Inside, there was none of the silence or tense anticipation he had expected. Quite the opposite, in the middle of the lounge, the rest of the team was gathered, holding a calm evaluation meeting. In Robert's absence, the news had already reached them. Normah wasn't sitting in her usual chair; she was standing, arms crossed, looking at the holographic map in the center of the room. Tersan was slowly wiping his metallic sword-arm, a methodical calm in every movement. Karnah was carefully placing a few personal items from Tersan's room—a folded flag and a small carved wooden statue—into a small box. Vingyu wasn't on her perch; she was on the floor, wings pressed against her back, watching them silently. Uhura and Sinf were in a corner, speaking in low voices.
The atmosphere filling the room wasn't the anger or grief Robert had anticipated, but rather, the melancholic tranquility that comes from preparations before a long journey.
When Robert entered the lounge, all heads turned to him. There was a moment of silence. Robert searched the eyes fixed upon him for an accusation. But he found none. Only a weary acceptance.
"So... you've heard," Robert whispered.
"News travels faster than light in these corridors, kid," said Normah, without taking her eyes off the map. Her voice lacked the accusatory tone Robert had feared. There was only a deep, bone-deep weariness. "The Council's assignment decisions always drop into every team leader's Tu instantly."
Robert walked slowly into the room. He stopped in front of Normah and Tersan. "I... I'm sorry. This is my fault. If I hadn't... with that woman..."
"Stop," Normah cut in, finally turning to him. There was no trace of her usual cynical smile on her face. Only the gravity of a leader who had accepted a difficult decision. "It's not your fault. It's the system's fault. If it hadn't been that succubus, they would have found another excuse. They weren't going to leave a Dream Bender without a leader. And they were not going to allow a valuable asset like you to develop 'uncontrolled' under a 'rule-bending' leader like me. It was only a matter of time."
What surprised Robert the most was how normally everyone was taking this. The fact that no one was rebelling, no one was shouting, was even more disturbing than that cold conversation in the Council's white room. "But... how can you be so calm?" he asked, his voice trembling with disbelief. "We're a team! A family! They're moving us around like chess pieces, and you... you're just accepting it?"
This time, it was Tersan who answered. He placed his polished sword-arm on the table. The sound of the metal hitting the table was the only sharp sound in the room. "Because that is the first unwritten rule of the Academy," he said, his voice muffled. "Nothing is permanent. Not teams, not friendships, not victories. The day we came here, just as we left our old lives behind, we accept that the bonds we form here might one day be broken. Family... that's a beautiful dream. But dreams are dangerous here."
Karnah closed the box and came over to them. Despite her enormous build, her movements held a sadness as light as a feather. "What Tersan means is," she said, her voice soft, "our bond is real, Robert. But that bond doesn't depend on us being under the same roof. Wherever we go, we will still be the Red Friends. We'll just... be fighting in different places."
Normah placed her hand on Robert's shoulder. "We're used to this, Robert. You're not. The hard part is just beginning for you. So stop being angry and listen. Leadership isn't about giving orders. Leadership is being the hand that holds the helm when the storm breaks and everyone on board is panicking. And right now, this team doesn't need a storm. It needs a calm harbor."
That was the beginning of the farewell. The conversation wasn't long and emotional; it was practical and necessary. Normah transferred a data packet from her personal Tu to Robert's. "These are the records of all the missions we've done to date, incomplete reports, and my personal notes. The weaknesses of other teams, which members of the Council are more open to bribes... it's all in there. It's your responsibility now."
Tersan picked up a small, specially sharpened piece of metal from the table and held it out to Robert. "This is a piece from my sword-arm's alloy. It never dulls. In the future, if you need a pure and durable metal when creating something in the Bending Machine, use it."
It wasn't a gift, but an inheritance.
Finally, it was time to go. Normah stood at the door of the room and looked back at the six remaining people. Her old, cynical smile appeared on her face for a fleeting moment. "Alright, kids. Don't make too much of a mess. And you, Leader," she said, looking at Robert. "Take care of them."
Tersan merely gave a nod. But in that single gesture, there was more meaning than in a thousand words. A sign of respect, a handover, and a silent "good luck"...
Karnah hugged them both one last time. For a moment, two powerful warriors disappeared within her giant arms. Then, the door opened, and they both vanished into the gloom of the corridor without looking back.
When the door closed, a heavy, suffocating silence fell upon the lounge. The family that had been eight strong moments ago was now six. And Robert was that family's unwilling, unprepared, and terrified new father.
He didn't know what to do. He had no idea about leadership. He was a scientist, an engineer. Managing people, keeping their morale high... These were not parts of his equations. He turned his eyes to those left behind. Karnah's eyes were wet with tears. Vingyu was, for the first time, this silent and still. He couldn't read the faces of the others. What were they thinking? Did they blame him? Would they accept him as their leader?
Just as these thoughts were gnawing at his brain, a soft melody rose from his Tu device. It wasn't an alarm; it was an activation sound. A new interface had appeared on the screen.
[MANAGEMENT INTERFACE ACTIVATED. LEADERSHIP PROTOCOLS LOADED. INITIATE FOR TRAINING AND DIRECTIVES.]
A series of graphs and menus appeared on the screen, showing the team members' health statuses, morale levels, active duties, and resource allocations. This was what Normah had just mentioned. The cold, bureaucratic face of leadership. Robert stared blankly at the screen, feeling more alone than he ever had before.
He raised his eyes to his new team. They were no longer just his friends; they were his responsibility. Karnah, the strong and loyal giant. Vingyu, the fast and unpredictable winged one. Sinf, the calm and ethereal healer. Uhura, the silent and deadly shadow. Tina, the mysterious and uncontrolled fire. And Bellero, the mechanical observer. Seven women... and him. What kind of balance was this? What exactly was the Council aiming for?
Just as Robert was about to turn to Karnah and ask a desperate question like, "What do we do now?" another notification came from his Tu. This time, not urgent, but informational.
[NEW MEMBER ASSIGNMENTS CONFIRMED. OPEN TO VIEW PROFILES.]
Robert hesitated, then touched the screen. The others gathered around him curiously. Who would replace Normah and Tersan?
Perhaps these new members could bring fresh blood, new hope to the team.
The first profile appeared on the screen. Silvery, waist-length hair. Sharp cheekbones, an aristocratic posture, and icy blue, distant eyes. She wore ornate, elegant armor, as if she were going to a ball. The information read, "Name: Syla. Class: Crystal Mage (Defense and Summoning Specialist). Origin: Elysium Crystal Cities." She had a cold elegance. Cool and ornate.
"At least she looks strong," Karnah muttered, trying to lighten the mood.
Robert slid his finger across the screen to the second profile.
And in that moment, the world stopped.
On the screen were those familiar, amber-colored eyes, sizing up their prey. That cynical, all-knowing smile. The fox ears perched on her head as if ready to play. And in the background of the profile picture, nine snow-white tails rippled like a cloak.
Seeing the blood drain from Robert's face, his lips part without a sound, Karnah took an anxious step toward him. "Robert? What is it? Who did you see?"
Robert couldn't answer. His eyes were locked on the name.
[Name: Amara. Class: Succubus (Mental and Emotional Manipulation Specialist). Origin: Unknown. Note: Under the Council's special surveillance. Assigned to the Red Friends as part of a rehabilitation program.]
"Rehabilitation..." The word echoed in Robert's mind like a cynical whisper.
He didn't even notice the Tu device slipping from his numb fingers and clattering to the floor. His world had narrowed to that single face, that toxic memory. The Council hadn't just made him a leader, hadn't just taken his friends away. They had condemned him to live under the same roof with his greatest weakness, his darkest desire, every day, every hour. This wasn't a correction. It was torture.
"No," he whispered. "It can't be. Anyone but her."
The metallic sound of Robert's dropped Tu device echoed in the lounge's suffocating silence like the declaration of a death sentence. The cynical, amber-eyed face projected from the device's holographic screen hung in the middle of the room like a ghost. Amara. The name was no longer just a memory, but a poisoned dagger plunged into their hearts by the Council itself.
The concern on Karnah's face turned to pure rage when she saw Robert's deathly pale face and the single word, "No," that fell from his trembling lips. In the gentle giant's azure eyes, a storm-colored lightning flashed, never seen before.
"This has to be a joke," she roared, her voice losing its soft timbre for the first time, rumbling like a dislodged boulder. "They take Normah and Tersan from us and send this... this parasite in their place? What kind of justice is this?"
Vingyu shot from her perch like an arrow. Her sky-blue wings vibrated with anger, whining in the air. "Justice? There's no justice in this Academy, Karnah! Only calculations! They're punishing Robert! They're torturing him by locking him in the same cage with his greatest weakness!" she chirped, her voice thin with hysteria.
Sinf and Uhura, in contrast to the raw, emotional outbursts of the others, stood in silent horror. Uhura's purple eyes locked onto Robert's mental aura for a moment. What she saw there was a pure storm of chaos: fear, shame, anger, and deepest of all, a dangerously bright spark of desperation. This wasn't a leader's aura. This was the aura of a soul at its breaking point.
Robert didn't hear the voices around him. He only saw that face. In that moment, he understood the Council's cruel genius. By making him leader, they hadn't just given him a burden. They had forced him to make an impossible choice between his team's safety and his own sanity. When Amara joined the team, he would have to live with that seductive danger every day, every moment. If his will faltered even once, it wouldn't just be a personal failure; it would be a leader's betrayal. And if he was constantly on guard against her, how would he lead his team, how would they become a whole? It was an unwinnable game.
In that very moment of despair, he felt a gentle but firm touch on his shoulder. When he turned, he saw Tina had appeared beside him. The fiery girl said nothing, but in her golden eyes, there was an expression far stronger, far more dangerous than Karnah's anger or Vingyu's hysteria: a pure, unadulterated, frozen fury. She raised her hand, and in her palm, it wasn't the usual gentle, dancing flame that appeared. Instead, a crackling ball of white-blue energy formed, like a miniature sun. And the heat from that energy ball was intense enough to scorch the fabric of Robert's uniform.
Tina looked into Robert's eyes and, upon the fireball, wrote a single word in black, sooty letters:
WAR.
It wasn't a suggestion, it was an oath. If necessary, she would fight even the Council. For Robert's honor, for the soul of the team.
And in that moment, something inside Robert snapped.
Tina's unconditional, savage loyalty smashed through the walls of the mental prison the Council had built, like a battering ram. He looked around at his friends, who were on the verge of falling apart. Karnah's helpless rage. Vingyu's fear. Uhura's silent worry. And Tina's oath of war. Normah was right. They didn't need a storm, they needed a harbor. Not a victim, but a leader.
Robert took a deep breath. The scattered, fragmented debris in his mind suddenly began to reshape itself. But this time, it didn't return to its old form. The pieces came together in a new configuration—harder, sharper, and more dangerous. It was the fusion of an engineer's mind with a general's resolve. The helpless emptiness in his eyes was replaced by a cold, calculating fire. He straightened up. His shoulders squared. His jaw hardened.
He bent down and picked up the Tu device. Calmly, he closed the holographic screen and attached the device to his belt. He was no longer afraid of that ghost.
Everyone in the lounge watched Robert's sudden and complete transformation in astonishment. Silently, he walked to the very center of the room. He paused for a moment, raised his head, and looked first at Bellero, perched like a shadow on the ventilation pipes near the ceiling, and then at the five women around him.
"Alright," he said, his voice no longer a trembling whisper, but clear and commanding, like steel striking steel. "My fine ladies... and my winged friend."
It was such an unexpected, such a bold opening that it instantly captured everyone's attention.
"The Council has played its hand," Robert continued. "They tried to divide us, to weaken us, and to break me. But they miscalculated one thing." He paused, his eyes lingering on each of them, one by one. "They put me in charge of an arsenal like you."
He turned to Sinf. The ethereal healer's silvery hair shimmered like a halo in the dim light of the lounge. "Sinf. Our beautiful healer. You are a miracle who cheats death, who closes wounds. Tell us your strength. What is your weapon?"
Sinf, momentarily stunned by this sudden interrogation, stammered. "I... I don't have a weapon, Robert. I heal. Sometimes... with my body, with my touch. Sometimes using these dusts..." she said, gesturing to the small pouch filled with glittering dust at her waist.
Robert nodded. "So, you hope the enemy gets close enough to touch you, or is slow enough to inhale your dusts. Understood."
Then he turned to Karnah. Her enormous frame seemed, for a moment, vulnerable before this new Robert's determined stance. "Karnah. Our unshakeable wall. What is your weapon?"
Karnah instinctively reached for the phantom of her axe on her back. "My axe. 'Mountain Cleaver'. And my arms."
"An axe," Robert said, not a trace of mockery in his voice, only cold analysis. "So, a tool. What if that tool is taken from you? What if the enemy is too hard or too fast for an axe to shatter? What do you become then, Karnah? A giant without a weapon?"
He looked at Bellero. "And you, my winged friend! Our eye in the sky! What is your weapon?"
The mechanical owl glided from the pipe and landed on Robert's shoulder. "Speed-and-stealth! Enemy-does-not-see-me!"
"Doesn't see, correct," Robert said. "But it doesn't feel you either. You buzz around them like a mosquito, gathering information. But what if you need to attack? How much damage can you do with that brass body?"
Robert raised his hand and lightly touched the mechanical owl's smooth, metal head. It was a touch of both ownership and warning. Bellero made a quiet 'chirp', then opened its wings and lifted off his shoulder. It resettled on its perch high above the lounge. But this time, it hadn't fully retreated into the shadows; its mechanical eyes were intently watching the tense meeting below, especially its new leader.
It was Uhura's turn. Robert walked toward the obsidian-skinned, purple-eyed huntress. In Uhura's hand was the short, ivory staff she always carried, a pale crystal glowing at its tip. Robert stopped right in front of her.
"And here is our purple-eyed beauty," he said, his voice becoming dangerously soft. "What is your weapon? This staff? Or that unique mind of yours? Or perhaps that cute, spinning friend of yours, Neel?"
Uhura was unfazed by his proximity or his questioning tone. Without blinking, she said, "All of them. I slow them with my mind, put them to sleep with Neel, and deliver the final blow with my staff. I don't need anything else."
Robert laughed bitterly. "You don't need anything else? Really? Uhura, do you really think your opponents are just going to stand there while you sing them a mental lullaby or wait for that spinning top to put them to sleep? They aren't coming here to be put to sleep or to have their minds read. They are coming to kill you. The moment they figure out your three-step plan, they'll close their minds to you, throw an energy net at your little friend, and take that pretty staff from your hand to strangle you with it. The moment they solve you, you're simply... finished. That magnificent talent of yours remains nothing more than a one-note song."
Each word was like a slap. Robert had taken everyone's greatest strength and turned it into their
greatest weakness.
Finally, he turned to Tina. He asked her nothing. He just looked. "And you, Tina... Your weapon is also your prison. The infinite power inside you doesn't fit in this body. It's like stuffing a nuclear reactor into a watch casing. You can't control it. You only suppress it."
The silence in the lounge was as deep as a tomb. Robert had crushed everyone's pride, demolished their self-confidence. But he wasn't finished.
He walked back to the center of the room. "Normah was a mage. Tersan was a weapon. And the Council took them from us. Why? Because they were predictable. Their plans, their tactics, their strengths and weaknesses were known. They were known pieces on the Council's chessboard."
A wild, almost mad smile appeared on his face. "But we... we are going to topple that board."
He looked at the stunned faces around him. "Sinf, you will no longer heal just by touching or sprinkling dust. Uhura, you will no longer just whisper to minds. Karnah, you will no longer rely on just an axe. Bellero, you will no longer be just a scout. And Tina... you will no longer be a prisoner."
He exhaled. And delivered the final blow.
"When those two new members arrive, and when I achieve full synchronization with the Bending Machine... I will modify every single one of you, from head to toe."
That last sentence landed in the room like a bomb. Modify? What did that mean?
Vingyu was the first to recover from this mix of shock and curiosity. In an instant, she was flapping her wings, zipping around Robert. Then, she hovered in the air, right in front of him. Her face was so close to Robert's that he could feel the excitement on her breath. Her wind-tousled white hair brushed against his face with the air current she created.
"What about me?" she asked, her voice chirpy and fast. "What will you do to me, Leader?"
The hard, general's expression on Robert's face softened for a moment. A smile appeared, one that no one had ever seen before, both tender and dangerous. "I haven't forgotten anyone, beautiful," he whispered.
He placed his hand on her waist, over the practical, aerodynamic jumpsuit, and gently pulled her tiny, energetic body toward him. Vingyu was startled by the unexpected closeness but didn't pull away.
"Your speed is a gift," Robert said, his voice low and mesmerizing. "But your wings... they are just tools. We're going to turn you into a wilder beauty, sweetling. Your wings won't just be for flying, but for cutting. You won't just glide on the wind, you'll bend it like a razor. You won't be the angel of the sky, you will be the storm itself."
Vingyu's blue eyes widened with excitement and curiosity. She leaned in, almost putting her eyes inside of Robert's. "How? How will that work?"
Robert relaxed his grip on Vingyu's waist, slowly raised his other hand, and touched her cheek with his fingertips. His touch was as light as a feather. "That will be my secret," he murmured. "When it's done... you'll see."
This promise, this mystery, was unbearable for Vingyu. She pulled back and, with a high-pitched shriek mixed with joy, began to do flips and spins in the lounge. She was flying with such elation that her jumpsuit billowed. During one spin, her bare leg, along with her swirling uniform, brushed against Robert's arm, almost by accident. But there was more than just innocent excitement in that touch. In her eyes was the glimmer of admiration for her new leader and the wild future he had promised.
As Robert watched her joyful dance, he saw the other members begin to whisper among themselves. Shock was slowly giving way to curiosity, to excitement. Robert hadn't just saved the team from falling apart. He had given them a new purpose, a future they could never have imagined. And in that moment, everyone in the lounge understood that the biggest mistake the Council had ever made was putting this unpredictable, this dangerous, this brilliant man in charge of the Academy's most mismatched team.
Robert's last sentence, "I will modify all of you," had spread through the lounge like a shockwave, finding a different echo in each member's mind. Vingyu's excited dance and the wild promise Robert had whispered to her had broken the tense and mournful atmosphere in the room, replacing it with a sense of uncertain but thrilling potential. Shock was slowly giving way to curiosity, to anticipation. They had lost their leaders, yes. But perhaps, in their place, they had gained the creator of something they couldn't even imagine.
Robert scanned his team. He no longer saw them as just friends, but as raw materials, precious metals waiting to be forged. His eyes shone with the cold clarity of this new vision. Finally, his gaze settled on Karnah, the calm and unshakeable anchor of the room.
He slowly walked over to the giant warrior. Karnah, at over two and a half meters tall, towered over Robert like a colossus, but he didn't hesitate for a second before her presence. He moved right up to her, leaving almost no space between them. He raised his hand and touched Karnah's muscular arm, which resembled a tree trunk. His fingers traced the battle scars on her tanned skin, moving slowly down to her wrist, and then into her enormous palm. He placed his hand on top of hers, where each finger was like a dagger. This wasn't a challenge, but an act of trust.
"Dream Bending," Robert said, his voice low but sharp enough for everyone in the room to hear. "As Kefius said, this isn't just a talent. It's a path made of hard lessons, mind-breaking tests, and serious responsibilities. Until I become the master of my own mind, until I can use that machine as an extension of myself, I will stumble. I will fall. And in those moments, I need someone who will watch my back, who won't question my decisions, who will just trust me."
He raised his head and looked directly into Karnah's azure, honest eyes. "Until I get through this process, you will be my second-in-command, my deputy, and the person I trust the most. You will be the heart of this team. What do you say?"
Karnah, for a moment, froze at this unexpected offer and incredible proximity. A faint blush, one no one had ever seen before, spread across the cheeks of this giant woman who had seen hundreds of battles and clashed with gods. She slowly closed her hand over Robert's, his own hand almost disappearing inside her massive palm. Looking down at Robert from her incredible height, her eyes shone with absolute loyalty and honor. Her voice had returned to its usual soft timbre, but within it, there was a steely resolve.
"It is an honor, Leader. As you command."
Robert smiled. It wasn't the cold, calculating smile from before; it was warmer, more sincere. He stroked the back of Karnah's hand with his thumb. "Not a command, a request, sweetling. Remember, you are the heart of this team. And a heart doesn't take orders. It only feels." He withdrew his hand. "Control is yours, for now."
These simple words, this gentle touch, had sealed all of Karnah's attention, all of her loyalty, to Robert, without question. In that moment, Robert had proven not only that he was a leader, but also a commander who knew how to earn trust.