Kaia zipped up her jacket as she looked into the mirror, taking a breath. Her expression made clear her excitement. Nothing could break her infinitely bright smile. And what reason did she have to not be excited? In just a little bit of time, she would be on a train to Aias Academy, ready to chase her dream. She was practically bouncing up and down where she stood.

The current plan was for her to head down to the station, and meet an escort, Sister Rosine hadn't given Kaia much information on this escort however, though she also hadn't asked for anything either.

"You know you're almost an adult right? You should stop bouncing in place like a little kid." Colt spoke, entering the room, staring at his sister, who yelped at his sudden presence.

"Colt! Knock before you come in here. I could have been changing!" Kaia scolded, but Colt simply rolled his eyes at her, sitting down on his big sister's bed.

"Yeah, whatever." He muttered. "Since you're leaving today, can I have your room?"

Kaia hummed at that, staring at the younger boy for a moment, seeming confused. "Why would you want my room. There's basically no difference."

"Nah, I measured it yesterday. Your room is a little bit bigger." Colt explained, shaking his head. Kaia wasn't sure if she should be impressed or weirded out that he had measured both of their rooms to come to that conclusion. Though she supposed he could just be messing with her.

"Yeah, I guess you can have it. Its not like I'll need it anymore." Kaia relented, not seeing why he couldn't have it. And after a short moment, she finished up her work, spinning around. "So? How do I look? As cute as always right?"

Colt stared at her. "Eh, you look fine."

Kaia glared at him, but let out a breath as she examined her appearance one last time, before nodding. She wasn't wearing her battlesuit right now, dressed more casually than that. Her outfit consisted of a white oversized jacket with orange sleeves, along with black leggings. She also wore a white shirt under the jacket, which was naturally unseen. Without another moment of hesitation, she grabbed her bag, which was fully packed, and the case for her guns.

"Kaia! It's almost time. You're ready right?" Ash asked, poking his head into the room, earning a groan from Kaia.

"Does nobody in this place know how to knock?" He muttered, shaking her head as she turned to face the blonde-haired boy. "Yes, I'm ready."

She smiled at Ash as she walked past him. Making her way out into the hall, and toward the main hall. Glancing at the pictures on the wall as she walked, she felt a rush of nostalgia. For the last nine years, most or her life that she could remember, this place had been her home. The pictures on the wall reminding her of those simpler times.

The day that Colt first arrived. Beginning her training. Dinners with Sister Rosine and her siblings. Their yearly Christmas celebrations. She could still vividly remember the times that Sister Rosine would tell her about her Mom. It was exciting to be leaving, for sure, but also kind of sad. She couldn't help but feel like she would miss this quiet life she had now.

Finally Making her way into the main hall, she adjusted her bag over her shoulder, smiling at Sister Rosine, and Clara who were waiting. As she entered, both Ash and Colt trailed after her.

"I would scold you for being late again. But I'm starting to think you come later out of spite every time I do that. So I'll leave it alone this time." Sister Rosine joked, smiling slightly at the younger girl. Kaia smirked back at her, jogging over to her. "Your escort will be arriving at the station soon, so we should hurry."

She then turned Kaia around.

"But before that, they all have something for you." Sister Rosine stated, making Kaia face all of her siblings. Kaia smiled at that, crouching down.

"Wait what? I'm getting going away presents?" She asked, a cheerful expression on her face as she brought herself close to level with the three kids. "Even you Colt? I was half expecting you to throw a party as soon as I was out the door."

"You know I could just keep my gift." He pointed out.

"Rude." Kaia shot back.

Clara was the first one to step forward, handing Kaia and hand-made blue and silver hairclip. "I-I know you don't wear much jewelry but...that's the best I could think of."

Kaia took the accessory, examining it for a moment, before clipping it into her hair with a smile on her face. "How does it look? Does it make me even prettier?"

Clara's face seemed to brighten up as she nodded, Kaia laughing slightly as she patted her on the head. As per usual, Clara was as sweet and loveable as ever. But as this exchange was happening, Ash stepped forward, getting Kaia's attention.

"As for me...I got you this!" He cheered, holding out an old book. And upon reading the cover, Kaia smiled brightly, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. Solaren's Gate was the name of the book. She remembered that when Ash first arrived here, she would read him this exact book, a personal favorite of both of theirs. "Just something to remember how awesome I am by."

Kaia ruffled his hair as she accepted the gift. Ash was his own personal hype man, as usual. Though she almost hoped his confidence would never change. It was what made Ash...Ash. But as she was thinking this, the final, oldest kid stepped forward. Kaia turned to face Colt, who seemed much more embarassed than the other two.

"I-I just wanna make it clear that these two came up with this idea!" He stated, pointing at Ash and Clara. "I didn't even really want to do this. But still...I hope you'll accept this."

It was another book, but this one was unmarked. Kaia accepted it, examining the hard cover for a moment. And when she opened it her eyes widened.

"A...scrapbook?" She asked, looking back over at Colt. It was a collection of pictures, flipping through the pages, they dated back to her own arrival here. This went beyond just memories with Colt, it was basically a record of all the best moments that Kaia had here.

Sister Rosine smiled. "Colt worked really hard on that."

"S-Shut up! It's not that big of a deal." Colt defended, trying to step backwards, away from the scene. But quickly, all three kids were wrapped into a hug by Kaia, who could feel herself tearing up.

"You guys are the best siblings I could have asked for, you know that?" She declared, hugging them tightly. She wasn't usually the sentimental type, Kaia almost never cried. But this one time, she was more than willing to let her guard down. After all, she was saying goodbye to family.

"Yeah whatever. You'll be back soon anyway so who cares?" Colt grunted, not fighting the hug, but also not enjoying it. "There's no way you'll past the written test."

Kaia froze.

A written test!?

____

"Why did you not tell me there was a written entrance exam!?" Kaia shouted as they walked down the path toward the town, Sister Rosine simply rolled her eyes in response.

"You're going to a prestigous Academy. How did you not already know there would he a test?" Sister Rosine asked, laughing at the younger girl's outburst. Kaia however, didn't see the humor.

"I haven't studied at all! How am I ever supposed to pass?" She asked, appearing more and more panicked by the second. But thankfully, seeing that she had already had her fun, Sister Rosine decided to put her at ease.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Don't worry. The Practical Exam is more important than the written one." She assured her pupil. "Even someone as dumb as you will be allowed in if you show potential in combat. And don't forget, your last name is Bright, you already have the status of your family. You'll be fine."

Kaia sighed at that. "Have you ever considered that maybe I wanted to get into Arias on my own merits?"

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth Kaia. You'll have plenty of time to prove you're more than just your mom's daughter." Sister Rosine assured her as they crossed the bridge into the main town. It was still very early, only around 4 AM. As such, nobody was really out and about right now. And as much as Kaia had people she wanted to say goodbye to, she knew she didn't have the time. She figured she would get chances to visit, so she didn't need to worry.

As they continued to walk along, Kaia looked around idly, questions stirring in her head until she finally spoke up.

"So, what can you tell me about this escort of mine?" She asked, earning a hum from Sister Rosine.

"At this point I was starting to wonder if you would ever ask." She commented. "Her name is Alice Stern, she's a Senior at Arias, and an A-Rank Hunter. I mentored her for a bit before I met you."

"An A-Rank at her age? She sounds amazing." Kaia hummed, her expression brightening. "Do you think she can show me some cool finishing move!?"

Sister Rosine sighed. "I really worry about you sometimes, you know that Kaia?"

Kaia pouted, crossing her arms and turning away from her teacher. She remained silent for the rest of the walk, arriving at the quiet station. And standing out front of it was a tall girl with fiery red hair and golden eyes. She must have been around 5'10", towering over Kaia at 5'2". She dressed in a red shirt, covered by a brown coat and black shorts. As the duo of Rosine and Kaia got closer, the new girl smirked.

"Took you two long enough. I got tired of waiting inside, so I decided to meet you both out here." She greeted, waving casually at the two, making her way down the stairs and toward Kaia. "The name's Alice Stern. And you are?"

As expected, the red head towered over Kaia, who looked up at her in awe. It was rare that Kaia was so impressed by someone's first impression. But this cade was different, she could feel how powerful Alice was, how much she dwarfed Kaia herself. But she quickly swallowed her nervousness.

"Kaia Bright, otherwise known as the future number one Hunter in the world!" The younger girl boldly declared, winking at Alice, who laughed in response.

"Number 1 huh? Good to see I'll have some competition for that." Alice replied, smiling back at the shorter girl, before she turned back toward Sister Rosine. "You've trained her well, I can see potential oozing from her already."

Sister Rosine shook her head. "I didn't do much. She's a lot like you. A natural talent in every area except for the books."

Kaia stared at her. "I'll just take the compliment."

Alice chuckled at the exchange, her hands resting on her hips. "I can tell."

Kaia smiled slightly at that. To have her potential acknowledged by someone as clearly capable as Alice was extremely exciting. It made her feel like all of her work hadn't been for nothing. Her pride in this was evident in her expression as the two older woman spoke.

"Anyway, Kaia, our train will be leaving shortly. So we need to get moving." Alice stated. "You have everything you need right?"

"Yep! I double, triple, and quadruple checked!" Kaia cheered, shooting Alice a thumbs up. But naturally, Sister Rosine was less sure than her young student.

"She probably forgot something. I'll just mail it to you guys if I find it." She replied, earning a glare from Kaia, which was ignored. And quickly, Kaia's glare softened. Her experssion appearing more sad than anything. Both Alice and Sister Rosine glanced at her, their eyes showing concern.

"You okay kid?" Alice asked.

Kaia however, was silent, as she wrapped Sister Rosine in a tight hug. The Nun gasped slightly, but after a short moment of hesitation, returned the huh. Kaia smiled at that.

"Thanks…for taking care of me these last nine years." She said, burying her face in the taller woman's shoulder. Sister Rosine just smiled, laughing softly in response.

"Of course." She replied, hugging the young lady tighter.

Alice smiled at the display, allowing the two to have their moment, before cutting in.

"Kaia, we have five minutes now. We should go." She softly urged, careful to not ruin the moment. In response, Kaia stepped back a bit, smiling at Alice.

"Right, sorry. I got a little carried away." She apologized, offering one last smile to Sister Rosine. "I'll be sure to call as often as I can."

Sister Rosine sniffled. "You better."

Kaia nodded, and turned to follow Alice toward the station. Taking small steps, she inched her way toward the future.

Her future.

____

"So, you want anything to eat or something?" Alice asked, sitting across from Krista in their shared booth. The train was mostly quiet, with the two of them being the only passengers on board in this car. Kaia bounced up and down in her seat, looking out the window until she heard Alice's question.

"Oh! Yeah, can we get something sweet?" She asked, suddenly craving something high in sugar. Alice chuckled at her energy as she typed the order into a console on the table in between them.

"You act like you've never been on a train before." Alice joked.

"Because I haven't." Kaia replied. "This is my first time on a train."

Alice hummed at that, looking out the window. Kaia did the same, watching the rolling hills pass by. They were a scenery she was so used to seeing. But it was still mesmerizing, the way that they seemed to fly by due to the speed of the train. She knew Arias wasn't far, only a few hours by train, so Kaia wanted to enjoy this while they could.

As she was thinking this, a robot rolled up the the pairs booth. Kaia perked up at this, the creature was shaped similarly to a table, and rolled across the floor seemingly on its own. She had read about bots like this, even seen pictures, but she had never seen one in real life.

On top of the bot was a tray, with four pastries on it. Kaia hummed as Alice set the tray down on their table, patting the robot on the head before it rolled away. Looking the desserts over, Kaia hummed.

"What are these?" She asked, looking up at Alice, who had already taken a bite out of one.

"Oh? They're cream puffs." Alice stated. "You said you wanted something sweet, but didn't mention what. So I just ordered one of my favorites."

She gestured for Kaia to try one.

"I'm honestly surprised you've never heard of them at least. Are they not a popular dessert in the countryside?" Alice asked.

"Nope." Kaia replied, picking up the pastry. And after a short moment, taking a bite. The explosion of flavor was much different than she was expecting, and she suddenly wolfed it down, and instantly did the same to her other one.

Alice chuckled in response to this. "Looks to me like you like it. But you got some in your face."

Kaia blushed, wiping some of the cream off her chin, and licking it off her thumb. "That was super good!"

Alice laughed again, finishing off her second one at the same time. "I could tell. I'm glad I could share a little piece of home with you. Though the cream puffs made in my hometown are a lot better. If you pass the Entrance Exam, I'll treat you to the recipe."

"You mean it!?" Kaia jumped up, a bright expression on her face, and she pumped her fists. Now she had even more reason to pass! "You got it. I'll pass with the highest score!"

Alice smiled fondly at the excitable girl before her, before leaning back, looking out the window again.

"Actually, I did wanna ask." Alice started, glancing at Kaia. "Why did you wanna become a Hunter? It's not exactly a fun or easy line of work. So what gives? Is it just because of your name?"

Alice likely assumed that Kaia would have a very thought-provoking, in-depth, and unique response. For a short moment, she appeared to be correct, Kaia seeming to think it over for a moment, until she clapped her hands together.

"I wanna sock my dad in the face!" She chirped.

"Huh?" Alice asked, her eyes wide. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kaia shrugged. "My Dad disappeared when I was little, and I don't know where he is. But I know for a fact he's out there somewhere. So I'm gonna find him, no matter what."

She winked at Alice.

"And then I'll treat him to a right hook to the face for running off for nine years and not telling me where he was going." Kaia finished, earning a surprised expression from Alice, which quickly gave way into intense laughter.

She leaned forward as she cackled like a hyena, almost tearing up at the white-haired girl's response. She had heard many different motivations for enrolling at Arias before, but Kaia's reason was entirely unique. Alice composed herself after a moment, wiping a single tear from her eye.

"You really are something else, aren't you kid?" Alice asked, finally managing to calm down.

Kaia wasn't sure if she should be offended, or laugh along with Alice. But before she could make a decision either way, she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. Yawning loudly she leaned back into her seat.

"You can take a nap if you want. We won't be there for a few hours." Alice suggested, earning a huff from Kaia.

"Pssh, whatever. I'm not even tired." Kaia replied.

With that said, it only took another three minutes until she was fast asleep.

____

"Hey, Kaia...time to get up." Kaia was awoken by the sound of Alice's voice, and a gentle nudging on her shoulder. The white-haired girl grumbled, turning away from the older student.

"Five more minutes." She groaned as she turned away, earning a fond laugh from the older girl.

"Well, the train will be leaving again in that time. But if you didn't wanna attend Arias then you can stay here." Alice replied, and that did the trick. Kaia suddenly shot to her feet within a fraction of a second, adjusting her backpack around her shoulder, and Stepping past Alice.

"Come on! I'm done with waiting!" She chirped, running off ahead of Alice, down the train cars. The older girl followed after her, but Kaia didn't seem to be paying her any mind as she stepped off the train, looking up and ahead of her.

It was more akin to a fortress than a school. A towering, pale white building. With high walls and towers, a final tower in the dead center. It was a magnificent structure, something that Kaia couldn't have put into words even if she tried. She felt even smaller than usual looking up at it, but in her heart, her determination had grown three sizes.

"I felt the same when I first saw it." Alice stated, stepping out of the train behind the shorter girl, looking up at the school as well. "Honestly, I may have been even more awestruck than you are now."

She patted Kaia on the head, smiling at her.

."Welcome to The Arias Hunters Academy."