"Your expressions are looking real weird right now. I know exactly what you're thinking, so kindly put those thoughts back where they belong."
Cyd's sharp gaze swept over Lord El-Melloi II, then past him to Gray and Caules. His clear, unwavering eyes carried a weight of sincerity that made it hard to doubt him.
Well, it would have—if not for the red-eyed girl curled up on his lap, clearly fresh from a sobbing session.
El-Melloi II cleared his throat, awkwardly fumbling for a cigarette. His hands trembled too much to light it.
"What… exactly are you doing?"
He was shaken. That much was obvious.
Cyd casually ran his hand through Olga Marie's hair as if petting a startled cat. "Found a kid trying too hard to act tough," he said. "So I helped her drop the act for a bit."
"I-I was NOT!" Olga Marie's face turned crimson as she jerked upright, mortified.
She was a noble, the head of her family. Losing composure in front of another Lord was beyond humiliating.
Not that it wasn't already too late.
This time, Cyd didn't stop her as she pulled away.
"How do you feel?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.
"I DON'T KNOW!" she shouted before whipping around and diving onto the bed, cocooning herself in the blanket.
…It wasn't bad. Not really.
She clutched the blanket tighter.
Cyd and El-Melloi II exchanged glances before nodding. Right now, Olga Marie needed space.
They, on the other hand, had more pressing matters.
"It's almost time."
The dimming sky outside deepened the frown on El-Melloi II's face.
This was a trap.
And he was going to walk straight into it. Because retreat wasn't an option.
His fingers tightened around the letter in his hand.
"Master…" Gray's voice wavered slightly as she watched him. It was like she could already see him slipping away.
"He'll be fine," Cyd said, placing a hand on her head.
Before she could question him—
BOOM.
A scarlet bolt of lightning split the sky. A heartbeat later, it came crashing down, striking the train with a deafening crack.
Cyd's eyes narrowed. "It's here."
"Above!" Gray shouted. "Master, on the roof—!"
El-Melloi II barely had time to register the warning before something yanked on the back of his coat—
And threw him.
The world spun.
Then, his feet landed on solid ground.
The roof.
Cold sweat dripped down his spine.
Someone had just launched him onto the train—while it was still moving at full speed.
And there was only one person crazy enough to do that.
"Heave-ho!" Cyd called cheerfully as he lobbed Gray up next. She yelped, landing ungracefully before collapsing onto her knees.
Why were all heroes like this?!
Still, from an outside perspective, it must've looked like they had leaped up on their own.
Across from them, a woman emerged from the fading lightning, scrutinizing El-Melloi II with an unimpressed stare.
"So you actually showed up. But I have to say, your entrance doesn't suit your face." She rested a hand on her hip, eyes gleaming with disdain. "I can't believe he ever followed someone like you. Especially when you're exactly the kind of person I hate."
Something about her…
El-Melloi II stiffened.
Too similar.
That stance, that attire—
No way.
"I was just curious at first," the woman admitted, then bared her teeth in a feral grin. "But now I know—I absolutely despise you. You're a stain on his name, and I'm going to erase you."
No warning.
She drew a dagger and lunged.
"Master!" Gray scrambled up, interposing herself between them.
CLANG.
Slender fingers snapped forward, stopping the dagger dead in its tracks.
"That's not how you prove yourself worthy of your king," Cyd said with a sigh, effortlessly holding the blade at bay. "Weren't you aiming to be someone he could trust?"
El-Melloi II's breath hitched.
Then, he exhaled sharply, regaining his composure. "Right. That was careless of me."
"Oho, quick recovery. Not bad." The woman's lips curled into something almost approving—before twisting into a sneer. "But I did warn you not to interfere, didn't I?"
Cyd tilted his head. "And you are…?"
Her eye twitched.
"It's Hephaestion!"
She punctuated her words with a fist aimed straight for his skull.
"Ohhh, right, right." Cyd casually pivoted and sent her flying with a well-placed kick. "You just call yourself that."
El-Melloi II's face darkened. "A Servant…"
Not just any Servant.
One tied to him.
But something felt… wrong.
"Picking fights with regular people? That's beneath you," Cyd cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders. "Why don't you try me instead?"
Hephaestion grinned as she pushed herself to her feet, cradling her ribs. "Didn't expect to find someone your level in this era. Interesting! Only the strong deserve to be crushed."
Gray gripped Rhongomyniad. "I'll fight with you!"
"No." El-Melloi II stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder. "This is out of our league. We'll just have to watch."
Gray hesitated. His face… looked almost defeated.
Cyd, meanwhile, arched a brow. "Crushed? Me?"
Hephaestion threw back her head and laughed, raising her sword skyward.
Thunder raged.
A colossal war chariot materialized behind her, its skeletal drakes screeching as they surged forward, every movement crackling with violet lightning.
"Let's see if you can withstand this!"
She leaped onto the chariot, yanking the reins. Instead of charging forward, it soared up, carving an arc through the air before plummeting—
Straight toward Cyd.
Bolts of annihilating purple lightning wrapped around the wheels, the sheer force splitting the air apart.
El-Melloi II shut his eyes.
He knew that stance. That presence.
That was the weight of a true hero.
"Tsk." Cyd sighed, resting a hand on Reforged Pandora."You really don't get it, do you?"
CRACK.
The artifact shifted.
[Reforged Pandora—Zeus Form]
Light gathered at the head of the scepter, crackling with divine authority. The crystal embedded in his bracer—Zeus's blessing—blazed like a miniature sun.
Then, he raised his staff and pointed it skyward.
BOOM.
A pillar of divine lightning ripped through the heavens, shattering the storm clouds in an instant. The air itself trembled beneath its might.
Gray's breath hitched.
What Hephaestion wielded was the overwhelming strength of a hero.
But what Cyd is about to unleash—
Was the wrath of the gods.
Hephaestion's eyes widened.
And then—
The sky roared.
Lightning carved through the heavens, obliterating the storm clouds in an instant. Stray arcs danced along the air itself, twisting reality with raw power.
Blinding light swallowed everything.
A beat of silence.
Then Cyd lowered his staff, exhaling.
"Think I overdid it a little."