Umi stood. "I am Lana Umi. I am 23 years old. I attended the Academy of Crystal Arts and graduated with a decal of 4.5 in the major field of Crystal Barrier Techniques. My talent in crystal piano playing has earned me a number of scholarships and awards."

Murmurs rippled through the room. Despite the words of self accomplishments, her tone held no inflection or pride. Her eyes looked at no one, spoke to no one, and boasted to no one. It was as if they were mere facts and meant nothing at all to anyone or herself. Coming from the house of Umi, everyone who knew anything understood. Such amazing feats were expected of any child in the Umi household, and needed no praise.

Yet, Dillon found himself admiring her intelligence and undergoing of a study as difficult and complex as Crystal Barrier Techniques. In this field, layers of technical information were buried by even more layers of data, trials, and new experiments, all of which had to be taken into account during the learning process so that any theories or formulations of new techniques did not fall behind or got snatched away by others in the same field. Once they completed their studies and entered the field, or even during the studies, everything was a matter of first come, first served. Whoever came up with a new valid technique gained much fame and fortune throughout the Kingdom, resulting in numerous articles, essays, trials, and experiments of their technique. Though the history of barriers was neither old nor rich, anyone under this particular field had to understand the physiological, scientific, and technical makeup of crystal barriers, which had the most complex crystal structure in history. In essence, they must have had high intelligence to have graduated, let alone with such a high decal score.

"Hallio Jasper."

Jasper stood. He was still expressionless as ever. "Hallio Jasper. I don't like too many rules or being told what to do. If I don't want to do it, I won't do it. If you talk to me, don't be mad if I don't respond as you like. I am not good with words or reading. I enjoy music."

Silence. Some wanted to ask what kind of music, but he didn't give the impression that he would care to answer. Dillon reminded, "Popcorn?"

"Tinara."

She jumped to her feet. "Right, call me Vin. Tinara's the last name, obviously. I'm gay for pretty women. Don't you men think you'll charm my pants off or anything." She winked at Nolanas, who turned away with a blank face. "I'm hungry for power and I despise the weak, so if you fall behind, act too reckless, or drag the team down, I'll snuff your life out myself. And, for those of you who don't know me, I can both crystallize and crystallize double barriers. Don't get thrown into my hell of ice."

Dillon's brows raised high up his forehead. He coughed.

"Gin. Bren Gin! You're a cute little newbie, ain't you?"

He flinched and stood up on shaky legs. "Yes...Bren Gin is my name. I—Reading books is a favorite hobby of mine. I am working on my first novel. I've published a few blogs, essays, and short stories. Um, I may not be as strong as many of the soldiers around us, but it is still growing. Please go easy on me."

Tinara laughed. "You're adorable. I hope I haven't scared you off yet."

He shook his head, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Dillon already felt pity for him. "Tinara."

"Lay off! I won't eat him." She smirked. "So who you gonna call?"

"Eustace..."

"Finally! I didn't think it'd ever be my turn. Shutting up just isn't for me," Eustace said, sighing. "Call me Addam, alright? I'm not fond of the last name thing. Be my friend and I'll be yours—I'll probably be the most friendly crystal soldier you ever met, let's be honest. Power doesn't mean crystal to me. Lying to me does, though. I also hate prejudice, so if you got a problem with how I look or where I'm from, or anyone else, my fist will meet your face. Or should I say my wall of ice? That won't be pretty—"

"Rambling, Addam. Shut up just for once," Nolanas cut in like before. He gave him a meaningful look.

"Fine, Riley! I pick Riley! Even though I don't want to."

He shook his head. "He's annoying, but he means well, sir. I am called Riley Nolanas—that's a silent 's' at the end. Every year, I aim to take the first place trophy in the Double Barrier round, Art Show round, Crystal Race round, Crystal Sparring round, and Tournament round. All of them, if possible. I'll try not to brag too much, but I'm quite proud of how far I've come. My power used to be pretty weak. Still, I will probably make general soldier by this time next year, so any and all advice is appreciated. That being said, I will be subservient to you, General Soldier, sir."

Having become a general soldier, Dillon had already earned his respect. His eyes gleamed as he stared at their leader, making him look away. "I'm glad to hear that. So, Omo Lio'Da?"

Lio'Da raised bored eyes. "Yeah. I'm Omo Lio'Da. Hmm...I'm often told I'm like a cat, the way I laze about and chase after what I want. Unpredictable, too. It's true anyways. I do have some cats back home, some black ones, some blue ones. I live in the Kold district of Tower 1—the wealthiest district right by the Royal Palace, as you all know. I have but one goal: to see the end of the War with my own eyes. If you get in the way of this happening, I will cut you down. Just my one and only warning."

Again Dillon's brows raised. All of a sudden, he was not certain about his team anymore. At the start, he had been optimistic, thinking, or hoping, that he could get a read and handle the team as best he could. Now, with two or three threats having been uttered in front of him, his resolve wavered.

"Right. I'm not sure about all of these threats, but I hope they're not true..." Dillon looked at Lio'Da and Tinara, not without fear. "Then, uh, let's have a game. A lot of Barrier Unit leaders do this at the first meeting. It's called Raise the Walls. It tests speed, agility, adaptability, reflex and reaction, battle awareness, and perception. We're using the Barrier Game Room in this building. Follow me."

Anxious about what was to come from such a battle-heated team, he led them away as they chattered and snickered behind his back.