He stared into the space behind her as if she were invisible. His sight penetrated the brick walls, zoomed past the garden and spread out into the streets. Somewhere towards the vacant city parks, Classic lost track of his thoughts.

"Hey, I'm talkin' here," Lady Hyeongyeong demanded. Hyeongyeong giggled at her own reference, but Classic remained inattentive. The lady leered into the vacant parks of her date's eyes, shook her head and muttered, "not again." This was a common occurrence even though Classic had made an effort to let her see into his private world.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Hyeongyeong reached across the table gently, hovering with hesitation over Classic's hand, but he was still trapped in the courts of his mind. The lady sighed, balled her hand into a fist, and adjourned Classic's day dream with a pound of her mallet. That was finally enough to wake him, and he clawed at his eyes before mumbling, "Yeah, yeah okay."

It had been another challenging day for Classic even though all he had had on his agenda were two meetings. By noon, he had faced the Protoss Council, where the men from Aiur debated herO's status as their leader. Classic had developed a quiet resentment for his superior, believing that the Entus man had been unfit to lead for months. They had traded barbs and insults, but the outcome was, as usual, zero change. While no one had been able to displace herO, Classic knew that he was a worthy replacement. He was the last Protoss to govern the capital, and he had gone the furthest during last year's rebellion. And yet, because of his normally sheepish personality, they had forgotten all about him.

After a slow lunch, Classic then had to meet with his clan. INnoVation had been demoted after his nervous breakdown against TaeJa, and yet the Protoss general had never been considered to succeed him. Instead, SKT had sent Dream to face Life in Spostalea, while Classic watched on from the rearguard. They had convened that day to discuss their options after Dream's fall into a coma, but the discussion followed the same patterns. Elder Oov had named Dark and soO, but what had they accomplished that was greater than Classic's own achievements? soO had just come back from a lengthy vacation while Dark had only shown promise in short skirmishes. It was only when the team had no choice left that they nominated Classic as their acting Chief-of-Staff. "Acting", as if it were not natural to him. He was the strongest Protoss in the world to date, and only two people believed it.

After hearing about Classic's day, Hyeongyeong grew more worried. The pressures of greatness had visibly taken their toll on her man, and she was not about to lose another.

"Dear, you don't have to be the most powerful man in the world to make me proud. I know my father would say the same too," Hyeongyeong encouraged.

"Yes, I know, but the only way we can bring him back from exile is if—"

"—I want him back more than you can ever imagine, but not at the cost of your sanity." Hyeongyeong forced her brows to meet and pressed her teeth together which flared her cheeks. Classic wanted to give Hyeongyeong everything, but understood that it would amount to nothing if he lost her.

"You're right," Classic admitted, "what would I do without you?"

The lady's expression lightened. "You'd probably choke on a bagel 5 minutes after I leave," she quipped. The pair shared a long, tender laugh—the first on what had seemed like another terrible date.

The waiter arrived, interrupting their moment, "Would you care for some dessert?"

Hyeongyeong looked at Classic. Classic stared back at Hyeongyeong.

"Chocolate mousse?" The lady tilted her head, half certain.

Classic nodded. It was his favorite cake.

"Chocolate mousse it is."




The next day, Classic returned to work with a lot on his mind as usual. His morning coffee had no punch and his favorite bakeshop had given him a plain donut as opposed to a chocolate one. His misspelled mug—Seriously, where did my assistant even buy this brownnoser? I'd like him better if he made better coffee—stared at him ironically. The stale breakfast made him reconsider his patronage—how many years had he been buying the same thing from them every morning? And how often did they get it wrong?—and his attention wandered again. It took several seconds for him to notice his phone ringing.

"Yes? I told you never to bother me while I'm having breakfast."

"Sir, it's Dream. He's awake."

Classic's eyes lit up. Was this opportunity knocking? He raced to the clinic built into SKT's enormous grounds, donut in hand, taking a final bite just as he reached the emergency room doors. The nurses saw his rank on his shoulders and led him straight to Dream's room, where he entered after a polite knock.

"Oh, Classic-hyung. You're the first person to visit." Dream was glad to see a familiar face.

Classic was still busy chewing on his snack and ejected some crumbs as he tried to speak. Even with his quick reflexes, he was unable to cover his mouth in time, eliciting Dream's first laugh with his lack of poise.

"Wow, you came here in the middle of your breakfast? Nice." Dream grabbed a glass of water on his bedside table and handed it to his friend. After a big gulp, Classic could finally say hello.

"I'm glad you're awake, kid. I heard it was quite the battle."

"It was. I don't think I've ever been in anything like it. It was intense!" Dream beamed. He recalled the details of the fight and kept Classic glued to his place. The young man didn't exactly have the best vocabulary but he made up for it with animated gestures. He waved his arms around and mimicked units with his fingers. Flesh clapped, sounds effects echoed, and the story ended.

"... then BOOM. We both died."

"Wait wait. Just like that," Classic probed.

"Yeah. I was dying. I didn't exactly have time to remember everything. I think I won though. At least I'll count it as a victory," Dream concluded.

"That's not a bad policy, actually. Do you know what happened to Life after the battle?"

"No, I've no idea. But the last thing I remember, he dropped the king's scepter while we fought in Browder Valley. I'm sure Life is going to try and retrieve it. I have to get back out there."

"You aren't in any condition to fight yet," the older Protoss recommended, "I'm sure we can send someone else. Maybe I can go."

"What? No! I beat him the last time, I know I can do it again. The scepter should have been mine. You won't stand a chance again him," Dream assured. It appeared as though nothing could stop him, but he had inadvertently disrespected Classic. The last few days weighed on his mind; he had grown tired of being belittled. Classic couldn't take anymore, and even though Dream may not have meant it, his remark just there was too much.

Only Dream and Life know where the scepter could be. Now I know too. If I can keep his mouth shut...

Wait, what am I thinking? I can't! Dream's a friend and a colleague. We can decide who's going to search for it like adults.

But he ridiculed me just now. No one thinks I'm good enough. This is my chance to show them.

I don't want to hurt Dream. But Hyeongyeong...

"Dangit, where'd I put my gum," Dream blurted out. It snapped Classic back to reality, and his quick thinking did the rest.

"Oh, I think I saw some on the desk over there."

Classic walked over to the medicine table and simulated inspection. After checking for witnesses, he revealed a vial of vespene gas. While the gas was lethal during prolonged exposure, in small doses it had the ability to knock one out for days, even weeks with a strong dosage, all without side effects. It quickly dissipated and left no trace; not to mention it was extremely common and easy to purchase.

"Huh, I could have sworn I saw a pack here on my way in..."

Classic unwrapped a stick and laced it with his poison before carefully repackaging his duplicitous gift.

"Aha, here it is. Here you go bud."

Classic handed over the slice of gum and Dream peeled away the cover. Weeks asleep had left him eager for his cherished treat and he had failed to notice the slight tint of green. The Protoss general's pulse quickened with each gnash of Dream's teeth, and his feet twitched with excitement to leave. The space between each bite grew longer.

"This gum.. tastes kinda.. weird. What flavor is... it...—?"

Dream's head dropped and he was out. His body slanted to the side and nearly cannonballed off the bed, but Classic was there to catch him. He lifted his friend back up and laid him carefully into a comfortable position. The backstabber was consoled by the sound of snoring, and he reached into Dream's mouth to retrieve the toxic treat. With nowhere else to put it, he had no choice but to stuff it in his pocket after a silent, "Ewww, gross."

"I know you'll never forgive me, so it's good I don't plan on apologizing. This is something I have to do."

Classic felt no guilt anymore, no shame, no doubt. While he valued his friendship with Dream, he had grown tired of being treated as a secondary character. The scepter could change everything for him, and this was his one opportunity to earn undeniable respect and the power to change lives. If he had to be labeled a traitor, then so be it.

Traitor.

It didn't sound as bad as he thought it would. He walked out of Dream's room in a feigned panic and informed the nurses of his little brother's blackout. As the team doctors flooded bedside, hopefully to find nothing, Classic strolled out of the hospital with an unmistakable swagger. He had been the strongest man in the world longer than anyone had wanted to admit. And now he was putting it all on the line to prove it.

"I'll make you proud."