Chapitre 40: Arena Thirty-Eight: Exiled Past II

Catherine could remember that day very well.

She, along with two of her 'sisters' from the slums, had been selected by the shard centre as Elliots.

Originally, she had gone there just to become a D-rank technician or something... But becoming Elliots was something out of their minds. She had just wanted to get a decent job at first, but the receptionist there convinced her otherwise.

They were immediately escorted by fully-clothed soldiers who took them to someone on the level of a commander. The commander greeted them with warmth and hospitality, but Catherine was suspicious of him.

At first, Catherine thought of him to be a noble. To Catherine, who had seen the dark side of the empire by herself, the nobles were just glorified fools. She had despised them, those people who claimed to be thinking for the general mass, yet ignored the needy like her and her sisters.

But fortunately, the commander was a commoner. And then, the commander offered them a deal.

He asked them to work under him. He promised them wealth, fame and glory if they became Elliots under his jurisdiction. And Catherine and her sisters readily accepted.

They had nothing to lose. If the commander was lying, then they would probably die. But going back to the slums would also mean death.

As soon as she accepted the deal, the commander prepared a place for them to stay and provided them with new clothes to wear, fresh food to eat and servants to take care of their needs... Just like he had promised.

To Catherine, who was only twelve, this was a dream come true. As she was below the authorized age, the commander didn't let her join the frontlines. Instead, he prepared tutors for her and her sisters. They weren't punished for faking their ages, so they complied.

For a whole year, they would continue to receive top-tier tutoring, hammering all the strategies available in the guide. They would train in virtually simulated spaces for the battle against the Omega.

They were hardworking... And so they improved.

In just a year, their training results went beyond the expected numbers, and the commander authorized them to form a squad even though they were well below the authorized age. At thirteen years old, Catherine and her sisters joined the frontlines.

And that is when Catherine first met her.

Anastasia Valentina. The daughter of a major noble house. She saw the flaxen-haired beauty in the base she was supposed to have her first sortie.

While Catherine absolutely despised the nobles, something about Anastasia felt... relatable to her. Which was why she took the initiative to talk.

Yet, the girl barely looked at her. No, she didn't even acknowledge her existence.

It was akin to talking to a doll.

Feeling disappointed, Catherine distanced herself from the noble daughter.

Her sisters mocked and teased her for getting her hopes high, but Catherine still believed that she could be friends with the girl.

However... The next twelve months would become a living hell for her.

Virtual simulations and real battles were different. She and her sisters had failed to understand that.

She had taken the war too lightly.

Both of her sisters took serious damage again and again, while she barely ended with a draw every time she was deployed. Her new squad members had also lost again and again... The battles were a loss for humanity.

Sectors after sectors disappeared.

All while Catherine grieved for her sisters, who couldn't recover from the damages they had received. Their minds were too fragile, and the fear of death had turned them insane.

They were deemed mentally unstable, and were sent back. The commander, who was disappointed with the results, still kept his promise and sent both of them to a well-known mental healthcare facility. Catherine lamented her powerlessness each and every day.

Her squad was disbanded just after a few battles, and she was relocated to another squad. There, she met her again.

The same flaxen hair. The same red eyes. Anastasia Valentina was staring at her with disinterest.

She didn't even remember Catherine.

Even when the commander introduced them to one another, Anastasia didn't speak a single word.

Feeling awkward, the commander had left them both alone inside the mansion they were going to share in Stigma... And finally, Anastasia spoke up.

"Do you regret your choices?"

"... What?"

Hearing the sudden question, Catherine was of course, confused.

"You have worked hard to come here... But do you regret your decision?"

"... You know about me?"

Catherine couldn't hide her surprise.

"Of course I know about you. I have heard, how you crawled out of the slums to seize victory... And I respect such people."

Anastasia said, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"You can be proud of yourself."

Even though Anastasia was younger than her... Those words resonated within Catherine.

All these days she had spent through agony and despair... Her self-loathing, her anger... All subsided. The tears in her eyes flowed freely that day... Even though she would be extremely embarrassed for it later.

It didn't take long for them to become close friends. Anastasia, who liked competent people, and Catherine, who like Anastasia treating her as an equal... They became inseparable.

None of them pried into each other's pasts, and always kept a comfortable distance among themselves... Which made them easier to get along.

They didn't share their pasts, yet didn't keep any secrets about the present from each other.

Soon, their new squad was formed... And it was a strong one.

With the tank, Randolph, the technician Dimitri, the support Ray and finally, the vanguards Anastasia and Catherine, the squad quickly rose to the top.

Dimitri, who was the central pillar of the group, would devise plans that worked extremely well with each of their personalities.

Ray, who was an extremely rare support type Elliot, would cover for the vanguards with buffs, while Randolph, who had an extremely heavy mech that could be compared to a fortress, would protect her.

Catherine and Helios would take turns to attack the enemy with support from both Dimitri and Ray... It was truly a great combination.

And for a while... It went well. Catherine was starting to become livelier again. She was becoming hopeful again.

But alas, this peace was short-lived. After another six months of fighting together... Randolph, who Catherine had a crush on, proposed to Anastasia.

Anastasia, as expected, turned it down. Yet, Randolph grew more obsessed with her, making the relationships among the squad extremely awkward.

Catherine, who was at a loss, couldn't decide what to do. She feared that this squad would also break apart. Though, contrary to her fears, and mostly thanks to Dimitri's efforts, the group persisted through a few more battles.

Which only led to a more skewered relationship among the squad members. Catherine was unable to move on from Randolph, while Randolph was still madly in love with Anastasia.

All while Anastasia seemed to become more interested in Dimitri.

Ray, who was the only party uninvolved in this mess, had decided to step back and not join any sides. Which was for the better, as thanks to that the balance didn't tilt towards any particular side.

But as soon as Dimitri became mutually interested in Anastasia... The plans broke apart. Randolph started hating Dimitri, while Dimitri tried to keep Anastasia safe despite her objections, which made Anastasia upset.

And in an unfortunate battle... Randolph lost his life while protecting Anastasia... Due to a major error in the strategy.

The rise of their squad had stopped. Feeling devasted, Catherine locked herself inside her room, refusing to come out. Days went by, so did months. Yet, she didn't rejoin the frontlines.

Anastasia, who was feeling guilty, decided to leave the squad. Dimitri and Ray followed her, former due to his growing affections for Anastasia and the latter for a better future. They went under the jurisdiction of another commander, who quickly found them some great party members.

Soon, they were joined by Phillips Winchester and Felicia Von Emerald. Phillips had been in another squad, which had been disbanded due to the leader retiring. Surprisingly, the said leader didn't retire out of injury, rather he had turned twenty and was allowed to leave. And Felicia, who had been going under intense training for the past one and a half years, was now authorized to join a squad while being barely twelve.

The five boys and girls formed the squad Phoenix, which became the strongest in just a few months.

All of the members were skilled, and they were all beautiful to the boot. While Catherine was also a beauty, months of no light and torturing her body with hunger had turned her into an empty husk.

While everyone was celebrating... There was no one to console Catherine. And that enraged her. Her sorrow turned into hatred, and she became disgusted with Anastasia, Ray and Dimitri, who had left her.

She felt betrayed, especially by her former close friend Anastasia. She wanted to get revenge.

It was then when Phillips Winchester came to her with a sudden proposal. The new squadmate of Anastasia had some extremely malicious words to say.

"Seduce Dimitri. Take him away, just like Anastasia did with Randolph."

This absurd demand wasn't met with a denial. Catherine, now motivated to give Anastasia the taste of her own medicine, became focused on improving her beauty and her skills as an Elliot.

Requesting the aid of the commander for the final time, she created the all-girls squad "Medusa", which became strong due to Catherine's now motivated charisma and newfound strength.

Even though her strength was based on negative emotions, no one could deny her powers. She had learned much while staying in her previous squad, and Randolph's death plagued her no longer. She had changed herself for the better, even though the reason for that was wrong.

Catherine, who was now overflowing with beauty, fame and charisma, decided to finally start her plan. She casually asked Dimitri to hang out, but soon started seducing him.

While the boy struggled for the first few days, dates after dates broke his guard, until he became smitten with Catherine. This all happened behind Anastasia's back, so when Dimitri went to tell her that he was leaving the squad and was going to join The Medusa, the girl was shocked.

Yet, she didn't object... But perhaps she should have objected.

Just a month later, news came that Dimitri had fallen after suffering terrible damages.

And a few days after that, he was declared brain-dead.

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