Falkia Kingdom, Castle’s Main Room, 3/2/2033, 9:30 pm

  “Elaborate, general Fei-Yang” Riku invited, crossing his arms

  “We need a strategist like him. You’ve seen him during the Tempest invasion” Fei-Yang explained, leaning against a wall

  “That may be true, but enrolling someone from another kingdom and a student no less is strictly prohibited. I must veto this, my friend” Riku retorted, staring at him in the eyes

  “Wait, since when is this a law?” Kettei asked, curiously

  “Since when you left Falkia after the invasion. Most elite veterans were jealous and scared some of their kids may take you as a role model. I signed a law where students aren’t allowed to join the army until they finished their diploma, degree or bachelor” Riku explained, calmly

  “It makes sense though. I’m a variant. Other students would have risked their life for nothing” Kettei admitted, nodding in acknowledgement

  “I have another option for you though. Recently, a special force was founded by Fei-Yang’s younger brother, Ratyad Sutekira, the name being Atlas. Their goal is to guarantee the safety of the citizens and sometimes act as guards for some. I hate to admit it, but recently Sophie has been targeted. See, three years ago I convinced her to run away after I killed her abusive father and part of her family. She agreed and we settled in, but after that, Necorot’s secret force, the Spellcrushers, have been after us and I can’t risk Sophie’s pregnancy” Riku explained, his glare turning grim

  “Shit, I didn’t know you and Soph had such tumultuous past. Alright, I’ll do it” Kettei smiled saying that: “After all, I can’t risk innocent lives now, can I?” he added, as he stood up, walking to the door

  “Oh, and Kettei” Riku called out: “Sophie’s due date should be on June 24th. I thought we’re going to call him Namiko” he added

  “That’s such a girly name” Kettei chuckled as he left the main room and roamed around the night streets of Falkia. The moonlight enlightened the environment, making it look sort of laid back

  Kettei stopped near a small bar, getting some water as he noticed Sophie being chased by some spellcrushers. Without any warning, Kettei teleported behind one of them, taking him down. As he did so, the other five started to shiver: it was fine to mess with every citizen, but they had flee on sight orders when it came to an Izawami, and so they indeed fled. As everything calmed down, Kettei turned towards Sophie

  “You really should be careful, miss Lawrence” he commented, smirking

  “I know. You talked with Riku, didn’t you?” Sophie asked

  “Yeah, I know what’s the deal now. I was asked to join Atlas, which I agreed upon” Kettei responded, his gaze serious: “Come on, I’ll escort you home” he added as he walked her back to her and Riku’s house.

  As that happened, a tall man wearing a snake mask walked in the castle’s main room, his dark blue hair visible from behind. Once inside, he removed his mask, revealing a similar face to Fei-Yang

  “You’re here, brother” Fei-Yang commented, crossing his arms: “Don’t mind Riku, he’s been doing overtime for the past week”

  “I see. What’s the matter?” Ratyad asked, looking at his brother coldly

  “You’re going to have a new recruit starting tomorrow. His name is Kettei Izawami, he’s 19 years old and he has been a great help to us in the past. Now, there’s something you must know about him” Fei-Yang asked, crossing his arms

  “What is it?” Ratyad asked

  “Kettei is…” Fei-Yang responded, as it isn’t heard what he said next, but Fei-Yang’s reaction said it was a serious matter

  “I see. I think I know the person with who I could fit him” Ratyad smirked, as he grabbed his phone, calling a person. In a desolated land outside the Klobod kingdom, a person covered in a purple cloak with stars decoration responded

  “Yes, boss?” the figure asked as it picked up the phone

  “You’ll be assigned to the new rookie joining Atlas, Freya” Ratyad answered, his tone direct and sharp

  “I see. I should be back by tomorrow. The mission was successful, if you wonder” Freya added, calmly

  “Very well. I’ll see you here in half an hour” Ratyad smirked as he hung up

  Back to the outskirts of the kingdom of Tempest, the group made of Saori, Sora, Tom, Justin and Martha camped for the night. As they settled, Saori looked to the side:

  “So, what does Kettei mean to us?” She asked, shyly

  “Well, he’s my best friend, and it’s thanks to him I managed to open a bit more. What about you, Saori?” Sora explained, before asking

  “Me? What’s to tell about me and him? He’s just a peasant, but I recognize there’s some good in his actions. It’s no news that our king is rather corrupt and power-hungry, and with Kettei having lost his dad due to him, there’s no surprise” Saori explained: “However, he’s doing one thing wrong. And it could be his downfall. He doesn’t know how to involve people” she added

  “Yeah, we know. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to that” Justin giggled, admitting it: “But he’s kind to people, I’ll give him that” he added

  “Wonder what he’ll be up to now” Justin wondered, as the five of them ate and headed back to their tents in silence.

  In the Falkia kingdom, after Kettei walked Sophie to her and Riku’s home, he walked back to the main castle. At the entrance, both Fei-Yang and a face unfamiliar to him approached

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  “You’re here. I assume Sophie is safe” Fei-Yang commented

  “Precisely. And who would you be?” Kettei responded, looking at the unknown figure

  “My apologies. We didn’t meet yet. I’m Ratyad Sutekira, Fei-Yang’s older brother” Ratyad introduced himself, extending a hand: “Delighted by your acquaintance”

  “Likewise. Name’s Kettei Izawami, but it seems my reputation preceeds me” Kettei responded, shaking his hand. As they kept introducing themselves, a red-haired figure flew there, retracting its wings. However, her stature was rather short – 147 cm tall

  “Well, Freya, you’re here” Ratyad smiled gently: “Please, meet your new kouhai, Kettei” he added

  “Uh, so this is what Alice’s lover looks like” Freya teased, which made Kettei blush as he remembered her last gift

  “L-Lover?! No, you seem to misunderstand. We’re not there yet” Kettei agitatedly said, trying to hide his embarrassment

  “Your blushing says otherwise, but I digress. I’m Freya Eisendrache, and I’m a dragonoid” Freya introduced herself with a smile, as the two shook hands

  “Kettei Izawami, university dropout, I’d say, but… It’s a long story” Kettei laughed off

  “Doesn’t matter, welcome abroad” Freya welcomely invited, as the trio walked away

  As they walked, Freya couldn’t help but stare jealously at Kettei’s height, but also with a smile on her face, laughing as Kettei sometimes struggled to avoid billboards

  “You know, I envy your shortness” Kettei admitted laughing

  “And I don’t envy your tallness” Freya laughed as they kept walking, until reaching a lush cave just outside the city. There, they walked into a bunch of Atlas members, all of them characterized by a starry-patterned cloak hiding their faces.

  Once the trio walked in, everyone knelt, except a few, who seemed to be higher up by the difference of star pattern, figuring some red giant stars instead. The trio headed to the office, where Kettei was handed a cloak similar to theirs, except it ended out to be a little tight

  “I suppose you’re taller than we anticipated” Ratyad giggled, as Kettei took the mantle off

  “I’m 203 cm tall and this is an XL size. I’ll figure out what to do though, since it looks like this is the biggest you have” Kettei shrugged nonchalantly

  “It kinda is” Freya admitted, scratching her head sheepishly: “We’ll start tomorrow at 7 am with training” she added, as Ratyad walked Kettei to his room

  “You’ll stay here for now. Tomorrow we’ll figure out your outfit” he commented. The room itself was a bit tiny, but cozy, nonetheless. As Kettei settled in, Ratyad walked away. Back at the castle, a rather shaken king Edward was being medicated by a group of medics, as Hotaru walked where he was

  “Jeez, you look like you’ve seen a ghost, your majesty” She jokingly commented

  “Because I did. Your ex-husband… He was here. He knows about my mistreating of your kids. We must hurry” the king admitted, as Hotaru’s eyes widened by feeling a blade against the back of her neck

  “So, I was right all along. Should I release the Tsuno-Goa’s special agents now, or in the next days?” Shanyuan asked, coldly. Not an ounce of kindness, but calculated coldness

  "S-Shanyuan? What are you doing alive? You were supposed to be dead” Hotaru asked, her voice filled with fear

  “I managed to run away by the skin of my teeth, leaving behind a substitution. A hologram that took my place during the funeral” Shanyuan explained

  “And here I thought you looked dumb” Hotaru chuckled, turning around and facing Shanyuan: “And tell you what, you don’t have the guts to attack me” she smirked confidently

  “Do you wanna take such gambit?” Shanyuan asked, unwavering

  “Maybe I do” Hotaru responded, as Shanyuan rose his blade and slashed her in half. However, the corpse vanished in a cloud of mist, as from behind him the real Hotaru appeared, creating a fireball at the height of his temple: “Say goodbye” she whispered, about to launch the magic attack, before a figure kicked her against the wall, revealing herself as none other than Alice

  “Ye better walk away from here, ye dumbass” She muttered to Shanyuan as he nodded and teleported himself and Alice away from there

  “Urgh, that bitch sure packs a punch” Hotaru muttered, as she coughed blood: “One kick, and she reduced me like this. One thing is sure, if I fought her, I would be dead by now” she thought, as the medical team tended to her wounds as well.

  Near the forest, Alice and Shanyuan reappeared, the former far pissed, as she grabbed Shanyuan by the collar

  “Why did ye teleport me away? I was about-“She yelled, angrily

  “You were about to get yourself killed, Lyoness of Falkia. Your physical strength may be insane, but in a battle like that, you both would’ve killed each other” Shanyuan retorted, coldly yet worriedly as he stood up: “There’s no secret they’re looking for the Doom Tiara, the Tsuno-Goa have kept me updated, and they’ll be out for a while. So, take some of your friends and head to Leadale to search for at least one scroll. Once you find it, destroy it, or hide it” he added, explaining

  “Why? Hasn’t Leadale just gotten out of a civil war?” Alice asked, this time more composed

  “Correct, but humans like you can enter. Take your time to make preparations now” Shanyuan explained, walking away

  As that happened, Alice headed back to the kingdom, as the next day arrived. At 7 a.m sharp, Kettei was out of bed, as he headed downstairs, where a bunch of people were already having breakfast. As he wondered where Freya was, he felt a small poke, but not noticing anyone, shrugged it off. However, that’s where an annoyed Freya flew right in front of him, slapping him

  “Ow! What was that for?” Kettei asked her, holding his cheek

  “For being a god damn tall bastard” Freya responded laughing, before her gaze turned serious: “We’ll need to check what you’re at, and what your capabilities are at” she added, turning her back at her

  “Do we really have to do this on an empty stomach?” Kettei asked, placing a hand on his stomach

  “Yes. The earlier, the better” Freya sternly responded, as Kettei groaned following her to the training ground. There, the tall Izawami showed off a bit of what he could do, but for some reason his movements were sloppy and most of his magic didn’t seem to not hit the target. A thing both Freya and Ratyad noticed

  “I think I figured what’s going on” Ratyad said, stopping Kettei’s trial: “Your head isn’t on it, but more importantly, you know a lot of magic roots, you struggle to train them evenly. For example, your arcana magic is top notch, fire and Electro as well, but the rest is uninspiring to say the least. The key to winning is diversity. Take those three magic roots away from you and you have nothing, except your strategies which could also fail should we meet a prepared army” he explained calmly, as Kettei listened to the constructive criticism

  “Yeah. And you managed to pull off Fiama Paradoxia, or as we call it nowadays, cold flame, one of the hardest magics known to mankind. Yet look at your arms once you used it. We have a lot of work to do, my dear kouhai” Freya added

  “If you say so, then sure, I will improve on that. I can’t let down people, that’s for sure” Kettei responded, smiling, as he dusted himself off

  “Judging the entirety of everything, we can put you in the ranks of class K, or Epsilon Eridani” Ratyad spoke up, laughing

  “Yeah, I forgot to ask, how does Atlas’ hierarchical ladder work?” Kettei asked, curiously

  "The lowest rank is Class M, or Proxima Centauri, then class K, also known as Epsilon Eridani, then Class G, or Solaria, Class F, or Alpha Canis Minoris, Class A or Deneb, Class B or Rigel, and lastly Class O, or Icarus. Each class has micro-groups, with the leaders being Nadol members, then Eimlaq members, then Diniki members” Freya explained: “Right now you are class Eridani’s newest diniki member, but you can climb the ladder by completing various missions. The higher the mission’s grade, the higher the chances of you getting a promotion. For instance, I’m one of class F’s Nadol, but it took me months to climb that” she added, smiling

  “I see. Guess there’s indeed work to do” Kettei commented, as they walked back to the base. As that all unfolded, the group of five composed by Sora, Martha, Saori, Tom and Justin arrived at the entrance of the kingdom of Falkia. Their goal was simple: Retrieving their friend and bring him back to their kingdom. However, was said friend willing to come back?