"Saria, let me out of this cage. I wanna have a bout."

"Turning to violence already? Sheesh, Adam."

"It's boring as hell in here, that's why. Shadowboxing only goes so far." Adam said. He needed to hit someone. He had been practising the new joint locks Brigid and the others taught him and wouldn't be satisfied unless he used them on flesh and bone. “I wanna hurry up and bury your face into the dirt.”

Saria whistled. “You think you can beat me?”

“I got close.” Adam said. He flexed his fist. He could see their last bout in his mind’s eye. If he had moved a little faster, aimed for the left instead of the right, he could have done it. Maybe.

Saria shrugged. "Sorry Adam, I can’t let you out. You’re meant to stay here for a few more days." She said.

“The hell? You’re already out.”

“They said I was the victim.”

“The victim my ass! You instigated our fight!” Adam shouted, pointing at her.

“The other guys might be a little bit biased.” Saria said, giggling. Adam frowned. “I'll bring it up with Brigid, say you're more well-behaved now."

"Her again?" Adam scowled.

"You don't like Brigid much, huh?"

"Am I supposed to? She's acted like a total bitch to me since I came here."

Saria looked as if she was caught between offense and agreement. It wasn’t quite a frown, but it wasn’t a smile, either.

“Yeah, I guess you could call her that. When she’s on the clock, though. Not when she’s taking a break, which admittedly is rare.”

“Was I not supposed to call her that?”

“Ehhh…” Saria said, “Don’t say it to her face. She’ll get mad.”

“Noted. What’s her deal, anyway?”

"She used to be a drill instructor. Taught me and Lucy back in Astraea. That's where she gets her attitude from."

Adam studied Saria. She didn't seem offended he had essentially insulted a member of her family. Unless...

"You don't like her, Saria?"

"Like is a strong word. Lucy and I respect her, but..." The girl glanced around the cell space, before learning in to whisper, "Yeah, Brigid can be real scary. It's her job, but still!"

"I know, right? I don't think she's smiled at me, once!" Sadistic smiles before firing giant light beams at him didn't count.

"That's her style alright. Good for whipping rookies into shape. Not so much for making friends." Saria shuddered. "Man, even thinking of the some of the stuff she punished us for back in training...it's a nightmare."

The older woman reminded Adam of most authority figures he had encounters. Bigger, stronger and full of themselves. At least Brigid seemed like she could back up her claims.

"Still, Brigid only trains those she finds worthy." Saria said, "If she didn't care, she wouldn't have bothered with you.”

"It's because I'm a Pactbearer."

"That's part of it, yeah, but I'm not going to pretend she doesn't care." Saria said. "Anyway, I'll ask Brigid to let you out tomorrow. Oh, and thanks Adam. Thanks for agreeing to find Madeline. It means a lot to me."

Adam dreamed that night. He usually dreaded this, as he often saw Mary in his dreams. They were either replays of that fateful day seven years ago, or fragmented memories of happier times that left him with moist eyes once he woke up.

This time was different. He found himself falling through golden strands of light. They wrapped around him like silk cocoon as the blinding light turned the scene white. When his vision came to, he was standing on something hard, a view of a night sky ahead of him.

It was not the light-polluted, shadowy veil of a night that hung over Steeldale, nor the red-tinged artificially dimmed curtain of his current world. It was a tapestry of stars, vivid and multicolored and purer than any dot in the sky he had ever seen. A few moved through the air, slower than comets but faster than airplanes.

He looked around the area. It was a loading dock of a sort, surrounded by high silvery fences and dome-shaped buildings in the background. A group of people were marching towards a stone disk, atop which an altar with glowing, turquoise sigils was standing.

“Attention, cohort!”

Adam’s eyes widened. He recognised that voice. He ran towards the group.

“Brigid?” He gasped.

The group was composed primarily of women, yet none of them noticed the presence of a new boy in their ranks. In fact, they ignored Adam entirely, as if he never existed at all.

These must be the War Maidens. So this place must be somewhere in Astraea, then.

“We will now be commencing Operation Malkuth!” Brigid shouted towards the cohort. Her uniform was different. It was cleaner, more pristine and lacked the cobbled-together nature of her current set. Multiple medals—circular gold plates hanging from enchanted cloths—were pinned to lapel. “Our goal is to enter the dimensional rift and make contact with the stranded Brunhilde cohort! We will then evacuate any and all survives back to this base. I will not lie, the fact that Brunhilde ceased to make contact with us is extremely worrying. However, with our skills and the Goddess by our side…”

Adam tuned out the speech, inspecting the crowd. The War Maidens were lined in neat rows, facing their leader with fierce expressions. Steadfast, powerful, seemingly nigh-unbreakable. Some were old hags, wrinkles plain on their cheeks. Others were young, barely having entered adolescence.

Why am I dreaming this? How do I know this?

He tried to tap one of the Maidens on the shoulder, only to find his hand passing through like a ghost. It felt like dipping his skin into a bucket of cold silt. Even knowing that, he moved around the Maidens to reach to the front.

“With our courage, we shall advance forth into the unknown! With our strength, we shall banish the corruption on the other side and avenge our fallen…”

Brigid was still talking. Three familiar faces paid attention in the front row. Lucy, Saria and Madeline. Weapons at their sides, possessing a hopeful, selfless optimism that their current iterations lacked. The youngest girl, Madeline, seemed to beam with pride standing next to her sister. It was radiant enough in a sense to make a nasty part of Adam squirm.

Wait, the two girls don’t look alike. Adam thought, getting closer to the two siblings. If this was the real Saria, she would’ve decked him in the face. Their features were similar, but not in the sense that signified sisterhood. Are they actually sisters?

The portal opened, revealing an expanse of the cherry-red skies. Brigid raised her fist in the air and roared. The other War Maidens did the same.

The golden threads wrapped around him and Adam felt himself being lifted high up into those starry skies.

What a weird-ass dream. Adam thought upon finishing his breakfast. Still, at least it wasn’t about Mary again.

“You done?” Saria asked outside his cell.

He looked at her, then averted his eyes. The dream was still clear inside his memory. The Saria from within and the Saria from now were indeed the same person. But the Saria before him was wearier, her hair was scruffier and her movements carried a frantic tension barely suppressed by years of rigorous discipline. It was the tale of a girl who had been beaten down by the cruel world, yet still clung onto her life.

He preferred this Saria. They were more alike. The past Saria would have called him a degenerate and tried to arrest him, as authority dogs were to do.

“Hey, Adam?” Saria called, waving her hand in front of his face behind the bars, “You doing okay there?”

“Gimme a moment, damn it!”

No way I could have dreamt that up. It must’ve come from…Saria? Wait, is that even possible?

Then he remembered that golden light and decided that, yes, it was possible. It must be another aspect of their pact. Better not mention this to Saria. Given how passionate she was in her happiness and wrath, Adam did not want to find out how she reacted to a breach of privacy.

“I’m done. Now what?” Adam said, passing the tray through the slot.

Saria fished out a key from her uniform pockets. “You’re getting out.”

“That quickly?”

“Brigid ain’t a tyrant.” Saria said, “We made up, so there’s no reason to keep us locked up.”

Brigid and Lucy were waiting outside for him. The younger girl waved hello with a smile, while the older woman scanned them both over with a critical eye. Once again, Adam felt that pressure on his back. This time, it did not threaten to crush him, rather it seemed to test him. He stared back with his own willpower.

“Good morning, Adam. How was your stay?” Brigid asked.

“Fine.” Adam said, shrugging. “It’s nothing I haven’t experienced before. Gave me time to think.”

“Have you learned your lesson?”

“Yeah. I won’t attack Saria like that again, assuming she doesn’t insult my family again.”

“She will not attempt that again, correct Saria?”

The girl in question nodded, still abashed.

“It’s not wrong to get offended on behalf of your family, nor defend yourself if attacked.” Brigid said, surprising Adam, “But we do not allow murder attempts on our comrades. Is that clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Good. Learning is a continuous process. We’ve all been there, so do not feel much shame in this, as long as you’ve gained something from it.” Brigid said, with a small smile that Adam almost missed it. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Welcome back, Adam. Your duties are the same.”

So back to work he did. His first stop was the greenhouse at the back. When he walked in, several of the workers there raised their heads to look at him.

“Adam.” John, that old farmer, said. “You’re back. Did Saria apologize to you?”

“She did.”

“Good. She’s got a fiery temper, but her heart is in the right place. You didn’t deserve that though. Hope you can work together better from now on.” He handed Adam a tool, as if he had never left.

“Glad to have you here. The fields are waiting for you.”

His life resumed at West Junction, though it was less burdensome than before. There were less eyes of suspicion upon him. His hazing had gone through, apparently. The people here weren’t one to hold a grudge, unlike Steeldale’s old residents.

Time passed. The daily cycle repeated. It was almost enjoyable.

One day in the training fields, he kicked Lucy’s leg, sending her toppling over. It took him a moment to realise what happened.

"Well done." Lucy said with a smile, "But we're not done yet!"

She lunged up from the ground, a fist aimed at his neck. Adam raised his arms to block and the two made contact. He dug into his heels, pushing the red inside of him towards his arm and his lower body.The pain and the impact passed and, instead of being forced back like usual, he stood his ground. Lucy retreated and inspected his form. She liked what she saw.

“You’re ready.” Lucy said, “Let's get you your first mission.”