A sly smile spread across the brown-haired girl's face. "Hey, you fake."
The words froze the other girl in her tracks.
In a flash, the short-haired girl lunged forward, drawing her rapier in a swift motion aimed at the girl's neck.
The brown-haired girl raised her hand instinctively, blocking the attack with her palm.
The brown-haired girl's smile widened, her hairpin catching the light. The intricate design glowed faintly—a three-star pattern with a yellow diamond embedded at the center of a star.
"Hey, chill." The brown-haired girl said while smiling. "But..."
"Don't get too cocky," the brown-haired girl smiled softly. "I know who you are, you fake!"
The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes, the words stinging more than the attack itself.
Without hesitation, she clenched her fist and swung at her assailant, aiming for her face.
But before the punch could land, a shimmering shield materialized out of nowhere, blocking her strike.
The impact sent a shockwave through the air, and the black-haired girl stumbled back, her stance faltering for a moment.
The brown-haired girl grinned triumphantly. "I warned you. Don't blame me later."
She waved her hand in an almost lazy gesture, and the shield dissolved into a burst of light.
The black-haired girl's gaze flicked to the hairpin, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Hey, spooky eyes! What do you want?" she demanded, her voice low and steady.
The brown-haired girl narrowed her eyes. "Spooky eyes?" she asked "Never mind."
"I'm curious about something.." the brown-haired girl said, her tone sharp. "And I'll get it, one way or another."
Later that night, Elijah returned to his room, exhausted from the day's events.
He noticed something unusual—a folded piece of paper lying on his bed.
His brows furrowed as he approached, picking it up cautiously.
Unfolding it, the words "Dearest brother" greeted him at the top.
Elijah's expression darkened, and without hesitation, he crumpled the letter and threw it into the trash bin.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, he stared at the crumpled paper, his thoughts swirling.
After a long sigh, he levitated the crumpled letter from the trash and floating back into his hands.
Reluctantly, he smoothed out the paper and began to read.
Dearest Brother,
As long as you are in the corps, I've decided not to meddle in your affairs and decisions.
But I want those decisions to be informed ones. So…
Here's some advice, brother to brother.
1. Do not trust your instructor. She will not keep you safe.
2. Do not trust officers above level 7. Scum rises to the top.
3. The day you leave the corps, know that you will always have me.
Elijah stared at the words, his mind reeling. "This is madness," he muttered, folding the letter and placing it in his drawer.
The morning came too quickly. Elijah woke to the buzzing of his pocket communicator.
[Attention all cadets. Just as stated by one instructor yesterday, your task for today will be patrolling around the city. Every team will have a level 5 mentor who will meet you outside your building. Please wear your corps trainee uniform.]
Elijah groaned as he dragged himself to the shower.
After washing up, he pulled out the crisp, dark blue corps trainee uniform. The fabric felt heavy with responsibility, the silver chain on the left side gleaming in the morning light.
He caught his reflection in the mirror—black hair neatly combed, red eyes glinting back at him.
For a moment, he didn't recognize the boy staring back.
By the time he got to the living room, Visconti was already there, dressed impeccably in his uniform.
"Morning," Visconti greeted.
Elijah nodded in response, but their attention shifted as Kieran emerged from his room… wearing the wrong uniform.
Instead of the dark blue corps trainee outfit, Kieran was wearing their white camp training uniform.
Visconti and Elijah exchanged looks of disbelief.
"Kieran…" Visconti said, his tone exasperated. "You're wearing the wrong uniform. Again."
Kieran blinked, looking down at himself, before muttering a curse under his breath and jogging back to his room to change.
"Stupid. Really stupid," Visconti muttered, shaking his head.
Elijah couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The morning started quietly in the dorm. Instead of heading to the bustling cafeteria, Elijah decided to cook breakfast—a simple meal of sunny-side-up eggs, sausage, and chicken sandwiches.
The three of them ate in relative silence, the sound of utensils clinking against plates filling the room.
"It's 7:45 already," Kieran mumbled, glancing at his pocket device.
"Almost eight," Visconti corrected, finishing his sandwich.
Without wasting any more time, they cleaned up quickly and stepped outside.
The sun was already high, casting warm light over the training grounds.
Standing near the entrance to their building was the person they'd been assigned to patrol with—their Level 5 mentor.
As they walked closer, their pocket devices vibrated in unison.
[Cadets, Team 2: Your assignment is to patrol Sky City.]
A wave of silence fell over them. It wasn't fear of Sky City's crime rate that made them uneasy—it was the distance.
Sky City was located four hours away by road. With the bullet train, it would still take a considerable 45 minutes to get there.
"That's far," Kieran muttered, breaking the silence.
"Ridiculously far," Visconti agreed, adjusting his uniform.
"Well," Elijah muttered, "We're not going to have much time left in the day after the commute."
"No use complaining now." Visconti replied.
Elijah remained quiet, his attention locked on the figure of their mentor.
The man stood with his back to them, his posture relaxed but commanding.
The sunlight reflected off his short, blonde hair, making it shine almost unnaturally.
Elijah's breath caught.
The man stood with his back to them, his hair catching the sunlight.
It was a striking shade of blonde, almost unnaturally vibrant.
His tall, muscular frame was eerily familiar to Elijah, who froze mid-step as realization struck him
That hair. That build. That height.
The resemblance was uncanny. The man looked exactly like—
"Ver? Oliver?" Elijah blurted out before he could stop himself
"Huh?"
At the sound of his voice, the man turned around, his face coming into full view.