Hawk left the cadet training hall and went to the Grey Ward where there were injured Grey Agents.

  He sat beside a hospital bed and checked the stable heart monitor. He glanced at the pale unconscious woman with golden-locks.

  He smiled warmly, holding her hands, “Hello, love.” He whispered, almost reverently.

  “It’s been awhile since I came, right? I hope you didn’t miss me too much.” He teased as he rose up to kiss her forehead.

  “…I became a mentor recently… surprising right?”

  …beep…beep…beep…

  “They reminded me of us… both stubborn as hell.” Hawk paused, slightly hoping she would respond but when she didn’t, he continued, “…To be honest, I came because I got mad at them and I wanted you to console me. You were right… I’m still a brat.”He chuckled softly as he kissed her hands he held softly.

  “I wanted them to realise overexerting themselves is dangerous and… could’ve almost lost their lives… like you back then… but my emotions got the best of me….”

  “…”

  Hawk simply watched her sleep peacefully as he choked, “What sort of dream are you having, my love? For you to not wake up after so many years?”

  He lowered his gaze as he brushed off a small tear that fell. He sighed, “I have mentoring to do soon, I’ll see you later, love. Wish me luck.” He briefly kissed her lips, hoping she would wake up like how it is in fairy tales.

  He greeted the doctor politely and left the Ward.

  ***

  Day 261, 12:15

  After visiting the cadet infirmary, Seohwa and Jiho ate lunch with Rhino, whereas, 7-11 ate at a corner.

  Jiho curiously asked, “Where’s Hawk?”

  “Probably at the Ward.” Rhino briefly replied.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Seohwa briefly glanced at 7-11 as she asked Rhino cautiously, “What happened to her?”

  Rhino hesitantly answered, “…I can only tell you what I’ve heard. Due to Dr 7’s tendencies to explore his research, he used the whole of Gen7 and increased the dosage of amplification liquid. Everyone died but her.”

  Seohwa lowered her gaze empathetically and muttered, “I…see…”

  Jiho didn’t say anything more as he stabbed his chicken thigh and ate it. He was still frustrated at the draw but knew now why she acted the way she did. It was almost similar to Seohwa but at least Seohwa wasn’t being snappy about it.

  After lunch, they had a 30 minute break. Seohwa followed after 7-11 to the cadet dorm, D6-06.

  Seohwa watched her lie on her bed opposite of Seohwa’s, “…That was a smart move. Using the field to your advantage.”

  7-11 ignored her as she turned her body away. Seohwa understood she needed some space as she sat on her own bed but still faced her.

  “…I have a twin older brother.” Seohwa began, “But he got taken away due to special circumstances.”

  7-11 flinched but didn’t interrupt.

  “I also had a friend, her name was Jisoo. We tried escaping together but eventually got caught. I lost her, you see. Her death could be my fault, it could be the scientist’s…” She breathed in, her voice trembling, “… Whatever the case, it doesn’t change the fact she’s gone.”

  “Why are you saying this?” 7-11 asked, her breath hitching.

  “…I know your pain. And, I know it isn’t your fault.” Seohwa moved towards her and sat on the edge of her bed, “…All I’m really saying is… it’s ok… to let it out.”

  7-11 froze as she began to quietly sniffle at her words. She curled up on her bed, sobbing.

  Seohwa quietly listened before she gently patted her trembling, tense back.

  After many minutes had passed, 7-11 sat up, wiping her tears and softly murmured, “…Thanks.”

  Seohwa stood up and stretched, “No problem.”

  7-11 glanced up at her and asked, “…What’s your name?”

  Seohwa gazed down and replied, “…Tang Seohwa. You?”

  7-11 stood up and smiled, “Baek Yerin. Since I’m older, you can call me unnie.”

  “Ok, Yerin-unnie.”

  The two girls giggled softly as they headed out. As they walked to the training hall, Seohwa then asked, “Unnie, you can make anything with ice when you imagine it, right?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “That means you can use any weapon if you choose to?”

  “Honestly, I can but I would need to increase my stamina and mental imagery first to handle that.” Yerin sighed, “I didn’t show it around that buffoon but each spike I made uses up energy. Much more if it is incredibly detailed.”

  “…” Seohwa pondered a bit before asking, “Can I ask something, unnie?”

  “Sure.”

  “You could say I’m having trouble finding a specialty weapon. There seems to be something missing from each weapon and each has something I’m not satisfied with.”

  “Hmm, what is it that you want then?”

  Seohwa listed, “I lack attack power, I want something with a blade, but because of my attributes, I realised I was more of a flexible support. If possible, I want something that can fluidly move.”

  “What are you currently using in combat then?”

  “A whip and a sword. But I need at least one free hand to manipulate my attributes easier. That’s why I was hoping for only one weapon but it’s been hard to find.” Seohwa sighed.

  Yerin suggested, “Why not combine them?”

  “What?” Seohwa stopped as she stared at Yerin confused before she got the idea, “That’s it! Thank you, unnie! Tell Hawk I’ll be late and will be meeting Rhino.”

  Seohwa ran ahead of Yerin.

  A sword that extends into a whip!

  Jiho, who was hiding in the corridor behind them, had accidentally listened to their talk and breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like his worry was needless.