"Hey, wake up."

"Honestly, you're too carefree for your position Doctor."

"Alright, since you leave me no other choice."

Gah!

I woke up as I felt a cold hand over my neck, the fluorescent lights were like burning rods that were singing my half-awake eyes. I must have passed out after working too hard, ever since that incident Rhodes Island was more busy than ever.

I looked over the person who woke me up.

"Oh Yelena, you're done with that mission already?"

0o0

"Indeed, Aurora and Zima are in the infirmary to get their check-up." Yelena explained, "I headed here after being done with mine, and you know...make my report in person while I'm at it."

That makes sense, Yelena was always an efficient Operator. Ever since she was saved from succumbing to Oripathy, she spent her days like every second counted.

"Then you're gonna spend your free time either training or playing Machia with the others?" Rhodes was one of the first promoters of that game, they even managed to rope in me and Kal into playing a test game.

"Pretty much, but you're wrong about one thing though," Oh? "I'm going to open a box of packs in my room, you know that set."

Still though her being upfront about it didn't mean she was a slacker, she's just pretty good at spending her leisure time.

"Alright, hit me. It's just delivering cargo to MSR right along with Penguin Logistics?" MSR requested a better deal in their partnership after our ragtag group of musicians became famous enough to be met with cheers at the Siesta Music Festival.

"Just the usual goons, Exusiai was grazed by a stray arrow but she'll live and uninfected too since it's just a plain steel arrow." Well, that's good to hear, "That's pretty much, I'll never understand why Doctor Kal'tsit thinks a ten-page report for a simple delivery needs much elaboration."

"You still file them like that? I though that I talk to Kal'tsit about this." Kal'tsit wasn't a cool customer when arguing with these sorts of things, but thank goodness Amiya sided with me, "Now Blaze and the others in longer Operations are the ones suffering right now."

Thanks to that Blaze wouldn't do as much collateral in combat scenarios, and honestly you can only word a scant logistics trip as many times as a verb for moving can allow until you get sick of the word "walking" again. Especially since if there were anything worth reporting it would have been already read through.

"So I shouldn't keep you busy now?"

"Not really that busy, to tell you the truth your report was the last thing on my list."

"I see, then..." Yelena thought about something for a moment, "Will you join me?"

0o0

One of the first things I did when I was given access to the Ark's facilities was to make it feel more like a home that you wanted to come back from, cozier dormitories, recreational rooms, and even an indoor hot spring that with some new technology from Siesta was able to recreate the ambiance of the night sky. I still had to work on them but it was a refreshing experience, I felt like a natural in programming that. I gotta wonder what skills did I pick up before I was turned into a popsicle.

Needless to say, it helped with boosting morale and since most of these stalls are managed by the Operators themselves we kinda made a cycling in-house economy here.

Not to mention the money keeps rolling in as other than my deal with Monster Siren thanks to Mr. Emperor we have an alliance with Karlan Trade, and many other businesses big or small.

That goes to say that our pharmaceutical items are also popping off store shelves, I green-lit the production of a version of Cureinall that can heal injuries ranging from small cuts to inflammations in a few minutes, they were just minor day-to-day injuries so the secret of Cureinall will stay in the highest levels of the medical department. Not sure that we would be able to mass-produce them given that the material is technically of a limited quantity. The drug uses similar healing properties but thanks to Folinic and Myrrh's combined efforts they managed to recreate a similar process, that level of treatment was already a game-changer in their eyes. A simple shot that can heal in a matter of minutes without a Medic changes what is possible apparently.

"I saw a pop-up stall from Raythean on my way back, wanna go have a look?"

New weapons huh...look at me a Doctor entertaining improving battle prowess. Though I have yet to kill anyone in battle before, I shudder at my inevitable first kill.

"Sure...that sounds great...maybe they have the kind of weapon I use." As if I rehearsed it a million times, I managed to hide my uneasiness at the mention of battle.

If only we could just make music, make medicine, and provide wellness service as a pharmaceutical company. Sadly we still have to sharpen our skills in battle to make sure the innocent would still have a future, it may be a pipe dream to ask for that as long as a single blade is oiled with blood.

But the things we currently have right now are good enough for me.

Maybe I'll get over this anxiety for fighting as I get better at it, Hellagur thinks I'm ready for the seventh form of his style so who knows?

"So, how's work on your end?" Yelena asked as she sipped on her spicy hot chocolate, a recipe from Gavial's hometown apparently, "You look pretty tired when I woke you up."

"Oh...that." How unsightly of me, "I just had such a strange dream is all, can't exactly remember it though."

Whatever it was, it felt like I was tearing myself into pieces.

"Must be all the stress, being in charge of like seventy, eighty percent of Rhodes' internal workings." Yelena quipped, she has a sharp head she already noticed that on her first official day here when she opened my office. It's true though, I was literally given the responsibility of making sure Rhodes is run well with Amiya helping and picking up on things, even though she is our CEO we're basically teacher and student in handling the company.

While Kal'tsit was working non-stop in the Medical Department, if it weren't for Amiya and I convincing her to trust that the other Medics can handle as much workload as she puts herself through we may not ever see her ever.

I nervously laugh, "Even with my skill at handling paperwork I still have to do all sorts of things to keep the balling rolling, and I have to see the people I'm commanding and fighting alongside with too."

"So, you're just making friends because of your job?" Yelena teased but I bit anyway.

"I don't have any memories to show for but some of them still look at me like a friend or colleague that was respected...two birds with one stone I guess. I do really want to know more about you guys other than what is written in your paper."

"I'd say you know most of them pretty well at this point given how well you command them."

"Hmm...I guess so..." I paused for a moment, "But still, I feel bad at the other Operators looking at me like I fought with so long and immediately remembering that I don't remember the time I spent with them."

"And it's not like I just goof off with the others, I'm working on some new things with Closure. If we manage to make a standardized grapple for Rhodes Island personnel that can at minimum easily scale buildings it would help our mission a lot."

Aside from that, there were schematics for an upgrade to my grappling hook. A vambrace that can tactically switch what it's firing from the wrist at my command, from firing small explosives to break through armor to deploying a net to detain fleeing targets easily without lethal force. Closure decided that it should be interchangeable system that I need to choose what to equip before setting out too. Of course, this also another way to test the possible compactness of equipment, imagine just having a capture net in your packet.

"So we still can't pull off those massive swings like you can?"

"Well other Persona-users can...but I don't know why they choose not to?" Although I think Amiya just likes hugging me whenever I use the thing to mobilize faster, then again I might just be imagining things.

"Maybe it's because it's hard to think about what to shoot towards as they're in freefall?"

Actually makes a lot of sense, they'd rather use a Sukukazine to boost any mobility they have maybe? Or Sukukaja if they haven't learned that spell yet. Come to think of it, aerial maneuvering is a weapon as far I know only I can fully take advantage of.

"Perhaps?"

"Are you alright Doctor? You have yet to touch that cake you ordered." My cake? Did I order a dessert as well to go along with my drink. I would have remembered taking a bite of it if I did but when I looked at where Yelena was pointing towards, there it was.

The chocolate cake in front of me was left untouched.

"I'm fine, weird I haven't even noticed that there." I said to her, "Did Gummy put it there for me without me noticing?"

"No, you took it yourself and placed it on the table." Did I now? "Are you alright? You seem out of it today."

"Nevermind that, maybe I did overworked myself." It isn't anything to worry about, so I'm getting a bit forgetful today. Maybe my exhaustion is getting to me and I just noticed it today, maybe it's one of those "Zero Sanity" moments that they tease me about, "How's your studies by the way? I remember the first time you caved in to my insistence on getting you a proper education."

"To be fair, I thought that I would be the only one in my age group attending there." Yelena defended herself, "I didn't expect that the CEO of this company would still go to class."

I do have other responsibilities in the landship other than command battles and pursuing my own interests. I also teach children and some adults as well, mostly general knowledge and more professional topics like geometry and organic science. Utage, for instance goes to class to continue the education she stopped having because of her infection. I teach for four hours a day and give assignments every meeting, I also send pamphlets if the Operator absent was busy on an Operation.

Thankfully, Eyjafyalla was eager to act as my aide whenever I teach.

"Neither did you expect Projekt Red to be there either."

We both laughed at the memory, Yelena smiled at me before we continued talking about topic after topic. She reminded me so much of Amiya, a Cautus that was eager to learn about the world around her.

0o0

After teaching mid-level mathematics to my students the class dismissed, shoes touching the floor I can hear the footsteps dwindle every second. Come five minutes later, all of them left the auditorium except for Projekt Red, who probably slept after I said that class was dismissed, Yelena who was scribbling down notes, and Amiya who was waiting for me.

"Alright...Yelena, wake Red up please." Yelena lazily cast a weak bolt of Ice to Red's neck, the wolf slashed at the back out of instinct but quickly realized what was happening.

"Did you have a nice dream?"

"Red is sorry...Doctor."

"No need to apologize, you slept after the class was over." I reassured her, "Besides I heard how tiring that Operation was for your squad, ten minutes shows how great your restraint is. Shower first before you sleep for the day ok?"

Red nodded before yawning to herself as she left the auditorium, her tail swishing in a joyful rhythm.

"Ok...so Amiya shall we go to the meeting?" I looked at her expecting gaze then at Yelena who was trying to do her homework here apparently. I tried to argue that she shouldn't do that here but she argued that Rhodes Island is her home, so I dropped it.

"Actually, Yelena is also involved in this so..."

"Ah I see..." So it's time...

My look darkened, I really hoped that this day would never come but I guess I can't keep on pretending that it wouldn't come to this.

"Lead the way...Amiya."

0o0

The cold exhaust of the sliding doors felt like a foreboding mist gracing my face, Kal'tsit had a stern look in her face. She was as displeased of this day as we are, her fingers were hovering over the keyboard in antsy manner.

"Guess I'll be the one to break the operation down." I wish I wasn't though.

The situation within Victoria was a serious one, a myriad of conspiracy-woven threads were connected at that nation with the capitol at the center of its scheme. Kazdel had enough of being the hell-hole that it currently and decided that if they cannot have prosperity then they will take it from those who do.

Victoria was the perfect target because war and discord were also looming in that nation, a feud between the Dracos and Aslans that have been going on for generations. Now the wick has been lit and so the cannons fired. Like a Catastrophe, sectors of the nation were ravaged by the war and like a vulture Kazdel was coming to take the spoils of their half-living rivals.

That alone would be a dreadful storm that I have the misfortune to commandeer but to one individual here, this operation would be a hard pill to swallow. Because of the fact that...

Yelena's foster father sided with the Sarkaz King.

Perhaps it was his relief that his daughter would live under a more righteous banner that the Patriot felt free enough to fight for his people, his kin once more. Hence after the Reunion incident he left all of his Shieldguards to Rhodes Island, he wasn't the Patriot of the Infected anymore after all.

Hellagur sighed when he heard the news of old Buldrokas'tee fighting as spearhead of Kazdel's military. He took as a sign that he was looking for a place to die, the man saw no need to protect anymore as we inadvertently took that responsibility away from him. He probably does not believe in the Sarkaz King's rhetoric but as always he was clinging on to a faint hope, that this battle will mean something, will lead to something. A man like him couldn't settle down after the dust has settled, not after what he lost.

Victoria is caught between a civil war as well as two attempts of power play from Ursus and Kazdel. What irked us more was the fact that more people would be forced to endure hardship over those on high playing their silly little games.

"I hate this...this game is...horrible..." I muttered absentmindedly.

Was this right time for a such a conflict? When we have heard of threats that do not discriminate about regions our countries. Nightmarish abominations that have little use over the concept of individuality, demonic entities from the border of the unexplored world, and the disastrous re-emergence of a composite deity in the east.

A battle like this felt like a children's quarrel in comparison.

In either case, I can't let my own perspective tarnish our strategy. It cannot be denied that this war is our current predicament, the consequences of the Sarkaz King taking over Victoria is absurd. It may even be another Gaul situation, where the embers of a once proud civilization will be swept into the sands. Though I cannot deny that Victoria also brought this conflict upon themselves, while they are refined and probably the most powerful nation in Terra, there are centuries worth of tensions between its colonized lands.

After the fighting whose to say that Victoria will not be the aggressor in the next battle, would they attack Leithanien out of convenience or shall they take the fight to Ursus to give the old nobles what they desired? In turn weaken the border the separates the demons from this world.

So much to ponder around but all of it will come to pass if we ever survive this battle.

"Doc..."

The Sarkaz King's numbers are far superior than ours and with the divided Victoria, it would be chaos to enter the fray.

"Doctor."

Still, we cannot sit still and nothing about this especially given Amiya's role in all of this.

"Doctor."

We cannot avoid this conflict but how should we go about fighting this, can Ascalon-

"Doctor!"

I turned my attention to the one calling me, Yelena and Amiya were looking at me with concern. Kal'tsit's gaze looked neutral but there were hints of worry laced in her visage.

"Are you all right?" Amiya asked, "You seemed to block out what we were saying."

Was I?

"I'm sorry, what are we on now?" I stammered, my face thawing its frozen feeling.

"We were talking about the Seaborne situation, Sargon has already been submerged with water and with this trajectory it's only a matter of time that its neighboring regions will be sunken too."

Ah that's right, it have been years since Skadi chose to become the Seaborne God. The tides surrounded Iberia and swept it away in the water, its residents turned into monsters that ravaged the dry land. The world was now caught between the demons of the land and the creatures of the deep.

"We're thinking of helping New Kazdel and Victoria supply itself with battle medicine, fifty crates of Cureinall Z would be enough. But we have ten more on standby in case of an emergency."

"Very well, send my regards to Siege as well." I said to them, funny...my head feels hazy today...was it something I ate? No...the food at the landship managed to keep its quality even after the Seabornes finally showed themselves en masse.

"Is that all...I suddenly don't feel well...I think I need to rest for awhile is that ok?" I asked, "Augh...no need to carry me Yelena, Amiya...I can walk to my room on my own..."

"Yelena?" Huh? "Doctor...I see...you haven't realized it yet."

"What?"

"Her last mission was on the waters of Bolivar, she froze herself and the rest of the Seaborne to save everyone."

What? No, she was still alive with us awhile ago.

"That can't be right...I saw her attend class four hours ago..."

"Class?" A question, "Since when did you teach Doctor? We're in the middle of a war against -, don't distract yourself with that kind of luxury. You are our commander and you need to focus."

What are you talking about Kal'tsit? What war?

"Excuse me Doctor Kal'tsit I need to address something outside." I stood up and ignored her cries as I went outside the camp.

"Yelena? Yelena!?" I called out but there was no response.

I can feel my heart beat louder and breath get colder and hoarser, my face is sweating yet there was no heat. My heart constricted its beating into an erratic rhythm, my brain feels like its splitting and everything left feels like right and vice-versa. My senses being distorted into oblivion and I can hear no one and everyone at the same time.

I rushed out of the conference room(?) I didn't explain anything to Amiya or anyone as I left, passing by faces that were familiar but I cannot recall. Am I in the cafeteria or the training grounds? I don't care where I'm going anymore just far away from here.

I need to look for someone, someone.

Yelena...yeah that's her name right?

Where are you Yelena?

We still need to save you...

As I walk to nowhere I saw her slim figure, the white-haired Cautus looked at me in concern.

"I finally found you." I said in relief.

Yelena nodded disapprovingly, she didn't spoke a word. I must look like a wreck to her though so it's understandable.

"Hey...I know I look horrible but where were you?"

She didn't answer again, was she waiting for me to say something?

"Hey!"

No answer again, I was confused. She was standing there like a ghost that cannot talk, like a mirage. Almost like I shouldn't even being seeing her yet I could. She was a Rhodes Island Operator right, so why then, why shouldn't I be able to see her?

Wait...was?

Almost as if she was reading my thoughts she nodded approvingly.

Ah...I see...

She was a Rhodes Island Operator wasn't she?


Never have I felt so tired after opening my eyes again, there were tears that crusted over eyes. The ambient noise from outside came second after I come to my vision again, only to hear a silent hum of a machine operating.

I must have fallen asleep in the incinerator room.

A dream...strange I can't remember what it is.

Turn 14 & Dreaming Butterfly END