The teams were distributed. As expected, Emma and William didn't end up in the same one.

Guinevere's grudge against William would never have allowed him something as simple as that.

"So… we're a team now, huh?" he asked the other two standing across from him.

On his left, the familiar redhead fidgeted in place, her nervousness painfully obvious.

On his right stood a student from Daverfall—long brown hair, sharp green eyes. Her arms were crossed, confidence radiating from her posture.

"How about we introduce ourselves?" Mia suggested, forcing herself to act normal. Then, as Gizel had instructed, she added, "My name is Mia. And you?" She turned to the brunette.

"Angelica Rogerl," the girl replied curtly, her gaze immediately shifting to William.

"Delimore William." He gave a brief nod. "Now that introductions are over, can we talk about the mission we were assigned?"

Idle chatter wasn't his forte—especially with people he barely knew—so he pushed the discussion forward.

Angelica frowned for a moment before stepping closer to the table, her eyes settling on the unfolded map.

"What exactly are we supposed to do?" Mia asked, studying the outlines and building descriptions marked across it.

William glanced at her. "You weren't told?"

Angelica scoffed. "They only briefed you. Probably because they expect you to be our leader or something."

Rolling his eyes, William refocused on the map. "Apparently, at this location," he said, tapping the south-eastern side of the central complex, "a Death Sink opened just this evening. Not everyone managed to evacuate in time. While the troops deal with the threat, our task is to recover the civilians and escort them to this point."

His finger slid downward until it reached a circle marked just outside the town, slightly to the north.

The other two studied the map in silence before Angelica finally asked, "What's the distance between these houses and the haven?"

William hummed, thinking it over. "Roughly a twenty-minute walk."

Angelica let out a wry smile. "As you saw during the assessment, my ability doesn't allow me to carry several people at once—especially not over such a distance."

William shrugged. "You weren't told this mission would be fun and games, were you?"

Her jaw tightened, sharp green eyes boring into him.

Seeing the tension rising, Mia quickly spoke up, anxiety creeping into her voice. "I can't teleport more than one person either. And doing even that exhausts me."

William exhaled slowly. Great. A really competent team, he thought dryly.

Shaking his head, he asked, "Can you at least convince the families to leave their houses?"

Angelica and Mia exchanged a glance, then nodded together.

"Good," William said. "Then do that. I'll handle the rest on my own."

He folded the map and added, "We leave in an hour. Prepare whatever you need."

…..

After sending the other two off, William decided to check on Emma.

Though, like him, there was a good chance she was busy discussing plans with her own teammates.

Unsure, he slipped into the alley between two cabins and peeked through her window.

To his surprise, the window suddenly opened from the inside.

He looked up to see Emma standing there, grinning.

"Caught a peeping tom."

William gave a sheepish smile. "You're back already?"

She nodded. "Don't just stand there. Come in."

He hesitated briefly, glancing around. Then—screw the rules.

Climbing up, he slipped through the window and landed inside her room with a soft thud.

The moment his feet touched the floor, Emma didn't give him a second to react before throwing herself into his arms.

"Woah—" William caught her just in time, arms wrapping around her waist. "Did something happen?"

Emma closed her eyes, letting out a relieved breath. "I just… missed this. Ever since we arrived, it feels like we're being watched."

He held her close, one hand gently rubbing her back. "You can come to my room anytime you want."

She tilted her head up, lips curving into a thin smile. "A maiden sneaking into a young man's room in the middle of the night? That would earn me quite a few nicknames."

William chuckled, his hand sliding to the curve of her back, pulling her closer. "If you want to see me, just ignore the world and do whatever your heart tells you."

Being completely entrapped in his arms, the vibration of his body whenever he spoke and his familiar fragrance, it got Emma dazed.

She suddenly pushed herself up and pressed her lips against his.

The kiss was innocent but hungry, tasting his lip, letting him know her feelings before pulling away.

Staring into his eyes innocently, she said, "You said to follow my heart."

William just stared at her with a heated gaze for a few seconds before he responded to her earlier sudden attack.

His lips parted over hers, his intentions clear. Emma made a small, involuntary sound—half surprise, half surrender—and that sound seemed to snap something inside him.

One hand slid up to cradle the back of her neck, fingers threading into her hair, holding her exactly where he wanted her. The other hand started lower.

It began innocently enough: palm flat against the small of her back, pressing her hips into his. Then it drifted. Down over the curve of her waist. Then sideways, tracing the line of her ribs through the thin fabric of her shirt.

Emma's hands were already under his jacket, clutching at his shirt, bunching it in her fists. She could feel the rapid thud of his heart under her palm, matching the frantic rhythm building inside her own chest.

His fingers found the hem of her top.

He paused there—just long enough for both of them to register the boundary they were brushing against. The air between their mouths felt charged, electric. Neither of them spoke.

Then he slipped beneath the fabric.

The first touch of skin on skin made her gasp into his kiss. His hand was warm, calloused in places, but it made the sensation even more exhilarating. He slid upward slowly, following the dip of her spine, then curving around to her side, thumb brushing the soft underside of her breast.

Emma arched instinctively, pressing herself harder against him. Her nails dug into his shoulders through fabric. She broke the kiss just enough to breathe his name—"William"—like a warning, or a plea, or maybe both.

He answered by dragging his lips along her jaw, down the column of her throat, teeth grazing the sensitive skin just below her ear. His hand moved again—higher this time—cupping her fully now, thumb circling slowly over the peak through the thin barrier of her bra. The sensation jolted straight through her, sharp and hot at once.

She felt him smile against her neck when she whimpered.

"Tell me to stop," he whispered, voice rough and hungry, "and I will."

His thumb brushed again.

Teasing the edge of too much.

Emma's head fell back against the wall. Her hips rocked forward without permission, seeking more pressure, more heat, more of him.

She didn't say stop.

Instead her fingers found his belt buckle—metal cool against her overheated skin—and she tugged once, sharply, a wordless answer.

William groaned low in his throat.

The sound vibrated through both of them.

His hand left her breast only long enough to yank her shirt up and over her head in one rough motion. Cool air hit her skin and then his mouth was there—hot, open, claiming the same place his fingers had just abandoned. Tongue flicking. Teeth grazing. Drawing another broken sound from her throat.

Just then,

*Knock* *Knock*

They both paused instantly. There was no doubt that someone was knocking on the door.

*Knock* *Knock*

And the person appeared to be in a rush.

William frowned and whispered, "Now who is fuck is this?"

Emma doesn't have a single idea. Just then,

"Miss Emma. This is an emergency. Please open the door."

They recognised the voice. It was Brutus.

For a moment, Emma just though of ignoring him but then,

*Knock*

"If you don't open the door now, I will need to call the authority."

Both of them frown at once before Emma reluctantly wore her shirt and told William, " Let me see what the hell he wants."

She advanced toward the door and just when another knock resonated, she opened the door.

As she thought, a familiar violet-haired man who also was her new team member, stood there.

With a frown, she muttered, "Don't you know it's awful to knock on someone's door so late, especially a girl's."

Brutus gave a brief bow and said, "Please excuse my rudeness but I believed I saw someone secretly entering your room so I got worried."

Just then, the door parted even more, revealing a blond young man standing there.

"You didn't see it wrong. I snuck into her room. Got a problem."

Emma kept her gaze at Brutus, making it obvious to Brutus that they weren't hiding anything and were willing to break rules just to be together.

In a slightly cold voice, Brutus muttered, "She is my team member so I got worried about her. You got a problem with that?"

William's expression morphed from a frustrated look to a twitching grin, "Oh~is that so?"

That tone alone told Emma that this was not going to end well.

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