“Hey! I think you’re drinking a bit too little.” Gris taunted.

“Sorry, sir, but I don’t drink that much.” Replied Mido.

“Look at them… They’re starting to waste themselves.”

He pointed to the usual suspects. Enna and Gen were red in the face.

“You had the chance, idiot! You should’ve ‘least said something to herr…” Enna drooled a bit.

Gen huddled at the edge of the table, covering his head. “Uhuh…”

“Damn it, Fein! Couldn’t keep his hand to the drinks for a while… Had to run errands again…” Enna groaned.

Oscar huffed. “It’s unusual to see Vassals like that…”

“They have a low tolerance to alcohol. They are both usually the first ones to fall drunk.” Gris mesmerized the wine, shining it through the warm outdoor post light. It was already nighttime.

“Still, Oscar. Way too good of a place to invite your new… company. And you seem to be always holed up down there.”

“This is the usual place I go to from time to time. And it’s my duty as a quartermaster to serve from the inside. It’s been a long time since I freed myself out of there, but thanks to your new recruit…” He said, looking at Mido, smiling.

“I’m amazed you’re a skillful Vassal. You helped me remember a part of me I tried to forget.”

“It was nothing, sir. I just went with the simulations…” There was a hint of nervousness in Mido’s voice.

“Say, kid. Color me curious, but how did you do that?” Gris leaned, slightly pushing his seat closer to the two.

“I know for a fact Oscar did not purposefully wanted us to see it.”

Mido wondered for a second. Should he tell this team now? Even if he did, he might not explain it fully, and more questions will eventually rise up. This was a mysterious phenomenon to him, and his colleagues thought the same. He turned to look at Oscar. He gave an encouraging smile. It was also a smile of trust.

Everything was happening so fast… Just a few days ago, he was about to die. Now, he became an Apprehension Group member, in a span of just a day. He met new people, linked new friends, and even gained a new perspective through unexpected circumstances. This was all too convenient…

But Mido knew, there will come a time that he needs to reveal his ability, even though he cannot grasp its complexity yet.

“This ability… It’s not always flame, sir Gris.”

“Hmm… I’m interested.”

“I have this… voice in my head. It speaks to me, and it made me learn those abilities. Those incantations were spoken to me. And that is why sir Oscar’s ability responded erratically to me, sending me through his memories. It was it’s doing.”

Gris laughed and hiccupped. “Kid… Did the booze get to you already?”

“That’s why I don’t want you all to know this yet… I don’t want you to think of me as a crazed man.”

“Nah, I’m just joking! I hear you, Mido.” He composed himself.

“But still… I have never heard of an ability that speaks, let alone teach.”

“It’s true, Gris. When Mido here was being tested, I felt another presence within the simulation. It’s almost as if it’s always behind him, in his shadow. Whatever that voice is, it must be a separate entity.” Oscar explained.

“Hmm… The secretary was curiously observant too, I noticed. Maybe she felt it too, and knows something about your ability, kid.”

“Can I ask her about it?” said Mido.

“Sadly, no. In fact, that was the closest you can get to Miss Ayane. I was also surprised she attended, but this occasion alone was rare enough.”

“Why is that?” Mido asked.

“You might be unaware, but Vassals are starting to decline. For every year, the occurrence of a person manifesting Vassal abilities is decreasing. We still don’t know why. News from edge countries close to the fronts also say that there might be a war coming to us on both sides of the continent. Two crises, yet not definite answers.” Explained Oscar.

“Both sides?”

“Yes. I’m sure you’re shaded from the outside world, so I’ll tell you.”

Mido seemed to be the only one interested in listening, as both troublemakers were too occupied, Gris was starting to doze off, and Sora, Wiz, and Fein were nowhere to be found.

“This continent, the one we all step on, is Alto. A few decades ago, this continent plunged itself into a continental war. It was also the peak of the Vassal emergence. That was the memory I was put in charge with, mostly used in tests, as it proved to be abundant in scenarios that required physical and… mental challenges.”

“Didn’t that bother you, sir? To be used like that?”

“It did… But I was so accustomed to it, it almost felt nothing. And it is also my job as the Henwales branch’s quartermaster.”

Oscar continued. “It all ended when the Endarians of the High Walls, in the middle of Alto, managed to be victorious by amassing the most powerful of Vassals. Soon after creating the Vassals United and The Organization supposed to oversee us all, they successfully silenced all of the nations through a tight grip of fear. Fear that they might strike should any country wishes to break this period of ‘peace.’”

“That is why Vassals are shunned on the majority of countries. The people of Henwales, however, respects us, as the family built all of this for them, and they were in strong ties with the Organization.”

“Who are they? These… ‘Endarians.’”

Oscar paused for a bit.

“Even I don’t know kid. They are all hiding in their huge metropolis, barred from the outside by the High Walls. But they controlled an unnatural amount of Vassals at their height. We respectfully feared them due to that.”

“There are other continents, kid. Filled with their own problems. All I can tell you is that they are the Eastern Rim, and the Western Sitis, where the theocratic nation, the Faustian Congregation is. I don’t know much, but tension on the Western Front is starting to build up.”

“You mean… Another war might take place?”

Oscar nodded.

“It’s inevitable that when you walk this path for years, you may need to go to war. Before that happens, though, steel yourself. That ability… for me, it holds so much potential. Don’t waste that chance.”

“It’s a lot to take in, sir… But I will prepare. I still have to find justice.”

“Right. You may be up against a Void Vassal, from what I’ve heard. But it’s okay. You are strong. You all are.”

Mido timidly looked at the table. Is he really strong, with his ability? As far as he remembered, he was only meddling with a voice he only knows exists because it’s in his head. A sentient ability, with the power to seemingly interact with other abilities…

“Well, then kid! I suppose I’ll take my leave. I will have to do a bit of talking with the secretary…” Oscar started to pick up his belongings from the table.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Oh, and don’t worry about the drink. I already paid the tab.” He winked.

“You didn’t have to go that far, sir… But thank you so much!” Mido bowed as thanks.

Oscar stood up and arranged his white and red uniform before setting his chair back into the table. Their three companions were all bottled down, so they weren’t there to acknowledge his departure except for Mido.

“Can you carry these three?”

“I will wait for the others.”

He took one last look at the boy before closing the door.

“Take care, and stay safe, Mido. I’ll look forward to seeing you again.”

“Have a good night, sir Oscar.”

Mido was left to tend to his colleagues.

Meanwhile…

Sora and Wiz were sitting on a bench not far from the bar.

“Wiz… Is Mido a normal Vassal?” Sora asked.

“Why ask that?”

“It’s because his ability. I sense something eerie about it. The way it interacted with the quartermaster’s simulation was like the same way it reacted to Enna back at Migny. It seems to trigger something in their minds.”

“I’m not gonna lie, Sora, but I’m thinking of that too. He can not only use a fire-based ability but can also manipulate Astral Vassals’ abilities to an extent. Which makes me wonder… Is there a case of a double alignment?”

“Huh?”

“A Vassal aligned to two aspects. He might be both a Primal and an Astral. That might explain his interaction to both the quartermaster and Enna.”

Sora scoffed. “That’s impossible. No one can align themselves into two aspects at once.”

Wiz looked at the ground. “True… But the world is huge, Sora. Lots of possibilities.”

“Yeah… But he’s done it now. He’s now a member of D-7. I’m afraid we cannot distrust him sooner.”

“I’m not doubting Mido. I just… I just want to know who he really is. And why…” She firmly grasped her chest.

“Why do I feel this way about him? Is this… normal?”

Sora was appalled at the way she described it.

“Wiz. We’ve only met Mido a few days ago. But we have been comrades for almost a year now--”

“What are you trying to imply, Sora?” Wiz slowly looked at him.

He immediately stopped in his tracks and shut his mouth.

“Nothing, Wiz.” Wizbette squinted her eyes a bit, hinting at something, but she soon dismissed it.

“We still need to help him. Captain made that promise, in exchange of him joining.”

“…Yeah.”

Wiz touched his shoulder. “Trust me. Mido is a good man. He just needs a bit more of warming up with us.”

‘He’s ‘warmed up’ enough, Wiz,’ Sora thought.

“…Yeah.”

Wiz pouted in front of him, flustering. “Sora! If you’re going to put that act, I’ll—"

“Good evening, you two.” She was interrupted by a man passing by. Both immediately stood up.

“Quartermaster Oscar! Good evening, sir!”

“I see you two went to take a breeze… Well, Mido needs some helping back there.” He pointed to the bar.

“Three of your friends are wasted to a pulp.”

“Thank you, sir! We’ll go there right away!” Wizbette replied.

“Well, I’ll be off then. Got a lot of stuff to sort out. Take care!” Oscar smiled. They exchanged pleasantries and both parties walked to opposite ways.

“It’s rare to see him smiling, you know.” Sora mentioned.

“Who would not smile after seeing that, back at the test?”

‘Because of him, again, huh…’

“Suppose you’re right.” As Sora spoke, Wiz immediately punched him in the shoulder.

“Ow!”

“Hmm! Sora!”

“Could we just get this day over with?!” Sora exclaimed. Wiz immediately went ahead of him and into the bar. Sighing, Sora stared at the moon, shining elegantly with the twinkling stars.

‘Mido, huh. Wizbette… I don’t know how he made you feel that way, but please…’

‘Just don’t leave me hanging here, damn it.’