Henry walked without direction or any aim eventually. Only boots tapped uneven pavement as the city endured the noise behind him.
Sirens faded. Firelight became memory. His head throbbed. Too much thinking always did that. Overthinking is his part time Job, or whatever.
Life's funny, he thought. You plan ten moves ahead and still trip over the first step.
He chuckled under his breath, then stopped himself, then laughed again anyway. People glanced at him and looked away faster.
Good. He liked that.
He rubbed his temples, winced, then smiled like he had remembered a private joke. Am I broken? The thought didn't scare him. It never had.
Henry tilted his head, watching mist coil between streetlights. "Confidence peaks just before revision. How many companions did I lost last year...? Uh, maybe two hundred or what..." he murmured, approvingly.
Morning arrived without confidence. Fog clung low to the ground, pale and stubborn, letting sunlight through only in thin, exhausted strands.
Cobblestone streets glistened with damp, forcing every step to be deliberate. Houses leaned close together, patched from wood and brick, their windows half-open, half-shut.
Henry walked through it all with a lazy sway, hands tucked into his pockets, cloak gone, brown shirt wrinkled from sleep he didn't quite remember taking.
His thoughts drifted in loose circles about nothing, about everything. The city felt quieter today or maybe he was.
"Henry!"
The sound came through the misty fog.
He stopped mid-step. Slowly turned around, as if the world had just remembered him.
Two figures emerged from the haze.
Blyke Rhodes walked with purpose, red waistcoat unmistakable familiar in the muted light, irritation written plainly across his face.
Beside him, Cagaro Kunero kept pace, black hair neat, eyes bright with a mix of curiosity and concern. They looked… intact but annoyingly normal.
Henry stared for a second too long. Then he smiled.
He began walking toward them but not straight. Then another unnecessary step sideways, like he was testing gravity's patience or acting drunk. Blyke's eye twitched as Henry approached.
"You absolute disaster!" Blyke snapped the moment Henry was close enough. "Do you have any idea what you did last night?"
Henry leaned forward a little, peering at him.
"Good morning to you two."
"You finished the entire mission alone!" Blyke continued, "We were supposed to teach the new member, not wake up to reports that you turned a battleship into a cautionary tale."
Cagaro glanced between them, trying and failing not to look impressed.
"You didn't even leave a note." Henry added.
A couple seconds later,
Henry scratched the back of his head, fingers catching in his hair. "Oh. That."
Blyke folded his arms. "Don't say 'oh.'"
"I didn't know." Henry said honestly, shoulders lifting in a small shrug. "No one told me not to."
Blyke stared at him, mouth opening, then closing again, searching for the right curse and failing to find one strong enough.
Henry smiled, faint and apologetic, rocking slightly on his heels as the morning crept fully awake around them.
Blyke exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose before jerking a thumb sideways.
"Since you apparently operate on your own rules, you might as well know who you nearly made irrelevant."
He turned to the black-haired young man. "Henry, this is Cagaro Kunero. Fresh meat. Five-star. Fresh out of the National Military University in Prada."
Cagaro straightened immediately, posture snapping into something polished and formal. "Sir," he said, bowing his head slightly toward Henry, then Blyke. "It's an honor to work with both of you."
Henry blinked. "Prada?" His brow creased for a moment, then smoothed. "Oh. Yeah. Same place..."
Cagaro looked up, eyes widening just a fraction. "You… graduated from NMU Prada?"
"Four years ago." Henry replied casually, rocking back on his heels. "Didn't think I would hear that name again. Still smells like gun oil and burnt coffee?"
"Yes, sir!" Cagaro said instinctively, then flushed. "I mean—yes. Exactly like that."
Blyke stared between them. "You are good at kidding."
Henry shrugged. "Different departments, probably. When I graduated you were probably in the first year."
Cagaro nodded quickly, clearly pleased. "I specialized in tactical systems and structural warfare analysis. I studied historic infiltration failures, asymmetric engagements—"
"—and you are stable..." Henry cut in gently. "Good sign."
Cagaro smiled, relieved. He shifted his weight, then glanced at Henry with open curiosity. "If… if you don't mind me asking, sir... what rank are you?"
Henry tilted his head, thinking, as if the question required effort. "Four-star."
Blyke scoffed. "Unfortunately." Cagaro froze for half a second.
Four-star?
The same rank as Blyke Rhodes? Just four star!!??
The man who dismantled a floating super-lab alone without casualties?
Cagaro kept his expression respectful but inside, he was curious with his rumbled thoughts. Of course. It made sense now.
That absurd confidence. The way the city itself seemed to feel unnatural around him. This wasn't just some eccentric agent. This was Atlantis material and very core for sure.
"That is… impressive." Cagaro said sincerely. "I hope I can learn a lot from both of you."
Henry smiled, small and almost shy. "Careful what you hope for."
Blyke grunted. "Trust me, kid. You will learn whether you want to or not."
Cagaro nodded again, excitement buzzing beneath his composure. This is it, he thought. This is where real work begins.
Cagaro hesitated for a moment, then spoke carefully, like he was testing thin ice. "Um… can we go to the base now?"
Blyke didn't even look at him. "Nope."
Cagaro blinked. "Oh...?"
Henry smirked silently.
"Five-stars aren't allowed inside." Blyke said flatly. "Not past the outer facilities but official rules."
Cagaro's shoulders dipped just a little.
"Then… how do I rank up?"
Blyke finally turned, studying him the way mechanics look at an engine before deciding whether it's worth fixing. "You fulfill the requirements."
Henry leaned back against a brick wall, arms crossed. "This should be fun."
Blyke raised one finger. "First. Complete three four- or five-star tasks in a team. Remember, you need to perform better not just hide and survive."
A second finger. "Second. Two five-star tasks solo."
Blyke raised a third finger, then paused. His expressions deepened. "Third, inherit an Astra."
The word landed heavier than the rest.
Cagaro's eyes flickered. "An Astra…?"
Henry's gaze shifted away, casual but alert.
"You will learn," Blyke said. "If you're still breathing by then."
Cagaro nodded slowly, committing each requirement to memory. Fear threaded through his excitement but it didn't stop him. It anchored him to be better.
"I will do it."
Blyke snorted. "Everyone says that."
A sharp tone came through the pocket. Blyke's communicator lighting up. He glanced at it, annoyance flashing before settling into something resigned.
"Tch. Another headache."
He tapped the device, listened for half a second, then stood straighter. "I have got to go."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Running already?"
"Someone has to clean up paperwork after you." Blyke shot back. He turned to Cagaro and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"You are with him now."
Cagaro stiffened. "Sir?"
Blyke jerked his head toward Henry. "Henry Ford. My problematic companion, reliable when it counts." He looked Henry dead in the eye. "Take care of him."
Henry smiled faintly. "You make it sound like I'm the dangerous one."
"You are" Blyke said, already stepping back. "Just not on purpose."
He paused, then added to Cagaro, "I will be back later. Don't get yourself killed before then."
With that, Blyke turned and disappeared down the fog-laced street, his red waistcoat fading into gray.
Cagaro looked at Henry, nervous excitement bubbling up again. Henry looked back, hands in pockets, expression unreadable.
"Well" Henry said lightly, "looks like it's just us."
Cagaro straightened. "Please, allow me to be your apprentice."
Henry chuckled. "Careful. That's how trouble starts."