Aftermath of the First Battle

A day passed since his victory over Leticia.

Paramedics had rushed him into emergency care after the battle. The G-forces from the fight had been brutal, and his pilot suit wasn’t built to handle that kind of speed—let alone a cheval’s.

230 kilometers per hour—unheard of for any cheval in this day and age.

G-LOC wasn’t the worst injury he’s had, but it was definitely a first.

When he came to, the sun was already slipping behind the treeline outside his window. There was no pain, no soreness—nothing but the foggy weight of deep sleep.

Save for the IV taped to his arm, and the hospital bed under him.

Not again. This was the second time within 48 hours he's been knocked unconscious.

The room smelled faintly of medicine, fresh flowers, and something… sharper. Mint, crisp and out-of-place.

He scanned the room for the people he thought should be there: Leena, Coleda, Anton—maybe even Maya. Especially Maya. But none were found.

Then—movement. A silhouette, tucked in the corner of his eye. As his eyes adjusted, so did the scent.

Cologne.

Not the kind anyone he knew would wear. Definitely not any of the girls.

A man sat across from his bed, casually absorbed in a clipboard stacked thickened with papers.

Graham didn’t recognize him.

Late twenties, maybe. Unkempt blond hair. Dressed in the familiar beige-brown military uniform issued to Mobile Chivalry graduates.

The man looked up as Graham stirred.

“Ain’t I lucky,” he said, snapping his fingers. “Rise and shine.”

Graham blinked. “Excuse me. Who the hell are you? And what’re you doing here?”

“Opportunity knocks.”

The man tucked the clipboard under one arm and pulled up a chair, settling in at Graham’s bedside. “I don’t have long. Snuck in during the shift change—before the nurse or the chick with glasses could catch me.”

Chick with glasses?

“Leena…?”

“Oh, is that her name?” The man shrugged. “Anyway, let’s get down to business.”

“What did you do to her?” Graham sat up, shaking the IV drip with sudden motion.

“Hey—chill out! Nothing's happened to her. I just need to talk. That’s it.”

Graham’s eyes darted to the nurse call button. When he reached out, the man raised a hand.

“Please. Just—don’t. I won’t take long. Heard you were flickering in and out, figured I’d try my luck. Looks like I timed it right.”

Graham hesitated, then lowered his hand.

“What do you want?”

“Okay, first things first.” The man held up his phone, flashing an image of Graham’s last battle. “This is you, yeah?”

“Didn’t bother doing your research before breaking into my room?”

The man squinted, exhaling slowly. “Of course I did. Just making sure you’re all there.”

“...Okay.” Graham looked away. “That’s me.”

“Two,” the man held up two fingers. “You’re not a member of the MC?”

Graham sighed.

“...I’m not.”

“Right.” The man scanned the clipboard on his lap. “Checks out.” He scribbled something, then set it on the bedside table with a casual thud.

“Name’s Ace,” he said, thumbing his chest. “MC graduate, as you can probably tell.”

Graham clicked his tongue, distrust palpable.

“And what does an MC graduate want from me?”

Ace cleared his throat. “I’m recruiting you.”

Graham blinked. He turned towards Ace, confusion lining his features. “Recruiting me?”

“Wasn’t even my idea,” Ace said with a shrug, lips bemused. “My captain, you see, she’s taken quite the liking to you. And me, being her ever-so-loyal lappy, volunteered to be the one to take you in.”

Graham sighed. “Why didn’t you just ask me later, then? Why all the sneaking around?”

Ace tapped his leg impatiently. “Let’s just say… people knowing we’re out here recruiting you? Not ideal.”

“What’re you, a secret club?”

“More like… we're expecting. Some serious pushback.”

Graham squinted. “From who?”

“You know the name Astraea's Renegades?”

“Not really… no.”

Ace visibly deflated, like someone whose big reveal had landed with a dull thud. “Dunno if I should be happy or sad about that.”

“Sorry…” Graham offered a half-grimace. “I’m just not caught up with this stuff. So, what’s the deal?”

He paused, then lowered his voice. “Our rep from the last CWG wasn’t exactly stellar.”

“I see.” Graham sympathized. Ace’s sunken eyes and downer tone told him all he needed to know. “Okay, you seem sufficiently uncomfortable now. Let’s move on.”

Ace exhaled sharply. “You’re messing with me, aren't ‘cha?”

“A little,” Graham mustered a chuckle. “You are breaking and entering.”

He studied Ace’s uniform once more, scanning its somewhat drab colors from chest to toe. Then, his face fell.

“Though, I’m sure you already know. I’m not an MC graduate, nor a student. Failed my test three times. Dunno what you want from a washout like me.”

“Doesn’t matter. Graduating the Mobile Chivalry is the easiest, cleanest way to become a Chevalier. But it’s not the only way.” Tapping his pen on the clipboard, Ace looked past Graham and into the darkening sky behind him. “Teams scout out talents all the time. Sometimes it sticks, sometimes it doesn’t. You’d be surprised how often teams just get raw talent.”

Graham exhaled a thought. “Are you sure I’m the talent you want?”

“Captain wants you. She’s a much better judge of character than me.”

“Does she know I only fought in someone’s stead? I didn’t pick a fight with Leticia Crossings just because I knew I could win. That’s the thing—I didn’t know. Might’ve just gotten lucky.”

Ace shook his head. “She doesn’t know. And I know her well enough to know she doesn’t care. Being a Chevalier takes guts, and guts you do have, she said.”

Graham shrugged lightly. “And what’s your opinion of me?”

Ace checked the wall clock. His shoulders stiffened. He didn’t have much time left, but he couldn’t leave empty-handed.

“None. I can’t speak for what I wasn’t a witness of.”

“This captain…” Graham held a hand to his chest. His heartbeat—it was there, but weak. He didn’t know how close this man was to his captain, but the trust in his voice?

Clear as day, thick as snow,

“You really trust her, huh?”

“I do.”

Ace rose. He collected his clipboard, then pushed aside the chair. A beat passed.

His eyes flicked to the clock once more, now a quarter to six. The hallway outside stirred with life. Time to leave.

“We’ll be in town for a week. Should be enough time to make a decision.”

He slipped a folded note from his pocket and placed it beneath a vase of flowers.

“Astraea's Renegades. Call the number, or visit the blue roofed chapel on the outskirts of town. In the morning or evening, you’ll find her there. Praying. That’s the Captain.”

The man darted into the hall, and closed the door behind him swiftly, but quietly.

Graham stayed there, watching as the sky dimmed and the city lights flickered awake. His reflection took shape in the window—bruises, tangled hair, and something else etched faintly into his expression.

A smile. Doubtful, but real.

Someone had come looking for him. At first wink.

His victory must’ve been special, even beyond himself or Maya.

But joining meant more than stepping forward.

It meant leaving things behind.

Leena. Anton. His sister. His father—

—Maya.

Now that their paths had crossed, would taking a step forward mean losing her for good? Was she a shooting star, destined to only pass, burning once, only to vanish for good?

He was so close to her. Finally, she’d noticed him…

But if Maya was in danger, that didn’t change, did it? Leticia wasn’t the root—just a symptom.

And if Graham grew stronger—

Could he protect her?

The door slid open. Graham turned from the window.

Leena stood there.

For just a second, her usual scowl softened. Plastic bag dangling from one hand, she stomped forward.

“Hammy.”

Before he could react, she closed the distance, and embraced him. Her head hid behind his shoulders.

“You suck,” her voice hitched. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

Graham’s arms slumped. He half expected her to yank a bandage loose just to spite him. He wasn’t sure if he should hug her back or apologize. Or both.

“Sorry. My bad.”

“Idiot.”

A moment passed. Ten seconds, then twenty.

“You can let go now,” he said, gently nudging her.

“I’m done when I say I’m done.”

Eventually, she released him. Just like that. She turned away fast, keeping her face out of view.

A beat.

Then she sniffed. Her nose crinkled.

“Ugh… cologne? Was someone here just now?”

Graham scrambled for a pivot.

“I’ve been thinking, Leena.”

“Huh?”

Distraction: success.

“I was thinking of joining a team.”

A pause.

“A… team?” She tilted her head. “A CWG team?”

“Yeah. A real one. The Astraea's Renegades are in town. Heard they’re looking for fresh talent.”

Leena stared. Hard to tell what she was thinking with those glasses on. She let him keep going.

“You—I mean, we all saw it, right? I beat Leticia. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was the Lionheart. Doesn’t matter. It still happened. I have a shot at this.”

“Graduating the Mobile Chivalry is the way to go. You know that, right?”

“I do. But it’s not the only way.” He echoed Ace’s words without realizing it.

Leena gripped the hem of her shorts. “So… you’re gonna leave us?”

Graham looked out the window. His eyes traced the brightest star in the night sky.

“No. We can do it.” He said with conviction. “We can be champions.”

“We?”

“I can’t do this alone. No, rather—I don’t want to do this alone.”

Leena frowned, “What do you mean? You’re saying you want me to join too? And what about Anton?”

“Well, yeah. Him too.”

Leena sighed. “You know we’re both off to the MC, right? If we back out now, we miss the next batch. That’s every six months. Anton’s not gonna want to throw that away. Neither do I.”

“I get that, but…” He hesitated. “Why do you want to go to the MC? Is it just because of that promise? The one we made—us three?”

“No, that’s—” Her voice rose a little. “I have my reasons.”

“What reasons?”

“Just—reasons! You don’t need to know!”

“If we cut right through the MC and straight into the good part, the fighting, what are we actually missing out on? The riches, the glory, the prestige… if we do this, we can have it all. We’ll earn it.”

“If we don’t make the cut, we’ll be humiliated. I go to MC, and I’ll be a laughing stock. They'll make fun of me for skipping the line.”

“And that bothers you?”

Leena paused. She wasn’t the type to flinch at words. Ever since she met Graham, she's never been the one to relent at insults or heavy-handed words. Why now?

“...Is this about Maya?” She let a finger brush her neck, worried that ‘it’ might happen to Maya again if Graham sticks around.

Graham didn’t answer. Maya was part of it. Not all of it, but a huge factor. But he couldn’t say that.

“This is my chance to become a Chevalier. All of us.” Graham stared right into Leena’s glasses. “The first Chevaliers never went to MC.”

“Times have changed.”

“Everyone can change their stars. And so can you.” Graham raised his brows. “Whatever the hell I am right now, I’m not happy with it.”

Leena pointed at Graham’s hospital bed. “This is where rushing it will take us.”

Graham bit his lip.

What else did he have? What could tip the scales?

“...The Lionheart,” he said.

Leena raised a brow. “What about it?”

“If I told you you could work on it—really study it—would you reconsider?”

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Trilled her lips.

“...That’s cheating.”

Graham grinned and laughed.

“Only won a fair fight once.”