Gaia Chronicles: The Integral Saga

The sun rose slowly over Gaia's Central Citadel, its silver-white towers gleaming against the pale lavender sky. The day after the Octagon's formation had come not with fanfare, but with tension.

Within the halls of Fort Argenvale, the training division of Gaia's elite headquarters, eight new Integral Knights stood side by side for the first time not as students, or candidates, or even strangers—but as a unit.

Cyg stood at the far left of the group, arms folded behind his back, his black coat buttoned perfectly to regulation. His eyes flicked between the others like clockwork, calculating behaviors, tensions, risk factors.

"So this is the Octagon," he muttered to himself. "Too many variables."

Harriet, to his right, yawned loudly. "You muttering again, Eyebrows?"Cyg didn't respond.

On the other end, Mia was bouncing on the balls of her feet, her grimoire Lexigra hovering playfully in the air beside her.

"We're a real squad now!" she chirped, practically glowing. "We should name our room! Maybe something cute, like Ether Sprout Dorm!"

Sylvia coughed. "We are not naming anything Sprout. I have standards.""Of course you do," Charlotte muttered, spinning a mini drone between her fingers. "You probably have a monogrammed sword-cleaning kit, too."

Harriet snorted. "She does. Saw it yesterday."

Elaine twirled around behind them, laughing. "I'm voting Team Wind Riders!"

From the center, Eun-Ha watched in silence, expression unreadable. Hikari stood beside her, eyes soft and distant, her hands clasped over her covered Artifact.

"They're… really loud," she whispered to Eun-Ha.

The older girl glanced at her gently.

"They are," Eun-Ha replied. "But sometimes noise fills emptiness."

The door behind them opened with a hiss.

Thea Synthesis 0 strode into the hall, flanked by Julius (2) and Irene (3). Her cape flowed behind her like a wave of authority. The Octagon stood straighter at once, even Harriet straightening without complaint.

"Octagon," Thea began, her voice calm but absolute, "you are not ready."

There was a pause.

Cyg blinked. "Excuse me?"

Thea's expression remained stoic. "Eight powerful individuals do not equal a team. Trust must be earned. Pride must be balanced. Hearts must be tested."

Sylvia opened her mouth to respond, but Julius stepped forward instead, grinning.

"Don't worry, you'll get your chance. Training starts now. Your first assignment begins tonight."

Mia's hand shot up. "Tonight? But we just—"

"No buts," Irene said firmly. "The Abyss doesn't wait. And neither do we."

Later that evening, the eight gathered in the Vallentine War Hall, the Octagon's shared residence—an expansive, modern space carved into the cliffside overlooking the sea. The view was breathtaking.

Yet the mood was anything but serene.

Harriet tossed her jacket on the couch. "Okay. So… anyone want to talk about the fact we've never actually worked together?"

Elaine raised her hand. "I work well with gravity."

Charlotte snorted. "That's not a person."

"Actually, Diane says I'm her favorite 'featherweight,'" Elaine beamed.

Sylvia exhaled sharply. "Focus, please. We need to assess our synergy. Strengths. Roles. Battle structure."

Cyg stepped forward.

"Agreed. I've already mapped the optimal tactical pairings based on current known skillsets and previous combat footage. I'll distribute the files—"

Harriet groaned. "Here we go again. Mister Spreadsheet."

Charlotte crossed her arms. "Are you always like this?"

"Efficient?" Cyg asked. "Yes."

Eun-Ha, still watching from the corner, finally spoke.

"I'll pair with Hikari."

The group went silent.

Hikari looked up, surprised. "Y-you will?"

Eun-Ha nodded. "Our powers won't interfere. And you're the only one who doesn't try to hide what you feel."

Mia smiled, a bit softer. "Well… that's two teams."

Elaine spun around. "Ooooh, I want to work with Sylvia! Her sound force makes my wind go whoosh! It's like a song!"

Sylvia blinked. "...We'll discuss tempo later."

That left Cyg, Harriet, and Charlotte.

They glanced at one another.

Harriet pointed. "He annoys me. You I tolerate."

Charlotte smirked. "Fair. I guess that's a team?"

Cyg sighed, adjusting his collar. "Suboptimal."

By midnight, they had paired, argued, shuffled, and almost settled.

As the sea breeze swept through the open balcony, the eight finally sat together in a circle on the floor—silent, for once.

No combat. No trials.

Just presence.

Just beginnings.

"We don't know what we are yet," Mia whispered. "But… I think we'll get there."

"If we don't kill each other first," Charlotte added dryly.

"Still better than being alone," Hikari murmured.

And Cyg, to his own surprise, didn't disagree.