- Oliver -

  "Speaking of which, how did you stop being a Nameless?" Oliver asked, genuine curiosity evident in his tone.

  He khat Nico had been w with the Dardanus for some time, but for them to announce him with the surname of the Great House, he would have had to be adopted.

  Nico scratched his , a rare hint of embarrassment flickering across his usually fident demeanor. "Well... it's not really anything special," he begaantly.

  Oliver raised an eyebrow. He'd never seen Nico so sheepish before. It was intriguing. "e on, spill it. What's got you all flustered?"

  Nico sighed, a slight grin tugging at the er of his mouth. "I met someone—a girl. She's a Bck Ranger."

  "Really?" Oliver's surprise was genuine. While Nico was often rough around the edges, when he ed up or donned his uniform, he could easily pass for a ar. Still, the notion of Ni a serious retionship was ued.

  "Yeah," Niitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Things are... progressiween us. Made me start thinking about the future, you know? At some point, I want to leave the frontli's good that I'm moving up." He gestured to the medal pinned proudly on his chest, its polished surface catg the subdued lights of the bar.

  Oliver leaned back, folding his arms. "That's great news. But what's that got to do with joining a House?"

  Nico took a swig of his drink before replying. "Well, I want to start a family someday. I don't want them to gh what I did, growing up Nameless. Not having a House make things hard." He paused, his gaze distant for a moment. "Besides, the Dardanus have been wanting to adopt me for a while now. They figured it'd be better t me into the fold rather than risk anreat House snatg me up."

  "A family... who would have thought?" Oliver teased lightly. "Nico settling down and starting a family."

  "Hey!" Nico protested, though a smile pyed on his lips. "o act so shocked."

  Oliver chuckled. "I'm happy for you, really. It's just... ued."

  "Yeah, well, life throws curveballs sometimes," Niitted.

  "But you couldn't have picked a better time," Oliver remarked, his tourning more serious. "With the Children of the Past stirring up trouble, being a Nameless is going to bee even more challenging."

  Niodded thoughtfully. "No doubt about that. Those guys are nuts, and their leader even more so. The explosions didn't hurt me, but seeing someone who teleport ahin a ten-kilometer radius? That's dht terrifying."

  "I heard about that," Oliver said, recalling the reports of the ret attacks. "Teleportation on that scale shouldn't be possible."

  "Exactly," Nico agreed. "Makes you wonder what else they're hiding up their sleeves."

  There was a moment of ptive sileweehe ambient hum of the bar fading into the background. Holographiews feeds pyed silently on ss overhead, fshing images of distant skirmishes and political debates.

  "Ah! Speaking of which," Nico began, gng at Oliver, "have you received any offers to be adopted? With your track record, I'd be surprised if the Great Houses aren't knog down your door."

  "Not yet," Oliver replied. He'd never really thought about it that way before, but after his first mission, he must have caught the attention of some of the Great Houses, who might want him to bolster their ranks.

  "I've got it!" Nico excimed, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "You haven't accepted any offers because you're waiting for the Princess of York, right?" He waggled his eyebrows in an exaggerated manner, making his best impression of a teasing uhat blonde girl who always gets you into trouble. Ah, romance—always such a risky endeavor."

  "Go to hell, Nico," Oliver retorted, rolling his eyes. He delivered a pyful punch to his friend's shoulder—perhaps with a bit more force than intehe impact sent Nico's chair teetering backward, and with a loud crack, it broke beh him as he tumbled to the floor.

  "Whoa!" Oliver excimed, momentarily startled. He watched as Nico attempted to get up, but the alcohol c through his friend's system wasn't doing him any favors. Nico swayed slightly, a bewildered look on his face.

  "Some punch you've got there," Niented, rubbing his shoulder as he found his footing. "You'd be a hit irial Tower."

  "I don't o go there anymore," Oliver said, a hand to help him up.

  "Maybe not, but you'd make some good money," Nioted, accepting the assistance.

  "Perhaps," Oliver ceded with a shrug.

  They tinued chatting for several more hours, the versation flowing effortlessly from oopic to ahe dimly lit bar provided a ce from the world outside—a wrowing more plex and uain by the day. Patrons came a, the murmur of their versations blending into a soothing backdrop.

  Eventually, a soft chime emanated from Oliver's gau. Gng down, he saw a notification fshing.

  els

  - Exam1Group [4] [Private]

  Exam1Group

  [KathSaysH: Hey Oliver. John said he’s returning today.

  [OliverKR]: Amazing. I’ll just finish some business oh.

  "Told you—you were waiting for her," Nico teased, peering over at the holographic dispy projected from Oliver's gau.

  Oliver shot him a withering look, eyes narrowed as if he could shoot sers. Nico burst into ughter, uo tain his amusement. He ughed so hard that tears welled up in his eyes, which he wiped away with the back of his hand.

  "You're impossible," Oliver muttered, though a hint of a smile pyed at the ers of his mouth.

  As they prepared to part ways, Nico pced a firm hand on Oliver's shoulder, his expression turning uncharacteristically serious. "Hey, no matter what anyone says, if your mission is cssified, it means there's a high ce of failure or... worse," Nico said early. "Be careful out there."

  "Thanks," Oliver replied, appreciating the genuine in his friend's voice.

  They exged a brief, heartfelt nod before heading in opposite dires.

  Returning to his hotel, Oliver swiftly gathered his belongings and made his way to the Teleportation Hub. The facility was a marvel of modern engineering—a nexus point linking worlds through shimmering portals of light. After a brief verification process, he stepped into the drical chamber. In a fsh of energy, the familiar surroundings dissolved, repced instantaneously by the bustling environs of York, the capital city on Mars.

  The Martian sky stretched overhead, a deep amber hue as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Although Oliver had only been to the p once before, the city's yout remaiched in his memory. Sleek towers pierced the sky, ected by aerial walkways and c with streams of hover traffic. He set off toward the t spire of the Great House of York, navigating the streets with practiced ease.

  ‘Let's see if my gauill grants me access,’ he mused as he approached the imposing structure. The building stood as a testament to both engineering prowess and the prestige of House York—its exterior crafted from native Martian stoerwoven with gleaming alloys, creating a striking trast of earthy reds and shimmerials.

  The lobby was magnifit, featuring s ceilings that stretched upward in a dispy of opulehe floor was an intricate mosaic of sandstone hues and deep crimson, eg the Martian ndscape. Along the grarance, guards the distinguished uniforms of House York stood vigint, their eyes trag every individual who passed through the arched doorways.

  As Oliver he elevators, a holographiterface materialized before him, projected from discreet emitters embedded in the polished walls. Sensors sed his gau, and a virtual panel dispyed the floors to which he had access.

  Nearly all the floor indicatlowed in response. ‘Hmm... I think the office was on that floor,’ Oliver thought while pressing one of the buttons.

  els

  - Exam1Group [4] [Private]

  Exam1Group

  [OliverKR]: Just got to the office floor.

  [KathSaysH: We’re in room 11.

  Oliver stepped out of the elevator, his gaze focused as he navigated the tower's byrinthine corridors. The sleek walls of gss and steel reflected the ambient glow of the artificial lighting, casting a futuristic sheen over everything. He didn't take long to locate the corre among the tless identical doors lining the passageways.

  He paused briefly before the entrahen, with a subtle exhale, opehe door. The muffled versation sounds spilled into the corridrowing clearer as he stepped ihe room acious, illuminated by holographic dispys, and filled with familiar faces. As he crossed the threshold, the octs rose from their seats to greet him.

  "Oliver!" called a voice full of enthusiasm.

  He immediately spotted a girl with long, partially curly brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Her face had a slightly flushed hue, perhaps sun-kissed from ret training sessions. She wore a lighter variant of the NEA uniform, but both arms were adorned with partially activated yellow armlowing softly with embedded Energy lines.

  Isabel looked taller and more athletic tha time he'd seen her. Before he could react, she closed the distaween them and enveloped him in a tight hug.

  "It's so good to see you," she said warmly.

  Caught off guard, Oliver hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace. "Good to see you too, Isabel," he replied with a genuine smile.

  As she released him, Isabel stepped aside to allow the others to greet their friend. Standing just behind her was An. The two young men locked eyes, and it took Oliver a few seds tnize him fully. An was no lohe thin, frail boy from the Academy. He had gained muscle mass, his frame filled out frorous training. However, there was a subtle tiredness around his eyes, and the faint beginnings of a beard shadowed his jawline. His hair remained slightly u, a familiar trademark.

  But the most striking difference was when An took a step forward—the distinct metallig eg in the room. It was impossible not to notice the prosthetic legs, sleek and advanced, repg his natural limbs.

  Oliver's eyes widened slightly, revealing a mixture of ahy. "An..."

  An offered a small, wry smile, his cheeks tinged with a hint of embarrassment. "It was the price of not staying in a a," he ented lightly, attempting to downpy the gravity of his statement.

  No further expnation was he unspoken uanding passed between them. Oliver reached out and pulled his friend into a firm hug. "It's really good to have you back," he said sincerely.

  "It's good to be back," An replied, patting Oliver on the back before they parted.

  As An stepped aside, Oliver's attention turo the st person awaiting his greeting. Katheriood with a poised demeanor, her long hair tied ba a sleek ponytail that atuated her features. She seemed both strong and graceful, exuding an aura of quiet fidence. Her red armor covered part of her legs, gleaming subtly uhe room's light, while the rest of her attire sisted of a tailored uniform bearing the insignia of Great House York.

  A radiant smile lit up her face as she looked at him. For a brief moment, Oliver felt a flutter of uainty. Approag her, he wasn't sure whether to extend a handshake or embrace her. Having already hugged his other friends, it seemed only natural to do the same.

  He moved closer, and they shared a warm hug. As they held each other, Oliver's enhanced senses picked up nuances he hadn't noticed before—the gentle warmth of her touch, the subtle st of vender emanating from her hair. Details that once escaped his notiow stood out vividly, a byproduct of his improved perception.

  Releasing her, Oliver found himself momentarily self-scious, w if a flush had risen to his cheeks. He decided to push the thought aside.

  "Katherine," he greeted with a nod.

  "Oliver," she replied softly.

  Breaking the brief silence, Katheriured towards the far end of the room. "John is waiting for us in the inner chamber," she informed them. "Shall we?"

  The group moved deeper into the suite, following ornate hallways adorned with historical artifacts and digital tapestries depig the legacy of House York. The air was filled with a faint hum of advaeology seamlessly ied with traditional architecture.

  Entering the feren, they found Johed at the head of a rge table crafted from polished ebony, its surface embedded with iive holographiterfaces. Streams of data and schematics floated above the table, casting a soft glow.

  John looked up from the holograms as they approached, his expressihtening. He was a tall man with sharp features and eyes that carried a spark of intelligend authority.

  "Katheriioned you had something important to discuss," John said, rising to greet Oliver. There was a hint of anticipation in his voice, as though he expected signifit news.

  Oliver took a steadying breath, his mind focused on the gravity of what he was about to reveal. "I've obtained information about the Sns."

  GCLopes