Leaning on him, and tauning his damn balance, Mi-Yung felt really good about today, unlike Dreadus.

  “Bah! Leave that be?! What have you even done yourself? Have you been there because of that Gale?”

  “Yes. They pestered me too much about it, but I get why they do it. It is personal, and that freak Prime thinks he gets privilege out of his refusal. Asshole. They think waiting is good, but in my opinion, the first touch is even more important, and whatever will happen in the Awakening isn't everything. I mean, they didn't even ask about Rank 0. Isn't that odd?”

  “I think they know what they know and did what they did for a reason. I've already put Celeste through some tests, you know. You should do it with that boy if you are worried.”

  “I know. They forced me to do the same with William.”

  “Oh, they did?” Dreadus paused. “Isn't it a bit too much?”

  “I am used to it. William isn't, which is another thing.”

  “Poor lad.”

  “Nothing worse than Kaufman, though.”

  “True. And... when you mention him, his acts yesterday were... what?”

  “A joke, perhaps? He told me he had departed, and the Assembly disregarded him completely, and not even pushed it forward in that room. No mission. No care. I pulled ten days out of their asses, in fact. A fine choice, right?”

  “Ten days? For what?”

  “To work with William. Perhaps you should consider it with Celeste and get to know her better. I surely trust Ellie gets it too, so take advantage of her and get to know what it means to gather new generations and know that nothing is about pure, raw strength and force alone.”

  Dreadus chuckled at her tone and continued walking away by her side. “I made my visits four days ago and took care of it, and other matters. She is... different. Unusual.” Dreadus revealed without shame, and Mi-Yung was curious about what else he was missing. “Celeste needs a lot more than training. Maybe less training is what she is missing.”

  “Maybe. William might not need it, or it is the opposite of my belief. We don't know them, do we?”

  “Children...” Dreadus felt a shiver down his spine when she slapped his back and spoke about very nasty topics.

  “Take care of that girl. I saw her. Felt her. She is the innocent devil. Don't let her bite too much of your heart; otherwise, you won't survive it in one piece.”

  “I hope that you will be the same.”

  Both Walkers sighed as they walked to the exit, ignorant of Terrance, who walked behind them, praying for the god of sounds and prayers that they would soon leave and stop speaking about these things so darn loudly.

  He was there, being tested and breathing. Not like Mi-Yung cared.

  They soon entered a door that led to a vast, open hallway overlooking raging waves. Winds flared up their hair as they entered one many many immense balconies, and exit boundaries.

  “Good luck with William,” Dreadus said to her as he leaped from the window, the size of a building.

  Mi-Yung waved her hand and turned to Terrance. “Keep up with it and give any regard to Old Dream. My ten-day condition is mine and his rule. Whatever he wants, I will give it if that's how he wants it. He won't bother me beforehand. It is my business rule, got it?”

  Terrance nodded in prayer. “Old Dream doesn't forget.”

  “Wishes,” Mi-Yung said and leaped away, disappearing into the moist mist and leaving afterimages behind.

  “I wish to forget,” Terrance said and prayed for his own health.

  ***

  Around the same time, on the second floor of the library, William had his fair share of work.

  It was less important than the upper floors, and for his lack of academic knowledge, he wanted bits of it, too.

  He knew what to read and learn. Mi-Yung's and Ellie's appealing ideas left a lasting impression on his mind. He had a sizable list of books from both of them. They shouldn't take more than two weeks to go through, or he might do one bit at a time for six weeks in total.

  The majority of his time should be spent on the upper floors for obvious reasons, considering six weeks to get a hold of himself wasn't a lot of time, and for many youths, it was far too little.

  “Alright, let's do this.” he slapped his cheeks, hyped himself in silence, and went through a fierce and focused battle called learning.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  Winners or losers weren't here. One could only learn more or less, or take something out of it. Anything goes.

  ***

  Time ticked by, and with the books and doors opening, William was soon out of his time. Night approached, and he had one rule that Ellie forced into his brain.

  Too much hacking his brain into these books wasn't great, and overworking might cause harm.

  William decided to spend a maximum of ten hours learning in the library a day. Nothing more, but there was one trick to increase it. That was the cultural floor, which wasn't considered learning in Ellie's opinion.

  There were interesting texts that William had wanted to read for a really long time, and it was a passable way to rest.

  But not today. He was still tired from the previous day, and his hunger was catching up with him.

  For the entire day, he was alone, and he didn't see Ellie or Celeste, and they never visited either. Maybe they tried, but couldn't find him?

  With a yawn, he left the library, got himself snacks along the way, and went home. There, he got a small surprise.

  Mi-Yung was in the living room, fighting out a battle of no lifetime. The one in danger was not Luke either, so that was a surprising yet not entirely unexpected either.

  It was a young man in his twenties who scowled and complained about something.

  “Yungmin, you have no manners,” Mi-Yung said, arguing with her young brother in a locked martial move. “You stole it!”

  “Leave... me... alone, sis. It was just food. Mere snack.” Yungmin argued, having no trouble breathing, and no trouble being a loser, because, hell, winning over his sister was a far-fetched dream.

  Both of them wore casual clothes, looking like siblings in a fine sense of the word, since they looked kind of similar in broad daylight, even if there was a many-year difference between them.

  William stood in place, looking at them as he sipped from his refilled bottle. He never had siblings. Dann didn't count, or... maybe he did? It was a bit odd then that, as they met at a very terrific time, what came out of that was not a typical friendship. It was marked by death and survival, and a lot of respect.

  As for these siblings, they noticed him a bit later than they should have.

  “Oh, William!” Mi-Yung cheered as she tightened her grip. “I found a thief. A very brazen thief.”

  Yungmin wanted to disappear on the spot, unwilling to be seen by William in this state.

  “Good night.” William waved with his bottle, turned, and went to sleep.

  “Hey! Wait,” Mi-Yung shouted behind him. There was still some sense in him to stop.

  “What is it?”

  “This is my younger brother.” Mi-Yung introduced Yungmin in her clutch, who instead pretended to be unconscious rather than deal with the introduction.

  A simple slap to his forehead woke him up.

  “Alright. Alright. Hell got loose when you got home earlier than ever before. Screw this!” Flaring his arms, he freed himself and kicked the sofa. Mi-Yung let him go with a flick of a finger and forced him to fall before William.

  “Brother?” William hummed. “Nice to meet you. I didn't have time or a chance to meet you, but it doesn't seem to be that important, right?”

  Yungmin nodded in silence.

  Mi-Yung jumped over the sofa and landed between them. “I've got some words to say, so go ahead and bear with it.”

  “Words?”

  “I mean, there has been a change in order. I got ten more free days, so isn't it wonderful?” she said with a bright and wide smile. William thought she was joking.

  “Ten days of what? Vacation is extended, or... is your job terminated because of me? Please, don't do that. That sounds terrible.”

  “I got it worked out, so don't worry. I will guide you and start something new because of it. Have you been to the Emblem Association?”

  William shook his head and wondered if it was a good or bad question. “No. Ten days is... I mean, I don't mind your guidance, but is it fine?”

  “Why the heck not?”

  “That's not my point. Alright. Good night, I suppose?” Turning around, he left the living room.

  Mi-Yung still had words to give, but this much should do for tonight.

  Then, she looked her brother up and down, wondering if his sorry ass was even sorry. “What have you been up to? Any work?”

  “I observe. Like Father used to say. Act and do it with ideas first, or after securing deep, sensible duty of protocols and guarantees.”

  “That's not that great. There are no guarantees, but that's the way it is. What have you seen then?”

  “A kid and... stuff.”

  “You followed William around in my absence? Oh, wait. Wait a damn second!” Mi-Yung got even closer, put his hands on his head, and leaned her head down since she was quite a bit taller.

  “Yep. I mean, it is about Viktor! He was gone and left out there? I had to observe since you were... you know, busy.” Yungmin said fervently, almost with obsession about everything Mi-Yung had done in recent memory.

  He was barely five years old when South Korea lost its place in this world, and the vision of that lofty crimson Walker was etched into his mind forever. He was young, and easily susceptible, and took a lot out of that unfortunate event.

  Mi-Yung did as well, but in a much different way. She was the heir to the Song Family, and then... both of their parents died. They still had an uncle to rely on, though, at this point, it didn't sound like much.

  The decline was steep, civilizations' rules and survival changed, and a lot of former nations adapted and spread out rather than thinking about what they had lost and couldn't get back.

  Unfortunately, Yungmin was never keen on South Korea due to his age, so he grew up here, rather than surrounded by his culture or among his so-called people. That sounded like a joke; he wasn't around because his position was somewhere else, and he was still part of Songs! He just was.

  Neither of these siblings cared for many things, but they did care for their family and what was right. Mi-Yung was great on her own, while Yungmin better get it too, as he too was a Walker, even if his Emblem wasn't visible at the moment.

  “So?” Mi-Yung said, arms crossed, and legs bent down.

  “I... don't know. He isn't much like his father, am I right? I expected something else, and I'm no longer sure what that is anymore. He grew up without him, and he never knew him. I pity him.”

  “More than yourself?”

  Grunting, he couldn't answer it. “Let me go...”

  “You can go whenever you want, but you shouldn't all the time. You eavesdropped on him in the library, right?”

  “You... What happened with that? Why... even worry? He is... not it. He is worse. He isn't... good.”

  “What does it matter to you?” Mi-Yung said, went to the table, and sat down to wait for Luke.

  Yungmin looked at her, worried that she was keeping something from him for his own good, but at the end of the day, he was doing the same thing. “William. Does his status pose a hindrance? Does Assembly have issues with him or anything? Is your position in danger, or... is he in danger?”

  “I do worry. Now, leave me.” Shooing him away, Yungmin could only follow when she was like this.

  He sighed and left for his room, or far away from Reality, because that's his calling.