“I am glad to see that all of you have managed to arrive on time.” Kacee Fitzgerald turned a flinty glower towards her left flank, staring at a young man with hair the color of burnt flames and a jagged scar on his left ear. “All of you.”

He grimaced and placed a hand on his chest, over the sleeveless jerkin he wore. “That hurts, Captain. It does. I shouldn’t have to defend myself.”

“You’d fail. Every time.” Yvette said with a dry tone, her eyes rolling in his direction stoically. “It’s a fact of life. The sky is blue. The grass is green. Leander is a lazy bum.” She shrugged as she heard the scattered chuckles from the others in the meeting hall.

Leander’s expression turned cross as if he seemed unsure of whether to glare or brush it off. He quickly made up his mind, scoffing and rolling his eyes.

“Enough. We’ve had our fun.” Kacee smacked the surface of the table, an echoing clap resounding in the room. She and six others sat around the very same table that she had sat with Joseph earlier that day. Her eyes flickered from person to person, meeting their gazes as she’s always done ever since taking over Twin Flags. “How is our current operation proceeding? On schedule?”

Her fell onto Yvette, who inclined her chin slightly. “My division has gathered all of the equipment in disrepair and are deciding which can be salvaged or scrapped. It is going well.” Her brusque tone clinically explained her duties.

At her side, Morgan grunted, leaning his head on a hand. “We’ve scouted all available jobs from at least three towns out from Xadria.” He shrugged, “It’s a drought up north; elves and Beastkin from Melia have managed to snatch up a majority of long-term contracts, with almost all positive appraisals from employers. They won’t need mercenaries for a long while.” He then waved a hand. “You already know how things are close to Veracity and Nyrill; from Xadria, the most profitable opportunities are further south and east.”

Nex to him, a deceptively youthful-looking man with pointed ears and a narrow face hummed. “As Morgan stated, jobs closest to Veracity and near the border of Melia are either assigned to the Knights or taken by rival companies.” He reached into a bag he kept next to his seat and pulled out a rolled map, spreading it out on the table. Motioning to drawn routes along the southern portions, he continued, “What my comrade did not mention, though, was that Kohinoor has an abundance of jobs available for us to take, no doubt in response to Veritas’ decision.”

Morgan grunted, the corner of her lip curling. “What Fall isn’t saying is that every mercenary worth their name, both person and group, is making their way to Kohinoor as we speak.” He waved his hand to the side, a grimace on his face. “By the time we get there, we’ll be shit out of luck for employment.”

Fallinor hummed in assent, his thin lips curling downwards. “I’d prefer optimism, but that doesn’t pay well.” That amused the fellows around the table, along with an eye-roll from Kacee. “Also, even if we decided to accelerate our departure, we’re a few hours behind other companies; even with them risking the treachery of traversing Kohinoor’s mountain ranges, the potential payouts for the contracts would be more than worth it.”

Kacee hummed in discontent, nodding to the pair. “I see. Regretful, but it’s one less we’re ignorant about. Anything else?” She turned her attention towards Leander.

The man blinked when Kacee focused on him, but leaned forward and looked over the map. A serious expression came over his face as he motioned towards the red line drawn from Xadria to Kohinoor. “Kohinoor is not a good location for our company’s future.” At everyone’s searching stare, he exhaled through his nose. “Competition is becoming fiercer amongst mercenary companies with Veritas due to the Royal Decree. Even before that, our exceptional reputation already made us a target by our rivals. Now?” He grimaced and shook his head, leaning back. “Our rivals would be everything in their power to sabotage us, no matter where we decided to go.”

“You can’t be serious.” Kacee glared at the map.

“Lee’s right.” A soft voice cut in, bring her attention to the young woman who spoke. She appeared to be on the younger end, closer to her early teens, but she held herself confidently. The teen had dark grey hair, cut short to her shoulders, with a pair of furred ears atop her head, the left one hanging downwards. A scar marred the pale skin of her skin on the side of her neck and along her cheek. Purple eyes stared at the map as the teen frowned. “He, Ash, and I met at the guildhall to see how other companies fared and…”

“It felt more like a viper pit than a tavern.” The young man next to her resembled her, with the dark grey hair and the ears; his left ear, though, appeared to be slashed, half of it missing and scarred over. He sat a few inches taller than the teen next to him. He stared at the map, his gloved right hand resting on the corner of it as he leaned over it. “Briar may be the empath, but if I could tell…”

Kacee closed her eyes as she exhaled. “I noticed a tense atmosphere during my visits, but I suppose my observations fall short compared to the three of you.”

Ash snorted, “Don’t feel too bad, Cap. Bri and I don’t get too many offers anymore since that decree.”

“And the few who do try to sneak by us,” Briar mumbled as she stared at the map.

“We’re at an impasse.” Kacee declared, lips curling as she leaned back in her seat. “If we stay, we’ll no longer be able to continue taking jobs. If we leave, rival companies will sabotage us.”

“Compared to Kohinoor and Veritas, Melia is no better, considering their troubleshooters.” Morgan rumbled, crossing his arms. “And Holien outrights refuses companies not already affiliated with their government.”

“The best we can realistically do is become more mobile, but that’s not without its troubles.” Fallinor demurred as he stared at the map.

Cracking knuckles pulled everyone’s attention to Ash, who had clenched his gloved hand. “I refuse to be anything like them.” He gritted his teeth.

Kacee pursed her lips, but before she could speak, Briar placed a hand over his fist and spoke soothingly. “Have faith in the Captain, Ash. With her leading us, it won’t come to that.” She turned her gaze to me. “Right?”

“As long as I lead us, we will not devolve into a roving band of cutthroats.” Kacee declared sternly, seeing a round of resolute nods from her lieutenants. After a moment, she exhaled through her nose. “This is a problem we’ll have to revisit in our next meeting in two weeks after we’ve had more time to come up with solutions.” That garnered another round of consents, to which Kacee continued. “I have one more subject I need to bring up for our meeting.” She turned her attention solely onto Briar. “Earlier today, we had two guests. What is your read on them?” Briar paused, not immediately replying, as if she debated with herself. “Start with the woman.”

Briar nodded. “Wrath. It simmered beneath the surface as if waiting to be unleashed.” She grimaced and shook her head. “It never abated, never dimmed.” A shiver escaped her as she furrowed her brow and shook her head. “I don’t think I could ever get used to it.”

Ash frowned at the answer, giving her a concerned look. “Are you alright? You’ve never felt such intense emotion before.”

Kacee watched as the girl shrugged, her expression pale. “The fact it surprised me made it worse. It won’t bother me if I can expect her.”

“I’m sorry, Briar,” Kacee whispered to the girl, getting a shake of the head. “What of her companion? How did he feel?”

Briar paused, eyes narrowing in remembrance. “Reading him…was difficult.” She frowned, crossing her arms. “He felt nervous on the surface; not his primary emotion, but still prevalent.” The teen furrowed her brow, placing a hand on her chin. “Concrete emotions eluded me, though that could’ve been because the woman eclipsed him…”

Yvette arched a brow and studied Briar, then turned her head to face Kacee. “Are you referring to the one you brought here? It seemed like you knew him.”

Morgan let out an audible hum. “You mean the kid that managed to brush me off? I figured you were trying to recruit him.”

Kacee paused, feeling Leander and Fallinor studying her and waiting for an answer. Before she could reply, Briar sucked in a breath. “There was one moment, though.” That caused everyone to turn back towards her, curiosity at her musing tone. “One moment where the woman’s anger vanished. Not by anger. But…it’s closer to that particular emotion than any other.” Her gaze rolled over to the table before landing on a specific spot. “What is this table made of?”

Leander followed her gaze, and he lost some color in his complexion. “Far tougher than anything on the market, that’s for sure. There’s no one in our company with the raw strength to just…”

“Put their fist through the table?” Kacee said, her tone dry and amused.

Fallinor pursed his lips as he studied her. “You know who he is. The man you brought here and the one who…did that.” He motioned to the hole.

Kacee nodded. “I do. He’s someone I’ve known since before I joined Twin Flags.”

“One of the other Twelve Heroes, then?” Fallinor asked of her, leaning forward in his seat. He pursed his lips as he narrowed his eyes in recollection. “Hm. From what I remember, seeing the man in passing, he didn’t resemble any of the tales I’ve heard of them.”

Leander grunted. “I still want to disbelieve that a group of peasants summoned from another world are worthy of the Royal Family’s attention.” He inclined his head towards Kacee. “No offense to you, Captain. I’ve seen what you’re capable of and it doesn’t leave me wanting.”

As the summoned heroine met his statement with a smile, Morgan chuckled as he shook his head towards Leander. “You don’t understand, Lee. It is a fact on Verum; those summoned here are superior.” He lifted a hand and waved to the side. “The kid managed to outmaneuver me in my specialty; I don’t have any problems believing that he’s one of the Heroes.”

Yvette frowned as she looked towards him. “I lost sight of you both as he sprinted on the rooftops. How did he counter you?”

“He took and kept, the momentum of the fight.” Morgan snorted and grinned as he shook his head. “I thought I had him, and he controlled the entire flow of the fight.” Then he paused, grin falling as a frown grew on his face. “Captain. Which Hero was he? The only one among the Twelve Heroes with that unarmed skill is a woman.”

Kacee allowed a playful grin to appear on her face, curling the bottom end of her scar outwards. “He’s not among the Twelve, but the Thirteen.” That caused a deafening silence to settle in the meeting room. The six of them stared at her, even as Briar slowly rolled hers towards the hole in the table.

“I know that tales talk of the Hero King being summoned from another world and committing deeds once thought impossible, but defeating death?” Fallinor spoke as he studied the casually smirking Kacee, though he did catch the faint twitch in her brow. “No offense, Captain, but I do not believe that you and your fellow Heroes are at that level just yet.”

“None taken.” Kacee tried not to remember the striking pain in her scar but brushed it off as she shook her head. “No, but circumstances may fall in our favor.”

“The Fallen Hero is alive?” Briar whispered breathlessly, eyes staring intensely at Kacee.

Ash jerked to the side, staring at her with wide eyes. “That’s impossible. The stories say he gave his life to defend the King’s childhood home.”

Kacee’s smile became brittle, eyes glinting with an ugly flash of anger before she snuffed it. She noticed Briar flinch and offered her an apologetic smile. “I don’t know how Joey survived, although he should be dead considering the wounds, but he did.”

“The kid…” Morgan started haltingly, leaning forwards in his seat. “You’re saying I tried to capture the Fallen Hero?” He paused and snorted, “Well, I guess fallen isn’t right anymore.”

Yvette gave him a playfully, deadpan stare. “Morgan, you should be wary. Children all across Veritas will hate you for what you did.” Her lips curled into a small smile, showing that it wasn’t serious.

Morgan just snorted, crossing his arms. “Kid’s pretty good for having been dead.”

“Where is he now?” Briar asked breathlessly. “Still in Xadria, or has he left by now?” Ash continued to stare at the hole in the table as if he had stopped breathing.

Kacee furrowed her brow as she studied Briar. “Yes. He’s still here. But…Briar, what’s wrong?”

“He’s with th-that-that woman!” Briar stuttered as she pointed to the window. “That anger, that fury; someone with that much hate should not be near someone like the Falle- like Joseph Blaine!”

The girl’s Captain studied her with a look of concern before she sighed. “Joey is not someone who likes to be told how to live, Briar. Remember that, if you do meet.” Then she shook her head.

“Captain?” Ash studied her, having finally stopped staring at the hole in the table. “Are you trying to tell us something?” He had a shaky expression, his pallor whitening. “It has to be something big because you’ve been letting us go on for longer than normal.”

Kacee didn’t reply immediately, allowing a small smile to grow as she met Ash’s gaze. “I suppose you’re right. I’m happy my friend is back; happy that he’s not dead and walking among us. But…” She pursed her lips. She turned her gaze to each of her Lieutenants. It had been seven months since she had taken the reins of the leader of Twin Flags from her predecessor. It would take too much time to recall everything she thought wrong with what she’d seen, so…

“Joseph Blaine, a very close friend of mine, is to become the next Demon Lord. I wish for us to travel with him as he and his party as he gathers his Generals.”

A dead silence settled in the room as all six of her Lieutenants stared at her in disbelief. Despite the severity of the situation, Kacee could not help the amused smile that appeared on her face.

Morgan blinked once, then twice, opening his mouth to reply, before sucking in a breath and closing it. He furrowed his brow and palmed his face with a groan. Massaging his temples, he grumbled. “I tried to restrain…the Demon Lord?” He lowered his hand and gave her a narrow-eyed look.

Yvette hummed, her hand resting on her chin. Her half-lidded stare focused on the ceiling as she pursed her lips. “That’s not exactly what the Captain said, Morgan. She said ‘to become,’ so Sir Blaine is still the same Hero he was summoned to be.”

“You’re arguing semantics, Yvette.” Leander refuted her; his expression pinched, and cheeks have lost their color. “His name is in the same sentence with Demon Lord without the word ‘fighting’ between them.” He sputtered, shaking his head quickly. “That alone makes this…terrifying.”

“Has he burnt down villages, yet?” Yvette asked him, her eyes crinkled at the edges and the corners of her lips curling upwards. “Were orphanages sacrificed in his name? No? Then we have no reason to worry. Sir Blaine is likely still the same boy that Captain knew before the events of Nyrill.”

“This is no time for your irreverent jokes, Yvette!” Leander snarled at her, clenching his hand at his side. “A summoned Hero, one of the more skilled ones at that, is the next Demon Lord.”

“I suppose, in your eyes, it’s time to panic and scream like an insensate, terrified child wailing for their mother’s teat, then, Leander?” Fallinor drawled as he clenched and unclenched his fist, causing the knuckles to pop audibly. He worked his jaw and rolled his shoulders. Leander’s glare rolled over him as he rolled his eyes. “No. Captain clearly stated ‘to become,’ you deaf fool.”

Briar nodded jerkily, her ears twitching as she adjusted her posture. “Yes. Fallinor has a point, ignoring the insult.” That got a stiff snort from her brother, who had clenched his hands together, claws jutting from his nails. “It is not a single choice that turns a man into a monster, but a collection of choices and actions.” Her words caused everyone to focus on her specifically, causing her shoulders to buckle from the weight of their gazes.

Ash cleared his throat, pulling the attention to him. He forced himself to relax as he saw Briar relaxing. “Yeah. It doesn't convince me that Sir Blaine has become the…that.” He shook his head as if brushing off the uncertainty and fear. After he had gathered himself, Ash turned towards Kacee. “What…what type of person is he?”

Kacee huffed out a laugh, lips curling upwards. “Joseph Blaine is someone who immerses himself in the things he loves, even at his own risk.” She took a moment to consider explaining video games so that she could describe his exhaustion in class, but decided against it. She had no time for needless exposition. “Stories. More than anything, on the island we resided, he lost himself to stories to escape.” Kacee shook her head, her smile twisting in distaste. “Ironic, considering they focused on worlds like Verum.”

“A dreamer, then? An idealist?” Fallinor prodded, plucking at potential interpretations.

“Perhaps.” Kacee mused, having not been as close to him like…a certain someone. “But it never got in the way of his studies.” She paused, searching her memories for something more…concrete than just pointing out her friend’s hobbies. Then her eyes widened, before softening. “But more than anything, there was one thing, one person, he held above all else.” Kacee turned her gaze towards Ash and Briar. “My friend has a younger sister.”

“A younger sister?” Ash mused as he turned towards his sister. “Were they close?”

Kacee snorted as if he had asked a stupid question. “Of all people, I’m sure you’d understand best, Ash. Like you and Briar, Joseph and Margaret are all they have left of their family.” She paused, and a smile slowly spread across her lips. “I suppose that’s why I decided to leave you and Briar in charge of recruitment, beyond your Affinities. The two of you…” Kacee paused, a laugh escaping her. “You remind of him. Him and Maggie. Your interactions.”

“She was left behind,” Briar answered her observation with that statement. Kacee didn’t reply. “With your class’s summoning, Veritas ripped Sir Blaine from the very bond that would anchor him.”

Ash’s expression twisted as if he had tasted something sour. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, his hand grasping his arms as his claws began to jut outwards.

“In a way, yes. You’re exactly right.” Kacee decided to not yet touch upon the events of her friend’s ‘death.’

“That’d make you an enemy of anyone.” Morgan mused, grimacing as he tapped the table. “What has he been up to since coming back to life?”

Kacee grimaced. “He didn’t say, but the woman, Soralynn, has been acting as his guide.”

Once again, a deafening silence settled in the atmosphere. A strangled gasp escaped Leander as he let out a hysterical laugh, shaking his head. “It’s even better. We have a potential Demon Lord with a reason to hate Veritas being led by a woman who practically foams at the mouth with rage. You tell the best stories, Captain!”

“Leander, please keep your insanity to yourself. Else you’ll infect the rest of us.” Fallinor retorted to him, ignoring the man’s venomous glare. Despite that, the half-elf turned stiffly and cleared his throat, digging his fingers into the back of his neck. “Beyond the obvious warning, Captain, why exactly are you telling this? Sir Blaine has expressed no desire to join our company.” That caused Leander cough suddenly, hitting himself on the chest.

Morgan grunted, grimacing as he turned his head towards Kacee. “The kid applied to be an Adventurer, didn’t he? It’d give him more freedom to act and explore than being a mercenary, that’s for sure.”

Kacee felt her breath catch upon hearing Morgan’s words. Something about the content brought forward a memory she had honestly forgotten.

The moment when she and her class first entered the Keep in Veracity. In the dining hall. Learning about Affinities. Witnessing the first exact moment of discord in 12-B. Joseph taking and drinking the potion that awakened his Affinity.

‘I’ll be caged no longer.’

The zeal, the desperation, with which he said those words before drinking from the vial stuck with her. She remembered, with those words, how she too felt trapped on that island — forced to say goodbye to her father over a decade ago, only to then be raised by her aunt. She remembered looking forward to the calls from her father every week before they slowly receded to a monthly occurrence. She remembered the sinking feeling in her chest when he missed one call, then another, then another.

It continued and continued until her disappointment faded into ambivalence. She had long since forgotten the sound of her father’s voice; that, more than even the lack of contact, struck her the hardest.

In a way, with that realization, she could understand, and share, the anger her friend held. Kacee realized that fierce filial piety Joseph held towards the relationship he shared with his sister. The last family he had; she tried not to consider it, but she did feel some jealousy. Her relationship with her aunt did not deserve mention, only being reminiscent of distant roommates.

That island was her cage. A cage that disguised itself as a paradise.

‘I’ll be caged no longer.’

“Captain?” Kacee jerked out of her recollections by Briar’s concern. She faced the girl with surprise before her shoulders fell upon seeing the girl’s wide, innocent white-blue eyes. “Are you…okay?” All around them, the conversation amongst her lieutenants, Leander and Fallinor, died as they focused on her.

Of course. It’d be empath pulling Kacee from her reminiscent spiral. “Not yet.” Kacee offered her a shaky smile. “Not just yet.” She paid no mind to the questions of her health from the others, steeling herself by straightening her postures and facing her people. “I want all of you to meet him because we’re going escort him on his journey.”

For the third time that evening, a dead silence settled on the room. Only this time, Kacee did not fight the smile that surfaced from her amusement.

One has to find their joy; the world isn’t kind enough to offer it, after all.