All eyes turned as someone stepped into the room. A woman with shoulder-length chestnut hair stood at the entrance, dressed in a flowing blue gown partially layered with dark silver armor. Her outfit alone spoke volumes: elegant, finely tailored, and clearly of exceptional quality. Her sharp eyes scanned the room, though her expression softened almost immediately, shifting into something more relaxed and warm.
The others stood to welcome her, an air of quiet respect filling the space.
"Oh, hi everyone," she said with an easy smile, stepping further into the room. "Whoa... everyone's already here," she added with a small laugh. "Sorry about that. Orion is probably still out there being lazy."
She appeared to be around the same age as Tave, which aligned perfectly with what he knew. She was eighteen.
In the original version of the story, Orion had been the one destined to inherit the title of the city's next Lord. But things didn't unfold as expected. His pride, unchecked and growing, would ultimately lead to his downfall. The position he once seemed fated to claim slipped through his fingers, and in the aftermath, it was Oriana who would rise to take his place.
With a calm and graceful air, Oriana stepped closer to Lily and offered her a gentle smile.
"Hi, Lily," she greeted.
"Hi, Lady Oriana. It's good to see you, and I'm really glad I get to be in the same squad as you," Lily replied.
"You're incredibly polite and just so cute," Oriana said with a grin. "You're the youngest on this team, right? So if anyone gives you trouble, just come to me. I'll make sure they regret it."
She paused, then shifted her gaze to the right of Lily. Her eyes landed on Tave, who responded with a respectful bow.
"Oh… you're the eldest child of Commander Logan, aren't you?"
"Yes, Lady Oriana. My name is Tave."
"Ah, I see," she said thoughtfully. "I heard about your fight during the selection test. I'm honestly curious to see you in a real battle. Well done, and welcome to the team."
"Thank you, Lady Oriana."
Oriana smiled and gave him a slight nod. "We're probably the same age, so don't be too formal around me. We'll be in the same team, after all. We might as well get comfortable with each other."
With that, she turned and made her way to the seat at the front of the room. Once there, she sat down gracefully, facing the others.
Tave understood Oriana's nature well. After all, yes, she had appeared several times in the original story, though mostly as a supporting character. Still, there was no doubt about it: this girl could be trusted. Her focus was unwavering when it came to her family and the legacy tied to this city.
Whenever Deadbay City was involved, Oriana would be the first to step forward. She'd defend it against anyone, no matter who dared to stir chaos within its walls. But... there was something else about her. She had a certain need, an undeniable hunger for recognition.
Tave gave a faint smile. It was just her childish side showing. She wasn't someone who would take being underestimated lightly, and she definitely enjoyed praise. Though she was sharp enough to sense when that praise wasn't genuine.
Tave knew he'd be smart to use everything he understood about her to his advantage.
The door creaked open once more.
Finally, the last member of the team stepped in. Not just any member, but the team leader, and quite possibly the one who would cause the most trouble.
A figure entered clad in polished silver armor, a blue cape trailing behind him. His short, light brown hair framed a firm, unyielding face. His sharp gaze swept the room the moment he stepped inside.
Everyone rose to greet him.
Oriana remained perfectly at ease as Orion strode to the center of the room, his arrogant stare casting itself over everyone present.
Orion… this man, at his core, was actually quite dependable. He took his duties seriously, and yes, he was undeniably talented. In fact, he was probably just a step away from breaking through to Gaia Master. But still, his greatest weakness had always been his mouth.
And that flaw was the very first thing he unleashed in front of Tave.
"Why the hell is there a Gaia Apprentice on this team?" he said sharply. The room, already quiet, fell into an even deeper, breathless silence.
Tave didn't respond at once. He caught a glimpse of the blonde-haired man nearby turning to glance his way, a faint smile tugging at one corner of his lips.
Why was he here? Because Commander Thalos had personally granted him access, of course. But Tave didn't say that out loud.
He stood in place, steady, making sure not to meet Orion's eyes directly.
"A rookie with no real experience. Weak. Why are you even here?" Orion scoffed. "Is there seriously no one more useful than this guy?!"
Tave opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, Oriana's voice rang out from behind Orion.
"You do know that a tier 3 rift is considered minor, right? We don't really need a scout in full force… so let him train in that role during this expedition."
Yes, Orion and the others didn't actually need a scout for this mission. A tier 3 rift was relatively minor and, in many cases, used specifically to train various roles for future expeditions into higher-tier rifts. So really, there was no issue with Tave being here.
Oriana's statement, though calmly delivered, struck at the core of Orion's pride. Because if he questioned Tave's capability, then indirectly, he was also casting doubt on his own. On whether he and the rest of the team could handle a tier 3 rift without complications. And that, of course, left Orion with no real grounds to continue objecting to Tave's presence.
So, in the end, he had no solid ground to stand on.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue sharply. "Just make sure you don't drag us down," he said, then turned his attention elsewhere with a dismissive glance.
"Yeah..." a voice suddenly cut through the tension. It came from the blond-haired man, and the moment he spoke, every eye in the room turned toward him. His tone dripped with casual arrogance. "This will be easy. Far too easy." Then his eyes shifted toward Orion. "If only..." he added, though he left the sentence hanging in the air, unfinished.
And of course, that was more than enough to ignite Orion's temper, no matter the context or intention behind the words.
Orion stepped forward, his presence radiating fury as he approached the man, who now stood and gave a shallow bow, entirely unbothered.
"Make even the smallest mistake, and I will kill you," Orion said, his voice cold and sharp.
The man merely answered with a faint, knowing smile.
Seriously, hearing something like that from the City Lord's eldest son was completely unhinged. Tave shook his head slowly, choosing not to look. In the end, it was he who had created this troublesome character, Orion, in the first place. And now, here he was, standing face to face with the very chaos he had once written into the story.
This Orion... the only option was to ignore every harsh word he threw out. Because when pushed to the extreme, Orion had no problem challenging anyone to a duel to the bitter end. Thankfully, though, he did have one redeeming flaw, his shameless flirtatious streak. At the very least, that meant the women on the team were relatively safe around him.
But if he so much as tried flirting with Lily, even for a moment, Tave wouldn't sit by and do nothing.
He just needed to enter the rift. Complete his relic awakening. It was within reach, just one step away. He couldn't afford to let people like this derail his focus now.