This wasn’t the first time Hazeel had felt out of place in a meeting. No, that had occurred whenever they met with Lu Rexir Minami the first time. Seeing the man sitting on his scarlet throne, surrounded by dozens of beauties serving his every whim had thrown her off her game.

However, she could accept that as it was befitting of what she heard about the Gold Continent from various sources over the years.

But this? Stepping out into another dimension from a portal created by a goddess was not something that one did everyday. Not to mention, she felt completely lost and useless once they actually arrived.

Their first meeting occurred with a muscular man, and from that point on she was no longer part of the conversation. They were using a language Hazeel had never learned before, so it hurt her pride a bit when she meekly complained to Leo to explain what they were speaking about.

Not even ten minutes later, and they were all sitting around a table, with the still unconscious Zare laid out on a couch by the window. Leo assured her that this time he wouldn’t let her get lost, and decided to have the meeting be in Japanese, with Vanessa acting as the translator for this ‘Alpha’ person.

“Greetings to you all.” He started off, allowing a moment for Vanessa to transmit the meaning of the words before continuing. “My name is Darius Page, but most people around here know me as Agent Alpha. I am a high ranking official of this world’s military power, and someone who wants to see the world returned to its former state.”

Hazeel nodded, and looked back to Rexir and Leresa, expecting them to introduce themselves first.

Thankfully, Leresa picked up on her cue and said, “My name is Leresa… well, I guess it will just be Leresa in this world. I am formerly a princess of the Silver Continent, and currently betrothed to Rexir here.”

She patted the princeling on his lap, eliciting a smile from him. “Oh, and before I forget.” She added. “This is Rexir, and back there is his sister, Zare.”

After Vanessa translated, he lifted his head up to see Zare’s sleeping form. “She wasn’t initially supposed to come with us, so I don’t know how or why she made it through the portal.”

“Like I said previously, this is Rexir. He was a former prince back in our world, but here, just a fledgling student of Leo and Vanessa. He is also mute, so if you need to ask anything of him, it must be through me.”

When Alpha asked why that was, Leresa grinned. “Well, you should be alright with yes or no questions, but anything more complex than that will require my help. I have what Leo called an ‘empathetic connection,’ with Rexir. I can read his thoughts, when he permits me, and he can read mine. Ergo, I am the only way to communicate with Rexy in detail.”

Rexir himself flinched when she called him by his nickname, and a small blush overcame his face. He bowed to Alpha in greeting, and he returned the gesture after a moment’s hesitation.

Finally sensing the man’s eyes fall on her, Hazeel cleared her throat and said, “My name is Hazeel, but people in my world knew me as Hazeel the Conqueror. I was formerly of the Azurian military, and now belong in mind and body to Leo.”

Hazeel looked at Leo’s face, and a smile spread on her own as she realized that she caused a slight redness on his cheeks that wasn’t present before.

Alpha went slack-jawed at the reveal, but ended up laughing only a few seconds later. "He told me as much, but it really makes a difference hearing it from the mouth of the person in question.”

Hazeel smirked at Leo’s boyish sigh, which was then replaced with the stone-faced soldier that she knew so well. “Well, now that introductions are over with, let’s get to the meat of the matter.”

Alpha nodded, and sat up straighter in his seat. “Let me tell you what we know before you ask any questions.” He volunteered.

Leo nodded, and waited for the man to begin his debriefing. “You are aware of the Gemini Project, yes?”

Hazeel’s curiosity was piqued as she saw Vanessa’s mouth curve down into a cruel grimace. “Yes, we are aware.” She said in a steely voice.

“Ok. Well, Christian has completed the project, and uses clones of Vanessa as bodyguards. He only uses twenty per state, and has them regularly brainwashed into submission every week.”

Vanessa shuddered visibly. “So he wasn’t just using me as a battery a few months ago. That’s… going to be a problem.”

“You would think so, but as beings not capable of complex thought, they can’t really adapt to changing conditions in fights, lest Christian risks losing control over them.”

“So, a toddler with a laser gun?” Katherine said from the doorway, just having returned from debriefing the Valkyrie unit.

Vanessa sighed, clearly hesitant to translate that, but she did anyway, eliciting a silent chuckle from Rexir.

“Sit down Taylor.” Alpha sighed, and began to explain our current circumstances to the girl. Hazeel looked over at Leo and asked, Will you be alright?

He jumped at the sudden question, a rare sight for someone as stoic as he. ‘I suppose I’m as alright as anyone that gets told he has to slaughter people that look like his beloved in order to save the planet.’

So not alright. Hazeel chuckled, and a small smirk spread on Leo’s lips.

‘After this, we need to get you some American food. I have so much that I want you to experience.’ He sent, along with a packet of emotions detailing his love for her, which made Hazeel blush in turn.

‘Stop getting busy over there. Alpha is explaining something important.’ Vanessa shot through their mental link, and sighed in reality. “Sorry Alpha, would you repeat that one more time? Some people weren’t listening.”

Agent Alpha smirked, knowing exactly who the culprits were. “Of course. As I was saying, the use of photon based powers has become widespread, but only those with permission from the government are overlooked. These,” Alpha explained, pulling out a box with several wristwatches in them, “are Distortion Bracelets, and are used to cover your photon signature. It took many raids to collect this many, so use them well.”

He distributed one to each of us, giving two to Rexir so he could give it to Zare later, and four extra to Katherine for the Valkyries’ use.

“Well, we will also need to make some fake IDs to attach to your Distortion Bracelet serial numbers, but that’ll take about a day.” Alpha explained.

“Why did they produce these in the first place?” Leresa asked. “Surely it seems like an oversight.”

Alpha shook his head. “Our scouts had to fight tooth and nail to get these. Many lost their lives in the process. They are fiercely guarded, and their manufacturing plants remain secret to this day.”

“The reason they use them in the first place, is so it’s easy to sense new people that emerge with photon signatures. Christian doesn’t want any rogue elements like Leo and Vanessa in his society, and this is a surefire way to nip problems in the bud before they grow. It’s pretty easy to pinpoint someone’s location if you don’t have any other interference from those already registered with the government.”

“For now, why don’t you all get acclimated to your rooms? I’ll have Ms Taylor guide you. After that, she can take you to some food places near the former college campus for dinner.”

“Burgers?” Hazeel perked up, and asked in a Japanese accent.

Leo stifled a laugh and said, “Yes, there are burgers, too.”