"Haa... Haa…"

Calina looked down towards the young girl breathing heavily while she lays on the metal bed. Momoko's rolled-back eyes and lewd expression made it look as if she's in total bliss.

Calina hand caresses her cheek as the blood from her stomach starts to drip onto the stone floor.

"I knew we were alike… You're going to be just like me after this is over!"

Calina snaps my fingers and looks towards the doctor. He takes the needle from the girl's eye and walks towards the edge of the room.

"Ca… Lina… Why?…"

The young girl beckons the knight as she walks towards the edge of the room.

"You should know by now that magical energy is inherited based on how long your family has lived in Euphoria."

Her silver hair sways as she walks over to the doctor. He pulls a long white cloth off a metal cage that rattles in the light.

"RAAAAGH!" The creature inside howls as it displays its large white fangs and red wings.

Calina opens the cage, and the red-scaled beast lunges towards her; Its sharp claws extruding from its flaky paws.

—CLANK

"Hurrr.." The beast bites into the female knight's shoulder, breaking her armor as it performs a low growl.

"This world hasn't had magic for very long. However, when it comes to science and medicine, Phoenia is second to none."

Calina's right hand flexes as she grasps the creature's neck, pulling his edged teeth from her armor.

"RAAAWGH!" The beast struggles in her grip, trying to get away from her clutches.

"Despite the use of skills, being considered second-hand magic; Euphoria is quite medieval, and most of the fights and wars led to stalemates as everyone had the same armor, weapons, and battle tactics."

Calina's hand punctures the creature's neck as black blood starts to ooze from her fingers.

"So, what do you think Phoenia did to separate themselves from the competition?"

She walks over to the girl presenting a rather lewd expression.

"They tested different ways to advance their soldiers… Human augmentation, to be exact."

The white-hooded woman takes the hood off of her head and looks toward Calina with purple-colored eyes.

"She's ready."

"… Excellent."

Calina holds the creature, still squirming in her grip above Momoko's face.

"This is called a Kraulep, a beast with extraordinary healing abilities. We're going to pump you full of its blood and exchange some of your organs out for hers."

As if frightened from the information, Momoko starts to twist in the chained anklets while shaking her head frantically.

"I… Don't wanna…."

"HA! You think you actually have a choice?!"

Calina looms in front of Momoko's face with an insidious smile. "You're weak as shit! However, with a few augmentations, you can become something greater!"

Momoko stops moving and looks towards the beast.

"RAAAGH!" The monster growls as she presses down harder onto its neck.

"You want to become stronger, right? So you don't get embarrassed again by some overconfident bitch?"

Tears run down Momoko's eyes as she bites her bottom lip.

"I… Just wanted to…."

"You let that Yuumi girl fuck you up! And for what? You thought you guys were friends? Was that it?"

"… No…"

"Yeah, it was. You thought that she wouldn't go as far as she did because you're both Holy Knights. But she obviously couldn't care for that shit!"

Tears start to flow from Momoko's eyes as her bitten lip starts to drip blood onto the metal table.

"You know why I said we were so alike? It's because the world sees us as prey, and for us to get stronger, we have to sacrifice something."

"Haa… Haa…" The girl starts to moan as the blood from the beast drips onto her arms and legs. Her skin starts to release smoke as it melts from the creature's fluids.

"We're going to sacrifice your humanity! HOWDOESTHATSOUND?!"

The girl withes in her chains and clenches her teeth.

"N-noo…"

—CRACK

Calina's grip tightens around the beast's neck as its squirming fades, becoming still. She drops the corpse onto the floor and looks toward the female mage.

"Make sure you keep her locked up once the treatment is complete. We don't want a repeated 'incident.'"

"Y-Yes, General." A purple rune is released from her right arm as the dead creature's body starts to float in the air.

"I'll be back in the next few days… If anything goes wrong, you know how to contact me."

The doctor sweating profusely in the back bows his head as she passed him, running over towards Momoko and the mage.

Calina turns her head towards Momoko while clenching the door handle.

"And this procedure does have a high chance of death, so… Try not to die?"

"Gauuh…" Momoko coughs up blood as Calina exits the room.

"…General Calina…" An echoing voice is heard from the inside of her head as if I a radio was switched to the right frequency.

"What is it?"

"Your presence is needed at the Rhaast Battlefront… You're ordered to Ran-de-vu with the Vermillion Defense currently waiting at the Colstrum Strategist Building."

She flexes her heels as they boost her towards the door at the end of a flight of stairs.

"On my way."

. . .

Calina hurls into the sky as her armor clanks in the brisk winds.

Her body starts to descend as large stone buildings with people wearing light chainmail and heavy armor walking amongst the streets come into view.

—CLANK

Her feet touch the ground, landing in front of a tall building with a long-metal roof. The exterior is mainly a light-brown wood with large windows that are a darker shade.

"MA'AM!"

Two cavaliers stand at attention and salute the silver-haired knight.

She nods and walks into the open doors of the immense structure.

The inside of the building has statues of men riding horses on both sides of the entrance. Several flags hung from the surrounding walls and balcony, accompanied by a large pristine set of stairs. Many different individuals with military garb walked down the halls with papers and folders in hand.

Calina climbs to the top of the stairs and stops moving as if she felt a disturbance.

"CAAALIINAAA!"

A girl with orange hair wearing a military cap and short-skirted uniform pounces from behind.

She dodges her assault as she tumbles onto to floor repeatedly, ending with a face plant.

"You meanie!" She stands up, showing her nosebleed from the fall.

"Second Lieutenant Yanami… What a pleasure."

The orange and black-tinted horns extruding from her head match the color of her scaled tail, whisking from side to side.

She wipes her nose with a single finger and presents a wide smile.

"General Calina, you got called in as well?"

The General let out a sigh and continued down the hallway.

"Indeed, and since you're here, I'm sure they want to assemble the Vermilion Defense… Honestly, who came up with that name?"

"… That would be me."

They both turn from their path to face a girl with light-blue hair carrying a blue sheathed sword in her hands.

"And if you have any complaints, I'd love to hear them~."

She walks over to them while smiling continuing to walk down the hall.

"Your squire… Momoko was her name… She's missed you for some time now."

"I just had the opportunity to go and chat with her. She's currently in the middle of CVO-Testing."

Calina gives a subtle laugh as they approach a dark-brown door with silver handles.

"You know that she's only a kid… She has time to take the treatments day by day like any other recruit… No need to get it all done at once; We aren't as capable as you, General Calina."

Calina palm clenches the handle as it clicks, allowing entry into the room in front of them.

"… Specialist Iyuna, General Calina, and Second Lieutenant Yanami; Glad you all could make it."

The room has a brown-stained glass table with papers neatly stacked on either side; Six chairs surround the structure with three placed center in the room. The walls are brown with pictures of rank insignia and life still paintings.

They all walk past a broad man with a neatly cut beard and brown backslid hair. His armor has multiple ribbons with an aiguillette hanging from the left side.

They stand side by side as Iyuna salutes toward the man:

"Sir, the Vermilion Defense is mobilized and ready for orders!"

. . .