December 10
0730 Hours
Skies: Clear
The sun crept steadily over the horizon, casting a pale amber glow over the southern airbase.
Emilie sat at the edge of her bunk, fresh from the shower, already zipped into her olive green flight suit. Damp hair clung slightly to her skin, and a slight fog still clung to her glasses on the desk beside her. She rubbed the fatigue from her eyes and let out a low breath.
"With the President now back in our hands," she muttered to herself, "all that's left is to take down the Khemian."
She stood, retrieving her glasses and placing them carefully on her face before heading toward the mess hall. Her thoughts lingered on what little intel they had.
"All we know is that they're made up of radicals... Khaenri'ahn remnants trying to drag their country back into the old ways. One squadron in particular—Mechshade. Supposedly elite. Rumored to have an Ace pilot... and black Khaenri'ahn sorcery involved."
She scoffed softly, not out of disbelief—but caution. She'd seen enough in this war already to know better than to brush off such things.
The mess hall was already alive with noise—metal trays clattered on counters, boots thudded against tile, and chairs scraped over polished concrete floors. The scent of instant coffee, powdered eggs, and reheated rations filled the air.
The room bustled with cadets—many of them freshly transferred from North Dornman. Emilie, Teppei, Mona, and Ayaka had flown escort for them only days earlier. Now, those rookies were beginning to adjust to the base's rhythm.
At the center table, Emilie sat with Mualani, Mona, and Ayaka—steam rising from half-eaten breakfasts and coffee mugs fogging up around them. Mualani leaned over her tray, chewing on a thick sandwich, glancing sideways at Emilie.
"Hey Emilie, gotta ask you something," Mualani said between bites.
Emilie stabbed her fork into a lukewarm omelet. "Go for it."
"You go insane since the last time I saw you?"
Emilie let out a short laugh. "Maybe? I dunno. Ever since I ended up leading the squadron, my brain's been running on afterburners. So, yeah... no... maybe."
Mona chuckled. "Heh. You should've seen her lose her shit."
Emilie raised a brow. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"
Mona wagged a finger dramatically. "You might look like the nice one—but deep down? There's a demon in there. Just waiting to come flying out of your helmet."
Emilie choked on her omelet, coughing and laughing at the same time. "Wh-What?!"
Ayaka nodded seriously. "Like when you blew up at Teppei for talking shit."
Mona grinned. "Or when you lit me up after I got shot down."
Emilie pointed at Mona. "Hey, you getting shot down was on you. That was incompetence."
Then at Ayaka. "And Teppei? I got mad because I had to pull his sorry ass out of the sky."
Her tone shifted. "I just... I wish I'd been able to do the same thing at Marcotte Stadium."
The table quieted.
Ayaka lowered her eyes slightly. "Don't carry that, Emilie. You know it wasn't your fault."
"Teppei sacrificed his life for Teyvat. You know that. Deep down, you do."
Emilie gave a small nod, voice quieter. "I know."
Ayaka smirked, trying to lift the air again. "Besides... you flew without glasses before, you blind bat."
Emilie blushed. "H-Hey!"
Mualani blinked. "Wh-What?!"
Mona crossed her arms and leaned back. "She did. North Dornman flight training—years ago. Emilie misplaced her glasses before prep. Room was a mess, she was running late. Couldn't find 'em. So what did she do? Climbed into that F-5 Tiger II anyway—blind as a bat."
Ayaka laughed. "And still scored Ace in the simulated dogfight. Candace was stunned."
Emilie groaned, waving a dismissive hand as she looked away. "Yeah, yeah. Not like it was some badge of honor or anything."
Mualani stared at her. "Are you serious?! Do you even need glasses?"
Emilie looked back at her, deadpan. "Kinda essential. You know—flying at Mach 1.3 through SAM alley, not getting my ass blown off."
Suddenly, the door to the mess hall opened, and an officer stepped in briskly, clipboard in hand.
"Wolfsba—" He paused, corrected himself. "Emberhowl. The President wants to see you."
The four pilots stood up in unison.
Emilie gave a nod. "Understood."
Without another word, the quartet filed out of the mess hall, their boots echoing as they headed toward the bridge—Emberhowl Squadron now fully born.
At the bridge.
President Imena stood still, staring at a piece of paper clutched in her hand.
Emilie stepped closer, glancing over at Captain Gracie.
"Cap… what's going on?"
Gracie replied without looking up.
"We intercepted what appears to be a cipher. All numbers. No message, no identifiers—just numbers."
Then suddenly, Imena snapped her fingers.
"I've decoded it."
Her voice was firm. Focused.
"It's coordinates. A mountain range in Northern Khaenri'ah."
She paused, her expression darkening as she studied the final string of digits.
"And the last numbers..."
She tapped them.
"They're my presidential vote counts."
She touched the first set.
"These were the numbers I received during my first term."
Then tapped the final sequence.
"And these were from my second."
She looked up, turning to face the four pilots.
"This message… it was meant for me."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Then, she turned and walked to Gracie.
"Gracie. I want Kaeya to look into this immediately. It looks like our Wolf—" she caught herself, then corrected, "—our Emberhowl pilots are in for another mission."
Gracie nodded. "Understood, Madam President."
Imena then faced the four.
"Emilie. Mona. Mualani. Ayaka. With me—down to the hangars."
Without a word, the four pilots followed her out of the bridge, boots echoing against the steel as they descended the metal stairwell toward the lower decks.
They arrived at the hangar.
Before them stood four gleaming, jet-black F-14A Tomcats, resting like sleeping beasts under the floodlights. But something was different.
Each aircraft bore a new emblem.
Emilie approached hers, stepping near the vertical stabilizer.
"…Whoa."
Painted boldly on the tail fin was a new insignia.
A shield.
At its center: the Demon of Emberhowl—a male figure clad in an open-faced knight's helmet with great wings unfurled. His black hair swept back in a wild, windswept mane.
Above him, bold white text read:
"THE GHOSTS OF EMBERHOWL"
Below, in crimson letters:
"EMBERHOWL AIR COMMAND SQUADRON"
The President raised her hand, gesturing for the four to move to the front of Emilie's jet.
They gathered there, standing at attention.
Imena's voice was clear and commanding.
"All pilots on deck."
The four straightened, shoulders squared, chins lifted.
The President began.
"Starting today, until the end of this war, the four of you will be under my direct command—and the command of the Arkhe."
She let that sink in.
"Officially, you are now part of the air fleet I've personally established. You are my sword in the skies."
She stepped forward.
"You'll be executing covert operations. Missions the public will never hear about. Missions that will change the course of this war."
A pause.
"But… once the war ends—until your names are cleared—you will no longer fly under the banner of the Air Force."
She let the silence hang, then continued.
"You won't be dishonorably discharged. Far from it. You'll be discharged with honors. But from this moment on…"
She looked at each of them in turn.
"…you are ghosts."
Her gaze settled on Ayaka.
"Second Lieutenant Kamisato Ayaka."
Ayaka snapped to attention. "Ma'am."
"Considering your squadmates all carry the rank of Captain… I'm authorizing a field promotion."
She stepped closer.
"As of now—you are Captain Kamisato Ayaka."
Ayaka's eyes widened slightly, but she gave a sharp nod. "Understood, Madam President."
Imena looked across the squadron.
"I trust all of you to bring this war to its conclusion."
A final pause.
Then she spoke the words that would mark the beginning of a new chapter.
"The squadron from Petrichor Island is no longer part of the known order. Official reports will continue to state that you were shot down over hostile airspace—killed in action."
She turned away, just slightly.
"But from this moment forward… you are something else."
She faced them one last time.
"You are now the Ghosts of Emberhowl."