"Stay close, Kaia. We're almost there." The tall man said as he held the girl's hand, and they crossed the street.

The sound of heavy rain beat down on the umbrella, making his soft voice harder for Kaia to hear. She nodded as her mind began to wander. She was trying to remember the last few weeks. It had been less than a month since she last saw her father. She tried hard to remember but it was like trying to recall a dream. There was a fire. Her dad told her to run, then she was picked up by the man who held her hand. Like any child at her age, she asked his name but he refused to answer. She knew to be careful with strangers but this man had been there to protect her. So, as far as she was concerned he had earned a little trust.

'"Where are we going, Mr. Sad?"

The man only rarely reacted to this nickname. But it was a good fit considering how he never laughed or even try a smile. He always looked so defeated, especially in his brown eyes.

"Somewhere safe," he said as he kept his eyes straight ahead.

They past a sign on the road, letting them know they were now outside of town limits. It was only after they crossed a bridge that went over a nearby river that he finally looked down at her as he spoke.

"I have a friend who runs an orphanage. She'll be taking care of you."

Kaia met his gaze, as she thought of how to respond. Before she could get a word out they saw a church come into view.

"There it is." Mr Sad said.

'"An orphanage? But, what about my dad?" Kaia asked, on the verge of tears.

Mr. Sad ignored her as he pulled her along, keeping a firm grip on her hand. As they approached the church Kaia looked up again as she asked, "Is my dad not coming back?"

He stopped abruptly. Kaia looked up at him, worried she said something she shouldn't have.

"M-Mr. Sad?"

He turned to her and crouched down in front of her. His eyes filled with pity. She could barely hear his voice in the pouring rain as he spoke quietly.

"Listen, Kaia. Your dad is... You probably won't see him for a while. And I'll be going away too." he said as he rested a hand on top of her head. "There's a nice lady that works here. She was a friend of your dad. She'll take care of you. Can you be strong for me?"

"Yeah!" Kaia said as she nodded.

One corner of Mr. Sad's mouth raised a little, giving a small half smile as he moved his hand down to her shoulder. Liking how it looked on him, Kaia smiled brightly.

'Mr. Sad took her hand as he stood up again and led her to the doorstep of the church. After knocking he took a step back and waited. Kaia stepped back with him as they waited. After a moment the door opened slightly and a young woman with long flowing blonde hair poked her head out. Her piercing green eyes looking right at Mr. Sad with surprise.

"William-" she said before Mr Sad raised a hand to get her to stop.

"Rosine. Sorry for the short notice," he said as he nudged Kaia forward. "This is Kaia. She's Kylar's daughter."

Rosine's eyes widened when she heard this and opened the door the rest of the way.

'Kaia stepped inside as she kept looking up at Rosine. She was a young woman, likely still in her 20s. She wore the standard wear for a nun and had a smile that made her look quite beautiful.

"You should have sent a letter. I would have made something to eat. How about I prepare some tea?" She said as she gestured for William to come in.

"No. I have to go. If Kylar was right, there isn't any time to lose." He said.

Kaia looked back at Mr. Sad and tried to make sense of what they were talking about. Rosine nodded after his decline for tea, seeming disheartened.

"I understand. Just promise me you'll stay safe." She said with a tone like she was giving him an order.

William nodded, turning toward Kaia and crouching down before her.

"I need to go for now. But Sister Rosine will take good care of you. Behave yourself, okay?"

Kaia quietly nodded to him.

"Will you come visit?" She asked. In response, William let out a quiet grunt, looking away from her, and finally standing up.

"If I have time." He replied, nodding at Sister Rosine one last time, and turning away from the Church, walking back down the path. Both Kaia and Rosine watched him go, until his form disappeared into the rainy night. Kaia was still as she stared into the rain, almost like she was waiting for him to come back.

But after five minutes, which to Kaia only felt like a few seconds, it became obvious that he was gone. In response, Kaia hummed softly, her hands behind her back as she looked down at the ground.

"You must be hungry? I don't imagine William did much cooking." Sister Rosine spoke, breaking Kaia from her stupor. "Come on, I'll make you something to eat."

She took Kaia by the hand, guiding the young girl inside.

"You'll be safe here Kaia. I promise."

____

Sunlight beamed through the window of the church as morning came. Kaia Bright stirred in her sleep, shielding her eyes from the rays of light as best she could. It was a futile effort, she was aware, and she also knew falling back asleep wasn't an option. Turning to glance at the calender on her bedside table, her eyes widened.

Today was the day.

Instantly shaking off any fatigue she had, the girl leaped out of bed. It had been nine years now since she had arrived here at the Orphanage. And over that time, she had grown up plenty. Now 16 years old, her white hair had grown to the length of reaching her waist. She was much taller now, around average height for her age, and had grown into a very confident and capable young lady.

And today was the most important day of her life. She had always known that both her Mom and Dad were Hunter's, having been two of the best Hunter's in the world. And both of them had gotten their start at the same place. The Arias Hunters Academy. Ever since she learned about this, Kaia had gained an obsession. Her dad was still missing, and she hadn't seen Mr. Sad since the day he left her here. Becoming a Hunter served two purposes. Finding her dad, and living up to her parent's legacy.

And that started with attending Arias as well. But before she could do that, she had to prove that she could handle it.

Quickly finding her way to her closet, she pulled out her battlesuit, a white jumpsuit with black accents, covered by a navy blue jacket. It was simple, sure, but easy to move in, which was essential for her fast-paced fighting style and acrobatic movements. She couldn't wear an outfit that restricted her speed after all.

As she was mulling this over in her head, she was broken from her thoughts by the sound of knocking on her door. She spun on her heel, turning toward the door.

"Come on in!" She chirped, assuming this was one of her siblings. And based on the voice she heard next, she was correct.

"Well someone's in a good mood." A young boy replied, entering the room, a bored expression on his face. "Sister Rosine sent me to make sure you were awake. We all figured you would forget about the test."

"Ha! As if. I've never been more ready in my life." She boasted, placing a hand over her chest. "Like I would ever oversleep on a day like this, Colt."

The boy, Colt, rolled his eyes. "It wouldn't have surprised me. You're kinda dumb after all."

Kaia froze, glaring at the younger boy, who hardly seemed perturbed by her fury. "Alright listen here, Colt."

She took a deep breath, readying herself to begin her speech.

"As of today, I can't allow myself to be my usual self. Once I pass this test, I'll be permitted to enroll at the most prestigious Hunter Academy in the world. As such, I must carry myself with dignity. As a result, I will no longer be entertaining, nor reacting to your insults-"

"Yeah whatever, just hurry on down to the training hall when you're ready." Colt cut her off, walking out of the room with his hands in his pockets.

"Don't walk away while I'm speaking!" Kaia shouted, instantly forgetting her entire speech. But once she was alone again, she let out a sigh, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. A more serious expression took form on her face as she grabbed her dual pistols from the table.

She closed her eyes for a short moment, taking in a breath, to steady herself. She was ready for this. She had to be ready for this.

Turning in her heel, she holstered her guns and stepped out the door. Making her way down the hall, toward the training hall, she could hear nothing but her own footsteps and breaths. She had been anxious before, mainly before written tests, but nothing quite like this. She felt like a single second lasted hours, the world moved in slow motion. And as she arrived at the door she let her hand rest on the doorknob for a short moment. Her anxiety stopped her dead in her tracks.

She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the door, and took a moment to steel her resolve.

"You can do this Kaia." She muttered, speaking only to herself. Remembering all of her training leading up to this moment. And after a short moment, she took a small step back.

Suddenly, kicked the door open with all the force she could muster. The doors flew open wide, revealing Kaia to everyone in the room.

"Alright, Sister Rosine! Let's do this!" She cheered, pumping her fists in the air, cheering her own arrival. Sister Rosine stood ahead of her, hands on her hips as Kaia walked in.

"You know you're late right?" She asked, earning a scoff from Kaia.

"Oh come on! Everyone knows the hero always arrives fashionably late." She argued, rolling her eyes as she walked forward.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Colt, who was now sitting alongside their other two siblings, rolled his eyes at that. "You can be a hero when you learn how to not burn instant noodles."

Kaia stooped, glaring at Colt. "Zip it, Colt!"

"Yeah! Can't you see she's trying to psyche herself up?" One of her other siblings, Ash, defended her. "Didn't you see her standing outside the door for nearly five minutes? You could see her shadow under the door. Clearly this is a well-rehearsed entrance."

Kaia froze up at that as the final sibling, Clara, spoke up. "I...think she was just nervous."

Admittedly, Kaia wasn't aware they could see her and was suddenly very embarrassed. As per usual, Ash's attempted defense of his big sister had left her even more embarrassed. But thankfully for Kaia, Sister Rosine was there to speed things along.

"Alright enough, we'll have plenty of chances to tease Kaia later. Lord knows she makes it too easy." She started, Kaia wanted to interject, but Sister Rosine continued before the white-haired girl had a chance. "In any case, let's begin without any further delay, Kaia."

She held out her hand, and a golden glowing sword appeared in her hand, pointed directly at Kaia. The younger girl's eyes widened. Did this mean Sister Rosine wasn't pulling her punches this time?

"This spar will be the same as usual, with one twist. You will be permitted to use both Aether Reinforcement and your Shift. Naturally, I will be doing the same." Sister Rosine explained, her Divine Swords spinning around her body, six spectral blades in total.

Aether was a form of energy that existed in every person. Though some people are born with more than others. It's a rather simple concept, having a lot of Aether means you can manipulate it to enhance your body. It could make you stronger, faster, react quicker, and more durable. Having an Aether Quantity of seventy-five was practically essential for becoming a Hunter. It was impossible to battle against the Neos without it.

And Shifts...they were an extension of Aether. People with an Aether Quantity of over eighty had the potential for their Aether to manifest in more unique ways. Almost like a personal application of Aether, formed by the user. It was essentially a special ability, almost like a super power. And while Kaia was confident in her own skill with her Shift, Sister Rosine had become an A-Rank Hunter based almost entirely on her proficiency with her Shift, Divine Swords. Kaia was unsure how she was supposed to compete with her teacher. But she supposed worrying about that wouldn't help her at all. She just needed to focus.

"Using their shifts?" Colt muttered, his eyes slightly wide. "Kaia doesn't have a prayer."

Kaia heard him, but ignored him, one hundred percent of her focus was on the task in front of her. For the sake of her dream, she needed to pass this test.

"Understood! I'll give it everything I have!" Kaia declared, earning a small smile from Sister Rosine.

"Good answer." She praised, before sending one of her golden swords flying at Kaia. The shorter girl yelped, diving off to the side as the glowing weapon passed over her head. Sliding to a stop, she looked up to see that Sister Rosine was already right in front of her again, swinging her sword down at Kaia. Kaia again barely managed to dodge, a panicked expression on her face as she was backed up against the wall.

"W-Wait! Sister I wasn't-" Kaia started, but was cut as one of the golden Swords embedded itself into the wall right beside her, nearly grazing her cheek.

"You weren't what? Ready?" Sister Rosine asked, glaring at Kaia. She was no longer in caretaker mode, she was in hunter mode. "Do you think The Neos will wait for you to be ready? Will they stop hurting innocents while they wait for you to be ready to fight?"

Sister Rosine stabbed another sword into the wall beside Kaia, this one on the opposite side. The younger girl found herself pinned between the two blades, and her instructor in front of her. She wouldn't be able to escape the next attack.

"Hunters must always be ready. We have to dictate the fight so that people don't get hurt." Sister Rosine stated, raising a third sword over her head. "If you don't understand that, then you aren't fit to be a Hunter!"

As Sister Rosine's blade came down, Kaia's eyes widened, the world seeming to move in slow motion. Her instructor's words felt like a slap in the face. She knew that the older woman was right. Frankly, Kaia could hardly believe she had said something so stupid. Even she was self-aware enough to realize that much.

She smiled. "I understand...Instructor."

Second Gear: Engage

As the blade was about to make contact, Kaia shot upward, just in time to avoid the non-fatal attack. Kaia flipped through the air, landing behind Sister Rosine, she quickly spun around, firing a blast of Aether out of her gun, which ripped through the air toward Sister Rosine.

Gearshift was Kaia's Shift. It was a very simple power. It allowed her to greatly enhance her speed, strength, reaction speed, durability, and the output of her Aether up to four times. She technically had access to five different gears, First Gear being her default power. But as of now, she could only consistently handle Second Gear, while being able to handle Third Gear in extremely brief instances. Right now, she is operating at two times her normal physical ability.

Her blast of Aether was blocked by one of the Divine Swords, and quickly, Sister Rosine launched another attack. Kaia, with her enhanced speed, barely managed to dodge, sliding across the floor as she fired more and more shots at Sister Rosine, who blocked them all with her Swords. Kaia needed to find an opening, even if she knew she couldn't win, she wanted to at least land a single blow.

"Woah! Kaia's killing it right now!" Ash cheered, pumping his fist as he watched the battle with bated breath.

"I've never seen her like this before," Clara added, awe present in her voice.

Colt, however, was less impressed. "Who cares? It's not like she can win anyway. This test is basically rigged for her to fail."

"Huh?" Both Ash and Clara asked.

"Sister Rosine I'd an A-Rank Hunter, there's only four people in the world ranked higher than her. Meanwhile, Kaia would barely qualify as a D-Rank Hunter." Colt elaborated. "Winning this fight...would be completely impossible. Honestly, I don't even think it's worth it to try."

And as if to immediately prove him right, Kaia mistimed her next dodge. The blunt side of the sword slammed into her gut, sending her rolling across the ground in a heap. She laid still on the ground for a moment, Colt letting out a sigh.

"It's like I said. The game was rigged from the start. She would be better off staying down." He finished, both Ash and Clara staring down at their big sister in concern. Kaia remained unmoving.

"What are you doing Kaia? Didn't you claim you would be the strongest Hunter in history?" Sister Rosine asked, staring down at the girls still form. "If this is what the best has to offer, then I'm disappointed."

Sister Rosine closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head.

"You fail-" She was cut off by a blast of Aether meeting her gut. She staggered back, looking toward Kaia, who sat on one knee, smirking slightly as he gun was pointed at Sister Rosine.

"She hit her!" Ash cheered, Clara cheering with him as Colt stared in shock.

"Hold on...that was a feint? She was just pretending to be unconscious?" Colt asked, loud enough that Kaia could hear him.

She smiled brightly. "Nope. That wasn't planned at all."

Everyone stared at her in shock.

"I just didn't wanna give up yet." She stated, glaring at Sister Rosine as she lowered her stance. Sister Rosine smiled at this.

"Good work." She complimented, having quickly recovered from the attack. Her expression was filled with pride. "Now, let's finish this test!"

Sister Rosine Summoned a dozen swords, sending them spinning toward Kaia. Kaia, for her part, was honored. To think that Sister Rosine was willing to show effort to defeat her. But this only meant that Kaia needed to go all out from this point on.

She needed to showcase everything she had.

Third Gear: Engage!

The girl suddenly had Aether swirling around her, as the blades got close, and she vanished from sight. Slipping in between the blades as they flew toward her. Shooting around at top speed, ending up behind Sister Rosine in a fraction of a second. Both of her guns fully charged up and ready to unleash upon her instructor.

And as Sister Rosine smirked, Kaia pulled the triggers, firing off two explosive shots that shook the entire room. The trio watching the fight shrunk back in amazement as the attack was set off, almost falling over.

"Holy crap!" Ash cheered, making heard the thoughts of all three kids, all of them frozen in amazement.

Kaia stood at the edge of the cloud of dust, panting, gasping for breath as her entire body ached. Third Gear had really taken a lot out of her, as it normally did, even a stiff wind would likely knock her down at this point. But at the very least, she hoped that she had shown off her strength.

"H-How did I do...Instructor?" She asked, barely able to get the words out, and just as she was about to fall, Sister Rosine propped her up, helping her to stand.

"You pass with flying colors. Nicely done, Kaia." She stated.

Kaia smiled brightly but quickly dozed off. Slipping into the world of dreams, her mission complete.

She deserved a nap after all that.