Chapter 1: First Impressions

By Arion Wong & Yoru no Angel

-Katrina-

Katrina sighed as she lay on her bed in the Imperiales Konzertsaal. It was a sunny day, perfect for a walk in the park. But, not for her.

For almost her entire known life, she had punished her body, pushed it to the limits. She was powerfully built and yet slim and still retaining lady-like qualities. Not as if she cared for the latter. A thorough military woman, she prided herself on her strength, skills and above all, discipline. She had to; otherwise the anger that was always bubbling within her would explode.

She sat up to gaze out of the window. Below, the streets of Berlin were teeming with people bustling about their business.

'What am I doing here?' she asked herself for the thousandth time. It was a familiar cycle, the doubts creeping into her mind, on why she accepted so readily... It's not as if she can...

Her thoughts were interrupted when a soft-spoken voice came over the Imperial Concert Hall's speakers.

"Miss Katrina, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Isaac, Miss Abigail, Miss Siti, you're to gather at the cafeteria in 5 minutes. Please wait for further instructions there."

Katrina frowned at the voice of Mika Sorenson, the building's very young administrator. She had only met the girl briefly several times.

Glad to have an excuse to do something, she got up and pulled on her usual singlet and military green fatigues.

Just before she left the room, she pulled the curtains over the window.

'No use in looking at something I will never get...'

---

-Isaac and Abigail-

Isaac studied the newspaper in his hands. His eyebrow was cocked in confusion as he tried to make heads or tails of the headlines. Although he had studied German for a while, the words still seemed indecipherable to him. He honestly didn't know what he was doing with a local German paper in the first place.

With a small sigh, he folded the newspaper and tucked it under his right arm. He considered making himself a cup of tea before the day truly began. As he headed for the cafeteria, he couldn't help but feel as if he were being watched.

But instead of advancing to the cafeteria, he backtracked and soon arrived upon his room. Isaac disappeared within it much to the disappointment of his follower.

Abigail peered from around the corner, seeing if the coast was clear. She stepped out from hiding and slowly sauntered up to the door to Isaac's room. For a moment she considered knocking but announcement from the younger Sorenson sister interrupted her thoughts.

The door opened and…

Thud!!

"Miss Sinclair, are you alright?"

Abigail glanced up for a moment and a deep blush began to creep over her cheeks, "I-I'm fine, really Mr. Williams…"

"Are you sure…?" Isaac extended his hand out to her and she gratefully took it. With one swift move, she was hoisted back onto her feet.

"We'd better get going…" The older man said. He began to make his way down the hall.

Abigail hastily followed.

---

-Thomas-

 Thomas stared blankly up at the ceiling above him with his arms folded behind his head as he lay silently on his bed.

Outside it was the perfect day; the sun was shining, the sky was a clear blue and there was a soothing, gentle breeze that made the day seem as if nothing could ever go wrong. That wasn't the case for this fifteen-year-old though.

'The ceiling is so…boring, so white…' He said to himself. He blinked, 'Really, it needs some color…c'mon, what about a cheerful yellow?'

Thomas sat up with a sigh, "I guess you're not supposed to stare at the ceiling for entertainment anyway…" He muttered to himself.

He took a look around his room. He never noticed that it looked so…empty. Besides for the bed and dressing table, the only other thing that took up any space was the violin case and small suitcase by the right side of the room. Nothing in Tom's room reminded him of his past.

'Not that I want to remember that time anyway…'

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Mika Sorenson's voice.

"Miss Katrina, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Isaac, Miss Abigail, Miss Siti, you're to gather at the cafeteria in five minutes. Please wait for further instructions there."

"No use crying over spilled milk now…" Tom muttered, making a move to leave, 'And I really have to stop speaking to myself…' He added mentally.

The fifteen-year-old took one last look at his room and left with a small sigh.

---

-Siti-

Siti stood in awe on the polished and waxed stage, feeling so small and alone in the vast hall.

She didn't know what to think. The place seemed so alien, so... large. When she first laid her eyes on the Imperiales Konzertsaal, she didn't know that humans could build such an imposing structure of marble. Of course, she had read about it, but to be in it...

When the nice Mr. Henry asked if she could play music, Siti could only shyly answer no. Well, she could play a passable er-hu, the Chinese violin, but she remembered how the cats in her village would hiss whenever she played. Not to mention that she broke several strings and caused the Chinese owner of the er-hu to give her a real earful.

'I'm going to play music... here?' she wondered. She shuddered, hoping that wasn't true. The hall could easily accommodate, what, a thousand people? She can't even play an instrument!

Then Siti heard the announcement, calling for her name to go to the cafeteria. She smiled; she liked the cafeteria. The chefs there were more than willing to let her help, curious about her native recipes. She whistled a happy tune as she went on her way to the cafeteria.

When she got there, she found that the others were already sitting down. Problem was, everyone was at different seats. Nobody wanted to sit together, it seemed. The cafeteria was large enough so that all five of them had five different tables.

Siti sighed. She went to the dispenser and poured herself half a cup of coffee. She acquired a taste for it while on the ship on her way to Germany, though she couldn't take too much of the bitter taste.

As she slowly blew her cup to cool the coffee, she glanced around.

'Miss Katrina... she's scary. But not as much as Miss Lauranna... Miss Katrina's seem so big and so strong... I wonder if she's really a man?' she thought mischievously.

Then she discreetly turned to look at Thomas McPherson. 'I like him, he's quite fun to be around with. It's funny to see how Miss Katrina would woman-handle him; and his arguments with Miss Abby.'

Then she mentally checked herself. 'Oops, I meant, Miss Abigail.' She looked at the American girl. 'I don't like her. She's so bratty! And she keeps picking on Tom too! And what's with that look?'

For at that moment, Abigail Sinclair was lazily stirring her drink while gazing at Isaac Williams, the chestnut brown haired Englishman.

'Oh, him,' Siti realized. She could understand why Abigail liked him; he had the sort of dreamy quality about him. 'Nice looking, and he's friendly too... what am I thinking!?' she abruptly stopped herself. Even so, heat crept up to her cheeks.

Then a new arrival to the cafeteria interrupted her train of thought. It was a tall woman, pale with indifferent eyes. She was slim, her strawberry blonde hair reaching all the way to the small of her back, the collars of her jacket upturned to her ears, ears that had small red earrings. She carried a duffel bag over a shoulder, her eyes half-closed as she scanned the cafeteria with disinterest. The woman was biting a thin blade of green grass.

'She looks like a ruffian,' Siti thought. 'But she seems to be hiding something, her footsteps are so light!'

---

-Thomas-

Thomas stared closely at the glossy table in front of him. His ears picked up the sounds of approaching footsteps and he cocked his head to the side, watching the newcomer Malay girl called Siti wander into the hall.

'Hmm…that girl, Siti…she looks a little lost…' He thought, his clear blue eyes trailing her movement as she moved to the dispenser and poured herself some coffee, 'Should I invite…? Nah, she probably doesn't want to sit with me anyway…'

The fifteen-year-old finally controlled his adventuring eyes, 'At least she's nice and pretty cute too, unlike…'

Tom gave an involuntary shudder; even now he could feel the cold eyes of Katrina Efeu Steiner staring intently at the back of his neck, he scolded himself for sitting at the table next to hers. At least he had enough smarts to sit with his back facing her.

 He didn't dare to turn around, 'It's like she's trying to curse me! I guess that's what I get for sitting across from her though…'

'She's had it in for me from the start, that one. All I did was try to be nice and what do I get in return?? The evil eye! Honestly, some people these days…'

He gazed impassively at the half-finished cup of tea sitting serenely across from him. Tom briefly glanced across the room to the only other male in the room. Isaac Williams, who had only arrived a few days ago, didn't bother looking up, his eyes quickly skimming over the pages of the thick book in his lap.

'Isaac…not a bad bloke. Just hope Abby over there doesn't stare a hole through him…' His face suddenly contorted into a smile crossed with a simper and a chuckle as he spared another quick glance at the redheaded American sitting at the table diagonal to his.

Abigail watched the older man with her head leaning on her right hand; Abigail's head was just about to fall off her hand and she was much too captivated by the chestnut brown haired Englishman to even notice.

'Abby, Abby, Abby…' He thought with a small shake of his head, 'Oh how Isaac would be an idiot to fall for you, such a spoiled little princess you are. You're so far up yourself, you can probably see through the other side…' Thomas couldn't help but allow a smirk cross his young features.

Another sound of shuffling feet reached his ears and the young teen swerved his head to get another look at the doorway. A young woman with a simple duffel bag slung over her shoulder had just arrived, holding a blade of green grass between her teeth. Her unruly strawberry blonde hair and clothing gave Tom the air of great wildness but style.

Tom looked away before the new arrival could catch his eye, another smile formed on his lips.

'Wow, talk about cool… now that's the type of person we need on this team!'

---

-Katrina-

Katrina chose a table that was against the wall, so that she can lean against it while offering her a view on the others. She had met Tom and Abigail... In fact, it was only Tom's insistence that she got to know him and the American girl in the first place.

'McPherson... what is he doing here? I can't believe the colonel would choose a slacker like him for the Anti-Demon Division. Is he really as good as he says he is? I just don't believe it...'

She curled her bottom lip, a habit when she disapproved of something. If Thomas was a slacker, Abigail was a spoiled brat.

'I know her name... Sinclair... Sinclair Oils. That would explain her behavior, acting like a princess. Just what are the commanders thinking?' she shook her head slightly, absolutely mystified, and not a little annoyed.

She saw the direction in which Abigail's attentions were at. It was focused at the newcomer, Isaac Williams. A table behind him was the other newcomer; she was called Siti. Katrina did not bother to introduce herself when they first arrived, but she knew their names.

'A child! What can she possibly do here? She could be killed in the first battle,' Katrina thought dispassionately about the Malay girl, who was cooling her coffee with short breaths.

Then she looked at Isaac Williams, who was nonchalantly stirring his cup of tea while balancing a thick novel in his lap, 'Isaac Williams... I know that name. There was a young and famous English cavalry officer from the Great War... but if he's that Isaac, then what is he doing here? He should be a decorated noble in England and enjoying his life now.'

Then a new arrival interrupted her mind. She glanced over at the entrance. It was a woman, carrying a duffel bag and biting on a blade of grass.

'She's dangerous,' Katrina narrowed her eyes. 'Is that a gun in her jacket? A soldier, like me? Hmm...'

---

-Abigail-

Abigail didn't even bother to glance up at the sound of someone entering the room. She knew it was probably that newcomer Siti anyway, why should she waste her time on someone such as her?

The redhead returned to doing her favorite activity without thought, she leant against her hand, watching the longhaired man sitting diagonally from her with much interest; a quiet sigh left her throat, 'Mr. Williams…such a handsome man. And so civil too…so distinct compared to that, that little boy over there…'

The American turned her nose up in disgust at the teenager from England sitting at the other table in the row in front of her, 'Mr. McPherson needs a little discipline! How can he even consider being so discourteous to someone such as myself??'

'Oh, I will teach him…that is, if that one over there doesn't do so first.' Abigail's eyes moved from the boy named Thomas to the dark haired woman sitting at the table next to his, 'Now she is a rough piece of work. A walking time bomb actually, just waiting to explode and I'm sure Mr. McPherson will be the one to set Miss Steiner off…'

Just as her gaze turned back to the side profile of Isaac, Abigail's stare linked with Siti's but the Malay girl hastily looked away, 'Yes, that was the smart thing to do, Miss Nora. Such sweetness and innocence will not be tolerated in this force, only warriors with skill remain…'

'Then…' Abigail added happily to herself, admiring the Englishman as he read his book while sipping tea, 'Only Mr. Williams and myself would continue on, naturally…'

Her attention was suddenly drawn away from the twenty-one year old. Abigail had noticed the rowdy looking woman by the doorway, 'What is with her??'

The blonde woman sat down at a table near the entrance and surveyed the rest of the group through sleepy purple colored eyes. For a moment, she and Abigail linked gazes and Abigail couldn't help but feel as if the new arrival was intruding on her turf; she glared, 'Oh no you don't…I saw him first so keep your vulture-like claws away!'

'Honestly! I was just beginning to think this so called team couldn't get any worse and this…this piece of work rocks up!' The redhead said heatedly to herself, 'That little floozy better stay far away from Mr. Williams! Someone like that could tarnish his name for good…'

---

-Isaac-

Isaac remained silent in his seat, stirring his cup of tea with his right hand while flipping the page of the book sitting in his lap using his left. The twenty-one year old tried hard not to connect gazes with anybody; he still had the feeling that someone was watching him.

Quickly, his green eyes looked up for a fleeting second to get a better look at the other occupants of the cafeteria; they were all seated at different tables all around the room.

The Englishman surveyed the teenager sitting two tables away from him. From the look on Tom's face he could tell Katrina was making him feel uneasy, 'Thomas, what a little joker… reminds me of a younger brother actually…but seriously though, what is a person like him doing in a force such as this? I hope he doesn't get himself into too much trouble.'

He turned the page, 'And that Katrina should settle down for now, at the very least…we aren't in a war just yet…' He took another glimpse of the German woman, 'She's a soldier. She probably knows who I am.'

Isaac lifted his cup to his lips and drank some tea, using this excuse to look at his other teammates. He sighted Abigail dazing off into space, 'Miss Abigail…hmm…well, she is a little spoilt. No surprise since her family does own Sinclair Oils…I wonder what she's staring so intently at…'

For a second, Siti's dark eyes locked gazes with Isaac's green ones. She stared torpidly at him for a couple of moments until she realized what she was doing. The Malaysian girl hastily straightened her priorities; her cheeks flushed a pale shade of red.

 'I can't help admitting that Miss Siti is a very kind person but what will she be like during conflict? The battlefield is no place for someone as young as her…' Isaac's eyebrows came together in a frown as he pretended to read the same page for the tenth time.

The Englishman finished off his tea and placed the empty cup back onto the table quietly. His eyes suddenly darted to the doorway and as his suspected; a new person had entered the room, a woman who looked to be in her early twenties or late teens.

'This certainly is a change…she doesn't look it but I believe she is involved with the military in some way…'

She sat at the table nearest the cafeteria doors. She brushed her strawberry blonde hair away from her face before flicking a blade of grass she had in her mouth into the ashtray.

The new arrival gave the rest of the present people a good surveying with her sleepy purple eyes.

'Ah, she knows what she's doing. Her expression gives it all away…'

Isaac finally closed his novel with a dull thud, a smile formed on his face.

'A young lady such as her…certainly hazardous…yet, it will be interesting to see how this all unfolds, very interesting indeed…'

---

-Veraiho-

Veraiho looked around disinterestedly as she entered the cafeteria of the building. 'A concert hall. What am I doing in a concert hall?' she asked herself. 'Is this what my sister does in Japan? This is nuts. I shouldn't be here.'

The Russian noticed that there were several people in the cafeteria. Oddly, all five were seated at different tables.

'No sign of the infamous Lauranna Dornen. Guess I would have to wait.'

Her purple eyes scanned the room. She picked an empty table near the entrance that had a view of the other occupants, with her back to the wall.

Veraiho removed her bag and placed it on the floor. She took out the grass she had been biting and flicked it into the ashtray on the table. Without a word, she sat down and eyed the others. Interestingly, nobody bothered to ask her anything, as if it was perfectly normal for a stranger like her to waltz into the cafeteria and sit down uninvited.

'Hmm, that woman looks dangerous,' Veraiho thought as she studied Katrina Efeu Steiner through half-lidded eyes, a sleepy look she affected as a bluff.

Their eyes met and Veraiho could feel the intensity in Katrina's gaze. It was brief, because Katrina turned away to put on a mask of indifference of her own.

'So, she's playing the same game. Nice to see woman who can prove to be a challenge... She's all military I bet.'

Then she looked at the young man at a nearby table who was looking closely into the teacup on the table and did not appear to notice her gaze. 'I'd say, 15-16 years old. 58 kilos? His hands are calloused... must be a swordsman. Interesting.'

Propping an elbow on the table and resting her chin on a hand, she turned to look at the others. She spied Abigail who was starring daggers at her.

'Red hair. Irish? American? Why is she looking at me like that?'

Abigail's eyes darted between Veraiho and Isaac anxiously.

'Ah, I see. It's about him.'

Veraiho turned to look at the Englishman. Isaac noticed her and looked away, putting a calm face as he lifted his tea to his lips and took a small sip. 'I know him. Isaac Williams; decorated English cavalry officer. If he's here, then the intelligence is true, he's out of an inheritance.'

She smirked cynically. Being a special agent for Russia, Veraiho knew just how inaccurate information could be. 'For once, our Special Branch intelligence is right.'

Lastly, she looked at the youngest person in the room. 'Is she in this special team that I'm supposed to join? Impossible... well, just improbable. And she's too young to be drinking coffee,' she thought as she studied Siti.

To her surprise, the young girl waved and smiled cheerfully at her. She lazily waved back.

Her ears picked up the sound of military boots on the marble floor. Instantly she sat up straighter, the sleepy look disappeared from her face, her hand instinctively reaching for her pocket where her Luger Kustom Pistol was hidden. She noticed that Katrina and Isaac became instantly alert at the same time she did.

"Ah, you're here. Finally," a cold female voice spoke, almost sardonically.

Veraiho glanced up and relaxed when she saw that the voice belonged to Lauranna Dornen. Beside the shorthaired, blonde woman was a massive African American.

"Colonel Dornen? I am Veraiho Dimitrovich, reporting as ordered," she stood and saluted the uniformed female.

"You were due here last week," the colonel replied icily.

"I got lost," Veraiho deadpanned.

"Really," the African American smiled, instantly liking her attitude.

"Yes. I didn't like your trains, so I improvised," Veraiho answered. The huge man began to laugh. Lauranna gave him an elbow to the gut. As he gasped for breath, she motioned for the others.

"Follow me. It's time we get down to business," she said curtly. Veraiho glanced to see the other five standing up to follow.

'So, they really are part of the special team. This is gonna be one heck of an adventure,' she thought wryly as she shouldered her bag and followed them.

---

The two officers led the group towards the back of the Imperiales Konzertsaal, towards the backstage. Then they veered off to a side and down a staircase and entered a basement area. Boxes were stacked on one side and steel doors lined the hallway.

"What is this dusty place?" Abigail demanded as she covered her nose disapprovingly.

Tom took an exaggerated look around and shrugged. "I don't know, this looks like a basement to me," he said with owlish eyes. Behind them, Siti giggled.

"Quiet," Katrina growled before Abigail could say anything. Abigail sullenly kept her mouth closed.

Lauranna led them to the end of the hallway. She stepped aside as Henry opened one of the steel doors.

"In here, there will be no joking allowed," Lauranna said in a tone that brooked no interference. Veraiho hid her smirk.

As they entered the door, they experienced a sudden transition. From the dusty basement, they were now standing in a room filled with sophisticated equipment. A large screen dominated the wall. A long metallic table stood in the center in the room, surrounded by different colored chairs. The room had a communications array, sensors, radar and various other things the group couldn't identify at first.

Lauranna and Henry went to the head of the table.

"Sit," the German colonel ordered, and everyone picked a chair and sat down. Henry stood at the colonel's side.

Without giving them the chance to gawk at their surroundings, Lauranna folded her arms and stared at each of them in the eyes.

"Since we have now finally all in place, I will begin again. My name is Colonel Lauranna Dornen, commander of the Anti-Demon Division. You will address me as Colonel or Commander."

She jerked a thumb at the grinning African American beside her. "This is Captain Henry Glory. You will call him the Vice-Commander-"

"Call me, Mr. Henry," he interrupted with a smile.

Lauranna frowned. "Whatever," she said dismissively. "Above us is the Imperiales Konzertsaal, the Imperial Concert Hall. You are now within the headquarters of the Anti-Demon Division. From now onwards, no word of this should ever leave this base. If you are unable to comply I will have you sent back to whatever God-forsaken place you came from."

Seeing no reaction from them, Lauranna nodded. "You will be working as a team from now on, codenamed Hikarigumi, the Light Division. Now, introduce yourselves to each other. I find that teams usually work better when they actually know each other's names," she said, almost sarcastically.

Siti timidly raised her hand. "Um, I'm..."

"Speak up," Lauranna interrupted.

"A-ah, yes!" Siti stammered. She took a deep breath as she stood, letting her usual cheerful energy to steady her nerves. "I'm Siti Nora binti Ibrahim from Malaya. Please call me Siti. I look forward to be working with all of you!"

Henry smiled and nodded approvingly at her. Siti bowed gratefully and sat back down.

The fifteen-year-old boy rose casually from his seat and he glanced around with a cheery smile on his face, "The name's Thomas McPherson, call me Thomas or Tom..." He added with a small wink to the black-haired woman across from him.

Then the black-haired Katrina stood up, clearly fighting the urge to scowl or at least scalp the younger man. "I'm Katrina Efeu Steiner, formerly of the German army," she said simply, directing each of them a stare before sitting down again.

Abigail reluctantly stood, her hands placed haughtily on her hips, "My name is Abigail Sinclair. As you all probably know, my family owns the largest oil company in the whole of America," She added smugly as an afterthought.

The latest arrival stood up nonchalantly. "I'm Veraiho Dimitrovich of Russia," she said, her Russian drawl giving her a pleasing voice. She had one hand in her pocket, and she gave a two-fingered salute with the other as a greeting.

As she sat down, Isaac stood with a swish of his long hair. He saluted, "I am Isaac Williams." His stern salute faded and he gave the others each a small smile, "I'm sure it will be a pleasure working with all of you..."

Lauranna motioned at Henry who nodded and moved to fiddle with some of the equipment. Then she turned to face them once more.

"You are here for your own personal reasons; I don't care what they are. But here and in the battlefield, you will obey my orders."

"Or you will have us sent back, right?" Tom quipped. Beside him, Siti tittered. Abigail discreetly covered her mouth to hide her grin, while Katrina glared at him.

"No. I will have you shot," Lauranna corrected him. That sobered everyone quickly.

"It's ready," Henry reported.

"Good, let it roll," Lauranna said. The lights dimmed and the large screen behind her came to life. A sketchy, black and white mute video appeared.

"What you see now is an attack on the village of Ferlangen. A filmmaker who was there to do a documentary on their farming life took this footage. No one survived," Lauranna narrated.

The horrifying video ended with the slightest glimpse of the attackers, huge brutish figures that wielded crude weapons. Others were monsters, like those out from nightmare myths and legends.

"As you might have surmised, we call those things demons, hence you being in the Anti-Demon Division," Lauranna said.

She then explained about the attacks that had happened in Japan, and told them about how the Hanagumi was formed and successfully stopped the threat.

"Each of you have been tested positive for something we call 'spiritual power'. Each of you possesses the unique ability to fight the demons. Alone, you might not have a chance. But as a team, we can end this menace," Lauranna added.

Henry stepped forward. "To do this, you will be like a team. You will all stay together in rooms provided in this building. You will train together and work together. Make no mistake about it, ladies and gentlemen, a mistake can cost you your life," he said grimly.

"Where do those things come from?" Katrina asked, for once aghast.

"We have no idea," Henry answered. "We don't even know what they are. They would appear, attack a village and then disappear without a trace."

"Monsters! As if!" Abigail snorted.

Henry grimly shook his head. "Yeah, I expect some of you might not believe it. But if you want proof, ask Mr. Thomas or Siti about what happened to them."

"Well then," Abigail said looking expectantly over at the fifteen-year-old with her arms crossed over her chest, "Care to enlighten me, Mr. McPherson?"

Thomas hesitated for a moment. He could feel all five pairs of eyes stare at him from all directions, "H-How would you like it if you were suddenly walking down the street and this great ruddy creature just pops up from no where and tries to kill you...?"

"I'd didn't have time to even think…" He said simply, "It was die or die trying, simple enough…I was lucky to have survived. You haven't known real fear until you've encountered one of these…things…" He concluded grimly. For the first time his cheerful expression had been wiped completely off his face.

The rest of the team was utterly speechless.

"Would you like to add anything?" Lauranna questioned the Malayan girl in a cool voice.

But Siti only bit her lower lip and refused to say anything, her hands shaking. Nobody needed further convincing.

"And yet, you're sure we can stand up to those monsters?" Isaac asked doubtfully.

"Ask her if you don't believe it. She has knowledge of what happened in Japan," Lauranna replied, jutting her chin towards Veraiho.

The Russian thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes, it's true," she admitted. "The Japanese Hanagumi used something called 'spiritual armor' to fight demons, though I have not seen it."

"But do you believe it?" Isaac asked.

"She knows someone in the Hanagumi," Lauranna answered for her. Veraiho narrowed her eyes and stared at the colonel.

Henry clapped his hands to break the spell. "Well, that's that. You know as much as we do now. It's up to you guys to work together and beat those demons."

Lauranna stood up. Instinctively, the Hikarigumi stood as well, thinking that it was time to leave.

"One more thing," Lauranna said. "Since you are going to be a team, there will be a team captain. I have yet to decide, but the captain should be the most outstanding of all of you."

Instantly, all six members eyed each other warily, sizing each other up.

"Geez Lauranna, that's like an invitation for them to fight each other," Henry muttered.

"Hm. Conflict brings strength," Lauranna replied coldly.

-End Chapter 1: First Impressions-