Arthur returned to base, his mind a tangled web of thoughts. He had returned to the funeral under the heavy gaze of General Thanason, staying out of the way for the rest of the funeral, until they returned to base. Lost in his own thoughts.
////////////////
Officer Mara watched Arthur's retreating figure with a troubled expression. "You're sure about transferring them, sir? They're just kids."
General Thanason's yellow eyes, dull as weathered gold, followed Arthur's slouched silhouette. For a fleeting moment, Mara thought she saw regret flicker across his stoic features.
"I'm sure," he said finally, his tone unyielding. "Those two achieved more in a single battle than most veterans manage in a lifetime. Losing them would be a waste
"But sir," she pressed, "one of them is your daughter's age. The other is younger. How can you—"
"I try not to think about it," General Thanason cut her off curtly. His gaze hardened, and for a moment, Mara saw the battle-hardened commander for what he truly was. Unyielding and uncompromising.
"This war doesn't care about age, Mara. You know that as well as I do. It's all about those who can, and those who can't. And from what I see, those two can."
Mara fell silent, her protest dying in her throat as she glanced at Arthur again.
The boy's shoulders slumped as he trudged toward the Unit 7 building, the weight of the world seemingly perched atop them.
She sighed heavily. 'War doesn't care about age. But I do.'
Arthur shoved his emotions aside with a frustrated huff. Thinking about everything was too exhausting right now. His body moved on autopilot, guiding him to the familiar, rundown barracks of Unit 7. Inside, the squad was sprawled out across the room, their laughter and easy camaraderie filling the air.
"Oh, hey, Arthur!" Felt greeted brightly, his voice cutting through the din.
Mat perked up at the mention of Arthur's name, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"Is that Arthur, the esteemed saint of war, gracing us with his holy presence?" His voice dripped with mock reverence. "Or do you prefer 'Devil of Peace'? Really, you should settle on one title for us, mate. It's confusing."
Arthur shot a sharp look at Noah, who winced and looked away sheepishly.
'So you told them about the trial, huh? Two can play at that game.'
Noah, sensing the unspoken accusation, blurted out, "Arthur got a blessing too!"
"Way to shift the attention, genius," Arthur muttered under his breath.
Felt raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that so?"
"Noah can use ice," Arthur said flatly, throwing his friend under the bus in retaliation.
"And Arthur can heal people with his blood," Noah shot back, a little too smugly.
Mat laughed adding a dramatic flair, and gesturing wildly as if Arthur's blood magic were the stuff of legend.
"Noah's eyes turn blue when he uses ice," Artur rebutted.
The squad collectively burst into laughter, their amusement echoing off the barracks' walls. Arthur groaned inwardly, pinching the bridge of his nose as Noah turned beet red.
Petro leaned back in his chair with a wide grin. "Don't take it too hard, boys. Everyone's a bit of an idiot after their first real battle."
"Remember how you acted after your first, Mat?" Finn chimed in, a sly smile on his face. His deep blue eyes sparkled with mischief as he turned to Petro. "I seem to recall a certain someone couldn't stop crying for a week."
"Oi!" Mat hissed, sitting up defensively. "I did not cry for a week! I—"
"You totally did," Finn interrupted, laughing.
Arthur watched their banter with a growing sense of curiosity. The way they spoke, the ease with which they teased one another—it felt like they'd been together far longer than the few months he'd assumed.
"Wait a second," he said, his brow furrowing. "How long have you guys known each other?"
Petro grinned. "Oh, about five years now. Felt and Caster have known each other the longest—what is it, seven years now?"
Caster nodded silently, his orange eyes flickering like embers as they met Arthur's gaze. The man rarely spoke, but there was something about his quiet presence that demanded respect.
"Seven years?" Arthur blinked in surprise. "I thought magic squads were usually thrown together randomly."
Felt chuckled, his sharp grey eyes twinkling with amusement. "What, you think they'd stick two prospect MageKnights like you and Noah into an ordinary squad? Nah. Magic squads are usually seven people, but we've… Well, we've lost a few along the way, so we we're five when we came here."
Arthur's throat tightened. He knew better than to ask what "lost" meant in this context.
Finn smiled sadly, his voice quieter now. "Tam and Daniel. They were good people. They joined for a couple of months but weren't part of our original squad."
"So," Noah hesitated, "if you aren't an ordinary magic squad… what are you?"
The air in the room shifted. The squad exchanged glances, an unspoken conversation passing between them. Finally, Mat leaned back with a lopsided grin. "You'll find out soon enough. If Officer Mara lets you, that is."
Arthur and Noah exchanged uneasy looks of their own. Something about this squad, and the way they spoke in riddles, didn't sit right with him.
Felt, ever the opportunist, clapped his hands together. "Enough heavy talk. Anyone up for a game of chess?"
The room erupted into groans.
"Felt," Petro groaned, "no one wants to play your damn chess game."
Undeterred, Felt turned to Arthur and Noah, his eyes gleaming with hope. "What about you two?"
Noah shot Arthur a look that screamed Run. Now. But Arthur, oblivious to the danger, shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
What followed was a gruelling lecture on chess strategy. Felt's enthusiasm was unmatched, his explanations painfully detailed. By the end of it, Arthur was practically begging for mercy, his brain fried from a deluge of terms like "fork," "pin," and "Sicilian Defense."
Just as Arthur was contemplating faking a sudden illness, Officer Mara walked in. Her sharp gaze swept over the room, immediately silencing the chatter.
"Attention, Squad."
Everyone snapped to their feet, saluting.
"We've been transferred back to General Thanason's forces."
The announcement was met with cheers—except from Arthur and Noah, who stood frozen in place.
"Weren't we already part of his army?" Noah asked, clearly confused.
Mara shot Felt a pointed look. "Fill them in. They need to know everything if they're coming with us."
Felt's grin widened as he turned back to the pair. "Oh, I'll be happy to. Especially since I think I've found my new chess partner."
Arthur groaned inwardly, catching the faintest hint of sympathy in Mara's amused smile as she left the room.
Felt motioned for Arthur and Noah to sit, his demeanor unusually serious now. "Alright, listen up. I'll keep this brief. First, do you know why the rebellion started?"
Arthur nodded. Noah shook his head.
Felt sighed. "I figured as much. Look, this rebellion isn't just about discontent with the nobility. It's about power—and the people stoking the flames. There are four major figures behind it, known as the Pillars. Or at least, there were four. Thanks to you two, one of them is gone."
Arthur frowned. "The Spider."
Felt nodded. "Raleigh. Former Spymaster of the Thoracen Empire. He was clever, but was never suited to his power. Raleigh had always been more of a fighter than Spymaster, General Thanason exploited that. And now, he's dead."
"But there are three more?" Noah asked nervously.
"The Lion. The Snake. And William of Orange." Felt's expression darkened. "The Lion and Snake are dangerous men, just like Raleigh. William of Orange, though… he's a mystery. For the commoners, he's the face of the rebellion. Whether he's truly in control, we don't know."
Flet paused, letting the knowledge sink before he continued.
"Now it's time to talk about our side. The Thoracen Empire has been reluctant to actually treat this as more of a civil war than a rebellion. That's why they haven't devoted serious resources to it. But after the death of the Commander by that Bow MageKnight, they were forced to relent slightly, which is why General Thanason was able to arrive. However, before that General Thanason sent two units in as spies, foreseeing the fact that he'd eventually be called. One unit was Officer Skelter's, the other was Commander Scarlet's."
"Commander Scarlet? Who's that?" Noah asked.
Felt smiled, "You've met her already. Of course when you met her she had been limited to a Stage awakened so General Thanason's ploy wouldn't be revealed. She also went under the disguise of Officer Mara…"
Noah and Arthur looked at him, jaws open in shock. "Commander?" Noah said weakly, remembering all the times he'd been rude or dismissive. "Shit."
Felt laughed, "You two are joining our squad, really this time. And we're going to transfer back to General Thanason's unit as we advance to the next frontier of the rebellion."
"Wait" Noah interrupted. "Is your name fake as well? I mean Felt is kinda a crappy name now that I think about it."
Felt smiled, an utterly cold and dangerous smile that shut up Noah immediately. "No, actually. It isn't a fake name."
"Ah, I see."
"So we're joining his unit? Why? We aren't specially trained like you."
Felt looked at him with wide eyes, "I think that's exactly why. You two aren't even proper Stage 1 awakened MageKnights, and yet, well look at what you did. Together you took down the archer who shot down the MageKnight, and saved the commander's life, as well as the entire battle. Imagine what you could do after being trained."
Arthur nodded, he'd expected something like this to happen sooner or later. He needed to make a name for himself if he wanted that scholarship after all. Noah however was slightly more nervous.
"Wait…what happens if I don't wanna go. If I wanna stay here and be a normal soldier?"
Arthur nudged him, "Remember what I said Noah, this is part of the plan."
Noah stared into Arthur's scarlet eyes. 'In two years eh. Well he did warn me it'd be hard.'
Noah turned back to Felt with a resolute expression, "Alright then."
Felt smiled, clapping them both on the shoulders. "Good. Now get packed. We leave tonight."
Arthur couldn't resist one last question. "Where are we going?"
Felt's grin widened. "Wherever the soldiers we fought came from. That's where the next battle begins."