"Alright, due to some special circumstances, Ophelia had given me command, and from here on out, I'll be taking over everything's that going to happen here. Looking forward to working together."

He stood in front of the pivotal and important figures of the organization, those of which were benefactors, unit leaders, and many other influential people, as well as residents.

"A change in leadership so suddenly? Why? Did something bad happen to miss Ophelia?" one expressed his concern, drawing many of their attentions towards him as they expressed the same amount of concern.

"Nothing bad's happened to her. She's fine. Here, you can see for yourself," he glanced to his side, seeing Ophelia enter through one of the doors from inside the headquarters, curtly bowing to those around her with a gentle smile.

"Good day everyone. And for those that do not believe what Laruse had said, it is all true. I have allowed him command of the organization. He is someone very capable of leading us to heights that we have never reached due to some restrictions and drawbacks. Please, I ask that you give him your support."

"Is that really the case? Well, I don't oppose to the idea. I saw him fight the general, so I know that he's capable. I'll follow him," a short, stoic man said, openly showing his support.

"Hmm, I agree. I have only heard of rumors about his recent great feats, but if almost everyone from here has heard of it and had not persecuted him for spreading lies, then he must truly be someone great. I shall follow him as well," a tall, well-dressed and mannered man said.

The rest simply followed suit after seeing the influential people raising their approvals one by one, all convinced of what he is capable of, and what he might be able to accomplish, unknowingly overshadowing Ophelia's presence in an instant.

He finished off the meeting with a few agendas, then dismissing them all, returning to their normal routine.

Then Laruse, Cecil, and Charles were left in the room as Ophelia had to leave and care for the bedridden Cedric, who had awoken days after the incident; then the two wondered why and how this decision came to be.

"Laruse, are you sure that you know what you're doing?" she asked.

"Well, not really. But it'll probably come to me sometime soon. I don't really have a clue on how to do this," he scratched the back of his head as he said that.

"There must be a hidden motif for this all. I don't think you've ever wanted to lead anything by your own initiative. Will you tell me?" Charles said with intrigue.

"Sorry, I'll have to keep it to myself. I don't know how to do it, but I'll need time. This isn't going to be permanent anyway. Hopefully it might even get better, but not for me," he hinted, moving to the front of the table where a map of the region of Independence sat, detailed and marked as to what the organization has been up to.

"If that is what you want, I'll let you be. Then what are we going to do for today?"

"First off, I'll have to know everything about what there is to know about leading this. I'll have you two help me out as much as you can. I'll need every inch of help I can get so that I can get this done with quickly."

He asked for them to call Ophelia, who contained many of the information that he desired, thinking about what should happen next, drawing up a blank slate in his head, filled with nothing at all.

"Thanks, Cecil, Charles. You can go do whatever you want for the rest of the day. I'll need to talk with Ophelia for a bit."

They were left alone; a silent and depressed Ophelia silently working on what Laruse asked her of while slightly trying not to be a burden.

"Here, Laruse. These are a list of things that have been requested for the organization for funding. These ones have been ignored, however, since they are quite obscure and that we do not have the manpower to provide for these missions, more so now after... what happened in Kausten."

"Hmm, they pay a lot. I'll do some of them if I have the time. Don't worry too much about the manpower. I'll have you help me too. You'll be like a secondary leader while I'm gone. That alright with you?"

"Ah, yes. I see no problem in that."

"Good. Now that that's taken care of. Ophelia, is Cedric awake?"

"Yes, just now. He's resting after having eaten. Do you need something from him?"

"Nothing in particular. I just want to see how he's doing. Will that be alright?"

"Yes, I don't think he'll mind. Please, come with me."

Ophelia stood, leading Laruse to the place where Cedric was being kept; a two-story wooden structure that's been furnished as a hospital for all those in the organization. There were many who were admitted into the hospital, some were still recovering from the many wounds they've taken from the battle.

As Laruse came up to Cedric's bedside, he noticed him, not looking as feisty as he always is, instead being calm as he could be; bandages wrapped around several parts of his body.

"Sorry about this, Ophelia, but could you leave us for a while. I need to talk with him for a bit, privately," Laruse said, again depressing her as she felt utterly useless, even around the man whom she trusted the hopes of everyone in the region with.

After she had left, he sat beside Cedric's bed, taking a seat near him.

"What do you need? I don't think you'd come here for nothing," Cedric said in a stern voice.

"You guessed right. I'll get straight to the point then. Cedric, tell me, what made Ophelia act like that? It's pretty unusual since I've thought of her as a rational type of person. Someone that won't be brought down too quickly. Do you know anything about that?"

"I do. I can't forget it myself. If you want to find out about that, then I might as well tell you everything."

"It all started when we were still back at Palas, when it was still a bit peaceful. I've been a friend of hers and her family for a long time, so I've come to know the family well. You could even say I became part of the family, and knew how much each one of them cherished one another. It's almost too much that sometimes I just wanted to leave since I didn't want to ruin such a thing."

"Ophelia's father, the governor of the city, taught her and I a lot of things. He was especially talented as a mage, training under some of the wisest hermits that came by the city. He taught that to her, and she showed proficiency, more than I could have ever hoped myself to learn. So, I abandoned it and started training with the sword, and it was under Caspian."

"She was pretty talented at organizing things, often being in uncle's office, helping him handle matters concerning the city, enough that she exceeded his intelligence and became quite the prodigy. Many saw notice of this too, many having known of the Noire family, and having been friends with either Uncle or Aunt. They praised her, and that's when she started improving herself, wanting to become like her father, an intelligent man whom has had a history of having defeated countless of bandits and armies wanting to take over Palas. Many were grateful to him for that."

"So that means she knows how to use magic?" Laruse asked, readily interrupting the story.

"Yes. Though after what happened she had never used it again. Says that it only reminds her of the one that taught it to her, and the one that... killed her father."

"Hmm. She is pretty good at commanding people from what I've noticed. Why hasn't she regressed from that? Didn't her father teach her about that as well?"

"He did, but it stuck to her that it was the one thing that could help others. She preferred using her words rather than force. I wondered about that too back then, but now, I don't even question it. Without her, we might not even be here right now. The Revolution might have already taken us down before anything else."

"Hmm. That so? What else? Anything more from the story?"

"Yeah, a lot. But I'll cut it down for you. When the revolutionary army arrived and destroyed everything and everyone that opposed them, governor Noire stood up without hesitation, opposing them all, putting up a close fight against an adversary. We were sure to win it, but it was then that someone ended him. A mage from what I remember, casting pure, scarlet flames, corrupting everything and burning all around him. During that, Ophelia and I was running away after his father ordered the evacuation. By that time, she had already seen her fair share of death as everyone she knew died in front of her, but what hit her the hardest was her father' and mother's."

"That scarred her, and that's what recurred during the attack at Kausten, right?"

"Yes... now it's my turn for questions."

"Go ahead."

"What are you planning? With the way you made her cry, I'm tempted to just stand right up and beat you down even if it kills me, but I won't since it'll worry her again."

"What I'm planning? What do you mean by that?"

"Don't play dumb. I remember how you threatened her that you would leave since she was indecisive, and that you led her to give you the organization. What are you up to?"

"So you were awake that time?"

"Just answer the question," Cedric said seriously, making his body feel a sharp tinge of pain, which he ignored.

"Simple. I'll bring her back to normal and make her susceptible to that painful memory of hers. Or better yet, make her forget that entirely."

"And how will you do that? Don't do anything that'll provoke me. Do something bad to her and I swear you'll regret it."

"Don't worry. Just leave it to me. I'll get her back if it's the last thing I do. Plus, she's the only one who can lead the organization anyway. I'll do worse possibly," he stood up, leaving the hospital with an anxiously curious Cedric, feeling cautious as to how Laruse would handle such a thing, especially since it concerned Ophelia.

Upon leaving the hospital, Laruse was met by the morning sun and the fresh wafting of the air blowing leaves here and there, making them rustle calmly.

*sigh* "Now how do I exactly do that?" he asked himself, leaning by one of the hospital's pillars, looking at the people passing him by.

"You seem distraught. Is everything alright with you, Laruse?" Charles appeared from his side, smiling as he usually does.

"You could say that. But I don't think it's nothing I can't handle if I put my mind into it. by the way, where's Cecil? I thought she was with you?"

"She is with miss Ophelia right now. I wouldn't want to get in the way, so I thought of searching for you instead. But something tells me that you're troubled."

"Lost in my own thoughts. Don't worry too much about it," he sighed upon replying, urging Charles to take more drastic actions, in his own way.

"Come with me for a while, I'd like to show you something. I think you'd like it, and hopefully it'll quell your mind a bit. Oh, and bring your sword along. Who knows if you'll need it."

Charles walked at a slow pace, passing by people whose waved at him with a smile, as if he had infected them with his uncanny ability to speak and befriend most people, drawing out the best in them sometimes.

They passed the guarded gate leading outside the organization, immediately coming into contact with a dense forest that spanned acres across, making it difficult to find such a place in a secluded location like this.

Laruse payed little mind to where they were going, feeling no need as Charles led him farther and farther through the forest, revealing a clearing with a paved circle in the middle, surrounded by trees and silence.

"Why exactly are we here? I don't see anything important about this place," he looked around, examining the area.

"I find it quite pleasant to be here. But that's not what I came here for. I'd like for us to test each other like we once did. I'm sure that you won't decline. After all, it's one way that you did to get your mind off things for a while," Charles faced Laruse, holding his left hand out in front, making a shining silver gleam appear on it, coating his entire arm with a gauntlet from thin air.

Laruse stood silent, simply looking at him, unsheathing his sword as if he knew what to do next, holding it with one hand.

"I'm glad that you agree with me."

Charles rushed with a sudden burst of speed, leaving his cloak behind, winding back his left arm as silver glow began emanating from it, glowing stronger and stronger as he came closer towards Laruse, who kept track of his movements, yet still not moving.

With a forward stomp of his foot, he moved the left side of his body forward, thrusting and revealing an ornate silver spear that gleamed and reflected the light which shone on it, piercing the wind as it closed in on Laruse.

In a split second of reaction, he moved to his left, spinning his body along with his sword, attacking Charles from his exposed right side.

They stood still as a loud sound of metal clashing echoed through the forest, letting the calm feeling sink in as both breathed in unison, glancing at each other with a grin on their faces.

Laruse had struck Charles's right arm, which he used to defend himself with, revealing a silver gleam on a gauntlet that he had enveloped it with.

"Still an impressive time of reaction. I see that you haven't lost that," Charles broke the silence looming between them.

"You're not too bad yourself. And by the looks of it, you were about to skewer me."

"If I had started half-heartedly, then I would have gotten the same treatment. And against you, I'd like to break the boundaries and see just how far I've gone, granted that this isn't my all. You've barely even scratched my armor, so I'm already having my doubts."

"That's just who I am right now. Don't get too confident now."

Laruse backed away, feeling his surroundings, catching his bearings and making sure of his movements.

Charles took the initiative, rushing relentlessly as he was unleashing a flurry of thrusts which limited his opponent's movements, reducing his attention to defending, which Laruse poured much of his effort on, keeping himself scratch free for the most part to Charles's surprise.

Laruse broke the flurry, repelling the spear away from him with a swat of his sword, and taking a step forward to exceed the range of Charles's blade, catching him off guard after being lured into a trap.

With this chance, Laruse kicked Charles by the torso, forcing him back a few meters, followed by him cleaving diagonally across his chest, not having any regard for his friend's safety.

Charles spun, swinging at Laruse as he was carried away by his momentum, sent back flying a good distance, which he barely landed safely on his legs.

"Getting complacent, Charles? I don't remember you being like this?"

"I must admit that I was surprised. But it seems that I can't really hold back against you, otherwise I wouldn't gain any ground. Prepare yourself then. I shall push you to your limits and emerge victorious. I shall boast that I've gotten stronger over the few years. My armor is an impenetrable as ever."

Charles stood with his stance; his torso was now covered by an impregnable looking armor, the one which saved him from receiving any damage from Laruse's attack.

Upon concentrating his ability, Charles made a full set of armor materialize on the whole of his body, branding him as a shining, heroic, and magnificent knight by image, having a white cape and an imposing looking helmet to go along with the set, now looking more inviolable than before.

The sun began to set, and it had been hours since they started fighting with each other, forcing the battle till their bodies were exhausted.

Both were on the ground, lying motionless, but breathing, simply enjoying the scenery and the atmosphere of the rustling leaves along with the warm sunset’s rays, feeling a soft breeze on their skin.

"So it seems that we are both still lacking. I surely thought that I would win, but I am misguided by you. You are as ruthless as ever, yet there seems to be something missing, as if there is something restricting you. Is there something bothering you after all?" Charles spoke while lying on the ground, his so called impregnable armor was scratched all over, and a small bit of his armor were dented, but not penetrated, as he boasted; his cape was in tatters, and his helmet was off to his side; a bit of his charismatic face was blemished with dirt.

"Something's missing, huh? I guess you can say that. Who knows if it's a problem, but that woman seems to keep creeping up on me in my sleep even in the afterlife. It's nearly driving me insane how much it's bothering me," Laruse responded, his arms and legs stretched out freely, his clothes were ripped in many parts, his skin had cuts and scars, and the same with Charles; his face was dirtied; everything about him was worn.

"I see. So, your memory of her passing never left your mind, hasn't it? I may be the same with you, but you have the strongest bond with her. No one of us came close, and to be frank with you, it drew me to jealously at one point. But why? There may be many reasons, but what is that for you?"

"... I want to get stronger so that no one I care for ever dies. I've made a lot of useless remarks like saying that I'll never try to meet any more people that I'd like so that I could spare the pain of losing someone, but that only made me weaker. She taught us about having someone to treasure and protect with your entire being, and how it'll make you stronger. So, when I do get stronger, hopefully she'll finally be proud of me."

"She always was, Laruse. She always was," Charles muttered from under his breath, smiling as he closed his eyes, thinking about that one woman that took control of Charles and Laruse's lives, along with many others, giving them a reason to keep moving when they had nowhere to go.