Axel was up before dawn and was making his way out of the dormitory and to the training center when he spotted the colonel standing in the center of the open area surrounded by the three buildings. Unlike how he had been in the previous days, Rae was only in an undershirt and a pair of black cargo pants likely found in the rangers' storage. Without his combat gear and bulletproof vest, Rae's full height and fit body could be clearly seen.

The undershirt fit a bit snuggly on the colonel's body, showcasing his strong arms and chest. The colonel's back was to Axel as the hangel carefully approached his commanding officer. Axel gazed in awe at the colonel's wide back and soft, brown hair that fanned against the caramel skin of his neck. Looking down at his small body, Axel gulped at the contrast between him and the colonel.

Although he naturally had a nice frame with rather wide shoulders, Axel's arms and legs were skinny, and his body was untrained. Though he was not considered short, standing next to the colonel certainly made Axel feel small.

Rae remained silent as Axel came to stand just behind him. Turning to face the hangel, Rae looked at Axel's untrained body and studied the boy's form before stepping forward and extending his arm. Looking at the unsheathed blade in the colonel's hand, Axel quickly looked back up at Rae. Does he want me to take his sword? 

Rae had been standing with his sword and its scabbard in either hand as he waited for Axel. Now that the hangel had arrived, it was time to begin his training. "Take it," Rae said in his deep voice as he continued to offer the blade to the hangel.

Reaching out, Axel accepted the blade. However, the moment Rae let go of the sword, the weight of it caused Axel to immediately lower it. The tip of the blade sunk into the earth beneath Axel, and his eyes widened. It's so heavy! How does he fight with this?!

To say the sword weighed more than Axel had expected would be an understatement. It was the heaviest thing he had ever held. And he was supposed to become strong enough to wield one of his own!

"You will be training with my sword. His name is Genyr. Treat him well, and he will serve you." Rae held up the scabbard in his hand in a gesture to his choice of weapon. "When you are ready, you will fight me with Genyr."

I'm going to fight him with his own sword? Axel furrowed his brows as concern crept its way into his heart. But what if I hurt him? He doesn't have anything to defend himself with. 

"Do not fret," Rae said. He could assume what thoughts were racing through Axel's mind at that moment. "You won't be able to touch me."

Rae's words did comfort Axel, but they also made him admire the colonel all the more. However, the colonel's next words sent chills down Axel's spine.

"The day you do will be the day you enter battle."

I'm going to have to hurt you in order to enter the war? What kind of training is this?!

"To begin, you will learn the basics of sword-wielding. Aniela will be teaching you this." Gesturing to the lieutenant who had just arrived, Rae nodded at Aniela as she bowed to her colonel in greeting. "You have until midday to pick up the sword and begin learning the basics."

With that, Rae tossed his scabbard to Aniela, who effortlessly caught it, and left the open area of the camp. Axel watched Rae return to the main hall where his workspace was before turning to Aniela.

"I don't think I've formally introduced myself," Aniela said warmly as she approached Axel. "Lieutenant Aniela of Unit R, Team R-11, Warrior Class."

The two exchanged nods as the hangel introduced himself. "Axel."

"Nice to meet you, Axel," Aniela returned before crossing her arms, while still holding the colonel's scabbard, and stepping back. Observing the current physique of Axel, Aniela squinted her eyes as she estimated his strength and abilities.

"How much have you unlocked?" She questioned while observing Axel struggling to lift the sword.

"Sorry?" Axel panted between breaths as he continued to try to lift the sword above his waist.

"How much of your abilities have you unlocked?" Aniela elaborated.

Setting the sword back down, Axel paused for a moment to catch his breath before answering, "Not much, if any."

"Hmm." Aniela continued to look at Axel through squinted eyes. "Did you receive any training growing up?"

Axel shook his head. "I did not."

"Your mother or father the angel?"

"Mother."

"What class is she?"

Axel lowered his head. "I'm not sure. She died when I was six."

Aniela fell silent for a moment at the realization that Axel probably did not have any family left alive. Not wanting to cast a heavy mood on Axel's first training session, Aniela stated, "Well, I guess we'll just have to expedite everything. We need to get you used to your abilities as quickly as we can."

"How can I do that?" Axel wanted to unlock his abilities as fast as he could. Seeing Hakken, Eryx, and Callon already able to use their abilities allowed Axel to believe that he could be able to as well. Knowing students his age had a grasp on their powers at such a young age gave Axel hope that he could, too. He just needed to work harder than they ever did.

"For starters, you can learn how to control the weight and strength of that sword." Motioning to the blue blade, Aniela added, "It is an honor to wield Genyr. It used to belong to a very powerful angel who had sacrificed himself to save the universe from being destroyed by Hades five centuries ago."

"Genyr originally was a white blade," Aniela continued. "It was created alongside High Angel Ilios, who became its wielder and host when he reached his prime."

"What do you mean by host?" Axel inquired when Aniela paused for a moment.

Aniela took a small breath before answering, "Each angel is a host to a holy weapon. Most of them are swords, but there are a few that are unique. If you get a chance, you should watch Makio in battle."

Getting back on track, Aniela explained, "We gain our weapon when we reach the beginning stages of our prime. An angel's prime is the period during which we develop the most, and it lasts about a century. At 100 years old, we get our sword, or other weapon, depending on what was created for you when you came into being. This begins the prime period."

"At 175, we gain our wings, and at 200, our abilities are fully developed. During the 100 years when an angel is in the early stages of development, the weapon that was created for them is being strengthened and prepared to be used in battle. After 100 years of the angel and its weapon being strengthened apart from each other, they are reunited when the angel begins its prime, and the hosting begins."

"By host, I mean that we are the host for our weapons. Each angel's sword, or other weapon, is housed within our bodies. When we obtain our swords, we become linked to them, and they recognize only the angel they are linked to as their master. Thus, they can only be wielded by the angel who is linked to them."

Looking down at the blue blade in Axel's hands, Aniela said, "Genyr, however, is an exception. His link with his angel was severed before his angel was killed. Ilios had been trapped in a machine created by Hades to collect his light and energy, and this cut the link between Ilios and Genyr. Thus, Genyr is masterless and can be wielded by any angel."

Axel gazed down at the sword in his hands. Ilios... Why does my heart ache when I hear your master's name?

"Then, why does the colonel have him?" Axel inquired when he realized that Rae did not house Genyr within him. "What happened to the colonel's sword?"

Aniela hesitated for a moment before carefully saying, "No one knows. The colonel is a mystery, even to himself."

"What do you mean?"

"The colonel had disappeared for a few centuries after losing his partner in battle, and when he returned, he had lost all his memories. Few knew him before he returned broken and alone. Those who were alive before his disappearance never speak of what had happened back then."

"There are those who knew him before?" Axel did not know why, but he was curious about the colonel. He had felt a pull toward the man ever since he stared into those cold, blue eyes. So, he found himself asking more about the colonel than he had expected.

"Ae," Aniela responded. "The leaders of your team, Lieutenant Colonel Kilo and Major Castyr. They fought with the colonel before he disappeared. When the colonel was found again, Kilo and Castyr returned to the Heavens to care for him...though he could not remember them."

"When you say 'returned', what do you mean? They had left the Heavens before?"

"Mm. After the battle that caused Castyr to become a fallen star, Kilo took Castyr from the Heavens. They hid out on a planet remote from the main galaxy and waited for Castyr to recover from the fall. I doubt they would have returned had the colonel not been found in such a state." Aniela fell silent after explaining Kilo and Castyr's connection to Rae.

Axel, however, had too many questions to remain quiet. "So...the colonel has the late Ilios' sword?"

"Ae."

"Then, why is it blue? Wasn't it originally white?"

A small smile formed on Aniela's lips. "That's actually a funny story. Yes, Genyr was originally a white blade. His first master's aura was white, so the blade that had been created for Ilios was also white. Each weapon reflects the color of its master's energy. Ah-" Aniela stopped herself. "Except for Kilo. Guardian Angels all have black blades. Other than guardians, all angel's weapons reflect their energy."

"For example, Kenji has orange energy, so his blade is orange. And so on and so forth. When Genyr chose Rae, its blade changed from white to blue to mirror its master's energy. And when I say Genyr chose Rae, I mean it." Aniela paused for a moment before beginning the story, "When the colonel was found, he was swordless. So, several weapons whose masters had passed were set before Rae, and he was given the choice to pick his new weapon. Genyr was amongst the choices."

"No one knows why, but the moment that Rae reached out to pick up a weapon, Genyr flew into his hand. Even when he set it back down and reached for a different weapon, Genyr returned to his hand. Genyr is a very opinionated sword – and I've been told that his first master was highly opinionated, too – and wouldn't let the colonel choose any weapon other than him."

"A weapon that has lost the link to its original master can never create a link that powerful again. It can still link to another angel, but it won't be as strong. This means it is easier for others to wield it even when they are not its master."

"This applies to Genyr as well, but he is very fussy about who touches him. So, I am very surprised that he is actually behaving right now," Aniela commented as she gestured to the blue blade. "He usually doesn't let anyone other than the colonel wield him."

Axel furrowed his brows as he looked down at the sword. "I guess he just likes me, then."

"I guess so," Aniela agreed as she momentarily raised a brow.

Another question popped into Axel's mind as Aniela uncrossed her arms. Motioning to the scabbard in her hand, he asked, "So, why does Rae use a scabbard? Is it because Genyr was not originally his?"

"No," Aniela shook her head. "Even a weapon that obtains a new master can be housed within its angel. In the colonel's case..." Aniela lowered her head as she explained the reason behind Rae always carrying Genyr in a scabbard. "He can't."

Axel remained quiet as he waited for Aniela to continue. It clearly was a heavy topic to discuss, so he did not push her to answer his question immediately.

"He lost his first weapon to Hades. When an angel was captured by Hades five centuries ago before High Angel Orion struck a peace treaty with Demon King Aklys...Hades would forcefully extract the angel's weapon. This was done to the colonel, though he does not recall."

"During the procedure, the colonel lost the ability to house a weapon within him, so he has to carry Genyr with him wherever he goes." Both Axel and Aniela returned to silence when she finished explaining why Rae always had his sword with him.

Axel's heart broke for the colonel. He had lived a life of sadness, loss, and pain. Axel knew what it was like to lose those precious to you, but he could not beat the pain that the colonel must feel. To lose those you love but not able to remember their love would break even the strongest.