<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Day 16 of Month 4: Gless - Grand Cathedral</span></span><br/><br/><br/>The bells were tolling seven in the morning when Omi found himself in front of Squad Ten’s quarters.  The Scribe looked at the reports in his hands.  He’d gotten scolded last night for not delivering them to Master Lethe but he didn’t regret his choice.  The Seraph had clearly looked under the weather.  Out of politeness, he knocked on the door just in case she was inside.  It wasn’t uncommon for the Seraphs or Councilors to spend the night in the Cathedral.  However, as he’d expected, there was no response.  It was good that she’d gone home then.<br/><br/>He twisted the doorknob and entered the darkened room.  The shades were down for some reason.  He contemplated opening them and putting the windows up to make the room a bit more inviting but decided against it.  Master Lethe must have had a reason for bringing them down.  He placed the reports on the empty desk and was turning to leave when there was a light groaning sound.  Surprised green eyes looked towards the couch before Omi broke out in a furious blush.<br/><br/>Master Lethe was sprawled on top of Master Guilford, both clearly having been asleep.  The sound of people talking drew his eyes to the open door and his blush gave way to fear.  Before he entirely knew what he was doing, he’d dashed to the door and was closing it quietly just as he heard the voices turn the corner.  He couldn’t let anyone see!  With bated breath, he stood by the door as the voices walked past him and continued down the corridor, oblivious to the three hiding in the room.  Or more appropriately, one hiding and two sleeping.  When the voices could no longer be heard, he locked the door and then walked back to the couch, pausing when he realized.. what should he do now?<br/><br/>He definitely had to wake them… but how?  Should he shake them?  Should he call their names?  One hand reached out tentatively before recoiling.  Could he touch a Seraph?  Was that even allowed?  The bells started tolling quarter past, reminding him that it was becoming more and more likely people might walk in and prompting another groan from Master Lethe, who was now trying to hide her face.<br/><br/>“Mas..master Lethe!”  He whisper shouted, finally brave enough to poke her with one finger.  “Master Lethe! Wake up!”  One blue eye cracked open, sleep still prominent in its depths.  “Master Lethe! It’s quarter past seven!”  It was odd trying to convey urgency in a whisper but Omi thought he was doing a pretty good job of it.  “People might see you soon!”<br/><br/>At this, she looked confused but it was enough for her to raise her head.  Omi could tell the moment she realized what was going on given the way her eyes widened and her face went bright red.<br/><br/>The little motions made Guilford’s arm that was previously resting comfortably on Lethe’s back fall off. The male Seraph shifted in his sleep, groaning as his arm hit the floor limply.<br/><br/><br/>No longer trapped in his arms, Lethe slipped off the sofa, blush still prominent on her face.<span style="color: silver">“Thank you..”</span>“Omi, Master Lethe.”  He supplied helpfully, following her away from the sleeping Master Guilford.<span style="color: silver">“Yes, thank you, Omi.”</span>She repeated, still trying to regain her bearings.<span style="color: silver"> “Uhm.. why are..?”</span><br/><br/>“The reports from last night, ma’am.”  He casually ignored what exactly he’d walked into.  “They’re on your table, ma’am.”  The white-haired woman looked over and then nodded.<br/><br/>Voices? Was he dreaming? Battling the tug of sleep, Guilford mustered the meager conscious thought to open an eye. He thought he heard voices, he should probably check.  Realizing he was significantly lighter, sleep vanished in an instant. Both eyes cracked open to a wide look.  Surprise paled in comparison to the amount of worry that descended upon him.<span style="font-style: italic">Oh my light..</span>he said to himself at the sight of a Scribe in the room.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Alright, thank you.”</span>Omi nodded and then bowed his way out, clearly seeing the Seraph was desperate to see him gone.  Door closed behind him, Omi felt his tension drain out of him and he collapsed against the wood.  Oh my Light, walking in on the two Seraphs sleeping together..  Well, who was he to judge?  Seraphs were humans too.  They probably needed some reassurance every now and then.  With another sigh, he got back to his feet.  So even Seraphs were human..<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>Already wide awake, Guilford looked at his fellow Seraph. Her face was still red, visible now that she turned on a few lights.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Sorry..”</span>he mumbled.<span style="color: #0080FF">“I should have woken earlier.”</span>he continued, pulling himself up to sit on the couch.<br/><br/>Lethe just rubbed her hands over her face, trying to will the color away.<span style="color: silver">“It’s nothing.”</span>except she was still mortified and that emotion had seeped into her voice.<span style="color: silver">“I didn’t wake up either.”</span><br/><br/>Guilford smiled.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Did you sleep well?”</span>he tried to lighten the mood.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Because I did.”</span><br/><br/>An eye peeked out at him in disbelief, clearly unsure if he was joking or not.<span style="color: silver"> “Comfortably enough, yes.”</span>There was a pause before she added a touch humorously,<span style="color: silver">“enough to not wake up when Omi first entered at any rate.”</span><br/><br/>Guilford sighed but even then, his smile never left his lips. That answer was good enough. Stretching his arms to warm up his muscles a little, Guilford stood up. It was morning; this place would be hectic again soon. Less he wanted another Scribe to walk in on them or worse, Lethe’s squad, he figured he should leave.<span style="color: #0080FF">“I should go… I think..”</span>he said, prompting a chuckle out of himself.<br/><br/>There were many reasons he didn’t<span style="font-style: italic">have</span>to go and for a moment, she considered pointing them out.  But Guilford was probably right.<span style="color: silver">“Yeah.. that’s probably best.”</span><br/><br/>The male Seraph nodded in approval. He didn’t really want to leave; breakfast with her was a tempting thought, even if it was just a cup of coffee.  Then again, seeing the reports that were now starting to come in, it would have to be for another time.  He made his way to the door but stopped just as he grabbed the knob.<span style="color: #0080FF">”Let’s do this again sometime.”</span>he smirked.<br/><br/>The blush returned full force at the memory of last night and she waved him out, deciding against hugging him before he left.  Hmph!  Face still flushed, she went to find a fresh change of clothes. She didn’t want to have to explain why she was in the same clothes as yesterday.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>Guilford walked through the halls of the Cathedral’s East wing, now making his way back West to his own squad quarters.  His mood was incredibly light, and his footsteps even lighter.  He could not believe what was going on right now; it felt too good to be true!  Did he really just bridge the gap between him and Lethe?  The very same gap Abel caused?  The male Seraph wanted to frown at the thought but could not.  He was much too happy to feel affected anymore.  This was not about simply bridging the gap, he felt like the two of them had gotten even closer.  Perhaps saying it was him alone who bridged the gap was a big mistake.  Him and Lethe did just that<span style="font-style: italic">together</span>, and that was a fact that made him start to smile.<br/><br/>“Good morning Master Guil...ford..?” a Scribe greeted him rather strangely, but he paid no mind.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Good morning.”</span>he formally greeted her too with his usual tone as he continued to walk past her.<br/><br/>As soon as he made his way to a more crowded area of the Cathedral, he finally started to wonder why each of the Scribes he came across with had that look of bewilderment in their eyes when they saw him.  His brows furrowed in confusion, but just like he did with the first, and the many others in-between, he still paid no mind to their bizarre stares. Perhaps they were not expecting him to walk the halls at this time? Guilford could only shrug his shoulders, dismissing any other related thoughts.<br/><br/>Finally at the doors to his squad quarters, Guilford reached for the knob only to stop midway.  Voices, lots of them.  Minus Fiona, his whole squad was already in?  Pushing through with his initial idea, Guilford grabbed the knob, twisted it gently and slowly pushed open the door. The sound of chatter fell into silence's embrace when he came in.  Much to Guilford's surprise, his squad—minus Fiona—had the similar expressions as the ones he met along the way here.  Finally giving in to his curiosity, the male Seraph closed the door behind him and turned to look at his squad, arms folding above his chest.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"What?"</span>he grumbled with an impassive look.<br/><br/>Now they were exchanging wide-eyed looks back and forth? Guilford sighed. What in the Light is going on!?<br/><br/>"Captain." Hyuga took the liberty to confront him, "You look like you've been swept away by a tidal wave." he said flatly, a slight touch of amusement in his eyes.<br/><br/>Guilford huffed at the comment.  Swept away by a tidal wave eh?  That pretty much sums it up for him, in a good way though.<span style="color: #0080FF">"On the contra--"</span>Guilford stopped abruptly.  He was just about to point out how good today is for him when Hyuga’s words finally sunk in.<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: #0080FF">Wait, what did he just say?!</span></span>Guilford rushed in front of the only mirror they have in the room.  His jaws dropped in surprise. A hand immediately came up to organize the severely tangled mesh that was his hair.  He couldn't believe it.  So that's why they all looked like that.  He walked the hallways looking like this?!  Guilford wanted to laugh at himself.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Unbelievable... she didn't bother telling me!"</span>he complained mostly to himself, shoulders slumping in defeat knowing that it was his own fault for not being self-aware.  Lethe probably thought it was a good comeback for him teasing her in the last moment.  Cute.  Real Cute.<br/><br/>"Uhh...<span style="font-style: italic">she</span>?" Alfrei curiously picked the word.<br/><br/>He would have answered under normal circumstances but there was no time to talk.  This situation needed to be remedied first and foremost!  A Seraph should always look presentable, and<span style="font-style: italic">always</span>was the keyword.  The male Seraph felt like he took a mental blow to his image, causing him to rush to their backroom.  He needed a shower, and good thing he had a change of clothes there as well.<br/><br/>When their Captain disappeared from their sights, squad eight again exchanged looks and shoulder shrugs.  Did he stay overnight?  If so, why didn't he sleep here?  More importantly, where did he sleep?  Georg hummed like he finally understood the situation, as did Hyuga in his own intellectual way.<br/><br/>The others turned to the two for answers.<br/><br/>"Okay. Spill it Hyuga." Natalia demanded, turning the room’s attention to the Dreamer.<br/><br/>"Bed hair plus his white clothes with make-up stains near the chest area. Hypothesize you normals." he gave his points and turned back to his research, laughing quietly to himself.<br/><br/>Natalia cocked her head to the side in question; she didn't understand. Even though Hyuga used simple terms this time, her mind was drawing blanks.  Turning to Georg next, she eyed him (dagger glares mostly) for an explanation.  Georg simply shrugged his shoulders.  "There aren't<span style="font-style: italic">that many</span>who wears make-up here. You all will figure it out, I think.." the older knight chuckled.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Alright, what brings all of you in so early?"</span>he tossed the question out, more to cover for his earlier stellar entrance.<br/><br/>Now that his hair was was neatly arranged, and he was wearing a fresh set of clothes after a good shower, Guilford felt a semblance of control seeping back to him.  There was no taking back what had already transpired.  The only thing he could do about it now was to make sure that if it does happen again, it would only be for<span style="font-style: italic">her</span>eyes.  Guilford fiddled with his coffee cup, contemplating the wasted chance of sharing it with Lethe.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Fiona has finally awoken Captain, she should be here soon."</span><br/><br/>The words said were words he had clearly heard, yet they slipped past him (his thoughts rather) for he was mentally adrift elsewhere.  His eyes were focused on the black liquid in his cup, thoughts of last night in mind.  Daydreaming even after having a good and comfortable sleep?  He wanted to sigh but a smile defiantly crept to his lips instead.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Uhh.. Captain?"</span><br/><br/>Purple hues snapped back to the plane of the living. While his eyes looked alive, they lacked the certain sharpness and concentration they normally contained.  Guilford turned his gaze slowly to the speaker.  He heard Alfrei say something but found himself struggling to recall what it was.  He discreetly clicked his tongue in mild frustration; some semblance of control he regained.  Still, his mind couldn't help but linger.<span style="font-style: italic">The L Effect</span>, he dubbed it.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Sorry, what was it?"</span><br/><br/>Once again, squad eight wanted to let their jaws drop. Something was terribly wrong with their Captain!  Alfrei sighed and decided to do a little test.  "Captain, Sinners have walked up the front door of the Cathedral requesting for an audience with the council. Should we let them in?" he said in a hurry.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Yeah. Okay. Make them comfortable."</span>he dreamily mumbled, still fiddling with his coffee cup.<br/><br/>The urge to facepalm was just too strong to fight; several members succumbed to it.  Alfrei threw his hands up in defeat, dropping back down as he looked and tasked Georg to pick up his slack.  After all, the older knight was one of the two who seemed to understand what was going on with the Seraph. Or more accurately, he knows where the Seraph had gone to.  Smirking at the thought that he could use this chance to confirm his suspicion, Georg took a deep breath, organizing a simple flow of questions for their Captain. Just as he was about to speak though, the doors to their quarters flung open.  Fiona was behind it with a wide smile on her face.<br/><br/>Guilford's eyes followed the swing of the door before turning back to the entrance.  At the sight of Fiona, everything just snapped back into place; dreamy moments vanishing without a trace.<span style="color: #0080FF">"It’s about time you got up. Welcome back!"</span>He managed to get the first say. He then stood up and walked over to the returnee;<span style="font-style: italic">now</span>he could recall what Alfrei said earlier? The disbelief he felt for his inattention though, was easily drowned out by Fiona's return.<br/><br/>Fiona had her hand reach out partly for a handshake but was caught by surprise when her Captain enveloped her in a friendly hug.  It was brief but it felt awfully better than a handshake.  The rest of squad eight followed in Guilfords footsteps.  Natalia pounced her right as soon as Guilford let her loose from his arms, clinging to Fiona excitedly.  The others ushered the tangled bodies in and took turns expressing their heartfelt welcome.<br/><br/>Guilford watched his squad in the background smiling.  He felt relieved, greatly relieved at Fiona's recovery.  That's one less issue to worry about for him.  He did not want to play the Captain card just yet, but now that he was himself again, duty took precedence above all else.  For that, he needed his knights.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Alright, I need everyone's attention, please."</span>he said, taking center-stage like he normally does while waiting for his knights to settle down.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Last night,"</span>he began when all eyes were on him,<span style="color: #0080FF">"have any of you felt or noticed something strange? Anything at all?"</span>he asked, thoughts drifting back to a worrisome conversation he had with Lethe last night.<br/><br/>Georg easily shook his head.  The only strange thing that happened to him last night was that his wife served him a feast fit for a king.  That counts as strange for him but the look in his captain's eyes told him it was probably irrelevant to mention. "Nothing here." he answered.<br/><br/>Joaquim pulled a hand below his chin, recalling his own night.  The only strange thing he could think of was that his son Jessiah did not ask him for a story from his own adventures.  Then again, perhaps that was probably just Jessiah starting to find adventures of his own. "Same here. My night is peachy."<br/><br/>Natalia's eyes widened in shock.  She struggled to keep her composure and looked at her captain. "I," she started, capturing her captain's attention in an instant. "I burnt the dish Mister Corwin helped me master!" she confessed. She had cooked that simple dish countless times already. For her to burn it? Strange indeed.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"T-that's.. too bad?"</span>Guilford's tone was more questioning than sympathetic. He did not really know how to respond to that appropriately.<br/><br/>"I'm missing a book." Hyuga pitched in to the gathering of the strange, obviously less invested in the topic as the others. He had research to do!  After their skirmish in Palaugrim, he had managed to get his hands on some tainted soil.  He was trying to find a way to cleanse it and any time spent not working towards it was time wasted.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"That makes four.."</span>he counted and turned his attention to the last three who had opted to remain silent.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Well, how about you three?"</span><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Gless - Wyervia Port</span></span><br/><br/>Upon arrival at the wyervia port, Guilford dismounted from his steed, allowing the waiting knight to take the reins and lead the horse to the nearby stable.  He had wanted to bring Thunder just because that horse was faster than normal war horses but this<span style="font-style: italic">stroll</span>needed to be kept under the radar.  He was cloaked as well, to hide his identity. Georg walked up to him and saluted respectfully.  Guilford returned the gesture and followed his older knight further in.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Are the preparations completed?”</span>Guilford asked as he walked side by side with him<br/><br/>The older knight glanced at the Seraph then turned his gaze back to the wyervia they had prepared for departure in secret. “Yes Captain, she’s good to go as per instructions.” he raised a hand and pointed to one particular wyervia, smaller than the normal variety in service. “It’s a good thing I have kept ties with a certain seal expert.” he bragged, “but Captain, getting this wyervia prepared is a rough task.” he then complained.<br/><br/>Guilford sighed.  There was no way the council would just simply let them fly off Gless given the current situation.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Don’t complain Georg, we already discussed the reason behind this.”</span>Guilford looked at him with a stern gaze.  Georg raised both hands in front of him defensively. “No Captain, I’m just saying..” he was cut off by a voice coming from behind them.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Sorry for being late.”</span>Lethe hurried up to the two men, just a touch flustered.  She hated being late but had had no choice this time.  The meeting with Councilor Aurel had run late and given this trip wasn’t entirely Council sanctioned, she hadn’t been able to bow out early.<span style="color: silver"> “Knight Georg, it’s good to see you again.  How have you been?”</span>She flipped the hood of her cloak off, offering the older Knight a smile.<br/><br/>There was a brief pause from Georg before smiling back in return.  Master Lethe too?  Now this he has not heard about.  All the while he thought that only his Captain would look into it given how he specifically said<span style="color: #0080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">“I’ll be heading to Lindela to meet Lance”</span></span>.  “I’ve been well, Master Lethe. Yourself?  Sleep well?” he asked back, intentionally moving to the right to let the female Seraph take center spot as they walked.<br/><br/>Lethe’s smile turned a touch confused but replied in the affirmative nonetheless,<span style="color: silver">“Yes, I slept well, thank you.  I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. And your family as well?  I’m sure they’re happy you’re spending more time at home.  Valiar’s Marielle certainly is.”</span><br/><br/>Georg’s eyes grew a little solemn at the mention of family. “Yes indeed. They are well and happy I got time off, thanks to the Captain here leaving for Rosetta.” he casually chatted, eyeing the male Seraph in search for those little twitches he normally does when caught off-guard. “Times like these, we truly appreciate the value of<span style="font-style: italic">quality time</span>don’t you think?” he smirked, checking his captain again for a twitch.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Yes, it’s nice to have some down time to relax!”</span>came the enthusiastic reply.<span style="color: silver"> “I think it’s important that we get to spend time with loved ones, remind us of why we’re fighting.”</span>Her smile dimmed as she looked forward,<span style="color: silver">“especially with what’s yet to come.’</span><br/><br/>Georg’s eyes fell to the female Seraph.  She sounded a little sad.  “Well! As long as we the Pristine Knights are here, I’m sure people, loved ones, friends, anyone who believes in the light will continue having time to appreciate the little things.” he said, tapping the pilot side of the wyervia they had just reached.  “But you’re right Master Lethe. The Captain believes so too that downtime is important, and all the more better if spent with..” he trailed off, hairs at the back of his neck rising, only to realize his captain had his trademark death smile pinned on him. “H-hey pilot!” he yelled and tapped the pilot window again.  A hiss of hydraulics silenced all chatter when the wyervia doors opened.<br/><br/>With…? But the older Knight said nothing more so with a confused glance, Lethe let the matter drop.  Besides, the sounds of the Wyervia warming up made all other conversation impossible.<span style="color: silver"> “Thanks for your help,”</span>she mouthed the words to Georg before climbing into the Wyervia and taking a seat.  It was smaller than the one that had taken her squad to Palaugrim, but perhaps that was to be expected.  Last time had been a cargo Wyervia and this.. well, it seemed more befitting for two or three people than eight.<br/><br/>Guilford elbowed Georg discreetly before walking past him.  Just what drives this old knight to go to such lengths?  Regardless, they were ready to leave.  The sooner they left Georg’s company, the less tension he would have to deal with.  Boarding after Lethe had picked her seat, Guilford chose the seat directly in front of her.  Better for the upcoming conversation to not sit next to her.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Let’s go.”</span><br/><br/>In response to the command, the Wyervia picked up off the ground and headed towards Lindela.  Lethe traced a privacy rune into the air to shield their conversation from the pilot’s ears.<span style="color: silver"> “I’m glad to hear Georg is doing so well.”</span>She began before settling into business,<span style="color: silver">“Did you speak with your Knights about last night?”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Yes.”</span>he responded, concern becoming evident in his tone.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Of all my knights, three have experienced something strange just like we did.”</span>he informed Lethe,<span style="color: #0080FF">“How about your knights?”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Leon, Cricket, and Adair all felt something.  Deimos isn’t sure if he did.  And Seraphim, Valiar, and YunQiao felt nothing.  However, YunQiao says there were some bad omens at his family shrine and Adair says Grisia felt something as well.”</span>For better or worse, two of her Light’s Blessing capable Knights weren’t sure if something had happened last night.  It would have been nice to have had one hundred percent confirmation, but perhaps that would have been too easy.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“I see.”</span>Guilford contemplated on the thought.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Alfrei, Vlad, and Fiona from my side were the ones who felt it. They are all capable of Light’s Wrath.”</span>he paused.<span style="color: #0080FF">“If my suspicion is correct, Lance would have felt something too. Perhaps Akira and the other Crests as well.”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“It’s definitely possible.  Seraphim says she was asleep then and Deimos..”</span>She shrugged.  Her rear guard was normally very perceptive but she couldn’t expect him to be wary all the time.<span style="color: silver">“Actually, Cricket says he had been accessing the divine realm exactly at that time.  He says it felt like the entire place had.. ‘shook’? Like during that orange-haired demon’s attack when the ground had rolled.  So it’s definitely possible it has something to do with Light’s Blessing..”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“I don’t like this.”</span>his tone lowered, his expression turned serious.  He felt a chill run down his spine as he pressed the thoughts further, trying to make sense of it.<span style="color: #0080FF">“If the root is from the divine realm, why does it feel so ominous?”</span>he asked but not expecting any real answer.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“The divine realm isn’t just Light’s Blessing,”</span>Lethe reminded with an equally grave expression,<span style="color: silver">“Sin is also equally visible.”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Sin?”</span>Guilford asked rhetorically. He knew what she had meant.  He just refused to accept that if there is such a thing as Divine Magic, then the possibility of a counter-force rivaling that must be true.  The chill never went away. Instead, it crept down to his limbs.<span style="color: #0080FF">“I guess we’ll have to get Lance’s opinion and try to make sense of this.”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Yes, that’d be best.”</span>Lethe agreed, settling back into her chair.  It was, after all, why they were on a Wyervia headed for Lindela’s District Five.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Day 16th of Month 4: Lindela</span></span><br/><br/>"Reapers?!" a flabbergasted Lance slammed both hands on the table, more out of dread rather than anger.  "Are you absolutely sure?!" he just had to double-check.<br/><br/>The Scout nodded, contrary to his hope that they were mistaken.<br/><br/>Having went toe to toe against such a monster of an opponent, Lance knew firsthand just how vicious and dangerous those Reapers were.  Now that there were reports about several sightings of them on Lindela, things have just begun to take a turn for the worse.  Deep down his gut, the Lion knew that they will soon be caught between a rock and a hard place.  That is, if they don't act soon.  If they want to survive, they absolutely have to make the first move and not let the Reapers find their bearings! Lance pulled one hand to rest on his forehead, his eyes looking dreary.<br/><br/>"Calm down Captain Lance," the Knight Commander of District Five tried to pacify him, "the forces we have stationed here are more than enough to deal with the threat." he calmly surmised, "There is no need to panic over.." the Knight Commander paused and glanced at the image of a Reaper laid out on their table; a chill ran down his spine. "two Reaper sightings." he concluded, gulping drily before averting his eyes from the image and turning his gaze on Lance and the other Captains under his command.<br/><br/>"All due respect Commander Vicar," Lance spoke slowly, recalling his recent tussle with Reapers, "have you ever fought a Reaper?" he asked the Knight Commander, sliding the image of their topic closer to the man,  "Are you able to draw upon Light's Wrath?"<br/><br/>The Knight Commander could only respond with a slow shake of his head.<br/><br/>"Then you would never know the true terror these things bring with them." Lance looked down in defeat. "Only knights with the ability to draw upon divine magic can fight on par with these things." he informed Knight Commander Vicar. "While they can be taken down by non-divine magic capable knights, you'll lose more of your men faster than you think you would." he leveled a hard gaze upon the commander. "I would not be worried like this if all the knights garrisoned here can use divine magic, sir."<br/><br/>Knight Commander Vicar could only sigh, deeper than the first ones he already let out.<br/><br/>“Then what do you propose?”<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>The meeting with the Knight Commander had not turned out as well as Lance expected.  Despite his suggestion of sending a detachment of Light’s Wrath able knights, the majority of the other Captains were either too lax or they were simply lacking better judgment.  Each one of them were opposed to lending a few or even one of their suitable knights for the effort!  Sure, he could understand that they were probably just trying to preserve such valuable assets as much as they could for the bigger picture, but then what of the threat those reapers pose?  Were they supposed to stand idle, hope that the enemy was not smart enough to send a battalion of reapers against them once they have set their footing?  Lance gritted his teeth in disgust. Back then, situations similar to  this would have been dealt with easily without the hassle that was procrastination. Back then, knights would voluntarily throw themselves in the face of danger! Where were those days now?<br/><br/>Lance scoffed. He was practically offering himself to lead the charge! But then they said his presence in District Five would do more good to the people rather than having him out there! Just what did he look like to them exactly? A calming idol? A peace totem with a badass spear?! Yeah right! He kicked a defenseless stone unfortunate enough to be laying in his path. Just because that reaper was sighted somewhere outside the effective range of this domain, that doesn’t mean they can take it easy! If anything, they should deal with it as soon as they can!<br/><br/>The frustration he felt made him want to rip his own hair off but his swinging mood stopped when he heard the familiar, yet muffled roar of a wyervia that loomed above him. Gless colors. Lance smirked as he followed the blurred Wyervia with his gaze. Two powerful individuals had just arrived, unannounced as usual, which is likely to be Gil’s doing.  Lance just wondered why they had to suppress their presence? What are they here for? Well, whatever. Lance figured he might as well drop by to say hello.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Captaaaaiin!”</span><br/><br/>A young knight raced towards Lance, pursued by another in a hurry.  Unsure if he was the Captain in question, Lance turned his head towards the direction of the call, slightly frowning upon recognition of the yelling knight and his companion.  Stopping in his tracks, Lance allowed the two to close the distance between them.  They were nearly out of breath when they reached speaking distance with him.  Lance sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose while shaking his head sideways.<br/><br/>“I thought I ordered you all to continue training?” he asked them sternly. “Did I not make myself clear enough?”<br/><br/>Gerard and Filio.  For guys with such easy names, these two are called Seven and Eight.  According to them, the numbers stuck after their class learned that they were the lucky group that were met and healed by both Seraphs.. and that the Seraphs never bothered to learn their names and just called them by their numbers.<span style="font-style: italic">Poor kids.</span>Lance thought, silently laughing at both Gil and Lethe’s lapse at that time.  Those two might not have known but they successfully branded these two oddballs with numbers for names.. for as long as their knight career most likely.<br/><br/>“Yuhhhh…” Seven blew out his words into a huff for breath. “Vihhhh..” he did it again, causing Lance’s brows to twitch.<br/><br/>“Speak when able.” Lance ordered his knight with a sigh. Lights above! Babysitting and being a captain does not go hand in hand.<br/><br/>The two knights took their sweet time catching their breaths, much to their Captain’s growing impatience.  As much as Lance wanted to keep walking towards the wyervia that was now landing, these two did not run all the way from their post to catch up to him for nothing.  He just has to wait.<br/><br/>Sensing the pressing stare he was getting from Lance, Seven took one last huff and straightened himself back up.  “Vice Captain Yulia asked us to come get you Captain.” he finally managed to get his sentences straight.  The response he received from Lance was a simple, instantaneous brow-raise. “What for? I have already given her the agenda for all of you today haven’t I?”<br/><br/>“Y-yes but…” Seven fidgeted. “She says she wants to talk to you though.”<br/><br/>Lance resigned to their pestering.  “Okay! Fine. I’ll just go greet some friends. Tag along if you feel you must.” he snappishly said and turned his back on the two, continuing his way towards the wyervia.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Master Guilford, Master Lethe, I’ll open the doors now.”</span><br/><br/>At the mention of the deed, the Wyervia doors hissed open, letting in the afternoon light of the sun inside its slightly darkened passenger compartment.  Guilford unbuckled the seat strap and rose to his feet first.  Just as soon as he stepped out, that familiar hue of orange hair caught his attention, as well as the two knights behind him that were waiting.<br/><br/>“Yo.” Lance greeted him casually with a warm smile.<br/><br/>Surprised, Guilford failed to respond. How did he know they were coming? They were practically a traveling layer of covert seals!  Shaking the disbelief away, Guilford proceeded towards Lance and smiled.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Hey.”</span>he greeted him back, carefully hiding his surprise.<span style="color: #0080FF">“I didn’t expect to find you so soon.”</span><br/><br/>Lethe followed Guilford out, letting him reunite with Lance.  Her attention was with Knight Commander Vicar who was hurrying out to greet them.<span style="color: silver">“Knight Commander.  I apologize for the unannounced visit.”</span><br/><br/>“It’s no problem at all,” the man responded with a glance towards his orange-haired subordinate.  Squad Captain Lance didn’t appear similarly surprised; he should have mentioned the Seraphs were coming if he’d known.  To add insult to injury, Master Lethe then said,<span style="color: silver">“I’m afraid we’re here to speak with Squad Captain Lance.  Could you spare him and one of your empty rooms for a bit?”</span><br/><br/>Vicar nodded jerkily, “You may have my office, Master Lethe.”  The white-haired Knight shook her head immediately,<span style="color: silver">“No please, that’s not necessary.  I can’t imagine infringing on your hospitality any more.”</span>From her peripheral vision, Lethe caught sight of Lance and Gil’s banter seemingly coming to a pause,<span style="color: silver">“If you’ll excuse me?”</span>She bowed and then headed towards the two Knights.<br/><br/>“I see you came with the little kni--”<span style="color: #0080FF"> “Watch your words Lance. You’re in active duty.”</span>Guilford reminded Lance of his Captain rank.  He had no problems with Lance’s casual approaches if it was just with him. But at the presence of other knights? And another Seraph? Decorum should be observed.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Besides…”</span>Guilford trailed off, noticing that Lethe was headed towards them.  He lowered his tone and moved closer to Lance.<span style="color: #0080FF">“She’s still a Seraph.”</span>he winked at his friend and was about to give way for Lethe when he noticed something familiar...<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Those two look familiar.”</span>Guilford nodded his head to the direction of the knights behind Lance; they seemed to be trapped in a trance.  He traced where their gazes led to and when he realized they were looking at Lethe, an image struck his mind.  He recognized the two. They were…<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Seven and Eight…”</span>he voiced out their… names? A puzzled look crept to his face.  Lance noticed and chuckled.  “I knew it. You don’t know their names.” he laughed again. “Meet Gerard and Filio,” he looked back at his subordinates only to find out they were lost in a dreamy haze. He wanted to smack them to senses but a call for him pivoted his attention away.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Lance.”</span>Lethe greeted warmly, coming to a halt a few steps from the orange-haired Knight.<span style="color: silver">“Don’t you look nice in Pristine Knight armor.”</span>He’d been in his normal garb when they’d met in Bryn but now he was back in the standard Pristine Knight uniform.  It looked like the Lion hadn’t earned the right to deviate from it yet.<span style="color: silver"> “Congratulations again on your reinstatement.”</span><br/><br/>Guilford demanded decorum. Why not? Lance smiled politely. He knew he sucked at this but the important thing is he tried.  “Master Lethe, thank you from the deepest crevices of my heart for your..” he rambled on.  Guilford sighed.  He didn’t know if Lance was making fun of him or making a fool out of himself, or both altogether!<br/><br/>Blue eyes looked in Gil’s direction, clearly confused as to what Lance was spouting on about.  When the new squad captain finally paused for a breath, Lethe interrupted,<span style="color: silver">“Please, you’re too kind!”</span>Her smile may have been a touch strained but she had good reason!  She’d been expecting to greet a friend, not another sycophant!<span style="color: silver"> “If you don’t mind, Gi--ilford and I wanted your opinion on something.  Lead the way?”</span><br/><br/>Ignoring the dreamy<span style="font-style: italic">Master Lethe</span>mumbles behind him, Lance chuckled after being stopped in his tracks.  He was beginning to feel awkward with all the politeness he was spouting.  “Opinion on something eh?” he looked at Lethe and Gil suspiciously but decided not to say anything.  “Okay, let’s talk at my temp home. It’s a couple minutes from here.” he responded and started walking towards the mentioned place.<br/><br/>Guilford simply looked at Lethe and shrugged his shoulders.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Better get this done soon.”</span>he grumbled,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Let’s go.”</span><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>As promised, the walk was indeed short; fifteen minutes by Guilford's count.  Lance humbly presented his temp home to both Seraphs upon arrival.  It was a bungalow big enough to house a squad.  Lance welcomed the two in, glad that his subordinates did something useful for once; they did not follow.  The house only had basic furnishing both inside and out.  It may not have been the best place to host a meeting with Seraphs going by knighthood standards but this house would serve a purpose anyway; privacy.<br/><br/>“So what was it you guys wanted to talk about?” he asked the two after activating his temp home's privacy wards.  There was not much to offer aside from coffee so Lance began making some.<br/><br/>Lethe looked around curiously but took a seat without comment.  The discussion at hand was too important to be sidetracked.<span style="color: silver">“Did anything happen last night?”</span><br/><br/>Lance handed the coffee he made to both Seraphs, eyes flicking over to Lethe when she spoke, “Anything?” he cocked his head to the side at the vague question. A lot happened given he was in Lindela but these two were probably looking for something specific. It must be<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>, “Well, I felt unusual influx of magic, if this is what you mean by<span style="font-style: italic">anything</span>.” he answered truthfully.<br/><br/>Guilford raised a brow at Lance's answer.  He was impressed that his friend actually picked it up real quick, unlike a certain<span style="font-style: italic">someone</span>with them.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Influx eh?”</span>he looked at Lance,<span style="color: #0080FF">“How exactly did that influx feel <span style="font-style: italic">unusual</span>?”</span><br/><br/>Lance made his way towards the wall and turned his gaze over to Guilford. “I can’t really say Gil, all I know is that it’s the first time I ever felt disturbance of that magnitude.” Lance said, letting his back lean on the wall.<br/><br/>That was… unhelpful.  While it confirmed something had happened last night, they still couldn’t be sure it had something to do with the Divine Realm.<span style="color: silver"> “Would you say it had to do with your holy magic?  Or perhaps elemental?”</span><br/><br/>Lance closed his eyes at the question, trying to think of the best way to answer. “Not related to both but similar.. kind of like the magic put off by ancient spells.” he paused, rushing towards the table at the center. “It’s faster if I show you.” he said, drawing several seals he knew with haste before meshing them together into a rune.  “This is how I normally invoke multiple element spells,” he said and powered the rune. Just as soon as the rune was activated, an ample distortion permeated the air. “This distortion, is closely similar to the influx I felt but the one from this rune is greatly reduced in magnitude.” he diffused the rune, “Divine Magic doesn’t give off distortion, and so does elemental ones.” he huffed in conclusion.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “So a disturbance of some sort..”</span>Lethe closed her eyes, trying to make sense of everything they’d learned.<span style="color: silver">“On the Divine Realm.”</span>Cricket had been most in touch with Light’s Blessing then and he’d experienced the strongest reaction with how the entire plane had convulsed.<span style="color: silver"> “Something related with Sin then?  If it’s for sure not divine magic,”</span>She pinned her gaze on Lance for confirmation.  The orange-haired Knight, suddenly more alert at the mention of the divine realm, nonetheless nodded.  What he felt hadn’t been Divine Magic.<span style="color: silver">“Then something Sin-based occurred last night.“</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“It’s the best assumption we can hold on to for now.”</span>Guilford sighed, a little depressed that not much as he was initially expecting came to light.<span style="color: #0080FF">“But this doesn’t mean we should stop digging.”</span>he continued. At least now, they have a semblance of understanding if only a little.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Lance, I need a favor.”</span>Guilford looked at him,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Could you possibly get accounts from all divine magic able knights here if they felt or experienced something similar?”</span>he asked,<span style="color: #0080FF">"We'd do it ourselves but we can't really be gone from the cathedral for long."</span>Guilford added.<br/><br/>Lance raised a brow at the sound of more work thrown his way. Not that he was planning on complaining or anything. In fact, it's better to have something more interesting to do than either twiddling his thumbs or sitting around. “Yeah sure. I got nothing better to do anyway." he sighed at the memory of Knight Commander Vicar's words before the earlier meeting ended. "We kept a separate roster for all knights here that are able to draw upon divine magic. It should be simple enough." he finally acknowledged the request but paused, "I assume the findings should be tagged<span style="font-style: italic">For your eyes only?</span>" he looked at the two Seraphs who in turn, nodded in unison.<br/><br/>"Consider it done then." he assured the two. "Sorry I couldn't be of any more help.." he trailed off, feeling like he had let down the two who made an effort to come see him.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Think nothing of it."</span>Guilford quickly dismissed his apology. There was nothing to be sorry about. He was plenty of help<span style="font-style: italic">considering</span>where they are in terms of progress before they came to him.<br/><br/>"What do you guys think the enemy did?”