Cut From The Same Fur

~ Zoe, Codename: Cerulean ~

The rest of my evaluations went pretty much the same as they did before. It was only the combat evaluation that I increased my score in by any significant amount.

After that, I spent some time to wind down and relax. I had been extremely stressed over the past two weeks, so it was nice to have some time off.

Not that I was happy with the circumstances, though.

Cutter was spending a lot of time in the training grounds, too. So I didn't have to deal with her pestering me constantly.

After a few days, the investigation concluded and I was reinstated as an Operator, alongside Cutter and the rest of my former squad.

I say former squad, because once I had been reinstated, I was informed where I was going next.

Cutter and I were to join Garm Squad, while the rest of my squad were joining Trigger's Squad, just as I had guessed.

I wasn't incredibly familiar with Garm or his squad, so I went to go meet them.

They were apparently hanging out in the library, which was an unusual place for a squad to hang out.

I headed there and made sure to keep my voice down once I was inside. Like most Operators, I hadn't ever been to the library on The Excalibur before, but I knew well enough that this should be a quiet place.

...I bet Cutter will be ruining that quietness soon enough, though.

Speaking of Cutter, apparently she must have been curious about our new squad too, as I ran into her while I was heading there.

Once inside, I spotted a large Human man wearing a wolf pelt over his shoulder. That must be Garm. The Wolf pelt is a signature trademark of members of the Wolf Clan of Nordheim, of which Garm is the first heir.

He wasn't reading, but instead seemed to just be relaxing in the quiet.

His outfit was definitely something I'd expect from a warrior of Nordheim. It was very traditional, as opposed to modern. Lots of leather, chainmail, armored plates, that sort of thing.

With a scratchy beard and short, dark gray hair, he definitely looked fierce, that's for sure.

Garm was once in a similar position to me. He led a squad of weaker Operators to help them learn. Because of that, he has garnered a reputation of being very strong and brave.

As for his powers, from what I've heard, Garm is capable of controlling storms of ice magic, and uses that to infuse his weapons with ice energy. He has quite the formidable reputation, that's for sure.

Sitting near him was a Fallen Angel reading a book. I've heard a lot about this one.

Her codename is Martyr, and she's known for being reserved, but very, very powerful.

I looked at her white horns and felt a wave of sadness wash over me. A failed covenant.

All Fallen Angels are signed into a Covenant when they are born. A kind of divine mission given to them by the Gods.

However, should a Fallen Angel fail their Covenant, they will be permanently scarred by growing a set of horns underneath their halo.

Failing a Covenant is more than enough to be ostracized from Fallen Angel communities, and there's no way to hide it. Even if you try to visibly conceal the horns, just looking at a Fallen Angel who has failed their Covenant induces feelings of sadness and shame within you.

It's more than just a pair of horns. It's a brand seared onto your very being. A curse from the Gods.

And it's a curse that you cannot ever escape. Fallen Angels who have failed their Covenant slowly deteriorate as people. Their mental state quickly fractures and wanes as they become angry, hateful, sad, and, eventually, suicidal.