Once he had steeled his resolve, Castyr split from his team and joined the other two snipers at a hovercraft that was waiting in a nearby square.

"Hey, Castyr," Mino, a fellow lieutenant sniper greeted as the star reached the square. He extended his hand, and the two snipers went in for a quick hug with a slap on the back. "How's it? Nervous?"

"A little," Castyr answered truthfully with a slight bob of his head from side to side. Mino nodded in understanding before patting the star on the back. "You'll do fine," he encouraged.

Castyr nodded in thanks as the two hurried for the awaiting craft where they spied the silent sniper leaning against the small hovership. "Jaemyn," Castyr greeted as he nodded at the captain sniper from Beta Team. The white-haired angel nodded back silently as the snipers' pilot joined them.

"Hey, lads," the pilot greeted.

"Aki," Mino and Castyr greeted in unison as the pilot hurried past them and hopped into the craft. The three snipers followed Aki onto the hovership and took their seats. After checking the craft, the pilot powered the engines, and the ship slowly lifted from the ground. Aki put the craft in stealth mode the moment they flew above the skyscrapers, and the craft became veiled.

Mino was the first to get ready as the four flew over the five miles between the base and the tower. The craft's hatch lowered as they hovered above the bank. Mino grabbed ahold of the thin, black rope anchored to the craft and walked to the edge of the hatch.

"Stay alive," Castyr called out as the angel reached the edge. Mino playfully saluted Castyr with a wink as he slid down the rope and safely landed on the bank's roof. Aki retracted the rope as Mino readied his weapons. Castyr saw the sniper wave as the hatch closed, and the craft continued to its next destination.

Next up was Beta Team. Jaemyn stood and prepared his gear as the craft neared the city's cultural center. The sniper was silent as usual, and his expression remained cool as the hatch lowered. He then walked to the edge and prepared for his jump.

"Stay safe, Jaemyn," Castyr bid as the angel readied himself. "Let's have a shoot-off when we get back?"

Jaemyn looked up and nodded at the star in short response before exiting the craft. The pilot moved on once the rope was retracted, and the hum of the engines became nearly nonexistent as the craft slowed when it reached the tower. Castyr grabbed onto the rope as the hatch lowered. After making sure his equipment was secure, Castyr walked to the edge.

"Good luck out there, Lieutenant," Aki bid with a salute as the last of the three snipers prepared to jump.

Castyr gave the pilot a short nod before sliding down the hope. Reacting quickly, Castyr tightened his hold and stopped halfway. A demon sniper was perched on the west edge of the roof. Luckily, the star had spotted him before his location was given away.

Gripping onto the rope with one hand, Castyr quietly drew his handgun with his free hand. The star steadied his aim at the demon and fired two shots to the neck. The moment the demon dropped dead, Castyr holstered his gun and loosened his grip to continue his descent. The star's grip tightened once more as he reached the roof of the tower, and the rope was retracted immediately after Castyr safely landed.

As soon as Castyr's feet hit the hard surface of the tower, the star silently moved to the east side of the roof. He set up his rifle and scoped out the surrounding area. Though the tower was extremely high from the ground, Castyr's scope was powerful enough to see each individual on the sidewalks and streets below.

The star released a quiet breath as he looked away from his scope and down at the device on his wrist. The attack was scheduled to begin in ten minutes, so Castyr ran the protocols through his head as he waited in silence.

The star spied several demons stationed on the roofs of surrounding skyscrapers. They were Castyr's first targets, but he would not eliminate them until his team arrived. This would avoid alerting the demons to the attack prematurely. The star's next targets were the demons stationed around the base of the tower. Castyr needed to take them out to allow Alpha Team to enter the Transport Tower. From there, it would be up to Castyr's teammates to fight their way to the highest floor which was directly beneath the star.

Castyr backed away from his scope and took a second to look around the roof. It was flat except for the pop-up of maintenance doors that led into the emergency stairwell below. The star released a shaky breath as he stared at the doors leading down to the transport floor: the place where it happened.

The star cleared his throat and pulled his gaze away from the set of double doors. He did not want to think about the traumatizing fight that separated him from Kilo when he was supposed to be preparing for the battle that would begin in the upcoming minutes. Castyr's priority was getting his team into the tower safely; he needed to focus on that and only that. The lives of his teammates depended on his concentration.

Castyr glued his eye to his scope when gunfire and explosions from Beta Team signaled that the battle had begun. The star peered through his scope to see his team cautiously making their way down the street that led directly to the Transport Tower. Needing to pave the way for his teammates, Castyr aimed his rifle at a demon perched on the building his team was sneaking around. The star rested his finger against the trigger before firing his silenced rifle and taking out the demon with one shot.

The bullets from Castyr's rifle were large enough to practically decapitate demons, so Castyr could rest assured his enemies would be forever eliminated should his bullets find their marks in the demon's necks. The star watched the demon's body fall off the building's roof and onto the ground before moving on to his next target. After he eliminated the demons stationed on the roofs of the surrounding buildings, Castyr aimed at the ones milling about the tower's base.

"Sniper on the roof!" The warning shout caused Castyr's heart rate to spike. He had been spotted!

"F*ck!" Castyr swiftly eliminated two demons at the tower's base and found his team in the scope. They were advancing quickly and should be able to enter the tower without much resistance since Castyr had cleared the path.

Moving his gaze away from his team, Castyr spotted a lone demon on a building that he had already cleared. The demon was waving in gesture to the star on the roof, assumedly alerting her fellow demons to Castyr's location. Ah, so you are the one who reported me. Castyr did not spare a second and eliminated her.

The doors to the roof banged open a second after Castyr fired at the one who had exposed his presence. The star whipped around to see five demons enter the roof. Castyr quickly shot one in the neck before another sped toward him. Rolling to dodge the demon's sword, Castyr scrambled to his feet. He drew his gun in one fluid motion and fired two shots into the demon's head.

A low growl sounded just before Castyr was tackled. The star's gun spun away from him as his face was pinned to the ground and a sharp weight was pressed into his back. Castyr's hand reached for his thigh as the nozzle of a gun was pressed against his head. He grabbed his knife as the gun prepared to fire and stabbed the blade into the demon's side. The demon hissed from the pain, and Castyr successfully jerked himself out from under his opponent.

The star scrambled for his lost gun the moment he was free. The fourth demon came to the third's aid only to be met with two bullets in the throat. Castyr quickly turned to face the third demon as he lunged for the star. The two fell to the ground, only this time, Castyr held onto his gun. The star cried out in pain as the demon sank his teeth into his shoulder.

Bringing the gun up to his chest, Castyr pressed the barrel against the demon's neck as the demon dug his fangs deeper into the star's flesh. Blood splattered all over Castyr as he pulled the trigger. He immediately pushed the limp body off of him and staggered to his feet. Hot, red liquid trickled down Castyr's arm and dripped onto the surface of the roof.

The last demon lingered, a deadly gleam in her eye. She enjoyed watching Castyr fight the four demons. The lethal female curled her lips into a sadistic smirk as she extracted several throwing daggers. In one swift movement, the demon threw her first dagger. Castyr barely managed to dodge the blade before she threw another.

The star found himself staring off the edge of the roof as he evaded the green blade. When he had regained his balance, Castyr turned around and faced the demon. He raised his arm and aimed his pistol as she prepared another attack. In the same second, a bullet left Castyr's gun, and a blade left her hand. The two weapons passed each other, Castyr's bullet finding its mark in the demon's throat as the dagger sunk itself into the star's leg.

The force from the quick blade caused Castyr to stagger. He pulled the blade from his leg as he lost his balance. The star's foot slipped in the pool of blood beneath him, and he fell off the edge of the tower.

The sudden weightlessness overwhelmed Castyr. His body felt limp. The star's grasp on the gun loosened, and it slipped from his hand. Castyr looked up at the dark sky and stared at the shimmering stars. The unexpected contrast of the chaotic battle and silence that consumed Castyr as he fell was deafening.

...Ahhh...this isn't so bad. The fall was peaceful. Castyr had not been so relaxed in years. The star's breath escaped his lips in a single exhale. He was too tired to chase it. But, his heart began to pound as the tips of the skyscrapers loomed over him, and he was reminded of his resolve.

I can't die yet! I have to find... I have to find... The weightless sensation seemed like a drug; it overtook Castyr, and his eyes slipped closed. Castyr's body relaxed in the impending limbo. It felt as if this weightless state would never end. But, the star's heart came alive with a single touch.

Castyr's heart pounded in his chest as he felt strong arms wrap around him. One cradled Castyr's head while the other held his waist. A warm breath sent tingles down the star's spine as Castyr opened his eyes to see purple orbs gazing down at him. Time seemed to stop as he watched the angel's black hair flow in front of those intoxicating purple eyes.

Castyr's breath returned as he stared at the beautiful man above him. Suddenly, black wings spread out above Castyr. The two seemed to float as the wings slowed their fall. The angel moved his hands to cradle Castyr in his arms. And instead of landing on the ground, the wings took the two high in the sky. They flew away from the tower and the battle. They flew away from it all.

The angel took Castyr to a skyscraper a safe distance from the battle. The moment the two landed on the building's roof, the angel fell to his knees with Castyr still in his hold. The star and angel melted in each other's arms. Everything felt as if it were a dream until Castyr felt the man's pounding heart. He is here. I am with him. I am in his arms. We are together.

"Kilo." Tears streamed down Castyr's face freely as he wrapped his arms around the angel's neck.

"I found you." Kilo's voice quivered as he held his star tightly. The two remained in each other's embrace, soaking in the other's touch and presence.

Kilo pulled Castyr away from his chest when he felt the hot blood that oozed from the star's shoulder. Tears filled the angel's eyes as he reached for the star's wounds. As Kilo placed his hand on Castyr's shoulder, a warmth spread through the star, making Castyr melt into Kilo even more. The wound was healed when Kilo removed his hand.

"Where have you been?" Fresh tears flowed as Castyr looked up at his hand with blurry eyes.

Kilo put his hands on Castyr's cheeks and gently wiped away a tear with his thumb. "Later. I'll tell you everything later." His voice was low and soft. Castyr nodded in silence and leaned into Kilo's touch.

Sounds from the distant battle drew the two's attention back to the Transport Tower. Castyr's eyes widened as he remembered his team's mission. Were they at the transport level? Did they make it into the tower safely?

Sensing Castyr's sudden worry, Kilo followed the star's gaze to the tower. Looking back to the star, Kilo gently pulled Castyr into him and gave the star one more hug before saying, "Wait for me here, okay? I'll come back."

Castyr looked at Kilo with wide eyes when he realized what the angel was going to do. He knew there was no stopping Kilo from joining the fight, so he nodded and affectionately threatened, "I'll kill you if you don't. I just got you back."

Kilo smiled at Castyr before healing the wound on the star's leg. He then stood to his feet and approached the edge of the building. In the blink of an eye, Kilo was gone, leaving Castyr alone on the roof. The star released a sharp breath as he watched the angel fly away.

Please don't let this be a dream... Please don't wake me up.

Alpha Team:
• Major Azyr - Team Leader, Swordsman
• Major Sinjae - Team Leader B, Gunsman and Strategist
• Captain Minhyuk - Dagger and Knife Specialist
• Lieutenant Castyr - Sniper
• Lieutenant Destil - Gunsman