“I thought we’d never get out of there.”

  The last recruit finally spoke, exhaling as if he’d been holding his breath the entire time. He had been strangely quiet throughout the ordeal, unreadable, but now his tone carried a casual air, as if nothing that had just transpired truly concerned him.

  Dressed in a black leather jacket and equally distressed jeans, he walked with an easy confidence, toeing the line between relaxed and reckless. His black hair bore three yellow stripes, wrapped around his head like rings. A long object, wrapped tightly in thick cloth, was strapped to his back.

  “So you can speak.” The girl of the twin pair noted.

  “Of course I can. But it’s always better to keep your mouth shut around people with authority, man.” He seemed completely assured of that philosophy. “You never wanna piss off the wrong people, you know?”

  “Oh, so you’re a coward?”

  “No, I’m cautious. Big difference.”

  They pressed on through the forest, their path swallowed by thick, unnatural silence.

  The building they had left was long out of sight, yet they moved without hesitation—trained eminents shouldn’t need compasses or landmarks.

  But something about this forest was off. It felt untouched, almost too perfect, yet utterly devoid of life. No rustling leaves, no distant animal cries. Just silence.

  “My name’s Blue, by the way,” the girl said suddenly.

  “And I’m Red,” her twin followed.

  He paused, processing that. “Wait, you’re Blue…?”

  “Yep.” The red-eyed girl grinned.

  His gaze flickered between them, zoning in on the contradiction.

  “…And he’s Red?”

  “Crazy, right?” Red, the blue-eyed boy, added with an amused smirk.

  “Confusing is more like it.” He huffed. “Name’s Yonar. You can call me Yon.”

  The forest stretched endlessly ahead, their footsteps the only thing disturbing the eerie quiet.

  Tyson was the one to break the silence next. “What do you guys think about what they told us?”

  Yon was the first to respond, uninterested. “You’re Tyson, right?” He barely waited for confirmation before shrugging. “I really don’t care, to be honest with ya.”

  “You don’t?” Red tilted his head.

  “Think about it.” Yon gestured vaguely. “Being a Veil officer is the most profitable job there is. And we just get a free pass?”

  “That might be true,” Tyson admitted, “but privilege comes with risk. From what I know, it’s also the most dangerous job possible.”

  A voice interrupted them.

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  “If you’re aware of that, then why are you still here?”

  They all turned sharply. A figure stepped from behind a tree ahead of them—black hair, neat and unruffled, and piercing, fiery, orange eyes. The tension was immediate.

  Tyson exhaled, shoulders tightening. “I know her.” He reassured the others. “She works for my brother.”

  His brother. The pride of their family, a known prodigy among eminents. Three years older, yet he hadn’t even needed to graduate from the academy before being enlisted five years ago. Naturally, the family ensured he had an assistant—one more than capable of being a Veil officer herself.

  “What do you want, Rouge?”

  “I have a message from your brother.”

  Tyson walked ahead, already intent on ignoring her.

  “Go home.” Her tone shifted, growing sharper. “I warned you this wasn’t a place for someone as incompetent as you when you received that letter. I won’t hesitate to have them force you to resign if I have to.” She cleared her throat. “...is what he said.”

  Tyson didn’t break stride. As he passed her, he answered without looking back.

  “Tell him this: if he wants me to leave so badly, he can come and drag me out himself.”

  Rouge smirked. Then, without warning, she moved.

  It was slow, deliberate. Yet something about it made them stop, made them watch her too closely. And in the next instant—

  She vanished.

  Their eyes darted in every direction. But when they finally spotted her again, their stomachs sank.

  She was behind someone.

  The platinum-haired girl—the one who had barely spoken to any of them.

  Rouge’s index finger hovered just over her neck, a sinister smile playing on her lips.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Rouge?!” Tyson turned sharply, panic creeping into his voice.

  “G-get away from her, you crazy lady…” Yon's voice wavered. It would have sounded like a desperate attempt to intervene—if he hadn’t somehow ended up further away than anyone else, trembling like a fawn.

  Blue and Red moved instinctively, one shifting left, the other right, both falling into combat stances.

  “Rouge, you wouldn’t.” Tyson gritted his teeth, still tense. “Veil officers are strictly forbidden from harming fellow officers.”

  “Hiding behind the rules again, Tyson?” Her tone was mocking. “You, of all people, should know how far I’m willing to go for his orders. You’ve been on the receiving end of that your whole life, haven’t you?”

  Her finger pressed slightly deeper against the girl’s skin.

  “Do something, Tyson. Are you scared? You don’t think you can hit me, do you?” Rouge provoked him further. “I might just burn straight through her neck if you don’t make a move.”

  Tyson clenched his fists. He knew she wasn’t bluffing. For his brother, she would go as far as necessary. But right now—he couldn’t do anything. Not with his authority. Not even with his own hands.

  “Don’t bother fighting for my sake.”

  A voice.

  Her voice. Finally slips out.

  And then—

  KRRR-BTOOM!

  A deafening shockwave exploded outward behind her. Air bent and snapped as the force slammed through everything around them.

  When the dust settled, nothing remained behind her for at least ten meters.

  “Did… did she…” Yon started, barely forming the question they were all wondering.

  A creaking branch above them drew their eyes upward.

  “Careful there, girl.” Rouge stood effortlessly atop it, completely unharmed. “You could have been hurt badly.”

  The platinum-haired girl stepped forward.

  She raised her palm.

  “Rita… Authority of Outburst. I exercise my authority.”

  At that moment, everybody was forced to raise their guard. This wasn’t just a reckless declaration of her ability—it was a ritual. One that not only revealed an eminent’s arsenal but also expanded their authority, amplifying their power far beyond its usual limits.

  The problem, especially in this moment, was that invoking it typically came with a pure intent to kill.

  “Hey, hold on.” Blue spoke cautiously, her hands raised slightly. “I don’t think we’re allowed to do this.”

  “She made a clear threat to my life. I am justified in my actions.” Rita’s voice was cold, her gaze locked onto Rouge above them. Any trace of her former quiet demeanor had vanished.

  “I understand that…” Blue continued. “But it won’t be seen that way. She might have made a threat, but you initiated the execution protocol. The superiors won’t be on our side.”

  There was truth in Blue’s words, yet Rita refused to stand down.

  “Don’t worry. I was only kidding.” Rouge interrupted, her voice carrying an unsettling amusement. “You’re pretty feisty, girl. How scary.”

  She turned to Tyson. “Once again, Tyson, you failed to do anything when it counted. For once, I need you to—”

  They couldn’t quite catch her last words before the space she occupied suddenly caught fire, and she vanished.