Sice of Spades

A week after the battle of Togoreth the cadets discuss the war, Nine confident they will defeat Milites. When Sice points out Milites has the strongest army in Orience they argue, Sice finding it excruciating to be classmates with Nine. Sice doesn't think she can rely on all of her fellow classmates, especially the newcomers Machina and Rem. Machina is shocked and Rem stutters an apology. Sice says that if they became a hindrance she would kill them herself and leaves.

Their next mission a week later is to destroy a Militesi weapons development facility, as the use of MA is one the empire's key strengths in the war. The main team—Ace, Queen, King, Seven, Cinque, Trey, Cater and Eight—are to attack the factory with the other three teams of two members each attacking other facilities as distraction: Machina with Rem, Jack with Deuce and Nine with Sice. Deuce asks Nine to be patient with Sice, saying she isn't a bad person regardless of her harsh mannerisms.

Nine and Sice reach a warehouse for Colossi. Nine attacks the war machines, triggering the alarm, and the two stand back to back to fight off Militesi soldiers to buy time for the main team, Sice also destroying the lines of Colossi with fire magic. After they are done Nine claims that Sice has been even more irritable than usual ever since the war began. She admits it is true and says that she has never spoken about her past before. She never had a father and was abandoned by her mother when she was seven. She grew up in a gang in a town that has since has been destroyed. When the gang got busted by Milites the others betrayed her and she was caught. Demanding the whereabouts of her "friends," Militesi soldiers took her out in the snow where she collapsed. Sice is forever grateful that she was saved by Arecia who gave her a warm home at last.

A hidden sniper hits Nine in the leg. Nine creates a hole in the ground with his lance and pulls Sice in to escape the sniper's scope, but they can't stay there for long as the sniper may call in reinforcements. The two rush in the direction of the gunshot while dodging the incoming fire, but Sice is struck in the leg. Nine turns back for her even if Sice urges him to go ahead. Nine makes another hole and pulls Sice in, where it turns out she also has an abdominal wound and she passes out.

She awakens on a bed in a village near the border. Nine has treated her wound but admits he is not good with magic, and advises her to see Arecia later. A Concordian appears outside, informing them of the ceasefire invoked by Queen Andoria. Confused, the two head off to rendezvous with the others.