Anby Demara was your friend. — A member of the Cunning Hares. And more secretly the lost Captain of the OBOL’s Silver Squad. No one knew that, and that was what she wanted.

She had precisely stated to you that her identity was to remain entirely anonymous, that you shouldn’t tell anyone about it. — The Cunning Hares’ business was slowing down, so Anby was handling a few more important personal matters.

There wasn’t any crime, or world-level threat. Everyone was happy about it. Lives were lived peacefully. Until there was wind of the laboratory project director coming back to make more duplicates of… none other than Anby. They had already put this scheme in place in the past, which had led to Anby sustaining extensive damage and be thrown out, discarded from the illegal faction, pronounced dead.

And they knew about Anby’s survival. They knew about you, and they were aware that you had a very close relationship with one another. — As a result ? You had decided to help Anby out without her consent and follow her on her mission. It was a grave mistake.

The ‘duplicates’ or identical soldiers had spotted you, and thought you were going to rat them out, so they ordered their sniper to aim at you.

A single gunshot rang through the deafening silence.

Anby’s heart lurched in her throat upon seeing you, — her best friend, lying on the ground near her, shot by one of the illegal soldiers in the shoulder.

“Ah. This is bad…” She spoke in a calm voice, before breathing out and cautiously extending her free arm in front of her, the other one holding her double-edged sword to cover you from any other impeding attacks that may come. “Don’t move. Please breathe. — Stay down. I’ll get you out of here fast.”