Fran Freedom was running. Dressed lightly in a black sports bra and spats that accentuated her lean-muscled figure, she ran as sweat riddled her caramel skin and her black hair, tied in a ponytail with two bangs to either side of her face, whipped behind her. As she ran, golden lightning wheezed and crackled around her body while her feet moved upon the treadmill, keeping up with its highest setting as its jarring sound rang within the gym of her dojo.

Then, her ruby eyes narrowed.

Bare feet paced lightly until a man was before the machine. Bare chested and pale with a physique that would make anyone ashamed of themselves, dressed in nothing more than tight pants, he stood outside of the crackling radius of her Gear. She looked at him, recognizing his forever-passive expression while his long, black hair flapped behind him with the wind she was generating.

"What are you doing here, Gushin?" She asked, amused while maintaining her pace, the mole under her right eye shifting with her expression. Then she chuckled. "Is the strongest man alive here to accidentally blow up five blocks again?"

He shrugged, the runic tattoos on his upper-body moving as if they were alive.

"It's illegal for me to use my Gear outside of the dungeon," He spoke dispassionately, though it was a law that applied to him and only him.

She rolled her eyes.

"You're no fun."

At that, he only smiled weakly while she continued running as if he didn't exist.

"You know. . ." He said, "I think we can break through the 90th floor."

"I ein't joining," Fran stated plainly, her gaze maintained forward, lightning continuing its crackling as she ran.

He sighed.

"If we work together once more. If you, me, and Alice were to become a team as we once were. . ."

"Do you still think I care about that?" She replied, scoffing. "Forget the dungeon, forget Alice, she left us for better, she left me for better, and that's fine. Right now, I'm more interested in the person going around the dojos."

He raised a brow, doubtful. "Really?"

Fran grinned, nodding.

"There's been this girl, going from dojo to dojo, picking up and learning their martial arts in a heartbeat and then moving on to the next," She spoke, and before he could interject, continued, "And it's not only that. She's also picking up every weapon-art she can, no matter what weapon it is. Every dojo's trying to sign her up, but she never sticks around more than she needs to."

His brows furrowed only slightly.

"Sounds like a homunculus to me, or a robot," He said, "I wouldn't be surprised if the military was the one training it."

"That's the thing, she's human, she even has a Gear."

He was silent, digesting those words. Then he shrugged.

"She must be a genius then," He said passively, his expression unflinching.

Fran chuckled.

"I can't wait till she reaches my dojo."

He nodded.

"What's her name?" He asked.

Fran looked at the man, the current guild leader of Vanguard who spent most of his days within the dungeon's 90th floor, still grasping at things she and Alice had left behind. Though they had founded the guild together, only he now remained of the original three. He appeared calm, but she knew him long enough to realize he was taking interest in someone for the first time in years.

She smiled.

"She's called Rose Ausra," She said, "You better not think of stealing her away from me, or I'll chase even you down till the ends of Merim. I'm gonna take her for my dojo if it's the last thing I do."

As he watched lightning continue to dance, Gushin Mao felt as if he had heard that name before.

LotsChrono

Just a teaser, the actual volume could be quite a while before I start posting it.

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