"Can't we take a longer break?" Chris groaned, slumped over on the far end of a pickup truck we had called to pick us up. The entire team was exhausted, but there was still one more part of the mission we had to complete. "It's only been... like... a day?"

  Alex, sitting on a pile of hay, bit into a piece of jerky, ripping at the dried meat. "You're gonna have to get used to it. Sometimes, when missions are at their most active, we have to go days without taking any proper rest. So sometimes, stitches don't settle-- bleeding might set in. Luckily," She gestured at me, "We have someone who compensates for that. Having a Manifest that can seal wounds is more reliable than the more practical way of going about it."

  I couldn't help but sigh at our situation either. I was far more accepting, but it doesn't change the fact that, after dealing with Valorie's business, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. I even lost my cool the day before. Maybe I'll lose it if this next job is as bad as the last. I thought to myself before whispering, "God... I want real food."

  "Hey!" Chris called out to me, and, with my head thrown back, I looked down at her.

  "What?"

  "I kinda liked your attitude from yesterday. Where'd all that go?"

  "What? Me being mad?"

  Chris chuckled, "Yeah, you being mad."

  "I have nothing to be mad at right now."

  "More... being honest? Why the passive attitude? The politeness?"

  "I'm really not that polite."

  "That's not what I mean, and you know that."

  "So... what do you mean?"

  Chris smirked, "It's that 'walking on eggshells' attitude you have. When you choose to speak, you only do it when you find it necessary and shit, and when you get mad, you get embarrassed about it and stuff, right?"

  How did she...? "I guess? What's it to you?"

  "'Cause I'm curious about you, Glasses."

  I turned away from Chris, not entertaining this any longer. Next to the haybale I was lying on was Valorie, lying in the fetal position, sleeping, or trying to force herself to sleep. Crazy that we just have to move on from that.

  "Guys," Dorothy spoke up, catching the team's attention before throwing an emblem out into the middle of the truckbed.

  "What?" I leaned over to look at it, and the emblem seemed to have the symbol of a scythe in it. "What's it supposed to be?"

  The others leaned over to get a better look as well, and Dorothy continued, "This was with the Raven Gear. It was on Theo."

  Tel scratched his head, taking a closer look at the emblem. "From a Sphere? Association?"

  "I'm not sure, but it isn't any of the emblems I know about."

  "Oh? Something you don't know? So far, you've seemingly known the most about the most random bullshit possible."

  "Where I lived, 'Perceptions' were common knowledge, or rather, the concept was familiar to us. Something passed down from generation to generation."

  "Passed down?"

  "You wouldn't know it, unfortunately. Thats the only reason why I know. Honest to God, though, I'm just a learned individual. So if I know anything, it'll most likely just be some fun facts here and there, or some basic guidance on how to handle certain factions like the Intestine."

  "And why would you know about them?"

  "Paranoia."

  "Oh..."

  Why am I being so cowardly with this...? I thought to myself as I watched my sister overlook the outstretched fields that surrounded us, sitting on the truck's roof. A few minutes passed, and she glanced at me for a moment, lingering for just a second before staring past the truck and up the road as the silhouette of a city approached. Maybe she's avoiding the topic as well?

  It didn't take long for us to be dropped off by the nearest gas station to Saint Mary's. Tel and Chris immediately went inside to buy themselves snacks, whilst the rest of us loitered outside near one of the gas pumps, Alex thanking the driver before handing over about 10 mono, in cash.

  "Yo, Glasses!" Chris threw a beef stick to me, and I caught it with both arms, almost dropping it. "Have that!"

  "Why are you giving this to me?"

  "I just want us to be more friendly with one another~!"

  I split it open and took small bites, "I think we're friendly enough." Putting up my wall, I noticed Alex getting ready to leave, so I followed.

  Valorie, in a sheepish tone, behind Tel, approached. "What'd you get?"

  "Uhh..." He searched his bag, rummaging through a variety of chips, jerky, and energy drinks. "I got a bunch of stuff for the group." He paused, taking out an energy drink and handing it over to Valorie. "Here, you'll need it."

  "T-Thank you."

  I cupped a hand around my mouth. "Hey, Captain!" Calling out to Alex.

  She glanced at me over her shoulder. "What do you need?"

  "So..." I ran a bit to catch up to her. "What are we looking for?"

  Alex seemed to have a look of realization for a moment before clicking her tongue. "Just call me, Alex, or Ms. Lee, Ariel."

  "I'll go with Alex then."

  "Now that's interesting."

  "You know why." I sighed, "So... where are we heading?"

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "A Haeresis Cathedral."

  "One of the Circles? They're here?"

  "Just a fragment. They're split between the Constellations, remember this."

  "I know that... but."

  "This one specifically follows the Celestial Judge."

  "Who are we looking for?"

  "A defector, but they've been delayed. So we've come to help with that."

  "What do they look like?"

  "I don't know yet."

  "W-Wait..." I stopped for a moment before continuing behind Alex. "Hey, did they go through the same training as us?"

  Alex seemed to hesitate as she proceeded with her march. "No... but they're familiar with Apostles."

  Oh yeah... "Are you saying there are Apostles here?"

  "I'm hoping this won't be as much of a pain in the ass."

  Cheering and curses could be heard from afar as we approached a more populated end of the city, which is where this supposed cathedral is held. "Into the fire... I suppose."

  Tel leaned out from the team to get a better look. "What's going on over there?"

  Alex, silently circled the outerim of the crowd. Though there was a substantial number of people, they were scattered enough to leave room to show where they were all directing their jabs and cheers. This was convenient... for anyone but me, for it didn't matter how scattered the group was, as I was too short to overlook them.

  Chris looked as if she was about to say something, but I opted for climbing up a nearby tree. "What the hell kind of joke is this?" I couldn't help but growl the words out as I was led to bear witness to a pantomime of cruel proportions. The irony of a comedy put out in human form. A horrific comedy that revealed one of the most common sins a human could have.

  Sheep throwing stones at a wolfhound for their deformities.

  A person with dark skin, hunched over as men and women alike berate their existence. I jumped down from the tree. "We need to stop this."

  Chris scoffed. "You wanna get mobbed or something?"

  "Well, we can't just let them bully someone like this!"

  Valorie scratched her cheek, "Would I be able to disperse them if I shot in the air?"

  Alex sighed, "We shouldn't cause too much of a commotion..." She cracked her neck, "But we should wade through the crowd, come on."

  Chris looked befuddled at Alex's decision. "W-What!? Why!?"

  Tel scratched his head with the backend of his hammer before following Alex, looking at Chris with a smirk, "What's up, trying to preserve your life now, of all times?"

  "I'd rather not get fuckin' trampled on a gaggle of nobodies. If that doesn't explain it to you, I dunno what will."

  "I dunno, I just keep seein' you be as pessimistic as possible, I just go assuming!" Tel laughed.

  "Whatever, I'll just scorch 'em."

  Valorie huffed, giving a hesitant look at the team, "Let's not kill anyone, please."

  As they bickered, we were already wading through the crowd, my Anchorbow acting similarly to a blind man's stick as they shuffled out of the way once they felt metal hit them in the back. Now that we were in the crowd, however, the voices became more legible to the trained ear.

  "Fuckin' abomination!"

  "Fuckin' mutant!"

  "I wonder if this thing can dance for us!"

  Obsenities, curses, and prejudice. There's no reason to entertain the ear-grating bleating of cattle. I thought we left shit like this in the medieval ages.

  Just before we could reach the stage, the stoning was suddenly interrupted by a flood of Libra Practitioners in religious garb. Amidst these people, someone important came out. A lithe woman with long, curly black hair stepped out, her violet eyes scanning the crowd. She wore a military uniform beneath a cape that had the symbol of the scales etched across the back and shoulders. "Enough with this horrendous display! Shame on you all! battering and disrespecting this poor young woman due to her ailments! In a world like--"

  She broke out into proverbs, taking the moral high ground as a rat amongst mice. I looked at the crowd's faces, and instead of shame, they showed reverence. What the hell is happening in this place?

  "This is my last warning to you all, lest you be judged according to Libra, the Celestial Judge!"

  They were like children desperately vying for attention. Now that I think about it... amongst this crowd, there are only those who are absurdly well put together. A symmetrical crowd-- you'd be convinced that they all had sculpted themselves with the golden ratio as a reference.

  In fact, some glanced at us with disgust. Not in the way they directed such hatred to the hunched girl on stage, but there was vehemence in their stares.

  "This place seems fucked..." Tel commented, who didn't have any hateful stares in the slightest.

  So even if someone is attractive-- if they aren't the embodiment of perfection, it doesn't matter to them. Does that mean Tel is the embodiment of perfection to them? That kinda pisses me off. After the self-inflicted mental blow that I inflicted upon myself, our group watched as the deformed woman was pulled off stage by the Libra Practitioners.

  Alex sighed. "Alright, we'll be following them back to the Cathedral."

  "Why?"

  Alex sighed again, looking as frustrated as we should be right now. "There are a lot of rules in place forcing me to take things one step at a time, but I believe I can say for sure now that that woman was our target. We're to make her a part of our team..."

  "W-Wait," I put a hand up as if to stop the conversation in its place. "What are we supposed to do then? We don't want to start anything, no?"

  "It's easier to escape when you've had very few eyes on you before committing to something that is universally shunned upon, y'know?"

  Chris chuckled, hand over mouth. "Oh shit."

  Tel couldn't help but smirk, being the only time he appeared even remotely optimistic for the prospect of inevitable violence. I couldn't help but feel for him, though.

  Valorie groaned-- can't say I blame her.

  Contrasted though, I was with Tel and Alex. "So we break in?"

  Alex started pushing past the crowd. "Yeah. We get to the Cathedral of Libra, and we find a way in; the hard way."

  "Would we not get in trouble?" I questioned as we hurried our steps.

  "With Mercury?"

  "Yeah."

  "Not at all. We're not Stars, after all." Alex let out a sort of grim chuckle as the cathedral slowly came into view through a massive clearing in the city. "You guys are about to find out why this girl didn't go through training like the rest of us very soon."

  "Why?" Tel, Valorie, and I all asked simultaneously, Dorothy remaining awfully quiet throughout this exchange.

  "Libra utilizes Apostles."

  "Wait, what!?" Tel exclaimed.

  "Keep an eye on what's above you here. You might think it's a long walk out here, but that Cathedral..." Finally, we arrived. "It's just as big as it is on the outside, as it is on the inside."

  Well... no shit... It's about as big as a small town squished together from where I'm looking. A truly gargantuan structure that lay just below some nearby, downtime skyscrapers.

  "We'll be going from the sewers. Let's take a small break before we get ready. Is everyone okay with that?"

  Obviously, it was an unanimous agreement. The plan now was to get a lay of the land as we gathered as much stamina as we could before the coming heist.

  Finally, Dorothy spoke up at some point. "I believe that was the Count of this province."

  "Count?" Tel asked, sharpening his axe.

  "Yes, Count Christine. She took up the mantle not too long ago after the Nemean Lion of the Roundtable killed the previous Count."

  "Shit, are you referring to Arthur?" A look of admiration seemed to overcome Tel for a moment.

  "Yes, along with the Purple Feathered Swan. Seems their influence didn't do much to shake Libra's foundations, however."

  I didn't notice long after she hung up the call, but Alex seemed to have been on the line with someone before crossing over to us. "We've received some assistance from someone in our group."

  "Who?" I asked, propping myself up with my Anchorbow.

  "He should be here by the time we're all ready. His name is Asher, and he'll be a decent addition in our group."

  "Wouldn't everyone else be with Nora at this point?"

  "Patrols don't last that long, especially for those who have better things to do than meander around Spheres."

  Dorothy chambered the rifle she had stolen from Theo, familiarizing herself with the weapon before questioning, "You requested the help?"

  "Yeah, you guys need at least one more person. They're the best fit in my opinion."

  I placed a hand behind my neck, resting more on a nearby wall than the Anchorbow itself, before giving a curious look to Alex. There was a momentary pause before I spoke, "You seem to have a lot of trust in this guy."

  "Well... I'd say he's as strong as I am... except he's a total coward. But for something like this, he should be fine."

  "He's stronger?"

  "Don't expect too much from him; he will hold back. But even when he does, he's still putting in the effort. Trust me, this was worth it."

  Eventually, after a few hours had passed, the man of the hour had finally arrived. A young, lanky man with stringy black hair that went over his eyes approached us at a brisk pace, wearing what seemed to be a black raid jacket with a dress suit underneath. The sheepish, sunken-eyed young man stopped in front of us.

  "I-I don't believe we got to properly be introduced to each other a... I think it's still been only a day..." His voice cracked as he dipped into a deep bow. "I'm Asher V. T-... uh.." He hesitated, "Yeah, just Asher..."