One week later…
The still-energetic horses whinnied loudly as the coachman pulled on the reins, stopping just outside South-Land's Knight Division 3 HQ.
The nervous but excited lab escapees stepped out under the dark evening sky, taking in the strange yet comforting view.
As the soldiers removed the Knight's luggage, Dom stepped out from his carriage with a bright smile as he spotted that familiar building.
"Finally," Roy sighed with similar relief, exiting the carriage with Lucy right behind him.
Dom turned as Noah stepped out, rubbing his rear with a pained expression. "How the hell do you guys move like this? My ass hurts," He grumbled, earning a snicker from Dom.
"You'd better get used to it. We don't have luxurious seating like the North," Roy said, casually picking up his wine box in one hand.
"Hell no," Noah grumbled, determination lighting his eyes. "First thing I'm building is a car. I'm done with horses."
The horses, now freed from their reins, snorted loudly at Noah--almost as if they understood his words.
Dom laughed as he patted one of the horses; it huffed happily under his touch while Noah flinched at the second's hostile gaze.
"Then you'd be adding another reason for the Council to hunt you," Dae commented as he stepped out last.
Noah's expression fell further. "Is it too late to go back?" He muttered.
"Yup." Dom chuckled as pat Noah's back just as some of the rescued subjects approached.
"Are we going to the village now, Mr. Dominic?" A female asked.
Dom shook his head with a warm smile at them. "Not yet. Lupus is still a few days off from here."
The escapees frowned; complaints and murmurs passed between them.
"Then are we staying here?" Another asked, gesturing to the building behind them.
"Unfortunately, there's no room," Roy said coldly as he walked past. "But you should be able to squeeze them into your base, right, Dominic?"
"That's the plan," Dom replied.
Though these people had been effectively taken from their homes into a strange new nation, the glow of Dom's smile managed to ease their anxieties.
"It's this way," Dae said, gesturing toward a pathway.
As Dae led the escapees away, with some even offering to carry the three's luggage, Lucy turned to find Dom walking up to Roy, who stopped to give him a curious stare.
"Thanks for helping us out, Mr. Roy," Dom said, frowning as he recalled how powerless he had felt in that fight.
Too weak to do anything… too weak to save anyone… Again. But he pushed his frustrations down and forced a smile.
"You seriously saved our asses." Dom chuckled.
Roy shrugged. "I was simply doing the job Tony assigned to me. There's no need for thanks." He said calmly.
"Still…" Dom insisted. "I owe you that. For saving us, for getting the evidence to help them…" He gestured at the crowd of escapees. "… We couldn't have done it without you. And I'm sorry for all the...trouble."
Roy stared at Dom for a moment--that grateful smile and gentle yet carefree attitude was something he knew all too well.
"In that case, you're welcome." He said, then held his chin in thought. "And don't worry about the trouble. It may not have been how I planned to spend the past couple of weeks." He then looked at the dark sky, a warm smile spreading as he gazed at the stars. "…but it wasn't exactly bad either."
Dom's eyes widened--this was the first time he had seen a genuine, non-threatening smile on Roy's face.
"I think I finally see why Tony has so much interest in you," Roy commented.
Dom beamed, both from the acknowledgement from a Monarch and his successor. "Does this mean I can start calling you Roy instead of Mr. Roy?" He asked.
"No," Roy replied, his cold demeanor snapping back. "Unlike Tony and the others, I still value honorifics."
"It was worth a shot," Dom chuckled sheepishly.
Roy scoffed and turned away. "Take care of yourself, Captain Dominic."
Dom saluted teasingly. "I will, Head Vice Captain Roy."
Roy raised a brow over his shoulder. "Don't push me," He grumbled, and Dom laughed.
As he watched Roy's back, Dom's mind flashed to Xavier, a fellow Monarch successor whose aura was just as intense as Roy's.
However, unlike the dread and fear Xavier's presence inspired, Roy radiated a sense of both power and safety--the same reassuring aura he felt from Anthony.
That's how they should be, Dom thought, content at a true representation of what he had envisioned the successors to be… just as someone blocked his view.
Lucy stared at him, wide eyes piercing and glowing. Concern etched her face as she assumed his current expression was due to his injuries.
But Dom smiled, and she sighed in relief, taking his hand.
She then led him down the path with Dae and the other escapees several feet ahead of them. As they strolled casually after the group, a gentle breeze swept into them, and Dom found himself staring as the wind tossed her braided black hair, exposing her face.
For the first time, since she'd come into his life, Dom actually looked at her.
He finally noticed how small she looked compared to his size, how she always had a pep in her step, and a warm, earthy smell that was distinctively hers.
She noticed his stare and tilted her head at him, curious. He gasped softly at the sight of her silver eyes, simmering dots that complemented her natural beauty… until she suddenly licked his cheek.
"Hey," Dom said, rubbing his cheek.
Lucy grinned as she squeezed his hand. "I'm not letting you go again," She said.
Dom stared for a moment before smiling, squeezing her hand as she continued leading him.
A few minutes later, they arrived at their Subdivision base.
Dom approached the door with a grin. "Never thought I'd miss this old dump," He muttered.
Lucy nodded in agreement, and Dae let out a tired sigh before noticing four certain escapees walking toward Dom.
Dom turned around, his expression softening at the four--the same leaders he'd appointed to help with the North-Land breakout.
"We really did it, huh?" The dark-skinned leader said, staring up at the building in front of them.
The tall leader laughed. "To be honest, I never thought it was going to work out," He added, skeptical.
"Well, we're all glad that you were wrong. bro." The slim leader chuckled, with a few other escapees laughing.
Dom remained silent as he gave them all a long, appreciative look.
"Trish, Cole, Kendrick, Drake." After saying their names, he grinned proudly. "I couldn't have done it without you guys. Thanks."
Trish, the dark-skinned leader, shook her head. "We're the ones who should thank you," She said with a smile.
"Yeah," Cole, the tall leader, commented. "Without you, we'd still be stuck in that place for God knows how long."
"It was a team effort, Dominic," Drake, the equally tall but chubby leader, added, his smile wide with gratitude. "We all wanted to do it."
Dom chuckled and looked past them, taking in the fifty other escapees chatting and smiling among themselves--their expressions completely relieved.
"Still… I didn't expect everyone to come." Dom muttered.
"Are you kidding?" Kendrick, the slim leader, said as he suddenly threw an arm over Dom's shoulder. "If we stayed, we'd either die of old age or from their experiments. I don't think anyone sane would want to stay in that place. Not after everything we've seen."
Noah and some of the others nodded in the background.
Dom's smile softened at them. "Well… I'm happy for you guys." He said.
As Dom and the escapees interacted, Lucy and Dae smiled from the sidelines. Even if they were mostly absent, it was obvious the man they chose to follow had lived up to their expectations.
A moment later, Dom led them through the front doors and frowned as he noticed some of the escapees stumbling through the narrow, dark hallway. "Sorry about the cramped space," He said, "…it's only for a few weeks while they prepare rooms for you all in Lupus."
"Don't worry about it." Trish scoffed, tracing her way along the wall while her glowing blues drifted to the others. "Compared to those tiny cells, this is way better."
Some of the escapees laughed, and Dom smiled as he stopped beside the table where the entrance lantern was always placed… but his hands met the cold, empty wood.
"Dom."
He turned to find Lucy's silver glow piercing through the dark, her claws drawn and glinting in the low light, which made some of the escapees flinch.
Dom's eyes glowed as he raised his fists, while Dae immediately reached for his sword.
Some of the escapees backed away uncertainly, but a few, including the leaders, stepped forward, their mana lighting the hallway more brightly.
Cole raised an arm, which expanded to twice its original size and was covered in green scales. "What's the plan?" He asked.
Dom cracked his knuckles loudly. "Knock them out of our house." He commanded..
With that, Dom dashed forward, relying on his memory of the base and the faint shimmer of his glowing eyes, which let him barely make out shapes in the darkness. Dae followed close behind, his own vision similarly limited, while Lucy moved effortlessly beside them, her enhanced sight cutting through the shadows with perfect clarity.
Barely two seconds later, Dom slid to a stop in the large parlor, sensing several hidden presences in the shadows.
"Come out! We know you're there!" He shouted, punching his palm with a loud smack.
Dae drew his electricity-coated swords on Dom's right, while Lucy stood at his left, growling with her sharp claws ready to strike. She then gasped, however, as she finally recognized the mana signatures of the hidden figures.
Dom and Dae recognized them a second later, and just as the others entered the room, several lanterns were lit, temporarily blinding them.
"Happy birthday!"
Several voices echoed, and when their vision cleared, they realized the hidden figures were most of the 3rd Division Knights.
They were casually dressed, some holding lanterns, others with drinks or snacks. Dom looked around, taking in the decorations covering the room, the abundant food and drinks on tables arranged in the corner, and the numerous smiling faces.
"Wh-wh-?" Dom mumbled, trying and failing to find words.
"Huh. You actually got him to shut up," Dae said, sheathing his blades just as Lucy suddenly brushed past him.
"Big Sis!" Lucy shouted, practically tackling Zoe onto a couch.
"I missed you too, lil sis," Zoe chuckled, rubbing Lucy's head, making her laugh childishly with her bushy tail wagging in delight.
Dae visibly sighed in relief just as a large hand grabbed his head. Turning, his expression softened when he found Anthony grinning at him.
"Were you seriously going to attack us?" Anthony asked.
Dae glanced at the still-dumbfounded Dom. "This last mission might have put us a little on edge," He said, earning a curious look from Anthony, just as Dom finally broke his silence with a laugh.
"You didn't have to do this," Dom said to them, just as Anthony's large hand rested on his head as well.
"Yeah. We do. Sorry, it's a little late, kid," Anthony said with a warm smile, then led him toward the happy guests.
"So much for a quiet night," Dae sighed, reluctantly joining the fray and leaving the now uncertain escapees awkwardly standing aside.
Jasper, clearly drunk, stumbled away from the bar and noticed the escapees. "What are you waiting for?" He asked as he approached them.
Noah frowned, stepping back. "But we weren't invit--"
"Don't sweat the little details, kid," Jasper interrupted, throwing an arm over Noah, who frowned at the strong scent of alcohol on him. "It's a party. Let's hit the drinks."
Despite his disoriented state, Jasper was still strong enough to drag Noah into the crowd, completely ignoring the young man's protests.
The others exchanged glances before all smiling as they finally joined in. The Knights, most of whom looked scary, welcomed the strangers warmly, and within minutes, they were all interacting with each other as if they had known each other for years.
The once-quiet building was quickly filled with music, laughter, and the usual chaos of a party.
About half an hour later…
Jasper burped, his flushed face revealing the dozens of bottles he'd consumed. "Oh yeah. Where's Roy?" He asked with a hiccup as he dropped onto a chair.
"He went back after we got here," Dom said, sitting on the couch beside Anthony, a soda can in his hand.
"I'm sure I told him about the party," Anthony said, then shrugged. "Guess he decided to skip it." He dropped his empty bottle and picked up another one.
"Seriously?" Jasper grumbled, now sluggish. "That guy needs to get out more. If he keeps going like this, he'll die alone and bitchless."
With a sudden burp, he knocked back another bottle, gulping it down with such intensity that the liquid dripped down his open shirt. But he leaned back too far and fell over, the rest of his drink pouring all over him.
As Anthony and some others nearby laughed at Jasper, who clumsily tried to get up, Dom smiled, not at the embarrassing scene but at the happy smiles on their faces.
He then turned to find Lucy happily chatting with Zoe and some of the other female knights on a mat some feet away, different coloured glasses in their hands.
"Whoa. What the hell is that?!"
Dom followed the sound and found Noah proudly showing off a new tech that created holograms of armed soldiers. A few drunken knights raised their fists and punched them- completely unaware that their blows hit nothing, while others laughed at the hilarious sight.
Across the room, Dom smiled as he found some of the escapees having fun too.
"God, you're a terrible dancer," Cole chuckled.
Trish, clearly drunk, laughed as she moved across the dance floor, her poorly coordinated movements contrasting with the music playing.
"Who fucking cares?! We're free!" She shouted as she grabbed a familiar female escapee, the fifth escapee from the four leader's original cell block. "Let's dance, V."
The startled girl barely held onto her glasses as Trish spun her around drunkenly.
"Woo! That's it!" Kendrick cheered as he slammed his empty bottle down and joined in while Drake laughed fondly at the sight.
Motivated, the other escapees joined in, dancing away the last shred of worry and regret they all secretly held.
Anthony noticed Dom's satisfied stare and grinned. "You did good, kid," He said, getting Dom's attention. "As usual."
He held up a bottle, but Dom shook his head once he saw the label.
"Thanks, but I don't drink," Dom said.
"Bullshit," Anthony replied, taking the soft-flavored can from Dom's hand. "Come on. You only live once." He pushed the bottle into Dom's hands.
Dom stared at the cold beverage, its intense, almost nauseating smell making him hesitate. He looked up at the eager, encouraging stares of everyone around him.
Then, with a determined glare, he took the shot and immediately coughed as the harsh burn raced down his throat.
"He's a man now!" Anthony shouted, raising Dom's arm and the room erupted in an ear-splitting cheer.