Ren stood there, completely in awe.
His mind swirled with thoughts.
He's strong… respectable… calm, kind… and just...Cool. I want to be like this guy.
Then the hooded man turned around casually, flashing him a small, confident smile.
"Oh, right. Almost forgot," he said. "Name's Ayato. Ayato Shigure. Leader of ZEAL."
He gave Ren a two finger salute. "Welcome to the club."
Ayato turned toward Kaien. "Yo, Kaien! Train him well, alright? Assign him to Squad 4. Aeri's been bugging me non-stop about being short on members when she's being too picky!"
Kaien gave a lazy wave. "Got it, boss."
"Well then, I'm a busy man," Ayato said with a stretch, turning toward the exit. "I'll leave the rest to you guys. Take it easy out there, Ren."
"You're just going back to watch your favorite show again," Kaien muttered with a smirk.
"Yeah, real busy," Rago added with a chuckle. "Busy binge-watching dramas."
"Hey! Don't go spouting nonsense in front of the new kid!" Ayato shouted, turning red as he jogged away, waving at them. "You're ruining my image!"
Ren couldn't help but laugh. So this is ZEAL. Maybe it wasn't such a bad place after all.
That afternoon, Kaien led Ren to the southernmost edge of the 1st Ward.
Standing there was a two-story, square-shaped building that looked less than
impressive. The walls were stained with graffiti, the windows a little dusty, and the whole place had a borderline abandoned vibe.
Kaien grinned. "This is it. Home sweet home for Squad 4."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "You sure this place isn't condemned?"
Kaien chuckled. "Let me introduce you to the crew first. They're a weird bunch, I won't lie, but they're good people. When things get serious, they'll have your back."
"Not like I have much of a choice," Ren muttered under his breath.
They stepped inside, and Ren was immediately greeted by chaos.
The living room looked like a typhoon had passed through, clothes draped over furniture, empty snack wrappers on the floor, and the kitchen beside the staircase looked like someone had tried to cook and gave up halfway.
Ren stared at the mess and thought.
What kind of people live like this?
"Yo! Aeri!" Kaien called out. "I brought you a gift!"
After a few seconds, footsteps came running down the stairs.
A girl appeared, around Kaien's age, with the same blonde hair, same sharp eyes, and a similar aura, but a bit more grumpier.
Ren blinked.
She looks like… Kaien in a girl's body?
"This is Ren," Kaien said, slapping a hand on Ren's shoulder. "He's my new apprentice. Be nice to him, alright?"
Then he smirked. "Ren, meet Aeri. Squad 4's captain and the Fourth Warden of ZEAL. Oh, and she's also my twin sister."
"That explains it." Ren stared between the two of them. "No wonder you look exactly alike."
Aeri tapped Ren on his shoulder with a smile. "Welcome to the squad, kid."
"I'll be in your care, ma'am," Ren said, giving a small bow.
Aeri blinked. "Ma'am? Ugh, no thanks. Just call me Captain. Or anything else. Ma'am' makes me feel ancient." She crossed her arms. "Ayato wouldn't shut up about you during our call earlier. Said you've got big potential but also a bit of a control issue."
Ren scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... that's fair."
Kaien stepped in with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll handle his training. Just walk him through how things work in ZEAL and make sure he doesn't die in his first week, alright?"
Aeri rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine, fine."
Just then, the front door burst open.
"We're back, Captain!" a voice rang out. "We brought the food for the newbie's welcome party!"
Four people came strolling in, each with a different kind of energy.
At the front was a cheerful boy about Ren's age, glasses perched on his nose and a plastic bag of snacks in each hand. Beside him was a pink-haired girl with quiet, gentle eyes and a soft smile. Behind them walked a tall, white-haired guy with a model-like face and a sharp jawline, hands in his pockets, looking effortlessly cool.
And trailing behind was a girl with flaxen hair and a permanent glare, arms crossed like she didn't want to be there at all.
All of them wore the same ZEAL jacket, white wings embedded on their backs.
Ren blinked. Sothis... is Squad 4?
"Oh! So you're the new guy!" said the boy with glasses as he stepped forward. "Nice to meet you! I'm Miko Kain, Squad 4's support and engineer!"
He pointed to the girl beside him. "This quiet one here is Kaela Mynx. Don't be fooled by the shy act, she's a skilled support."
Sora gave a small bow, her pink hair swaying gently. "N-Nice to meet you."
Miko continued, gesturing to the tall white-haired guy behind them. "That's Seth Rondo, our sniper. Cool, calm, and annoyingly handsome."
Seth gave a casual nod. "Yo."
"And trailing behind is Sora Himura. She's a bit... fiery. Gets irritated easily, but she's solid in a fight."
"Huh?! You got a death wish or something, Miko?!" Sora snapped, her glare sharp enough to cut steel.
Miko laughed nervously and threw up his hands in surrender. "See what I mean?"
Then he pointed at the squad's leader with a grin. "And that over there is our fearless captain, Aeri Arashi! She's grumpy most of the time but actually kinda cool. Oh, and also a Warden, if you can believe it."
A vein popped on Aeri's forehead. She gave Miko a chilling smile.
"Miko."
"Y-Yes, Captain?"
"Are you trying to die today?"
Miko shrank back behind Sora. "Help."
Ren couldn't help but smile. Yeah... they really are a weird bunch. But maybe… not so bad.
"So, I'll leave Ren in your care, alright?" Kaien said, adjusting his jacket as he made his way toward the door. "I've got some things to handle."
"Still about the 6th Ward?" Aeri asked, arms crossed.
"Yeah," Kaien replied with a nod. "Things are heating up again. I might need your squad's help soon, so stay sharp."
"Got it. Just make the call," Aeri said firmly.
With that, Kaien gave a small wave and exited the building.
Once the door closed behind him, Aeri clapped her hands. "Alright, all of you, gather around the table and prepare the food you bought. We'll have a welcome party!"
Ren followed the others to the kitchen, where they took their seats. He ended up beside Seth and Miko, while the three girls, Aeri, Sora, and Kaela sat across from them.
Aeri leaned back slightly in her chair. "Normally, this is where we'd go around and introduce ourselves one by one. But thanks to someone…" she shot Miko a look, "that part's already over."
Miko laughed sheepishly. "Well, I like getting straight to the fun part."
Aeri ignored him and turned to Ren. "So, newbie. Your turn. Tell us about yourself."
All eyes turned toward Ren, the table falling quiet.
Ren rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit awkward under their stares.
Guess it's my turn to speak up now.
Ren cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing at everyone around the table.
"So yeah… as you probably know, my name's Ren. I'm 17."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"I'm not from Aetherpolis. I came here looking for someone, my older brother. He disappeared about a year ago, and I've been chasing whatever leads I could find ever since."
His hand clenched slightly under the table.
"I don't know where he went or why he left. But knowing him, he must've had his reasons."
Ren looked down, then offered a small, sheepish smile.
"I'm not great with people. Honestly, the only real friend I've ever had was my brother. So… I might be awkward, or a little distant at times. But I hope you'll bear with me."
The room fell silent after Ren finished speaking.
No one said a word.
Miko's eyes shimmered behind his glasses, lips trembling as if he were holding back tears. Even Kaela looked like she was about to cry, biting her lip and looking away.
Seth sat with his usual calm expression, unreadable as ever, arms crossed but his gaze lingered on Ren longer than usual.
Sora continued munching on chips, quietly. She didn't say anything, but there was a soft glance in her eyes that said she was listening.
And then there was Aeri.
She smiled.
It wasn't a mocking or polite smile, it was genuine. The kind of smile that said "I'm glad you're here. And it's a good thing you're all the same age, so make sure to get along with each other."
She could feel it. There was something in this kid. A strength buried beneath all that hurt. Pure intentions, but a fragile heart. Now she understood why Ayato spoke so highly of him.
"Awwwwww…" Miko said, sniffling dramatically.
Smack!
"Ow!" he yelled as Seth smacked the back of his head.
"Cut it out," Seth said with a sigh. "You're making the newbie uncomfortable. Besides, it looks like the captain has something to say."
All eyes turned to Aeri, who leaned forward slightly with a gentle smile.
"Well, first things first," she began, "I'll admit, most of the guys here are a little odd. But I think you'll get along with them just fine. Some of them might not look thrilled right now, but trust me, they're glad you're here."
Her eyes scanned the group briefly before returning to Ren.
"As you've probably heard, we're short on people. But it's not because no one wants to join. Honestly… I'm just picky. I don't let just anyone into Squad 4."
She smiled a little wider.
"And I think you're a perfect fit."
Ren's eyes widened. His face turned a little red as he looked away, unsure how to react. Kind words weren't something he heard often. And yet they warmed something inside him. Like a flicker of safety in a place that's supposed to feel cold.
Aeri stood up and stretched.
"We'll talk more about squad operations tomorrow. I'll run you through how we handle missions, how we move as a unit, all that stuff. Since we're a smaller squad, we usually get recons and infiltration assignments. But for now…"
She raised a fist in the air.
"Tonight….we party!"