The courtyard of their base was still buzzing with nervous energy when Seraphina's voice cut through the noise like a blade.
"Knights. On me."
Her tone wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.
Every Knight in the courtyard turned toward her immediately.
No one had any problems with her being the lead since she seemed capable.
Just the look from her single but piercing eyes was enough to put them in line.
She stood near the base of the watchtower, arms crossed, her single violet eye sweeping across them with the kind of cold assessment usually reserved for livestock at auction.
Kael who was still standing in the middle felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder.
He turned to find a broad-shouldered boy wearing black grinning at him. "That means you too, dead-eyes."
Followed by him being pulled to the side of knights.
◆ ◆ ◆
Seraphina waited until all fourteen Knights had gathered in a loose semicircle around her. Her gaze moved across them slowly, methodically, like she was cataloging weaknesses.
"Alright," she said, her voice flat and businesslike. "We don't have time for introductions and bonding exercises. I need to know what you can do. When I point at you, you tell me three things: name, specialization, weapon of choice."
She gestured to the Knight on her left—a tall, muscular boy with a shaved head and arms like tree trunks.
"You. Go."
The boy straightened immediately. "Garrick. Combat specialist. Greatsword and shield."
Seraphina nodded once. "Good. You're frontline."
She moved on to the next—a wiry girl with short black hair and sharp eyes.
"Kira. Scout. Bow and daggers."
"Reconnaissance," Seraphina said. "You'll coordinate with the watchtower."
Kira nodded, her expression unreadable.
The roll call continued down the line.
"Vex. Speed fighter. Dual short swords."
"Flanker."
"Torek. Defensive specialist. Tower shield and spear."
"Anchor point."
"Mira—wait, wrong side." A girl with wild red hair laughed nervously and scurried back toward the Mages. "Sorry!"
Seraphina didn't react.
She moved on.
"Dren. Berserker type. War axe."
"Shock trooper."
And then her gaze landed on a boy standing near the edge of the group, his posture relaxed, his hands in his pockets, a smile plastered across his face that was just a little too wide.
It was the boy who had forcefully pulled Kael over.
"You," Seraphina said, her tone neutral. "Name and spec."
His smile didn't waver. "Rylen. Utility specialist." He paused, tilting his head slightly. "No preferred weapon. I adapt."
Seraphina's eye narrowed. "Utility how?"
"Let's just say i make stuff." His smile widened. "Stuff good at being very annoying."
A few Knights chuckled.
"We'll see," she said flatly, already moving on.
But Kael, standing a few spots down the line, felt a chill run down his spine.
'That smile.'
'What the hell is wrong with this guy?'
For some reason, the smile creeped the hell out of him.
Rylen's gaze flicked toward him, and for just a moment—just a heartbeat—the smile sharpened into something that wasn't friendly at all.
Then it was gone, replaced by that same easygoing grin.
"..."
Kael looked away quickly, his instincts screaming at him.
'Nope.'
'Stay away from that one.'
Seraphina's voice pulled him back.
"You. Last one."
Kael blinked, realizing she was staring directly at him.
"Uh. Kael."
"Specialization?"
Kael scratched the back of his neck, his tone perfectly casual. "Honestly? None."
Silence.
Every Knight turned to stare at him.
Seraphina's expression didn't change, but her eye narrowed slightly. "Clarify."
Kael shrugged, not an ounce of shame in his voice. "I mean, I'm not really good at anything specific. Combat, utility, scouting—I'm pretty average at all of it. So, you know, best to just… not rely on me for anything important."
More silence.
Someone in the back muttered, "Is he serious?"
Another voice: "Did bro just admit he's useless?"
Seraphina studied him for a long, uncomfortable moment.
Then, finally, she spoke. "Weapon?"
"Sword, I guess. But I'm not picky."
"Experience?"
"Uh…" Kael thought back to his fight with Jarik. "One real fight. Lost pretty badly."
Seraphina's brows twitched, but her voice remained calm. "Then you stay on base defense. Don't get in the way."
"Works for me," Kael said, relieved.
That was exactly what he had aimed for.
She turned away, dismissing him entirely, and addressed the group. "Alright. Frontline fighters with me. Scouts, coordinate with the watchtower. Utility and support, you're flexible—go where you're needed."
The Knights began to disperse, murmuring amongst themselves.
And then Kael felt it again.
That presence.
He glanced to his left.
Rylen was standing right next to him now, hands in his pockets, that ever-present smile still plastered across his face.
"Hey," Rylen said brightly. "Looks like we're in the same boat, huh?"
Kael took a small step away. "What boat?"
"The 'nobody expects anything from us' boat." Rylen's grin widened. "It's liberating, don't you think? No pressure. No responsibility. We can just… exist."
Kael stared at him. "...Right."
"You know," Rylen continued, leaning in slightly, "I've been thinking about the tactical applications of quantum uncertainty in combat scenarios. Fascinating stuff. See, if you consider the observer effect—"
"Nope." Kael turned and walked away.
But the guy followed, still talking. "—then theoretically, the act of observing an enemy's movement could influence the probability distribution of their next action, which means—"
"Still nope."
"—we could exploit cognitive biases to create predictive models that—"
Kael stopped walking and turned to face him. "Why are you talking to me?"
Rylen blinked, his smile never faltering. "Because you're interesting."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"I'm really not."
Kael sighed, resigning himself to his fate.
'This is going to be a long seventy-two hours.'
◆ ◆ ◆
While the Knights sorted themselves out, the Mages had gathered on the opposite side of the courtyard under Niko's direction.
His voice carried across the space, calm and authoritative. "Support mages, you're on flag defense and healing rotations. Combat mages, you'll alternate between patrols and offensive strikes. Utility mages, you're with me for strategic planning."
He moved through his team with the same efficiency Seraphina had, assigning roles, organizing, leading.
When both groups had finished, Niko and Seraphina met in the center of the courtyard.
The rest of the team watched, waiting.
"We need a plan," Niko said, his tone measured. "Sitting here and waiting for someone to attack us is reactive. We should be proactive."
Seraphina's arms remained crossed. "We just got here. We don't know the terrain. We don't know where the other teams are positioned. Charging out blind is suicide."
"I'm not suggesting we charge blindly," Niko countered. "I'm suggesting we split our forces. Half stay here to defend the flag. Half move out to scout, gather intel, and—if the opportunity presents itself—capture an enemy flag."
"That leaves us vulnerable," Seraphina said flatly. "If we're attacked while half our team is gone, we're outnumbered."
"And if we sit here doing nothing, we're giving other teams time to organize and strike first." Niko's gaze didn't waver. "Offense is the best defense."
"That's a platitude, not a strategy."
"It's a philosophy backed by centuries of military history."
Seraphina's eye narrowed. "You want to risk our flag for points?"
"I want to win," Niko said, his voice calm. "Passing isn't enough. If we want Class A placement, we need to be aggressive. We need to take risks."
"And if those risks get our team eliminated?"
"Then we weren't strong enough to begin with."
The tension between them was palpable.
Around them, the rest of the team watched in silence, unsure whose side to take.
They both had valid arguments.
Finally, Seraphina spoke, her tone ice-cold. "Fine. We'll split the team. But I decide who stays and who goes on my side. And if your aggressive strategy gets people killed, that's on you."
Niko nodded. "Agreed."
Then both turned and walked back to their respective groups.
Kael, still standing with Rylen—much to his dismay—watched the exchange with a sinking feeling.
'This team is going to implode before the enemy even gets here.'
And exactly after he thought those words, from the watchtower above, a shout echoed down.
"MOVEMENT! ENEMY TEAM SPOTTED!"
Every head snapped upward.
A scout was leaning over the railing, pointing toward the forest. "Northeast! They're coming from the green flag base! Looks like a full assault force—maybe twenty strong!"
Silence...
Then chaos.
Knights pulled out their weapons.
Mages began channeling mana.
Voices overlapped in a sudden rush of panic and adrenaline.
Niko's voice cut through the noise. "Mages, defensive positions! Combat types to the front!"
Seraphina was already moving, her hand on her sword. "Knights, the bridge! Form a line! Do NOT let them cross!"
Kael stood frozen for a moment in the chaos.
'Already?'
'We just got here!'