*Robert*

"Tammy," I said, staring at the laptop screen. Dylan had to log off for a bit as the second-years had begun to catch on. Ha. That Lei guy certainly was something. How had he figured out that we were spying on him?

My eyes shifted toward Iah, who was sitting in a corner, rotating stones around his hand. Why was he using such basic training?

"Shouldn't you try out something more intensive?" I asked.

"I need to learn to crawl before I can walk again," the prince of Mina mumbled.

What did he mean by that? He wasn't a beginner. Had something happened to him that I was unaware of?

"I've been meaning to ask, but you're that Hierarchian general, aren't you? General Boheart, I think it was," Iah said, raising his piercing golden eyes at me.

I smirked. "Ahh, so you caught me. Truth be told, I'm surprised to see you again so soon. More so that you decided to join our little group."

Iah turned away. "I had no choice."

I scoffed. "One always has a choice. It's just that some have worse outcomes or higher risks than others. You simply took what you felt was the 'safe' choice."

He frowned and stood up. "I'm going to go check out the training room. Meant to check it out earlier."

Why hadn't he?

My eyes shifted back to Dylan's laptop. He had lent it to me while he went out grocery shopping. We had no ingredients for tonight's dinner.

I smiled. "Has Mrs. Huo given you a regimen yet?"

He turned around. "No, but isn't everyone training in their own way?"

"Not exactly. Most of us follow Ms. Huo's regimens. She can make some really good ones. That woman's the closest we got to a 'Team Mom' here. Hmm, wonder if I could ask her to make one for a certain blonde."

He pointed at himself. "Me?"

I laughed. "No, not you! Someone a lot peppier."

The prince narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you calling me mopey?"

"Huh? That wasn't my intention. It's just that Cart really is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy."

His expression softened. "Oh? I knew someone like that. Well, a couple of people like that."

"I see. Hey, how about a spar?"

He stared at his rocks. "I have to decline. My power still needs polishing. I don't want to have to depend on Ratmir to win. Especially a spar of all things."

I sighed. "If you say so." Had hoped that he would use it. Learning the fighting style of Ratmir was paramount.

"Hmph, what better way than to polish your power in battle?" a maroon-haired girl dressed from head to toe in black leather said as she walked into the room. She bared her teeth at Iah.

He snickered, causing her to grumble.

"What's so funny?"

"Sorry, it's just that you reminded me of one of my teammates with that. He loves battling to test his strength. Though, your demeanor is more like that of my other teammate and the aforementioned one's triplet sister."

Triplet sister? So the one she reminded him of had to be Lei or his brother.

I snickered. "Seems Cart has a lot in common with this friend of yours."

He smiled. "Yeah."

"So, still not going to battle?" the girl grunted.

Iah smirked and approached her. "Fine. I'll accept your challenge. I just hope I do not disappoint."

"Uh, I challenged him first," I said, pointing at myself as I gave her a slight smile.

"Hmph, don't be a sore loser, kid," my leather-clad teammate said.

I sighed. If she thought that I was being a sore loser, what would she think if she met Carter? "Fine. You can fight him first, Avril."

She grinned. "Great!"

I laughed. This girl really was Bernard's sister.

"Say, do you know how your brother's doing?"

"Berny? Last I heard, he's doing well." She frowned. "Though, Mother says that Dad wants to disown him. He would've preferred his son die than to have returned a failure."

I sighed. The Hierarchian worldview really was like that of my old country.

"Apart from Dylan, are all of you Hierarchians?" Iah asked, backing away. Was he afraid of us?

I laughed. "Actually, I'm not a Hierarchian at all! I come from the country of flaming lions."

"I see." Iah gasped and turned to look at Avril. "Wait, your brother survived Hideo's attack and the subsequent fall?"

Avril smirked. "What? You thought my brother was so that weak that he would die that easily?"

*Lithdia*

I knocked on the door of an apartment building. Hadn't expected that Bernard would come to a place this meek-looking. Not that it was shabby, simply that he enjoyed places with gold paint and marble. Not exposed concrete and run-of-the-mill paints.

My brow furrowed. Had he not heard my initial knocking? Wait, what if he fell down? Perhaps, I should've opened it myself. I used to be great at lockpicking as a kid! But that was illegal... It was best not to get myself into any more trouble.

I fisted my hand out to knock again, but the door cracked open. A pair of red eyes peered back at me.

"How long are you going to stand there? Thought that you would've given up by now," he said.

I narrowed my eyes at my insufferable fiancee. He wore a muscle shirt, so one could see his toned arms and partially his abs. But those weren't what stuck out to me. There were stitches in some parts and even scars. The doctors at the hospital had told his mother that they would've healed by the time he was out. It'd already been a couple of days since. While talented, they clearly overestimated their skills.

"You know me better than that. I don't give up easily!" I said, huffing.

He gave me one of his signature smirks and opened the door wider. "True. Well, come in. I can get you some coffee or juice if you like."

"Thanks, but I mainly came to check up on how you were doing." I lowered my head. "I really messed up in our mission. If I hadn't been so proud, maybe we could've won and Gavin wouldn't have been captured." I gasped as a hand fell over my head.

His fiery eyes for once seemed still, lacking their chaotic energy. "Listen, it's not your fault. You're not the only one who miscalculated."

I turned away. "But, you were pushed to leave your place."

He let go of me and put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, so what? It was high time that I left the nest. Avril did so years ago, and she's younger than me."

Avril, it'd been some time since I'd heard that name. The government officials sent her to Tozan Hoshi on a mission, but it seemed to be more of an excuse to get rid of her. Avril was a loose cannon. Even as a child, she asked too many questions that the adults preferred not to answer. Or perhaps, that they couldn't answer.

I smiled. "You truly are surprisingly mature, Bern."

His cheeks flushed. "You said the same thing in Sera."

I laughed. "It's still a bit alien to think that the bully who beat up kids because of their looks grew up to be so thoughtful."

He ruffled his crimson hair and let out a loud sigh. "Alright, that's enough passive-aggressiveness for me, missy."

I jabbed his side. "Hey, it was a compliment!"

Bern winced.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Thought you claimed to be fine when you left home."

He gripped his side. "It's that you hit hard."

"That was a light tap."

He grumbled. "Well, you clearly don't know your own strength."

This time, it was my turn to give him a stern look. "I'm being serious. You took a while getting up to open the door, didn't you?"

He averted his gaze. "I was watching tv."

"The television isn't even on!"

"I turned it off..."

I grumbled. Liar! I would've heard it with how sensitive my hearing was, but I had heard the faint sound of metal clinging. His increased heart rate didn't inspire any confidence in me either. "I take back what I said about you being mature."

He sighed. "Alright, you caught me. But I'll be fine. I just have to take it easy."

I leaned in and sniffed him.

"W-what are you doing?" he asked, stepping back.

"You smell of sweat!" I said. "You've been working out, haven't you?"

He rubbed his forehead. "There really is no escaping your observation skills, is there?"

I held out my hand and formed a v. "Nope! I'm an ace detective after all!"

He snorted but winced.

"You pushed yourself too far."

He gave a small smile. "I'll be fine. Just put me down on the sofa."

I did as he asked. "You didn't tear anything, did you?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Just pain, but it'll pass."

His heartbeat was regular, meaning he wasn't lying.

"Want me to get you something? You could use a drink."

Bern smiled. "I'm supposed to be host here."

I ran over to the kitchen, which was only separated from the living room by half a wall. "I'll get something for myself too."

He leaned back on the sofa, spreading his arms across like a so-called 'cool' guy. "Help yourself to what's available. As for me, get me a coffee."

"Okay." I gasped as soon as I opened the fridge.

Bern sat up. "What? Nothing in there should be expired. I barely bought everything the other day."

"It's not that. It occurred to me, has Delphine not come here?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but only for a bit. Think you've outlasted her stay now."

I furrowed my brow. "Wait, that brief?"

"She did say that she had to go to the gym with her cousin." He shrugged. "That said, this place might've scared her off, knowing how she is."

True, for a snob, this place would be like a poor house. Though, my gut told me that wasn't it. Delphine hadn't gone back to acting like her usual self. Neither had Aida.

Bernard leaned his head back as I returned to the living room with a can of coffee. It was hard to believe that the guy liked it cold.

"What?" I asked, staring at his smile.

"You're worried about Delphine, aren't you?"

I grumbled. "No, I'm not. Just found it odd not to see her as she likes to orbit the 'sun' called Bernard."

He reached his hand out and took the coffee. "Liar. If you want, we can go see her."

"Nice try, but I'll go by myself."

He smirked. "So I was right."

I gasped. "Y-you tricked me!"

He popped his can open and chuckled. "Sorry, sweetheart, but you stepped into that one yourself."

Hmm, I guess that I had. 

My free hand tingled as he took it. "Like us, Delphine wishes to get stronger. No, she must get stronger. Likewise goes for Aida, you, and I. Wouldn't even be surprised if Gavin were training himself in his cell."

"You think that he's still alive?" I asked.

He put his drink down on the table. "Of course. Gavin offers them an opportunity to obtain information on us. Not that Gavin would be an easy nut to crack. That guy's withstood more pain than anyone I know."

W-what did he mean by that?

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter ^^. Thoughts? Predictions?**