Edward leaned back on the comfortable leather armchair. He picked up his cup of coffee, taking a sip. “So that’s what’s been going on on my end. How about you?”

Katrina looked at him from under her brow. She shot daggers from her eyes, but her childhood friend stayed composed, looking at her with a cheeky grin. She rolled her eyes, giving up on making him submit.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight… You’re gonna get yourself killed one of those days…” She sighed.

“Don’t worry. I’m very resilient!” He kept a tight posture for her sake, but the recent events really made him doubt his fate at times. Still, his smile didn’t falter.

“Alright, so if I understand it correctly. You’re about to be rather famous…”

“Huh… Am I?”

“A heroic Marked. Shooting out golden blades from his sword, leading the army. Never tired, never giving up!” She started theatrically pumping her fist in the air.

“Alright, alright. Give me a break. It’s not like that…” Ed waved his hand.

“Are you sure about that? What do you think is going to happen in the upcoming battle…? You’re definitely not going to be watching from the sidelines…” Her tone has gotten more serious.

‘Come to think of it… She has a point. Other than Tarquin and maybe the vice commander…. I might really be the third most powerful fighter in this place.’

With his current abilities… The ridiculous image of him leading the armies might actually not be as absurd as he thought.

“Has it really gotten to this point already? I’ve dreamed of something like this as a child, but to stand face to face with this reality…” Suddenly his seat didn’t seem as comfortable as it did a moment ago.

“Guess it’s time for some self reflection Ed… You need to be ready when the time comes”

The young Marked stared at the beige wall of the cafe, drumming his fingers against the table's surface.

“I guess you’re right…”

“And I really want to see you shoot out the golden arc!”

“Haha, alright. I promise you will.” A soft smile returned onto his face.

“Good, we have a deal then.” She reached out her hand, bending over the table.

“We do.” He squeezed her palm. “So, are you going to tell me what brought you here now?” He leaned back on his chair and crossed his legs.

“Sure, you finished your story, I guess it’s my turn.” She looked at the waitress cleaning the nearby seats, and started retelling the recent events.

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“I’ve been stuck back home for a while. At some point the instructors changed the program. We started doing much more fighting drills and simulated battles. They once again pushed up the intensity and added more hours of strategy lessons. At that point everyone already knew what was brewing. You could call it an open secret, if even that.”

She took a big breath, while Edward nodded in understanding.

“One day, when we all arrived at the training arena, some kind of high ranking officer was standing next to teacher Caesar, he wore a suit adorned by numerous badges and everything. He announced our orders and told us we’d be sent to Fortress Tiberius. It really was that simple. What I didn’t expect was to find you here as well.”

“Lucky you.” Ed winked towards her.

“Am I tho?” She laughed.

They looked each other in the eyes, before picking up their cups. Their gazes stayed locked, even as they tilted their heads back, taking a sip.

“You really should shave, you know?” She pointed out the foam, sticking to Edward’s beard. His short stubble has grown quite a lot during the weeks spent traveling through the wilderness.

“Should I? I thought you’d like it!” He lifted his chin, stroking his beard.

“Maybe, but at least clean it up. You look a bit mad right now…”

“You! You know about the nickname, don’t you?” Ed widened his eyes, straightening out in his seat.

“Huh? What nickname…?”

“You know what, it’s nothing…” He eyed her suspiciously.

“Oh no, no way. You’re definitely going to tell me all about it, or we’re never leaving this place.” She threatened him with her index finger.

“Come on… Just leave it, it’s really nothing…” Edward massaged his temple.

“Nuh uh, go on. Tell me.”

Ed finally gave up, and started retelling the details he omitted regarding his meeting with team Echo. As he continued, Kat started covering her mouth with one of her hands.

“The Mad Warrior? Oh this is just great!” She chuckled.

“It’s really not…”

“Don’t complain. It fits you perfectly.” She finished her coffee and stood up. “So, where are we going next?”

‘I’m never going to live this down, am I…?’ Ed pushed himself up, reaching out for his phone, lying on the table. Just as his hand was about to grab it, it buzzed and lit up, showing a new message. He quickly read through it and pursed his lips.

“Shit. Sorry Kat, I think we’re ending it here for today…”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I probably shouldn’t show you this, but look.” He turned the phone towards her and slid it on the table’s smooth surface. The message, showing on the screen, called Edward into an important meeting starting in an hour. Both of them were smart enough to know that such an urgent call couldn’t mean anything good.

“It’s beginning isn’t it?” She furrowed her brows.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll find out soon. For now, just pretend you don’t know anything.” He picked up the coat, draped over the chair’s backrest. “Let’s go.”

“Of course, I’ll act like a good oblivious soldier.” She rolled her eyes and bent down, grabbing her spear from the wooden floor.

The floorboards creaked under their feet, as the two friends walked towards the exit. Edward walked out of the door, holding it from swinging back on Kat. He felt something cold touch the tip of his nose and looked up. Snowflakes were falling from a grey sky. They reminded him of ash that often hung in the air after a battle. But there were also some good memories, memories of days spent playing in the snow. Throwing balls of white powder at other young boys running around the courtyard of their House.

He looked back at Kat with a soft smile.

“What you looking at? Go on, Mr. Important… Duty calls.” She poked his back.

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” He turned back towards the smooth building, towering over the surroundings in the very center of the fortress.