Chapter 4

A 3-panel comic page. Panel 1: A hilly city with a river flowing through it. On one of the hills is a building, behind which the sun shines. Panel 2: Close up on the hill and the building -- there are more discernable details on the building, such as the dome roof. Panel 3: The building, illuminated by the sun behind it. The building is relatively squarelike with a dome roof and statue of an angel standing above the door. Engraved at the top of the building are the words, 'Hearth Academy Of Our Nation Of Nerva.' Engraved over the door are the words, 'For The Protection Of Our Nation. Text at the bottom of the panel reads 'Chapter 4: Knight'.
A 4-panel comic page. Each panel takes place in a hallway with a dome ceiling and half-circle windows and doorways, but each successive panel travels down the hallway. Panel 1: Sammy and Beck stand at the far end of the hallway. Sammy: 'Are you gonna be okay?' Beck: 'Mm-hmm. Good luck on your match.' Panel 2: Sammy begins to walk away. Sammy: 'I'll be back soon.' Panel 3: Beck walks toward the window. Panel 4: Beck looks at surprised at an off-screen voice who says, 'I have high expectations for your brother.'
A 6-panel comic page. Panel 1: Laura stnds next to Beck, nonchalantly flipping his knife in her hand. Laura: 'I've heard a lot about him.' Panel 2: Beck looks vaguely confused. Laura: 'He interests me...' Panel 3: Beck looks angry as he notices his knife. Laura: 'Though not as much as --' Panel 4: Laura looks surprised. Beck: 'Where'd you get that?' Laura: 'Huh?' Panel 5: Laura tilts her head and raises an eyebrow. Laura: 'The knife?' Panel 6: Laura and Beck square up to each other, both suspicious of the other. Beck: 'Did you steal it?' Laura: 'No, I...'
A 7-panel comic page. Panel 1: Laura looks confused and suspicious. Laura: 'Do you not remember?' Panels 2-3: Memories of Beck and Laura's match, focusing on Beck losing his knife and Laura taking it. Laura: 'At our match yesterday...You lost your knife and I took it...' Panel 4: Laura smiles proudly. Laura: 'Nervan doctrine dictates that I keep it, but I don't really follow our nation's laws. Tell you what, I'll give it back to you ...' Panel 5: Laura grins slyly. Laura: '...if you talk to me first.' Panel 6: Beck looks annoyed and unimpressed. Beck: 'Bullshit. I should take you to my brother so he can beat me up.' Panel 7: Laura draws her attention to the window, which overlooks the courtyard. Laura: 'Go ahead. I'd like to see if he's as good as I've been told.'
A 6-panel comic page. Panel 1: An aerial view of the courtyard. A girl stands on one end of the courtyard. Beck: 'As you've been told?' Laura: 'Mm-hmm. See his opponent?' Panels 2-3: The girl in the courtyard ties her hair into a ponytail before playfully flipping her bangs She has dark skin and black hair and wears a cropped hoodie. Laura: 'Nickelle Banerjee. She's the strongest fighter I know.' Panel 4: Sammy walks into the courtyard. Laura: 'She told me this would be a tough match, and I always trust her word.' Panels 5-6: Sammy unravels the metallic cuff that spirals around his arm using his telekinesis, transforming the metal into a spear. Laura: 'Still...I hope she wins.'
A 5-panel comic page. Panels 1-2: Nickelle draws a sword and Sammy points his spear. Panel 3: Nickelle and Sammy cross their weapons with each other. Panel 4: Nickelle winks at Sammy. Panel 5: Beck looks angrily at Laura. Beck: 'Who even are you anyways?'
A 5-panel comic page. Panel 1: Beck looks vaguely offended. Laura: 'Are you a goldfish?' Panel 2: Laura looks bored. Laura: 'My name's Laura.' Panel 3: Nickelle swings her sword at Sammy, who dodges the attack. Laura: 'We had a match yesterday. I won.' Beck: 'Yeah, I figured. I looked in the mirror today.' Panel 4: Sammy prepares to attack. Beck: 'And don't call me a goldfish. My name's --' Panel 5: Laura looks unimpressed. Laura: 'Beck Li. I know.'
A 5-panel comic page. Panel 1: Sammy swings at Nickelle. Laura: 'You're Aarden's Soldier boy.' Panel 2: Nickelle blocks the attack. Beck: 'Don't call me that!' Laura: 'Why not?' Panel 3: Sammy swings again, which Nickelle dodges. Laura: 'That's what Aarden calls you.' Panel 4: Nickelle prepares to swing. Beck: '...' Panel 5: Nickelle swings her sword, cutting the point off Sammy's spear. Laura: 'Beck. Do you really not remember our match?'
A 3-panel comic page. Panel 1: The point of Sammy's spear floats through the air. Beck: 'I remember enough.' Panel 2: The metal morphs, dividing into two parts. Laura: 'Which is?' Panel 3: Sammy holds a new weapon -- a sword formed by the metal of his spear. Floating next to him are two diamond-shaped metallic blades. Beck: 'That you're weird. Leave me alone. And give me my knife back.'
A 6-panel comic page. Panel 1: Nickelle smiles in excitement. Panel 2: Sammy runs towards Nickelle. Laura: 'We're not done talking yet.' Panels 3-4: Sammy attacks Nickelle in quick sucession, but Nickelle blocks equally as quickly. Laura: 'Listen...I need to talk to you for various reasons, and one reason is Aarden.' Panel 5: Sammy prepares a swing, and the sun illuminates him from behind. Panel 6: Beck turns toward Laura, surprised. Beck: 'Miss Aarden?'
A 5-panel comic page. Panel 1: Laura gazes at the courtyard. Laura: 'How should I say this...' Panel 2: Sammy sends the two diamond-shaped blades flyign towards Nickelle. Laura: 'You've jumped around Hearth Academy's programs a lot, haven't you?' Beck: 'Why do you ask?' Panel 3: Nickelle blocks the blades. Laura: 'Do you like any of them?' Panel 4: Nickelle looks up at Sammy and smiles. Panel 5: Sammy looks at Nickelle, serious. The pupils and irises of his eyes seem to glow slightly. Beck: 'Well...'
an 8-panel comic page. Panel 1-2: The two diamond-shaped blades reform into a large floating blade. Beck: 'Administration wasn't too bad, but I could never remember enough. Same with Academia. And Medicine?' Panel 3: The blade flies toward Nickelle from behind. Beck: '...I could never be a Medic. Panel 4: Nickelle catches a glimpse of the blade in the reflection of her sword. Her eyes seem to glow as well. Beck: 'I've been a Surveyor for a while...It's alright...I get to hang out with my brother.' Panels 5-6: Nickelle dodges the blade. It flies towards Sammy. Laura: 'Sure, but deep down...' Panel 7: The blade slices Sammy across the cheek, spilling droplets of blood. Laura: 'Don't you want to change?' Panel 8: Sammy brushes the blood off his face.
A 5-panel comic page. Panel 1: Sammy begins running towards Nickelle once again, armed with his swword and a floating diamond-shaped blade. Beck: 'Change?' Laura: 'Are you well-versed in our Nervan history?' Beck: 'Of course.' Panels 2-3: Nickelle and Sammy swing at each other. Each time Nickelle's sword hits Sammy's metal, the metal breaks into smaller pieces. Laura: 'So you know the stories of the Angel's War. The ever loyal Soldiers on the battlefield.' Panel 4: Nickelle readies her weapon. Laura: 'The generals devoted to our nation.' Panel 5: Nickelle swings her sword and completely shatters Sammy's weapon. Laura: 'The Knights of Angel Kalia.'
An 8-panel comic page. Panel 1: Sammy falls to his knees, the shards of his weapon falling around him. Beck: 'Those Soldiers you glorify are remnants of a long bygone era.' Laura: 'Is that what you think?' Panel 2: Nickelle smiles and points her sword at Sammy. Beck: 'That's what a friend of mine would say.' Panels 3-4: Sammy looks at the sword, then glances up to the side, where Beck should be watching. Laura: 'But what about you?' Panel 5: Beck is looking at Laura. Beck: '...' Panel 6-7: Beck and Sammy look focused on the person respectively standing before them. Panel 8: Sammy clenches his fist, and his metallic shards raise from the ground, floating around him. Beck: 'I wish I could have served then, as my Angel's right hand.'
An 8-panel comic page. Panel 1-2: Sammy leaps toward Nickelle, the metallic shards following his movement. Laura: 'But you can! I'm recruiting!' Beck: 'Huh?' Laura: 'Aarden's got a new program. Surveyors, Academics, Administrators, Medics. They're Soldiers in name only. Aarden wants real Soldiers. Aarden wants Knights.' Panels 3-4: Sammy grabs a hold of the collar of Nickelle's hoodie as he dives toward her. Beck: 'And she wants me to join? After losing my match?' Laura: 'A single loss doesn't lose a war.' Panels 5-8: The movements of Sammy and Nickelle in the next moment, their feet sliding on the ground, their weapons preparing for what comes next. Laura: 'It's not about how you lose. It's about how you fight. You fight to your last breath, Soldier. You would make for an excellent Knight...'
A 4-panel comic page. Panel 1: Sammy stands over Nickelle, holding her over the ground. His metallic shards are pointed at Nickelle's throat. Nickelle has her sword pressed against Sammy's neck as well. Laura: '...and an excellent right hand to our headmistress.' Panel 2: Sammy looks seriously at Nickelle. Blood drips down the cut on his cheek. Laura: 'Aarden's known that for as long as she has known you.' Panel 3: Nickelle looks at Sammy in awe and excitement. Laura: 'What do you say?' Panel 4: Laura looks excitedly at Beck. Laura: 'Do you accept?'
An 8-panel comic page. Panels 1-2: Beck looks surprised, then smiles as he turns toward Laura. Panel 3: Beck places a fist over his heart. Beck: 'My loyalties lie with Aarden. I accept.' Laura: 'Then I suppose I should call you my partner.' Panels 4-5: Nickelle's eyes seem to glow before she closes them and smiles. Laura: 'Look now.' Panel 6: Nickelle removes her sword from Sammy's neck. Panel 7: Nickelle lets her sword drop. Laura: 'The match is ending.' Panel 8: Nickelle's sword lands in the grass.
A 10-panel comic page. Panel 1: Beck smiles. Laura: 'Impressive...' Beck: 'Sammy!' Panel 2: Laura studies the courtyard. Laura: 'Forcing a forfeit...That's a shame. I did really hope Nickelle would win.' Panel 3: Laura turns to leave. Laura: 'Ah well! Do send my congratulations to your brother.' Panel 4: Laura hands over Beck's knife. Laura: 'Our missions will start in the morning.' Panel 5: Laura glances back at Beck. Laura: 'And one last thing. Let's keep quiet about this, okay?' Panel 6: Laura leaves, waving goodbye as she walks away. Laura: 'Farewell, Soldier!' Panels 7-9: Beck looks at Laura, then his knife. He presses the flat side of his blade to his forehead. Panel 10: Beck walks away.