Furrowing his eyebrows, the General covered his eyes as he began to shake his head incredulously.

  "Obviously I don't. You failed to mention anything important during your childish rantings." Sieg said, looking disappointed.

  Oliver looked away for a moment, before looking back to Sieg, now with a bit of hope in his eyes.

  "Then... You can help us right? Please you can help us right?!" Oliver asked, a smile creeping up his lips.

  Sieg looked at him for a moment, a hint of sadness in his eyes. He placed his hand on Oliver's wrist, demanding he let go of him.

  "Please... I... I don't know if we can defeat those guys with just this group... Please. We need your help-" but before he could finish his sentence, one of the high ranking investigators grabbed his hand.

  "Listen kid, we were given direct orders not to interfere no matter what. Like it or not, you'll have to deal with it. This is real life. You can't just ask for help when you're stuck" the investigator known as the "evermotion river" said.

  Oliver looked up at her with rage in his eyes, enough to make even the seasoned titled investigator eyes widen in surprise. He snatched his hand away, before standing up.

  "What the hell... I thought you guys were heroes... I thought investigators were supposed to protect people. Not cower the moment their bosses say no..." Oliver said, his voice was filled with venom.

  Sieg stared at him, no emotion present on his face. Seeing that, Oliver felt like he was being mocked. He took a step forward, almost letting his emotions get the better of him, however a loud booming sound stopped him.

  Everyone was startled by the sound, wondering what it may be. To satisfy their curiosity, Ren and Olivia took a step outside to check what was going on. A moment of silence passed before Olivia came rushing back inside with a terrified look on her face.

  "Guys there's things growing out from the ground!!!" Olivia yelled.

  Everyone ran out of the tents, leaving only the high ranking investigators and Oliver inside. Picking up his coffee cup once more, Sieg leaned back as he lifted the cup to his lips.

  "You should probably go see that, Olie~" sieg winked.

  Oliver grit his teeth before making his way out. Lifting the cloth covering the tent's exit, he turned back to Sieg with a glare.

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  "Who are you?" Oliver said, a hint of betrayal in his voice.

  Sieg didn't respond, which hurt Oliver even more. Leaving the tent, Sieg watched as the cloth fell down, covering the exit. The moment the exit was sealed, Sieg dropped his cup of coffee, spilling the hot liquid all over him. He held his face in his hands, cursing himself repeatedly.

  "You're such a coward..."

  Stepping outside, Oliver's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. The sky itself had turned black.

  In each cardinal direction of the town, giant trees grew tall - as if trying to pierce the heavens. Surveying the expressions on the other's faces, Sebastian had the worst reaction. He was physically shaking and his teeth were grit so hard it was a miracle he didn't pop a tooth.

  "No... I can't be... Did that bastard get stronger?" Sebastian exclaimed.

  Oliver clicked his tongue in response, before ruffling his hair in frustration. As he let his hair fall down on his face, he noticed a figure approaching in the distance. Oliver quickly pulled out his attachment unit, the others following soon after. They patiently waited for the figure to reveal themselves, only to sigh in relief as they saw it was Tabatha.

  "Damnit you scared us!" Elizabeth retorted, putting down her weapon.

  Tabatha ignored her words, as if she was focusing on something else entirely. Running towards Oliver, she held her face to his chest as she began crying.

  "Woah hey! What's wrong?" Oliver said, trying to comfort her.

  Wiping away her tears, Tabatha looked up at Oliver with pleading eyes.

  "The civilians! They've been kidnapped!" Tabatha exclaimed, her voice still shaky from crying.

  Oliver's eyes darkened upon hearing her words, clenching her shoulder tightly without even thinking.

  "How...?" Oliver asked.

  Tabatha winced slightly, not just from the pain, but also a feeling of guilt consuming her.

  "I... I couldn't stop him..."

  Oliver knew exactly who she was talking about. That masked man was already despicable in Oliver's eyes, but what he had just done solidified Oliver's hatred.

  "Did he say anything to you?" Oliver asked, his grip loosening.

  Tabatha nodded, though her face looked like she didn't want to tell him. Or more accurately, was too scared to tell him.

  "He said... To send any investigations that had the balls to face him, and he promised to release the civilians..." Tabatha explained, shaking a bit.

  With that, Oliver nodded, a determined look on his face.

  "I'll go then..."

  The group was silent, they all unanimously agreed that Oliver would be the best option. All but one however. Grabbing her brother's shoulder, Olivia looked at him with a serious expression.

  "Let go... You can't convince me not to-" but before he could finish his sentence, Olivia flicked his forehead.

  "I know, idiot. That's why I'm not stopping you... But I AM following you. You're not the only person who wants to kick that guy's ass" Olivia said, an annoyed look on her face.

  Oliver stared at her in disbelief, before laughing. Holding his face, he felt relieved. Maybe it was because he was being serious for too long, but he really needed that laugh. Looking at Olivia with a gentle smile, he nodded.

  "First time we're teaming up like this huh?" Olivia exclaimed, placing her hands behind her back.

  "Yeah you better not steal any of my kills" Oliver responded, stretching a bit.

  Olivia looked back at him, smiling confidently.

  "Is that bet still on? Cause if so, you're gonna have to buy me a tub of mint chocolate chip" Olivia retorted.

  Oliver rolled his eyes, calling her weird for liking that flavour.

  "What do you mean?! It's delicious!" Olivia shouted.

  "It tastes like toothpaste!" Oliver shouted back.

  The bumped heads, before being yelled at by Elizabeth.

  "Get to work you bastards!" Elizabeth said, frustrated by their banter.

  The two mumbled, before looking forward with a determined expression on their faces.

  "Yeah we get it”