Shono dropped his mace on the floor and collapsed right next to it. He was drenched in sweat, panting heavily. Perhaps he'd overdid it a little. Surprisingly enough, Frederick was still going at it. Shono closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath. They both had supporting weapons, which meant that they would be the ones fighting on the front line. It was their duty to protect the others. But there wouldn't be anyone protecting them.
"Why not take a break already? You've been doing the same thing for the last three hours or so," Shono said in a strangled voice. His throat was so dry he could barely speak.
"I'll rest later," Frederick responded over his shoulder.
The Commander punched the dummy for what was probably the millionth time that day, knocking it to the ground. Frederick was starting to have trouble holding back. After all, they were using their real weapons, not replicas. Kei had already destroyed a few mannequins, but she was just a kid. She couldn't really help it. Frederick cracked his knuckles sharply. His fists had started to hurt.
"Fine, I'll take a break," he finally gave in, sitting down beside Shono. A muscle twitched in his jaw.
Unconsciously, Frederick picked the mace up. It was so much heavier than his weapons. No wonder Shono was so worn out. The Commander grinned. They had no choice but to endure it for the time being. Soon, it would all be over. That thought was the only thing encouraging them to push forward. They were all clinging to that dream. The dream they'd sworn to make a reality. Wiping out the Aberrations. Frederick's heart fluttered in his chest whenever he thought about it.
"We get to be the ones who put an end to this war, Shono. Do you understand how incredible that is?"
"I feel like we've talked about this before, to be honest... And I'm not that thrilled. For all we know, we might not get a chance to see how this thing ends. It's a possibility, you know?" Shono responded blankly, and his gaze was distant.
Despite himself, Frederick let out a huff. For a brief moment, he'd gotten angry. But he couldn't blame Shono for thinking that way. Everyone had their own goals, their own ideals and, obviously, their own fears. So, Shono was afraid of dying...
Just when they were about to resume their training, someone knocked at the door. Een strolled into the room with an annoyed expression on his face. Not only had his sister woken him up, she'd also sent him to fetch Shono and Frederick. They were to meet Karabell at the abandoned factory. Een gestured them to follow, complaining about wanting to go back to sleep.
"Any idea where Lyra might be hiding? Alice said she wasn't in their room."
Frederick and Shono hadn't seen her all day either. So they spent the next ten minutes searching for Lyra, having to bear Een's constant whining. At last, they found her chatting with Annie in the infirmary. Een was honestly starting to think that woman was neither a doctor, nor a fighter. She was just a slacker. And she'd made wasting time into a form of art.
"You're coming with us, Lyra. Annie, you stay here," Een said bluntly. Alice hadn't said anything about Annie, after all.
They climbed the wooden stairs slowly, as if they were afraid. All of a sudden, they were all feeling a little under the weather. If Karabell had asked them to go there... Then Gull had probably returned. That could, in turn, mean only one thing. They were about to have another strategy meeting. Likely the last one. Een's heart was pounding, and he could already feel sweat beading out on his forehead. Despite all that, he was somewhat happy. They were steadily getting closer.
They found the Captain waiting in front of the entrance, together with Alice and Kei. Without uttering a word, Karabell opened the door and entered the building.
"That's Kirru, one of Gull's old friends. It agreed to help us," he started, pointing towards the scaled Aberration. There was a hint of sadness in his voice."We now have two Superiors on our side. We also know how to find the Ringleader, but I'll talk about that in a bit. It's not going to be easy, I'm sure you're all aware of that. I hate speeches, so I'll keep this short. I believe in you." Karabell took a deep breath and turned around to face his teammates. His knees were shaking. "You're all excellent soldiers, and, above all else, you're all my friends. We have to win at all costs. I'm sure we will defeat that creature. But winning doesn't mean anything if we can't celebrate our victory together. If we lose our lives, it'll all be meaningless. That's why we won't die. It's not wishful thinking, it's simply a statement. Frederick, Lyra, I have no right to tell you what to do. But I'm Squad Ress' Captain. And, as much as I despise giving orders... Alice, Shono, Een and Kei, this is an order. You're not allowed to die!"
Karabell leaned against a wall, breathing heavily. Everyone was staring at him. Well, of course they were. But he'd given it a lot of thought. He wasn't willing to sacrifice his teammates. Saving the world, defeating the Aberrations... Those things weren't nearly as important. Karabell knew he was being selfish, but he didn't care. If saving the world meant losing the ones he held dear, then it simply wasn't worth it.
"Well, duh! That was the plan in the first place," Een suddenly claimed. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Why do you think I came up with so many strategies? We're going to win. Dying wasn't an option in the first place, but thanks for emphasizing that, Captain."
Karabell looked at Een, a thin smile appearing on his face.