Glancing at the setting sun, Kaito smiled with contentment. The evening air felt so refreshing, a soothing warmth. 

“Hey, cmon, bro.” Elena waved happily, twirling in excitement as she approached the large convoy.

“Yeah, I’m going.” He replied, looking at the giant convoy, which was decked out in strange armor. 

It looked like refined ice, only with consistent points around and illuminated within, colors changing depending on which corner you looked at it from. 

Amari walked past them in a hurry, fixing her headpiece. “Okay, you baby birds, enter the back and buckle yourselves up if you don’t want to fall out.” 

“I have a question, if you don’t mind.” Kaito raised his hand curiously as Souta looked inside the dark back. 

“Only one, we’ve wasted enough time here.” Amari groaned, pausing before opening the driver’s seat.

“How far is Lunar Province from here?” He asked, looking towards the mountains. 

Aki walked out of the house in defeat, lowering his head in shame as Amari approached the rest of the squad.

“I’d say two hundred miles, more or less.” Amari continued, tapping her finger on her arm as her wife stood next to her.

“Though we were able to see a faint ray of light from over there,” Akira added, gesturing her hands in a wave motion across her eyes. 

“How strange.” Kaito sighed, remembering the retreat signal he made two hours ago.

“You’d be surprised what aura is capable of.” She commented, giving him a thumbs-up.

Aki walked over to Souta and Elena, noticing that the crystal-like armor had captivated them as if they were tourists. 

“So you three just decided to ignore my choice, huh?” He whispered behind them, sighing sadly. “And now I practically have no choice.” 

Elena shook her head, glancing back at Aki with some guilt. 

“Sorry, Aki, but I just figured that this was too much of a chance to pass up.” She shook Souta out of his haze, cleaning her nails afterward.

The silver-haired soldiers had wrapped up the lifting, quickly jogging their way over to the convoy’s passenger seat. The last three capsules were placed beside the driver’s seat.

“No worries, you’re the leader after all.” Aki chuckled nervously, redirecting his attention to the retreating soldiers, stealthy and agile like beasts on a hunt. 

“Hey, Aki, if you’re worried about the mission, don’t worry.” Elena gave Aki a pat on his shoulder, standing next to Kaito. “They can vary from almost anything, so we’ll be fine.” 

He paid half attention, rather intrigued by how many people could look so alike. Their movements and patterns, too, as if they were one.

“That’s exactly what worries me,” Aki whispered, returning his attention to the squad.

The helicopter began to buzz, its blades whirling through the vacant air, as the few soldiers hopped on. 

 “Sergeants Akira and Amari, we have secured our sisters. We’ll be returning now!” The pilot shouted from below the loud blades, saluting momentarily before getting on herself.

“Okay, baby birds, get a move on!” Amari shouted from a distance, entering the driver’s seat and turning the convoy on urgently.

“Wait, sisters? Guys, what’s happening?” Kaito looked back and forth between his silent squad as they moved closer to the back. “Do we actually just hop in?”

One by one, they did so. Souta leaped with electrifying efficiency, Elena summoned a lump of roots to reach the high rim, and Aki used a blast of wind. 

“I guess so,” Kaito whispered in embarrassment, stepping on the rooted lump to barely reach the carrier’s edge. 

Akira rested her tablet by her side as Elena pulled Kaito into the personnel carrier, trying not to laugh.

She cleared her throat as she approached the space. “Leave the center seat unoccupied.” 

From corner to corner, most of the interior looked like gold painted black, a shining glimmer throughout the spaces.

“Thanks,” Kaito muttered to his sister, looking around at the folded seats and the sliding windows. 

“Kaito, just sit down,” Elena replied, sitting next to Aki.

Kaito sat down next to Souta, chuckling nervously. “Sorry, this just feels so unreal.” 

Then came a recoil; the convoy had begun moving slowly but surely.

“Fortune has finally shone its light on us.” Looking at Elena, Souta cheered, acting as if Kaito wasn’t there. 

Akira walked past them and sat down in front of the sliding window, opening it wide to catch a glimpse of her wife, feeling at ease.

“I think it’s how weird it feels right after completing another mission.” Elena leaned forward, intertwining her hands together.

The convoy’s speed picked up, with some curves and bumps along the way.

“Yeah, but this one is the real deal,” Souta exclaimed, rubbing his nose. 

But to his surprise, Souta’s heart skipped a beat, as if it told him to stop pretending with his feelings.

“Akira, was it?” Kaito asked, raising his hand to his chest. “Could you tell us about this mission?” 

Kaito took a glance outside, noticing that the house grew smaller and smaller with each passing second.

“Our majesty will present the details.” She took off the tablet’s strap and placed the device next to her. 

The rest of them looked towards Akira, tense and nervous. 

“Auntie Naomi?” Elena asked, resting her hands on her knees curiously. 

“No longer since she, our Lady Naomi, has passed away.” She shut her eyes for a second, exhaling softly. 

The following silence grew mild, sending a shiver down all their spines.

“Wait, was it because of the paradigm siege–” Kaito blurted, lenient towards the possibility that they shared something in common.

“Kaito!” Elena shouted, staring at him from the other side. 

Aki lowered his head towards Akira, putting his hands together. “I’m sorry for his disrespectful behavior.”

“No worries at all.” She shook her head. “Plus, you're all acting as if I’m in charge.”

“What about we change the topic then?” Souta added, glancing between her and Elena.

She sat back, gesturing her hand a bit forward. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, Akira, who rules Lunar Province now?” 

Another second of silence, this time, slithering suspense past the hanging bags and cargo crates on the side.

“Her daughter, Luna Esperanza,” Akira spoke, a more serious tone than before. 

The three guys felt as if every passing moment within the convoy grew more vigilant, tracking their every breath. 

“I bet she’s an amazing queen.” Elena smiled, placing her hands together in admiration.

As the ride continued, now steady at its speed, the rustles of the trees grew fainter, but the moon’s presence appeared.

“As smart as her mother.” She continued, looking down every so slightly. “But as lost as her father.” 

Kaito couldn’t help but let curiosity get the best of him. 

“Is he gone too?” He asked reluctantly, cautiously. 

The space felt tighter, sensing the deep glares of his teammates on him.

“That, we don’t know. We weren’t able to find his body.” She rested he head against the back wall, a little sorrowful while trying to remain cheerful.

Aki kicked Kaito’s foot from across. “Alright, I think we should stop asking so many questions.”

He glanced between Souta and Elena, smiling nervously. 

Clearing her throat, she put on a soft smile again. “It’s alright. It is better if I give you some background anyway. Otherwise, the arrival and transition into your new home will be a little more difficult.” 

“A new home?!” Aki exclaimed in confusion. “I apologize, but we must refuse.”

The three turned to him in shock, then quickly back to Akira.

“No, we don’t!” Kaito and Elena shouted, Souta nodding in agreement. 

Aki froze in place, bewildered by another defeat so quickly.

“Do not worry, it is only temporary.” She waved her hands in quick rejection. “But assuming you four know little to nothing about Lunar Province, the strongest of the three kingdoms, let me begin.” 

“Lunar Province is the strongest of the three?!” Kaito interrupted again, wanting to stand from his seat in astonishment. 

She raised her fist to her mouth. “Ahem, if I may.” 

“Right, sorry,” Kaito chuckled nervously, sitting back.

Once again, he pretended not to notice the disappointed stares from his team.

Damn, I feel so out of place right now, he thought to himself, shivering for a second.