<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><div style="text-align: center;">Gless - Caletta, Grand Cathedral, Squad Eight Quarters</div></span></span><br/><br/><br/>A deafening silence loomed inside Squad Eight's quarters, even when in use by Guilford. The emergency meeting had ended an hour ago, yet the Seraph lingered on the facts as discussed earlier. Something did not sit well with him. While it was known that Sinners and Pure Sinners had a habit of experimenting on ways to twist the teachings and corrupt the people, it was only now after a long span of time had they been reported to be conducting a large scale operation, and with little effort to conceal it at best. Clasping both hands together just underneath his chin, Guilford once again, carefully read through a series of old articles about Sinner activities that they have uncovered. Moments later, a long sigh of frustration resounded in the quiet room.<span style="color: #0080FF">"I don't even know what I'm looking for..."</span>he mumbled to himself and shuffled the documents to a neat stack. Right about now, it could be the pressure, the exhaustion, the lack of a solution to a big problem, or those blue eyes that kept haunting his mind. A deep breath later and Guilford decides to call it a day.<br/><br/>Just as he was about finished tidying his desk, two knocks on his door caught the Seraph's attention. Weary purple eyes followed the direction of the sound. Who could it be this late into the night? The scribes on duty should all be in the archives by now. When there was no further indication of the door opening, it prompted a<span style="color: #0080FF">"Come in."</span>from the Seraph. He was surprised to see Lance. Easing back to his normal, Guilford invited the man to take a seat.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Since when have you been so formal?"</span>he inquired while finishing up on the task that he momentarily put on hold. "Just today." the other responded in kind, tone a little less cheery than usual. "I had myself reinstated back into the knighthood." he added, plopping himself comforably on the couch. The knowledge shared stopped Guilford once more, but the man immediately continued on without a word.<br/><br/>"Do you think I made the right call?" Lance asked out of the blue, suddenly sounding unsure of himself. An air of silence lingered. After clearing his desk, Guilford proceeded before the large map inside the room, boring an unsatisfied look on the canvas.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Why doubt when you already made the choice?"</span><br/><br/>"I... I don't know..." Lance faltered, leaning back on the couch to stare at the ceiling. After ignoring so many recalls, here he was in the Grand Cathedral, rejoined the knighthood. After everything that he had been through, after thinking that he had done more than his share, after riding off into the sunset to find his tranquil peace, why was he here? All this time he thought he had given up, yet somewhere along the way he had stumbled upon things that ignited the dying spark of hope in his heart. That young boy he met in Palaugrim, this twisted world they live in, his promise to Yael, and those blue eyes... those beautiful blue eyes that also knows how to shed tears. He was a fool, a fool to think that he was the only one who felt pain and suffering. No more. He would discard his weakness and stand strong, just like her, and this man who had been his friend for the longest time. Brown eyes looked at the back of the man contemplating before the map of the four islands, seemingly looking to him for answers. "What do you fight for Gil?"<br/><br/>Guilford's silence was broken by Lance's inquiry. The Seraph's brooding shoulders eased up a little, telling Lance that he had gained his attention for the most part. "I know you need to get some stuff done Gil, so I apologize for wasting your time like this but..." Lance was cut off when Guilford turned around to face him.<span style="color: #0080FF">"People fight different battles of their own Lance."</span>he started, levelling exhausted purple eyes to meet his brown ones.<span style="color: #0080FF">"That's why people will always have different reasons."</span>Gil continued, arms folding before his chest.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Do not look to others for your own reasons. Before, I used to fight because it was my duty—what is asked of me—but now, I am fighting for what I believe in, for what I think is right."</span>he mustered a smile at his friend.<span style="color: #0080FF">"I know you already know this Lance, but fight your battles with reasons that are your own, for what you yourself believe in."</span><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><div style="text-align: center;">Palaugrim - Bastille, Outskirts</div></span></span><br/><br/><br/>It was a quiet journey for Squad Eight towards Palaugrim. Whether it was an air of contempt for the island, or an abyss of painful memories, none of them wanted to bring it up. This was the island of conflict, the very place where they lost the life of their fomer Vice Captain, the place that held so many memories of grief, not just for them but for the people—and they were once again setting foot on its very soil.<br/><br/>The Wyviera they were on landed just outside Bastille, where the passengers of the ship were awaited by a squad of knights, probably at the behest of Lethe who went on ahead to meet with Knight Commander Kavita. Nobody would have thought she would jump off on her own, well... except for Gil and Lethe's own squad maybe. She was on her 'caffeine high' as Valiar discreetly put it before they left the port of Gless; she too must have stayed up late. Regardless, they were finally here, and time was not on their side. Hyuga was the first one to disembark, albeit rather unpleased with having to be here again. Soon, the other members of Gil's squad joined him, with only Fiona looking to be the one who was a little excited; it was obvious in her eyes.<br/><br/>"Your first time in Palaugrim?" Joaquim curiously asked the female knight. Fiona simply nodded in acknowledgment, clearly absorbed by the new surroundings that enveloped her. "Lucky for you that this island has already mellowed down. You're probably still on the final stages of the PKA when we launched the Liberation Campaign am I right?" Joaquim asked, moving around the others to stand beside their new member. "Yes, I was on my way to finishing my course at the PKA when I heard Lord Guilford initiated the Campaign." Fiona answered, taking in all the new sights before her. "You better not let him hear you calling him Lord Guilford again." Georg warned the female knight after catching wind of her noble inclination. "The Captain is oddly grumpy today." he added, forcing the female knight to quickly (but gracefully) cover her mouth. The man in question was the last to disembark the Wyviera. Purple eyes panned around the outskirts instinctively before proceeding to meet with the escort squad.<br/><br/>"Master Guilford, welcome to Bastille!" the knight greeted the Seraph with enthusiasm, clearly an attempt to impress. Guilford returned the salute promptly but maintained an air of authority. "Uhmm... Knight Commander Kavita sent us here to escort you and the others to the Solan conference room. If you could please follow us." he gestured towards all of the others.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Thank you. Lead the way please."</span><br/><br/>Soon, both squads plus Guilford and Lance were making their way into Bastille's walls. Somehow, the residents of Bastille had managed to catch wind of their arrival. There was already quite a gathering of people along the streets wanting to get a glimpse of a Seraph and their squad. Almost immediately, Squad Ten put on their parade masks, smiling and waving at the people as if it was second-nature to them, it garnered a loud cheer from the people. Squad Eight however, maintained a professional air around them. While they too received basic PR lessons, it was a skill they could very well consider rusty at best. Fiona who was unsure of what to do, immediately walked up beside her Vice Captain. "Alfrei, should we not put on more smiles and add more hand waving like them?" she inquired after throwing a quick nod to the other squad. It prompted a bemused look from the man. "Well, we are a symbol of their hope are we not? If a little smile or a wave could make them feel it, I say we do it." she suggested with almost puppy dog eyes. Alfrei sighed. 'Does Fiona even know how far away they are from Knight Commander Kavita's offices?' he wondered. That would mean they would have to parade all the way there smiling and hand waving!<br/><br/>"New girl has a valid point Vice Captain." Hyuga teased the other and began smiling more and doing more hand waving. "Fine. The rest of you, do as they do." Alfrei commanded the rest of their squad. Soon, the cheering only seemed to grow louder now that both squads were interacting with the masses. By the time they had reached Kavita's offices, almost all of them had something in their hand, be it a souvenir or something to nibble as a show of appreciation by the people of Bastille.<br/><br/>"Finally!" Natalia exhaled, relieved now that they were through the front gate of Knight Commander Kavita's offices. "I thought my arm was gonna fall off!" she sighed while trying to ease her weary arm.<br/><br/>"It would have been nice if we aren't wearing full combat gear." Vlad seconded while mimicking Natalia.<br/><br/>"I feel like my jaw would stay locked in a smile at any given second..." Hyuga complained despite wearing significantly lighter armor than the rest of them.<br/><br/>"Still, I'm impressed by them..." Georg eyed the other squad who looked more comfortable with themselves. "It would appear like they actually had fun." the older knight added.<br/><br/>"Well, it's not just them." Alfrei pointed out one from their squad who was a little more enthusiastic than the rest of them. "Fiona looks like she wants to do it again." he chuckled.<br/><br/>"Give her a break Alfrei, this is her first field mission with us. It's safe to assume that it's her first parade as a Pristine Knight among the people too. We all know what that felt like, especially if you're in a Seraph squad." Joaquim smiled at the thought of his own<span style="font-style: italic">firsts</span>as a Pristine Knight.<br/><br/>The short respite was interrupted by the sound of Guilford's voice.<span style="color: #0080FF">"The rest of you can take a break, do what you must. We'll see you all in the Solan conference room in fifteen."</span>he addressed the two squads with only authority in his tone. He then turned to Lance.<span style="color: #0080FF">"We'll go ahead of them. Follow me."</span>A Scribe immediately approached Guilford and Lance to show them the way but a simple hand gesture from the Seraph told him that he can find his way to the conference room just fine. An awkward silence descended upon Squad Eight after their Captain had gone off ahead of them.<br/><br/>"You're certainly right about him being grumpy." Joaquim elbowed Georg lightly. "What's up with the Captain? Any ideas?" he added. The older knight simply shook his head in response, as did the others save for Fiona. "Lord Guilford must be significantly exhausted by now." she suddenly mumbled out of concern. "Ever since he received the intel about the thirteenth, I've never seen him leave the squad quarters during the day." she pondered on, recalling more about her Captain's actions these past few days. "And at night, the lights are always on until daybreak."<br/><br/>"Well that's unusual. The Captain should have come up with a plan to counter the attack by now right?" Natalia joined in, sharing the same worried look everyone from their squad was now harboring.<br/><br/>"I doubt it." Alfrei said on the contrary. "We may be out training with the crests but I happen to notice that the markers on the map keeps changing every day. It's proof enough that the Captain still isn't satisfied."<br/><br/>"What do you think he's after?" Vlad asked. "I mean, it just makes me worried that the thirteenth is nearing and yet we still don't have a plan of action." by now, their squad had unconsciously huddled together in a discussion.<br/><br/>"I think he's worried about the possible casualty count on our side." Hyuga butted in. "It's hard to come up with a counter strategy if the enemy forces are unknown in strength and numbers. Don't forget, Tethel is supposed to be involved and it will be a two front battle. The Captain, the Council, the majority know that we're going to be fighting Eve and Tethel's forces, but none of us really know what we're going to be up against. It's a terrifying thought. If you ask me, the Captain is probably thinking if we have enough forces to repel the attack, while wanting to keep casualties to a bare minimum."<br/><br/>"Intel on the enemy. That's what we desperately need." Georg seconded Hyuga's opinions. "If we want to help the Captain devise a strategy, we need to get our hands on intel."<br/><br/>"Easier said than done. The Scouts are pretty much reporting the same thing all around. They can't get any leads on enemy movement." Joaquim pitched in, one hand resting comfortably beneath his chin. "Are you suggesting we capture a Sinner and interrogate it? We all know that will never work..." Joaquim continued. Soon, the rest of the squad had come to a rapid exchange of ideas on how they could help. It was good and all that but their young Vice Captain realized something.<br/><br/>Amidst the heat of their discussion, Alfrei sighed. He realized that this won't get them anywhere closer to a solution. They needed to focus on the task at hand. Right now, they have to take out an operation by the Sinners in Santa Olivia. The current mission is the one that needs their focus. As much as he was equally concerned, Alfrei understood that he needed to put the squad back in perspective. "We'll worry about that later guys. Right now, we have a briefing in about six minutes, and battle preparation after that. Go do your personal stuff, I would assume it's going to be a long one."<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>True enough, the mission briefing took quite a while before it ended. Ultimately, it had been decided that the attack would be done at night to take advantage of the element of surprise. Thanks to Lance's strategy—which Lethe surprisingly approved of despite knowing it was a little reckless—it will be a pincer attack done in a blitz to compliment the night strike. Guilford who wanted a more safer approach knew that they did not have the luxury of time; he was soon forced to agree. The rest of the late morning until afternoon was spent preparing for the mission. They will be taking a third of Bastille's forces and splitting them into two companies, both led by the Seraphs. Much to Guilford's surprise, Lance opted to go with the other company of knights. As his friend, he wondered why Lance would do that but as a knight and Seraph, he did not object. After all, Lance was a very capable knight. With his exhaustion (that he was carefully trying to hide) reaching its peak, Guilford opted to excuse himself from further activities to try and get himself at least a few hours of rest. Knight Commander Kavita was kind enough to provide him with a room where he could stay in before they depart.<br/><br/>With his thoughts the only company he now has in his solitude, Guilford lied down on the bed to try and get some sleep. The bed however, was placed so that when the window curtains are parted, sunlight would hit the face of the one sleeping in it. Although it was already afternoon, just a few hours before dusk, the sunlight was still very capable of preventing a good sleep. The fact made the Seraph grudgingly get up to close the curtains. However, just as he was about to completely pull the curtains closed, his eyes caught a glimpse of two people far below stopping him from doing so. Even from above, there was no mistaking those white and orange hair. It was Lance and Lethe talking to each other. For some unknown reason, Guilford found himself observing from behind the cover of his room's window curtain. He was only supposed to pull the curtains closed... but his hand oddly refused to move.<span style="color: #0080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">'Why?'</span></span>He wondered.<span style="color: #0080FF">'Why do I feel a pinch in my heart?'</span><br/><br/>He could see it all. The way how Lance casually talked to her, and the fact that she was responding to him so well too! He didn't want to think too much into it but—She was smiling! Brighter than she usually does and laughing even! Wait... Did she just playfully push him?! What are those two talking about?! Since when did they even get so close?! No... He... He ruffled her hair! That was just about all that he could take before Guilford completely pulled the curtains closed, retreating into the now darkened room with anxious breath. Just what did he see? And what is this suffocating feeling?