"Maybe... maybe he has a point."

"We’ve already rescued a lot of people, right?"

"Yeah... nobody would blame us for going back."

"If there are really that many sanguines ahead..."

Murmurs rippled through the gathered cadets.

"You’re right."

Eyes widened, Lasner’s included. None of them had expected Zephyrion to agree so suddenly.

A smile spread across Lasner’s face.

"I’m glad yo—"

"You’re right. It is dangerous. There’ll be more sanguines ahead, and I can’t promise everyone will make it back alive. If that frightens you, I understand." A heavy pressure leaked from Zephyrion. "But I refuse to abandon a single Ferran. Whether you follow me or not... that’s your choice."

"I-I’m coming with you!" Horus stepped forward.

"...Me too." Tobias moved to stand beside Zephyrion, though his closed eyes made the whole thing look rather strange.

"If Zephyrion hadn’t come for us, we’d still be getting tortured. I’m with him." Fiona hurried to Zephyrion’s side.

Kaiden quietly stepped up beside him. He said nothing, but his decision was clear for all to see.

"M-me too!"

"Let’s go save them!"

One by one, the other cadets voiced their agreement until only Lasner and a handful of Ocren cadets remained where they stood.

Lasner’s face twisted.

"You guys... this is a terrible mistake. Most of you are going to die."

Zephyrion ignored him.

"Gather the injured. Get ready to move."

Horus straightened immediately.

"Yes, Prime."

Lasner watched with gritted teeth as the cadets scattered throughout the cave, making preparations.

"Tch. Suit yourselves."

He turned and left the cave with the other Ocren cadets.

The sanguines had already been cleared this far back, so Zephyrion didn’t have to worry about them alerting anyone on the way out.

The new cadets hesitantly rummaged through the corpses of the sanguines, their arms shaking. Some couldn’t stomach the sight and puked, while others who managed to retrieve daggers found themselves trembling.

Only a few, mostly tier ones, stood unshaken, their eyes firm and intense. Those few were clearly from reputable houses. Like Zephyrion, their families had deemed it necessary to expose their youths to blood at a young age.

Soon, Zephyrion found every cadet staring at him, their gazes varying from hesitant to determined to fierce.

He nodded.

"Let’s go."

Their group was larger now, more than a hundred cadets moving through the narrow tunnels. Stealth was nonexistent, but Zephyrion had long since abandoned any hope of it.

A few whispers even rippled through the group. He had to constantly remind himself they were teenagers, youths who hadn’t been exposed to danger long enough to know when the hell not to talk. The other part of his brain, however, simply wanted to silence them, for good. He would be doing them a service.

Zephyrion inwardly sighed. Leading was clearly going to be annoying. He wasn’t looking forward to it.

He cleared his thoughts and focused on the matter at hand. Lasner had been right. They’d only killed a fraction of the sanguines he’d identified during their transport. By his calculations, there should still be at least forty left.

Their numbers should have been enough, save for the fact that none of the cadets could use their elements. So far, he had only been discreetly using blood, ice and air to enhance his speed and strength.

Against forty sanguines who could wield their elements freely, even he would be at a disadvantage. There was only one saving grace; the fact that the sanguines couldn’t kill any of them.

A plan took shape in Zephyrion’s mind as he pushed deeper into the tunnels, listening for the faintest sound. Kaiden, Fiona, Tobias and Horus stayed close behind him.

Step.

Zephyrion halted. The abrupt stop caused the lines of cadets to stumble into one another. The tunnel was instantly flooded with whispered apologies.

Zephyrion gritted his teeth.

’It’s necessary... it’s necessary.’

He forced the murderous thoughts aside and focused on the sound.

Step.

Step.

Footsteps far ahead, too dark to see anything. Yet they were quiet, so quiet they barely echoed. He would have had trouble discerning them were it not for his control over air.

’It’s just one person.’

"Prime... w—"

Zephyrion thrust out an arm, silencing Horus.

The figure had stopped as well, as though they had sensed them. He focused on the air and sent out an imperceptible pulse. As it brushed over the figure, he gauged its height and build.

Incredibly short. Toned.

Zephyrion blinked.

"Lumi?"

The figure flinched before breaking into a run, emerging into the light. Petite. Chubby cheeks. Covered in dripping blood.

The cadets stiffened the moment they saw her.

"W-what is that!"

"A-a monster!"

The petite monster squinted, paying the cadets no mind as she stared straight at Zephyrion. Her eyes widened in recognition, and before he could say anything, she crossed the distance and threw herself into his embrace.

"H-hey! The Prime’s getting attacked!"

"Quick, help him!"

The cadets panicked. Even Horus raised a dagger toward Lumi, only to be stopped by the click of Kaiden’s tongue.

"She’s with us, dumbasses. Can’t even tell a hug from an attack. The Ferran Empire is doomed."

The cadets blinked. Then they watched as Lumi pulled back from the hug, smiling up at Zephyrion with a smile so bright it seemed to illuminate the cave.

Their faces flushed with embarrassment.

Zephyrion cleared his throat, feeling oddly irritated. Yet the tension that had gripped his heart quietly eased. Lumi was dressed in her cadet uniform, and aside from the blood and bruises covering her face, she looked otherwise fine.

The bruises made him grit his teeth.

"You escaped?"

Lumi nodded.

"...Where are the others?"

Lumi nodded again before motioning for them to follow.

She led them deeper into the tunnels and into a deathly silent cave.

Body parts lay strewn across the floor in pools of crimson. A hand here, a leg there, a head lodged against the wall somewhere else.

About ten sanguines, Zephyrion realized.

Dead.

At the far end, several cadets were still bound in chains, shivering. They trembled and gasped the moment Lumi entered the cave, as though a demon had just returned.

"Damn..." Kaiden murmured under his breath, eyes wide.

Even the cadets Zephyrion had brought with him swallowed back their puke. It was a grueling scene, one not many could stomach.

Still, Zephyrion wasn’t sure what frightened them more.

The massacre.

Or the fact that the one responsible stood in the middle of her carnage, smiling like a good little puppy.