Unlike the meticulously carved wooden doors designed for presentation and pageantry throughout the Velvet Star's base, the entrance to one of its several training halls was different.

Instead of doors, lines of clean purple paint mimicking the outline of doors decorated the wall. With a tap of my metal leg and a touch of my Aera, the 'door' responded, the outline glowing bright. The walls spread apart, as did a layer of metal on the other side of it, allowing both Streiphen and I to step inside.

The training hall was large enough to easily accommodate someone of my size. That alone would have been reassuring if not for the design. The hall was formed of metal painted white, with pure, monocoloured surfaces surrounding us on all sides.

My form tensed up at the sight of it as the pair of us stepped forward. Part of my worry crumbled away as my leg touched down on the ground. Instead of a hard, unyielding floor of steel, it was formed of soft dirt. My leg pierced the soft earth, and it took me a moment to acclimate to the change in texture.

Streiphen squinted as white lights exploded into life overhead. Long strips of transparent plastic with carved runes behind them bathed the room in a pristine glow. I was glad they activated automatically. I didn't want to risk touching any of the painted symbols lining the hall's walls without having a guide here to explain them.

If I activated the wrong one and had to fumble around figuring out the mechanisms of the hall, or worse, cause inconveniences for others that would come after us, that would take away from the time we had to train. As much as they'd caused a burst of apprehension, I was glad the lights were there. Having to create makeshift candles using [Ignite] for Streiphen would have been needlessly taxing, too.

Streiphen's brows were furrowed, starry eyes drifting slowly from wall to wall. His arms trembled, eyes falling to the soft dirt as he stepped inside. The tensing of my muscles eased up. I knew it wasn't something Streiphen could see beneath my metal helmet, but I forced myself to relax. If I looked worried, even through the subconscious actions of my mech, that too could affect Streiphen. As Equinox's leader, I needed to set a good example. I needed to be confident.

I was glad to be here, in the training hall. As things currently stood, I wasn't strong enough to be the leader this team needed.

On the way back from the restaurant last night, I felt something strange. A cobbled together mess of emotions that had struck me out of nowhere. While part of me had been relieved that the night had been a relaxing one that had passed without incident, another part was disappointed. Disappointed that nothing crazy or dangerous had happened on the way home. Leaving the base, I'd been fully prepared to test my upgrades and new weapons on members of Big Tooth that stepped forward to ruin our evening.

I'd imagined it as a scenario where Equinox would have to step forward to protect the others. If they had started using magic, our co-workers within the Velvet Star could have compromised their identities. Unwilling to let that happen, we would have stepped forward to protect them, proving ourselves to be both capable fighters and protectors. It would have been a convenient demonstration.

Maybe... maybe it was wrong, feeling this way. Should I really have felt disappointed that we weren't attacked on a casual outing? That something hadn't arrived to disrupt our otherwise relaxing, pleasant evening?

I needed to get my priorities in order.

When we got back to the base, I'd still been on edge. Sleep hadn't come easily to me, and nervous energy still permeated my form, causing errant twitches along my body that made it difficult to focus on anything else. I'd been relieved when Streiphen had come forward to train with me. We'd had more than enough rest already.

"T-this place is... really big..." Streiphen said, after a long pause punctuated by a deep breath.

The boy raised his head, opening the black, starry eyes that had been forced shut moments ago. With shaking shoulders, he picked up the pace, stepping into the middle of the space.

The doors closed behind us, and for a single, panic stricken moment, I expected to wake up. To realise that thinking I could have left the facility and escaped was a farce. That-

The ground was still dirt. The metal walls left behind had the same purple paint boundaries. With a single metallic leg, I gingerly pressed the tip against the wall, opening the doors again.

"A-are you going already?!?" Streiphen asked worriedly, his hands clenched into fists.

"[No...]" I responded quietly, watching the walls slowly shut behind me. After that, I felt a little better. "[I'm not going anywhere.]"

The bolts holding my compartment in place began to spin, popping off as the door opened to reveal my hidden arsenal. The thin sheet of metal rose into the air, allowing eight metal hands to fly free from the space within, hovering in place around me. Each of them were modeled after my old hands, lightly etched by scaled patterns around the wrist. The nails had been sharpened into tipped claws that had helped with the etching work and fine details, while the hands had been made larger than their inspiration. Each was as big as Streiphen's head.

I laid the panel down by the wall, placing each of the metal bolts on top of it. Turning to face Streiphen as the hands rose into the air, I prepared myself. Focus and control. That was what I needed.

"[Are you ready?]"

The question was followed by both of his hands swinging up, gripping the metal handle of his 'sword' tightly. It was a warped thing, a mangled drill-like blade with jagged edges spiraling up along the surface. It was an unconventional, impractical weapon, yet it was what Streiphen had chosen to wield in combat. All around him, light flared to life as his [Mantle] activated, casting his entire body in an emerald glow, a deep green decorated with flecks of black lines at the edges, and silver star-like patterns leaving comet trails floating along the surface.

Stardust nodded, that same light thickening and forming around his eyes. [Insight].

"I'm ready!" Streiphen exclaimed, holding the weapon in front of him. His eyes had sharpened with focus, and the look of fear he'd had upon entering the hall was nowhere to be found.

While I was reluctant to actually attack Streiphen, I'd confirmed over and over that this was what he'd wanted. Both of us had been forced to endure enough rest. We were both eager to train, and having a sparring partner in one another was a convenient bonus. I was glad that the two of us were on the same page.

Four of the metal hands above me prepared themselves, the clawed fingers tucking into fists. I had no intention of cutting into Streiphen, and fists were better suited to my purposes. As much as he'd said he wanted 'training', battering him with my arsenal at full strength wouldn't have been beneficial to either of us. It was only 'training' if both of us learned and grew from it. A one sided slaughter meant nothing.

The four metal hands flew forward, spinning around Streiphen as his head snapped back and forth, trying to keep track of the [Telekinesis] within the metal. One hand at the edge of his vision turned from its circular flight path, catching the white light from above as it flew straight for his cheek. With a grunt, Streiphen turned, bringing the weapon around as it smacked into the fist, diverting its course. If I had pushed with all of my strength, I might have been able to beat him in a direct show of force, even with metal as small as that, but this was training.

Over and over, Streiphen's head snapped and swiveled around, keeping track of the hands as much as he could. With each labored swing of his weapon, the attack of a metal hand was diverted, sending it spiraling through the air until it corrected itself, flying around him once again before the next attack.

Maybe this wasn't so risky. Even if I struck with more force than expected and ended up harming him, there were [Healers] around the base. I'd been looking to practice restraint, anyway. This was a good way to gauge my telekinetic strength.

Next to the 'door' of the room was a poster I'd only noticed now. It was a green poster with a white edge outline to it, one that nearly blended with the painted metal it was stuck to. For a moment, I diverted some of my attention to scan through the lines of white text lining the length of the poster.

This room is safe to use Healing Magic in! If you suspect your bones have been dislocated or broken, don't use unsupervised Healing Magic! If damage to bones has been done, or poison has been used, please visit the infirmary immediately!

If you're training magic, know your limits! Don't push past the loss of breath and pain in your chest! The damage of Soulburn is never worth the risk!

If you've caused damage to the hall, don't leave it for the next person to deal with! Contact the cleaning staff if need be after training! Do your part to keep the base presentable.

With the help of [Speed Reading], I burned through the poster's contents in less than three seconds. As pleased with myself as I was for having not lost my concentration while reading, I was a little concerned as to the type of person that would use poison in a training hall.

"T-thank you for t-training with me, Miss Yuri!" Streiphen managed to say through the swinging of his weapon. The sound of metal on metal pierced the air as he deflected yet another strike, refusing to lose his focus.

"[This is for everyone's sake, not just you or I, Streiphen,]" I replied, returning my focus to the battle. "[If we both get stronger, this benefits the whole team. Without strength, we can't make anything happen. But, erm... you're welcome.]"

Streiphen nodded seriously, his blade swinging skyward in a brilliant arc, knocking a spinning fist high into the air.

"I... Um... I'm just happy to get to train with y-you, Miss Yuri! And, um... to be with everyone," he said, spinning around as he barely blocked the strike of a flying fist. "And... I just want everyone to be happy with one another..."

While Streiphen fought against the four flying fists, I used my other Skills to keep track of the hall. Whenever Streiphen's attempt to dodge and deflect the fists within my [Telekinetic Field] led him too close to the walls, one of the hands not being used in the exercises came forward, subtly nudging him backwards. I didn't want him to accidentally hit the wall and activate one of the runes on reflex, given that he was on edge with an active [Mantle]. The hands left inert were flexing their fingers, allowing me to practice fluid movement and simultaneous control in the midst of combat.

This wouldn't be called 'training' if both of us weren't getting something out of it. Even if Streiphen was being pushed to his physical and observational limits, it wasn't enough for me to learn and grow. Instead, I was performing my own 'training'. My [Honed Vision] helped me easily keep track of not only the metal I controlled, but Streiphen's weapon.

With my focus fully on him, I worked to predict where Streiphen's attention would turn next. By guiding him with the motions of my whirling hands, I attempted to predict and lure him into making certain movements. Whenever a hand flew forward, it was never without warning. I always gave him some indication as to where the next attack would come from. If I couldn't train my magical limits against Streiphen, I could train my mind. I could learn to predict how a fighter would turn and react, and how to predict people's movements.

This was how a Caster like me had to train, given the circumstances.

"[... Me too,]" I responded quietly, right after a particularly flimsy, lazy punch had been deflected. "[You're talking about Toya, aren't you?]"

Streiphen nodded, whirling on the ball of his foot as sweat flew from his grey skinned brow, smashing his weapon heavily into another of the hands.

"Yeah... He came back last night, but... but what if... what if he leaves one day and... doesn't come back...?" Streiphen asked, his fingers clenching tighter around his blade as he swung, striking with greater force. A flash of emerald flickered in the air as he used [Release], sending the fist spinning away.

I... I didn't know how to respond to that. My mind was focused on training, yet my body tightened and twisted against my will.

"What... if he finds somewhere better to be?" he asked again, utterly refusing to let this drop. "We... we escaped the facility together, Miss Yuri! All we need to do is apologise and..."

"[We need to ensure that he knows he's needed and that we want him around, Streiphen,]" I replied stiffly. The flying fists accelerated, swinging forward and curving around to strike at the young Chimera with greater frequency, leaving less and less margin of error for my calculations, even with [Thought Acceleration]. Training.

"B-but, ah!" Streiphen yelped after a close call. Sweat flew from his form as he twisted with all of his might.

The blade connected, knocking the fist away, yet it had come too close. I heard air sucking through Streiphen's teeth as he grimaced. The edge of the fist had clipped against Streiphen's middle finger, leaving a bruise.

"But what if-" he spoke again, his words temporarily cut off by a fist whipping past his ear. "But all we need to do is apologise, right? We just have to... It wouldn't feel right if we didn't do this together as a team... We escaped together! But..."

"[Too many buts,]" I responded, my voice quieter. The fists accelerated again. "[Focus on the training, Streiphen.]"

"But what if he doesn't want to stay?!?" Streiphen blurted out, letting a wave of [Release] knock away two fists converging on him simultaneously. Tears fell down his cheeks, and I- "What if he doesn't want to stay? What if he can't be around Miss Sigura anymore and decides to le-"

Two panels on the front of my mech slid open. The two compartments on either side of the bronze rose decorating the front of my form revealed a pair of fans. The two fans hidden behind an iron mesh began to spin, producing a strong [Blast of Air].

Streiphen's breath caught in his throat as the wave hit. My fists froze in the air as his sword flew from his grip. The end of the blade dug deep into the dirt floor, buried. The Chimera child lost his balance, falling back onto the ground, his expression stunned. Like all other sounds beyond Streiphen's laboured breathing, the wind died down.

"[We can't worry about that, Streiphen,]" I told him, my voice harder than I expected. "[He's part of our team. Equinox. I know Toya has some issues with Sigura, but we can solve this with effective communication. I... Sigura made me the team leader, and... this is all we can do, alright? We can sit here thinking about this for hours and still have no answer, or we can focus and produce results that benefit everyone.]"

"But-"

"[I've been thinking about this too, and this is the best we can manage. I'm the team leader now, Streiphen. You have to put your trust in me, that I know what I'm talking about, alright? Can you do that?]"

I'd never felt less certain about anything in my entire life. He shouldn't put his trust in me. I didn't know what I was talking about. I was projecting everything I thought I knew about being a leader from unreliable sources into an act designed to distract me, to-

"Okay..." Streiphen sniffled, rising to his feet. He ran one sleeve of his jacket under both eyes, wiping away the last remnants of tears that hung at their edges. "I... I trust you, Miss Yuri!"

"[I'm glad,]" I lied.

One of the metal fists frozen in motion flew over to the mangled, twisted blade, grabbing the handle. Pulling it free from the earth, the hand flew over to Streiphen. With trembling arms, Streiphen took the weapon from my cold, metallic grip.

"[We'll train for another few minutes, and then take a short break, alright?]" I said, my voice calm and stiff. Logical. Controlled and ordered. Safe.

"Alright," Streiphen nodded, his eyes having regained the spark and enthusiasm for the task at hand.

With weapon in hand, Streiphen prepared himself for the battle ahead. Hoping to push him a little further, I began using six of the metal hands. Even as the number of potential attacks within the spinning ring of steel increased, Streiphen was able to acclimate. It wasn't simple, and I clipped him a few times to help sharpen his awareness, but he was pressured enough that I was certain that he grew. He didn't have the energy to divert his focus, and was instead completely dedicated to the task before him.

After ten more minutes of solid sparring, Streiphen's trembling arms slackened, the tip of the blade resting against the soft earth. Sweat dripped from his chin and down along the length of his weapon. He released the mangled blade's hilt, allowing himself to fall onto his back, kicking a small cloud of dust into the air around him.

His starry eyes drifted closed as he fought to catch his breath. I allowed both of us a few moments of rest. While I laid the six flying fists on the ground around Streiphen, the final two continued their 'training'. With those hands, I worked to replicate the effect from the other day. Spreading my Aera through the pair of hands using my [Telekinetic Field], I watched as both hands turned a deep shade of viridian.

Even without using them to strike a surface or opponent, I could feel the control over the metal grow as the [Sheen] spread over them. Much like [Mantle], the strength within the fingers grew as I maintained the increased magical output. Despite not being a 'power type' fighter like Sigura was, I hoped this would give me the decisive edge I'd need in a fight.

Metal parted from metal, a sound that prompted Streiphen to turn his head, eyes widening in confusion and alarm. The doors leading to the hall opened, revealing a smiling figure that promptly stepped inside.

"Hey, you two!" Lulu smiled, skipping into the hall. "Glad to see both of you are so hard at work!"

Perhaps it was wrong to think of her as 'Lulu' here. With how she was dressed, it was clear that she was 'Clever Girl'. She wore a pair of sneakers, much like the ones she'd worn last night. Beyond that, she wore black jogging shorts and a tight crop top, clothes that stood completely at odds with the purple V-shaped visor over her eyes, and the long, sky blue lab coat that hung from her shoulders.

"Hello, Miss Lulu!" Streiphen smiled, making no effort to peel himself from the ground just yet. "Are you here to train with us?"

She nodded, walking to a space of the wall by the door. Pressing a hand against a long, red rectangular outline, the metal began to softly glow, allowing a block to jut from the wall. It was as she began to shuck off her lab coat that I took in the full design of it. While the base was lined with a pattern akin to crashing waves, the back of it was adorned with a full moon. Unlike the design on the shirt she'd worn before, a different pattern was seemingly etched onto the moon. It was the snarling, open-jawed head of an unfamiliar creature, one I couldn't identify at a glance. She folded up the coat, leaving it down on the extended section of the wall.

"Yeah!" she smiled back, head turning back towards Streiphen. "Didn't she tell you I was coming? Yuri invited me."

Streiphen blinked with surprise, turning his starry eyes towards the front of my mech.

"[I agreed to train with you, Streiphen, but I'm not a very experienced fighter either. I decided to ask for someone who had more skill as a Caster to help us, and Clever Girl agreed,]" I explained, my legs rising from the slight indents I'd left in the soil to face towards her. "[Is that your... Caster uniform, Clever Girl?]"

"Lulu is fine if it's just us, Yuri," she responded, whirling around to sit on the edge of the makeshift desk she'd extended. "Uh... yeah. I don't usually fight in it, but I store potions in the pockets. I thought to bring 'em with me for my first time training with you. Better safe than sorry!"

Streiphen and I couldn't safely use potions, at least not until we'd consulted with Aquamarine first. Were they potions she'd approved for our use, or were they just for Clever Girl's use?

"You have potions in there? But you folded up your coat, Miss Lulu," Streiphen said, his brow furrowing.

With a smile and a twitch of her small black nose, Clever Girl reached down, partially unfurling the coat to reveal a pocket inside. She opened the flap, revealing what looked like an empty interior. As soon as her hand entered the pocket-

"Woah!" Streiphen exclaimed, sitting up. Bits of dust fell from his coat with the jerky, sudden movement.

"Cool, isn't it?" Clever Girl replied, sticking her arm into the pocket, digging down up to the elbow. Despite the size of the pocket, it could hold far more than it looked. It was an effect I'd seen in practice before. "The coat's pockets are enchanted with [Hammerspace]. Pack Rat helped to get the runes set for me, since he's a pro at Spatial Magic! I've got some potions in here, but it can't carry that many. I know we're just training, but I didn't want to risk falling behind or anything. I need to leave a good impression on my juniors, so I made sure to be perfectly prepared before coming!"

Folding the coat back up, she pulled the visor from in front of her eyes, leaving it down on top of the coat.

"Do we get cool stuff like that too?" Streiphen asked, looking back up from the coat to Clever Girl's round blue eyes.

"Probably," Clever Girl shrugged. "When the Don gets around to bringing you guys in as full members, I'm sure he'll help with getting you all properly outfitted."

"[I'm sure the Don has a lot to deal with, right now,]" I responded coolly, laying the two hands stained emerald on top of my mech. "[He'll contact us when he's ready.]"

The smile on Clever Girl's face drooped a little, as did the two long, Rabbit-like ears on her head.

"So, um... why did you call for me to train with you, Yuri? N-not that I'm not happy to help you out or anything! But... aren't there better people to call on? I'm not really..."

My body tensed up beneath my helmet, grooves and ridges curling into one another as they worked to marginally shrink my form.

"[You have more experience than we do at casting, and after some thought, believed that you would be fit to train us.]"

With one eyebrow raised, Clever Girl sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck.

"That's really flattering, but... I'm an [Alchemist], y'know? I can fight, but I'm not that good at it. I've always been more of a runner than a fighter."

Doubt was beginning to slowly dig its claws into my back.

"[Last night, back at Fancy Freakies, you commented that you're physically able, and that you worked as a [Runner] for some time. If... If magic is related to one's identity, I believed you would have some physical element to your abilities. Nothing overwhelming, but... enough general knowledge and ability to teach me and spar with Streiphen.]"

The logic had felt sound in my head at the time, but now I was starting to think I'd made a mistake. That I'd come to an incorrect conclusion and completely misjudged the situation. Worse still, that I'd wasted her time.

She'd told us she was fast. Between that and how approachable she was, I decided that she was the best candidate to train us under the assumption that she had some physical abilities. Incognito and Pack Rat were strong Casters, but I hadn't seen the latter around much, and the former didn't have... the sort of temperament or patience to train and explain things to people. As for the others, I'd mostly met Anvil Casters that focused on creating objects. The only other person who might have had some physical experience was Gearhead. There wasn't even a chance that Streiphen could match up to someone like him, and so that left Clever Girl.

Maybe I was wrong, but my options for trainers out of the people I'd met hadn't been extensive. Standing here now, I wish I'd asked around instead of making assumptions. Now I felt like a fool.

Clever Girl's eyes were wide as saucers. She blinked with surprise, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish smile.

"O-oh, you remembered that... well, I... you're right, but it isn't always that clear cut. Magic is closer to an art to a science, even if it has its rules y'know. Still... that's really perceptive of you, Yuri."

The tightness in my form loosened, and I felt my skin begin to softly redden. I appreciated the praise and the privacy my bronze helmet gave me, but it didn't feel like a stretch to make.

"[T-thank you, Clever Girl...]" I replied, my voice a little more shy and subdued than I would have liked.

With a groan, Streiphen managed to muster up the strength to get off the ground. With one hand, he pulled the weapon free from the soil, holding it idly at his side.

Clever Girl hopped off of the makeshift desk, reaching down to peel off her sneakers, leaving them in the shade the protrusion provided. Much like the feet of my former body, they weren't free from the touch of being a Halfblood. Tufts of blue fur sat on top of each foot, and her nails curled slightly like claws, with leathery pads on the underside. If she was going to fight Streiphen like that, I hoped she didn't end up cutting- no, she knew what she was doing. She had potions even if he was injured. Maybe this way of fighting was a Lapin thing.

With both arms outstretched, Clever Girl's fingers curled up into fists. Her [Mantle] activated, covering her in a bright, sky blue glow. Like I'd hoped, the glow was full and easy to see, one tempered by experience greater than ours. The surface was lined with faint patterns akin to interlocking hexagons. Looking at her Aera, I was reminded of the scales on my old body.

"You ready, Streiphen?" she asked.

The boy's [Mantle] once again flared to life, having died down to a weak glow after he lay down to rest. His hands gripped the hilt of his weapon tightly as his face scrunched up with effort. As a groan escaped his lips, I watched as his dark grey skin became dotted with small white spots. Lines extended between them, creating a web of constellations. The same cloud of dark grey gas I'd seen him use to defend himself against Venison began to roll off his skin, forming a small rolling mist around his form.

Clever Girl's eyes darted left and right, soaking up the details of the boy's skin change and the rolling mist around him. Her lips pursed, and right above them, her black Rabbit-like nose twitched.

"So... I know this is only training and all, but just in case you didn't know, Casters should never start a fight like that," Clever Girl said.

"Like what?" Streiphen asked, fractionally lowering his blade as he looked back towards the Lapin Halfblood, his words echoing my thoughts. His eyes turned to his boots, and he shifted his stance uncomfortably on the spot. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"Not... wrong, but it's an easy mistake that a lot of amateur Casters make," Clever Girl smiled. "If you're fighting against a new opponent, you shouldn't bring out stuff like that smoke right away."

Why would that be a problem? If he brings out the smoke now, he has the highest chance of beating an enemy in a frontal attack, and minimises the chances of being damaged to the point where he would be unable to use it.

"Oh... okay," Streiphen responded, closing his eyes as the smoke retracted back into his body, causing the dots and constellations lining his skin to fade away.

"[Isn't it best to set up your magic at the beginning of a fight to be fully ready for incoming attacks?]" I asked, getting myself involved in the conversation before backing up, giving the two some space.

Clever Girl's expression turned pained, her head tilting to the side.

"No. Not always, anyway. If your enemy already knows what you can do, then sure, but... information is power, y'know? Battles aren't always going to be a contest of physical or magical force. Casters tend to have pretty specialised skill sets, so you- everyone has to learn to use their heads, too. A fight can be decided before it starts if one person has more information than the other. If you can properly prepare beforehand, you can plan around a person's magic."

With a swing of her arms, Clever Girl sent a swift barrage of smaller [Releases] flickering out from her fists, flying high over Streiphen's head. I saw a small, reassured smile form on her face through the flashes of sky blue light.

"If your opponent has specialised abilities, you can figure out ways around them. But if you only use Luster Arts and low tier abilities, then it's harder for people to gauge what you can really do until it's too late."

"Low tier?" Streiphen asked. One hand released the hilt of his blade as he allowed a small amount of that black cloud to form in his palm. "Like... weak stuff?"

"Tiers are a little more complicated than that, actually," Clever Girl replied. "It's not just about 'strength', since that's pretty hard to quantify. It's about simplicity, too. A [Fireball] is good in combat, but it's pretty common and easy to understand. What you see is what you get. Even if that cloudy stuff isn't that 'strong', it could be more useful than you think because of what it could do."

"[Then what do you suggest he practices?]" I asked Clever Girl as her head turned to face me. "[If Streiphen can't rely on his Luster Arts alone, and only has this unknown magic, what should he do?]"

I could see the uncertainty creep into her own eyes as she looked back towards the floating puff in Streiphen's hand. That uncertainty helped to relax me, an emotional reaction I hadn't expected.

"Well... if it's complicated, and he skipped a few steps, then he could try working backwards," Clever Girl suggested, her eyes jumping to Streiphen's. "If all you can make right now is that smoke, then... maybe try to learn what that smoke does, and learn the individual steps. If you can use that special smoke, then maybe you've got the ability to create normal smoke on a larger scale. That could let you use Spells like [Smokescreen] or Wind Magic, since that might already go into making that special stuff. Even if you've got an advanced Spell, don't be afraid to experiment and use the parts that make up the whole."

That was... something I'd never thought about. It hadn't ever been relevant to my journey through the exploration of magic, but after hearing that, I felt as though my understanding of the art form had grown.

Streiphen seemed to think so too, if his wide, starry eyes of joy were any indication.

"Okay! I'll try that! Thank you Miss Lulu!" he exclaimed, smiling.

"No problem, Streiphen," she responded sheepishly, her smile broadening.

"[Were you formally tutored in magic, Clever Girl?]" I asked.

"I just studied it a lot when I started work as a [Runner]," she told me, swiveling to face me. "A lot of this stuff feels like second nature to me now that I'm surrounded by so many Casters. I guess... I don't really think much of it."

"[And the comments about hiding one's abilities? You said you weren't a fighter, but those sounded like the words of someone with practical experience,]" I said, continuing to probe.

"Well..." she trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck. "A lot of Casters in competitive professions do that, not just fighters. And, uh... it might sound a little over the top, but Pack Rat wanted me to be prepared for anything, so he taught me a lot of this stuff. He said that for people like us, there's no telling when we could be called on to fight in an emergency situat-"

The sound of rushing air spread throughout the room. For a split second, my form tightened with panic. I remembered the metal corridors closing in around us. The opening of vents. The sleeping gas coming towards us on all sides.

The room was filled with white smoke, and my mind collapsed.

I felt my legs scramble to stay aloft as my [Sensory Zone] sharpened, coming out of the loose, relaxed state I'd been leaving in. I spread my [Telekinetic Field] through all the metal I could, scrambling for something to hold onto, looking for some outlet to the emotions rippling through me. The fingers of the hands flexed in unison, moving in time with my form's labored 'heartbeats'. I needed to get under control, I needed to get under control, I needed-

I heard coughing through the fog, using my senses to zero in on Lulu and Streiphen. Were we under attack? Where had-

"I did it!" Streiphen exclaimed, smiling widely.

After a shiver had run its course through my body, I worked to collect myself. The mind I took so much pride in, that had been scattered to the wind by something so small, was being wrangled back under my control. Feeling a measure of anger and disappointment in my own emotions, the two frontal panels on my mech opened, allowing the fans to blow against the smoke. I couldn't see any ventilation shafts within the room, yet as the wind blew against the smoke, it began to disperse and vanish into nothing.

Streiphen stood triumphantly, both hands pumped high into the air. Clever Girl's two long ears had bent forward, covering her mouth and nose like a makeshift mask. Once the smoke had cleared, the ears parted from her face, shaking before standing tall once again.

"That, uh... that was quick," Clever Girl remarked.

"Yeah!" Streiphen responded. "The special clouds are way harder than that! Thank you, Miss Lulu!"

The Lapin Halfblood's eyes softened, and I saw a slight shiver run through her legs. A shiver mimicked in my own trembling form, even if it was for what I suspected to be for wildly different reasons.

"Don't mention it, Streiphen, glad I could help!" she chirped. "So, did you... want to keep practicing that, or spar with me?"

"Spar!" Streiphen exclaimed, grabbing the sword he'd left buried in the dirt with both hands, pulling it free with renewed vigor. A cloud of dark smog rolled from his body, surrounding him. "I wanna train!"

Clever Girl grimaced, waving one hand idly in the boy's direction. "Uhh... without the smoke, for now. If you don't know what it does yet, we should wait until you've experimented a little and figured it out."

Streiphen's expression, covered once again by white lines and dots, clouded over.

"But don't you have potions and things, Miss Lulu?" he asked, eyes turning towards the elaborate, folded up lab coat laying by the wall.

"I do, but... Chimera magic can be unpredictable sometimes, and potions don't fix everything. If that cloud stuff has some sort of poison or curse effect, then the potions won't help," she replied. Then, her head turned back towards me, both bright blue eyes twinkling with anticipation. "Do you have a weapon I could use, Yuri? A pole, maybe? I don't think fighting against a weapon like that bare handed is a good idea."

From within my mech, I pulled free a long metal pipe. It was easy to find, given that my 'grip' was firmly affixed to everything within me right now. I could have used my [Heated Steel] and tools to cut parts off and weld the top and bottom holes shut, but I was sure she wouldn't mind. I didn't have the energy to focus on a task like that, anyway.

"Thanks!" Clever Girl chirped as the pipe flew over to her. Gripping it tightly with both hands, she began to twirl it in slow circles, adjusting to its weight and length. "I've been looking forward to a workout all morning! Sigura and I didn't get to go jogging yesterday, since I was a little bloated after the meal at Freakies, but I'll definitely go today! I don't want to embarrass myself in front of my juniors, either, so I'll give this all I've got!"

Training. I was glad that Streiphen was getting the opportunity to spar with someone. Clever Girl might not be a fighter, but she'd know her way around a fight better than I would, especially if someone like Pack Rat had taught her how to defend herself. She'd get more out of training with Streiphen than I would, anyway.

"I don't have much experience with martial arts or close quarters, really, but I've watched..." she turned away from me, a sky blue [Sheen] dotted with hexagonal patterns spreading over the pipe. Her focus was purely on Streiphen as she stepped towards him.

Training. I didn't have the tools to craft anything in here, so I couldn't train that. I'd learned more about how to predict an opponent's movements from 'sparring' with Streiphen, but how practical was that information? Would it even be useful in the field against an opponent with far more experience?

Looking back on it, I doubted it. If there was anything I needed to train and refine, it wasn't my control, or my Skills, or my magic. Rather than working on sharpening my strengths, I needed to work on culling my horrible, crippling weakness. The one thing holding me back.

Emotion.

Moments ago, I'd been made fully aware of just how crippled I would have been in the event of a real attack. Streiphen had been the one to make the [Smokescreen]. There hadn't even been an enemy present. What if there had been? Would I have been able to react properly? My metal had been gripped and primed for battle, but my mind had been distant. Elsewhere. If I could learn Emotion Magic, or recovered the [Silent Heart] that I'd worked so hard for to smother all of this fear, anxiety, and embarrassment, I wouldn't-

"-ss Yuri?"

The voice that had been hanging at the corner of my awareness grew louder. The sound was followed by a sensation that made my form scramble backwards in alarm. Something touched my leg. My [Sensory Zone] flooded back through the room, taking in the world around me. Streiphen stood in the spot I'd been in seconds ago, arm raised. His face was warped by concern, an expression that only grew more pronounced as my body skittered away.

"S-sorry if I disturbed you, Miss Yuri..." Streiphen muttered, the fingers of his outstretched hand curling inwards. "Umm... Miss Lulu was... asking if there was anything she could do to help you train, too."

My awareness turned. Clever Girl's expression was a mask of concern, a pale echo of Streiphen's. There was a note of worry in her eyes too. I wish I hadn't seen it.

"[Knowledge will be fine, and I've learned a lot already,]" I responded, standing up straight after my unwarranted reaction.

"Maybe Gearhead or Gamechanger could help you train better than I could," Clever Girl said, twirling the pipe around in her hand before burying one end in the dirt. "It's good for Casters of the same type to train together, y'know? Anvils with anvils, swords with swords."

She was right. I'd learned a lot from speaking with Shambles, and interacting with the others might open some new doors into my own magical progression. If I wasn't feeling so... off balance, maybe I could have brought myself to feel enthusiastic about the prospect. Now, I was just feeling... hollow.

"[Thank you for the suggestion, Clever Girl. I'm content to watch both of you spar, for now.]"

Clever Girl nodded, throwing me one last glance before stepping towards the makeshift desk.

"Streiphen's actually pretty tough," she commented, which made Streiphen beam with pride, even if his eyes never left me. "I'm faster, but if I want to pressure him, I'll need to use my magic. On my own, I'm not skilled or powerful enough to give him a proper test of strength. Is that alright?"

Turning her blue eyes back towards Streiphen, the boy nodded, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"I thought your magic was making potions, Miss Lulu?" he asked, brows furrowed.

"It is, that's my magic," she responded, flashing him a cryptic smile.

Reaching into the pocket of her lab coat, Clever Girl pulled a small, half empty vial of liquid free from within. The liquid was a sky blue colour, the same shade as the [Sheen] fading from the pipe no longer in the Halfblood's hands.

With her thumb, Clever Girl popped the loose cork off the top of the vial before downing the contents with a single swig. After an audible gulp, I watched as the sky blue glow of her [Mantle] began to ripple and warp. That was only the beginning.

Before our eyes, Clever Girl began to change. With a ginger hand, she left the empty vial on top of her lab coat with an arm that was thicker than before. All of her limbs had become more muscled, the veins distinct and popping. As she turned, the grin on her face revealed sharper teeth that were growing and changing in shape as she approached. With a swing of her arm, she grabbed the pipe once again, the [Sheen] spreading back over it in force, causing the weapon to glow. It was then that I saw the scales, patches of sky blue hexagons forming around her upper legs and lower arms. They were similar to the scales I'd had in my previous life, yet not the same. They were more... uniform. Calculated. Artificial. Clean.

"Woah..." Streiphen breathed, his eyes locked on Clever Girl even as her transformation's effects began to slow. "That's so cool!"

Cool wasn't the word I'd have used. As cutesy as she'd looked before, now she looked... intimidating. Patches of scales formed on her cheeks at both sides of her smile. The eyes right above them were the same sky blue as before, yet now the pupil had become a Snake-like slit. She looked like... not a Half Varani, but something different.

Clever Girl blinked in blatant surprise at the clearly unexpected praise.

"Aww, thanks!" she responded sheepishly, rubbing the back of a neck dotted with hexagonal scales. "Sorry if it looks a little scary. There's no major emotional or mental component to it, so you don't need to worry about that! It's, uh... basic Transformation. Just like Enhancement Magic with a few extra steps. Regular Enhancement stuff isn't as effective through my magic as this, and I'm still sorta figuring it out."

Pulling her pipe free from the ground with ease, she aimed the curved end of the weapon towards Streiphen. Without needing to be told, he raised his own weapon, pointing it back at the transformed Lapin Halfblood. At least the Rabbit-like ears on her head hadn't changed.

Clever Girl rushed Streiphen without so much as a word of warning, bringing the pipe down in an arc. Streiphen's swung up to meet her, a clash of force that caused an audible clang to ring out within the training hall.

I hadn't been watching their battle before, but I felt some of my curiosity return after Clever Girl's transformation. Like with the battle against me, Streiphen remained in the same spot, sticking to defense. The Lapin moved with surprising speed, dancing around Streiphen while probing him with quick, noncommittal swings of the pipe. None met their mark, yet Streiphen was clearly struggling against the force of the blows.

She wasn't as fast or as strong as Sigura, even with the effects of the potion, but she could easily overpower Streiphen. More than once, I saw her pull back a little at the end of a swing as she darted around. She was holding back, striking with just enough force to pressure Streiphen, but not to outright break his guard. Instead of running rings around him, like I'd expected, she moved from spot to spot by kicking against the ground, jumping side to side and over him instead. It was a strange way of fighting, and far different to Sigura's methods, but I'd heard about the leg strength and natural fighting styles of the Lapin. This was how other races fought.

Gradually, the blows became more fierce. Clever Girl's swings became faster and stronger, striking with greater force until Streiphen's breathing became labored. He was working hard to keep from being knocked down or disarmed, but Clever Girl's endurance easily surpassed his. At this point, it was only a matter of time.

Clever Girl's right leg kicked against the ground. Streiphen's eyes swung to the side, ready to keep up with her supernatural speed. Her other leg snapped out, carving a path through the dirt to brace herself, abruptly stopping the jump. She dashed forward, pipe swinging as Streiphen rushed to defend. With another kick off the ground, Clever Girl took to the air, flipping over Streiphen. His weapon swung too slow and the pipe came down.

She tapped the crown of his head gently before landing on the ground behind him. A light white smoke began to trail off of her body. At first, I suspected it was a new ability Streiphen had concocted, but the smoke came from the patches of scales. The hexagonal patterns began to vanish and subside, giving way to skin and tufts of sky blue fur. Her limbs slowly regained their standard shape, shrinking back to normal.

With a smile filled with teeth that weren't as sharp or vicious as they'd looked before, Clever Girl whirled to face the dazed, tired Chimera.

"That was really good, Streiphen!" she exclaimed, burying the end of the pipe in the dirt as the [Sheen] wore off. The metallic grey of the weapon reasserted itself as the glow and patterns began to fade. "You'll make a great fighter if you keep practicing."

Despite the sweat pouring down his cheeks and dripping to the ground, Streiphen turned around, burying the head of the sword in the earth as he beamed back at her.

"T-t... thank... thank you, Miss Lulu!"

"I guessed you were more of a power-type, but your reflexes are really good, too. Just try to keep your mind open and let your instincts do some of the work. Your defense is excellent, but you rely on your eyes too much. You always delay before you swing, y'know?" Clever Girl commented.

"O-okay...!" Streiphen smiled, plopping himself back down onto the ground. Folding his legs in front of him, he pointed his starry eyes back up at the Lapin Halfblood. "Me and the t-team have another mission later! Do you... um... have any other advice?"

The Lapin wore a sheepish grin, rubbing what looked like a tender patch of skin that had formerly been covered with scales as she sat back down on the metal jutting from the wall, next to her lab coat.

"Umm... I'm no fighter, but if that was a real fight, that last hit would've gotten you. Maybe this advice is too similar to the whole instinct thing, but try to be aware of feints. If you hadn't panicked and tried to block my lunge, you might have been able to stop that last attack," she explained as Streiphen nodded furiously, his smile showing no signs of dying down. "What kind of job did your team get?"

"Oh! Um... the Don found another gang starting, and we have to go beat 'em up!" Streiphen chirped, eyes full of hope and anticipation turning towards me.

Feeling some of that hollow void melt away at the sight, I wasted no time in giving him what he wanted.

"[You did a great job, Streiphen. I'm proud.]"

He nodded gratefully, smiling stretching even further before those dark eyes speckled with stars turned back towards Clever Girl.

"I... um... I've got something else on my mind too, Miss Lulu..." he said. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. Those starry eyes were filled with a determination I hadn't expected. A determination I dreaded.

"Yeah? What is it?" she asked, kicking her legs back and forth over the edge of the 'desk'.

"I, um... I hope we can all do this as a team! I hope Toya shows up and comes with us... I think he will, but I don't really know, and I don't know what to do. Has this happened to you before, Miss Lulu?" he asked as my heart froze.

The Halfblood's expression became pained. Those sky blue eyes fell to the floor, and I had no doubt that she was thinking hard about whether or not to say something Streiphen wasn't ready to hear or not. Something I didn't want to hear.

"Well... this sort of life isn't for everyone, Streiphen," Clever Girl said, looking away. "It can be hard, y'know? It doesn't have the same level of safety and support that a Guild does, and it's easier to make enemies that'll do everything they can to take all you've got. I think that if Toya-"

My legs spread out to the side, carving thin lines in the dirt as my main body slid to the floor. Metal loudly rattled within me before I unconsciously began to put everything back in their place with my [Telekinesis]. Before I got the chance to say or hear anything I'd regret, I retracted my [Sensory Zone], tucking it away into the depths of my body. All I could see, hear, and feel was the pulsing of my own body.

The conversation hurt. A large part of me wanted to tell Lulu off. That this was our team's business, and nobody else's. As much as the bubbling anger and irritation within growled at me to comply, I couldn't. Streiphen had been the one to bring it up, and I had no intention of burning bridges with one of the most amiable people we'd met here at the Velvet Star.

Why was I so attached to Toya, anyway? He was strong, and I enjoyed the idea of him being around, but he didn't want to be with the Velvet Star. He'd made that clear, and we'd made it just as evident that we wanted to be here. If... if he decided that we weren't worth the sacrifice and wanted to go his separate ways, why should I care? The team came first, and if he wasn't part of... part of...

Ugh...

I wanted to sleep. I could feel vibrations of sound, even buried this far within myself. Streiphen was tapping on my mech, trying to get my attention.

If Toya needed to leave to be happy, then... No. He wouldn't leave. We escaped the facility as a group, made it to Divastyr as a group, and joined the Velvet Star to become Equinox as a group.

I needed to relax and mentally prepare myself for the job ahead. There was no point in worrying over this.