It's normal to feel afraid. In fact, it would be weirder if they say they weren't. This wasn't their 'safe' control pod in the Second World anymore. This was their reality.

But isn't that all the more reason they should fight?

"... Argh!!! I can't take it anymore!" Arata yelled, sitting up from his position on the couch. He and a lot of the other children were gathered in the lounge room, most of them deep in thought until he interrupted.

"Arata, keep it down." Yuno reminded. "We're all just as agitated as you are, but screaming like that won't help."

"But I just don't get it!" He didn't even bother lowering his tone despite being scowled at. "Why didn't we just speak up earlier?! We fought Seredy just like this, didn't we?! So why?! Why can't we just stand up to it like before?!"

"Because the situation's much graver this time." Haruki answered. "This fight is in a scale much larger than any of us had ever faced before. While Ban-san and the Seekers are used to such crisises, we are not."

"But they've been fighting since they were our age! Why can't we be just like them?!"

"Now, now. Don't push yourselves." As if on cue, Ban walked in, a gentle smile on his face. "You're getting too worked up. I can hear you from across the hall."

"Ban-san..."

The brunette scanned over the gloomy faces of the children. "So only Itan and Rain have made their decisions."

"Eh? Those two...?"

"They came straight to Takuya-san after the meeting, saying they want to be on the forefront. Well, I'm not surprised. Those two have always been the most vengeful about the World Sabers."

To think, something as ugly as revenge could be the strongest motivator in a fight against bad guys. Arata felt disgusted with himself. Isn't it times like these where valiant hearts are meant to prevail? People who actually care about saving the world... Shouldn't they be the ones who are braver?

"You shouldn't think of it as a competition." All eyes went back to the brunette. "This isn't about who is better than who. Everyone is entitled to their own feelings, and no one should be allowed to pressure you for being afraid."

"Ban-san, how did you do it?" Arata asked. "How did you conquer your fear of fighting?"

"Who told you I did?" Seeing their shocked faces made him chuckle. "Even now, I'm still scared of dying. I'm scared of losing those who are important to me."

"Then... Why?"

"If I fought, then I would risk losing something. But if I didn't fight, I'll definitely lose everything." He took out his LBX, Achilles, and moved it around the room. Making sure everyone has gotten a good look at it, he let it land on his shoulder. "I took a step back and thought about everything and everyone I've ever cared about. From my family, my friends, to LBXs, and much, much more. Each and every single one of them is worth fighting for. They're all worth protecting. And then I thought, 'If I don't do it, who will?'"

Something clicked in the back of their heads. Seeing the new found light in their eyes, he gave them all a nod. "Your decision is up to you. Just know that no matter what you chose, we're all proud of you, and we're grateful for everything you've done in the past year."

With that final note, he left.

~~~~~

"So... Are you going?"

"I really wish I could, but Hibiki gave me another task to take care of." Mavis sighed. She tore her eyes away from her laptop and lifted her head up to meet the other woman's gaze. "What about you, Mami-san?"

"I'm definitely tempted to." She briefly glanced over the gun the younger had on her belt. "A ghost from the past decided to come back to life. I wanna be the one to make sure he stays dead, but sadly, killing people is illegal."

S-'Sadly' she says...

"I don't feel like going back to jail after whatever Eva had to do to get me out." She dropped her weight on the other side of the table, crossing her leg over the other.

"So then...?"

"I'm not gonna go." She shrugged. "And since I've got nothing better to do, can I help you out?"

"Sure-" She blinked. "...Wait, me?!"

Mami raised an eyebrow at this. "Yeah? Who else? All I've been doing these past few months is taking care of you, so isn't this what you'd expect?"

"Well... I guess...? But, the others..."

"They've got people backing them up. You don't. And from all those notes I saw in your room, you'd going to need a few extra hands."

"You're... not wrong." Mavis took a glance at her laptop before looking up at Mami again. "Alright. How good are you at tracking and tracing?"

A smirk appeared on her lips. "One of the best."

~~~~~~~~~~

Arbitrium: Latin for 'decision'