*Starting Scene*

Reverting to Linesville, an hour passed since Dante and Trace's confrontation with each other as both now reside in the town's clinic. This took place after Trace wasn't able to respond to Dante's offer of him joining the group. The reason for that was from the returning Sheriff interrupting them, who wasn't too pleased by the damage they inflicted onto the area during their fight. Luckily, between Yuki and Ilya, they managed to convince the Sheriff not to incarcerate the two young men as the pair even gave him the money necessary to cover what's been destroyed, which happened to be almost all of the money they carried with them. Normally, the Sheriff wouldn't have accepted that to be enough to let such a heinous act go, however, remembered that if it wasn't for the fellows, then Linesville probably would still be in danger via the Cockatrice's rampage and much greater damage could have been created.

With the Sheriff as an escort, Dante and Trace are getting their wounds treated while in separate rooms that each contain a big, rectangular, see-through window. Because of that, the two teenage girls can watch the gentlemen's treatment, Dante's more specifically, from the decently-sized hallway they presently reside. At the moment, there's only one male, elderly, Caucasian doctor on duty with five, young, gorgeous nurses dressed in a white uniform assisting him. The quintet are near Ilya's height, however unlike the average nurse, these female individuals are Healing Spellcasters as they're primarily used for quick fixes due to how much more convenient it is to utilize magic over the usual medical means that are available.

Trace becomes the main focus, sitting atop a mobile, white-sheet, medical bed parallel to the big window while the lad faces towards it. At the same time, the aqua-eyed guy doesn't have his vest nor his metal arm pads on as four nurses work together to rim him of his injuries by lightly wielding their hands over his bare torso with a mild pink aura generated. This fact forces the quartet to faintly blush, mainly thanks to how attractive Trace is, while doing everything they can so he wouldn't notice. During that, the four dames shared swift glances with one another to show how his appearance is affecting them.

Fortunately for them, Trace didn't depict their behavior since he was too immersed in his thoughts, both hands resting on the bed for leverage, and has his head lowered to stare at the clinic's tiled floor as he recalls every aspect of the battle against Dante within his mind. "That guy... Did he really ask me to join him?" His eyes narrow out of frustration while continuing his internal dialogue. "What the hell is he thinking?! I've never met someone as crazy as him!" Trace then relaxes via taking a deep breath as he peers at the ceiling and spaces out until thinking, "Does he know...? Did he read my mind and found out what I'm aiming for...? Who I want to kill?"

As Trace was busy with his thoughts, Dante's checked up by the Doctor wearing a navy-colored uniform, a white lab coat, has ruffled grey hair, brown eyes and is fairly fat. In the meantime, the last nurse waits on standby for the Doctor to instruct her on what needs healing, nervously watching the blonde nonchalantly sitting atop a medical bed just like the one Trace is currently on. In addition, Dante's also shirtless with both his hoodie and long-sleeved shirt located at his left while possessing both gloves in his back pockets per their usual placement when he's not using them.

Concern soon envelopes the Doctor during his examination of Dante's abdomen while in a bent posture, makes eye contact with the green-eyed gentleman and then straightens himself. "Amazingly, you are not as hurt as the other young man who came in with you." He puts pressure upon Dante's rib region where he got kicked by Trace via both hands, his composition slumped forth again. "This is where the most damage was initiated. Merely a few cracked ribs. Nothing too hard to repair." The Doctor motions at the nurse with his left hand, considering that's the direction she's stationed and says without looking at her, "Come along, dear. This will be the focal point of the treatment."

The nurse, owning very short, straight, violet hair, fair skin and blue eyes, sharply nods while partially flustered. "Yes, sir!" She rushes around the Doctor so she can stand next to Dante's left, gently plants both hands on his side as the nurse turns red a bit and begins healing the character.

The Doctor fixes his constitution again with his eyes set on Dante as he speaks in a firm voice. "May I ask you a question, young man?"

Dante cheerfully smiles at the Doctor before closing his eyes. "Sure! Go right ahead!"

The Doctor clears his throat. "You see, amidst my examination of your body, I took into account how durable it is. This, of course, explains why your injuries are so minimal." Suspicion overtakes his expression. "However, I must inquire that you should not make a habit of relying on it so much. The human body has a breaking point and you..." He lightly groans. "Your only issue is not simply how you neglect your body's limitations..."

Dante softly laughs while implementing his sights back onto the Doctor. "Sorry, but can you quit beating around the bush and say it already? I like it better when people are straight-forward with me."

The Doctor briefly hesitates until inquiring with a stern demeanor, "When was the last time you have slept? It may not be noticeable at first glance, however after inspecting you, there's an unnatural amount of fatigue ailing your person."

Dante's happy attitude doesn't falter, his concentration remaining on the Doctor. "It's been a while. Don't worry about it though, Doc... I'm used to not really sleeping for long periods of time."

The Doctor grows worried, trying to maintain his professional composure. "Why is that? What made you live in such a manner that caused you to be the worst case of Insomnia I have ever seen?"

Dante gives the Doctor a skeptical look. "That's my personal business, so please, mind yours."

The Doctor's taken back by Dante's words with the nurse healing the wavy-haired fellow watching him in bewilderment. Not long after, the older man politely nods with his eyes shut. "I understand." He shifts his gaze to the nurse as sadness is radiating. "Once you are done, show him and his party out. This one's on me."

Surprise forms on the nurse's being and rests her focus on the Doctor prior to nodding. "Yes, Doctor."

Dante contentedly smirks at the Doctor. "Thank you for that!"

The Doctor resets his attention to Dante, who's personality stays the same, as he nods in acceptance of the blonde's gratitude. After doing that, the grey-haired adult silently turns away from Dante and exits the room through the sole door that's towards the window's right. As soon as that's done, the Doctor walks up to Ilya and Yuki from their left as they had kept observing Dante while equally affected by their companion's lack of upper-body clothing. Once he reaches Ilya, the closest of the pair while still holding the white backpack, the elderly individual talks to both girls with substantial concern. "It would be best for the two of you to monitor his actions. Ensure he minimizes any rash decisions and gets some proper rest."

Ilya confronts the Doctor with worry overflowing. "Wait! Are you saying he hasn't been sleeping well?!"

Curiosity adds to the Doctor's conduct. "You have not realized his severe condition? He has an extreme case of Insomnia." He profoundly sighs while mildly slanting his head to the left. "I tried to find out how long he has gone without sleeping, however, he refused to tell me." The grey-haired man fixes his head. "How long have you known him?"

Yuki's the first to respond from behind Ilya with her right hand raised while peering over the headband-wearing teen's right. "I've known him for almost a week."

Disbelief plagues the Doctor. "Excuse me?!" He hastily veers his gaze to Ilya while attempting to restrain his astonishment. "And you?"

Ilya shamefully answers after lifting her right hand to scratch the cheek it corresponds to. "Ummm... Roughly two weeks... Maybe a little less..."

Shock encompasses both the Doctor and Yuki as they yell out in unison following the pink-haired beauty putting her hand down, "What?!"

An enraged scowl surfaces as Ilya snaps her head to Yuki with her eastern limb lowered too. "Why are you surprised?! I already mentioned I haven't known him for that long when we were talking earlier!"

Yuki abruptly remembers that being true before hitting her left palm with the bottom of her right hand after closing it while having both drawn to her midsection. "Oh, yeah! I forgot!"

Ilya smacks her forehead via her left hand after dropping the large backpack onto the floor ahead of her feet, navigates her head back to the Doctor and releases an exasperated sigh with her eyes shut. "God! What am I going to do with you?!"

An uncertain demeanor etches itself upon the Doctor as he thinks, "I wonder... Are they really the best to be trusted with the care of such a problematic young man..." He directs his sights onto Dante while persisting his thoughts. "Or did he purposely choose them to be his acquaintances because he knows they are like this, and more than likely, can't change his way of being?" The Doctor eventually decides to leave the two teenage girls as both Ilya and Yuki lock their eyes once again on Dante. 

Simultaneously, Dante retains himself sitting on top of the bed in an aloof manner, now analyzing the ceiling above him. 

While Dante does that, the violet-haired nurse shyly peers at Dante, blushing, and thinks, "So pretty...! I can't believe he has Insomnia! You wouldn't guess it from how he looks!"

Dante, hearing the nurse's thoughts, chuckles prior to issuing her an amused smile. "Hi, there! Is there something you'd wish to express to me?"

The nurse blushes even more, commencing to panic amidst stuttering, "H-Huh?!" She frantically shakes her head before refocusing on the area she's healing. "N-No! Not at all!"

Dante rolls his eyes without altering his personality and concentrates towards his right out of the corner of his eyes. "Okay. Whatever you say."

The violet-haired nurse tries to calm herself as she tries to keep her vision on Dante's rib region, internally questioning, "W-Why... D-D-Did it f-feel... L-Like he knew... W-What I was thinking?!"

Dante can't help chuckling again after listening to the nurse's thoughts, seeming to take enjoyment in how she's reacting. Then, with barely any consideration for the female's present mental state, the blonde brings his face close to hers as a hint of curiosity is portrayed. "By the way, can you do me a favor?"

The nurse's eyes widen following her swiftly viewing Dante while starting to hyperventilate and hesitantly nods during her reply. "I-Indeed. What do you have in mind?"

Dante grins in a devious manner, chuckling. "It's something only someone of your..." He temporarily diverts his gaze. "How should I say...?" Dante steers his attention back to the woman. "It's something solely a chick with your UNIQUE characteristics can do for me at this point in time."

The blue-eyed nurse's at the brink of fainting thanks to her assuming something completely inappropriate and babbles without making much sense, although Dante does understand what she's attempting to convey through his ability while finding it funny.

Concurrently, Ilya and Yuki watch on again, however, with an ominous aura emitting from the pair while thinking in unison as they tightly clench their hands into fist after putting them down to opposite sectors of their constitution, "There he goes again! Why does he do that?!" They let out an infuriated, mental groan.

As that transpires, Trace exits the room he resided, which happened to be towards the left of Dante's, while fully clothed in his battered attire. The gentleman then heads to Ilya and Yuki as he observes Dante, faintly narrowing his visible eye due to seeing the violet-haired nurse while thinking, "There's only one healing him." He glances behind himself to witness the four nurses that treated him standing a few meters away, chatting among themselves as they're ogling Dante in the same way they did with Trace. It doesn't take Trace long to get moderately agitated prior to returning his focus to Dante, continuing his thoughts, "Why is it that I had four of them working on me and not him?! Is it that I'm truly so much weaker and he lied about going all out just as I suspected?! That son of a-!"

Yuki haphazardly interrupts Trace's inner rant, having recently noted his advancement towards her, while shouting with content appearing, "Trace!" She hurries toward Trace to station herself a couple of meters in front of him with both hands joined together while descended. "Are you alright?"

Trace's caught a little off guard by Yuki's unexpected questioning of his well-being since he and Dante were fighting not long ago. "Uhhh... Yeah. I'm fine."

A sigh of relief escapes Yuki's lips as she places her left hand over the middle of her chest while containing it closed. "Good. I don't need you dying on me before I could thank you for helping me with those two creeps."

Trace immediately gawks at Yuki. "Seriously? That's why?"

Confusion establishes itself onto Yuki. "Well, of course. I was raised to always show proper respect to those who deserve it."

Ilya injects herself into the conversation after arriving at her companion's right while leaving the backpack lying upon the floor where she previously stood as she issues the blue-eyed girl a scrutinizing look with her arms entwined. "Really now? Because I haven't received this so-called PROPER respect you're talking about."

Yuki grits her teeth, switching her vision to Ilya, and descends her left hand next to herself. "Hence why I said DESERVE, Miss Know-It-All!"

Both teens glare at each other with the tension running high as Trace questions himself within his mind while dumbfounded by what's occurring ahead of him. "Are these two actually friends? They don't act like it, that's for sure. It's almost as if they're forced to deal with one another." He then takes the opportunity to deviate himself from the two feuding beauties and heads towards the four nurses, who are filled with envy as they comment among themselves about how lucky their fellow nurse is to be treating Dante by herself.

A few seconds later, Trace calmly speaks to the quartet while trying not to exhibit aggression in any way as he extends his right hand out to get their attention. "Pardon me, ladies. Can I have a moment of your time?"

A nurse with long, green hair retorts after facing Trace, her colleagues behind her softly gossiping because of the purple-haired guy's attractive appearance. "Of course. What do you desire from us, sir?"

Trace responds without changing his attitude. "I was just curious..." He glances over at the violet-haired nurse. "Well, I couldn't help noticing that she alone is treating him..." The aqua-eyed male returns his concentration to the chick. "She isn't a higher class Spellcaster than you all, is she?"

The three individuals behind the green-haired nurse shake their heads, the fourth casually answering in the process, "Indeed, she isn't. We're each Class D Plus Spellcasters."

A somber demeanor engulfs Trace, his visible eye growing dull. "I see..." The young man alters his focus back to Dante and thinks as irritation dwells within, "That means I didn't do shit to him, after all! That bull he spouted about me pushing him to his limit was a lie!"

Dante unexpectedly looks up at Trace with a plain expression after gaining some distance from the violet-haired nurse, who's currently checking his clothes and is blushing out of embarrassment for some reason. Then, the Caucasian earnestly shakes his head in disagreement of Trace's recent thoughts.

Trace's briefly caught off guard by Dante's actions until remembering the blonde's unique ability and becomes quite frustrated while thinking, "You know that's really annoying, right?!"

Dante gives Trace an apologetic smirk before mouthing to him as he lightly shrugs, "Sorry, can't help it."

Trace releases a mild sigh after figuring out Dante's speech with his head lowered while shutting his eyes.

Registering Trace's behavior, the green-haired nurse nudges herself a tad to get closer to the gentleman and displays some concern. "Is everything alright?"

Trace quickly raises his head as he emanates surprise for an instance prior to setting his sights onto the woman and replies with an assuring smile. "Oh, yes." He composes himself sufficiently to deliver a polite bow towards the four nurses, both hands poised at opposing sides of his body, while his visible eye is now aimed to the floor. "Thank you for answering my question and for your care." Trace straightens his posture to depict the nurses once again.

All four nurses blush, affected by Trace's charm, while feeling weak on their feet. Not long after, they manage to pull themselves together, bow at Trace with their hands interlocked in front of their being and simultaneously say, "It was our pleasure, good sir!" The quartet then fix their angling as they turn away from Trace and leave to their posts since there's nothing left for them to do involving the pad-wearing lad.

After receiving those words, Trace momentarily watches the nurses walk away until hearing Yuki's voice from behind him asking, "So, what will you do, Trace?" As a result, the vested individual commandeers his person towards Yuki and Ilya, who are calmly facing him, while confusion is shown. Having seen Trace's reaction, Yuki speaks with interest brimming. "I mean... Are you going to take Dante up on his offer to come with us?"

Trace cocks his head westward, a bit bewildered, with Ilya silently witnessing the two. A few seconds pass before Trace emits a serious composition as he retorts with his head straightened. "Of course not. It goes without saying."

Sadness surfaces on Yuki amidst questioning Trace, "Why?"

Irritation consumes Trace and swiftly gestures both hands. "Why?! Didn't you see us fight?! There's a reason for that, you know!"

Ilya interjects with a cool attitude. "And that would be?"

Trace puts his hands down prior to making eye contact with Ilya. "I was given the mission to kill Dante by my leader. I'm a Trailblaze Organization Class A Minus Spellcaster."

Yuki's overcome with shock as Ilya inhales deeply while her eyes are shut and sternly remarks, "Now it makes sense." The hazel-eyed teen brings her focus back to Trace. "When I saw you guys fight, I had a feeling it had to do with the Einsburns or someone close to them."

Trace sharply nods. "Yeah. The Trailblaze Organization and Einsburn Family have held a strong relationship due to their mutual agreement twenty years ago. Because of that, whenever there's a blemish on the Einsburns' side, the Trailblaze Organization won't hesitate to do them the favor." He diverts his gaze to Dante. "Especially for a case like this, where an outcast may cause trouble for them." The purple-haired fellow looks at Ilya out of the corner of his visible eye. "Understand?"

Ilya bluntly responds. "I do." She sheepishly grins. "But that won't make a difference."

Worry arises onto Trace's person after steering his head to Ilya.

Ilya giggles. "If there's anything I know about Dante, the second he asked you to join us, it wasn't really a request."

Anger overtakes Trace's previous demeanor as he takes a step towards Ilya. "What's that?!"

Ilya's quite amused. "I'm sorry. It's just that..." The white-haired girl glances over at Dante, who seems to have recently finished getting healed and is starting to put on his long-sleeved shirt. "He makes his mind up and I think there's no changing it." Ilya establishes her vision towards Trace again. "And I believe that's especially true for someone he had so much fun fighting with."

Yuki briefly peers at Ilya until setting her attention onto Trace and thinks, "Yeah... It's different with him." The beauty recalls Dante's confrontation with the Saints Organization members while continually thinking, "His personality during that time..." Yuki happily smiles as she says to Trace, "You made Dante his old self again! That's why you should come with us!"

Trace doesn't know what to utter after being surprised by Yuki's outburst, now staring at her. 

In the meantime, Ilya glimpses towards Yuki while vaguely astonished, however, soon becomes content and views Trace to wait for the young man's rebuttal. 

Then, with no warning whatsoever, Dante walks up behind Trace as his brown hoodie is also on. Right after that, the guy casually pats Trace on the back via his right hand while standing to his former opponent's left without the violet-haired nurse's company since she did her job and felt that she couldn't contain her composure any longer around Dante if she had escorted him. "So, what's your final answer?"

The two teenage girls are awestruck by Dante's abrupt appearance, Trace snapping his head to the blonde and is equally stunned. Not even a second later, the male Spellcaster leaps backwards as he enters a boxer-style pose via both hands clenched while raised ahead of him, which startled Ilya and Yuki. 

On the other hand, that causes Dante to laugh significantly with his eyes shut until relocating his sight onto Trace in a carefree manner. "I like how quick and ready you are to fight ." A skeptical expression forms. "Though, you should learn when to give it a rest."

Trace fiercely glares at Dante. "Not if my target's right in front of me!"

Dante sustains his behavior. "Isn't there a contradiction in that? You've been eyeing me for a while without that animosity you're currently fronting. Wouldn't that mean you aren't too keen in taking me down right now?"

Trace grits his teeth. "Shut up! I have a mission to complete and I won't fail!"

Dante promptly inquires with a wholehearted expression unexpectedly radiating, "Are you positive that's what you ought to be so set on?"

Trace's faintly dumbfounded, although that doesn't last long while coldly staring the human down. "You already know... Don't you?"

Dante nods. "Yeah. I comprehend perfectly what you want to achieve, but do you really think the path you've chosen 'til now is correct? To get that, it's best not to depend on the wrong people for support."

Trace harshly asks, maintaining his guard up, "And what?! You telling me that support from you is best?!"

Dante nods again, however, this time with a profound level of confidence portrayed. "Definitely!" He motions to his left, where Ilya and Yuki are located, with his head while keeping his gaze upon Trace. "And from them too! They're the best allies anyone could have! Trust me!"

Trace retreats a little with uncertainty demonstrated prior to veering his concentration to Yuki and Ilya. 

Soon after, the two chicks earnestly nod at Trace to verify Dante's statement. 

Despite that, Trace shakes his head with his eye closed for a second, returns his focus to Dante and says in a serious voice after swinging his left arm to the side, displaying a motion representing rejection, "No!" The purple-haired individual points his left hand at Dante with an upright posture, his right arm lowered in the process, as he's standing sideways. "I'm not going to align myself with you! Not now! NOT EVER! Got it?!"

Sadness etches onto Yuki's conduct as her shoulders slouch a tad and mutters, "Trace..."

Ilya glances at Yuki before reverting her attention specifically on Dante while thinking, "What are you going to do, Dante? He denied you. Knowing you, you wouldn't take that easily."

Then, in complete contradiction with Ilya's thoughts, Dante nonchalantly shrugs. "Oh, well. If that's really what you've decided on, I can't stop you."

Astonishment plagues Trace, Ilya and Yuki due to them expecting Dante to put up more of a fight. Afterwards, Trailblaze Organization member resumes his solemn composure while descending his left hand, properly faces Dante and firmly speaks. "Is that actually it? From my understanding, you aren't one to give up so fast."

Dante shifts his eyes away from Trace, emanating a carefree personality. "That's true and all..." He looks back at Trace with a knowing smile. "But it's not like I'll never see you again, so it's fine. After all, you still have a mission to uphold. You have to kill me. I'll grant you some more time to rethink your choice and give me your final answer the next time we face each other."

Mild confusion reappears on Trace until the aqua-eyed character sternly shakes his head. "I highly doubt I'd change my mind. Also, what makes you so sure I don't intend on finishing what I started now?"

Dante chuckles with sincerity exhibited. "Because it wouldn't be as fun if you aren't at a hundred percent!"

Trace comments as annoyance surfaces. "Plus, your seal hasn't dissolved from where you placed it on me yet, right?"

Dante nods once more. "Yup, although you don't have to worry about it for long. Most of the seals my glove creates are temporary, especially the incomplete ones such as the one I barely made on you. That's why I tend to kill off the majority of my opponents not long after I put a seal. You'll notice immediately when you get total access of your magic back, I bet. Until then, deal with the small supply you can bring out, but not to fight me."

Trace takes Dante's words into consideration without deviating his sight from the blonde, ultimately delivering a reluctant nod. "Alright. I guess I'll permit you a tiny reprieve for the moment. Only until my magic completely returns to me. Then, we have a rematch and I'll kill you for sure."

Dante cheerfully smirks with his eyes shut. "I can't wait!"

A scowl forges upon Trace prior to the gentleman suddenly navigating himself westward while beginning to walk down the hallway so he can journey towards the clinic's exit that's established in that direction. "I'm out of here."

Yuki's eyes widen and exclaims with both hands planted on the center of her chest, "Trace, wait!"

Dante lifts his left hand in front of Yuki to restrain her, retaining his location, as the green-eyed lad continues observing Trace. "Oh, one last thing, Trace."

Trace stops in his tracks, however, chooses not to look at Dante. "What is it?"

Dante gives off an aloof demeanor after lowering his left hand, resting it on his waist, while fully directing himself towards Trace. "I know you've noticed them from the very beginning, but I feel I ought to warn you... There's a lot of animosity coming from them. And it's real, unlike what you tried to demonstrate. So, take care."

Trace stays silent with his back to Dante and then resumes his exit of the facility.

Having witnessed Trace leaving, Ilya slowly walks up to Dante with worry shown. "I get that you enjoy fighting a lot, but you shouldn't fight him again. No offense, you came really close to losing, I believe. I don't want..." She ceases her advancement about two meters from Dante as she examines the condition of his body and registers the fact that his clothes don't have a single scratch on them like before. This causes curiosity to overtake Ilya, asking following the raising of her gaze to the back of Dante's head, "Did someone fix your clothes?"

Dante's attitude doesn't alter as he peers at Ilya via his head turned left and grins with content joining in. "Yup! The nurse who healed my wounds knew the Restoration Spell, so I requested she repair my clothes." The green-eyed guy unexpectedly chuckles after steering his head away from Ilya with his left hand covering his mouth, closes his eyes and slightly puts his head down. "Though, she thought something totally different that I found very cute."

Ilya's eyes narrow with an ominous aura brimming from her body again. "Oh, how interesting that you found her to be very cute..." The white-haired girl grinds her teeth with both hands tightly clenched and lets out a soft growl. "Good for you..."

Dante, ignoring Ilya's current behavior, lowering his left hand, while straightening his posture with both eyes focused on the hallway in front of him. "Anyhow, towards your plea, Ilya."

Ilya swiftly relaxes. "Yeah?"

Excitement radiates from Dante. "I can't guarantee you anything. Whether we fight again or not is up to Trace. Whatever decision he makes, I'll accept and respect. That's it." He smiles.

*Scene Change*

After exiting the clinic, Trace leaves Linesville, which has been blanketed by night, via the opposite side from where he first entered with the Hawk Brothers. He promptly makes his way into the deserted landscape that Desierta's composed of while the young man's able to see the area thanks to the moon shining down from the cloudless sky. This persists until Trace reaches a certain distance from Linesville, halting his advancement, as he commences to open and close both of his dangling hands to crack them. Not long after, the Caucasian gazes behind himself without moving his head. "A mile is far enough, don't you agree?"

Silence follows as a soft wind blows that allows dust to maneuver vaguely on the ground while Trace can't help emitting some agitation because of the lack of response. "Don't pretend to be like ninjas or something. If you were, then you guys would be lousy excuses for them since I've known all along you had been stalking me from the instance I was put on this mission."

A cynical laugh echoes out of nowhere prior to a man's voice replying to Trace's statement. "Oh! You're so clever! And here we thought we'd get the jump on you!"

Another masculine voice, a bit deeper than the first, adds to the conversation without making an appearance, "That's probably the reason why so many of us were assigned to watch over him."

A third male voice joins in, sounding very similar to the first man. "Who cares about that?! I'm fucking bored as hell, yo! Can we quit tailing this punk and do what we're gonna' do?!" He pauses for a second. "What do the rest of you say?!"

Suddenly, several masculine voices resound in unison to portray their approval of what the third character asked. 

That compels Trace's visible eye to narrow before eight small explosions occur around him at a fair distance away. Not much afterwards, the lad finds himself surrounded by eight men from different nationalities with a similar body mass to Trace's. Also, the fellows are dressed in camo clothing that suits Desierta's terrain as, for some unknown reason, they're displaying a unique pose, signifying their readiness to fight. 

Upon that odd demonstration, Trace simply slants his head eastward with his eyebrow raised while quite baffled. A few moments of silence then transgress as the only thing that can be heard is the passing of a crow cawing, despite the fact it's unnatural for one to be in such a region.

The man who initially spoke immediately comments with his left arm raised in a vertical angle and the other outstretched to the side that makes both arms form the letter "L" while poised straight ahead of Trace, "Prepare yourself, Trace of Electricity! For we are-"

Trace cuts the fellow off, a dull look established, after fixing his head and lightly slouching. "Losers."

The First Man retorts with anger overflowing. "No! What makes you say that?!"

Trace casually points his right index finger at the man with no change to his attitude. "Your pose. L for Losers." He then analyzes the other seven men encompassing the aqua-eyed gentleman and aims his appendage at them. "And what's really funny, every single one of you actually is representing a letter in the word Losers and in order too." He chuckles out of amusement.

Confusion surfaces on the First Man until taking into account that his companion to his left is doing the letter "O" with his arms raised above his head. Meanwhile, the one after that guy exhibits an "S" the same way the letter "Z" would be made, however, in the opposite direction. This forces a nervous sweat to form upon the First Man amidst noticing the following guy showing an "E" by standing sideways via both arms and left leg stretched out in front of him while parallel to each other. Even more perspiration arises as he witnesses the letter "R" made by a sideways "O" directed towards the western region of the one doing it with his left leg spread out. Then, the First Man sees another "S" form, but doesn't lose all hope due to knowing there's still two more guys and there's no more letters in Losers. Sadly for him, disappointment abruptly came once the fellow realizes that the last two in his group are both making the exclamation sign, causing him to angrily scream, "THAT'S NOT FUNNY! WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU ALL?!"

Trace gives the leader a judgmental expression, his arms folded together. "Like you have any right to talk. You're at the head of them, after all."

The First Man sets his sights onto Trace as his rage persists, shouting, "Be quiet!"

Trace cocks his head to the left. "How much longer are you going to stay like that anyway? I can't take you seriously whatsoever."

The First Man grinds his teeth before thrusting both hands southward to his sides while having them firmly clenched. "Fuck you!"

Trace halfheartedly scoffs after fixing his head. "Moving on..." The purple-haired person veers his attention away just to check if the other seven individuals around him are continuing their foolish posing, which they are, and then remarks in a bland tone, "I recognize some of you guys. You're from the Trailblaze Organization like me. I just don't recall who you are specifically." He places his concentration back to the First Man. "Mind explaining the meaning of why you all have been following me for the past four months?"

The Third Man to have spoke rebuts with an annoying snicker, being the one forming the letter "E" and maintains his strange positioning. "Four months and seventeen days! Get it right!"

Trace ignores the third man with his initial gaze undeterred. "Any day now."

The First Man calms himself prior to replying, demonstrating a sly smirk. "I guess you got the right to know. You're gonna' end up dead either way."

Trace blinks out of astonishment after pulling his head rearward a little. "What?"

The Second Man who spoke undoes his awkward pose that involved him creating the letter "O", joins his right hand into his left palm as he holds it up to his chest and cracks his fingers. "You shouldn't be stunned. It's very reasonable to kill off weaklings so they don't hinder the herd."

Trace gets upset, although tries not to show it. "Who says I'm weak?"

The Third Man snickers again. "Beside us, apparently you!" He faintly gestures his left hand without diverting from his ridiculous posture. "We heard what you said to that guy you were targeting! You admitted that you're weak!"

The Second Man adds in, "And there's no room for you in Trailblaze."

The First Man nods. "That's for sure! Even if our only job was to keep an eye on you... Master Takeru won't have any issue with us disposing of you!"

Trace lowers his head with both arms unfolded to be put down at his sides, displaying very little emotion. "Let me get this straight... He originally has you all stalking me and this whole you guys getting rid of me is out of your own accord... Not his?"

The octet grin in a malicious way while the First Man simply responds. "Yes."

Trace gradually pulls his head skyward to lock eyes with the First Man, smiling. "You know what that tells me?"

The eight men administer a suspecting demeanor towards Trace as an unsettling feeling takes a hold of a few of them, compliments of the young adults's sudden alteration in attitude.

Trace continues to speak, restraining the glee dwelling within himself. "That tells me I'm in the clear. I thought you bunch were intending to eliminate me upon his orders, but that isn't the case. He actually doesn't see me as a threat. Just as a child he needs to keep tabs on." The aqua-eyed individual chuckles with his content openly portrayed. "That's perfect!"

The First Man can't help being shocked, retracting his left foot behind himself due to a glimmer of horror beginning to resonate, and stutters a bit, "W-W-Why?! Why do you say it's perfect?!"

Trace earnestly answers. "Because the path I've chosen hasn't been for nothing! There's still hope of me getting back at that man!" He gingerly lifts his right hand and points at the man ahead of him. "I merely gotta' rid myself of you morons first!"

An enraged scowl establishes itself on the Second Man. "That man?! How dare you refer to Master Takeru in such a way?! Have you no shame?!"

Trace snaps at that character while sinking his right hand into his pocket. "Oh, shut up! Would you prefer I call him an asshole instead?"

The eight men promptly become infuriated before the First Man states, "Watch yourself, Trace! You're dealing with eight Class B Plus Spellcasters! Even a Class A Minus like you can't possibly handle all of us at once, so don't piss us off or we'll make your death a grueling one!"

Trace abruptly lowers his stance with both legs spread substantially as he draws his right hand out of his pocket and crosses his arms, however, doesn't interlock his hands. This is so they can be pointed to opposite sectors of Trace's person with the index finger and middle finger united to aim at a Trailblaze personnel while the other fingers are closed as a vague amount of electricity travels along both hands. "Go ahead and try, spazzes!"

The First Man's shaken up a bit by Trace's actions, stepping back further, until hurriedly calming himself down and then confidently grins. "Good bluff, but we all saw that guy put a seal on you! We can sense how weak your magic has become!" He throws his left arm to the side. "You're dead meat!"

Trace chuckles with skepticism emitted. "It's odd you say that after how you overreacted to me simply getting into this stance. Wasn't I a weakling from the beginning anyhow?"

The First Man's about to let out a rebuttal, however, is interrupted by the unexpected cry of a comrade stationed towards Trace's right, forcing him to turn his head in that direction. Right after that, he witnesses that his companion, who was forming the second letter "S", has a tiny hole in the middle of his chest with brief static generating from the wound as he's lying flat on the ground, dead. This causes the First Man to urgently revert his focus to Trace while the rest of his allies who stayed in their idiotic pose finally got out of them and are dumbfounded at their member's immediate passing. "What in the world?!"

Trace smiles in a somewhat menacing manner. "I'm sorry. I cut you off, didn't I? You were going to comment something before I shot your friend."

The First Man gets confused, muttering, "Shot?"

Trace nods. "Yeah, like this." A small electrical spark appears on the gentleman while instantly gathering at his hand's fingertips that are pointed at the man forming the first letter "S" and shoots him in the forehead via a white, electric bullet that's strong enough to make his arm recoil as it almost blows the individual's entire head off upon contact. 

Simultaneously, the six remaining men are baffled by what recently transpired while watching their ally's now lifeless body crumble to the ground. 

Not long after, Trace speaks with a taunting tone, specifically looking at the Second Man. "So, tell me again. Who's the weakling? Because I can admit being weaker than Dante since I did lose to him, but..." Intensity resonates within his visible eye. "I don't want there to be any misunderstandings on who's stronger between me and you guys."

The Second Man grits his teeth prior to navigating himself sideways, so he can get into a fighting position with both hands mildly extended forward as he sternly utters, "You talk big for someone relying on sneak attacks. Like that, anybody can take down a couple of Class B Pluses with their guard down." He scoffs with his eyes momentarily shut until reopening them to lock his attention back onto Trace. "How pitiful."

Trace responds with a cool demeanor. "Do I hear hypocrisy? You've done much more sneaky shit by stalking me and surrounding me as soon as I called you all out. I was solely evening the odds."

The Third Man chimes in with his cynical voice still present. "You think six vs one is evening the odds?! How deluded are you?!" He nonchalantly shrugs with both arms raised. "I'll own up to it that we got surprised by that little trick of yours." The Third Man brings his arms southward while keeping them lightly extended to opposing areas of his person. "Actually, I'm curious to why you didn't use it against your target."

Trace confidently smirks. "Everyone needs an ace in the hole. I just didn't get a chance to implement it."

The First Man's eyes narrow with a scrutinizing expression appearing and thinks, "That... Can't be true." He glances at his fallen comrades while persisting his thought process. "It didn't seem like it takes that much effort for him to use, so why-"

Trace interrupts the First Man's inner dialogue amidst exiting his stance with his arms uncrossed. "Either way, you lot should be concentrating more on the fact that I took out already two of your guys and I intend to kill the rest of you." The young man's behavior grows cold. "The question is... Who wants to die next?"

*Scene Cuts To Black*

To Be Continued...