Maro stood beside his war table, lit by lantern light. Charts were spread like a tapestry of the war. Four elite soldiers sat in front of him—faces shadowed yet sharp. Each bore a unique insignia on their masks.
Ringo spoke first. "Sir, I've got updates from Galion. Still under immense pressure, and worse… reports of The Crimson Tyrant, Chaze have surfaced."
"Damn it all. Tell remaining squads not to engage unless absolutely necessary. Hold that thought, Ringo. I've got an idea," Maro said, taking a seat and folding his hands.
"Understood sir."
Maro took a quiet breath, before returning to his commanding voice. "Phantom Squad. We'll be preparing for Igumi shortly. Judgment is still in Riche, but will be returning by the day. Ringo got into contact with them—the people have chosen neutrality. We'll see how long that lasts."
His hand moved to the pinboard that rested on righthand side of the table. With a quick swipe, he placed it onto a coastal zone just west of Riche. It was dense with topography and marked with a red flag.
"You, Phantom," Maro continued, " will be deployed alongside Tona. Viper and Nighthawk will join Judgment for the Igumi assault. We'll have Echo running supply lines, and assign a division of ordinaries to bolster our invasion force."
A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped forward. "Sir, Igumi won't be easy. I think it'd be much more fitting for us to join the other squads in the assault. Respectfully, Tona won't need the backup, and the Igumians are fiercely loyal… it'll be a bloodbath, and our presence could turn the tides in Memento's favor."
"Hajima," Maro started. "We can't throw all of our cards on the table. Besides, from what I've gathered, Galion was likely a trap of some sort. I believe they're purposefully luring Tona away… so having you as support could handle anything they've got."
Before Hajima could finish, the door to the war-room swung open. Tona entered casually.
"Hey Maro—I'm ba—Oh…"
He halted, his violet eyes flicked to the gathered soldiers. He grinned sheepishly.
"...Am I interrupting?"
Maro sighed. "Yeah, kind of."
"Oh, sorry. I'll—"
He paused mid-sentence with a smirk. He threw his hand up in a greeting.
"Hey Hajima! Giji, Valera, and Toko, good to see you all."
His fingers lowered into a two-fingered salute as he exited. Hajima smirked, and Giji nodded politely. But—Toko and Valera looked at each other wide-eyed.
"Oh, that Tona… what a cutie!" Valera whispered giddily. Toko rubbed her hands together, just as excited as Valera.
"Ahem," Maro cleared his throat. Instant silence followed.
"We were discussing our plan of action."
"Right, right," Hajima responded, closing his eyes. His lips were still parted in a smile.
"You four are the best we've got. I need you with that peabrain in Galion."
"On it commander," Hajima responded.
"Good." Maro's eyes closed. He raised his hand, before dropping it in rhythm. "You're dismissed."
Phantom rose to their feet, and left with purpose. Maro remained for a moment, then followed down the stone hallways of Memento's new headquarters. He emerged into the warm sunlight of Persetta square.
Children laughed as they chased each other in makeshift cloaks. Some wore souvenir Ghost masks, and some draped a white scarf over their shoulders. At the center, stood Tona—arms raised in a mock menace.
"I am the wicked wizard Tona! You dare challenge my gates?!" he shouted theatrically.
"No! We'll stop you!" shouted one of the children, before they swarmed him giggling. He let them tackle him to the ground.
Maro let out a rare, soft smile, before calling out. "Tona."
Tona pushed himself off the ground, waving the children off. His playfulness turned into business.
"Yeah?"
"They look up to you. You know that, right?" Maro asked quietly.
"Not just me," Tona scratched his arm. "Us. Memento."
Maro gave a sly smile. His hands sat deep in the pockets of his customized Memento cloak, with a navy phoenix imprinted on the back. "Right. That's why they're wearing all of your gear."
Tona chuckled softly, grazing at the scarf around his neck.
"Anyways," Maro continued. "The briefing. Are you ready?"
"Always. Whatcha got?"
Maro cleared his throat. "We're preparing for a full advance into Igumi. Judgment, Nighthawk and Viper will all be participating. I'm putting Danzo in charge of the attack."
Tona raised an eyebrow, awaiting his role.
"You'll be in Galion. Reports are surfacing of Chaze in the northern forests."
Tona crossed his arms. "So I'm taking the bastard on, yeah?"
Maro closed his eyes, before giving a quick nod. "Only if necessary, Tona. And I mean that. Besides, even if you did, Phantom's going with you."
Tona gave a dumbfounded look. "Huh? Since when do I need backup?"
"It's clearly a trap, Tona. They want you to come in aid. What they don't expect is one of our strongest squads right behind."
The Ghost exhaled, giving a faint smile at Maro.
"Your word, is your word," he said quietly.
"Good," Maro responded. "You and Phantom will be heading out soon—a few days at most. Be prepared, and be safe."
Tona nodded, before turning and heading down the Persetta streets. He gave another two fingered salute, as Maro waved. A cloud passed, covering the baby blue sky in a calm gray, and Persetta now lay without the beaming light cast along its surface.
Elsewhere, Judgment Squad rode along the dirt path leading to Zimala's wall from Jon. A quiet sunset bled across the Alden sky, casting shadows over the rocky terrain they would soon be leaving.
"Damn this ride," Knoxx grumbled. "How much longer?"
Tsuki glanced at the horizon. "A couple more hours, probably."
"Screw this, I'm taking a nap!" Knoxx shouted, seeping into the wooden bench.
"Please do," responded Azumi. "That'll finally close your mouth."
Knoxx glared at her. "You've got one more comment before I—"
"Enough," a voice interrupted. Hatori's half open eyes told them he was irritated. "Shut it. Both of you."
Both Knoxx and Azumi responded in unison. "You aren't involved!"
Geo leaned closer to Tsuki in the midst of chaos. "They fight like siblings," he chuckled.
"They sure do," Tsuki laughed. She smiled genuinely. It wasn't forced or heavy—a brief moment where she couldn't let the past affect the future. Geo could only smile too.
"We're only family, after all," she finished, peering into his striking green eyes. A brief snore from Danzo, and the bickering of the other three didn't keep them from enjoying one another's company.