The stars spread far across the darkness of the night.
A cold gust of wind blew, sending a llow chill across the bare plains that was established as the team's base.
The night's moon was hung high up in the sky, and the small—yet brilliant—glows of the stars spread their light upon the world.
Everyone was fast asleep, preparing for the day of training that would comnce very soon, unable to witness just how glorious the night looked.
Everyone except one.
***********
"Haa..." I heaved a sigh as I looked above .
A lot was going through my mind—so much so that I could do nothing but sit still while watching the world from my position.
Sleep eluded , and my body was too full of energy to fall into slumber.
'Rest is important.' I thought to myself, but deep down I knew that wasn't going to happen anyti soon.
I was troubled, after all.
The Nether Cult frightened , in all honesty. There was sothing about the group... about this mission... that seed to send shivers down my spine.
Underneath all the bravado and all of the planning, I had a sense of foreboding within .
And that scared plenty.
"And there's also the issue of the team..."
I was in so sort of uncertain area at the mont, as regards to their trust. The most obvious gulf existed between and Ana... and our last encounter didn't show any signs of things getting better.
The silent treatnt she gave , and the dissatisfaction I sensed from her... they all proved one thing—that she was still upset.
'I can't make this all about . I know she's still mourning Kuzon's death, and she can't exactly be the sa as she was. But...'
She had spoken to everyone else after that incident. Everyone but .
Aloe Vida was also acting strange.
'No one is raising the issue of my Reincarnation. I guess they want to focus on the mission first...'
I understood things from that aspect. However, I still felt uneasy.
Perhaps sitting and watching the night, all alone, caused to go too deep into my thoughts.
'Who knows...?'
"What's wrong, Jared?" A voice suddenly echoed in my ears, causing to swiftly turn in the direction of the sound.
I was so lost in thought that I hadn't even perceived the presence of soone else in the vicinity... not until she spoke.
"A-ah, Maria..." I stuttered, my eyes eting hers.
Underneath the allure of the night, Maria's sudden appearance had a certain charm to it. Her silver hair seed to gleam brightly, and her blue eyes glowed like gems.
I was so captivated that words failed .
"Jared... are you okay?" Once she said those words, I finally snapped from my gawking state.
"Y-yeah. I am." I nodded, looking away as I raised my head to once again admire the canopy of bright darkness above my head.
Maria drew closer, and I could hear her gentle footsteps. It didn't take long before she sat right beside , her hair tickling my face slightly.
"Hey, talk to . What's the matter?" She nudged —both with her words, and with her shoulder against mine.
"Haha... well..."
What could I really say? How was I supposed to begin? I was the leader. The one with the plan, as well as the certainty, that would guarantee our victory.
Yet... why was I suddenly so unsure about everything? This mont of weakness felt so crippling that I didn't want to reveal it to anyone else—especially not to Maria.
However—
"I'm scared, Maria."
—I didn't even know when I started to speak.
"Scared about what?" Her lodious voice rang in my ears, causing to divulge even more.
"This mission. Everything that has been happening. I have a bad feeling."
Silence took reign for a mont. Maria was probably speechless by my words, but I had to give it more context.
"The Nether Cult has existed for so long, Maria. Its mbers are not only powerful, but they're also experienced. They have brilliant people like Legris on their team, and their First Seat can devastate an entire nation with one strike. I'm not saying those things in themselves are scary, but..."
How could I explain this in words? How could I really translate my suspicion into speech? It eluded greatly.
"They're currently weakened, I understand that well. We also have the advantage and everything seems ideal.. However, why do I feel so hesitant now? My true identity being revealed has caused a major crack in the team, but I fear that many more might appear. I... I just..."
Maria's hand touched my shoulder, causing a wave of warm sensation to course through my body.
'Her hand is cold.' My mind thought.
"Should we postpone the mission?"
"No. That's the worst part, I can't do that. The longer we take, the worse it'll be. It's best we act fast. The mont the team gets the hang of the Arcanas, and we've attained the desirable level of power for this mission, we have to strike fast."
If we were to take our ti, the chances of being struck unprepared was very high.
"And that's what scares . It's the fact that we have no other choice but to attack now, yet I'm nervous about it. It's like we're stuck in a situation where this is our only chance."
I felt like I was being played once again. If anything, this could be one of Legris' plans.
'If I choose to use this perfect opportunity, it could be a trap. However, if I refuse, they'll cause more damage.'
Either way... I felt like a predetermined outco existed.
"If the First Seat alone should strike... he can wreak havoc on an entire nation in seconds. The Soul Project: Oga, can only handle so much. I can't possibly withstand the deaths of many people possessing my Soul Brand, and we lack enough facilities and ti to revive them—not to talk of energy."
I could see risk after risk.
The best ans was to spearhead a team to go all-out on the enemy and cause whatever damage we could on their territory.
"And we only have one shot."
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