[ Ratha Guild – Training Grounds, Boulder Field ]
The training grounds behind Ratha were already buzzing with activity.
The field stretched far beyond the main building, a broad patchwork of uneven grass, packed dirt, and weathered stone slabs embedded irregularly across the terrain. The ground shifted every few meters, forcing espers to constantly adjust their footing as they moved. Old scorch marks and shallow impact grooves scarred many of the stone plates – remnants of years of combat drills.
Some espers had gathered in small clusters, stretching or testing their weapons while guides reviewed notes or quietly discussed tactics with their assigned teams. A few practiced short bursts of mana, sparks of elemental power flaring briefly before fading into the morning air.
Mana shimmered faintly through the air like a heat haze, the combined presence of dozens of awakened individuals making the atmosphere feel subtly charged.
Near the entrance, however, a small crowd had gathered around a towering holographic board.
The display hovered several meters above the ground, rows of names displayed across its surface as personnel searched for their assignments. Administrators lingered nearby, occasionally calling out clarifications or pointing people toward the right parts of the field as the crowd sorted itself. Espers and guides stepped forward several at a time, scanning the roster before breaking away toward their teams scattered across the training grounds.
Underneath the projection stood Administrator Risa Agnato, calmly checking off arrivals as personnel filtered in. Next to her hovered a much smaller, mousy figure wrapped in an oversized scholar's robe.
Yuria clutched a tablet nervously in both hands, round glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose as she scrolled through the roster. Every time someone approached the board she seemed to startle slightly before hurriedly adjusting her glasses and checking the tablet again.
Simon leaned forward slightly, scanning the floating roster for his name – and Sera's – hoping fate had placed them on the same team.
"Hold on," he muttered quietly. "Where's–"
"Found it," Yoru interrupted – barely glancing at the board before spotting the listing.
"Team Nine."
Simon leaned in immediately. Sera stepped closer as well, her eyes moving over the glowing roster.
The assignments were organized beneath the name of each squad commander.
Commander: Esper Rian Thern (S).
One of the S-rankers.
Three teams were listed under his command: Teams 7, 8 and 9. Sera's gaze shifted downward to the team listing itself:
Team 9–
Team Lead:
- Esper Darien Holt (A)
Espers:
- Kael Varos (A)
- Yoru La Maria (B)
- Mira Calder (B)
- Ophelia Brent (B)
Guides:
- Hibiscus Yaret (A)
- Sera Yun (C)
Seven people. Sera blinked once. Wait… seven?
Yoru leaned, tilting his head towards Sera. "Well," he said lazily, "looks like I'm stuck with you."
Sera ignored him for the moment. Her eyes on the name right above hers: Hibiscus Yaret.
For a moment she stared at the roster, the implication slowly settling in. Teams were normally composed of six members – one guide paired with five espers. But her team had two.
A soft click of heels approached.
"Sera Yun," Administrator Risa said, stepping beside her while checking off a list in her hand. "You've been assigned to Team Nine. A seven-person squad."
Before Sera could respond, a smaller voice piped up beside her. "Ah-yes! Um–" Yuria hurriedly pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, clutching her tablet a little tighter, her white hair swaying in a single braid against her back. "Projections indicated that your individual cleanse rate would not be appropriate for Squad Nine," she explained nervously. "So you and Guide Yaret have been paired for sufficient stabilization coverage."
Well, Sera thought dryly, that does make sense.
In truth, Sera didn't particularly mind the idea of working alongside another guide. But Hibiscus? Sera stifled a groan.
She could already picture it. Hibiscus hovering over every formation drill with that tight, judgmental expression, correcting her methods, criticizing her timing, and watching for the slightest excuse to prove she should never have been assigned there in the first place.
In the cafeteria, in the hallways, in passing, Hibiscus had been easy enough to handle. A bright smile, a teasing nickname, and Sera could always walk away. Being trapped on the same squad was different.
If she had to endure Hibiscus for that long, she might genuinely snap and eat her.
The imagined future came to her vividly – Hibiscus would throw out a particularly scathing remark, the squad would turn in surprise as Sera suddenly lunged forward, fingers closing around Hibiscus's throat before snapping it clean. Then the warm rush of life essence spilling into her like a starving demon finally allowed to feed.
Sera exhaled slowly, pressing a finger to her temple. She had fantasized about it more than once.
A sweet daydream.
"It's purely a mathematical allocation," Yuria added nervously, unable to read Sera's blank expression. The young researcher had clearly mistaken Sera's sigh for disappointment at being paired with another guide.
Sera was disappointed, yes, but it was being paired with Hibiscus that was giving her a headache.
Moreover, several nearby colleagues had overheard the explanation. A quiet ripple of whispers began spreading through the small crowd gathered near the board. A few espers and guides glanced toward her. Someone snorted softly.
"Of course they needed a second guide."
"C-rank."
"I heard she barely cleanses anything."
Another voice lowered slightly, but not enough to avoid being heard. "She's not here for guiding. She's… you know–"
Simon stiffened beside Sera.
She felt the tension ripple through him. Her own shoulders had gone still as well, but she kept her expression composed, her gaze resting calmly on the roster as though the murmurs around them were nothing more than background noise.
But the words reached her anyway.
Dead weight.
Only useful for what was between her legs.
Why had leadership allowed someone like her to participate in the raid preparation at all?
Sera had expected this sort of reaction. Still, hearing it aloud was not entirely pleasant.
She comforted herself with a quiet thought. If she couldn't tolerate it…in less than a year, when her debuff expired, she could simply eat them all. She could decide, then, whether the outcome was worth being imprisoned again under her Instructor.
Beside her, Yoru gave a soft click of his tongue. He didn't even bother looking toward the whispering crowd. "People really love talking when they think you can't hear them," he said dryly.
"They just don't know what they're missing," he said, glancing at Sera with a crooked smile.
Sera quirked a smile back.
"True," she said slowly, relaxing her shoulders, "More for you then, huh?"
He chuckled, "Just the way I like it."
Sera looked back at the roster again.
"Simon," she said, "looks like you're on Team Four under Commander Swift."
"Huh? Oh-yeah," Simon nodded, still looking slightly unsettled as tore his gaze away from the crowd.
Before anyone could linger on the moment, Risa stepped forward again, consulting the checklist in her hand. "Esper La Maria, Guide Yun," she said briskly, pointing to a distant clearing with her pen. "Team Nine's staging area is in the east quadrant. Third clearing past the stone markers."
Risa turned toward Simon. "Esper Arethea, your team's placement is in the south quadrant. First clearing."
Sera gave a small nod of assent before turning toward the administrators. "Thank you, Administrator."
Risa looked up from her checklist, her rose-quartz eyes meeting Sera's crimson ones. For a brief instant it felt like two polished gemstones had been set face to face – bright facets catching the light as each woman quietly assessed the other.
The administrator's gaze lingered a fraction longer than polite – introspective, deep, something roiling beneath the surface. Sera returned the look calmly.
Risa had been the one who approved Arlen Cunning's emergency guiding request earlier that week. What leverage did Arlen hold over Risa that she would approve his request without hesitation? The response had arrived within seconds, as though the administrator had already decided she would grant whatever favor Arlen asked next.
Risa did not strike her as someone easily swayed by charm. So what was her motivation?
For a fleeting moment, Sera had the strange impression that Risa was studying her just as carefully. Not hostility… curiosity. The sort of look a researcher might give a specimen that had begun behaving in unexpected ways.
A shiver crawled up Sera's spine. It was a familiar kind of attention – why did it remind her of her bastard Instructor?
Before Sera could assess further, Risa broke their eye contact, offering a polite nod and ending the moment. For now, ambiguous uncertainty suited them both just fine. Sera shifted her attention to the smaller white-haired woman beside her.
"Thank you as well."
Yuria startled slightly.
"Ah-! O-of course!"
Sera's eyes briefly flicked to the badge clipped to the front of her oversized robe.
Yuria Leth – Manatech Researcher (F). A civilian. Interesting. It was somewhat unusual to see a researcher assisting directly with field administration during raid preparations. For a brief moment Sera wondered what had placed the young woman here. Then she dismissed the thought. Whatever the explanation was, it likely wasn't her concern.
Sera gave the roster one last glance before stepping away from the board.
"Looks like that's us," she said, offering Simon a small smile.
Simon nodded, though his attention stayed on her, as if he didn't want to leave Sera's side.
"I guess I should head to Team Four then," he mumbled, resigned.
"Good luck," Sera said. "See you later."
He nodded, lingering for half a second longer before reluctantly turning and heading toward another section of the field.
Yoru watched Simon disappear into the crowd with mild amusement.
"Poor guy," he murmured. "That kid is head over heels for you."
Sera nodded, already turning toward the eastern quadrant. Yoru fell into step beside her.
"I know," she said. "But I don't do workplace romance."
Yoru snorted.
"Right," he said. "Just workplace stress relief."
Sera gave him a sideways look.
"Well," Yoru said, glancing across the training grounds toward the scattered clearings where teams were assembling, "let's go meet the rest of our lucky team."
Sera's thoughts drifted back to the pink-haired guide.
Her lips curved into a tight, humorless smile.
This was going to be a long week.