1 Episode 1 - All in Your Name

It was fairly early in the morning. Leo, a 15 year-old boy, was slowly walking through the grey hallway, with a sad look on his face.

"What should I do...?", he thought to himself.

It was a very important day - the day that Leo became a leader of his very own team. Lost in thoughts as he took every single step with subconscious care, his head wandered off to the events of the last day.

It had been raining yesterday. He'd been at home, in his favorite chair, holding the cellphone with trembling, sweaty hands as he finally made up the courage to make the call.

"Hello?", a female voice answered.

"Nana?", Leo asked, his voice clearly indicating he was nervous. The girl on the other end of the line paid it little attention and replied with a sarcastic undertone:

"Who else? What do you want?"

He took a deep breath. "I'll make it official-"

She interrupted him almost immediately.

"The team thing? You sure you're ready for that? I don't think you can handle so much responsibility."

He let out a small grumble of disagreement.

"I mean", she continued, her voice a little gentler. "you know I'm right."

He could hear her start chewing on something but decided it was better not to ask about it.

"But you'll help, won't you?" - "Do I have a choice? I mean. Did I mention most teams are absolute garbage? Like what name is LatenightPidgeons even-"

"I know, they're full of drama and all that, you told me many times. Just, meet me tomorrow in the HQ, fourth floor downstairs.", he sighed. She would never stop going on about other teams.

"Ah. Right. Well, good that you at least have a room. What's the name of the team, though?"

Her question came not quite unexpected, but he still felt horribly unprepared.

"I, uh. I'll think about that."

He blinked in confusion as the hallway suddenly ended in a door he could have sworn had not been there before - though he had to admit he hadn't been paying much attention to where he had even been going in the first place.

The door wouldn't slide open too quickly and gave in with a worrying sound of metals grinding against eachother, but he couldn't bother with it now. He took the elevator all the way down to the fourth basement and let out a sigh of relief when he arrived unharmed by any potential elevator accident.

"You're late. Also, you're nervous. There's sweat all over your forehead.", Nana stated bluntly. She was standing right in front of the elevator, her white hair barely falling down to her chest, held together neatly on her back as to not get stuck in her black and white wings that she was flapping impatiently. Her golden eyes glared at him.

He gave her a short nod as they started walking along yet another grey hallway together, taking long and deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Well. Did you decide the name by now or do I need to do that for you as well?", she continued. Her question was genuine, but her voice showed no sign of actual interest. It never did.

Instead of answering her, he stopped at a door with a ripped piece of paper plastered onto it. Nana squinted for a brief second at his terrible handwriting until she figured out that those letters were not actually hieroglyphs but spelt out the name "Luminary".

She kept her eyes squinting just like that and turned her head towards him.

"...In my defense it was G's idea.", Leo protested at her overly dramatic expression.

"Yeah that fits him. You'd call this Third Reich and think it's a good idea."

The door slammed open and Leo flinched - though luckily, it was just G standing in the doorframe, and tall and bulky as he was, he had no reason to be afraid of the guy.

"You do know we can hear you in there, right?", G sighed and scratched his head in disbelief. Leo quickly stuttered out a few words:

"S-Sorry we didn't think you were - wait, we? Who's-"

G stepped aside to reveal a man, maybe twenty years older than them, standing behind him in the room. It was no doubt commander Rosweel, the leader of the HQ.

Leo started to sweat yet again. "C-Commander!"

Rosweel sighed. "Well I heard you three wimps are trying to make your own team so I stopped by."

"Wimps?" Nana's wings stiffened angrily, but he paid no attention to her.

"Anyway. You know the rules. Missions are posted on the bulletin board, you are free to accept them or not, I don't care. Wanna invite more people? Keep them in check and I don't care about that either. Now stop sweating so much, that's disgusting."

Leo gave him a few quick nods before regaining his composure just enough to ask a question.

"So, uh, this room. It's. Big. We can keep it?"

The commander rolled his eyes. "Exceptional use of english right there. But yes, it is all yours. Comes with a small office too. Courtesy of the IBI. If you need anything else ask my secretary Miyu and don't bother me. Got it? Good."

He closed the door behind him as he walked off quickly as to not give Leo a chance to ask further questions.

The International Bureau of Investigation, IBI for short, was a secret agency which recruited anyone willing to fight against evil organizations or just individuals. At the time, they were located in and protected the southern parts of the world from the opposite side of the planet.

G sat down on the couch, occupying about half of it on his own.

"So. Now what?"

"We could get new members...", Leo suggested.

Nana shook her head and sighed. "If you began just today, chances are people won't care to join you."

"I mean the dragon has a point, Leo.", G chimed in.

Slightly taken aback by the lack of support to his idea, he jumped to the next best thing he could think of.

"We'll do our first mission then! There should be one at the bulletin board, right? I'll go there right now!!"

He practically yelled the last part and ran off without waiting for either of the two.

"...should we go after him?", G asked, already getting comfortable on the couch.

"Nah.", Nana replied, sorting some of her belongings she had brought with her into a locker at the side of the room.

"He'll be fine..."

Leo dashed through the hallway, his face red with excitement - and managed to bump into somebody almost immediately.

A clipboard and pen fell beside him and he picked them up for the guy he had almost ran over.

"S-Sorry. Here. Are you okay?", he stuttered hastily.

"No problem... and yes, I'm fine. But, uh, since you're here. Mind answering a few questions?"

The guy's voice sounded like he had said this last line a million times before.

"Uh? A questionnaire... oh, I know you! You are that guy that asks everybody questions!", Leo exclaimed excitedly.

"Luiz works just fine, but yes, that's me."

Leo grabbed his clipboard back from him and quickly filled in a whole page of questions.

"Sorry I'm kinda in a hurry to get to the bulletin board - I'll see ya later!"

He ran off before Luiz could say another word and only stopped when he had finally arrived at the board.

His eyes searched for missions - but there were none suitable for his team's size save for one that he wasn't confident in at all.

Luiz approached him and tapped his shoulder with his pen.

"'t was full of other missions just a few hours ago, but everybody got here before you it seems...but hey, at least you get a leftover one, so that's something."

Leo let out a hysterical laugh.

"I can't possibly take that. It is literally asking us to invade an enemy base in Canada!"

Luiz chuckled.

"Well, at least the HQ funds you your funerals... if they find your bodies."

Back at Luminary's room.

"You...you got us a mission in Canada?!"

Nana was practically screaming.

"Why would you ever get us a mission in enemy territory?! I mean did you even think about how our sworn enemies live there?"

Leo scratched his head nervously. "It was the only one left..."

"Well I guess we get going then. What's the plan?"

Nana blinked in confusion and looked at G.

"Are you serious?", she asked slowly and in disbelief.

He shrugged. "I mean it's kind of our job to end the war against Saisem - victoriously of course - and regain freedom. Did you forget?"

She grumbled something and puffed her cheeks out angrily, but said nothing.

"According to the mission's info, we are supposed to infiltrate the base and steal important information.", Leo began to explain.

"Oooh, great idea Leo. Let's go build a snowman while we're at it, shall we? Given the temperatures we'll freeze to death before we even see the base!", the girl hissed.

"And yet, if we manage to complete this, people would be thrilled to join.", G replied calmly.

"Or not. And we die. And then nobody will join us because our bodies are stuck in a big field of white bullshit..."

"Why did I agree to this."

The three members of the new team were hanging around at the reception of the HQ, a few backpacks stuffed with useful tools and food beside them.

"Yes, that's right. We're going to Canada. And we really need a jet."

Leo was talking to the receptionist, a young brunette with a dashing smile. She assigned them a jet close to the platform where they had been standing before insisting he'd be very careful not to let it get destroyed by any enemy fire. Leo promised, hoping he hadn't just lied to her.

Nana was anxiously stretching her wings.

"If you crash that jet, I'm not going to save you. I'll fly off and pretend you never existed.", she reminded the two sharply before sitting on the left wing of the jet.

Meanwhile on Canada.

The room was filled with the sounds of keyboards and clicking, surely over a dozen people were seated in rows on big computers. Nobody spoke a word to each other until the door in the back flung open and everybody turned around.

"STAAAAND UP!!", a tall man in a uniform barked into the room. Everyone stood up immediately, their hands behind their back in respect.

"The White King has graced you with his presence!"

The man made way for two people, another man with long, white hair and a girl in a maid uniform, which was probably his personal maid as she was significantly better dressed than the other maids.

"My name is Dennis, the White King. I am the controller of the north-western part of the world, and this is my maid Sora. We are here to escort our supreme leader VoidCM."

The man in the uniform looked at the White King. "T-The supreme leader is coming to our base, your majesty?"

The king did not even look at him. "Yes, and his reasonings or plans are none of your concern. I suggest you take care of any trouble as soon as it arises to avoid any... unpleasant consequences."

With that, he turned his head around and left with his maid.

On the next day.

"They are so noisy for just sitting on their computers, aren't they?", whispered G. They were wearing the same clothing as the scientists scattered around the room who were more active than usual though also did not seem to notice the additional three people in the room.

Nana's eyes had taken on a grey tone and her wings and horns had faded - it had been necessary for her disguise but she really disliked hiding them.

"It seems like something important is going on... they are barely working.", Leo agreed.

Nana glared at him. "You're shaking again and your sweat is starting to smell. I will end you if you keep this up." - "Calm it, dragon, you don't need to threaten his life" - "Well if I die here I'll keep turning in my grave until I return as a ghost to haunt you both, alive or not!"

G sighed and scratched his head in defeat. "Alright, alright. Then what's the plan, Leo?"

Their leader looked at them and smiled nervously.

"You don't have a plan. Oh my god. You're the worst.", Nana stated and got up.

"Nana what the hell - where are you going?!", Leo yelled - although quietly - after her.

She paid no attention to him and tapped one of the scientists' shoulder.

They exchanged a few words and she smiled almost gratefully, returning to them with her smile fading instantly as her head turned away from the scientist.

"What did you tell him?", G asked.

"Asked where the mainframe was."

"Are you insane?!", both of them asked in disbelief.

"I'm not insane, but I know where to go and what's going on here, thank you very much.", the girl answered, her eyes narrowing.

"And he didn't even wonder why you asked?", G questioned.

"No. I told him we were new here but to be fair he did not look like he was supposed to say it either way. He's about as nervous as Leo. Rightfully so."

They tilted their heads as she dragged them along to where they assumed was the mainframe. "Why?", asked Leo. "Why are they so nervous then?"

Nana rubbed her hair where her horns would be, hurrying along the corridors. "Apparently the leader of this place has a visitor... and it's none other than VoidCM himself."

"Is everything ready for today?"

The White King was sipping a cup of tea on his bed, his maid readying his clothes for him.

"Yes m'lord. The supreme leader is preparing in his room...", Sora answered.

Dennis huffed, slightly annoyed. "I wonder why he wanted to come. So suddenly, and at such an exposed location, too..."

His maid seemed like she was about to ask why he did not know, but kept her mouth shut and instead started massaging the king's exposed back with oil.

"Hmm... yes, that's very good-"

Somebody knocked on their door, yet opened it almost immediately after without waiting for permission. It was Dan, a high-rank guard.

"I came to say everything is ready, sir."

Dennis rolled his eyes. "He'll just hold a speech?"

Dan confirmed the statement with a mere nod.

"...how unlike him. Well, we should just see how this goes.", the king concluded, looking at Dan and nodding towards the door.

The guard bowed quickly and exited the room, but instead of closing the door himself, it shut entirely on its own just as he was over the door frame. It went dark in the room save for the window's light and the door lock clicked.

G held the broken cable between his fingers.

"I couldn't shut down the program protecting the data, so I just forcefully shut down the entire computer managing it. Probably managed other things too, but hey, we can't worry about what is shut down anyway, right?"

Nana held the tiny USB tightly in her hand. "We can worry about it when we see what horrible thing you did - for now we should leave this place as quickly and quietly as possible. Our mission is done and I'd rather not have any complications on the way back."

"Dan?! Tell me what is happening this instant!", Dennis yelled, punching the door.

"Sir, I'm afraid I cannot tell you. Our system locks all rooms once something is off with the computers located around the mainframe.", came the reply from the other side of the door.

"Well go and figure out the issue right now then." The king was clearly unpleased.

"Yes sir!"

As the guard left, the ground started to tremble. Explosions could be heard in the far back of the base and he noticed the large amount of scientists running towards the mainframe, mostly in panic that their workplace had been attacked or similar. It was too dark to see much of their faces, but they were all wearing labcoats.

Three people ran past him and he would have paid them no attention - until he realized they had been running away from the mainframe rather than towards it like everybody else.

"What did you do Nana?!", Leo panted, running as fast as he could.

Nanas horns and wings were fully apparent again, her golden eyes glowing brightly to show where they were going.

"You know I get destructive once my dragon gene is allowed to come out again."

"Did you have to blast the entire room though?", G asked rhetorically.

"Perhaps not, but now I did.", Nana replied with a light shrug.

"They will see that you're a dragon!", Leo whined in despair.

"These guys are busy running for their lives, do you think they care?! This is buying us time to get out of here..."

They kept running towards the exit, but G held them back just before they reached it.

A golden light ran across the air - but it was no ordinary light. It was the reflection of a blade that had been hidden in the dark, but got exposed by Nana's glowing eyes.

In front of them was a dark figure of a man, holding the blade.

"I do not know all that much about our scientists...", he snarled.

"but I do know they have no wings or horns."

He let out a slight chuckle. It was undoubtedly Dan, the high-ranked general of the facility.

"You're lucky you have lightbulbs for eyes, 'cause I'd have cut you right open if you hadn't-"

A cannonball the size of an arm hit his stomach, throwing him against the ceiling and exploding upon impact. Before his body could even drop, Leo fired another volley of smaller bullets from his now fully extended cannon and they hurried towards the exit while the cloud of dust settled.

"Good call, chef.", G stated and gave Leo a thumbs up.

They ran off into the direction of a nearby forest, hoping the snow would cover their trails until they arrived at their jet.

Nana's wings twitched anxiously and she turned her head back towards the building. There, right at the window, stood a man with flowing, white hair, smiling down at her in an evil, almost perverted way. She glared at him and left it at that, uncertain whether he was just trying to scare her or if he knew something she did not.

Before she could turn around fully, a sharp humming noise sounded above them - it was the sound of a blade clashing against cold wind.

Leo held his cannon upwards, deflecting the blade just in time.

"Saisem scum... only you would attack so cowardly."

His expression shifted to a serious one.

"I guess fighting three against one is fair game too, then."

Dan's reactions were unhumanly fast. He would spin and hold his blade barely away from their necks if they didn't constantly move, and it was hard to attack him due to how nimble he was. Still, Leo managed to slow him down significantly by firing bullets near the ground he expected him to appear at, making him trip backwards right into G's trap - a near invisible string quickly tied around a few trees. It was extremely sturdy - and razor sharp.

The guard cried out in pain as the string cut into his leg and he thrusted himself forwards into another salve of missiles that shot him upwards. Nana managed to step aside before he fell on the ground beside her, knocked unconscious.

"Is he dead?", G asked with a little less concern than he should have.

"Probably.", Nana replied, poking the body with her foot. "I mean, I hope anyway."

"Then let's hurry out of here!", Leo added hastily.

Later that day.

The White King stared down at the body. He had looked at him for a long time now - yet for some reason, a shiver went down his spine all of the sudden.

He turned around to see VoidCM.

"Your highness, I-", he began to stutter.

"Silence. Why are you so nervous...?", the leader interrupted him.

"There is no need to worry... after all, everything is going according to plan."

The king stared at him. "Somebody brought his body here... and three IBI agents were sniffling around here earlier, probably the ones that caused all this havoc and stole vital data..."

VoidCM snickered. "Three agents?"

"Yes, our recordings from today show three intruders...-"

"They had help from somebody. The same person that brought the body here."

Dennis' eyes widened. "A traitor?!"

"No... but somebody that did not let your guard dog die. I'll get you a new one, this one is too weak."

With that, he turned around and walked back into the building as if nothing had happened.

"According to his plan...? What does that mean?"

A girl in a maid outfit was standing at the window, looking down at the two men with an expressionless face.

"Huh... I wonder who was helping them out...? ...Well no matter. It just means more work for me..."