With a sullen frown, Guran crossed his arms and returned his gaze to his pupil. "Now, don't say things like that. If there's anything I'd rather you learn from your time here above everything else, it's that what you've gone through has never been for nothing. That, I assure you."
"A lot of people fell in that fight, Gramps. I might not have known the thousands, but I at least knew the one that meant the most," sighed the Miscreant. "Sure, I'm stronger now, but had I been before..." Kyoya's heart still ached, yet deep down, he knew she'd never let him sulk.
That said, it still wasn't the easiest task in the world.
The feeling of a leaf falling upon his left shoulder prompted him to brush it off, but when his hand met what happened to be another hand, he quickly took it back.
"That makes four this month."
The voice that greeted him was one he'd grown to treasure. Turning, his eyes met those of Sister Reika.
"Yeesh, it's not my fault you never make any noise when you move around!" The boy whined, though it only added to the effectiveness of her ambush.
Kyoya shuddered at her ability to introduce such calm to his nerves. If as little as a tapping on the shoulder felt like nothing more than that of a falling leaf, he didn't fancy considering what more elaborate tricks she could pull with the right circumstances.
The Miscreant had long known her to be one of the more enigmatic women of Takera. She was the youngest of three, aged seventeen, and hardly taller than Kyoya at 6'1", though she made it tradition to exaggerate the difference in height.
Her skin was never seen anything short of immaculate: rosy and pale, even visibly soft, though he never dared touch knowingly unless invited to do so, on account of her threats of retaliation.
Both her eyes and long, flowing hair were a paled light pink, the outlandish natural color adding to the ability to assume that she was a Reclaimer of some degree. She was only ever seen donning a white and rose-gold garb, with a trademark sword at her side.
The young woman's expression remained indefinitely neutral, but the slightest change in that look gave off a monumental effect.
She smiled warmly at Kyoya, then did the same to Guran.
"A pleasure to see you, as always, my dear. Have you come with any concerns, or would you like to join our little chat?" The master offered, turning to her and returning her gesture.
"A slight concern, though one I'll be taking upon myself." With that statement, her gaze shifted to Kyoya.
His nerves went back into overdrive as she eyed him until her rightfully tense address came about.
"You do understand what will be happening tomorrow, don't you?" She inquired.
"It's time to knock off my final trial... and, since Gramps has given me the clear, I'll be able to take on the world again."
His faltering stare quickly became one of determination. He had never truly been held here against his will—sure, he'd wanted to leave, and had even tried, but was stopped and asked by Guran if it was truly his time to go... To which he'd say yes.
Every time, without fail, he ended up back at the barrier, which he'd been instructed not to break, even if it meant waiting days outside. That alone taught him the raw discipline that would be needed for such a lifestyle: the constant struggle for survival when he'd venture out taught him just how big the world was, as every time he'd spent countless hours training, another, stronger Demon sent him back bordering a body bag.
It could be argued that the Rose, at least temporarily, filled the void that losing Sera had carved into his being. He figured the disciple Sister would turn up sooner or later to discuss his impending departure.
He looked up to her with a glimmer of hope, resting assured in the knowledge that whatever she'd teach would make days like those before his arrival bearable.
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She brought upon him impeccable homemaking, techniques in the kitchen, and a level of combat prowess he could never quite grasp. She'd practically turned him into a fist-fighting housesitter, a title proudly provided by the daring Reika herself.
Even years prior, being only thirteen, the girl was still able to teach him lessons in the form of mystical stories of old, detailing the many hardships of one man to the next, and that endurance would provide closure in the end...
...Unfortunately, that was usually the extent of her teachings back then, but he valued them all the same.
"Yes, that's correct, but..."
She took a long, tense pause, then a deep breath. "As a Reclaimer serving under the gracious wing of Fate, I cannot allow that a bearer of her torch depart Her teachings absent of favor."
Then, a brief silence befell them.
That opening hit rang differently than usual: it was a command he'd been instructed to remember for the day that would come.
On the eve of their departure, those who find themselves vigilant in their training, overcoming odds and surpassing expectations, would be tested.
He recalled that this test would not be by strength, nor by smarts, but by spirit, and their tester would be one that had studied and honed Fate's ancient method. Given the existence of Demons, he viewed no supernatural phenomenon as an impossibility and thus treated such matters with the utmost priority.
"Reika...! Has it—?" Guran mouthed.
"Yes. It came to me at dusk, aligning with your decision to hold his final trial. It was cryptic, and even urgent—more than what my siblings said to have experienced... but it was, without a doubt, what I was instructed." She almost looked distraught to bear this news, but her neutral expression hid it plenty.
"Can't say that sounds like the easiest bit to understand... Is there anything else?" Kyoya breathed, each inhale taking more effort than the last.
"If I was told, I would tell you."
"This is the first time an envoy has spoken without a clear institution in quite some time... I feel that it desires for you to approach this matter without the luxury of knowledge—or any of us." Guran calculated, his arms crossed in deep thought. "Needless to say, your siblings would be envious of this occasion."
"I'm well aware of this, master... If nothing else, I've found my calling. They'd be proud. I know it."
A content nod preluded their master speaking further.
"In hindsight, Reika... I do believe that prior to his departure, you owe the boy an explanation, after all this time. So much talk of your family without any elaboration is sure to have left him a bit curious, and you already know his story well." Guran pulled at his collar, meekly looking at the statue.
"Is that right?" Kyoya cornered an expectant glance at the Rose.
Following another sigh, Reika spoke.
"As you'd know, I'm the third of three to have served time on these grounds. A brother and sister before me, now following their own dreams, made their mark here. They sought Eternity, with my brother failing in his pursuit roughly ten years ago. Five after that, just before I arrived here, my sister met the same result."
The student then lost what remained of the tension about her. "And finally, four years ago, I succeeded." A meager coat enveloped her words for a moment but was shaken off swiftly afterward. "Within the blade entrusted to me by master Guran..."
She gripped her sword, slightly unsheathing it to show a symbol of a leaf and flower, delicately etched into the metal just below the hilt. "...their blessings reside, pushing me to move forward and carry the torch that has been handed down to me, all leading up to my confirmation of a truly capable pupil. Their dream was to become Heirs to Eternity: champions of light whose sole duty is to combat the Demonic forces that threaten our world, just as our master has."
Reika nodded to herself, continuing. "Such is achieved through using the overcoming of immense hardship to unlock hidden potential in one's magic. For my siblings and I, it was the strife and uncertainty of fleeing Kerui."
The Rose maintained a smile. "As of now, all that remains for you to show me that you're prepared to go, for good, is to overcome the sorrow you hold in your heart just as I have, and use it to prevail over me in the last battle we'll share as disciples at the Monadt Highland Shrine."
"Who'd have thought we'd had such a similar story... I'm sorry to have never asked, myself, honestly." Kyoya's guilt weighed on his shoulders even heavier, now in the face of one that he understood so much more clearly.
"It's true that I would've regretted not telling you, so no harm, no foul. There's no use sulking when it would only slow you down... "It seems like something you've yet to pick up on, looking at your conversation earlier." She snarked, a clear attempt at lightening the mood.
"Yeah, yeah... but hold on a sec. After all the banter we've thrown back and forth, are you saying—?" The boy was swiftly silenced.
"Yes, I'm saying that there lies potential that can only be realized upon the shedding of your strife and acceptance of what has come to pass. Master Guran sees in you a young dragon budding with excitement and anticipation to prove his worth to the world. If they could come to tell you, the four years you've spent here with me would be proof enough to my brother and sister that they see something special in you as well."
As much as he'd wanted to question further, it was perfectly apparent that there was no going back. A seedling of worry planted itself firmly in his gut, but Kyoya was swift in uprooting it before awaiting whatever else Reika would decide.