You sent out the last bit of instructions to your support team before finally taking a breather. As a sigh of relief left you, a whisk of smoke followed suit thanks to the cold air. Your gaze drifted up and you admired the full moon that shone brilliantly against the midnight sky.

Thankfully, the operations you've been receiving for the past week were pretty normal. Unlike the ones with the vengeful apparition where your life was on the line, you've been issuing orders, conducting first aid every now and then, and providing reassurance to the victims. Honestly, what a breath of fresh air.

In the crowd of people, your eyes searched for a certain male with gold eyes and black hair. When you found him, you realised that he was preoccupied with treating someone. A soft smile was on your lips, Amias looked so gentle tending to others.

Having the protagonist in your dispatch and being his superior. When you went on your first operation with him, you could not get used to it. But expected of him, he was a great addition to your team and you felt at ease with him around. Amias always eagerly asked you questions, diligently carried out his orders, and looked at you with eyes of admiration whenever you'd teach him something. The guy had a knack for being so lovable.

"Hey, that's her, right?"

"I think so! I think her name's (Y/n)."

You pretended to be more distracted by the moon than you actually were as you listened into the voices that spoke about you. As expected, rumours followed you out no matter what time it was or where you were.

"Who would've thought a support would make it to the SF trial? I'm so curious to see why the chairman picked her."

"He must have a good reason, right?"

"I'm pretty excited!"

Those types of words came from innocent bystanders who were simply intrigued by your involvement in the trial.

"I heard that she can withstand possession. That's it? How did she get picked?"

"Ugh, let me take her place. Just because she happened to survive a vengeful apparition possession she might become an SF member?"

"You have to admit, coming out without her mental state collapsing is pretty great. But I would've just exorcised it! What good does her ability even do aside from buying time? I think it's a waste of an invitation."

And those types of words came from the AEI members or more critical members of society.

You raised an eyebrow and glanced over your shoulder. "If I rejected the invitation, you would be criticizing me. Hypocrites... " you mumbled. Though they could be nicer, their point is kind of valid.

"Don't mind them, (Y/n)!"

A bubbly girl approach you; her honey blonde hair was done in a half up half down style and there were orange highlights that matched her eye colour. She crossed her arms and huffed. "They don't understand how amazing you are for surviving a vengeful apparition's possession!"

A guy with curly medium grey-blue hair and eyes showed up beside her, nodding in agreement. "Well said! They should mind their business."

Vanessa––or Ness as she insists you to call her––and Lucas; among your support team they interacted with you the most aside from Lily. Lucas was the vice leader of your dispatch and Ness was a close friend of his, that's how you came to know them. Being around the two felt like having your own cheerleader squad; they were so supportive that it was overwhelming at times.

Lily appeared behind Ness and shyly walked up to you, handing over a water bottle. "I got you something to drink! Good job today during the operation."

You thanked her and took a quick break before going back to work. It wasn't much, just helping clear up the scene, writing down a report, and checking up on your dispatch members. You would say that you were excited to go back to your room and sleep, but the most you'll be getting is a quick nap since you needed to train at 4am again.

You zipped up your bag and slung it over your shoulder. From the corner of your eye, Lily looked like she wanted to say something to you. It was a little cute to see her get flustered when you made direct eye contact with her.

"S-support leader, are you going to train after this?" Lily asked, eyes averted to the ground.

"Yeah. I might take it a little easier this time, though."

"Are–are you sure? Don't push yourself too hard! You should rest today."

"Don't worry, don't worry. Oh, by the way. Lily, I've been wondering for a while now, but why don't you ever call me by my name?"

She flinched, expression conflicted. "A–ah, uhm...Well, that's..."

That was odd. When you first met Lily, she didn't hesitate to go in for a hug. From that, you assumed that you were a close friend of hers. However, she hasn't been showing the same intimacy as of late. In fact, it felt like she was afraid to get too close to you.

"I mean, we're friends, right? You even hugged me last time."

"S-sorry, I didn't know what I was thinking..."

Hm? Now she's acting like she did something wrong?

"I mean...I didn't mind?"

Lily looked at you in shock and a red hue dusted her cheeks. She even pulled her hood over her head and attempted to hide her face.

Ness laughed and patted Lily on the shoulder. "(Y/n), she's gonna explode at this rate."

"Go a little easy on her, won't you?" Lucas teased.

... Now I'm just confused. You chuckled along with Ness and Lucas, trying to play it off as a joke. Oh well, if it's not important then you won't look too deep into it.

From a distance, cars arrived and AEI members began departing the area. There was always some sort of ride prepared for those involved in the operation; some people head straight back to the building whilst others would stop by other places. Overall, very convenient.

"(Y/n), are you not coming with us?" Lucas asked.

Though, not so convenient for you today. You smiled and shook your head. "Feel like walking today."

Ness pouted. "Aww, we'll miss you!"

You playfully rolled your eyes. "Sure, sure. Get some rest guys."

"Says you! You're a new level of crazy if you're planning to train right after this," Lucas said.

Ness nodded. "You could've brought it up to the operation design team that you didn't want to be assigned night operations."

You shrugged. "What can I say? I like the extra pay."

After you exchanged goodbyes, you dug your hands in your pockets and began heading back home...Well, you pretended to do so. When you were certain that you were alone, you made a 180 and came back to the scene of the operation.

The operation took place in an abandoned house and the incident was reported by a group of kids who thought it was a wonderful idea to go to the place alone to explore. You assumed wandering apparitions saw the kids as easy targets and decided to attack.Needless to say, it didn't go well and thankfully an adult happened to be close by and they called the AEI.

You ignored the tapes that forbid you from entering the premise and stepped onto the front lawn. Dilapidated walls, deteriorated paint, and a menacing presence. You definitely would not go in here unless you had a good reason. Accepting all operations for the extra pay? The torture of sleep deprivation and being tired 24/7 was not worth some extra cash.

In Anomalous, a good chunk of the game's lore could be found within the operations Amias would be involved in. There would be certain downtimes during the game where, before progressing the main story, the player can choose to spend how long they want to grind for EXP, unlock certain achievements, get certain items, or even just explore the city.

So if you wanted to level up your protagonist, you'd grind a bunch of operations. In regards to the main story, these operations were insignificant. However, every now and then some would have hidden stories and lore. It all depended on luck. And you, being so devoted to the game's story, spent an ungodly amount of time grinding operations because you wanted to unlock any piece of side story possible.

They didn't contribute greatly to the plot, but were interesting bits of information that helped with the world building. Since you experienced so many, you thought that giving it a shot in real life wouldn't be a bad idea. Amias was in your dispatch, after all. So the chances of you running into an operation you recognised were slim, but not impossible.

Why were you doing this? Well it really depended on the operation. Your initial goal was: one, because you wanted to experience said lore yourself (essentially, because you were a fan of the game), and two, it might help you explore more of your capabilities. But considering the story you were about to encounter here, you had a feeling that your motives are going to change greatly.

Sorry for forcing you along these operations if you were tired, Amias. But thanks for your help.

It wasn't all in vain. When you arrived at the scene of the operation today, you knew you had struck gold.

You took out a mask from your pocket. Inhaling a bunch of dust at midnight didn't seem appealing to you. Inside the building, there were several cracks in the walls, roof, and windows. The building looked like it would collapse if you sneezed too hard. Every time you took a step, the floor would creak and groan. The moonlight was already doing a good job at lighting up the area so you didn't need to worry about taking out a flashlight.

"There should still be an apparition around here..."

Wandering deeper into the house, you noticed a dim light emitting from one of the rooms. Being a lot more mindful of your steps, you made your way over. You peaked from behind the wall and your eyes shone in awe at what you saw.

A gorgeous silver light illuminating beautifully from it, the creature was curled into a ball and was peacefully sleeping. The creature was an apparition––specifically, one that took the form of a wolf. You swallowed nervously, quietened your breaths, and ensured that your steps were as light as possible as you entered the room.

On the table, there was a worn out photo frame. It showed a picture of a smiling mother, father, and daughter. In the middle of the family, there was an energetic small white puppy. It was a heartwarming yet melancholic photo.

There was a story behind them. Though, it was mainly speculation. Nothing was confirmed, but if you investigated the house thoroughly and talked to a few selected NPC, you could make a strong inference.

The theory you and the fandom pieced together was that during an apparition attack on the family's house, the puppy died first trying to protect the family. And thanks to its strong determination to continue on living and protect, it came back as an apparition––but not the form of a harmless puppy, but as an intimidating wolf. Unfortunately, it was too late. The girl and the parents were already dead. With no one to protect, the puppy––now in the form of a wolf––laid down and slept on the spot where it's owners died.

There were a lot of different interpretations on how the puppy assumed the form of a wolf, it essentially all came to perspective. But the most popular interpretation was that the transformation was representative of the extent of its will to survive and protect the family. To make things more depressing, people speculated that the wolf now remains in the house alone trying to protect the last presence of its owners; a deteriorating house.

You settled down the photo frame. Thankfully, an investigation wasn't done on the house and the wolf wasn't discovered during the operation.

You continued to explore the room before a cold presence was felt from behind. You turned around, not preparing to see that the wolf had woken up and was right in front of you. The wolf's eyes stared at you, large body effortlessly towering and casting a huge shadow over your figure. Just trying to meet its eyes was difficult without bringing your head all the way back. Pure white fur, striking light blue eyes; you were both entranced and intimidated. Glancing at the collar, the name read out 'Mochi'.

The wolf began circling around you, displaying curiosity rather than hostility. A refreshing coolness enveloped your face and a subtle mint scent came from the wolf; you almost sighed in content at the calming presence. A fluffy feeling tickled your cheek and you couldn't help but giggle.

"..."

Wait, what?

"I can feel you? An apparition?" You extended a hand to touch the wolf, but stopped yourself. "Uh...can I pet you?"

The wolf nuzzled its head into your palms. You internally melted at the softness that engulfed your hands. In a way, it was like your hands were lightly covered in frost when you touched it's fur.

"This house must mean a lot to you, right?" you asked.

The wolf gave a gentle nod and you felt your heart tighten. How long did it stay here for? And if you never did come here, would it have just remained here forever until it was found and exorcised? It was so unfair. There were so many stories regarding different apparitions, but thanks to how this society worked, rarely anyone will even bat an eye to the idea that not all apparitions were harmful.

"...That's admirable of you." You smiled sadly. "The building is going to be taken down soon, so you should escape. But if you want to remain here and protect what you love till the end, then I can't stop you."

There was silence and you sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck, hoping you didn't act out of line. The thought of the wolf being exorcised saddened you and a part of you wished you could stop that from happening. But if that went against the wolf's wishes, then that was an arrogant move on your part.

The wolf leaned in closer to your face, its noise almost touching yours. You held your breath at the close proximity. Suddenly, it licked you.

...?

So the mask covering the lower half of your face was now brought up to your eyes, your body was still as stone, and your hands were stuck in an awkward gesture. You took off your mask, conflicted on whether to feel relief at the friendly action or slightly grossed out by how there was a bunch of saliva on your face

The wolf seemed pleased, tail wagging and eagerly waiting for you.

Not knowing how to react, you made a subtle step to the right. The wolf did the same. You stepped to the left and the wolf did the same. You paused then ran out of the room, almost screaming in fear when the wolf ran after you.

You stopped running and help up a hand, signally the wolf to give you some time to catch your breath. "You... Do you want to come with me?"

The wolf nodded enthusiastically and you were now left dumbfounded, a drop of sweat on your temple thanks to the unexpected turn of events. First of all, how?! Second of all, why?

Eyeing the wolf with a contemplative look, you placed a hand on your chin. Okay, (Y/n). This is a great time to think of a theory.

The determination to protect; that was the fuel that allowed a small puppy to manifest into a powerful wolf. Now that you are here, it can serve that purpose? In other words, it might want to protect you? It may sound a little far fetched considering that you've just met it. But if you think about it, you were the first individual to interact with it after who knows how many years. Plus, you literally made physical contact with it––something that shouldn't be possible.

It was an interesting discovery and you immediately thought to write it down. You took your bag off your shoulders and grabbed out the book that contained all the notes you've written ever since the apparition outbreak. Zipping down your jacket, you took out the keys that hung on your necklace and unlocked the book. Sitting down and flipping to a blank page, you quickly jotted down your notes. There wasn't a huge significance behind writing all this, it was just a habit of yours.

When you finished the last sentence, a faint illumination glowed from the tip of the pen. The letters on the page began to do the same. Before you could react, the lock on your book suddenly shattered followed along with the keys on your necklace as if they were made of ice. The regular notebook you purchased from a convenience store now had a captivating ethereal glow.

You sat in silence, mind brimming with questions on what the hell just happened. Cautiously, you flipped through the book. The contents didn't seem to have changed. In the midst of trying to figure out what happened, you clicked your pen and the book abruptly disappeared from your hands.

"...What?"

You clicked your pen again and the book reappeared. You were about to turn to the wolf to share your confusion, but it was gone. You blinked, mind on overload at the onslaught of unexplainable events that just occurred within the last few minutes.

"I think I've just discovered some sort of new ability." You checked the time. There were still a few hours before you needed to go train. You sighed, begrudgingly deciding that you'll skip out on your nap and instead spend the remainder of your time figuring out your new ability.

"I'll be fine," you reassured yourself. "I'm young, right? I should be full of energy!"



===



"What the hell are you doing on the ground?"

A string of incoherent words tumbled from your lips as you begrudgingly sat up after having collapsed on the ground. Yawning, you rubbed the drowsiness from your eyes. Through your blurry vision, you could see Lyle's red eyes glaring at you in irritation. You wouldn't be surprised if he walked over and literally kick you out of the training room.

"I was taking a quick nap."

Lyle looked at you in disbelief. "Then do that in your room!"

You winced at his loud voice, but didn't respond. That only seemed to agitate the male further and you quickly got up on your feet before anything happened.

After the day you gave Lyle a piece of your mind, you expected him to confront you about it the next time you two crossed paths. Surprisingly, aside from the fact that he's much more snappier at you than usual, nothing much changed. It was definitely odd considering his character. A part of you was hopeful that your words might've done something, even if it was minimal.

In short, today was just your usual training at four in the morning.

"Oh! Oh!" A hand was eagerly raised. "I volunteer to carry miss support back if she's tired!"

"Carrying (Y/n) back to her room? Can I give her a kiss goodnight as well?"

"If you're tired we can take a break. Want me to get you some water?"

Well, your usual training at four in the morning with a few unexpected guests. Joining you today were Caleb, Cecil, and Amias. Long story short, Caleb found out that you were training and decided to join in. Cecil? The guy had the wackiest sleep schedule. He was up at four in the morning walking around after doing some work and happened to walk by the training room. Amias? He was dragged here by Caleb. None of them made reservations.

Amias's hands rested on his lap, knees bending a little as he struggled to stay standing up. "Truth be told, I'm also really tired," he said, sweat trickling down his forehead. The poor boy was shaking and was on the verge of collapsing trying to follow Lyle's training regime.

"You definitely need to take a break," you said.

Amias gave you a sweet smile. "I'm fine, don't––" He staggered and almost fell. Your concern for him was skyrocketing by the second. "––Worry about it."

I'm crying, he's so precious. How can I leave him there?

Giving a big middle finger to your exhaustion, you stood up and rushed over to Amias. He whispered a thanks when you helped him sit down. Lyle rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath. He grabbed a towel and slung his bag over his shoulder before exiting the room without a word.

That was abrupt. At least you didn't have to deal with him anymore. Amias looked concerned, Caleb and Cecil didn't even notice.

You handed over a bottle of water. "Seriously, don't push yourself. Lyle's been training like that for years––probably––you should start with something that won't destroy your body."

Amias nodded dutifully and accepted the water. He looked so adorable. You wanted to ruffle his hair so badly. "Th-thanks," he said, still exhausted. "You...also should not push... yourself."

"Stop talking and catch your breath already." You giggled and looked over to Caleb and Cecil.

If you thought they were here to seriously train, you would be sorely mistaken. Caleb came in, did one push up and called it a day before bringing out snacks. Cecil walked in, flirted with you, distanced himself before you threw your bottle at him, then offered to play cards with Caleb.

"Are you guys going to train or not?"

Caleb waved you off. "A snack break can't hurt anyone."

"Downtime during training is important, too," Cecil added in.

You gave them both an unamused look before patting Amias gently on the shoulder. "You're the only one here I trust."

Caleb feigned a hurt look. "You wound me, miss support. Actually, why didn't you tell me you were training here? I'm much better company than that purple haired grouch."

You had to agree on his last statement.

"I'm honestly surprised you're up this early," Cecil said, placing down a card. "In the past I had to bribe you with a mountain of snacks to wake you up and file an overdue report."

Caleb cheerfully smiled. "Nothing is too much for my precious miss support!"

Since you were tired, you idly watched Cecil and Caleb's game of cards. There was a peaceful silence aside from the occasional sounds of cards flipping. Drowsy, your eyes began to close. Leaning your cheek against your palm, you slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

"Hah! I win!" Caleb shouted, slamming a card on the floor. "Guess being a womaniser doesn't give you good card skills."

You snapped yourself awake. Goddammit, Caleb.

"Hm~ Maybe I need a little more motivation," Cecil said, sneaking a glance at you. His seductive gaze has got you on the border between simping and being absolutely terrified. "A kiss for example––"

"Stop."

Cecil laughed in amusement at your reaction and Caleb only added fuel to the fire by slipping in teasing comments. These guys got along too well.

"Oh! Are you two dating?" Amias asked, gold eyes sparkling with pure innocence. Suddenly, your objective was to get him as far away from Cecil as possible.

"No, we are not––"

"You guys better invite me to your wedding."

Cecil hummed. "Caleb, you'll just show up for the cake."

"Caught me~"

Thankfully, you were able to quickly clear up the misunderstanding to Amias and the conversation drifted into another topic.

"The whole place is hella chaotic with the SF trial being tomorrow and all. The amount of people who approached me hoping to get some sort of hint about the trial is hilarious. Not even I know what's going to happen with this one." Caleb grinned. "I was tempted to play along and give them fake info. Seeing their faces when they realise how stupid they are for blindly trusting my words will be a great way to start the trial."

"If it's okay to ask, what was the last trial like?" Amias asked.

Caleb flipped over a card and placed down a king, his emerald green eyes seemed to glint menacingly for a split second. "Let's just say that chairman was very creative." He smiled, his gaze made it seem like he wanted to rip the card to shreds. "He really pushed a lot of us past our limits."

Amias got the memo and didn't question Caleb any further.

"If I happen to die in the trial, I hope it'll be nice and quick," you blurted out of the blue, trying to dispel the tension in the room.

Amias looked horrified at your words and you had to quickly reassure him that you were just joking.

"Miss support, you can just come to me if you need help! I'll be your knight in shining armour."

"Why do I feel like you'll just put me in more danger?"

"Aw, don't be like that! I've protected you many times, haven't I?"

He has a point. You averted your eyes away and Caleb smiled in triumph at your reaction.

"Sorry if this is out of the blue, but where are the other two SF members? I haven't seen them at all," Amias brought up.

"Wow~ I need to explain everything to you, huh? Were you even born in this world?" Caleb mused. "Not to worry, miss support will explain to you!"

"Wait, what the heck. Why are you pinning this all on me?"

"I'm busy."

Doing what?!

You let out an exasperated sigh. "The other two SF members are working in the other AEI buildings. Actually, you know what? I'll just start from the beginning."

It was weird explaining things to him when you used to be the clueless one in his perspective that needed the explaining.

"So there are several AEI buildings scattered throughout the city. The one we're in is the main one, located in the centre where most apparition activity happens. There are two––I guess you can say they're secondary in importance––other ones located on opposite ends of the city. They only have one SF member each. Well, it used to be two each before the others... you know," you did your best to quickly divert the flow of your explanation. "Anyways, apparently outside of the city is really dangerous. A rising issue is how quickly apparitions are evolving and how more are entering the city."

Amias nodded, listening to you attentively. "Wouldn't you put more security on the edges of the city, though?"

"The thing is, once the apparitions enter they'll head straight for the centre of the city anyway," you explained. "Oh, just to add. There are also smaller institutions around without any SF members, but they only handle very minor incidents or act as a way of communication to file reports to one of the three main institutions."

"From my understanding, Elias's grandfather is in charge of this building. What about the others?"

"The rest of Elias's family. His father and mother are in charge of the other two AEI buildings and his aunts and uncles are in charge of the minor ones."

"If this was a kingdom, Elias's family would be considered royalty," Cecil chimed in.

"Now that I think of it, his highness would be a more fitting nickname for him."

"Were you guys talking about me?"

You flinched at the voice and turned around. Elias was standing by the door. Despite the faint dark circles under his eyes and slightly disheveled hair, the brunette still carried a presence as composed and authoritative as ever. It felt like the word 'important' was written conspicuously on his forehead everywhere he went.

"Speak of the devil, the prince has arrived!"

"Why you look at that, everyone's gathering around," Cecil said. "It's an odd hour to say this, but good morning nonetheless."

"Good morning, Cecil." Elias gave Caleb a questioning look. "Prince?"

"New nickname." Caleb's gaze fell onto the coffee Elias was holding. "Black coffee again? You're terrifying."

Elias took a sip from his drink as if to spite Caleb. You haven't seen Elias ever since he gave you the invitation. You still remembered vividly how he exposed what happened with you and the vengeful apparition in front of everyone in the cafeteria. Instinctively, you shuffled closer to Amias when Elias approached the two of you.

What's with all the main characters gathering here at four in the morning?

"Good morning, (Y/n)." A friendly smile graced his lips. "Amias, I see you're working hard as well. I was actually looking for you––"

Suddenly, his phone rang. The male glanced at the caller ID before quietly excusing himself and answering. You paid no mind to him and continued talking to Amias. However, from the corner of your eye you noticed Elias's expression soften. Ah, you knew exactly who he was on the phone with.

"Ah-ha! I know that expression. Sara's on the phone!" Caleb exclaimed. "Hey, put her on speaker!"

Elias shot Caleb an annoyed look before sighing and complying with his words. It was funny how Elias always openly expressed how done he was with Caleb.

"Uhm... who is Sara?" Amias whispered to you.

"Elias's younger sister," you replied. "She's an SF member as well."

"Did I hear Caleb? I haven't seen him in so long!" An energetic feminine voice bursted from the phone, you could feel her enthusiasm through the device. "Guess what, guys? There's a huge sale in the mall today! Is there anything you want? There's a bunch of clothes, skin care products, and shoes––take your pick! I have a bunch of coupons to use as well. I'm so excited!"

"No, don't worry about it. Just buy what you want," Elias said.

"Ugh, now you're making me feel guilty! I'm gonna get you some clothes. By the way, is it true that Cecil got selected as a candidate for the SF trial? I was so shocked when I heard the news!"

"Am I that famous already?" Cecil chuckled.

"Was that his voice? Actually, who's in the room right now?"

"Aside from the people you just heard, there are two others," Cecil said. "(Y/n) and Amias, they're also candidates."

"New people! I'd like to buy them something as well––ah! I should get going before everything runs out. I'll be coming back in time for the SF trial so I'll introduce myself then. Bye everyone!"

The call ended abruptly. Elias sighed and pocketed his phone. But knowing him, he's happy to hear from his sister.

"What did you need me for?" Amias asked.

"Right, sorry for getting distracted. The chairman wants to see you," Elias said.

Ohh, I remember this part. This is where the chairman conducts a personal interview with Amias. You remember being terrified from the other side of the screen during the scene. The dialogue you chose was under a quick time event. Depending on how well the player did affects how suspicious the chairman would be of Amias. The more suspicious he was, the harder it was to get leniency if you happen to mess up an operation. Essentially, it wasn't an instant game over if you did poorly, but inconvenient for gameplay purposes.

The general gist of it, if you selected the correct options, Amias explains to the chairman that he didn't come from the city that Anomalous took place in. Obviously, the chairman did not believe him. Understandable, any place outside of the city was impossible to survive in. Amias explaining that he lived a regular life with proper shelter and food in an unknown location was hella suspicious. But it was so outlandish that it didn't feel like a lie. After all, who would make up such an abnormal cover up story?

Amias's past was definitely an enigma. Nothing about it was ever confirmed, but you had a few theories of your own.

His past might have a connection as to why he massacred everyone. You snuck a glance at him innocently talking to Elias. You still can't believe someone as friendly and amiable as him managed to do something so harrowing. Amias... I'll definitely need to keep a close eye on you.

Caleb looked up from his cards. "The king has summoned you himself? Now I'm curious. Did you accidentally kill someone or something? You should've asked me to help hide the body."

Amias chuckled warily. "It's nothing like that. I'm not too sure myself."

"Do you remember where his office is? I can take you there if you'd like," Elias suggested.

"I'll be fine. I've gotten a good grasp of the building's layout a while ago."

You recalled seeing Amias pull up a holographic map. Yeah, he'd definitely have no trouble navigating through the building.

Cecil raised an eyebrow. "You've got a good memory."

Amias looked like he accidentally said something he shouldn't have and he tried to hide his expression with a humble smile. "It's nothing like that. I just don't have much to do in my free time."

Amias bid goodbye to everyone and exited the room, Elias did the same not too long after. Caleb and Cecil packed up the cards and you stood up and stretched your arms. You weren't in the mood to do anymore training and were more than ready to take a quick shower and collapse onto your bed.

"I'm gonna take it easy for the rest of the day," you mumbled.

"Dear, you're an SF candidate. I wonder why you were still working," Cecil said and playfully booped your nose, chuckling softly at your confused expression. "As a reward for working so hard, I'll make sure your dispatch doesn't receive any more operations for the rest of the day."

"...You were also still doing your job as well," you mumbled.

Cecil slipped in a comment of how cute you were and quickly left the room with Caleb before you could do anything. You doubted the two had any more sleep than you did and admired how much energy they still had.

When you entered your room, you mentally cried in relief. You took off your jacket and glanced at the digital clock beside your bed. It was a little past five in the morning.

"The trial is tomorrow, huh..."

You wanted to use your knowledge of the future to your advantage, but the downside was that a good chunk of scenarios from the SF trial only applied to you if you stuck by Amias. Meaning, a lot of your current plans were flexible and required you to be spontaneous a lot of the time. It wasn't a matter of knowing what happens next, but relying on your wits to react to familiar or unfamiliar situations.

"A part of me wonders if I should stick by Amias to be safe." You glanced at your reflection in the mirror. Most of your wounds had healed at this point saved for a few scars. "But doing that won't get me anywhere." Your main goal was to change the ending where Amias massacres everyone and you can't do that if you sit back and followed the plot.

To be honest, a part of me is still terrified. It's not like you were suddenly impervious to the thought of death. But this time, you were going to do everything in your power to at least fight against it. You'll pave a path for yourself rather than hope an opportunity will come your way. It will take time for you to get used to this mentality, but you've been working on changing your mindset ever since the apparition outbreak.

"I can do this," you reassured yourself.

Scenes from the SF trial flashes in your mind and you were reminded of its dangers. Doubt crept into your head and catalysed certain thoughts. What if you messed up? What if you made things even worse?

You slapped both of your cheeks and took in a deep breath. "It's okay to be nervous, it'll be weird if I wasn't. But I got this! I've been preparing for so long!" You nodded, trying to instil some encouragement into yourself. "Things will be fine, just stick to your instincts. Don't shy away from things or else you'll ruin your own potential."

After that little pep talk, you felt a little more hopeful. Sitting down on your bed, you snapped your fingers and summoned a pen. With a click of it, the book soon appeared in your grasp. You smiled, the process felt as natural as breathing after experimenting for hours. With a content hum, you flipped through the pages and stopped at where you wrote the wolf's lore.

"The SF trial will be aired on television, right?" you mumbled. "...I'm already suspicious enough as it is. Why not show off my new ability to the camera tomorrow?"