Sigurd stood in the shower, letting cold water splashed over his face and body. The frigid water shocked all his senses awake, throwing off the last remnants of sleep. He had only gone to bed in the wee hours of the morning after spending the previous night in Jessiah and Kahr's rowdy company. Tried as he might, Sigurd could never understand how Jessiah managed to quaff down endless shot glasses of his favorite whiskey without the least aftereffects. Sigurd could barely down more that three glasses before he gets totally drunk. The older man practically drank like a fish.

  Jessiah was the eldest among the four of them and though officially he was a commander in the Jugend army, he had kept up his friendship with the three younger undergraduates. It would not be long before Sigurd himself abandons his present student's uniform for that of a full Fire Element. Stepping out of the narrow cubicle that served as a shower stall, he stood in front of the full-length mirror, naked.

  His cerulean eyes raked the reflection in the mirror, taking in the dark amber skin and silver hair that marked him clearly as an outcast. Sigurd reached out a finger, touching the pane of glass that showed him a handsome man. A smile twisted with self-loathing marred the perfect features. He hated this place with a vehemence that stemmed from his very soul. Hated the people who came from the city in the sky, abducting him from the world he knew. Hated those who used and abused him, abasing him to no more that an animal. Yet most of all, he hated himself. Sigurd hated himself for not having the strength to control his own destiny.

  Grabbing a towel, he dried himself, bolting away the last traces of water drops. Sigurd closed his hand over the tiny burnished ring of silver that pierced his navel, his jaw tightening. The ring was a reminder, serving as a stigma to remind of the revenge he would one day take. Bitterness surged. What a failure I am to even need something like this… He glanced cynically at his own reflection again and saw what a sham the allure of his face and body was. Beyond the beautiful husk was the soul that was tainted and defiled by countless sins, sins of the flesh. Sigurd had betrayed his own body. He no longer remembered why he had started to dalliance with Solarian women, perhaps it was to gain a brief sense of power or control but with every liaison, the only one he was demeaning was himself and no one else.

  He should have killed himself long ago and he would have except for that single promise that held him back time and again when Sigurd stood on the threshold of life and death. The promise sworn by a son to his father. Bounded by his word, Sigurd lived on, hiding the true him beneath the mask of a flamboyant joker and womanizer.

  Closing his eyes, Sigurd concentrated. An image started to form in his mind. It was hazy, a clouded distant memory. Undaunted, he cast himself deeper into the past, seeking the elusive traces of that memory. Perceptively, the image sharpened, showing Sigurd the brilliant intense sunshine that could only be found on his homeland on the surface. Once again, he looked upon the Elru desert through the eyes of a six-year old child. The cool slender hand of his mother resting on his shoulder as she gently pushed him forward to face a blond-haired man. Sigurd would only find out much later that this man was none other than his blood father.

  As a child, Sigurd had always questioned his mother who his father was and why of all the people in their city, he was the only one with blue eyes the color of the sky. But she would just stroke his hair and replied that he would know when he was older with a melancholic smile on her face. She had not said a single word when they meet his father and he had only gazed at both mother and child with pained regret with the same eyes that looked out of Sigurd's own face. He kneeled so that he could look into the child's face clearly and Sigurd had met his regard with a firm and unwaveringly glance. The man reached out a hand gently touching his face before he rose to his feet.

  Some form of silent communication passed between his parents that Sigurd did not understand. They were standing so close but it seemed as if a vast distance separated them and he could sense a mutual longing. Finally, the man turned away and departed, his figure casting a resigned shadow on the warm sands. Sigurd's mother had wept that night, washing her face with her tears. She controlled her emotions through the day unwilling to distress her child. Yet she was defenseless against the memories of bittersweet love, ashes of time stirred into life by the night wind. She pined away unable to love again. Watching her as she laid on her deathbed, Sigurd had quietly sworn to himself that he would never love someone this way.

  A pensive sign escaped from his lips, shaking his head slowly Sigurd banished the cobwebs of old memories. He was a man now, no longer a child. He had ceased being a child long ago. Sigurd dressed quickly and faced the mirror again. Schooling his features into the mask he wore each day, he was ready.

  " I wish I'm dead, " Kahr muttered a heartfelt groan, holding a hand to his pounding head.

  His blood-shot eyes were half-shut, sensitive to the harsh artificial lights that illuminated the whole floating city. Kahr felt truly wretched with the hangover spoiling his mood for the whole morning. He would not have gotten out of bed if Sigurd had not dropped in and reminded him that they were to report for duty.

  " You should know better than to try and match Jessiah drink for drink, Kahr. That man probably drank whiskey instead of milk when he was a baby, " Sigurd looked back over his shoulder at Kahr disapprovingly.

  " Hey! You wouldn't have gotten off so lightly if not for me, Sig. At the least you could be more grateful and stop nagging. With Hyuga gone, I have to drink both his share and yours. Gosh, what would Reya think… "

  " Reya? I didn't know you have someone else besides Miang. Following in my footsteps, heh? Now why don't you tell me all about her, I promise I won’t tell Miang, " Sigurd threw an arm over Kahr's shoulder, leaning his head close in a conspiratorial way, his grin almost splitting his face.

  " Sigurd! It's nothing like that! Me and …and Miang…are just …fri..ends, " Kahr replied, his face flushed red all the way to his ears.

  " Friends indeed! Come now, we all know it's much more than that. What I didn't know was that there's another woman in the picture as well, " Sigurd continued to tease deliberately.

  " Sigurd Harcourt! Don't tell me you've forgotten everything! Reya's not what you think, she's my sister and she's the Tri-Element we are to meet! "

  " Oh? "

  " We're not blood-related but we grew up together with Igraine so Reya's like my sister. Got that clear in that filthy mind of yours? "

  " Hmmm… "

  " Anyway, be nice when you see her, Sig. "

  " Don't worry, I'll be at my most charming if she's anything like Jessie said. " Sigurd ran a hand over his hair, drawing appreciating looks from the many female Jugend students present as they headed towards the Gear training area.

  Kahr hid a smile behind his hand, wincing a little when he remembered his headache. He walked off first and left Sigurd to entertain two female fellow students who had approached with only one purpose in mind. Tough luck, girls. Sigurd still has his mind fixed on finding out his rescuer's identity. Furthermore, once he sees Reya… A boyish grin spread across Kahr's face as he contemplated on Sigurd's possible reactions.

  Kahr quickened his steps; he had not seen his sister for a long time and hoped they could have a private moment together. Both Sigurd and him as graduating students had been assigned to help Reya with conducting classroom tactical modules as well as live surface exercises. Normally, a typical class would only have required a single training officer but with Solaris now at war with the surface, more soldiers were needed. This resulted in senior students getting their classes combined into bigger groups.

  Stepping into the small conference room located besides the main briefing hall, Kahr was not surprised to see that Jessiah was with Reya. The two were seated and Reya 's attention was focused upon some papers that Jessiah had handed her. As always the older man looked disgustingly cheerful for someone who drank heavily and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning. Kahr supposed Jessiah was just here to do the introductions as a senior commander.

  Reya glanced up from the papers she was reading and granted him with one of her rare brilliant smiles. Immediately, Kahr felt much better in the warm of her regard. Both Igraine and Reya always had this effect on him and he was glad for it. Kahr would have happily given Reya a long overdue hug except for the presence of Jessiah. Reya had no such inhibitions however.

  " You've grown, " Her voice sounded a little wistful as Reya embraced her younger brother.

  " Reya… " Kahr hesitated for a second before enfolding with his arms, holding her tight. Damn Jessiah! He missed her too much to deny both Reya and himself a little display of affection.

  " Definitely much taller from the time when I last trashed you at sword practice, " Reya measure his height with an appraising eye, sparing both of them from the situation that could become potentially very mushy.

  " W..what! " Kahr sputtered indignantly.

  " This is something I haven't heard. Kahr, the best in Jugend, beaten by a woman? " Amused disbelief was evident in Jessiah's voice. His impression of the young Tri-Element went up another notch.

  " That was way back! I'll show you just how good I am. You won't be disappointed this time, " The challenge fairly sparkled in Kahr's eyes.

  " Good! I look forward to trashing you again, Kahr. "

  " Not this time, Reya. "

  " Now this would really be something to see… Can I get an invitation to watch? " Jessiah asked.

  " What's this about an invitation I hear? " A baritone drawl interrupted.

  Sigurd concealed his distaste with a casual smile, knowing full well that he had to deal with the two female students who were heading towards him. He was aware of what they wanted, it was so blatantly written on their faces. From their pale skin, Sigurd drew the easy conclusion that they were Gazel born. The air of self-superiority fairly radiated from the two women.

  " Oh my! Fancy running into you here! " The prettier of the two women exclaimed.

  " Yes! So nice to see you, " Her companion piped in.

  Sigurd made the appropriate response automatically, it had became second nature to verbally fend off the thinly disguised attempts at flirting and seduction. He was heartily getting sick of the whole charade. At least, these two were junior cadets as seen from the markings on their Jugend uniform so the chances of getting waylaid by them again was rather low. However, there was still the senior group to deal with.

  " Sorry ladies, I would really love to stay and chat but as it is, I'm running late. Such a pity but I guess it can't be helped, duty calls first. "

  The two women were not civil enough to mask their disappointment, wearing it openly on their expressions. Unable to get anything out of the encounter, they sauntered off with ill grace. Good riddance! I hope that new Tri-Element's nothing like those two or I'm in deep trouble. Kahr and Igraine's sister… things would really get complicated if she decides to come after me…

  Sigurd was grateful that he managed to make his way safely to his destination without getting waylaid by any more hopefuls. The door barely slid open when he overheard Jessiah talking about an invitation.

  " Sigurd Harcourt, you are late as usual. "

  Sigurd shrugged apologetically, accepting the reprimand. " Got sidetracked by some juniors, sir. "

  " Care to introduce me to the last member of our team, Jessiah? "

  Her alto voice had a slightly husky quality and it immediately drew Sigurd's attention to the woman who was standing besides Kahr but now came towards him. For a moment, Sigurd thought that the whole world stood still except for the both of them. As their eyes met, he felt a powerful jolt that shook his soul. Her jade green eyes meet his and shocked him with the honesty he saw within.

  This woman was different.

  While Sigurd was used to being seen with sexual overtones, he had never meet someone who look upon him the way she did. He saw himself, plain and naked, stripped of his entire disguise, reflected in the lucid shimmering pools of her eyes. Instinctively, he recoiled. It was a barely perceptible move yet he knew that she noticed.

  " Sigurd, meet Areya. You may call her Reya if she gives you her permission. Anyway, from today onwards, the three of you have to work together to baby-sit all our wannabe hotshots. That's not something I find myself envying, " Jessiah came forward and slapped Sigurd hard on the back.

  The playful blow sent the breath he had been unwitting holding in, swoosh out in a rush. It broke the spell that held him in her thrall and Sigurd took the opportunity to gather himself together and slip his mask back on. She did not bridge the narrow distance that separate them and Sigurd could not shake the feeling that she was giving him time to recover.

  " Hello Sigurd and yes, please call me Reya, " She held her hand out for him to shake.

  " Reya… " He swirled her name like a mouthful of wine, saying it slowly even as his hand clasped hers.

  He clasped her hand but did not simply shake it instead he pressed his lips against the back of her palm. She had somehow delved beneath his façade and reacting defensively, Sigurd kissed her hand. He expected the act to fluster the woman yet he got another shock when he stared directly into her eyes.

  She was far from being fazed. Regarding him calmly, she gently disengaged her hand. " Alright, since everybody's here, I think there's still a little time for a quick discussion before the class commence. Shall we begin, gentlemen? "

  The briefing hall was packed to the brim and the crowd was getting restless when they made their entrance. It took Jessiah a few tries before he managed to capture all the cadets' attention. Both Kahr and Sigurd were a little taken by surprise when he introduced them as full Elements since officially they had not graduated yet. After which he made his exit immediately, leaving them to deal with the crowd.

  Once Reya took over the briefing, she created a different kind of stir. Sigurd observed her quietly as she presented the training scope and purpose. Without a doubt, Areya Morain was one of the most beautiful women he ever set eyes on but there was much, much more. She had an air of quiet confidence about her that made her stand out. Many of the male students seated near to the lectern already getting exited at the prospect of getting her as their instructor.

  " Since there are nine classes here, I have divided you all by class into three groups represented by three colors - Red, Blue and Green. Ramsus will be in charge of Red and members of class one to three will report to him. Sigurd's responsible for Blue, classes four to six and I will take the Green. You all are free for the rest of the day but please download the program for tomorrow and look through it. Questions? "

  A mixture of delighted yells and groans of disappointment resonated through the hall and none raised any questions pertaining to training. The training purpose was simple enough, each of them will command the three groups and pitch each group against each other in both classroom simulated combat situations and live exercises. Everyone was more interested in finding out more about the new Tri-Element.

  Sigurd was not averse to knowing more about Reya, she intrigued him. Reya entertained their questions gamely but revealed nothing more than the facts he already heard from Jessiah. Failing to learn more personal details about their new officer, the students gradually dispersed, leaving the three of them in a suddenly silent hall.

  By now, Kahr was starting to have suspicions of his own. Perhaps, Sigurd did not realize it but he had a stunned expression on his face for a moment when Reya had not reacted to him the way most women did. Sig probably expected her to blush or faint right into his arms but then Reya is not most women… Kahr had seen that unguarded expression and it had been a struggle not to burst out laughing. It was clear that Sigurd was having problems figuring out his sister not to mention, being attracted to her. Haha! Sig's probably having a hard time reconciling the fact that a woman could possess brains besides beauty not to mention brawn. Talk about brawn…

  " Reya, are you still game on that sparring match? We do have plenty of time unless Krelian needs you… " Kahr glanced questioningly at Reya.

  " So eager to taste defeat, huh? Any time's fine since I'm pretty much independent of Krelian since he was the one who posted me into Jugend. Inviting Jessiah to see me beat you to the floor? "

  " I won't be the one looking at a sword's tip in front of my nose this time. Fine! Let’s set it at eight tonight then, Jessiah should be off duty by then. Care to come along, Sig? " A plan was starting to formulate in Kahr's mind.

  " I would not miss it for the world that is if Reya don't mind my presence? " Sigurd purposely drew out her name again in a lingering manner, the corner of his lips curved in a slightly condescending smile.

  Tossing her hair back over one shoulder, Reya replied neutrally, giving no indication that she took any offense at his somewhat taunting behavior. " You are welcome to watch, Sigurd. I have no objections to your presence. "

  Sigurd marveled at her ability to remain unruffled. All the things he had done so far to provoke a response in her ended up like water down a duck's back. Driven by some inner demon, Sigurd would not be at peace if he could not get Reya to react. Reya was turning to speak with Kahr when he said the most agitating thing he could think of.

  " Is Krelian your lover? "

  The question hit like a thunderbolt out of the blue leaving a silence that was so apparent that they could hear the sound of each other breathing. Kahr was appalled, he knew Sigurd was purposely trying to bait Reya but surely this was going too far…

  Sigurd expected to feel the force of her palm striking his face. Any woman would have surely deal him a stinging slap for daring to imply that she was more than a student to her teacher. A clear peal of laughter rang out shattering the dense silence instead.

  " I hate to disappoint you but no, Krelian is only my teacher. What gave you the idea he was my lover? You are a funnyman, Sigurd Harcourt. "

  With her voice still tinged with mirth, Reya dazzled the already befuddled Sigurd with a smile. Waving goodbye with the promise to see them later, she left two stunned men staring at the empty space in her wake.