It was 10:30.

The two guys had gotten an extra hour of rest before departing. Unfortunately, even with that extra rest, the duo still had extremely haggard appearances. Dark circles hung under their eyes, making them look no better than zombies. Drew and Elias slumped comfortably in their seats along AirTrain’s cabin walls. A clip of the recent news playing on one of the holographs on the windows.

“Breaking News: 90% vs. 76%! Heartman vs. Snow! Who Will Win?”

“Gillikard: Preparations for 40th Royals Selection! Over 10,000 Applicants!”

Drew’s gaze fixed on the first clip. Heartman had been doing exactly what he planned. With his reputation as the number one Alchemist riding on his shoulders, it was obvious that Heartman knew he could not allow himself to be crushed by the underdog.

“Heartman’s pulling ahead there,” Elias observed the infographic on the screen. “The pressure is getting to him.”

Drew folded his arms, leaning against the back of the seat.

“Put it this way, Snow is the only one who poses any threat to him. If Heartman wants to put him in his place, it would be now. However-“ Drew paused and glanced over at Elias. “I don’t think the Boss would be intimidated so much by Heartman’s offense.”

Elias tapped his finger against his knee. It was common knowledge in the group that Drew was working for Snow, so it was rather obvious that Drew would support his Boss over the opposition. However, Drew wasn’t the type to say anything without reason. So whatever Snow has in mind must be key to winning or closing the gap in this bout with Heartman.

“Got any insider info for me, Birdo?”

“Sorry, I’m bounded by a confidentiality contract. But I’ll let you keep guessing on that one. Any thoughts?”

“Not for now,” Elias replied tiredly. “I’m too exhausted to even think about this matter properly.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“Getting stronger.”

Drew cringed at Elias’s statement, the AirTrain speeding past the numerous skyscrapers that make up Ozwarth’s skyline.

“Doesn’t everyone?”

Elias knitted his brows and let out a long sigh.

“I’m being serious. I know that I’m steadily progressing on the path to becoming an Intergalactic Warrior, but what I’m capable of now is nowhere near sufficient.”

“Sufficient for what?”

“Sufficient for someone at my level. These last few months at Star have been one test after another but nothing of substance. And when I stepped outside of my little world, I found out just how powerless I was.”

Drew scoffed. He couldn’t refute Elias’s comment.

At Star, a student’s first semester is mostly academic. Starting from the second semester onwards, students will transition into more practical training and place heavier emphasis on their Position classes. However, since Drew and Elias had only survived their first semester at Star, they hadn’t learned anything useful to be an Intergalactic Warrior from the Academy. Everything they did know was taught in the Underworld, but it wasn’t like either of them could say it out loud.

“Wow, that’s some real shit you’re farting out of your mouth.”

“Drew,” Elias spoke, clenching his fists together. “I’m not joking. That’s why, I have a major favor to ask of you.”

“Spill it.”

“I was wondering if you were open to sparring with me for the next couple of weeks? Twice per week is all I ask.”

The Avian turned towards Elias and crossed his legs together. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t had a proper spar with Elias since he entered the Academy. Even when he confronted him and the Hunters, all he ever did was run away from them since he wasn't trying to get himself killed. It was the perfect chance for him to see how much he improved.

“Sure.“ Drew beamed. “It’s been a while since we last did so. You thinking of asking anyone else?”

Elias nodded, affirming his friend’s statement.

“Everyone. I need to know everywhere that I’m lacking. I don’t have much time-“

“What do you mean by that?”

Elias flinched, realizing he revealed something he shouldn’t have.

“It’s nothing.”

As weakly as Elias dismissed what he said, the Avian couldn’t help but recall the Commissioner’s words from the night prior. Though his name wasn’t explicitly mentioned, Drew knew right off the bat that ‘the youngest’ was referring to Elias. After all, it was in the Borealis’s files that Elias was the last person to join the Hunters and was also the youngest. Since that was the case, what role did Elias have in the Hunters' plans? Was he going to be another sleeper agent like Leader Callex? Drew didn’t know.

What he did know was that whatever the Hunters were doing, it required a lot of publicity. And the stuff about the Four Major Crew being wiped out was not a matter that could easily be covered up. It would be the starting point for the Hunters to come into the public’s eye. Furthermore, it also seemed like Elias was in a rush which was very strange. Drew suspected it had to do something with this ‘plan’ the Hunters had concocted.

He felt like he was missing an important piece of information. For some reason, he also felt it was at the tip of his tongue. He couldn’t place his finger on what could possibly tie everything together. The shadows running through the AirTrain, are a representation of the two sides of the world.

Whatever Elias was hiding was not small.

Something bigger than him being a part of the Hunters. 

>>>

Ding.

The AirTrain pulled into Cosgrande Station.

Cosgrande was a middle-class residential District located in the southeastern part of Ozwarth. As it falls right over a delta connecting to the Ozwarth Mountain Range, it's a very popular fishing location for fishermen and those who want a breather from suffocating urban Ozwarth.

Upon passing through the automatic doors of the AirTrain station, Drew and Elias were greeted by numerous bridges passing over a network of flowing streams that could be considered rivers below. At the edge of each stream were people with their fishing rods and respective equipment, waiting patiently for something to take their bait. Luckily it wasn’t crowded since it was a weekday, so there were still some spots along the banks of the larger streams.

The duo made their way down a flight of creaky wooden steps leading to the main stream. A concessions and gear stand resting comfortably in its nook underneath the stair where a short line of people had begun to form.

Drew looked into the distance. About fifty meters from the stairwell, an unforgettable crimson-haired girl was waving her hands to the green-haired Avain and the Human beside him who had just arrived. Her black ribbons gently swayed in sync with her movements.

A smile formed on Drew’s face as he reached the bottom. The Ifrit rushed over to the two guys, an old black fishing rod in her slender hands almost the same height as her. She places her free hand on her hip and gives the duo a toothy grin.

“You two made it.” She smirked, waving her fishing rod around.

Drew tossed out his hands in response.

“In the flesh.”

“Good morning, Sylvia.” Elias greeted.

Sylvia’s eyes widened as she observed both guys’ appearances and gasped.

“But my goodness, don’t you two look miserable. What happened in these last few days that I wasn’t made aware of?”

Drew yawned before replying, “Want the short answer?”

“Fire away.”

“Saw some nasty Beast Corpses beyond anything I’ve seen in documentaries.”

“And you?” Sylvia glanced over to Elias.

“Worked tirelessly for 14 hours and tack on some stress.”

“About what?” The 39th Princess inquired.

Elias turned his head away quickly.

“Nothing important.”

“Confessing to Wan?”

Elias’s face turned beet red.

She was dead on.

Drew smirked. “She’s got you there.”

“C’mon. Everyone knows!” Sylvia teased, getting a kick out of watching Elias’s attempts at romance. “You are awful at hiding it. The only reason why that one over there hasn’t noticed is because she’s denser than a black hole.”

The embarrassed Human was absolutely flabbergasted.

“Took the words out of my mouth, Princess.” The green-haired Avain snickered, walking over to Sylvia’s side.

“Come on,” She waved. “Don’t wanna miss out on all the good catches.”

>>>

It took a few minutes for Drew and Elias to acquire their gear since it was Summer Vacation. Now sitting along the bank with their lines submerged underneath the flowing water, all the group had to do was wait for something to take the bait.

Drew glanced over at Elias, sitting next to him, whose cheeks were as red as a tomato. His eyes kept shifting back and forth from the blue-haired Siren whistling a cheerful tune. The girl, nearly two heads shorter than him, turned her head to the love-struck guy beside her, completely unaware of his feelings towards her. Her uneven aqua pigtails were fixed by golden cylindrical clips brushing her rounded shoulders. 

“Idiots.” Sylvia leaned over from her seat made up of two old plastic crates and whispered, her warm breath tickling Drew’s ear. “The both of them are idiots.”

Drew nodded, trying to contain his laughter.

“You must admit, it’s painful but entertaining to watch.”

The tiny Siren finally spoke.

“Are you okay, El? Your face is looking flushed.”

“Imma fine!” Elias blurted, his face turning even redder than it was before. “I jush don’t do whale in da heat.”

Then, out of nowhere, an oblivious Wan placed her hand on Elias’s forehead.

“You don’t look so good!”

Elias’s eyes widened. His mind had gone completely blank as the Siren's gazed fixated at him.

“I-I’m fine!” Elias stuttered, leaning away from Wan.

“Oh boy, he’s stumbling real bad,” Drew muttered under his breath, getting second-hand embarrassment from watching the interaction unfold before his eyes.

Sylvia chuckled, tapping Drew’s shoulder and pointing to a nearby concessions stand.

“Why don’t we give them some space?”

The Avian nodded.

“Good idea, Princess.”

With that, the two of them left Elias and Wan to spend some quality time together and perhaps accelerate their relationship. Once they were far enough away from the bumbling buffoon and the small blue marshmallow, Sylvia heaved a sigh of relief.

“That. Was. Suffocating! Don’t get me wrong, as comedic as that was, Elias stuttering every other sentence was kinda infuriating.”

Drew couldn’t help but agree with Sylvia’s statement.

“Spectacular, isn’t it? Everyone knows he’s all heart-eyes for Wan, and yet the girl is completely oblivious about it.”

“Ahaha!” Sylvia bellowed over. Hearty laughter escaped her lips. Tears from laughing too hard had welled in her eyes.“They do say that people tend to be unaware of their own romance. Funny how it works.”

“I’m betting our tangerine here will confess in three months at the Commonfolk Festival!” Drew pointed to Elias, now at the edge of his seat, trying to scoot as far away from Wan as possible without making it awkward. Though, he was failing miserably at it, considering that his back almost touched the plastic crates.

“I’d be surprised if he didn’t do it today!”

The Nightengale shook his head.

“Psh, you should see his flowcharts. He won’t confess until the time is ripe.”

Sylvia tugged lightly on the edge of her hair.

“I swear I’m gonna go insane if they don’t get together soon. I’ll be a lump of charcoal by the time they do.”

“At this point, it’s up to him. Also,” Drew pointed over to Sylvia’s fishing rod resting comfortably on the edge of the bank, “something's tugging your line.”

Wide-eyed, Sylvia dashed towards her rod, whose body had bent so far it was a semicircle. Drew followed behind her, watching the events unfold before her eyes. Elias and Wan also stopped bickering as Sylvia snatched her rod off the ground. The Ifrit planted her foot forward, her white low-top shoes grinding against the concrete. Strong transparent line feeding through the guides of her rod quickly. Sylvia tightened her grip on her handle and started cranking the reel. Immediately, she felt whatever was swimming underneath the glistening water resisting her. Its body pulling hard on the line.

Sylvia, being the kind of person she was, would not allow herself to be outdone by the feisty creature below. The Princess continued reeling her line in, each rotation harder than before. With all the power stored in her arms and core, the Ifrit yanked her fishing rod. Her opponent now soared out of the stream, revealing its true appearance.

It was a creature approximately 120 centimeters long with a body decorated in silver scales and numerous barbed paper-thin fins. Its green crystal eyes with white dilated pupils fixed to the side of its head. Rows of jagged sharp teeth protruded from its gaping mouth, enough to swallow a basketball whole. Without a doubt, it was a local delicacy to Kraus, the Uvailis Dolcus, or Seshiwr.

A toothy grin formed on the Princess’s face as she fell on her bottom. The Seshiwr was removed from its natural habitat flopping around on the ground, trying to find its way back to the water.

Triumphantly, Sylvia picked up the fish. Her face lit up with joy. 

Drew's gaze fixated on the Princess. It was incorrect of him to refer to her as a Princess. Not in the sense that Sylvia tells him not to call her 'Princess.' This was different. In front of him was not a Royal that he was familiar with from the media but rather an ordinary girl. One that smiles and can laugh without a care in the world. She was a person with emotions, no different than everyone else. At that moment, she wasn't Princess Sylvia Burnstone. She was just Sylvia. 

“I caught a big one!" Sylvia grinned, waving the Seshiwr in the air. "Look at it!" 

How ridiculous she looked carrying a fish almost her size.

Without realizing it, Drew found himself smiling. It was not a forced smile that he always made around everyone for socializing. It was a genuine smile on Sylvia's face. It was contagious. That simple smile of hers with nothing behind it. A smile that reflected her happiness. 

"Congrats, Sylvia."