In the soft, fading glow of the evening, within the muted ambiance of Theodore's private office, Joan Eve stood before Theodore's desk, delivering a report on their ongoing investigation.
"At least our search has been narrowed down to those two individuals now," Theodore remarked, his voice heavy with weariness as he let out a deep sigh.
The Theodore who is currently seated in the quiet, lonely room bore no resemblance to the Theodore Dillon who had walked alongside Asa Amerta just a few days ago.
Kindness had deserted his once-handsome face, replaced by a cold, distant demeanor.
His eyes, once warm and lively, now stared into empty space, a void brimming with a palpable sense of malice.
Beside him, Joan Eve mirrored Theodore's detached demeanor, his posture rigid, his gaze vacant.
He appeared more like a robot, devoid of emotions, ready to fulfill any demand Theodore might make.
"Has this news reached the ears of Stanley or Stein?" Theodore inquired once again.
"Not yet," Joan replied. "And I don't think it will take them a short time to find out. They don't even know for sure how the night's edge looks like."
A smirk of satisfaction spread across Theodore's face. "Good. But they aren't dumb, they will find out sooner or later. There really is no other way out of this than killing those two."
Joan Eve listened to Theodore's words attentively, waiting for the green light to take action.
"But not now," Theodore said as he stood up, walking to the corner of the room where a map of Antara was displayed.
"The nation will condemn us as the bad guys if we move now." Theodore's finger pointed to the black pillar barracks, "We are in no rush."
On the other side of Antara, inside the bustling barracks, Asa Amerta stood in the middle of the field, watching Dunn Blair showcase his skill in using a bayonet.
"Pretty good," Asa commented with full honesty, her eyes assessing every movement made by Dunn Blair.
His hand movements were swift and smooth. However, Asa noticed his footwork was a bit slow and awkward.
Taking advantage of his lack of awareness, Asa suddenly ducked down, spreading one of her legs and swaying it toward Dunn Blair, catching him off guard.
But his reflexes were not so poor that he fell from the sudden attack. Although in a bit of a panic, Dunn succeeded in avoiding the swift kick.
"What-" he started to say.
Without giving him a second to breathe, Asa moved upward from her squatting position and flung her fist into Dunn's surprised face.
"Wai-" he attempted to protest.
Asa chuckled at Dunn's second attempt to stop her from attacking. "Do you think a Crys will listen to your command?" she said, moving to attack Dunn's stomach now.
In a matter of seconds, the practice turned into a friendly combat.
Using her bare fists and kicks, Asa managed to go through the duel unscathed, skillfully avoiding Dunn's bayonet movements several times.
It wasn't that Dunn Blair's skills were lacking.
Asa knew the young man was holding his power back, not wanting to actually harm his leader.
The combat ended with Asa winning, standing behind Dunn while her right hand held his right hand that controlled the bayonet, her left hand holding Dunn Blair's neck to immobilize him.
This position only lasted for three seconds before Asa let go and caught her breath.
She patted Dunn on the shoulder. "Good one, but next time, don't hold back," Asa said with an appreciative smile. "I'm not that fragile."
As the combat came to an end, the field was circled by all of the black pillar members.
Some of them were in awe, some were stunned, and some clapped their hands in appreciation of the good show.
Asa turned back to her members. "Dunn Blair's hand movements are beyond average. From now on, he will lead the upper body practice every morning."
"Are you not going to ask for my opinion first?" Dunn asked, a bit surprised by the sudden task given to him.
Asa turned her head around, raising an eyebrow as if she was questioning Dunn's question.
Dunn could only sigh and give up. "Alright, alright. I will lead the training."
Satisfied, Asa turned her attention back to the others. "In the evening, we will practice lower body movements with me," she commanded. "Is there anyone who disagree with this arrangement?"
A harmonious "no" was heard as a definitive answer, leaving Asa satisfied.
"Alright, go do your thing now. You guys can continue to unpack, socialize, or practice. Those who want to help me cook our dinner can follow me to the kitchen," Asa added.
Dunn was about to make his way to his room when Asa caught his arm once again. "You, naughty one, go help me in the kitchen."
"But I can't cook!" he complained.
Asa looked at him with a scrunched face. "Do I look like I care about your cooking ability?"
In the end, Dunn could only give up and follow Asa's command.
Upon reaching the kitchen, some of the pillars were already there.
Asa politely thank them for wanting to help and arrange the work that they will do in the kitchen.
The menu for tonight was based on the ingredients they had in the kitchen.
Asa prepared a hearty portion of congee with herbal plants mixed in, along with stir-fry veggies, fried eggs, and grilled fish.
This menu was considered extravagant.
To welcome the newly developed black pillars, Asa was willing to use all the high-value ingredients in the kitchen and cook it herself.
She loved cooking, so there was no complaint in doing all the work.
Besides, she also enjoyed telling Dunn Blair to do the hard work, such as washing the rice and stirring the congee.
It took a few hours until the food was finally ready to be served.
Dinner that night was the merriest Asa had ever experienced in her life.
Everyone chatted happily while stuffing their mouths with food.
Beside her sat Dunn Blair, who was also eating a bit greedily. It seemed the menu was up to his standard for the night.
"Big sis," Dunn Blair called.
Asa laughed a little. "Why are you copying Madelyn?"
"Because I'm in the mood of acting cute too," he reasoned.
"Alright," Asa laughed softly, finding the reason adorable. "What is it?"
Dunn Blair grinned widely, holding up his two thumbs in front of Asa's face. "Your cooking is the best!"
Asa froze in her seat.
Maybe because it was a phrase that Dan loved to use at every dinner. Maybe it was Dan's habit to hold out two of his thumbs as a sign of approval.
But in a fleeting moment, Asa swore she saw a shadow of her younger brother sitting next to her.