It was a cold, quiet night out in the plains of Mistral. Two hooded figures walked down the dirt path side by side in silence. An Atlesian airship flew overhead, drawing their attention.

"Is that the one?" Asked the tallest of the duo with a gruff, raspy voice.

"It should be," Answered their partner with a nonchalant shrug of their shoulders. They reached within their cloaks, retrieved their scroll, and went through the device's contents. "It's the only Atlesian transport ship detailed in the records."

"You lack confidence in your response," The first hooded figure complained but went through with the assignment regardless. He outstretched his hand toward the Atlas airship. A surge of electricity coursed through their muscular arm before the air vehicle slowly descended toward them.

"That's it, Alba. A bit closer," The second hooded figure casually cheered their partner's efforts.

"Just go already, Ash!" Alba commanded through gritted teeth. His partner giggled and showed no qualms in using his body as a platform to propel themselves toward the airship. Once on board, the large man canceled his Semblance's effects, allowing the air vehicle to resume its flight unhindered.

"This'll be fun," Ash licked her lips and removed her cloak. She has jaw-length greying hair and amber eyes. Her outfit consists of an all-white catsuit with a brown utility belt holding various pouches and her signature weapons, twin daggers.

She pulled one of the daggers from its sheath and used the Fire Dust crystal imbued within it. The blade turned red hot as she stabbed it into the airship, cutting a clean hole into the structure large enough for her to jump through.

"What the hell?!" Atlas guards yelled as the woman infiltrated the ship.

"Nice ship," Ash commented. She took a quick gander around the interior and frowned. "But, it could use a bit more color, you know? White and grey don't bring enough life into the composition."

"Who the hell are you?! What are you doing here?!" The guards surrounded the woman with their guns trained on her.

"Don't worry. I'll fix it up. A little red will quickly bring out the color in this place," Ash acted quickly on her threat. The moment the guard in front of her went to pull the trigger, she swiped her leg out and disarmed the man, kicking the gun straight into the face of another guard.

With the first guard defenseless, he could not stop the onslaught of punches Ash delivered to his face and middle section. As he recoiled in pain, the woman turned her direction to the next guard closest to her. A well-placed kick to the man's groin kept him down long enough for the woman to slit his throat with her dagger.

The remaining guards open-fired on the woman. Ash grabbed one of their comrades and used them as a human shield until the barrage of bullets ceased. Afterward, she hurled the body across the room and pumped her fist into the air when all the guards toppled over like a bunch of dominos. The woman casually strolled to the downed guards and mercilessly slit their throats, marveling at the sight of their blood staining the steel of the ship.

Her attention shifted to the head of the ship, where a single robotic pilot continued to steer the vehicle.

"Ah, sending a toy to control such a promising ship. Not very smart on Atlas' part," Ash giggled as she skipped around the airship in search of specific cargo. It took her about two minutes to find her intended target—a lone man in a brown, tattered suit. "There you are, Duncan. You look like shit."

The man in question, Duncan Butcher, raised his head and scowled at the sight of the woman on the other side of the bars. But that fear quickly turned to fear once he noticed the blood staining the woman's clothes. "What are you doing here? Did the boss order you to kill me?!"

"While the option was considered, unfortunately, I'm here to retrieve you," Ash sounded somewhat disappointed about the rejected assassin mission. While comforted by that fact, it didn't mean Duncan wasn't in any less danger. The comfort of a frozen cell in Atlas sounded much better than being brought back before the boss.

"I can explain my previous failed attempts to report in! I--" Duncan froze once Ash brought her finger to her lips.

"Shhh, I don't care for your excuses. Shut up now while I work, okay?" Ash sliced the bars in half with her heated dagger. Almost immediately, several alarms went off within the ship. "Oops."

"Whatever, get me out of here!" Duncan demanded.

"That's not the right tone you should take with your savior," Ash cut a circular hole in the wall. She kicked the sliced section open, allowing Duncan to get sucked out due to the wind pressure. The woman laughed as she dove through the opening, escaping with her prisoner.

The second semester is a fantastic point for most students attending the prestigious Hunstman Academy, Haven. Nearly the entire school was in a state of frenzy thanks to the overeagerness of the students. The young Huntsmen and Huntresses in training burst at the seams with positive energy once word reached their impressionable ears. Rumors passed through the halls, the rooms, and the dorms like wildfire. The school instructors were looking to sign the most impressive students up for the 40th Vytal Festival.

An international event held every two years, broadcasted worldwide as students from the four kingdoms fought in a tournament to celebrate times of peace. As hypocritical as it sounded, it was an exciting festival that gathered admiration and recognition for those successful in the competition.

It seemed like an essential time for Haven's first-year student, Watchet Amin, a member of Team SWRZ. Ever since childhood, he dreamed of participating in the Vytal Festival and having his team walk out as its champions. Not having a tournament win under their belts would insult his dream of creating the ultimate group of Huntsmen.

Watchet took a leisure stroll throughout the school as he searched for his team leader. Thankfully, he knew exactly where to search when he spotted the time on his scroll. The young man made haste and rushed to the roof of the academy. He saw his partner, Schwartz der Hund, seated on one of the empty benches.

"There you are, Schwartz," Watchet raised his hand and waved as he approached his team leader.

"Mornin'," Schwartz half-heartedly returned his partner's kind gesture of greeting. The first-year student arched his eyebrows once he noticed the subtle smirk on Watchet's face. That's all it took to raise a red flag in his mind. "Whatever you want, I'm not interested."

"You have not even heard my proposal," Watchet slipped his hands behind his back, rousing Schwartz's suspicions even more. "I promise that I will make it worth your while if you hear me out."

"…Five minutes," Schwartz sighed.

"Have you heard the rumors about the instructors recruiting top teams to participate in the 40th Vytal Festival?" Watchet began with a question. He resumed his spiel once Schwartz responded with a slight nod. "I believe our team should participate in the tournament and walk out as the event's winners."

Watchet drew his face extremely close to Schwartz's face—once again, the student knew nothing of personal space. While annoyed, Schwartz remained unnaturally calm, perhaps even accepting of his partner's quirks.

Months passed since the partners in crime faced off against the professional Huntress Max Wisteria from Team PWTR. Thanks to that battle, Schwartz and Watchet's relationship increased dramatically. Both students knew enough about each other's pasts and nefarious activities outside of school to either grow closer—or use them as potential leverage in the future.

Their relationship was borderline one of pure exploitation, not that either of them minded. Schwartz and Watchet had their resourcefulness one way or another. One wouldn't be able to step out of bounds with the other person holding onto crucial information.

Schwartz initially hated the state of their partnership but, over time, grew accustomed to it. He never planned to get much closer with Watchet, let alone his other team members. He needed to wait and, by his time, for the opportune moment to betray his partner.

While he dealt with Wisteria, he wasn't entirely sure if the Huntress escaped the forest alive or not. Sure, he sliced her arms off before the woman retreated, but it wasn't a confirmed kill. That's what irritated him the most about the outcome of the fight. What if the Huntress somehow survived and bided her time to return and exact her revenge?

And to make matters worse, Watchet learned of his identity as a bandit. Somehow he managed to convince his partner that he had turned over a new leaf, but how long would that last? Time and time again, he'd catch Watchet observing him from afar. He wished the bastard would act so they could kill each other.

"As fun as that sounds, it's impossible for us, Watchet," Schwartz grabbed his partner's face and pushed it out of his comfort zone. "If it's a team thing, then we're perhaps the worst pick."

"Do not say that, Schwartz. We are a work in progress," Watchet tried to alleviate some of the pain his partner's words brought him. "There is still plenty of time until the tournament. If we get together with the others and formulate a plan, then I am sure we will get selected."

Schwartz brought his hand to his chin, contemplating Watchet's desperate plea. It wasn't that he didn't have much in himself—if his team managed to reach the finals, he'd surely win the festival. But that was one of the problems—his team.

His partner, Watchet, wasn't that bad in combat. His overreliance on formulating plans and thinking before acting irritated him sometimes, but he was somewhat reliable. However, Rowan Cassidy and Zorina Teufel were a different story. Those two were utterly useless in Schwartz's mind.

The women would do nothing but hold the team back the entire time.

Watchet noted the negative turn in Schwartz's facial expression. He retaliated by swiftly slapping his team leader across the back of his head.

"Your face reveals your thoughts," The student in shades commented.

"Well, what do you expect?" Schwartz complained. "Rowan rarely participates in class, and Zorina's…well…a nutcase."

"It is your responsibility as a team leader to mold your teammates into suitable warriors," Watchet scolded. "Talking down about your teammates hinders your chances of completing that task."

"Yeah, yeah," Schwartz rubbed the back of his neck and avoided eye contact with his partner. The conversation proved more troublesome than he thought. Schwartz enjoyed the thought of winning the tournament, but it wasn't easy with his teammates. If he could enter alone, then the title of a champion was his for the taking. "Tell you what, Watchet. You manage to convince the others to participate; then I'm all in."

That proposition alone was more than enough to inspire Watchet. The young man smiled from ear to ear and bolted in the opposite direction, searching Rowan and Zorina.

Meanwhile, the con-woman, Rowan Cassidy, sat alone in the quad outside Haven Academy. It was another day in hell for her. An entire semester passed since she infiltrated Haven under the guise of a student. She went through so many hoops to keep her disguise intact, but there were limits to her patience.

How much longer would she continue to suffer under the heels of the so-called "Defenders of Humanity"?

Enough was enough.

Rowan brushed her hair behind her ear, subtly planting a communication device. "Mari…" She quietly called out to her handler and partner in crime, Mari Gould.

"I was just about to contact you, Rowan," Mari quickly answered.

"Really?" Rowan did not attempt to hide the doubt in her tone. Nothing went right with their original plan. The undercover operation should've lasted a few weeks tops—not months.

"So, do you want to hear the good or bad news first?" Mari asked.

"Good news, please," Rowan replied, hoping the good news would outweigh the bad. God knows she needed it.

"Good news, an Atlas transport unit picked up Duncan," Mari happily reported, smiling at Rowan's face. It was the moment she'd waited for all this time. With Duncan captured and shipped off to Atlas, her time in the playground was up.

"So, he's no longer in Mistral?" Rowan eagerly asked.

"Not quite," Mari bluntly responded. "The transport ship got attacked by Grimm and crash-landed in the wilderness near Asagao Village. There were several victims, but Duncan's name didn't appear on that list."

Rowan gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to scream at the top of her lungs. One thing after another, the redhead couldn't catch a break. No matter what she tried, the baggage from her past always caught up to her.

"Damn it…"

"Hey, if we're lucky, maybe the Grimm ate him. Or he got captured by bandits." Mari offered several suggestions to explain the disappearance of Duncan. Even if the body wasn't recovered, it didn't mean the man was alive.

"That kind of wishful thinking will get us nowhere," Rowan assumed the worst of the situation. Duncan survived the crash and escaped, possibly regrouping with The Flock. With her ex-partner free from the authorities, it wouldn't take long for the man to find her.

Playing students in Haven wouldn't protect her much longer. She had to escape while she still had the chance.

Mistral wasn't safe for her anymore.

"Fated one!" Rowan nearly jumped out of her skin when a familiar voice reached her ears. She swiftly positioned her hair over her ear to hide the earbud. Out from behind her came her teammate, Zorina Teufel.

"Ah, Zorina, good morning," Rowan gathered her composure, then politely greeted her teammate.

"A fine morning, indeed," Zorina returned the greeting, only to slowly turn her back to Rowan, allowing the breeze to blow her jacket in her partner's face. "The wind seems quite troubled today…."

"Is that so…" The con-woman dryly responded, having already reached her limit for the day. With the news of Duncan's escape weighing heavily on her mind, she didn't have the patience for Zorina's eccentricities.

"Foolish mortal, the wind gives the inhabitants of this planet forewarnings of the coming trials," Zorina arrogantly informed her partner.

Under normal circumstances, Rowan would've blown Zorina off and walked away for not being able to understand her ramblings of nonsense. But after months of classes and training, she slowly began to comprehend the madness that is Zorina.

"I see…" Rowan responded dryly again. It annoyed her beyond belief that she could understand her partner.

"Are you prepared for our benefactors' assignments for us?" Zorina turned and grinned at Rowan.

"More or less," Rowan shrugged her shoulders. She looked around and noticed that Schwartz and Watchet were nowhere in sight. "The other two aren't with you?"

"Leader and Shades left before I awoke from my slumber," Zorina replied.

"Those two have grown strangely close lately," Rowan noted.

"As have we," Zorina pointed out, but Rowan refused to acknowledge the comment with a verbal response. Before their conversation could continue, the school bell rang throughout the quad. Several students hurried to school, not wanting to be late for their classes. "Hurry, Fated One. We must make haste!"

Zorina grabbed Rowan's hand and rushed toward the school for their class. Rowan barked orders for her release, but her partner refused to listen. The con-woman internally swore, waiting for the day she would leave the wretched school and students behind.