"Where are the others?!" It took all Kaas had not to scream at the twins. His hands shook as he balled them into fists. They glanced up and shrugged in unison.

"They left," said Aaska. Or at least, he was pretty sure it was Aaska. The twins liked to swap their few differences on occasion, just to make it more confusing. It was a tactic that Kaas had taught them to utilize their Talent to its fullest, but sometimes they took things too far. He had a feeling they only did it for a laugh.

Well, Kaas was not in a laughing mood. "You let them leave?! When?"

Again, they shrugged and tossed their heads to get the hair from their eyes. That, too, was in unison.

Sometimes, they just got on his nerves. All of them, not just the twins. Teenagers… This was honestly the make-or-break moment for any soldier: Adolescence. If they could make it past this phase, everything would be fine. Just his luck for these latest recruits to all be around the same age. His last team thought it a great idea to create their own group to challenge the floors.

The last Kaas had heard, they failed at the Fifth. If only they had listened to him. But who needed them when he had his current team?

"You two! Put that book down and tell me where the other two went, or I swear I'll throw it away!" Books were rare. It was a lucky find. But he was willing to destroy it if it meant obedience.

With grunts of annoyance, the two looked up at him. "We don't know where they went, okay…" said the one who might be Aaska in an exasperated tone. "…Ludd snuck off as soon as you left, and Alén followed soon after," finished maybe Naaro matching Aaska's tone exactly. 

"Great…" Kaas rubbed his temples. This is exactly why he had Tykus guarding the entrance in the first place. He could feel his frustration rising, and the twins' habit of finishing each other's sentences wasn't helping cool his head. Well, they couldn't have gotten far. Or at least Alén couldn't have. Ludd, however…

That boy was going to get himself into trouble one day. I say let him. He needed a bit of humbling, anyway. Honestly, it would do him some good.

So, he turned his thoughts to Alén. She had been angry with Kaas for not letting her go with him to the Tenth. He needed to be firm with her. Lay down the law. No one could know she existed until they were ready to take on the Hidaar. Her Talent was second to none.

But he could sense her frustration. And when she needed to vent, there was one place she liked to go.

"I'm going to get Alén. Tykus, watch the twins. Twins—" he looked down at them. They returned his gaze with innocent eyes. "—you're already in trouble. Don't get into anymore."

"We would never," they said together before returning to their book.

Kaas shook his head. He didn't believe them for a moment. However, Kaas had no choice but to retrieve Alén. So, he pushed his way out of the cave and walked into the depths of the Zeroth towards the underground lake.

It barely qualified as that, from what he remembered. Though his only reference was the great lake Freelan. It had started as a rejuvenating potion created by the first Hidaar, Greel. Over the centuries, it became purified by a mix of slime and Ahngreel blood to become what it is today. Or so the stories said.

Zeroth lake was nowhere near as clean or grand as Golden Freelan, but it had its functions for bathing and training. It didn't smell too bad unless someone ignited the flammable gas that emanated from it. But that came with a whole new set of problems.

Still, there was something tranquil about sitting on the bank and watching the occasional bubble surface and pop. And for whatever reason, it was Alén's favorite place to be alone.

Sure enough, as he reached the lake and began to walk along the shore—taking care not to slip on the slimy sand—he found Alén sitting on a dry patch of ground as she hugged her knees and stared across the lake surface.

Kaas was ready to reprimand her for leaving without permission. But there was something in the single round, red eye that wasn't covered by her hair that made him swallow his anger. He couldn't quite place it. He felt like yelling wouldn't help their situation in the slightest.

"I'm back, Alén," he said as he sat beside her.

Alén's only response was to place her chin on her knees and continue to stare at the lake.

He sighed, "Still mad at me, are you?" Teenagers. Always upset about something.

"…"

"I see." Alén rarely ever spoke aloud these days. Speaking made her nervous. However, she didn't have to say anything for Kaas to get what she wanted to tell him. "I understand you wanted to go to the surface. But it's too risky for people to see you."

The muscles in her broad shoulders tightened as she plucked at the bloody bandages wrapped around her forearm with her fingers. The blood that stained them was a deep scarlet—an unusual color for an Ahngreel whose blood was normally rusty brown.

Hers was the color of human blood. But she was not human. Not as far as Kaas knew. Just a birth defect that gave her grey skin a tinge of pink. Either way, she was tainted in the eyes of the Ahngreel.

If they saw her now, they would see her as diseased.

"I understand you're frustrated," he said, placing a hand on her unkempt brown hair. She shook him off, scootching away just out of his reach. A well of anger bubbled up at that, though it quickly dissipated. For a reason beyond his understanding, he could not stay mad at her. "But we're close. We're so close to reaching our goal!"

Perhaps his tolerance came because she was the youngest recruit. While the twins and Ludd were seventeen and nineteen, respectively, Alén was only fifteen. She lacked the self-confidence that came with age and experience. And maybe that was his fault for hiding her down here. She had plenty of sparring practice with Kaas and her fellow soldiers. It was not the same as fighting with the intent of killing. That and her Talent had a single major weakness easily exploited.

For the first time, Alén looked at him, "…."

"No. It's our goal!" He leaned over and touched her bandage. "People refuse to see you as Ahngreel. But once you become Equituum, they will! They'll have to! You'll have your chance soon." His fingers closed around her wrist. He understood her frustration. He had felt it for over 10,000 years.

"…?"

"Soon. I promise. We are so close to perfecting our strategy. But I can't make it a reality without you." Those words reminded him of what Vir had told him as he left Dracul Arena. "We will make our dream into reality. All of us. Just trust me."

Does that make you more or less Ahngreel? Kaas mentally shook himself. Those words Vir had spoken remained in his head for some reason. They were nonsense, so he pushed them back out of his mind. 

They sat silently for a bit as they watched the lake of slime ooze to and from the shore.

After a while, Kaas decided to break it. "I met the Champion, you know. There's going to be a reordering of the rankings."

Alén perked up, looking at him with excitement in her eyes.

"…?"

Kaas shook his head," No, I didn't stay long enough to see him fight. I wish I could have, honestly. It's been so long since he's fought publicly. But if you ask me, he'll be Champion again, no doubt. And then you'll get your chance to see him fight. Firsthand."

"…!"

That's right. With the Equituum returning, our chance of facing the Hidaar is now a reality. I promised you I'd take you to the top."

He reached for her head again. Alén hesitated for a moment before leaning her head into him. Not into his hand but onto his shoulder. That surprised him. It was unbecoming of an Ahngreel to show affection. However…

Kaas stiffly patted her head. Alén was a most unusual Ahngreel. But he would allow it. If this was what she needed to stay loyal, so be it.

After all, what he said was true. He needed Alén. She was the keystone of the team. Her Talent was critical to everything. And for that, he would tolerate anything.

He brushed her hair from her eye. It would be better for combat if she would uncover both eyes. And it would help her confidence, too. She had the power to go the distance.

He really would do anything for her.

For her. Kaas gave a mental start. What was he thinking? She was a soldier as expendable as the rest of them. If she died—or worse, deserted him, then fine. She could be easily replaced.

"Please…Make me strong. I don't want to be seen as disgusting anymore! I want to be strong like you to show them they're wrong!"

"Come on. Let's go back," said Kaas, ignoring the memories of a younger, more talkative Alén. "The others will be wondering what's keeping us." He stood and held a hand out to her. Again, she hesitated. Then she stood without the proffered hand.

Kaas smiled. He was pleased that she was willing to stand on her own. Yet there was a twinge of emotion he couldn't quite identify. It was tied to the memory of her young fingers barely large enough to wrap around his index as he led her from this very lake eleven years ago. Whatever it was that Kaas felt, he had to push past it.

Ahngreel were not supposed to show affection. Especially for soldiers.

He expected he and Alén would walk back in silence. But to his surprise, eight pinpricks appeared in the distance, growing rapidly as they revealed themselves to be four pairs of eyes.

"I thought I told you to stay in the cave!" Tykus and the twins froze in place. Ludd, however, kept running until he stood in front of the two of them, his thin frame doubled over as he tried to catch his breath. Kaas wouldn't let him. And you. Where in Desmortia did you go?!"

"For…give… me, Kaas. I decided… to follow you…to the Tenth…."

"You what?!" Kaas turned furious eyes to Tykus, who raised his hands defensively. 

"He must have snuck past me, alright?"

"Sure," Kaas growled. Tykus had a soft spot for little Ludd, so it wasn't out of the question that he was lying. Kaas had no doubt he had let Ludd slip by on purpose. 

"No… Tykus is right," said Ludd with a final cough before standing up into his slouch. "I tailed you and stayed until the reordering tournament finished."

Right. Those two were always taking the blame for the other. 

"You'd better have something important to report before I devise a proper punishment for disobeying me, Ludd." Kaas folded his arms and arched an eyebrow. "And stand up straight! You'll ruin your posture."

Ludd snapped to obey before taking a deep breath, "The Champion has fallen."

Kaas and Alén's mouths fell open in shock.