Dante stepped aside, allowing her to look into the room. Tyler and Theo were already seated at the semi-round table, laughing and joking together like good friends. Vice Captain Alexander lounged in his chair, reclining with his legs propped up on the table. His old black dress shoes were polished to a shine at the tips, as if he had polished them that morning for the meeting. As usual, his top hat rested over his face.
In the corner of the room, Valerie sat with her legs crossed on the table, engrossed in what appeared to be a romance novel. Thalia took a seat next to her brother, who still seemed preoccupied with Tyler and hadn't acknowledged her yet.
Thalia noticed something had changed in Theo. The atmosphere around him felt different; he exuded a newfound confidence. She wondered what could have possibly happened in the past three weeks. Where was her nervous, soft-spoken little brother? This new version of him caught Thalia off guard.
After the test, each of them had been approached individually and informed that they would begin training with one of their instructors. Two days following the test, Vice Captain Alexander had approached Thalia, telling her he would teach her how to wield her most destructive abilities with pinpoint accuracy.
For three weeks, Thalia had trained for four hours each day, locked in combat with the Vice Captain as she unleashed her most creative and devastating attacks. He was instructing her on the best tactics for utilizing her abilities in various situations.
He simulated both flying enemies and electric-resistant foes. They also improved her aerial maneuverability. Thalia's only complaint was that he did not allow her to use or practice with her Storm fan.
The vice captain's words still echoed in her mind: "Once you master your own bloodline trait, you will naturally master your relic. If the master is inferior to the relic, it will never fully obey." She remained uncertain about what to think of the vice captain.
He was definitely an oddball. Thalia didn't fully understand his abilities, and every time she asked about them, his answers were always vague. The same happened when she inquired about his eye patch. The thought made Thalia grimace and shiver. It was almost as if he deliberately shrouded his abilities and personality in mystery. All Thalia knew for sure was that he was powerful; however, the exact extent of his power was anyone's guess.
Thalia felt a twinge of jealousy towards her brother for getting the chance to train with Dante every day. She would do anything for that opportunity—not just because his presence made her feel butterflies, and certainly not only because he was ridiculously handsome. It was mainly because Thalia knew she could learn so much from someone as strong as Dante. The thought made her blush.
"Hey, Thalia, I didn't see you there. What's up?" Theo asked, smiling.
Thalia couldn't help but notice the change in his body language. His shoulders were rolled back, and he leaned back in the chair with his legs spread apart. While this might have been typical behavior for a confident man, it kind of freaked Thalia out. Her brother used to be so closed off, slouching and crossing his legs whenever he could.
"Hey, baby bro! How have you been? I haven't seen you since you started your training with Dante. How's it going?"
Theo leaned back and placed his hands behind his head. "Honestly, I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy." Thalia raised an eyebrow; his words didn't match his relaxed demeanor.
"After just three weeks, I felt like I was going to die. Somehow, that man does this every day." Thalia was even more curious now, but also a little irritated by his vague explanation.
"I didn't understand at first, either. That all changed when my training got interrupted. Dante dragged someone in over his shoulder, and I had never seen anyone in such bad shape before. That was when I realized that the rigorous training Val was putting me through had to be a cakewalk in comparison." Tyler laughed and smacked Theo on the shoulder.
"To be honest, he was the only one who really needed that level of training anyway," Tyler added, still chuckling. His blue eyes sparkled with amusement.
Thalia huffed and shook her head. "Yeah, you were kind of useless during our entry test. How long are we going to have to keep carrying you on our backs?" Thalia teased.
"Hey guys, cut me some slack. I'm not as naturally gifted as you are." Theo ran his hand awkwardly through his short brown hair and looked down, clearly embarrassed.
"Now that is the baby brother I remember," Thalia said with a smile. She flashed a devious grin before sending a small surge of electricity through Theo's arm. This time, instead of pulling his arm away in pain, he didn't even flinch. He just laughed. Curious to see how he would react, she sent a larger surge.
"Thalia, when did your control over your electricity become so fine-tuned? That really burns; it's still stinging," he replied. Despite his words, Theo still appeared unfazed. His calm demeanor was beginning to annoy Thalia. Just as she was about to get serious, the electronic door slid open.
A woman's heels clicked against the floor, and Thalia looked up in disbelief. The woman before them was stunning—almost as beautiful as her aunt. She had bright blue eyes with long eyelashes and, like Thalia, wore no makeup, which frustrated Thalia because she liked to be the only natural beauty in the room.
Thalia couldn't help but notice the woman's impeccable sense of fashion. Dressed in a sleek, all-black pantsuit, the outfit accentuated her curves beautifully. Thalia had always felt self-conscious about her small chest, though she was proud of her thick hips and tight abs. Seeing this woman, who seemed to rival the beautiful characters in Theo's video games, only intensified Thalia's frustration. The woman's hips were just as shapely, and her toned, flat stomach served as a stark reminder to Thalia that life was undoubtedly unfair.
"Life is so unfair…" Thalia mumbled under her breath.
"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. I had to consolidate the information into one file since I know some of you tend to get lost in lengthier explanations," the blonde woman said, glancing at both Dante and the vice-captain, who were paying her no attention. Dante was attempting to remove the hat from the vice-captain's sleeping head using the sheath of his katana. Thalia found it entertaining because every time he reached for the hat, Alexander would swivel his chair away just in time.
"Ahem," the woman said, clearly annoyed. If looks could kill, both the captain and the vice-captain would have been dead twice over. Suddenly, the tablet the woman was holding flew across the room, hitting Dante squarely in the side of his head. He tumbled out of his seat and rolled onto the floor. The scene was comical, although Thalia wasn't entirely sure if Dante even tried to dodge it.
"Ha, Monica, you're still as scary as ever, I see. Are you alright, Captain?" Alexander said as he flipped his hat back onto his head.
Dante lay sprawled out on the floor. Thalia wanted to get up and check on him, but just as she began to stand, Dante sprang up with renewed energy, landing on his feet and holding his hands out as if he were performing a squat.
"Damn, that hurt!" he exclaimed, rubbing his head, where a slight trickle of blood flowed down the side.
"If you missed me, you could have just said so," Dante replied, a smile spreading across his face despite the injury.
Monica grimaced. "I'm glad to see you're still as carefree as ever."
She walked past him, picking up the tablet she had just thrown at his head. Thalia, Tyler, and Theo exchanged confused glances; they had no idea what was going on.
"That's an ex-wife for you—merciless as ever," Alexander said with a snicker, still leaning back in his chair.
The three of them gasped in unison.
"Ex-wife?" Theo said slowly, his gaze shifting to Dante, who was still rubbing the spot on his head where the tablet had struck.
This was technically their first time meeting Dante's ex-wife. So far, all Thalia knew about her was that she was incredibly beautiful. However, that thought quickly transformed into concern about how intimidating she could be, especially considering her strength to injure Dante with just a handheld smart device. Thalia hopped up, grabbed a few napkins, and wiped the blood from Dante's head.
He grabbed her hand, causing Thalia to flinch slightly. "Thank you, little dove," Dante whispered. Thalia blushed and quickly pulled her hand away before quietly sitting back down.
"Alright! It's time to begin the mission briefing," the blonde woman announced as she moved behind the podium at the front of the room.