and your parents."

"Oh, no, I have three older brothers. They're all older by at least five years, so I was basically raised by them. They're all good-looking, but I think I took after my dad in that respect," she said with a wink. "They're all scattered now; one's in the army, one's a doctor, and the other's a lawyer. They always tease me that I should've been a princess instead."

"Well, they were kinda right; your A.R.E.S. Unit is named Empress, right?" Sero smirked.

Elizabeth laughed, her cheeks flushing a deeper red. "I suppose they'd get a kick out of that." She paused, looking thoughtful. "Do you know, I never really felt like I belonged with them. They were always so... intense. Always training, always competing. It was like they lived to prove themselves to each other. I think that's why I became so good at reading people; I had to learn how to navigate their games."

She took another sip of her wine, her eyes distant as she remembered her past. "But here, with the A.R.E.S. Unit... it's different. We're not just soldiers, you know? We're friends. We laugh, we cry, we celebrate together."

"Oh... yeah, I get that." Maybe it was because of the alcohol or that he didn't want his Rationality to activate, but whatever it was, Sero felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness thinking back to his own group of friends. The people he considered closest to were Amaya and Nala, with the former distancing herself from him while the latter was physically distant to keep Luna safe.

He looked at Elizabeth and realized that she was looking at him. "What?" he asked, confused.

"Something's up with you," Elizabeth replied with a soft smile. "Your emotions are too easy to read, you know."

Sero looked away, feeling a little embarrassed. "It's nothing, really," he said dismissively. "I'm just thinking about...stuff."

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen. I won't force you."

"It's nothing important. It's just...you know how some people say they're not good at anything?" Sero asked, not making eye contact. "Well, that's me. I'm not good at anything. I'm not as strong as them, or as fast. I'm not as smart or as talented. I'm just sort of...mediocre at everything. And sometimes it's hard to find your place when everyone else seems to have it all figured out."

Elizabeth reached across the table and took his hand in hers. Her touch was surprisingly warm and comforting. "Sero, that's not true. You have your own strengths and talents. You're loyal, you're brave, you're compassionate. You're a good friend. You're here with us, aren't you? You've found your place."

He looked down at their hands, feeling a mixture of emotions. He wanted to believe her, but it was hard when he felt so lost. "I guess...," he murmured. "But sometimes it's still hard."

Elizabeth squeezed his hand gently. "I understand that. We all feel that way sometimes."

Sero couldn't help but stare at her for a moment. The way her dark violet hair fell over her shoulder, the way her honey brown eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the penthouse, the way her soft hand felt in his own. It was the same feeling he felt after he and Amaya had cuddle together, and Sero wondered if the emotion he felt for Elizabeth was real.

He tried to gently pull his hand away, but Elizabeth held on, her grip firm but not painful. Her face was flushed, her cheeks rosy. For a moment, Sero thought she might be about to say something more, but then she let go and sat back in her chair, looking away. The sudden release of her touch left him feeling a little cold.

"Uh, so, tomorrow, the alliance is planning on sending some people to analyze the pendant that you found at the abandoned house," Elizabeth began, seemingly trying to change the subject. "They want to see if there's any way to destroy it, or use it to track down Culling. I volunteered to go with them." She paused, looking at Sero. "I hope that's okay. I mean, I didn't want to leave you here alone, but I thought it would help out if I was there, so that I could inform you on what else we find."

Sero nodded, still feeling a little awkward. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll be here. And thanks for volunteering to go with them."

Elizabeth glanced at her phone, drunkenly swiping the screen to check the time. "Well... I think I need to go and get... some rest," she said, slurring a little.

"No, yeah, you should go," Sero said, feeling a pang of loss. "I'll be okay here. Just be careful tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks," Elizabeth stood up and immediately wobbled before falling back against Sero. "Oops."

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?"

"Ah, I don't know," Elizabeth closed her eyes. "I shouldn't have taken all those shots at once."

"Hey, if you need to, you can sleep in my spare room or my bed. I'd rather you not go anywhere drunk like this."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"Really?" Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open, a faint smile on her lips. "You don't mind?"

"Of course not. I mean, when Luna was here, my penthouse didn't seem so lonely. I'd have friends over pretty much every night, so..."

Elizabeth giggled, her breath warm on his cheek. "I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks, Sero. You're... you're a really good friend." She leaned in closer, her body pressing against his. He could feel the softness of her chest against his arm, the warmth of her breath on his neck. Her face was mere inches from his, her eyes shining with an intensity that made his heart race.

For a moment, Sero was tempted to close the distance between them, to kiss her. But then he remembered Amaya and the promise they had made. He forced himself to pull back, to clear his mind of those thoughts. "You're welcome," he said softly, guiding her toward the guest room. "Just... try to get some sleep, okay?"

Elizabeth nodded, her face flushed. "Yeah... I'll... try." She let him lead her to the guest room, her steps unsteady. Once they were inside, she collapsed onto the bed, still wearing her uniform from earlier. Sero gently tucked her into the bed, making sure she was comfortable before turning off the light and leaving her to sleep.

As he closed the door and walked back to the living room, he couldn't help but feel a pang of loss. He knew it was wrong to have these feelings for Elizabeth, but they seemed so real to him. He tried to tell himself that it was just the stress of everything they'd been through, the closeness they'd shared, but deep down, he wasn't sure.

"Ah, fuck," Sero muttered to himself, forcing his Rationality to activate. His mind cleared, sobering him up as he prepared to sleep. He clambered into his bed, pulling a blanket over him. He glanced at the clock, noting that it was past midnight. He wondered how long it would be before the nightmares started again.

----------------------------------------

Elizabeth yawned as she arrived at the site of the pendant that Sero had found. Some of the alliance members were already there, including Amaya, Kit, Cassandra, Kaizo, and Ione. There were a couple of Ascendants from the Pentagram guilds that acted as guards, standing watch around the secured perimeter erected around the pendant.

"Hey, Empress," Jack gave a wolfish grin as Elizabeth approached. "Didn't hear back from you last night."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, a slight pounding in her head as she tried to shake off last night’s haze. "Oh, shut up, Jack. I was busy having fun. Now, what do we have so far?"

"The Empress herself, having fun?" Jack looked surprised. "Well, regarding the pendant you found, that man Kaizo's been trying to use his skills to learn more about it. Cassandra and Kit are on standby and keeping the energy radiating off the pendant from leaking out."

Elizabeth nodded, watching as the Ascendants from the Pentagram guilds worked to secure the area around the pendant. The morning was unbearably hot as she turned back to Jack. "Have you found anything strange around the area?"

Jack made a face, summoning a blue circular device and placing it on his chest. In a flash of silver and blue, his armor quickly constructed around him. After he was finished, he tossed out a cerulean sphere that burst into blue light, digitally constructing a mechanical wolf.

The robotic wolf was surprisingly lifelike, with a metallic sheen to its fur and glowing blue eyes. It barked once before trotting off, sniffing the area. Jack turned back to Elizabeth with a sheepish smile.

"Checking around now," he said, nodding at the wolf. "Cerberus didn't pick up anything the first time we arrived here, so I doubt we'll have anything new."

"His name is Cerberus?" Ione walked up to Elizabeth and Jack. "I thought your A.R.E.S. Unit was called Fenrir, right?"

"It is," Jack hesitated before mumbling, "I'm not familiar with my mythology..."

"Oh. Sorry." Ione offered an apologetic smile. "In any case, my ravens are also scouting the area and haven't picked up anything yet." As if on cue, a large, midnight blue raven cawed as it landed on her shoulders, tilting its head curiously at the trio.

Elizabeth nodded. "All right. Let's keep an eye on the situation. If anything strange happens, let everyone know immediately."

As they waited, Elizabeth glanced over at the pendant, feeling a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before, with intricate runes and symbols etched into its surface. The energy it emitted was palpable, almost tangible, and she could sense that it was linked to something much larger and more powerful.

"Hey," Amaya walked up to Elizabeth. "I was wondering... how'd you come across this pendant?"

"It's a long story," Elizabeth began, glancing over at the pendant. "But the short version is that I came back to check this place again after... what happened." She omitted the part where she only came to track down Sero.

Amaya nodded, but Elizabeth could tell she had some doubts. She hoped that Amaya wouldn't press the issue too much, but she didn't want to be rude either. As they waited for any sign of movement from the pendant, Elizabeth found herself lost in thought, trying to remember everything that had happened in the past few days. She had seen a lot during her time in the A.R.E.S. Unit division, but this was quickly becoming one of the most baffling and important cases she'd ever been a part of.

Elizabeth had her fair share of Culling and outbreak encounters, but the way Dr. Malek had seemed so imposing, so dominant of the situation last time she'd been here...it had been unsettling, to say the least. She summoned her Empress disk, fidgeting with it absentmindedly. The A.R.E.S. Units were strong in their own right, supposedly able to be on par with A-rank Ascendants, but after Elizabeth was unable to save Thomas from whatever it was Dr. Malek had done to the boy, she'd been on edge ever since.

Elizabeth glanced at Amaya. Ascendants like her were powerful, and their Sponsors were literal gods. But to Elizabeth, she was just a human with a suit that couldn't possibly compare. To her, the Ascendants were like gods. Their powers were unfathomable, and they could bring down entire cities with a wave of their hand.

A shout from Kaizo broke her train of thought, drawing her attention back to the pendant. "It's moving!" he exclaimed, holding his palms out and conjuring a golden net over the tree that held the pendant. "Lock down the site!"

Cassandra moved quickly, summoning a dome of glass around Kaizo's net while Kit's eyes glowed white, reinforcing both structures. Amaya, Jack, Ione, and their respective A.R.E.S. Units and familiars formed a defensive perimeter around them. As they waited, the pendant's glow intensified, casting eerie shadows across the ground.

Elizabeth had already thrown on the Empress suit, waiting with baited breath for whatever was going to happen next. But strangely, nothing did as the pendant suddenly stopped glowing.

"What happened?" she asked, confusion etching its way into her voice. "Did we miss it?"

"I don't think so," Ione replied. "My ravens didn't pick anything up either. Maybe it was a false alarm."

The pendant exploded with black energy, barely contained by the combined efforts of Cassandra, Kaizo, and Kit. The explosion rumbled over the rest of the group, causing them to stumble back from the force.

"Everyone okay?" Kaizo called out, his voice shaking slightly.

There were nods of confirmation all around, though a few of them looked shaken up. They quickly regained their composure, however, and reassembled into their defensive positions.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Jack muttered, sounding slightly disappointed. "I was hoping for a bit more action."

As soon as he said that, there was another explosion in the distance. Everyone's heads snapped in that direction as they saw a massive cloud of darkness, similar to the one the pendant they had contained gave off.

"Probably shouldn't have said anything, huh?" Jack muttered again.