Two days have passed since the large courtyard incident and the place underwent an untimely renovation. Guilford looked out from the window of his squad quarters to catch a glimpse of his squad still hard at work training, despite the rubble and debris. The commotion they have caused prior stirred the rumor mill and there were some that say the male Seraph had some crazy ideas about fooling around. They're probably right. Nobody would have thought that wrecking the courtyard was the most quintessential method of winning a war. Right now, some people are probably laughing behind his back, others thinking that he finally lost it. Can't blame them though, he almost did, or so he thought.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Is there a reason you called me here?"</span>a voice asked from behind him.<br/><br/>It was Lance. He was quite skeptical from entering the quarters but did so eventually. "You're not going to ask me for another spar are you? We're<span style="font-style: italic">in</span>the Grand Cathedral mind you. The geezers would probably have your head if you decide to start a spar here and go all out." he chuckled and took a seat on the couch.<br/><br/>Guilford simply laughed.<span style="color: #0080FF">"No my friend. My intentions are nothing of the sort. It's serious business this time."</span><br/><br/>Lance raised a brow and clasped both hands together, resting his arms on top of his legs after. "Serious business huh? What is it? Are we going on the offensive soon?"<br/><br/>Guilford paced around the room. Seven steps to the left, seven steps to the right, then another seven steps back before facing Lance and hiding both hands behind his back.<span style="color: #0080FF">"During my..."</span>he broke his words briefly.<span style="color: #0080FF">"<span style="font-style: italic">Less than attentive</span> demeanor to matters of significance,"</span>he phrased while trying to hide the guilty shame within his words.<span style="color: #0080FF">"I might have... No I missed a crucial report from Palaugrim that was sent here a few days ago."</span><br/><br/>"Palaugrim huh?" Lance contemplated on the thought. "I heard things are bad out there even after Liberation. Is the enemy on the move?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Then you heard right. Yes and no."</span>Guilford stated and began pacing around once more.<span style="color: #0080FF">"There are skirmishes between pockets of Sinners and Pure Sinners, along with some rebels, but their main force has yet to make any significant move of their own."</span>he stopped and looked out the window with nothing in particular to look at.<span style="color: #0080FF">"It worries me that Eve has quieted down after paying us a visit here."</span><br/><br/>Lance scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I wouldn't complain that we're getting time to prepare mind you, but I am equally concerned about their passiveness. Whatever it is they are up to, I swear it's going to be real bad." Lance said, sharing the same concern and deep contemplation as his Seraph friend. "Though shouldn't you be talking about this with the geezers and not me?" he questioned.<br/><br/>The inquiry pulled the Seraph into a dead stop and slowly drew his gaze over to Lance.<span style="color: #0080FF">"It's not Eve that I'm truly concerned about right now."</span>he said and made his way over to his desk. He fetched a crumpled report and handed it over to Lance. The other hesitated from taking it. "Are you sure I should read this? Isn't this for Seraph eyes only?" he asked, careful about the matter at hand. Guilford only smiled at him in dismissal of his query.<span style="color: #0080FF">"The wards in my squad quarters are more powerful than standard wards. There isn't a soul who could see, feel, or hear us here. Don't worry about it."</span>he informed the other and walked his way back to the window. Lance read through the report in turn. Moments later, a slightly audible gasp escaped him.<br/><br/>"He certainly didn't hold back in being descriptive, I gotta hand him that." Lance paused and set the report down on the low center table. "But what worries me is that several villages have already been destroyed in such a short amount of time. Plus the fact that there's always no survivors and that they still have no further leads on it. One dead Cerberus doesn't solve this! Man, what are they doing?!" he threw his hands up in frustration and Guilford only responded with silence. "You think it's..."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I'm positive."</span>he cut him off.<span style="color: #0080FF">"After ten years of absence and a Cerberus decides to show up on one of the islands? Don't you find it strange?"</span>Guilford clenched his hands that were now facing Lance.<span style="color: #0080FF">"They were thought to be extinct and now here they are, tamed and being used by the enemy. Whoever is using them, I'm sure it's a demon."</span><br/><br/>"And let me guess, you wanna go after it right?"<br/><br/>Guilford slightly bowed his head at the thought. Yes he wanted to go after it as soon as possible but...<span style="color: #0080FF">"Lethe beat me to the punch."</span>It was rare that she does but he admitted it in defeat. He lacked the presence of mind to keep priorities in the right perspective after all.<br/><br/>"What's wrong with that? You know what they say don't you? Ladies first?" Guilford immediately stabbed Lance with an eye dagger. "Woah hey! Easy! Don't glare at me like that, I was joking!" It took a couple seconds for Gil to relieve Lance of his glare and the other breathed a sigh of relief. When it comes to the other Seraph, Gil gets really sensitive. "So what if she's the one who does the investigating? Don't you trust her strength and skill? She's a Seraph too you know?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"It's not that Lance. Right now we don't have the luxury of having our squads back us up."</span><br/><br/>Lance sighed followed by a shrug of his shoulders. "Like I said, she's a Seraph like you. She's undoubtedly strong. Besides, your squads<span style="font-style: italic">suck</span>big time! No offense of course. Even your first war knights have rusted! I can only imagine that her squad is pretty much the same as yours-they won't do her any good if she's coming after a demon. Come to think of it, I never did get to see her. What's she like? The other Seraph?"<br/><br/>The question came as a shock.<span style="color: #0080FF">"She's..."</span>It became painfully obvious how little he knew about her despite what he would have liked to believe. He never did think about it too much, perhaps an oversight of having been close to her proximity. Regardless, now that he was asked about her, he finds himself struggling.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Short... white hair... carries herself with dignity, and has an awful lot of authority in her presence... at least when she's on duty."</span><br/><br/>"Man, you're not helping. The first two parts was definitely her, but the last two was a standard Seraph." he paused midway, recalling a funny scene in his head. "Hahaha..." he chuckled softly. "Hahahahaha!" the chuckle grew to a laugh, Lance's eyes gleaming. "So that was her!" he recalled almost immediately. No wonder Akira got caught. By this time, Lance was convinced that she was very skilled.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"You met Lethe?"</span><br/><br/>"Yeah..." he drew the word out, falling back into a relaxed state on the couch. "Sort of..." Lance paused. "Never got her name though. She caught our friend, the pervy sage, a few nights back and I happened to run into them. She recognized me." Lance took a deep breath. "Don't worry man, she has the aura of a fierce fighter. She can take care of herself no doubt. She's like a lioness."<br/><br/>Guilford pondered his friend's words. The only time Lance would ever compare a person to an animal is if he was giving them praise. Certainly an odd way to give praise but it works for him. It was clear that he saw something in Lethe that immediately earned his respect.<span style="color: #0080FF">"I can't help it. I have this nagging feeling that something is amiss."</span><br/><br/>Lance waved a hand around aimlessly. "Okay buddy, let's hear it. I can tell you have a thing for her just by how you're acting," he paused, catching the ever so slight guilty movement from Gil's shoulders. "but please, don't be too overprotective. You'll choke her with your presence man!" Guilford shook his head sideways a few times before taking a deep breath. He needs to stay on course of this discussion.<span style="color: #0080FF">"You know that Eve thinks I'm dead right?"</span>Lance sighed then finally nodded, urging the Seraph to continue.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Then why isn't she making any moves yet? It's clear that she's after us. I heard what she said to Captain Abel back in Rosetta."</span>He circled around to the center table.<span style="color: #0080FF">"And now this. Again, don't you find it strange?"</span>he asked, tapping on the report addressed to him from Palaugrim.<br/><br/>"Well first off, if I was Eve, I wouldn't be so stupid as to launch a direct attack on Gless another time after successfully killing you." He lazily cupped his chin, stroking it mildly in thought. "I would instead take the opportunity to bolster my forces, stage an attack strategy and wait for the most opportune moment to strike." he concluded with confidence. "I'm pretty sure that's what she's doing now."<br/><br/>Guilford sighed. For someone who is normally sharp as Lance, it was a letdown to realize that he was missing the bigger picture somehow.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Okay, say that you're right, say that Eve had done all those, when would that <span style="font-style: italic">most opportune moment</span> be?"</span><br/><br/>Lance gave it a few breaths in thought. "When the other Seraph is... out of the way." he paused almost instantly, eyes widening at a sudden realization. Guilford need not say anything more. The pieces of the puzzle began falling into place and Lance's eyes narrowed followed by a contemplative hum. "It's a trap."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Exactly as I thought. I fear it is the case for this one. Eve wants to lure out the last Seraph with these unexplained attacks on Palaugrim's villages and finish her off there."</span>Guilford continued pacing around the room, head bowed and hands still clenched behind him.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Why else would she refrain from attacking any of the knight garrisons? Why is she avoiding direct conflict? Why isn't there any reports of massive enemy troop movements? She's obviously waiting for us to take action first and here we are, playing right into her hands!"</span><br/><br/>"Woah now, slow down Gil." Lance attempted to calm the other. "The Council will not let you leave Gless unprotected, you know that." he stated firmly, eyes with a flat stare on the other. "If she's already assigned to take care of this issue," he waved the report around in one hand. "Then it's obvious that you're going to have to stay here and watch over Gless." he once again set the report down. "Look, a trap should always be viewed from a minimum of three angles. Right now I can tell that you're fixated on just one. Listen Gil," he paused and took a deep breath. "Eve's plan might also mean luring the remaining Seraph out of Gless, detain her there somehow and launch a full scale attack on this island in her absence! Even if Lethe manages to return, by the time she does, it would have already been too late. But with you here, she'd be assured that there's someone watching over this island, and we have the element of surprise should Eve make a move."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"You don't understand Lance. Eve wouldn't risk attacking Gless knowing that Captain Abel is here. Eve will come after Lethe first then attack Gless. She thinks she already killed me, it wouldn't come as a surprise if she thinks that Lethe is an easier target than Captain Abel."</span><br/><br/>Lance sighed heavily. His friend also has a valid point. Though they were only points with absolutely no guarantee. If his friend isn't careful, he could be facing far more trouble than its worth leaving his post and going out on a hunch. From the eyes of many, what Gil wants would be contrary to the best interest of everybody else. This was clearly a gamble and the payoff would either be the fall of Gless and the life of a Seraph, or the safety of Gless and the death of a Seraph. A conundrum, yet they both know neither side cannot afford to make a reckless move.<br/><br/>"Gil, if you already made up your mind, as your friend, I would ask you to reconsider and think this through more times than you even should. There's a lot at stake and we don't have much wiggle room. Sometimes duty takes priority over personal matters."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"...."</span><br/><br/>"Trust her Gil."<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>The remainder of Guilford's squad was taking a break from the intense training session conducted by the Crests. They were already out of breath and it was just a few hours past the start of day. Every time they thought they were getting the hang of it, the methods employed to train them only appeared to increase in difficulty and intensity. By now, the weighted clothes they wore felt like it was just regular armor for them no matter the weight adjustment. Surely they have made some progress but the silence between them indicated an oppressive air of doubt. Alona's words to them made them feel like they were between a rock and a hard place.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Since the rest of you were not blessed with the aptitude for Divine Magic, you will have to train doubly hard to compensate with strength and skill if you wish to have a chance at surviving the coming war."</span><br/><br/>Yeah right. Never in their entire knight career had each member felt like they were dead weight... Until recently. What was the point of training harder if even skilled knights from the first war died in battle? How many of them actually survived to live up to today? They were more than a handful that's for sure but... Even the legends fell! Joaquim thought about his family. He was lucky enough... No, he was extremely lucky enough to survive the First War and back then, he was fierce and considered to be an accomplished knight, even then his survival was questionable. He plucked a handful of grass blades and let it fly along with the strong breeze.<br/><br/>Georg on the other hand recalled more painful memories. He was a Captain before and he was no doubt one of the stronger knights during the time of the First War, but even so, he could not guarantee the survival of his entire squad that got wiped out. They were all highly skilled too. His thoughts drifted over to their current Captain. Already Squad Eight had a death to its name and it was unknown how many more names would be included in the upcoming war. If they were not blessed with the aptitude for Divine Magic, what good would they be to Master Guilford? Georg didn't want his current Captain to go through what he himself had personally experienced. He was still young. He had seen how broken he was after Vice Captain Brynhildr's death, how much more could he take if... if... He didn't dare continue the thought.<br/><br/>On the flip side of things, Hyuga was torn between two thoughts. One of his continued stay in Squad Eight, and two of being reassigned to the R&D division where he could utilize his talents to the fullest without abandoning the cause. In his mind, if their Captain thinks that this Divine Magic was the only chance they had of leveling the playing field, what good would they serve him if they don't even have a shadow of that power? Even if they trained their hardest, surely at some point they would reach the cap of their abilities. They could only be taken so far before hitting a wall they couldn't overcome. At least if he was in the R&D Division, the walls he would hit were easily breakable since they are mostly funding issues and lackadaisical associates. The man sighed, lying down on his back with his hands beneath his head.<br/><br/>Natalia on the other hand was awfully quiet. Her thoughts were her own and her body movements were limited to her golden blonde hair swaying in the wind. She hadn't complained nor said a word after the other three from squad eight had passed the Selection Test, and she had kept to herself ever since.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Here you go!"</span><br/><br/>A cheerful voice broke each of the knights' silent reverie. It was Cora, handing out refreshments to all of them with her bright smile. Georg gratefully took a bottle and sipped. His eyes widened instantly. "What is this milady?" he inquired, obviously intrigued by the substance he just drank.<br/><br/>"Hmmm..." Cora pondered on the query, head slightly tilting to her right and her index finger finding a place on her chin. "If I were to give it a name..." she paused, clearly wracking her brain for something. "Considering it's supposed function..." she breathed deep, almost in apparent frustration. "It's a power aid."<br/><br/>The others immediately took a sip, save for Natalia after hearing what the young cleric had said about the drink. Hyuga was immediately in a state of apparent surprise. "This is exceptionally refreshing!" he commented off hand and chugged down on the drink until the bottle was half empty. "Might I trouble you with its contents Lady Cora?"<br/><br/>"Na-uh! You can't. It's a s-e-c-r-e-t!" she playfully winked at the man of science. A mild frown creased her features when she turned to look at Natalia. She hadn't touched her drink. "You don't like it Lady Natalia?" she asked with palpable worry.<br/><br/>As if being forcefully pulled into the present, Natalia struggled for words. "N-no I..." she gasped, her sudden elation dying out with her gaze returning to the grassy ground. "I'm just not thirsty at the moment..." she trailed off, looking to be lost in her own thoughts once more. Cora's lips formed a gentle smile. "I see. Still, defensive training with Silver is coming up next. You had best drink it while it's still cold." she turned to the rest of their trainees. "Well then, if you need anything else, please don't hesitate to approach me." she said and began walking towards her makeshift nursing bench.<br/><br/>"Lady Cora!"<br/><br/>The call for her name stopped the young cleric in her tracks. She turned around and saw Natalia looking at her with eyes she had seen somewhere before. "Can I... talk to you after training?" Natalia asked, almost as if she was pleading. Cora simply smiled, motherly in essence if not for her age. Who was she to refuse someone with eyes as lost as the ones she herself used to have? "Of course." was her only reply before turning her back on them and continuing on.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>Despite the cacophony of grunts thundering in the largest training field, there was a semblance of unity in it indicating a progressive count. Stamina building was in the agenda and Abel had the strangest methods of having them do it. He was personally walking around, carefully observing how each knight was conducting his method of training. If he catches one on the slack, he or she would be severely reprimanded, regardless of rank. So far, after a handful of knights were given the special treatment, nobody dared to even mutter a word of complaint. Good. If they were to win this war, they would need real Knights, not pansies.<br/><br/>So far, he already had a good grasp of several knights who would no doubt step ahead of this ridiculously large class. Guilford's trio, Lethe's quartet, and more than a handful of several others. From the corner of his eye, Abel observed the trio from squad eight. Them and Lethe's quartet were the only ones on full armor. They took it upon themselves to add another level of difficulty given that his method already was over the top normal. They however, were not the regular full armor. They were with weight enchantments. Impressive if he must say so himself. The look in their eyes were so focused he could almost feel the fire burning in them. Clearly there was a reason they operated under a Seraph and this was it, they were all still above and well beyond any normal knight. He walked over to the trio first and observed them with a certain scrutiny in his eyes.<br/><br/>"You all remind me of your Captain. Well done." he praised the three but only received a nod as a response. Their focus was so intense that even the slight change in their breathing was unacceptable. Abel smirked and left the trio alone, heading over to the far side where the quartet was. "I can feel QianHua's air in all of you. Seems like she did a number on you guys. Impressive." Though he didn't really have a certain friendly air with the woman, Abel knew well to respect QianHua's accomplishments. She can get things done her way and that was a fact that nobody can argue with. "Keep it up. I expect no less than good things from all of you." It was more of a challenge than praise. He had cleverly set the bar of his expectations just a little higher than QianHua's and he was sure the four would understand what his words really meant. Failure is not an option for any of them, unless they want to tarnish QianHua's reputation and pay the consequence for it later.<br/><br/>"Lord... Alfrei..." Fiona grunted beneath her breath, trying for grace and elegance despite clearly struggling just so she could speak. "How... long do we have to... balance these weights... on our backs?"<br/><br/>Alfrei however, had no trouble speaking. His body had already adapted to the harsh training received from the Crests and this was already as easy as eating breakfast on a fine day. "Focus. We'll keep doing this as long as it takes."<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>"Pardon the intrusion Master Guilford, but would you prefer me to bring you your dinner?" Corwin politely asked the Seraph who was training alone at the back of his mansion.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"No Corwin, I'll get it myself, thank you."</span><br/><br/>With an impressed gaze, Corwin chose to observe the man hard at work for a while. He seemed to have regained his vigor and it greatly eased some of the old butler's worries. He was back at his usual routine of being a Seraph by day and a warrior hard at training by night. It was no question as to why Guilford seemed to appear more and more exhausted with each passing day. He was barely getting five hours of sleep.<br/><br/>"Is it wise to overexert yourself?" Corwin's tongue slipped in honest carelessness.<br/><br/>The question stopped the Seraph from swinging his sword around in the middle of an advanced attack sequence. Truly, nothing escapes the eyes of this old butler. Corwin knew him too well to tell that he was already beyond tired. However, his mind was somewhere else at the moment to pay heed to Corwin's words. Guilford continued his attack sequence with renewed vigor.<br/><br/>"My apologies, I was just--"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I know. Thank you for your concern Corwin. I'm fine, I can still go on."</span><br/><br/>The butler bowed politely. "Well then, I shall take my leave."<br/><br/>From the corner of his eyes, Guilford saw the man turn around and just as he was about to walk away, Guilford lowered his sword and eased out of his stance.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Corwin."</span>he called. The other turned around once more, almost immediately, and plastered that same smile he had no doubt mastered over the long years of serving the Rosenwulf House. "Yes Master Guilford?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Can I ask you something?"</span>he hesitated a moment before continuing on.<span style="color: #0080FF">"It's personal."</span><br/><br/>"Oh shush. I have served the Rosenwulf House long before you were born Master Guilford. I've watched you grow into a fine man. I think our bond need no such borders, you are all my family now. Ask me anything you like."<br/><br/>Guilford smirked at the long-winded explanation.<span style="color: #0080FF">"You could have just said yes you know?"</span>he chuckled lightly but immediately fell into seriousness. Corwin's observant eyes deduced that whatever it is on Guilford's mind, was definitely serious.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Very well. My father once told me that you have lost your entire family before coming to serve in the Rosenwulf Household. Is that true?"</span><br/><br/>Corwin couldn't hide the surprise at Guilford's sudden question. Even with his masterful composure maintaining abilities, his eyes became an evident beacon of unrest. The lack of timely response prompted another set of words from Guilford.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Sorry. I didn't mean to scratch old wounds. You don't have to answer, forget I asked."</span><br/><br/>"No. Please, allow me to tell the story if you would listen." the man insisted.<br/><br/>Guilford nodded and walked over to Corwin, offering the other to take a seat with him in the back porch. When they were settled in, Corwin took a deep breath and avoided looking into Guilford's eyes as he recalled the memories. "It is true. I lost my entire family to a rogue band of bandits. This was before the time of the First War." he recounted, hands clasping together and his fingers twiddling as he continued. "We were on our way to Rosetta, to our new would-be home. I used to be a lowly merchant who managed to save enough to buy us a small house in Rosetta, said to be a peaceful and prosperous town-we were so excited that day!" Corwin's tone faltered a little. "I never imagined something like that would happen to us. They came out of nowhere just when we passed Rosetta's borders. They mistook our caravan to that of a merchant's and... and..."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Say no more. I know it's hard for you to recount such a horrible experience."</span><br/><br/>Deaf to what Guilford said, Crowin continued. "I should have died that day. Those monsters thought it would be 'fun' to let me watch as they butchered my entire family right before my eyes, all that before killing me!" Guilford had no words. He had no idea Corwin had gone through such a terrible ordeal. Now he felt really bad for prying open the old scars this old man had. He could feel the anger from Corwin, an emotion he sensed in the man for the first time. "It was Rosetta's border patrol that saved me from my fate. Your father was their youngest member. I would never forget the words he said to me that day, 'what happened here is not your fault' he said."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Did you believe him?"</span><br/><br/>"I wanted to, but I couldn't. I was there, only powerless to protect the ones I loved. I had lost everything, the shock took over me completely, before I realized, I was screaming when I saw my bloodied hands..." Corwin trailed off, catching a moment to calm himself and stop the tears from falling. "I was still alive, but I was as good as dead inside."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I'm sorry."</span>two heartfelt words were all that he could manage after a moment of silence that seemed to last for eternity.<br/><br/>"I would assume you had a reason for asking me such?"<br/><br/>It took a moment for him to consider his thoughts deeply. Truth is, he did have a reason for asking, Guilford just didn't expect that he would get more than he bargained for.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Yes... I believe I do."</span><br/><br/>Corwin forced himself to look at the other and finally met Guilford's eyes. "Master Guilford, protect the ones you love no matter what. You are blessed with the power to do so. Do not second guess yourself for choosing to do so, or having done so." Corwin suggested with the most sincere smile he could muster beneath his own tears. As always, Corwin had read him like an open book.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I shall take your words to heart. Thank you Corwin."</span>