A week later.

"Acma, Trepie #23! Over here!" Nida called out to her friends. "I'll be announcing the squad assignments for the exam now. Let's see... You two will be with..." Nida paused for dramatic effect. "Devie. Quite a lively fellow."

"Devie?" Acma recognized her friend from Trabia. "He's just loud. Can't I switch teammates?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Acma. Trepie #23, you're the squad B's leader. You'll have Acma and Devie as your teammates. Over here, Devie!" Nida instructed.

As Nida called out for Devie, he made a grand entrance by swinging his katanas back and forth for a whole minute. "How is it, Instructor Nida?" he grinned.

"Perfect for a show at the Garden Festival. Now get over here with your squad. Squad A, C, and D will join us soon," Nida replied.

"Whoa! Senior Acma, I'll be with you?" Devie was surprised to see Acma.

"I'm glad to see you made it, Devie," Acma feigned a smile. Devie had great potential in martial arts and swordsmanship, but he was quite empty-minded, making him quite the opposite of Acma.

"Trabia is less competitive without you and Timeth," Devie smiled, maintaining his positive attitude. "Nice to meet you, squad leader! I'm Devie, S22 from Trabia."

Devie rubbed his hand on his pants and offered it to Trepie #23.

"Nice to meet you!" Trepie#23 shook his hand and gently squeezed. "It's an honor to be a squad leader of Trabia's best students. I hope we'll have a successful mission together."

After their introduction, the other squads made their way to the information center, where Headmaster Xu joined them for an encouraging speech.

"It's been a while, everyone. How's everyone doing? This exam will involve 12 members from Squads A through D. You will be proceeding to a real battlefield. Obviously, the battles are real. Life and death, victory and defeat, honor and disgrace... Each of these goes hand in hand. There's only one way or the other. How about it? Are you still up for it?"

Xu glanced at the eager faces in front of her, including a few members who had taken this exam multiple times and probably knew the speech by heart. Xu had no shame in borrowing Headmaster Cid's speech, knowing damn well that Cid himself had likely borrowed it from someone else, possibly his wife.

"You will be accompanied by four SeeD members. Should you fail, these members will get the job done. They always do. That's one less worry on your mind."

Acma furrowed her eyebrows. She was pretty sure that the number of SeeDs accompanying SeeD exams had gradually declined over the years, probably due to SeeD attrition. Trepie #23 was a SeeD, but Acma couldn't recall seeing her with a weapon as she was too busy performing Garden duties. Nevertheless, the number of SeeD candidates remained the same, if not slightly increasing. And the presence of 14-year-old Devie proved that Garden was eagerly pushing down the average age of their new class of graduates.

"The pride of Balamb Garden! The elite mercenary force, SeeD! Learn from them, obey their commands, and accomplish the mission. Prove yourself worthy of becoming a member of SeeD. Best of luck!"

After Xu finished her speech, every squad followed their leaders to the transportation area and boarded an aircraft headed for Winhill.

In the aircraft, each of the squads gathered for more detailed discussions of their assigned tasks. Finally, they all came together for a recap led by the designated leader, who happened to be the oldest student of Balamb Garden.

"Good morning, everyone! I'm Zyma, the mission leader for today's exam," Zyma announced. "Our client for today's mission is Winhill Council. A request for SeeDs was made 18 hours ago."

Acma noticed that he had put on the tinted eyeglasses she had asked Timeth to give him. Apparently, they worked as expected and helped him see the screens.

"We have six hostages located in this mansion," Zyma pointed to a location in the middle of the map, situated in the center of the town square. "Three days ago, an unknown military force raided the village and captured its officers to demand a ransom, which had already been paid immediately upon request. It was a mistake that the previous squad's sniper injured their leader during the money exchange. The terrorists didn't trust that they would be able to leave the town safely. Hence, they continue to keep the hostages in Winhill mansion. Winhill Council pretends to accept the second ransom. However, we'll attack the enemies to rescue the hostages ourselves."

"Squad C will be responsible for hijacking the enemy's communication system," he looked at Squad C's leader, SeeD Keisha, who nodded. She was also from Trabia which ironically seemed to produce more tech-savvy individuals than Balamb.

"Squad D will take care of the bombs installed by the terrorists. One is located at the front gate. We will defuse this one to open the way for other squads. The second one is located at the back gate. Squad D will implode this bomb to divert the terrorists' attention to the back gate," Zyma instructed squad D. "After that, their task is to capture any enemies attempting to escape. Depending on the number of enemies and the situation, be flexible and support Squad A or Squad B as needed."

"Understood!"

Squad D's leader, the annoying Richye—Acma's rival at Trabia, nodded. Raddie, who was also part of Squad D, winked at Acma as she looked at him with a smile and a nod.

"Squad A, led by me, will be responsible for clearing the enemies to open the path for Squad B to get into the mansion. Squad B, led by SeeD Trepie #23, will be responsible for first aid and safely retrieving the hostages along with Squad A. Do you have enough supplies?" Zyma turned to Trepie #23's table.

Acma couldn't tell if he also looked at her due to his tinted eyeglasses, but given the cold treatment he had been giving her, the odds were low. Business as usual.

"Great. Every squad understands their duty. I'll repeat the sequence of action. We'll begin the operation half an hour before the actual ransom drop-off time. Squad C interrupts the enemy's communication, Squad D defuses the front gate's bomb, then detonates the back gate's bomb. Squad A gets into the village from the front gate. Once the path is clear, every squad should assist Squad B in reaching the Winhill mansion and rescuing the hostages. Our backup mission leader is Instructor Nida - a SeeD Rank A, will be in the aircraft near the river along with SeeD Maverick. If I fall for any reason, they will come to the rescue. Any questions?''

Raddie raised his hand and, upon receiving a nod from Zyma to proceed, asked, "What is our backup plan if any of these steps fail?"

"We'll leave the brainstorming for each squad. It's usually not a good practice to think of multiple backup plans, as the number of possibilities is endless. That's a skill you'll develop over missions. Just remember, when it comes to making hard decisions, prioritize the safety of the hostages, your teammates, and lastly yourself. If you're afraid of death and would prioritize your life over the lives of others, then perhaps a career as a mercenary is not suitable for you. If anyone feels that way, please speak up now and withdraw from this test."

Silence filled the room, and everyone seemed determined to complete the mission.

"Very well. Return to your squads and get ready. We will land in 10 minutes. Good luck!" Zyma concluded.

"Well, well, Acma Mirin. Rescue squad. Not even a squad leader. Who would have thought?" Richye, who was a year older than Acma, approached her seat. Instead of acting like a senior, he couldn't hide his jealousy and took every opportunity to belittle her.

Acma chose to remain silent, well aware of what he was trying to achieve. He had been assigned as the leader of Squad D. From the smug expression on his face, it was clear that he believed the bomb expert squad got more respect than a hostage rescue squad.

"And I heard you've found yourself a sugar daddy who's a staff member at the Garden. Did he buy you this seat in the exam?" Richye placed both his hands on her shoulders, causing her to freeze.

What the hell? She exclaimed internally.

The room was filled with other candidates, and she didn't want to create a scene that would serve her no good.

"You heard it wrong," she murmured, removing his hands from her shoulders, and quickly made her way to the cockpit where Nida was piloting. Escaping from this low life was the only wise choice.

"Such a sweet sugar baby," Richye raised his voice for the entire room to hear.

Richye was on his way back to his seat, reveling in his triumph, when he was interrupted by the mission leader.

"You heard it wrong," Zyma stated.

"Excuse me?" Richye asked, looking at Zyma who was engrossed in writing a report.

"He's not a staff member."

"Did you hear us?" Richye stammered.

"Oh, I sure did. I'm not deaf. You made sure the whole world heard you, did you not?" Zyma smirked.

"I'm sorry," Richye attempted to sneak a peek at Zyma's paper, concerned that points might be deducted from his conduct.

"No need to apologize to me. Don't you want to know who the sugar daddy is?"

"Do you know who she's with?"

"Of course. He's rich. A shop owner."

"Yeah?" Richye's eyes lit up upon hearing this information.

"Old," Zyma said, his eyes still fixed on his paperwork.

Not hearing more from Zyma, Richye asked, "Interesting. How old are we talking about?"

"My age..." Zyma dropped his pen and leaned back in his chair, looking directly at Richye this time.

"You're not old," Richye awkwardly smiled. "So, he's young then."

"Young enough to throw a Shuriken or two," Zyma replied, grabbing his shurikens from his windbreaker, which was wrapped behind his chair, and tucking them into his cadet uniform.

Ridge's jaw contorted as he winced in a painful realization. Zyma smirked, then took out his digital sales device.

"You seem to be under a Silence spell. Here," Zyma stood up and pushed Richye back into his seat, squeezing Ridge's shoulders tightly. "Please authorize your payment to a Mega-Elixir. Sorry, no Echo Screens left."

"I'm..." Richye began to say.

"What a sweet boy!" Zyma cut him off, squeezing his shoulders harder, causing him pain. "Daddy will keep an eye on you. Best of luck with your exam."

"Please..." Richye quickly signed, aware that some eyes had been drawn to their table.

"Thank you very much for your business. Our delivery girl is in the cockpit. The password is 'I'm sorry.' Now go, while supplies last."

A few minutes later, Acma approached Zyma.

"Um... Can I talk to you in private?"

They entered a small room.

"Um... Did Richye really order something from our shop? He's... acting weird," Acma asked.

"You're welcome," Zyma smirked.

"You... you talked to him about us?" Acma asked in shock.

"There's nothing between us. Period. You snap at me instantly, but you can't explain yourself to a low-life in public?" Zyma replied.

Acma shook her head. "He'll just spread more rumors. You're making it worse."

"He's already done that anyway. You didn't come here to blame me, did you?"

"No. Of course not, I'm sorry," Acma sighed. "It's just... Some of the rumors, I can't deny. You've helped me a lot."

"I treated you the same as anyone else during our business. You were nothing special to me. Denying that is an insult to my professionalism, Cadet Mirin," Zyma's voice turned cold.

Acma was taken aback by his coldness. Right. Strictly business. She meant nothing to him.

"I'm very sorry. I didn't mean it. Another thing is... You're likely leaving Garden soon, but I'll be here for a while. I'll think of a way to stop the rumors after the mission. Just... let me deal with this myself, okay?"

He looked at her. The thought of leaving the Garden no longer brought him joy as it did before he met her.

"Fine," he accepted. "Look, don't let this get to you before the mission. That's what that jerk wants. We're better than this."

Acma nodded. "That's a good point. We're still a team, we're in this together. Thank you. And... can you change your room's passcode as soon as possible?"

"Huh?" Zyma was surprised by the sudden request.

"Um... I'll explain more after the mission. But long story short, Miss Xu asked me for information about your shop. I delayed... but I just want to give you a heads up, in case something happens to your shop, like what happened to the GF Cavern... It could be just me overthinking, but..."

"I see," Zyma frowned. "Thanks."

They paused for a few seconds.

"Would that be all?" Zyma asked, breaking the silence.

"One last thing… While we're here…'' Acma inquired. "Why did you put me in the rescue squad? I'm an offensive magic caster, not a healer."

"Do you see anyone else here more suitable for that group? Devie is only 14 years old, and he'll need someone with both offensive and defensive magic to back him up. I work with what I have. You should know by now I don't consider any personal stuff in real missions," his voice trailed off. "If I had a say, knowing how reckless you were back in Centra Ruins, I would have crossed you off the list."

Acma bit her lip, absorbing his words. "I see. Thanks for the explanation. I trust your judgment."

As she turned to leave, he spoke up again. "Thanks for the eyeglasses."

"You're welcome. It's the least we can do for all the trouble you've been through.''

"You have stuff in my room. Come pick them up, before I change my passcode.,'' he said. Sensing her hesitation, he added. "Text me before you come. I'll leave."

''Thank you. Well," she trailed off, "Good luck passing the exam. And enjoy your freedom," she said, trying to sound nonchalant and happy.

"Good luck. Don't die," he blurted out before returning to his paperwork.

In the once peaceful village of Winhill, where charming stone houses nestled among fields of swaying grass and fragrant blossoms, an unsettling stillness permeated the air. The deserted streets of Winhill were paved with stone, now bearing the remnants of a recent attack. Broken wooden wagons, once used as makeshift barriers, lay strewn across the streets. The houses stood as solemn witnesses, their stone exteriors now riddled with bullet scars. Previously adorned with lively curtains, the windows had their glass shattered, likely by the terrorists to ensure clearance, leaving behind gloomy emptiness.

The squads quickly settled into their designated positions and followed the plan.

BANG!

A loud explosion reverberated in the distance, signaling that Squad D had secured the back gate.

"Squad A, move in!" Zyma commanded over the comms, leading his team into the village.

Trepie #23, Devie, and Acma remained silent for the next fifteen minutes, awaiting the signal for their Squad B to proceed.

"Central town square clear. Squad B, proceed with caution. Squad D, split up and head to the front gate, following Squad B," Zyma directed.

Devie led Squad B, with Trepie #23 and Acma following closely behind. They moved steadily, taking advantage of the clear path created by Squad A as they neutralized the enemy forces.

"Watch out!" Trepie #23 suddenly cast Protect on everyone in Squad B, shielding them from a barrage of bullets emanating from inside a stone house.

"Thundaga!" Acma released a powerful bolt of lightning to illuminate the house, giving them a clear view of a terrorist within.

"Go!" Trepie #23 commanded. The squad entered the house and Devie swiftly took down the terrorist.

"Nice work, Squad B! Final stage: Squad B, get ready to enter the mansion following Squad A. Squad C and Squad D stay outside," Zyma announced.

In a matter of minutes, Acma's squad reached the entrance of the mansion. Squad A had already entered to clear out the enemies. She glanced at the other squads surrounding the town square before following Devie and Trepie #23 inside. The hostages must be there. The mission was nearing its end, but it was only the beginning of her part.

Stepping into the mansion, Acma was awed by its interior, which showcased a blend of medieval architecture and ancient European Renaissance vibes. The grand chandelier hung from the ceiling, while large stairways led to the second level, and mosaic glass windows adorned the walls.

BANG! Suddenly, a loud noise interrupted her thoughts.

"Focus!" Zyma's stern voice snapped Acma back to reality. She noticed a distorted bullet lying at her feet and Zyma's Shuriken ten feet away. The shooter, disguised in one of the medieval armors, had fallen from the second-floor balcony, crashing onto the ground with a resounding noise.

"Thank you," she murmured gratefully.

After another ten minutes of clearing the house, there was still no sign of the hostages.

Squad A spread out on the second floor, carefully surveying the village through the windows. Zyma contacted Squad B and Squad C outside, confirming that there were no more people in the village. Nida, from the aircraft, confirmed that no one had escaped.

"Stand by. Stay on guard. We'll use thermal scanning to locate the hostages," Zyma commanded.

Acma, Devie, and Trepie #23 stuck together near the main staircase on the first floor.

"Huh?" Devie pointed at a round, protruding metal knob on the wall. "A hidden room?"

He pressed the knob, and in an instant, a trapdoor beneath their feet snapped open, causing the entire Squad A to briefly free-fall before landing in an underground chamber.

THUD!

The bunker door above them suddenly slammed shut, plunging them into darkness. The trio swiftly turned on their flashlights to assess the situation.

"What is this place?" Devie asked, his voice filled with concern.

"It looks like a bunker. Are we trapped?" Acma exclaimed.

The door was far out of their reach, made of solid steel with no visible handle.

"One-way bunker. Hostages may not have food for days. We need to keep moving. Don't worry, others will find a way to break us out from the outside. Stay alert," Trepie #23 reassured. "Devie, lead the way, we'll back you up."

The bunker appeared to be a well-constructed hideout, prepared for potential bombings. It had multiple chambers underground, and the narrow staircases and hallways made navigation challenging. It was a deliberate design decision to provide an escape route for the villagers who knew the bunker's other exit.

"The com signal is very low here, other squads can't hear us. Be extra careful, everyone!" Acma warned.

They carefully ventured into the maze with a small chamber at each dead end.

"We're SeeDs, here to rescue you! Is anyone here?" Trepie #23 whispered as she cautiously entered each chamber, careful not to alert any potential terrorists hiding in the bunker.

"Help! We're here! Please!"

The villagers' relief and joy were evident as they caught sight of the flashlights piercing through the darkness.

"Is everyone here?" Trepie #23 asked, quickly spotted an injured woman in the corner.

"Yes, this is all, please get us out of here now! Please!" An old man wearing a black suit exclaimed in fear.

"Please! Someone stay to treat my wife, she's been bleeding for days!" A middle-aged man holding the injured woman said.

Trepie #23 quickly knelt to sit next to the injured woman with blood out of her torso and applied a first aid kit.

"I'll stay with you two. Acma, Devie, lead the way out for others."

Acma followed closely behind Devie and the villagers, providing backup as they traced their way back to the bunker's entrance.

BANG!

"Shield!" Acma reacted swiftly as a hail of bullets came toward them. She shielded the group and swiftly cast a powerful Thundara spell at the shooter, who succumbed to the attack.

"Thank you!" Devie expressed his gratitude among the yells in fear of the villagers.

"Please be quiet! There are terrorists in this bunker. How many of them are here? Does anyone know?" Acma asked the frightened villagers.

"There are three or four of them. Your friend... the couple she stayed with are two of them," one of the hostages revealed.

Acma was stunned by the news. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I'm sorry... They threaten to kill us if we say anything," the villager stammered.

"Trepie #23 is in danger. What should we do?" Devie turned to Acma for guidance.

She reinforced the group with additional protection spells and instructed Devie to stay with the villagers. "The exit is just a few stairs away. You take care of them. There are two terrorists with Trepie #23, plus the leader and the deceased one here, making a total of four. If what this man said is correct, there shouldn't be anyone else until you reach the door. I'll go back and find Trepie #23."

"Be careful!" Devie cautioned Acma and quickly assisted the villager out of the bunker.

Zyma grew increasingly impatient. When he asked Raddie to double-check the facial recognition system, Raddie realized that the person they had thought was the captured terrorist leader was not the real one, indicating the presence of more terrorists in the bunker.

BOOM!

A small amount of dynamite was used multiple times to blast away the stones surrounding the trap door bit by bit, for the fear of collapsing the bunker or hurting any people lingering near the bunker entrance. Once they managed to dig a hole into the ground, they heard the voice of happy hostages. Another round of dynamite was used to open enough wide hole allowing the hostages to get out.

Seeing Devie being the only one from Squad B to return with the villagers, Zyma felt uneasy.

"Please hurry, Trepie #23 was staying with two terrorists we mistook for villagers. Acma went back to find her," Devie reported.

Zyma's vision darkened, but he couldn't afford to lose focus on his duty. He quickly assigned Raddie to verify the hostages' identities and called for other squad members to gather around the bunker for necessary backup. Finally, he summoned Nida to take over the control of the squads for him to come down to rescue the girls.

"Devie, lead the way," Zyma instructed, and the two swiftly descended into the bunker.

A few minutes later, Zyma and Devie arrived at the chamber where they found the hostages, only to be greeted by a horrifying scene. Trepie #23 was lying on the floor, struggling to breathe due to a deep wound on her stomach.

"Trepie #23, stay with me," Zyma pleaded in fear. He quickly retrieved an X-potion to heal her and used a first aid kit to apply more pressure to stop the bleeding. Someone had treated her but in a hurried way.

"I'm... fine... Acma... gave me her blood… regen..." Trepie #23 managed to say between breaths.

"Where is she?" Zyma asked anxiously.

"They took her..." Trepie #23 tried to convey information through her pain. "Follow the blood." She motioned for Zyma to look at the drops of blood on the floor, leading toward the exit. The scent of Acma's blood filled the air, intensifying Zyma's fear.

"Carry her out. Bring more people in here if it's clear on the ground," Zyma commanded Devie, then dashed out of the chamber and followed the trail of blood.

As he ventured deeper into the maze-like bunker, the blood trail grew larger, then gradually diminished.

"No! Please, Hyne, no..." Zyma pleaded internally, his heart filled with dread at the thought of her bleeding to death.

There were Acma and at least three terrorists in these dark chambers.

Then, he spotted a figure drenched in blood, wearing a familiar cadet uniform. Zyma cautiously approached, turned the body around, and let out a sigh of relief.

It wasn't Acma. It was one of the terrorists. She was still alive but in critical condition. Zyma noticed a siphon attached to her vein - the same siphon Acma used to induce her Limit Break.

The blood trail ended there. He kept going to dead ends and decided to leave scratches on the wall to retrace his steps. Along the way, he noticed a new scratch mark, freshly made by someone else. Based on its height, it seemed to be made by a person much shorter than him.

It could be Acma's. The other two terrorists were most likely men who shouldn't have left marks this low. A glimmer of hope flickered in his mind.

Suddenly, the dark maze was illuminated.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion shattered the silence, jolting Zyma into action. Following the sound, his heart nearly stopped at the sight of Acma's blood-soaked lasso on the ground, leading to a nearby chamber. Suppressing his worst fears, he pushed forward.

As he entered the chamber, a devastating scene greeted him—a small girl with red hair, her military tank top drenched in blood. Old, sticky blood.

Her lifeless form resembled a discarded, battered doll.

He smelled death.