Early the next morning…
Dae stepped out of his room, straightening his white training robes as he strolled through the quiet hallway and stopped at the entrance of the building's parlor.
He frowned at the sight of remnants of the party. Spilled drinks, food stains on the tables, the now disheveled decorations, and more notably, several of the escapees and some knights were all sleeping in different locations in the room, most of whom emitted a thick smell of alcohol.
Dae narrowed his eyes at Anthony, who snored loudly on the couch; a bottle slid out of his hand and dropped to the floor, spilling wine on the carpet.
With a heavy sigh, Dae walked past the parlor and headed for the back exit, leading to their garden.
There, he found Dom lying across the grass, a thoughtful expression on his face as he stared quietly at the barely lit sky.
Hearing the crunch of sandals against the grass, Dom turned, noticing Dae approach.
"I didn't think you would do your routine after last night," Dae said.
Dom sighed. "There's no way I can do it now. I only came out here to get some air. Hopefully that helps with this fucking headache." He grumbled as he rubbed his head, the taste of alcohol still lingering in his mouth.
He then looked up to find Dae setting up a stand in the middle of the garden, where he placed a certain old journal on a lectern built in the garden.
"How are you okay?" Dom asked, noticing Dae's obviously sober movement.
"I only took a couple of glasses Tony forced me to, and went to bed early. Not that you'd remember anyway." Dae replied.
Dom frowned as he vaguely recalled the events of last night, the challenge Anthony gave him and how he was so determined to outdrink a Monarch that he consumed several bottles--then eventually passed out.
"Ugh… I'm never taking alcohol ever again." Dom groaned, rubbing his temple. "I can't even do a decent push-up now."
Dae smirked, teasingly, as he flipped through his journal. "That's what you get for thinking you're a grown-up now." He commented, then paused on a section with a sword form and description on its page, along with small notes that were clearly his handwriting.
Dom frowned, a retort on his lips, but the dull ache in his mind quickly shut him up.
"Just rest and drink some warm lime water. It'll be gone before you know it." Dae added as he moved to a basket nearby where he kept his wooden practice swords.
Dom raised a brow, curious about Dae's casual advice. "You never struck me as a drinker." He said.
"I'm not," Dae said, picking up two swords. His gaze softened as he stared at the wooden weapons. "But Reed is." A look of nostalgia crossed his expression at the name, but it quickly passed as he walked back to his journal.
As he followed the instruction and mirrored the form, he glanced at Dom. "What about her?" He asked.
Dom sat up, his attention drawn to his lap, where he saw Lucy snoring softly as she snuggled into his side.
"No idea." Dom said, "I passed out for a while and found her when I woke up a few hours ago."
Lucy then mumbled in her sleep as if responding to his voice while she pulled herself closer.
As Dae began his practice swings, he glanced at Lucy. "She couldn't sleep." He said.
Dom turned to Dae, confused by his sudden words.
"Those two weeks…" Dae said, mid-swing. "…when we couldn't find you… she barely slept."
Dom's eyes widened.
"When we weren't being chased by the city police or looking for you, she'd just spend hours alone surrounded by your clothes." Dae frowned at the image of a severely depressed Lucy sitting in a corner, tightly hugging some clothes with tears in her eyes. "I don't think she even smiled once until we finally heard about you."
Dom frowned as he looked at Lucy's peaceful face and lightly touched her cheek. Instinctively, she sniffed the air and smiled as she leaned closer to him.
Dom's expression softened at the sight of her weakly moving tail, and Dae smiled a little at Dom's expression as he resumed training.
A couple of minutes later…
Dom silently watched Dae train while subconsciously rubbing the still-sleeping Lucy's soft tail.
Dae then suddenly ended his session with a quick slash that brought him to a one-knee stance.
Now facing Dom, Dae could see that even though Dom was staring directly at him, his mind was clearly somewhere else.
"Don't tell me you're still bothered about it," Dae said, retaking his neutral combat stance.
Dom finally snapped out of his thoughts and smiled sheepishly, only for the smile to fade under Dae's skeptical stare.
"No… It's not that. It's just…" Dom paused, brows furrowed.
Dae stopped training, now curious about Dom's conflicted expression.
"This whole clan thing… I've been thinking about it…" Dom mumbled, staring at the slightly flowing grass in front of him. "My… my real parents."
Immediately, Dae flinched. Those words seemed to trigger his own suppressed memories. He looked away with a sad, frustrated expression, which quickly faded as Dom continued;
"I remember asking Pops a couple of times as a kid. But all he ever tells me is that a close friend of his asked him to take me in." He narrowed his eyes. "Whenever it came to who they were, he'd always dodge the question."
He sighed and rubbed his hair. "One day, I just stopped asking and forgot about it."
Dae approached and sat on the grass in front of Dom. "But you said the South investigated him during our academy years and found nothing," He said, setting his swords down beside him.
"That's what that bastard said," Dom grumbled, briefly angered by the memory of Ivan before sighing heavily. "The South only wanted to know if he knew about the Clan. He might not know about them, but he does know something about my parents."
Dae looked at the book mounted on the stand and frowned as he remembered his own family. "They're… probably…"
"Dead."
Dae turned back to Dom, who stared aimlessly at the ground.
"I'm sorry," Dae said sympathetically.
Dom laughed weakly. "It has nothing to do with you… But thanks."He then noticed the ray of light slowly crawling across the grass and turned to the slowly rising sun on the horizon.
Dae followed his gaze, and they both watched the calming sight in silence.
Then--
"To be honest," Dom muttered, eyes still fixed on the horizon. "I'm not mad. My mum, my dad… They're people I can't even remember. As much as I want to get angry or sad, I can't… Not for people I don't know."
Dae nodded slowly, a pang of envy in his heart for what Dom felt. The sad bliss of not losing someone you loved.
Then Lucy stirred and groaned as the early sun rays crept over her body.
"But," Dom mumbled as he shifted some hair from Lucy's face, covering the rays from her closed eyes. "Even if I'll never meet them, I think I'd like to at least know their names."
A smile tugged at Dae's lip at the sight of Dom's almost childlike wish. "Then your only option is to ask him," He said.
"Yeah." Dom nodded, then a familiar cocky smirk tugged at his lips. "Once we get things settled here, we'll pay him a visit."
Dae raised a brow. "We?"
Dom's grin widened. "It's a chance for Pops to finally meet you guys. Besides…" He forced a frown. "Who's going to protect me from more kidnappers?" His tone was playful, but the fake fear was obvious.
Dae rolled his eyes. "You just want to show us off, don't you?" He scoffed.
"That is not true," Dom said, despite his smile betraying him. "Besides, you guys are the ones who said you wanted to meet him, remember?"
Dae sighed just as Lucy lifted her head from Dom's lap and yawned loudly. "Mornin'," She grumbled, wiping drool from her mouth as she slowly sat up. "What are you talking about?"
Dom folded his arms. "Planning our next road trip."
The fatigue in her eyes suddenly vanished, replaced with excitement. "Ooh. Where're we going?" Her tail wagged enthusiastically while Dae ran a hand across his face.
A few days later…
Dae prepared two horses in front of the building where Dom was talking with some of the escapees, now all dressed in casual clothing, their expressions already at peace with their new life.
"Don't worry. We'll keep this place in tip-top shape." Cole said, flexing his biceps with a smirk.
"Thanks," Dom said before looking around. "Where's Noah?"
Kendrick gestured at the base behind them. "He's holed up in his room doing experiments with some of the old tech the Division brought in this morning." He said.
Dom glanced at the building, notably at a window on the far right where low-revving sounds were heard.
"I wonder what he's making now." He muttered, excited, but shook off the thought as he waved at the escapees. "We'll only be gone for about two weeks. When we come back, Lupus should be ready, so I'll escort you there myself. If you need anything, you just call me on my comm."
Dom then noticed strange looks on some of the escapees' faces.
Trish stepped forward, fists clenched and an amused smile on her face. "Actually… some of us talked…" She said, glancing at the others. "… and decided to stay here instead."
Dom raised a brow, confused. "Stay here?" He asked. "You mean…"
"As your knights," Drake clarified, adjusting his stance calmly.
Dom chuckled, initially thinking it was a joke, but the expressions on their faces said otherwise. "You're kidding." He muttered.
"Dead serious, Boss," Cole said with a confident grin and hands tucked into his pants.
Dom stared at them, disbelief clear on his face. "Exactly how many are we talking about?"
Kendrick folded his arms, smirking. "Including some of the others still sleeping. We're twelve in total."
"As much as I want to help you…" One of the other escapees said. "I'm not a fighter and… I don't think I ever want to be one."
Some of the others nodded.
Dom turned back to the determined ones, contemplating the idea of reinforcements but ultimately shook his head. "No." He said softly, "You've already been through so much. You don't have to fight anymore. You're free to do what you want now."
Trish stepped forward, expression unwavering. "And what we want is to follow you, Dom." She declared.
The sheer conviction in her tone made Dom stiffen.
Cole then threw an arm over his shoulder, grinning widely. "You can't talk us out of it. We've already made up our minds." He said, and the particular knights nodded in agreement. "Besides, you should be happy. You're getting some pretty strong allies."
"I wouldn't advise that," Dae commented dryly, cutting through the air as he approached. "We already have enough trouble thanks to his musclebrain." He gestured at Dom, who chuckled sheepishly. "Working with us will not be easy."
Cole glared at Dae. "You know, Dae… you're a real party pooper." He said.
Dae raised a brow, his cold, calculating stare sending a shiver down Cole's spine.
"No, he's right." Dom sighed as he scratched his head, conflicted. "We've already done a lot to piss the Council off. If you go with us, you'll just get involved in the beef."
Trish's eyes suddenly darkened. "Look, I respect you guys… but I think you're underestimating us." She said, her tone low and dangerous.
Drake stood beside her. "Trish and I served in the Northern army before we were forcibly incorporated into the experiment program." He explained.
Kendrick rested his arm on Drake's shoulder. "And Cole and I were just random civilians with crazy rare attributes. Powers they found worth studying." He said, and Cole flashed a peace sign in agreement.
Trish clenched her fists. "The North trapped us like rats." She said. "We were cut off from our normal lives. Some of us…stayed there long enough to watch… as they…" She paused, gritting her teeth as the terrible memories washed over her.
Dom frowned, noticing her trembling fists.
"They didn't just scrap our citizenship." She continued, "They fabricated stories of our death, provided forged evidence, and lied to our families. They made them think we were dead… just so that no one would look for us."
Kendrick frowned as he remembered his family. "Even if we find our families again and tell them the truth…" He muttered.
"They'll find a way to take them out to hide the labs," Dom muttered, frustrated.
"It's better just to stay dead…" Cole added morbidly. "For their sake." His mind drifted to his parents while Drake thought about his wife and children.
Dom clenched his fists at the thought of all those escapees--all those broken homes.
"Some of us…" Kendrick said, his voice low, "…have been there long enough to see what happens to the subjects. Some die from the experiments themselves. Some die of old age… and others just because they weren't needed anymore."
"Fucking bastards," Trish scoffed.
Dae narrowed his eyes at them, then flinched as a chilling aura radiated from Dom. Though Dom's eyes appeared calm, the tightly clenched fists and bulging veins along his arms, neck, and temples betrayed his true emotions--rage and frustration.
The thought that he was powerless to save the others, who could be suffering or dying at this very moment, burned through him.
"We knew we were all doomed to live pathetic lives in that place," Trish grumbled, then forced herself to relax. "So, those of us who had the balls tried to break our way out."
"Oh, Trish," Cole said, drawing her attention. "Remember when you almost broke free after frying that guard's dick off with his own taser."
Dom and some of the other men winced at the thought while she laughed at the memory.
"Oh, man. I forgot about that. That prick really thought I was going to show him a good time after I teased him a little." She said as she folded her arms, slightly pushing her tempting bust upwards. "Poor sucker."
The others laughed at the funny memory, while she looked at her feet, frowning.
"But I got caught, as usual. Just like everyone else who ever tried. And eventually, I just stopped trying to escape. I gave up… just like everyone did."
The other leaders all frowned, remembering their own failed escape attempts and eventual surrender.
Then, her expression softened as she looked at Dom. "Until we met you."
Dom's eyes softened at the sight of her growing smile.
"Even though you barely knew us, you saved us." She added.
"You even got yourself hurt," Kendrick added, gesturing toward Dom's bandaged left arm.
"We're fully aware of what we're getting into. So consider this our way of showing gratitude for what you have given all of us," Drake said, and the other like-minded mages nodded in agreement.
Dom stared at them, speechless at their show of complete loyalty, just as Cole patted his shoulder. "We're with you, Cap. Ride or die," He chuckled.
Dom's mind raced for more excuses, but he eventually smirked.
Satisfied with Dom's visible approval, Cole turned to Dae. "Is this alright with you, Mr. Scary Vice-Captain?"
Dae studied each of them carefully, then finally turned away. "Just don't complain afterward," He said, earning a satisfied cheer from the escapees.
Dom's smile widened as he caught the faintest hint of a smile on Dae's face as he walked off--realizing it was a subtle bluff.
"In that case…" He said, turning back to the four. "…we'll talk about the official stuff when we return." He bumped fists with Cole while Trish and the others smiled at him.
Suddenly, the front door swung open, and Lucy appeared, dragging a heavy-looking sack across the floor.
"Where've you been?" Dom asked, glancing at the bag curiously.
Lucy grinned as she stopped in front of him and opened the bag, revealing a wide assortment of snacks. "I don't know what snacks your gardan likes, so I brought everything." She said.
"You mean… Guardian," Dom corrected, leaning closer for a better look. "You sure most of these aren't for you?"
"No," Lucy said with a roll of her eyes, though Dom noticed leftover cream on the corner of her lips and smirked.
Cole's eyes widened when he spotted a certain candy bar among the snacks. "Littward? Oh man. I haven't seen that since I was seven. Can I have some?" He asked, reaching for the bag.
Lucy slammed it shut with a low growl, making him step back quickly.
"Play nice, Lucy," Dom said, wiping the cream from her lips with his thumb--a gesture that made her blush without her realizing it. He gestured toward the others. "They're our new teammates."
Lucy's blush faded, replaced by a sneer as she looked at them. "But they're all so weak." She commented harshly.
Most of the escapees flinched under the critique; some glared at her.
"Sorry, that not everyone's a monster, A-class like you three," Trish muttered, clearly offended.
Lucy, however, ignored her and took out a delicious-looking pastry.
"But out of the twelve of us, you get four B-class and eight C-class mages," Kendrick explained with a smirk. "Still a formidable line-up."
Lucy shrugged, tossing the wrapper aside and biting into her snack. "If Dom says so, I don't mind," She said, mouth half-full, then pointed the pastry at them. "But I only share my snacks with Dom, Big Sis, and Dae. Got it?"
She glared directly at Cole, who nodded nervously.
"Ahem," Dae grumbled loudly to get everyone's attention. "Are we going or not?" The horses beside him neighed, just as impatient.
A few minutes later, Dom waved at the escapees as his horse trotted away from the base. Once they were far enough, he lowered his hand with a smile and finally noticed how tightly Lucy was hugging him from behind.
"Um… Lucy. You don't have to hold me that tight."
She sighed happily, snuggling closer against his back and inhaling his scent.
"You're the one who said she should ride with you," Dae commented from his horse, trotting alongside Dom.
"Can you blame me?" Dom grumbled, rubbing the horse's neck. The animal neighed happily under his touch. "They're always too scared to let her ride alone."
Lucy squeezed him again, sniffing his neck.
Dom shivered at the sensation, glancing at Dae with a hopeful smile. "How about--"
"Absolutely not," Dae interrupted coldly, pulling ahead slightly, leaving Dom to sigh as he caught up.