Fighting against the infamous Ivan Prolove was one thing. Fighting with him was another matter altogether.

Seb couldn't help but feel nervous all over. The boys automatically faced back to back with their swords drawn when it was their turn in the simulation room. Everytime Seb felt his back even graze Ivan's self, he would flinch and try his best to maintain his distance. It was obvious to the onlookers how nervous the fidgety the newcomer was. Ivan of course didn't notice much and kept on swingit his sword, slicing down enemies in line of the path of his sword. When he looked back, he found that Seb still had alot of goblins on his side.

The moment the holographic dagger of the goblin struck on Seb's wrist, a sharp pain erupted. Seb looked down, swinging his sword and decapitating the goblin as he did. There was no blood. No sign of any injury at all. Yet the pain lingered.

It was... Quite amusing!

"What are you spacing out for!" Ivan snapped.

"Ahh... Sorry," Seb replied and continued to swing his sword again. Out of curiosity, he even allowed a goblin to stab him on his shoulder. Pain erupted as before. But this time the pain was quite unbearable, so he stopped experimenting on the properties of his suit.

Sargent Griffon didn't allow them to fight the level two simulation. He simply looked at the two of them and said, "You need to work on your teamwork."

Ivan raised an eyebrow. "He is the one lacking here."

Seb gave a nervous smile as if it were an apology.

"And you," said Sargent Griffon, "Please don't experiment on the suit."

"Come on coach," said Gabrielle with a laugh, "We all did the first time we wore it."

Sargent Griffon frowned and looked as Seb, "The pain felt is 50% of what is really felt. I don't want you kids thinking that what you feel with the suit is the only thing that you would feel if you were really injured. Some blades are even poisoned. Remember, it's a simulation. The pain isn't real. It's just to let you know when you have been attacked."

Seb nodded. Yet Sargent Griffon held his gaze, "And you shouldn't be so nervous around your partner. He might be a seasoned Wielder with fans ready to murder for him, but he is still human."

There is something wrong with that discription, Seb deadpanned in his head.

"I always thought he was an AI," Gabrielle said. Jeremy gave her a disapproving look.

Sargent Griffon sighed. He really felt like he wasn't really cut out of teaching. Especially a bunch of OP kids.

"Just... Work on your relationship. Hang out together and do stuff boys do."

This time, both Seb and Ivan raised their eyebrows as if saying, "You can't be serious?"

Sargent Griffon repeated the simulation again. This time, Seb didn't allow himself to be distracted.

They killed 145 goblins before Sargent Griffon switched to the next simulation.

"You can use some of your spells," The Sargent said.

Seb created three swords. One hold in his hands while the other two zipped through goblins and ogres, killing them as they passed. Ivan used wind slash and destroyed a dozen on go.

When they were done, Sargent Griffon had a pending look on his face.

"The two of you complement each other well in a fight. I can see what the administration was going for. Still, we need to work on Seb's swordmenship. I don't know anything about swords... But you didn't get any official training, have you?"

Seb shook his head.

"I will inform the administration. Let's end things for today."

Sargent Griffon waved at the invisible machine operators again. The light of the simulation room dimmed down slowly as Sargent Griffon left the trainees to their own device. Apollo and Artemis was the first to leave, followed by Jeremy and Gabrielle who argued about tiramasu as they went. Seb felt a sharp vibration from his wrist and looked down at his holo-watch. Ivan was looking down at his own holo-watch as well.

It seems they received a message at the same time.

"Please accompany your partner to the costumes department," Seb's message read. He looked at Ivan, whose face was rather grim and annoyed.

The two guys quickly changed.

"Come with me," Ivan said as they exited the locker room.

Ivan took Seb towards the part of the facility where every inch of the ground was covered with perfectly leveled concrete. There were markings on the floor along with a few scattered buildings, few even resembling what Seb thought was a hangar.

"It's a small military air base," Ivan said.

The costumes department was simply the second floor a small two storied building next to a hangar. The lack of trees made the surroundings relatively very hot, but the heat was dissipating due to the setting sun. The first floor of the building looked like a med-bay. The second floor was a wide hall, thoroughly air conditioned with translucent glass windows. The hall was lined with mirrors, changing booths and a line of dressing rails with hangers dangling from the poles while a large desk and a screen sat at one end. Working in the middle of the table was a tall man.

He lifted his head the moment the two children arrived and sauntered towards them with wide open arms.

"Ivan! My darling! Long time no see," he said, kissing both of Ivan's cheeks. He gave Seb a look of disapproval. "He's my new muse? You have bad fashion taste boy."

"This is Mister Vincent West. Also known as the Emperor of Fashion," Ivan explained.

"Uhh... It's a... Pleasure to meet you Mr. Ehh... West," Seb said. He had heard snippets about the Emperor of Fashion. Most proclaimed him to the the best fashion designer in H city, and maybe even in the country.

"Call me Mr. V," the Emperor of Fashion replied.

Mr. V was a man with looks worthy of his title. If he wasn't a fashion designer, he would have been able to fill the roles of a film emperor. He had long straight black shoulder length hair tied up to a pony with crimson highlights peaking from beneath a mass of black as he moved with a face that was neither manly nor feminine, but had such a beauty that most would find themselves staring. Seb wondered if the fashion designer actually worked out, because the tight grey-black v neck and tight jeans that wore didn't hide any of the man's lean muscle.

He studied Seb from head to toe with his arms folded before stretching out his hand as if expecting someone to give something to him. The second he made the gesture, one of the girls working behind him ran up to him with a tape measure and gently placed it on the palms of his hands. Mr. V then pointed his chin to the dressing room.

"Remove your clothes and wait for me."

Seb felt the blood drain out from his face. Mr. V have the boy a rather annoyed look, "To take your measurements. I need them to be exact. Don't look at me like I am a pedophile boy. I am already married to the most fiercest and sexiest woman on the planet and I need nothing more."

The blood that drained out of Seb's face flushed back. Ivan sighed.

"Did you have to say that?"

"What? It's the truth."

Seb slowly walked to the changing room.

"You can keep your underwear on," Mr. V said as he left. "Gracie. Be a dear and bright my sketchbook."

It took five minutes for Mr. V to take Seb's measurements. He was more professional that Seb expected from his first impression. He didn't even note down the numbers and only did so at the end and noted down the measurements up to three decimals on a sketchbook tablet.

When Seb dressed once again and CE out, Mr. V was concentrating hard while holding his sketchbook tablet  and stylus while his assistants glaces sneak peaks at Ivam who leaned on the wall with his arms crossed as he waited.

"I think we can go with his debut style," Mr. V finally said. Ivan looked up at the fashion designer.

"Alicia loved the emo look on his debut video. She would be pleased to know that he retained that style."

"But that's just your wife's opinion."

"The chairmen told me to do whatever I see fit and my wife knows best," Mr. V said smugly. He glanced at Seb, "Also he looks better in black and the emo style works in contrast to your white knight elegance. You both would look good together. But... Sebastian, my boy. Come here for a bit. Sir down. Miranda, the make-up set."

And so Seb found himself sitting down on a chair while Mr. V studies him, rubbing the spare hair on his chin as he did.

"Smokey eyes," Mr. V told his assistant. "But only on the other edges. Make it look natural. The foundation must be minimum a minimum as well."

"So a light natural sir?"

"Yes."

Seb wanted to sink into the floor. He never imagit that there would ever be a time where he would be told to get makeup on his face.

"Eh... Why are you_"

"The weekend runs, you must look fabulicious to the masses."

Seb turned to look as Ivan, as if hoping the boy would refute his fears. But Ivan only confirmed it. Then again, he remembered the five elders telling him that he would need to go on missions after a week. So it meant that he would  be shown on TV.

"Do you think I am happy about this? My dearest Alicia just got a few days off from shooting. I has hoping to spend some quality time with her. Now I was stuck with completing your mission-wear a two days!"

Shooting, Seb thought. Was his wife as an actress?

"The director of her new TV series is quite annoying," Mr. V continued as his assistant held on Seb's face to put on his makeup, "It's a good thing it's not a stupid romance. I hate it when her agent gives her romance scripts! I have to watch her be all lovey dovey with another man! But it's not like I can tell her to stop acting either!"

"You already mentioned this five times, Mr. V," Ivan sighed.

"Really? Well. Nevermind. But still! Now I have you worry about her getting hurt during stunts! I can't help it. A filming set can be a war zone."

Meanwhile, Seb tried to remember any actresses with the name of Alicia. He surely did hear the name somewhere...

Seb out of curiosity asked, "What shows did your wife act in?"

The makeup artist glared at Seb, making him shut up. He wasn't sure if it was because talking disrupted the make up or because of the daggers Mr. V was glaring at him.

"You haven't heard of Alicia Keys?"

Seb slowly shook his head.

Mr. V turned to Ivan. "What century is this boy from? Is he rusted as the ancient thing that he carries!"

Ivan shrugged.

"She's the main female lead in 'The Flower of The Valley', 'The Wavefront', and even ' Alternate Lives'! Don't tell me you haven't heard of that!" The makeup artist hurriedly said to negate the situation.

Seb nodded quickly. He had heard of the movies and even seen some parts of it. But he never bothered to know the name of the actors and actresses.

Mr. V huffed. "Of course, there is no way that anyone doesn't know my wife."

Seb decided to never speak about his wife in front this man and spent the whole night worrying about the fact that he would be broadcasted to the whole city through the weekend runs. He knew that his mother didn't like to watch the weekend runs, as it featured his father quite a bit. So he hoped that she won't watch the coming weekend runs. Seb wondered if there was a way he could call his mother.

Was she alone? Did that annoying Deputy move in? It would have been better if he moved in. He didn't like the idea of his mother staying in an isolated cabin all alone. Cabins are usually the premises for bad horror movies.