"Why are we here?"

Silas followed Cher toward the cafeteria. Contrary to what he had expected, she remained silent throughout the entire walk. Even after they brought their food and sat down together, she said nothing.

So, Silas took the initiative.

"I’m hungry."

He raised an eyebrow, as the answer he received was not the one he had been expecting.

"And there are a few things I want to discuss with you."

Silas wanted to ask what she meant, but the words never came. Instead, he focused on his noodles while Cher cut into the beef she had chosen for lunch.

"Who eats noodles at lunch?"

She tossed the question out casually. Silas merely shrugged.

"I like noodles. They’re simple and delicious."

He continued eating without pressing her further. He knew that, sooner or later, she would bring up whatever was on her mind.

Sure enough, she did.

"I looked deeper into what happened to us."

Her voice lost its casual edge.

"The assassination attempt?"

Cher nodded.

"The academy formed a special investigation team."

Then she stopped speaking altogether, as if she had already said enough. But Silas didn’t feel like she was over. He looked at her, demanding more.

"And?"

"They’re chasing the wrong lead."

She took another bite of beef.

"They found evidence connecting the incident to a group of dissatisfied Enhancers."

"The Dark Hunters?"

"Something similar, but not quite the same."

Using a napkin, she carefully wiped the sauce from the corner of her lips. Silas couldn’t tell whether she was deliberately delaying the important part of the story or if this was simply how she ate.

"The investigators are convinced they’re on the right path. Both of us know it won’t lead anywhere."

Silas grasped what she hinted at. After all, he only shared that intel with her. And she didn’t tell anyone else, apparently.

"You think someone planted the evidence to divert suspicion?"

Silas narrowed his eyes.

"If that’s true, then whoever orchestrated this is both capable and influential. I thought the culprit was a student."

Cher shook her head.

"He attacked us inside the academy grounds. That alone proves how bold he is."

Her expression sharpened.

"And no, I don’t believe he’s a student either."

She recalled what Silas had told her about the words spoken by the attackers.

"Students don’t fear other students, even senior ones. More importantly, students can’t fabricate evidence convincing enough to fool the teachers."

Her gaze grew cold.

"You are right about one thing. Whoever did this holds considerable influence. Finding him will already be difficult, while exposing him might be impossible."

Silas understood exactly what she meant. Before he could respond, however, Cher abruptly changed the subject.

"Speaking of that, I wanted to ask you about Darius."

Silas stiffened.

"What about him?"

He didn’t like hearing Darius’s name immediately after discussing the assassination attempt.

"You said the one behind the attack was a G-Enhancer, didn’t you?"

Silas immediately understood where this conversation was heading. And he didn’t like it.

"Darius isn’t involved," he said carefully. "I know he doesn’t look like it, but he’s loyal. He’s always supported me."

"Appearances can be deceiving."

Cher avoided his gaze, taking another bite before carefully wiping her mouth. But after a period of silence, which emphasised Silas’ trust in him, she sighed.

"I observed him closely today. He doesn’t strike me as someone who would betray his friends."

She paused, recalling how he behaved towards Lara when she used her ability.

"But you should still be cautious."

"I don’t fully trust anyone."

Silas hesitated before adding,

"Not even you."

Her hand froze for the briefest moment before she resumed eating as though nothing had happened.

"Fair enough."

She looked directly into his eyes.

"I don’t fully trust you, either."

They stared at one another in silence, neither of them spoke, and neither ate. The tension between them became almost palpable. Eventually, Cher looked away first.

"Still, Darius did say something interesting."

Silas waited.

"He called our team a team of monsters."

Silas didn’t find it surprising. After all, four out of five were quite special. Yet he didn’t get why she mentioned this point.

"We have two G-Enhancers, a Tamer with a terrifying ability, a Hunter carrying suspicious Dragon Scales, two Lisan Al-Gaia, a Mage capable of turning an entire battlefield into a slaughterhouse..."

She carefully placed her fork and knife down before meeting his gaze.

"And then there’s you."

"I’ve never seen you use a single crystal when activating your ability."

For a brief moment, her cheeks reddened as an unpleasant memory surfaced in her mind. Then, she coughed lightly.

"And I don’t believe your mutation just happens to be hidden somewhere nobody can see."

Silas offered no response, still noticing how weird she acted when she mentioned that point. But he didn’t comment on any of her remarks, didn’t even ask about what went into her head regarding his mutation. After all, Cher wasn’t accusing him of anything, nor was she demanding answers.

"I just want to warn you."

Her voice softened.

"You need to act normal around others."

Silas blinked in surprise.

’What exactly does she know?’

He resisted the urge to ask his thoughts out loud.

"Every unique Enhancer has secrets," Cher continued. "Whatever yours may be, keep them hidden."

She pulled her chocolate dessert closer and took a bite, with an unmistakable look of satisfaction appearing on her face. It was something that Silas barely noticed.

His mind was busy with something else. He could tell she suspected something. Yet, he simply didn’t know how much her imagination went down the rabbit hole.

’She is dangerous.’

He gave her a sizing glance.

’Still, she is my teammate.’

"I know we agreed to share secrets," Cher said, "and I understand why you chose one that would eventually become public knowledge."

She stopped midway through another bite.

"It was a smart move."

After wiping her mouth again, she continued.

"But that isn’t what I really wanted to discuss."

She slowly put the napkin down, as her expression turned serious.

"Our team needs a proper plan. We have to decide how we’re going to train over the next couple of days."

Silas frowned.

"The next couple of days?"

He looked at her, as he was sure she didn’t throw such words casually.

"Why only a couple of days? Why not a couple of weeks?"

Cher blinked.

"You don’t know?"

"Know what?"

"The mission."

She sounded genuinely surprised, then she sighed.

’He came from an orphanage, without backing, without family. I forgot he had entered the Enhancers world completely alone.’

The realisation settled hard, as if his actions lately overshadowed this part mostly.

"Do you know why the academy rushed these teams into existence?"

Silas wanted to say it was for the upcoming mission. But he feared embarrassing himself further, so he refrained from saying anything.

"Because that mission is about some sort of problem, the academy needs to settle fast. They didn’t intend to give us time, as they had no options but to send us out there to handle the situation."

Just before Silas would ask about anything, she finally added:

"That’s the main reason these teams were rushed in the first place. Normally, we’d have more time to interact and select our teams and members. It doesn’t make any sense to hurriedly pick some random students and expect us to fully trust each other and work together for many years to come."

Silas stared at her, as her logic made perfect sense.

"It’s already decided," Cher paused, "all the teams will leave three days from now for the mission."

"What?!"

Silas nearly rose from his seat.

"We’ll have the mission in three days? Doesn’t that mean we have only two days to train? Are you sure?"

Knowing how surprising this truly was, she didn’t see his reaction as weird. Instead, Cher shrugged.

"Trust me. The official announcement will come tomorrow, but it’s already confirmed."

Silas wanted to ask how she knew. Then he remembered she was an L-Enhancer, how she had obtained details about the investigation, and how well-connected she seemed to be.

Realising all this forced him to drop the question.

"Two days aren’t enough."

Their team might be powerful, formed of monsters, but they barely knew how to work together as a team. If anything, today’s training had been little more than introductions.

"That’s exactly why we’re sitting here."

Cher tilted her head.

"We need the most effective training plan possible. After that, we’ll be thrown into a mission that will make the admission test look like a joke."

"Then tell me everything you know."

Silas disliked planning something in the dark. If she wanted to put a training strategy, he needed more information about that mission. Unfortunately, Cher shook her head.

"That’s all I know. I only know the mission won’t be easy. But I don’t know the details yet."

She pushed the empty plates aside before producing a large sheet of paper and a pen out of thin air. Seeing this kind of magic happen again made Silas stare.

"Can I ask how you keep doing that?"

Cher tilted her head, feeling like he was joking. Then she smiled.

"Let’s call it my secret."

She narrowed her eyes, as if she were about to say something so serious.

"Will you keep it for me?"

He met her attitude by mimicking her, narrowing his eyes and acting all serious.

"Only if you keep mine."

Their eyes met, and both chuckled. For some reason, however, Silas felt there was a deeper meaning hidden behind her words.

Cher began outlining training drills, team formations, and tactical approaches. The more she spoke, the clearer it became that she possessed considerable experience in this area.

Silas, however, found his thoughts drifting elsewhere.

’Only two days before I head out onto that mission.’

Fear tightened around his heart, as he couldn’t afford to enter that mission without the help of the Time Mind World. Still, he was afraid from setting foot into that special world. Even now, the memory of what Shadowheart did that night filled him with dread.

But going into a dangerous mission without his strongest asset would be even more foolish.

’I have to try tonight.’

’I meditated diligently for an entire week, so I should be more prepared than the first time.’

’If I fail... I’ll still have two days to figure something else out.’

After avoiding it for an entire week, Silas finally made his decision. He would enter the Time Mind World tonight. No matter how afraid he was, he knew he had no time to waste on hesitation and fear.

"Hey."

Cher’s sharp voice suddenly cut through his thoughts.

"What exactly are you staring at?"

Silas blinked in confusion before following her furious gaze. Then his blood ran cold. At some point, while he was distracted by his conflicted thoughts, Cher had removed her coat.

When he looked at her right now, she was leaning over the table as she wrote across the paper. He saw the neckline of her fitted V-dress had shifted enough to reveal more than it probably should have.

Unfortunately, his absent-minded stare had not been fixed on the training plan. For a horrifying moment, he understood exactly what Cher thought he had been staring at. And even worse... She was right.

The moment he realised where his dazing eyes were looking, his lips trembled slightly, feeling instant panic. That subtle reaction didn’t miss Cher.

Noticing this, she only grew more furious.

"I... that’s..."

He desperately searched for an explanation, and yet, Cher never gave him the chance. Her face flushed crimson. He couldn’t tell if this was thanks to rage, embarrassment, or both.

Slamming both hands onto the table, she glared at him with blazing violet eyes. And there he knew he wouldn’t get out of this the easy way.

"I won’t forget this, Silas Ashborne."

Her voice trembled with outrage.

"Never."

Without waiting for an explanation, she stormed away, leaving behind only the faint redness lingering on her cheeks. Silas remained seated, staring blankly ahead.

The peaceful meeting had somehow ended in complete disaster.

"...Girls really are unpredictable."

Shaking his head, his gaze eventually fell upon the detailed training plan Cher had left behind.

"This will definitely be useful."

Without the slightest hesitation, he folded the paper and tucked it away before leaving the cafeteria.

As he walked back toward his dormitory, his expression slowly hardened.

’Time Mind World... here I come.’