[center][h1][color=FFFFF0]Daedalus Ivory[/color][/H1][/center]

It was as if Daedalus had stepped through a gate into another world. The sterile, air-conditioned interior of the Atlesian airship couldn't have been further from the chaos that had erupted in the arena barely minutes before.

The worst part was the silence. The second the hatch doors had closed the screams of terror from the landing pads had ceased, and other than the occasional sob from a student and the low, quiet hum of the engines, not a sound could be heard.

He looked around the crowded cargo bay at the faces of his friends and compatriots, each echoing the same sickening mixture of shock, confusion and sheer primal terror that welled from deep within his core. For the first time in years, Daedalus knew that this wasn't something any amount of his empathy or reassurance could simply put to rest - and that powerlessness terrified him.

The rest of team DVIL sat in stunned silence beside him. To his left, Layla was bolt upright and alert as her drone hovered nearby. Both Huntress and machine were the product of strict Atlesian military discipline, and the pair were constantly and anxiously scanning the craft for any sign of threat. Ignatius on his right was tapping his foot frantically, stress lines creasing his face like cracks in the veneer of his usually outlandish disposition - Daedalus had never seen him this frightened before. And finally, Violetta stood to the right of Ignatius, one foot up and leaning on the wall as she stared impassively into space. Although Daedalus didn't share the distaste that a number of students had for his fellow team-mate, even after a year fighting alongside her he found it hard to read her outside of combat.

The silence was smothering, and the general miasma of fear became too much for Daedalus. He looked between his team-mates - his friends - and quietly spoke to them.

[color=FFFFF0]'Hey. You three okay?'[/color]