Over the next couple of days, the group watched the Royal Selection. Despite their feelings about Elias not telling them the whole story, they still decide to gather around and support their friend. After all, Elias typically has a good reason for doing things like he does. Hence, everyone suspected that must also be the case here.

Watching Elias defeat his opponents individually put everyone on the edge of their seats. Some matches ended quickly without much climax, while others were close class, with the Human coming out by the skin of his teeth.

“Sometimes I forget how much of a beast that guy is when he goes all out,” Drew remarked, watching Elias quickly advance to the Top 16. “Then again, Star students compared to other military academies on the planet.”

“We are but fish in a small pond.” Rider sighed as the camera cut to Elias’s face with people in the live stream gawking over their friend’s appearance. “And if only they knew…”

Brix snickered over the call and added, “And yet our Princess here flung him across the dojo like a ragdoll.”

“I’m just built differently,” Sylvia spoke, responding to Brix’s comment.

“Wow, would you look at that?”

Suddenly, Wan yelled in the background, “Auck, so bright!”

“He sure is popular,” Jay spoke sheepishly.

Drew scoffed.

“Rubbing salt into the wound, aren’t we?”

“Us guys can only dream of attaining that level of popularity.”

“Dunno,” Rider shrugged. It seems like a nuisance to me. To put it into perspective, imagine not having a single moment to yourself or being able to act the way you want without the need to uphold a reputation. It takes quite the toll, don’t you think?”

Rider made a valid point, and Drew felt his words personally. There was always a trade-off to an action. Becoming popular meant sacrificing your independence, freedom, and sense of self. It was all the more reason why Drew needed to separate his identities as such. Seeing another person pull it off, Drew felt his understanding of his situation deepens.

>>>

In the blink of an eye, the days passed, and it was time for the fateful arrival of a particular person.

“I’m back!”

A familiar voice boomed through Drew’s room as his door opened. In response to the unwelcome guest who made his presence known to the entire house, Drew pressed his hands against his ears and greeted in a monotone, “Welcome home.”

“I brought gifts, too!” Elias cocked a grin placing a goodie bag piled to the brim with snacks and souvenirs down on his table while Drew rolled out of his bed, falling onto the floor face-flat in the process. "Goodness, where did all your enthusiasm go?" 

"Training." 

His body was aching from his last skating lesson at Wyn Dojo since the instructor decided that it would be a good idea to put Drew in the Master-level class after only a couple of weeks. However, what he wasn’t expecting was how much the pacing would change compared to the previous courses, requiring him to be able to hit targets accurately while moving nearly four or five times faster than what he was used to in positions that would be deemed next to impossible for someone typical of his level. On top of that, since the skating rink also doubled as a gravity chamber, he was forced to perform under four times the gravity of Ozwarth. Yet, despite it being challenging to keep up, the Avian could feel himself improving rapidly and his Core stabilizing. He could break through to High E-Rank before the Annual Royals Ball if he keeps things up.

“Thanks,” Drew replied, forcing out the most mischievous grin he could muster as he pushed himself off the floor, making Elias uncomfortable.

Elias noticed this immediately, moving as far back from Drew as feasibly possible.

Over the past year, Elias knew that nothing good would come next whenever Drew had that smile on his face. The Birdo was always scheming for something better or worse, but the Human’s intuition told him that whatever he was thinking would get him into a lot of trouble.

Without giving Drew a chance to respond, Elias held up his hand and shouted while scooting back, “Don’t you dare say anything! You’ve got that look on your face! What are you plotting, Birdo?!”

“Ah-“ Drew playfully sighed before furrowing his brows. “Phooey, you ruined the moment for me.”

“Just spill it!”

Drew slammed his fist on his coffee table and pointed at Elias.

“You dumb Royal!”

Elias shirked back upon hearing Drew’s words.

It was good that his parents weren’t home to listen to their conversation.

“I’ve got no idea what you’re saying?!” Elias shouted back, trying to deny Drew's statement.

“What a load of crap!” Drew roared, pretending to be angry. “Did you think you could escape the Selections without us recognizing our moves?! If anything, that’s the fastest way to get caught! Also, that pompous name on the profile, are you kidding me?! It’s the letters in your name reshuffled! Do you think we’re idiots?! Boy, do you have some explaining to do, Elias Ryhard!”

“Shit, guess I was too sloppy.” Elias spat under their breath. He knew Drew wasn’t even done speaking, and all the evidence was stacked against him. It was better to fess up something now rather than have it all crashing down later.

“No, duh! I’m at a complete loss on how to feel about this.” Drew continued to shout, pulling on his hair. “Do you realize how pissed and betrayed we feel for you not giving us a proper explanation? Trust us; we all knew your explanation was garbage. Mother of Kraus, what even compelled you to want to become a Royal?!”

“Hey, Drew,” Elias’s face grew solemn. “You remember that story I told you at the inn?”

Drew calmed himself down. 

“Huh? Yeah, the one about your friend, right? But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, that’s the reason.” The Human gave a stern look as he sat across from the Avian. “He died because of the prevalent corruption and also because he was an Untouchable.”

The Human’s voice trailed, and all Drew could do was listen.

“No, it’s not just him but the rest of Ozwarth. The city is crumbling at the hands of the powerful. Too many weeds need to be uprooted, and without authority, the voices of those crowded out will never be heard. As always, things like this get swept under the rug. I want to end this, not just for Chrono but also for those crowded-out voices to have an impact finally. It’s childish, don’t you think?”

“Well, there’s a little something in business. Sometimes, acting in one’s self-interest can generate positive externalities. Voice of the Commonwealth.” Drew muttered; he knew precisely what Elias was aiming for. “You want to be the face that represents the public, and the quickest way to do that is to become a Royal yourself. But to not put anyone in danger, you’re wearing this mask as Liam Ederas.”

“You catch on quick, Birdo.”

“Elias, even if you’ve attained a Royal title, that’s only in name! Historically, 40th Royals have never exerted any real authority! You’re at ground zero!”

“Gotta start somewhere.” Elias shrugged. “Will cross that bridge when we get there.”

Drew pressed his fingers against his temple and let out an exasperated sigh. “This isn’t the time to be so calm. You just flung yourself out of the frying pan and into the fire. If you intend to step on this playing field, you'll face the same scrutiny as Sylvia!”

“I’m well aware of that, too. But this isn’t just for me; it’s also for the Faction. Sylvia has no strong supporters except for us and maybe a few hotels we conduct business with. However, now that I’ve attained Royal status, I can put myself out as an ally. It’s not much, but it'll do for now. Taking into the fact that there is a lack of information on Liam, enemies are sure to tread with caution. This will buy us time to gather other supporters and solidify the Faction’s position in the War of Royals.”

“You should've confided in us before you did this. You're taking a gamble here. And now, you roped everyone into your mess!" Drew groaned. He already had enough on his plate, and Elias had just come along to add more. “You better explain this to the others. Every. Last. Detail. They have to know what exactly we're getting into.”

“Yes, sir.” Elias saluted jokingly to lighten the mood.

“Though, I am curious. How did you manage to register yourself under a false identity?”

Elias furrowed his brows, avoiding Drew’s gaze.

“It’s a long story which I’ll have to save for next-“

“Does it have something to do with your frequent excursions to Yerburn? Let me guess, the Crow’s Eye?”

Elias chuckled. “You a seer, Birdo.”

The Avain pinched his brows. He felt he would get a headache despite knowing all of this himself. 

“Mother of Kraus, you’re seriously in some scary business-“

“I could say the same to you. Working for Snow, damn, you also got a target on your back.”

“Psh. At least I’m not at risk of getting shot at every day. All the attention is on Snow, not this lowly helper.”

“Fair point.”

“Wait, now that you told me all of this, does that mean I’m sworn to secrecy?”

“Seems so. But you’re not the type to divulge this to anyone untrustworthy, so I’m not worried about that.”

“Okay…” Drew scooted back. “But suppose I did, how would you know?”

“I have my ways, don’t worry about it.”

Drew racked his brain momentarily, understood what he meant, and chuckled. Elias planned on using the Crow’s Eye to determine whether anyone had spilled the beans on him, and Drew was handling his case. If things escalated, the Avian would try to find himself, which he found amusing.

“Yesh, you’re giving me the chills, Elias.” Drew pretended to shiver while looking at the Human. “And you better uphold your promise.”

“Okay, okay!”

>>>

“How dare you lie to us, Elias!” Wan shouted over the speaker, sniffling. Looking at her face on the other side of the video call, she had been crying for a bit as the truth finally sunk into her mind prior to Elias's return. Her voice was a clear mix of anger and concern.

Seeing the Siren’s expression, Elias couldn’t help but feel even more guilty for not speaking earlier. He was at a complete loss of words to try and console Wan. To make matters worse, he was already a bumbling mess trying to interact with her.

“I’m sorry!” Elias responded, clasping his hands together and bending his body ninety degrees. “I didn’t tell you guys anything because I feared I’d put you all at risk!”

“Hey, hey,” Rider leaned back in his swivel chair and waved his hand up and down. “Being at risk was never the issue. But the darn fact that you outright lied to our faces, that’s what we can’t ignore.”

Jay nodded in agreement, his feline ears following his head movement.

Brix sighed, crossing her arms together. “Did you think you could get away with using our Techniques without us noticing, fool?”

“Again, I’m so sorry! I swear I’m not hiding anything else!” Elias affirmed, holding his hands up in defeat.

Sylvia rolled her eyes, combing her hand through her hair.

“Is that true, Drew?”

Drew hesitated momentarily before speaking, puffing out his chest proudly, “Yup, I grilled him for every last detail I could.”

“Well, let’s put this aside for now. After all, I do find it commendable that he came out on top in the Selections, so we can celebrate that.”

“You guys are terrible for doubting me!” Elias blurted.

Drew punched the Human's arm lightly. 

“Considering how you’ve acted these last six months, it’s a fair assessment.”

“That doesn’t help, Birdo.”

“Alright. Alright!" Sylvia snapped her fingers to get everyone's attention. "Elias, unfortunately for you, we aren't as forgiving as you think we are. Thus, as punishment for lying to us, I, 39th Princess Sylvia Burnstone, order you to help us with the rest of our Requests for the month, starting with our one tomorrow.”

Elias grumbled under his breath.

“Drats,and I just got back. What's the job?" 

“We’ll be exterminating Gumps in the Slums. It has been an outstanding Request for the last few months, and it's also the culprit for why we can't venture past the residential area." 

"Doesn't sound too difficult. How many of us will go?" 

The Ifrit responded quickly, "Myself, Drew, Rider, Wan, and you." 

"Why not Brix or Jay?" 

"The tasks will take place in the sewers," Brix replied. Unlike Drew, I'm not as flexible or fast as him in narrow spaces, which would be a hindrance against the Gumps." 

Jay's ears twitched as he yawned before unmuting himself to give his answer. 

"Gumps are bad opponents for heavy weapon users. My range is restricted in the environment, too." 

"Understandable. When do we depart?"

"At nine." The Princess smiled, tapping her wristband. "I'll send you the details." 

"Got it."