Stronger With Time

The high-tech training facility within the Time Tower buzzed with energy, its adaptive environment shifting to mimic terrains like urban sprawls and open fields. Squad GX stood within their quadron, adjusting their simulated armor overlays, which mapped damage with pulses of light, creating an immersive but safe combat experience.

From the observation platform, Mira leaned against the railing, her drone hovering beside her. “Alright, guys, show me what you’ve got. And don’t embarrass yourselves—I’m recording this.”

After the chime of a clock, the sparring began with Jessie darting forward, his glowing blade clashing against Talia’s simulated shield in a burst of light. She jumped back, countering with an arrow that scorched his shoulder.

“Too reckless, Jessie,” she taunted, circling him.

“Too slow!” Jessie retorted, twisting away and countering with a sweep of his blade.

Nearby, Dax charged at Rhea, his brute force meeting her whip-like strikes. The energy wrapped around his arm, but he powered through with a roar.

“Dax, you’re brute-forcing again,” Rhea called, sidestepping his next attack. “Use your head.”

“It’s attached to my shoulders, Captain. That counts, right?”

From her perch, Mira watched the action unfold, providing commentary. “Jessie’s improvising, Talia’s calculating, Rhea’s strategic, and Dax is, well… Dax.”

As Mira watched her squad fight it out, her eye caught one of the squads entering the facility. The sight in and of its own, wasn’t unusual but this one in particular drew too much attention, whispers spreading among the other Knights in the observation deck.

Mira’s eyes widened, “Oh, no way,” she muttered, leaning forward. “It’s them.”

“Okay guys, let’s take 10 and switch pairs.” Rhea said, wiping her sweat away with a towel.

“I thoroughly cooked you, marksman. Back to target practice for you!” Jessie grinned at Talia, who was glaring away her defeat.

“Bold words, for someone who’s yet to land a hit on the Captain.”

“Hey–”

Jessie chuckled but stepped back—his body bumping straight into someone solid. The young knight stopped.

“Oops, sorry about that,” He said reflexively. However the pair of regal silver eyes that looked back at him felt both cold and easy at the same time. The man’s hair was slicked back elegantly, yet the few loose strands that escaped framed a perfectly sculpted face.

“Don’t worry, I’m not made of glass.” The figure said smoothly, his voice calm and measured.

Before Jessie could respond, Mira practically flew down from the observation platform, landing in front of the two of them. “We’re so so sorry, Sir Krause!” she exclaimed, bowing profusely. “He didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” The man interrupted gently, his gaze flicking to Mira. “No harm done.”

With that, he walked away, rejoining his squad as they prepared for their own training session. Jessie turned to Mira, his expression confused. “What was that about? Who is he? And what does he look so… familiar?”

Mira stared at him, incredulous. “Are you serious?! That’s Erling Krause—THE Erling Krause. Leader of Squad AX! The most elite squad of this generation. The best of the best!”

As Squad GX slowly gathered on the observation platform, they watched the presumed elite Squad AX begin their training. Mira provided a running commentary, her admiration palpable.

“Can you see Erling Kraus’ elegance? That glove is his signature weapon. He doesn’t even need anything else—he can manipulate chrono energy so precisely, it’s terrifying.”

Talia nodded, her eyes narrowing. “So that’s the strongest knight in the Time Tower? Impressive.”

“And her,” Mira continued, pointing at a short woman, with short blonde hair and piercing yellow eyes. She moved like a cat, her steps light but calculated. “That’s Ilka Rain, his second-in-command. She wields a chrono-infused umbrella with a blade edge, optimized for both offense and defense. The energy output doubles as a shield during combat. Her annd Erling Krause always move like they’re choreographed. Word has it, they can communicate telepathically…”

The squad watched in silence as Ilka and Erling worked in perfect tandem, dismantling holographic enemies with an almost eerie precision. Ilka Rain’s metallic umbrella pulsed with blue waves of chrono energy as she danced around the simulated enemies, while Erling Krause disposed of everything around him with seemingly no effort.

“Damn, and who’s that tank of a man?” Jessie gestured to a tall, muscular figure stepping forward, hefting a massive chrono minigun with ease. His long black hair framed his rugged stubbly face, his eyes set on the targets before him.

“Kyah! That’s Gregor Halvath! He’s their heavy hitter. That minigun? Fires chrono-infused rounds that are devastating to any shield or armor.”

“Did she say Kyah?” Dax raised a brow.

Talia and Rhea on the other hand watched intently as Gregor pulled down his orange goggles and revved the gun. The moment he fired, the air filled with a deafening hum, and a stream of glowing bullets ripped through a wave of simulated enemies.

Behind an army of enemies, another female figure appeared. She was taller than Ilka Rain, but her movements made her look like a shadow, her rapier slicing through opponents with lightning speed.

“Haaah, and then there’s Elara Volz…” Mira sighed longingly at the woman with the long jet black hair. “She’s a stealth and close combat specialist. She’s practically invisible until she’s right in front of you. Her anchor lets her use a special cloaking ability for short bursts.”

Lastly, Mira gestured to a tall and slim man, who remained on the sidelines. “And the genius over there? Aleksey Dune is the name. He’s a descendant of Elias Dune, the man who invented chrono energy. He doesn’t fight much, but he builds all their gear. As you can see, Squad AX is on a whole other level.”

The man in question had his white hair tied in a bun at the back of his head, his circular glasses perched on the edge of his nose before he pushed them up. It was too bad they just slid back down again.

As Squad AX continued with their training, Jessie’s trained ear caught the whispers of other Knights sitting nearby.

“Hey, you know who that is?”

“That’s Jessie Valis, right?”

“Yeah… Can’t believe they let him in. His father nearly ripped a hole in the chrono stream.”

“I Agree. He shouldn’t even be here. With a father like that, who’s to say he won’t try to destroy everything too?”

Jessie clenched his jaw but forced a smile, pretending not to hear. His squad, however, noticed.

Rhea turned to glare at the pair of knights talking, the two of them averting their gaze and dropping the topic at once. She then turned at her squad, noticing their tired expressions and Jessie’s silent disconnection.

“Okay squad, that’s enough for the day. Let's get changed.”

Upon their captain’s order the squad exchanged a few glances before nodding.

“Roger.”

Noticing that Jessie was uncharacteristically silent as they walked, Talia spoke up first.

“Don’t listen to them… They don’t know you like we do.”

“She’s right,” Rhea added. “You’ve proven yourself time and again. You belong here.”

Dax chimed in, his voice steady. “Yeah, let ‘em talk if that’s what makes them feel better. You’re here because you earned it.”

Mira also smiled, elbowing Jessie on his side with a smirk, “Besides you’ve got us, right? You’re not alone against their taunts anymore. Want me to plant chrono-stink bombs in their gear?”

Jessie blinked, momentarily caught off guard by their support. “You guys…” Soon however a smile rose to his face.

“You know I always wondered how you’ve never mentioned my past before. Since you know… That’s all people talk about when I’m around.”

Rhea’s gait as she walked was confident and determined, just like her tone, “Because it’s not worth talking about. You’re part of this squad, Jessie. That’s all that matters. What your father did or didn’t doesn’t define you.”

“Yeah, and besides it’s unfair to judge you based on something you weren’t involved in.” Mira chimed in.

“I won’t hide… I was cautious of you at first because of it.” Talia spoke again, her voice tinged with guilt, “But now I know none of what people say is true.”

“See? Chin up, Jessie boy. This squad’s got your back!” Dax patted his young comrade in the back, causing him to cough out.

The squad shared a chuckle.

Jessie’s grin returned fully now, though it was tinged with gratitude. “Thanks, guys. Really. You’re not half bad, you know that?”

Despite his usual casual tone returning, the feelings arising within him were new. Unlike everyone else his squad had supported him, without any judgement. Of course some might have held reservations about him at first, like Talia, but what matters is that now… none of that stood.

However Jessie was still skeptical about the whole incident. Especially his fathers’ motives. He still refused to believe he was at fault.