Arthur sat calmly with Sunny, their smiles small and genuine; they laughed, drank, and cried together.
Why wouldn't they be so close? They both were outcasts among outcasts after all.
Sunny grinned, slurring his words.
"Hey?"
Arthur cocked his head to the side, eyes squinting at Sunny.
Seeing that Arthur was paying attention, Sunny continued speaking.
"I heard you have earned some nicknames!"
Arthur's grin fell at once, but Sunny's only grew wider, his eyes squinted with amusement.
He tapped his chin, acting like he was in deep thought.
"What was it again?"
He hummed, looking around the room curiously.
Then he exclaimed.
"Ah! Yes! I remember!" He shouted, a humorous mocking smile on his face.
"The invisible Demon, was it?"
Arthur stared at Sunny, his eyes half-lit and lifeless.
He slowly opened his mouth, embarrassment and shame dripping from his tongue.
"Don't, don't ever bring that up"
Sunny stared seriously at Arthur for a few moments, before falling from his chair, laughing hysterically.
From that day, Arthur never drank with Sunny again.
He had found out how little Sunny could actually handle alcohol, even as a sleeper.
But now here he sat, Arthur, Caera, and Sunny around a table, drinking.
Sunny was almost emotionless, Arthur looked to be actually emotionless, and Caera? She sat silently, drinking from time to time.
It was still the same day Falcon Scott had fallen, and all of them were grieving. And so they sat in what remained of a building in Falcon Scott, a violet campfire keeping them warm.
No one spoke; each was caught in their own thoughts.
Then finally, Sunny lifted his head, staring right at Arthur.
"Where were you...?"
His tone was not angry nor sad, just... tired.
Arthur raised his own eyes, meeting the black jet ones of Sunny.
He sighed and spoke.
"Taking my third nightmare"
He answered shortly, not feeling like launching into the full story, especially with the guest.
Sunny only nodded, coming to the realization of what had happened. After all, Sunny was there when he started experiencing his second nightmare signs. And he also knew what had happened in it.
The silence finally broken, Caera finally dared to speak.
She slowly opened her mouth, focusing on Arthur specifically.
"War is on the horizon"
She silently said, her words like a thunderbolt in Arthur's mind.
Sunny didn't react much, only a grim resolve in his eyes.
Arthur stood up, eyes blazing with newly reignited fury.
"Who?!"
He snarled, his sharp teeth glinting violet from the campfire.
Caera prepared for the unimaginable pressure to appear, but it didn't.
She let out a sigh of relief and then spoke once again.
"Song versus Valor"
The answer was obvious, but also ridiculous.
The greatest forces of humanity are clashing with one another.
At such a time? Despicable.
Sunny rose from his seat, his form far smaller than Arthur's, but the pressure far creepier than his golden-haired friends.
"I will not join any side"
He spoke, clearly stating his side.
Arthur nodded, and Caera did so as well.
Then Sunny continued.
"I will also try to become a Saint as fast as possible".
Arthur gave a small smile, nodding in his direction.
Arthur had no doubts that Sunny could achieve it with the right cohort. And he had one of the greatest ones ever.
They both turned to Caera, curious about her own plan.
She gulped nervously.
"I don't really have a cohort or resources for that"
She answered silently, embarrassed to admit that.
Arthur turned to Sunny, his eyes gleaming.
"Take her with you"
Sunny's eyes widened, the pure bluntness catching him off guard.
Sunny turned back to Caera, wondering.
He knew she was trustworthy to an extent, she had taken care of Arthur after all.
But he didn't know her strength, her abilities.
They were also all drunk, not fully, but enough to make mistakes. And this kind of mistake could lead to deaths.
Finally, he answered.
"We will talk about such things while sober"
Was his words.
Caera smiled softly, yet the nervousness didn't leave her.
Normally she wasn't this shy or timid.
But she was sitting beside two titans.
One, the newly Transcendent Paragon of Purity.
And another being one of the well-known masters, Mongrel. And he was even in the Changing Stars cohort!
Of course, she was timid!
***
[A/N: from here on, the story will differ from the real one].
A week has passed since the Paragon's reappearance.
News outlets got flooded, the clans started sending assassins yet again, but they didn't realize, Masters wouldn't cut it anymore. Especially with war happening, every loss mattered. And so the attempts ended as soon as they began.
Arthur was now standing on a podium in a public gathering.
He had several announcements to make.
He tapped the microphone lightly, testing it.
After making sure it was working properly, he cleared his throat lightly and began to speak.
"People of NSQC!" He exclaimed, his voice tinged with emotion he didn't feel.
"I have come here, gathered you all here, for several important announcements".
He stated, his voice lowered, eyes gleaming with determination.
"First of all, I am now a Saint!"
At that, the crowd buzzed, shocked like tangible things holding their eyes.
Several shouts came from the crowd, yet Arthur ignored all.
"Second of all, I came here to announce my own personal group!" Arthur inhaled and exhaled deeply, confidence and determination strengthening him.
"We will be a group of people, powerful people, that will remain indifferent to politics and sides! We will only fight for the people!"
He shouted, his voice carrying over the crowd like a wave.
Arthur continued
"While this is an announcement, this is also a recruitment.
Requirements are simple. Be a master, or have unique abilities and drive to become a master! "
Arthur shouted at the crowd at the last part, shouts and cheers ringing out through the crowd.
Several people shouted the actual reason and goal of this group, and Arthur didn't ignore their questions.
"During my stay in Antarctica, which had fallen."
Everyone stayed quiet for a minute, grieving and saddened by the losses.
Arthur continued.
"I realized, I couldn't protect humanity alone."
He silently exclaimed, his heart throbbing at his own failure.
"So an idea was born. To bring together a group of special individuals. No matter their background. No matter their quirks. The only thing that mattered was their will to help humanity!"
Cheers rang out, the people clearly loving the man in full black and golden armor.
"So the group will be named the Lances"
Several whispers and shouts rang out, but Arthur continued.
"We will not only protect humanity, but we will also bring the fight to the nightmare creatures themselves!
We won't hide! We will protect! And we will take back our lost lands! "
[A/N: wrote this while drunk, please point out any and all mistakes.]
Thanks for reading and support!
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