BENEATH THE SURFACE

"Quiet down, you two!" the war demon reprimanded, his firm voice silencing Yura and Ofori. Yura's face still masked with the underlying urge to laugh out loud. "Now, Yura, care to explain why you found Ezekiel's claim funny?" apart from the obvious, the war demon asked, eyes narrowing. Hey!, I resent that complained Ezekiel.

"Easy," Yura said with a shrug. "We know Captain's strength, and with Francisca there, I doubt there's much to worry about." Ofori chimed in, his piercing aqua blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Aish, Yura, what are we going to do with you?"

Yura's eyes flashed with annoyance. "What do you mean, Ofori?" Ofori smirked. "Well, it's easy." Yura's face reddened seeing how her friend and rival didn't miss the chance to take a jab at her. "What am I missing then?"

As she spoke, she noticed everyone's pitiful gazes. Her jaw clenched. "Why are you all staring at me like that?" Ezekiel's expression turned stern, and he slammed his fist on the table. "Yura, enough! You think you're so smart, don't you? But sometimes your confidence is your biggest weakness. We're not coddling you here. We're trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario."

That's it said Yura as she finally snapped, I don't see you all for 500 years and the first thing you guys do after seeing me again is to: "Yell at me", "Ridicule me", " Question my intelligence", and now this , Yura that's enough interjected General Aura, not you too Lu Fan said Yura in a tearful manner. I think I've had enough with this meeting or whatever you guys call it, I know captain and Francisca are not in danger and whatever you guys plan, guess I'm too stupid to understand continued Yura in a self condescending tone. After her outburst she got out of her seats and headed out of the grand and imposing hall.Ezekiel will you please see her for us, one more thing, you can fore do it with all things I've done for her after all she is deserves to know the truth even though I'm doing it pure intentions said Ofori's his voice full of worry. "Are you sure?" Ezekiel asked, raising an eyebrow so high it threatened to escape his forehead. Ofori grinned mischievously. Yeah, and "I've got a gut feeling she'll be back, and we'll have our own epic squabble before you know it" Ezekiel chuckled. "If you say so... but you'd be better at comforting her yourself. After all, you're the relationship guru." Ofori's face turned bright red. "Shut up, Ezekiel. You know why I can't. Said Ofori in a helpless tone

Ezekiel snickered. "It's funny how the counsellor is now afraid to hold counselling sessions for his own beloved." After that bravado and facade you showed to the mortals. Ofori's eyes widened in mock horror before he shouted, "Niko!!" Ezekiel fled the room, laughing.

Niko, a young man with gelled blue hair and piercing eyes, stood tall. His mage robe shimmered with celestial patterns, complementing his athletic build. An ethereal glow radiated from his skin.

"Hey, don't shout at me," Niko said, panic creeping into his voice. "You know how scary your brother is when it comes to your safety? I'm pretty sure he'd kill me if I didn't tell what you were doing for the past years." Ofori cracked his knuckles, a devious grin spreading across his face. The others in the room suddenly found elsewhere to look, whistling innocently while Niko took a step back, eyes wide with alarm.

"Wait-up, Yura!" Ezekiel shouted, chasing after her after she stormed out of the hall at a record pace. "What is it, Ezekiel?" Yura yelled back, her voice laced with frustration. Ezekiel feigned exhaustion to lighten her mood, tapping his feet lightly on the ground to invoke the earth barrier "Terra Firma "spell. A brownish dome enveloped them, obscuring sound and vision. Yura's tone softened as she asked, "Why are you here, Ezekiel?" Ezekiel's doting smile crept onto his face. "Oh, come on, pumpkin, drop the brave front. This barrier is a safe space just for us."

As the barrier's magic pulsed with a gentle glow, Yura let her facade slip, revealing a childlike smile. "You've always been a fatherly figure to me, Ezekiel," she thought, despite their minimal age gap. Ezekiel's expression turned serious. "You know, Yura, I'll always have your back, right?" Yura nodded, and Ezekiel continued, "Just like the rest of the Unbreakable Bond Crew – Niko, Miguel, Lu Fan, Kim Young-woo, Ofori, Arthur, Captain, and Miss Francisca. We've been through countless ordeals together, forging a bond that's unbreakable. Those 'old fossils' you walked out on would lay down their lives for you without question." I know that Ezekiel,and I would also do the same if the positions were ever switched, but it's just ever since "they" left I've been so lost and I really miss them alot, hold on Yura said Ezekiel's expression faltered but quickly recovered his eyes filled with empathy, it's unlikely those old fossils hadn't noticed don't you think so,after all these years we've been together as friends and comrades since childhood.

Yura's eyes widened as comprehension struck her like a blow, her lips parting in a silent gasp as she struggled to articulate the revelation that had been hiding in plain sight for all these years."Do you recall the day Ofori bellowed across the battlefield, proclaiming you'd be his one and only rival?" Ezekiel asked, his voice laced with a mixture of amusement and intrigue. A soft laugh infused Yura's words as she said, "Yeah, he even disrupted Young-Woo's spell - almost costing us our lives and we "celebrated" our win by pummeling him,a ritualistic thrashing that cause him to be out for a whole week. Ezekiel's voice dripped with sarcasm as he added, "And of course, you also spent a whole week nursing him back to health – treating his injuries with all the tender loving care he so richly deserved."

Yura's gaze remained steady, her expression unruffled by Ezekiel's teasing. "What's the point of this, Ezekiel?" She asked, her curiosity evident in her voice, "Why bring all this up now?". "Do you also reacll when you had your last breakthrough you got very angry and upset with Ofori for also breaking through just a week after you, because you thought he was too haste and prideful to do it just after yours?" Ezekiel asked , his eyes sparkling with amusement, Yura's brow furrowed in confusion as she repeated, "Because I thought.....? What do you mean? "I thought"? her voice trailed off, uncertainty creeping into her tone.

Well, thinking back, Ofori was on the cusp of breaking through the day before you did, but Miss Francisca and Niko's divinination foresaw of your breakthrough the next day."We were torn between two options: splitting into teams to guide each member or delaying a breakthrough. Ofori suggested sticking together, citing our tradition of mutual support and celebrating whoever broke through first when we lean towards the first option. We knew what he was thinking of you, though. Captain proposed suppressing his breakthrough until it was unavoidable to not call out on his act, and to no one's surprise, he agreed without hesitation." Answered Ezekiel, "No way!" Yura's voice detonated, a seismic shockwave of incredulity rippling through her words. "You're telling me Ofori just... acquiesced to suppress his breakthrough without a fight? For me? When the breakthrough is the very crucible of our rivalry, the ultimate proving ground of our strength, our limits, and our unyielding will to surpass each other?" questioned Yura as for a moment she forgot who she was talking to in that manner. "So, you're saying there are more signs I've been ignoring?" Yura's voice had dropped to a more measured cadence, her curiosity tempering her earlier incredulity, and a hint of self-doubt creeping into her tone. "I've said nothing of the sort," Ezekiel replied, his tone taking on a lecturing quality, laced with a hint of dry amusement, as if addressing a particularly obtuse student. "But if you think so, then perhaps you need to pay closer attention to those old codgers – more thoroughly, I'd say."