Ivy removed her hand from Aaron and stared at the other four strangers. Ivy ignored Aaron's comment as it didn't affect her, nor did she care. She didn't like how they haven't talked or introduced themselves. She looked back at Ruby and silently sent a message.
Ruby walked up and cleared her throat, "These are the Six Guardians of the Kingdom." Ruby smiled before showing a middle-aged man, his hair was slightly ginger with a strand of blonde and lightish brown eyes. "This is Blake. He is the leader, and he will be your leader soon. Next to him is Wrath..." A petite girl with a black cloak hugging close. She had pure red eyes with black stuff underneath along with black hair. "She's probably the quietest of all of them. Also, Wrath isn't a human, unlike Blake. After her, is Lux. He's a second in command, plus he specializes in healing." Lux was a young adult, streaks of blue in his white hair. His eyes were glowing golden.
The three bowed to Ivy while she returned the bow before staring at the last person. The figure had pure white long hair along with silver eyes. The person was also producing a strang aura. She didn't like mind the aura, but every time she ignored it. It was acting as if it wanted to hypnotize Ivy.
Ruby could feel a bit of tension between Ivy and the last person. She looked at the two before realizing the sudden pressing aura in the air. "Shiro, enough with the hypnotics!"
Shiro sighed before approaching Ivy. She raised her hand as prepared to slap Ivy with heavy force. Ivy stopped Shiro's hand and glared at the woman with deadly eyes. Ivy pushed Shiro's hand away before turning away, she had a feeling she wasn't needed or wanted.
Lilith tilted her head before feeling two figures appear behind her and holding her down on the ground. She tried to look who was pinning her down, but they made sure that she couldn't see. Ivy witnessed as Zane and Aaron held Lilith down, she could feel the hair on her back stand. Ivy quickly took a look at Ruby, who was whispering something in Blake's ears.
Ivy could feel her emotions going a bit crazy; however, she rationalized that this was a test, not a betrayal. Ivy dodged Shiro's attack while hiding straight towards Zane and Aaron only to be blocked by a barrier. She growled silently and clenched her fists before facing Shiro. Ivy raised her cuffs and prepared to fight her.
Shiro smiled before pulled out a katana with ancient carvings on it. She prepared her stance as she waited for Ivy to take the initiative. ("Let Sister Shiro show you something about our group young Ivy.")
Ivy recognizes the stance before lowering her hands and spoke, "That stance. I know who made it."
"Oh, really? Please, tell me who made this stance," Shiro provoked as she doubted that Ivy truly knew who made this stance. Even Shiro didn't know anything about the stance's history, she was only taught it by Zane.
Ivy smirked before pulling out a katana of her own. She had her katana on the side, her back lowered before disappearing with incredible speeds. Immediately, Shiro counters the attack only to be faked out by Ivy's quick reflexes and held the blade directly at Shiro's snow-white skin.
"I was the one who created that stance and its techniques," Ivy said before removing her blade. She could feel her emotions rising. Ivy approached the barrier closest to Lilith before slamming her fist into the dome.
At first, the barrier didn't flinch; however, cracks started to form on the barrier after a few seconds. Ivy punched the barrier one more time before it completely shattered. Zane and Aaron removed their hands and disappeared away from Lilith.
Ivy knelt down to Lilith and checked for any possible injures or tracking in the bloodstream. Ivy sighed as she noticed that Lilith was hyperventilating, she picked up Lilith as she sent a death glare at Ruby and Blake. Turning away, Ivy carried Lilith back to the academy.
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Once Ivy was out of hearing, Ruby sighed and questioned Blake quietly, "Did you seriously have to involve an innocent person during your testing?"
Blake grunted as he replayed the match between Shiro and Ivy. Ivy's speed and reflexes were comparable to Wrath's skills. He wonders what would happen if Wrath and Ivy were to fight against each other. Taking a deep breath, Blake responded, "If you want Ivy to join our group, you need to understand our group's circumstances. Besides, Zane and Aaron have the most experience with Ivy and her old teammates."
"Old...teammates?" Ruby asked curiously before saying, "Let's have this talk over some tea."
Blake nodded as he orders the others to rest for today and have some tea with Ruby. Zane and Aaron stuck together and followed while Wrath disappeared like nothing happened. Shiro was left alone in the courtyard, her mind was still in a bit of shock from Ivy's quick movements. She calmed her mind down and decided to have a cup of tea with the others.
Seeing that most of the group was with her, Ruby has a suspicious feeling that the Wrath girl was going to scout out Ivy's regular. Ruby was the one who created the team, so she knew each of their personality like the back of her hand. Each person was either founded by her, or she had to personally deal with them, or they were to face death.
---
Ivy dropped Lilith off by her dorm. She told the girl she can use her bed as Ivy wouldn't be sleeping tonight. Lilith thanked Ivy before seeing her off. Once Ivy was outside, she said, "How long are you going to hide, Wrath?"
The girl in the black cloak revealed herself under the shadow of a tree. She looked at Ivy was no emotions; however, her eyes told a lot of things. 'How were you able to see me? What so special about you? What crime did you commit that would have sent you to death?' These were the questions Ivy was able to read.
Ivy walked past Wrath as she whispered, "Take a walk with me if you want." She was long away from the Fall Forest so she could tell her story if Ivy took it slow.
Wrath stared at Ivy before following her. She isn't like Blake and the others where they enjoyed a nice cup of tea; instead, she wanted to hear it from the source. Not a secondary source where things are truth or lies. Wrath could already tell that Ivy was a formidable opponent. If the two were to fight, she would be the apparent victor, but the match would be intense.
"Seven years ago, I was once apart of a team. I was kinda like you, quiet, reversed, and barely showed emotions. How I discovered the group, frankly, I didn't discover them, they were hunting me. I was wanted for a few things, a glaring one was me stealing the Omega AI. The group consisted of Zane, Aaron, Sakura, Celestia, and me," Ivy started to explain her story to Wrath.
---
"Ivy was an outlier in our group. She barely spoke to any of us besides ideas and possibilities. Even our team leader, Celestia, could find any information about Ivy. To say, Ivy was like Wrath to us. She would always wear something that covered her and, considering we once hunted her. I guess she was always on guard for betrayal," Zane said. He was staring into the cup of tea, watching the swirls inside of it. Aaron was sitting next to him and continued.
The atmosphere was grim—a bit of anxiety and anticipation of what would happen next. Ruby was the most affected by the story. At the same time, she tried to piece the story to the possibility of Ivy's connection to the Neverland tragedy.
"We took missions, mostly about wanted people and saving a few lives. Ivy was the best for recon and scouting, never got caught once. However--"
---
"During a mission, I set off a trap. I was so cautious and so careful, yet a single trap ruined it. I was found immediately and was captured. The team noticed how late I was, but it was already too late. My captors were all prepared for an assault. Everyone was on guard, and everywhere was a trap—even the building," Ivy said. She was slowly approaching the Fall Forest with Wrath still behind.
She could sense Wrath's unease. A sense that everyone feels, even a cold-hearted person like her. Ivy stopped and stared at the moon for a bit. Wrath did the say before opening her mouth, "You felt like you needed to do something, right? I can tell you hate being restrained by people."
Ivy smiled at the girl before nodding. She did indeed hate being controlled and used. She hates being restrained and restricted by rules and laws. Ivy had many first-hand experiences.
---
"When we realize that the whole place was a trap. We immediately thought we were all goners. However, something happened. It's hard to describe. Like monster...being restrained by chain only to have the plan fail. Ivy must have lost control, especially with her emotions," Zane said before having flashbacks of the incident. He shook his head as he continued, "We all knew how numb Ivy can be, so the moment we noticed she lost it. We immediately left the building, and then...our leader said something I could never forget."
Everyone had a heart-wrenching feeling as to what happened next. Since they didn't know what exactly kind of person Ivy was, this was a possible way to get a decent understanding. Blake heard this story before, and he still could not get rid of the feeling.
" 'We're leaving' was the only thing Celestia said before she disappeared in the forest. Sakura immediately followed with no questions asked but Aaron and me. We were shocked...we didn't know how to process what our leader said. She didn't even leave enough time to question her decisions, but before we knew it, we also ran away."
---
Ivy was leaning against a tree, sitting down while Wrath was sitting on a branch. Ivy took a deep breath as she started to end her story.
"After I lost control, everything was blank. I don't even remember what happened exactly. Still, all I do remember was Zane and Aaron's faces, confusion written on their faces before leaving. I don't believe they saw me, but at the time, I think I did. I believed that they betrayed me, left me for dead, and rot away."
Wrath closed her eyes and spoke a few words, "Emotions are complicating."
Ivy snorted a bit before smiling, "They are...they really are."