The night of the nationals ended bizarrely. The nation confirmed Starlight as its official school champion. Yet, here all of Starlight found themselves on the next day, seated inside a strange empty room. All five of them were sitting in chairs in front of a black mirror. Behind them, a tall metal door and bottles of water next to their chairs. Roy watched on as Heidi nervously sat in her seat; he was trying to reassure her that everything would be fine.

Deveron had a grumpy look on his face, upset that the team had just been taken by police and foundation members despite being the grand champions. None of them had their prize money, either. Cheveyo, on the other hand, still tried to process all that went on last night. Things went by so fast that he was just jarred by the whole experience. Occasionally, he’d glance over at Alexia.

As for Alexia, the girl merely moved her legs back and forth, situated between Heidi and Cheveyo. Only a look of boredom displayed across her face. Nothing out of the ordinary apart from the bioluminescent turquoise light that shined off the ends of her hair from time to time was no longer present. But even that became a norm for her.

There they were. The champions of the nation. Stuck inside an interrogation room, with their teacher nowhere to be found. On a winter day, in a cold room.

“I… Wanna go home.” Heidi spoke up.

“Same.” The other four agreed.

Cheveyo let out a breath of air, exhausted from trying to contemplate things. In fact, all of them looked drained except for Alexia. Then, he spoke up.

“So. I don’t know if we’ll get off scot-free from this.”

Deveron started to hastily tap his feet.

“We didn’t do anything. And I’ve heard from this that Alexia almost died, yet we’re the ones to blame?”

“Hey, I didn’t almost die… I was just… Well, was unconscious.”

“So you almost died. Got it. Anything else I should know?”

“Well, this might just be a me issue… But, I’m having trouble trying to form my… Stars.”

Upon hearing this, Deveron looked confused. Cheveyo is concerned, just like Roy and Heidi.

“Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! What do you mean you can’t form your stars?” Roy inquired.

“I just haven’t been able to form them. My suppressor also stopped working for some reason.”

Alexia adjusted the black suppressor on her wrist; in truth, it had stopped all forms of functionality. No response, nothing. She had even checked if it was drained of batteries or didn’t have enough charged power, but it was close to 100%. Cheveyo’s eyes started to shine green; his vision now harnessed to see Alexia’s aura.

The girl's aura had vanished completely, and she appeared to be an ordinary human. The only bizarre thing he could see were those same glittering specks of dust constantly around her, but not present to the naked eye. Just what did that orb do to her? Her words and expressions say she’s fine, possibly stronger, but it looks like all the progress she made vanished into thin air.

“Alexia… Are you sure… You’re?”

Cheveyo’s words halted at the sound of the door behind them opening up. Two foundation members entered the room, and behind them, a surprising guest. Reynolds. He looked completely fine, if not better, than when he left the team to finish up.

“Man, you guys really got into a whole conundrum without me.”

“Teach!” Heidi shouted.

Deveron squinted his eyes at Reynolds, back so suddenly and so quickly, as soon as they were in a heap of trouble.

“Is this you pulling one of your strings? If so, where’s our prize money?”

Reynolds brushed a few fingers through his hair, pulling it back.

“Don’t worry, I’ve sorted out the prize for all of you. You’ll all still get it. Just we need to question a few more of you.”

“Taking sides with the Foundation again?” Deveron crossed his arms to think he wasn’t upset at Reynolds, but this entire situation and what led to it really did get on his nerves.

Reynolds thus turned his attention to two people, Cheveyo and Alexia.

“Do you two mind if we chat in another room?”

Alexia and Cheveyo both glanced at each other and then back to Reynolds, with Cheveyo speaking up.

“Sure.”

The two took a stand from their seats, Alexia grabbing her water bottle while Cheveyo left his behind. The foundation members took to the sides and kept their guards up for the remaining members of Starlight. Reynolds, Cheveyo, and Alexia exited the room and entered the hallway. The facility they were in looked futuristic and too high-tech for a police station. But, they were in one of the Foundation’s Interrogation Zones.

The trio continued walking down the hall until Reynolds stopped in front of yet another door leading into another interrogation room. Upon opening up, inside would be Clarice and Pearl. The two of them seemed to be getting a stern talking to by one of the Foundations Administrators. Pearl likely was getting a restriction on her professional matches after this, and Clarice was likely restricted from entering the professional scene.

When the administrator turned to see Reynolds, they took a stand giving Reynolds a solemn bow before exiting the room in a hurry. Cheveyo and Alexia looked at Reynolds with a bit of confusion. Still, Chev seemed to have an idea of what may be happening. The trio entered the room and took their respective seats around the table where Clarice and Pearl were. A cup of tea positioned itself in front of Pearl and Clarice. Once everyone sat down, Reynolds would lead the conversation.

“Well, this isn’t the kind of short reunion I had in mind, but. Where do we even start?”

Reynolds took a moment to ponder, only to be interrupted immediately by Clarice.

“First, you can get these two up to date on what’s going on.”

“That I could, but it really wouldn’t be that entertaining~.”

“If you don’t, then I will.”

“Okay, Okay. To think working with the national champion would be so hard~.”

“Enough playing.”

“Alright, Alright.”

Reynolds reached into his pocket and took out a card, pushing it toward Alexia and Cheveyo. On the card would be golden plates fitted around his name and identification. This card was unique, given only to a hand-selected amount of individuals in the foundation. Underneath Reynold's name would be his title: ‘Blessed Father.’ Father?

This only brought more confusion to Alexia and Cheveyo. Still, Alexia spoke up to see if she could gather more from it.

“So… You’re a priest?”

“Hm? No, No. Alexia. It means I’m a father… Well, soon to be.”

“C-Congratulations? But that still didn’t help.”

Pearl picked up her tea and started to sip. Once done, she’d add to the conversation.

“It means he’s the father of the future successor of the Foundation. Thus, thine mentor is effectively one of the heads of the foundation.”

“O-Oh… So what does this have to do with us being… interrogated?”

Reynolds retrieved his card again.

“Because, I’m engaged to the one that… Sent that weird void man at you… Sorry about that. Besides that, the foundation doesn’t really control the dragons. This makes the second time you’ve encountered one.”

“Wait, I forgot. What happened to Lyn?”

“I’m amazed you remember her during your little chase and all that’s happened. We’ve already sorted out all those issues. But, beyond that, it seems my wife, you could say… Has really caught onto you both. To the point, it nearly got one of you killed.”

Alexia pondered for a moment. Wife? Cheveyo caught on quicker, recalling the red-haired woman who stopped time and decided to waltz into their room. Then it hit Alexia.

“Oh! Wait, she’s the one that helped me with my suppressor and gave me advice! Look at you, teach~. Didn’t think you could score like that!”

“Hey now, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Cheveyo thus raised his hand to speak.

“Go ahead, Chev.”

“Y-You do realize how… dangerous she is... Right? Sorry if this sounds rude.”

“Honestly, I've known her for most of my life… She’s actually much older than one would think. But, besides that, I’m aware of what she’s been doing, especially around the world. Speaking of which. Is why I brought you both here. But, I’d rather Ms.Clark express this.”

Clarice crossed her arms over their chest, patiently waiting for a chance to speak up, and it finally came. The devil within wasn’t raising much of a fuss, so she’d take this time to clear up her portion.

“I’d also like to speak to that Deveron fellow. But, essentially, she’s trying to gather suitable candidates for a rather extraordinary experiment. I was one such experiment last year, but that little orb rejects everything about me. But, here we are… With a candidate.”

Clarice took a moment to examine Alexia, but she too was caught off-guard by the absence of power, let alone energy surrounding Alexia.

“Your mentor here doubts any wrong intentions by his wife. Of course, I have no right to blame him. But, even he is cautious. So I'm tasked with selecting my own hand-picked team for the upcoming World Tournament. Which is sadly where that witc-...Ahem… Woman will showcase the last tear.”

“Last tear? What about the second?” Cheveyo asked.

“The second is currently in Japan, and the foundation branch there is already underway in retrieving it. I’d rather not spend time tracking someone else's prize. Besides… Knowing that woman, she likely expects the second to be at the world tournament too. Whoever will harbor it.”

Pearl continued to sip their tea, finally placing the cup onto the table. It was now her turn to speak; it seemed.

“I am on this world team at the recommendation of Reynolds. We will represent America. Clarice here is also on it, but she hand-picks the rest. She will be the Vanguard while I am the Lieutenant. As a whole, to the nation at wide, we’re representing America’s best, but in truth. We’re just the best route to acquiring the last tear.”

“So wait, why are you after this tear, anyway? I feel fine, honestly, from whatever it did.”

Alexia started to pat down her body once more. Pearl tilted their head, taking a moment to watch.

“I believe it's best that a normal citizen or a stranger from another nation does not acquire this tear. Depending on the person, it can very well mean the end of humanity. But, for one such as yourself, you appear… Normal.”

“Normal?”

“Yes, as if you were never a singularity user. Tell me, Star child. What has thou truly felt since thine acquiring of the tear?”

“Hmm… I feel healthy and energetic, as if I’m never exhausted... But I can’t really conjure up my dominant powers anymore.”

“You lost your ability to produce stars?”

“Yeah, normally I could just make a miniature one with my gloves on, but now, nothing. So I’m not sure what this ‘tear’ did to me.”

Pearl looked to Reynolds for advice, but even though he was stumped, the group stood in a moment of silence until Clarice broke it all.

“I highly doubt you’ve lost your unique powers. I’m choosing you for this new team as the captain. I’ll have to beat it out of you if you don’t have anything. Those orbs are meant to make one capable of conquering the world… At least, that’s the rumor. So we’ll just have to see if such a tale proves true. Once we’re done here, you and I will test things out. One match is all we’ll need. Then you can go back home.”

“One is all you’ll need? You act pretty confident, Clare.”

“Comes with the title of champion.”

Cheveyo sighed; he wasn’t concerned about being on a team for the world series. That was a stage he’d willingly not apply for. So there was a bit of relief to hear he wasn’t on it. The prize money was more than enough for him. Still, he had to ask about the other topic.

“So.. Who are these… Dragons?”

Reynolds would answer this one.

“They’re an organization of powerful individuals, about thirty last I checked. I’ve met a few… They’re all exotic people, but they carry their orders with a divine devotion that even amazes me. While all of them aren’t enemies per se, a few don’t share my touch of the world, nor Clarice’s.”

“Are they part of the Foundation?”

“See, that’s harder to explain, but I’d say yes. They have similar benefits to my own. Though, unlike me, most prefer to stay hidden and outside the foundation's grasp. You can easily spot one by any tattoo with a number that resembles a dragon.”

“If they show it. We saw the second one. Do the numbers mean their strength?”

“Only the first five. The rest vary. I wish I could express more about them. My knowledge is limited to information I've gathered through the Foundation. There isn't much conversation about them between my wife and me."

Alexia stood up, walking over to Reynolds. She’d hold out her arm to show the same black suppressor he gave her all those months ago.

“This is no longer working, by the way.”

“Huh, Well, I’ll be it isn’t.”

Reynolds placed his hands around the suppressor, and, with a few presses on the side, the suppressor detached and dropped to the ground.

“Sorry about that. You might not need it anymore. With your powers not really functioning. Which is preferably for the better… No need to fling stars in reality.”

“Yeah, I hear you. I’d rather not try to in my day-to-day life. I’ll just use my match with Clarice to see if they’re really lost.”

“Good to hear, Lexi. Either way, I believe that covers everything. Or most of what we needed to talk about.”

“So, when is this world tournament?”

Clarice gazed upon Alexia. The woman began to take a stand and head towards the exit.

“It starts next summer, sometime in June. Also, come along. Your friends will be released. Let’s have our match now. Then you all can head home. I can’t stand the cold up here, anyway.”

Clarice let out a breath of cold air as dark energy surrounded her hands.

The nationals were starting to settle down after its abrupt ending. Starlight's victory secured as the strongest team in America. But now, a new test shone brightly on Alexia. A rare opportunity to face off against America’s real champion.