In a hurried pace, Tension Masters march from one tent to another. Exchanging words, documents, and all manner of non-verbal communications, the men and women assembled in this military campsite organise themselves with as much efficiency as can be expected given the circumstances.

Twelve days ago it had happened. The news spread unrestrained.

A Tower had been breached.

Three days after the breach, the entirety of the Oswald Region was under siege by an army of Tension-beasts.

The shock of it overwhelming, to attempt a calculation of the lives lost in this short time is to destine oneself to unmitigated failure.

The bulk of the casualties, as they were always condemned to be, was the poor, the mortal, the nameless, the ones for whom society has no regard. Even still, from what I've heard, the casualties were not limited to those convenient sacrifices.

Guilds, both righteous and dark, were wiped out by the dozen. Entire low-tier Clans, unable to defend their status from enemies within and without, have fallen into namelessness. In one move, the Dread Mother has reshaped this region. With one strike, she blighted the land and let loose a wail of sorrow that will not soon fade from the ears of all who have heard its poignant sonance.

Terrifying.

No other word can adequately describe the absolute power a rank-five Maverick possesses. Lives, property, and coin cannot be used to measure the scale of a Maverick's incursion. Rather, generations, strongholds, and economies must be appealed to.

'Fall in!'

From the entrance of the largest tent in our makeshift military base, a male voice resounds. Stood between two women, who from their appearance could only be his secretaries, is a giant of a man at the head of our gathering. At his words, the tents empty themselves of everyone within. Forming rows facing our commander, we in the campsite arrange ourselves neatly and rapidly. When the last man is in position, our titan of a leader takes a step forward.

'Our mission is simple', the man says. 'Behind us is Belford City The manufacturing hub of the Oswald region. The business conducted in Belford city is not something we in this region of Area VI can afford to lose. To that end, we have been gathered. Tension Masters from different guilds, different Clans, different walks of life for the purpose of defending our way of life.'

Walking to the head of the rows, the man moves to each line individually. Locking eyes with the soldiers before him, he shifts from row to row, no doubt evaluating the quality of the Tension Masters he's been sent to direct.

'Most of you don't know each other. Under better circumstances, most of you probably wouldn't like each other. We are not in better circumstances. Each one of us here has a duty. A duty to the land we call home, but also a duty to one another. You will discharge that duty with honour! That is an order!'

A chorus of affirmation busts from the mouths of every face surrounding me.

'For the benefit of those of you who have recently arrived, I will repeat what most of you already know. You are required to work in teams of five. In every team, there must be a representative of the Central Peace-Keeper Guild acting as your captain.'

In the early days of the invasion, there had been no order. From the cautionary tales, Individual Tension Masters seeking glory and riches would single-handedly rush into battle. What became of them? Well, no one had needed to say a word for me to have figured it out.

Since those days, the faction of Central Peace-Keeper Guild in this region was given complete jurisdiction over the Tension-beast subjugation effort, by the five ruling Clans that had instituted their guild in the first place. From that point, though news of the fatalities hasn't ceased to reach me, the sheer scale at which Tension Master's lives have been tossed aside has decreased significantly.

'If you have come as a party four, you may remain as you are. All that will change is you will be assigned a team leader from the Peace-Keepers. If your party size exceeds that number or does not reach that number, your party will be reshuffled, subtracted or added to so that you are arranged into a party of five.'

A wave of discontent flows through the assembly.

'Quiet!' The boom of the man's command barrels through all objections. In a single moment, the only voice left to be heard is that of our commander.

'In just a moment, those of you without the requisite number in your party will be directed to another location where your full party will be formed. As for those of you that have already registered as a party of four, please find the other members of your team and wait here for your designated team leader. You are dismissed!'

The two women to the side of the muscular man begin to direct the groups too small and too big to be classed as a team. Crowd thinning, it takes little effort to find the three members of my party.

Tabitha, Solomon, and Emma.

The night that Huntress had come to see me was the night I had Rachel formalise our party, and the night before we had all exchanged a spirit pledge. Though, as mid-tier and high-tier Clansmen, both Tabitha and Solomon had been exempt from this conflict, is it not natural for subordinates to follow their master?

That is the bargain we struck. For six years, the duration of our time at Sapphire Academy, the three of them are completely subservient to me. In return, at the end of the six years, I will give to them all the information I have concerning that which they consider to be the most important thing for their future.

For Tabitha, the formula to break through the spirit chains planted on her by the main branch of the Enderich family in order that they might restrict her advancement to the mortal realms available to Tension Masters.

Solomon desires, only that I grant him the knowledge I possess concerning the bound-weapon of the Kas Clan. As for Emma, she only asked that I allow her to study at my side. For me, their requests are minor issues. Father has taught me many secrets, to exchange one or two in return for loyal subordinates? Is that not a kingdom for a horse?

Furthermore, whether I fulfil my end of the bargain or not is entirely dependant on my mood at the time. Of the lessons Father instilled in me, the method for breaking a spirit pledge might well be his most valuable.

A soft smile tugs at my lips. Like those around me, I move myself to the rest of my group. Nodding slightly, Tabitha and Solomon reluctantly acknowledge my arrival. Emma bows to greet me. Approaching our location, a dark-haired woman appearing to me to be in her mid to late twenties comes to join us. Wearing a long, dark-green coat with the shield symbol of the Peace-Keeper Guild, it's clear that she is the one designated as our leader.

'We haven't been formally acquainted. My name is Abbigale Smok, lieutenant of the Oswald Region Peace-Keeper Guild. I have been assigned as the leader of this party. I understand that this group boasts three true rank-three Tension Masters from the academy. Two of whom are from Clans of a higher tier than my own.' The woman pauses and looks directly at Tabitha and Solomon in turn.

'You might be thinking you have no need of me seeing as your rank is no lower than my own. Maybe you find it strange to follow the directions of one you consider beneath your station. Well, that's too bad. As a full-fledged Escalade, no matter your rank, my experience in combating Tension-beasts dwarfs your own, and as a member of the Peace-Keepers in a time of crisis, I will remind you that I have authority even over high-tier Clansmen.'

Dispelling the awkward silence with a sigh, the stern expression of our leader melts from her face.

'Now that's out of the way, I really hope we can all get along for the duration of our campaign. I've been on worse battlefields than this in my time. I guarantee that if we all work together, we'll all come out of this in one piece. To that end, though I've read all of your files before arriving here, I think it's important that I hear from your own mouths the abilities you possess. Let's start with you.' Turning her head towards Tabitha, Abbigale gestures for her to speak.

Tabitha glances in my direction, I nod my approval for her to speak.

'I'm Tabitha Enderich of the beta branch of Enderich Clan. I'm a true rank-three Water Tension Master. As such I have converted my set Arts into water Tension Arts, doubling the number of Arts I am able to perform before needing to expel corruption. On the journey here, I have already used eight Arts. So, at rank-three, grade-one of my Tension Resistance, I should still have thirty-two Arts remaining.'

As if absorbing the information provided, the brown-haired woman nods to herself. 'Now you, Solomon, is it?'

'That's right. My name is Solomon Kas of the Kas Clan. I too am a true rank-three Tension Master, though I do not boast the use of elemental Tension. In my travels to this base, I have used ten of the twenty Arts I will be able to perform today. That being said, I should be able to compensate with several sealed Arts I have prepared in advance, along with the bound weapon of the Kas Clan. Totalling it all up, I should be able to cast up to sixteen Arts before needing to meditate.'

'Sixteen, that's good, very good. Now you, Emily Dawn.'

As if being caught doing what she ought not, the bespectacled girl jolts to attention.

'Um…Yeah!' She says just a little too loudly. 'I'm Emma Dawn, a rank-two Tension Master in the lower-set at Sapphire Academy. I'm only able to use five more Arts over the next two days, and today I only have three Arts remaining. I should be able to enhance myself for maybe up to thirty minutes, but I'm really sorry, I don't think I'll be much help.' Whispering the last words, Emma bows her head, avoiding the eye contact of our team leader.

'I have to admit', Abbigale says. 'I'm kinda relieved to have at least one normal person on our team. Being a rank-two Tension master at your age is normal. Actually, it's rather impressive. I don't think I reached rank-two until I was seventeen. A lot of the members in my guild still haven't. Don't compare yourself to these guys. Every one of them is a monster. Most Tension Masters work in parties and guilds because it's so difficult to advance. A single person can't do much, but as a team, even rank-one Tension masters become a force to be reckoned with.'

Abbigale turns to face me. Sizing me up with a lift and fall of her head, she gently nods her head as if having internally approved of some matter.

'So, you're the one I keep hearing about. The nameless boy who killed Wolf Yung. You're not as scary looking as I had imagined you were. I suppose that makes sense. Killer or not, you are still a child. Please, introduce yourself.'

'Nero XIII, like you said, I'm nameless. I'm a true rank-three, grade-two Tension Master. I've used five Arts getting here, leaving me with twenty-five Arts remaining.'

Telling her of my status as a body Tension Master would serve no purpose. It's best to keep that hidden as my trump card. After all, whether she knows it or not, whether it's fair or unfair, whether it's righteousness or wickedness, she is in my way, and I will show no mercy to those who stand in my way.