"Keep your guard up!" The demanding voice came from Kyros Aleister as he swung his fist out toward his sparring partner, Sarra Zosime. The little girl kept her hands up and ducked under the punch, following up with a stab using her dagger. A quick defense with his gauntlet rendered that attack useless.
It was now a daily routine for the duo, training together in the courtyard of the Wild Hunt Guild. Since their near-death experience in the forest, they grew determined to get stronger. They wouldn't accept any other missions until they felt confident with their strength. Sarra made it a personal mission to unlock her Praus within the next few days. Kyros opted to help her, as it was a sure-fire way to help her in the long run.
While they trained, Runa kept her watchful eye on them through the window from the Guild Master's office. The woman stayed true to her words and spied on Kyros every opportunity she had. In doing so, the relationship between the group deteriorated. Runa and Sarra hardly hung out anymore except when they were at home, they rarely spoke to one another. Goddess knows Runa tried, but Sarra refused to acknowledge the woman's presence most of the time.
"Feeling sad?" An inane voice reached Runa's ears, earning a sigh from the woman as a response. It belonged to the receptionist of the Wild Hunt Guild, Cailey. "Must be lonely, having your partner find comfort in someone else in the guild."
It was a pure act of mockery. Cailey and the Guild Master, Serhan, actively teased Runa on their perceived view of her loneliness.
How many years had it been since she'd been alone in the guild? She didn't want to count. The sight of her partner training with Kyros brought a wry smile to her face.
A profound sense of happiness spread throughout Runa's body as she mentally pictured teaming up with Sarra in actual combat. The two of them standing side by side, protecting one another from the dangers of the world. That would be the case, the longer the God selection continued.
"I'm not lonely," Runa refuted.
"Your Praus shifted," Cailey giggled, causing Runa to flip her off in response.
"Snitch," Runa growled. She despised the uncanny ability the Mono race possessed. Somehow, the one-eyed race had the power to see shifts in the Praus of others, helping them discern whenever people lied. No one could get far with their lies whenever Cailey was around. "How much longer do I have to watch him anyway?" She indicated to Kyros.
"A little bit longer. We're cautious, Runa. You understand," Serhan assured his subordinate, having understood the woman's irritation. But he preferred being safe than sorry. So far, Kyros showed himself an ally to the organization. But how would things go if the guild fell into danger? What decisions would he make in that situation?
"I do," Runa looked away from the window and headed for the exit. "I'm going to take a break. I'll make a report later."
"Understood," Serhan nodded.
"Gotcha," Cailey waved the woman goodbye before she left the room.
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"I think that concludes the training for today," Kyros wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead while Sarra laid flat on her back, panting heavily while drenched in sweat. It was evident which one of the two spent more energy during the sparring lesson. Kyros took a seat next to the little girl. "How are you feeling?"
"Terrible," Sarra panted. "I'm not sure if I'm getting any stronger, Mr. Kyros."
"It's only been a few days, Sarra. You won't notice progress immediately," Kyros informed her.
"Why can't we go back into Praus training? I still haven't opened any limiters yet!" Sarra complained, not seeing the point of her physical training. She could make herself stronger and faster, but she'd be useless against the Varvara, the enemies of humanity. Without access to her Praus, a single injury could result in her death.
"We need to make sure your body is in a fit condition beforehand," Kyros stated. "When you open a limiter, your body acquires access to suppressed power. If your body can't contain it, then that power will seep from your body and possibly kill you."
Sarra grimaced at the thought of her Praus leaking from her body. She'd witnessed Runa outwardly project her Praus in the past, but the Huntress had precise control of it. If Sarra tried it, she imagined she'd drop dead within seconds.
Kyros noted the little girl's expression and placed a hand of comfort on her shoulder. It wasn't his intention to scare the child, but rather educate. She had to learn the dangers of her training, or else what was the point with the lessons?
"Don't worry. You will unlock your Praus, Sarra." Kyros assured her.
Sarra looked up at her fellow Hunter and smiled. "I wish Runa acted more like you, Mr. Kyros. You care about helping me get stronger, instead of coddling me like a child."
Kyros nervously laughed at the mention of the Huntress. He didn't enjoy others comparing the two together. Those two were complete opposites.
"I'm sure that Runa cares, Sarra. She wouldn't have come to our rescue if she didn't," Kyros noted. He found it admirable that the woman went to such great lengths to protect her allies. He respected Runa on her bravery and strength.
Of course, she wasn't without her faults. But who wasn't? Perfect beings didn't exist.
"She only came to control me, like she always does," Sarra continued to complain. It wasn't fair. Her partner had no business interfering in their previous mission. They were doing fine without her around. "I don't know how much longer I can stand even being around her. I'm sick of this."
"Then tell her that," Kyros suddenly said. "Your relationship with Runa won't change if you don't try and talk to her. No matter what she does or what she says, don't let her shut you out. Regardless of your age, you're still your own person, Sarra."
Those comforting words enlightened the little girl. Only a handful of people every encouraged Sarra to be her own person and not follow the expectations of others. No longer would she ride on Runa's coattails. From that moment onward, she'd do things her way.
"You're right," Sarra stood up, having affirmed her convictions to set things straight with her partner. She'd air out her grievances and move on with her life, with or without Runa. "I'm gonna go talk to her."
"That's good, I'll come with you," Kyros got up as well, more than prepared to follow the little girl anywhere.
"No, I need to do this alone. Runa won't take me seriously if you're with me."
"I understand,"
"Wish me luck," Sarra summoned her courage and headed out in search of her partner.
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About a mile out from Anemone Town resided the Anemone Graveyard. Runa solemnly walked through the cemetery, suppressing the wave of emotions that surged throughout her body with each begrudging step. Most of the adequately marked graves belonged to the fine townspeople of Anemone, however, in the far back of the cemetery, laid the graves of previous Wild Hunt members.
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The blue-haired Huntress stopped in front of her destination, a little mound in the graveyard with nine various weapons lodged into the ground. It was a custom for people in the Gardens of Eden. If a body weren't recovered, then a personal item of the deceased would suffice to mark a grave. Despite the weapons remaining untouched by others, it didn't stop nature from taking its course. Rust and vines covered the precious items.
Each time Runa visited the gravesite, she'd clean them off, only to continuously repeat the process. An endless cycle.
One that she never imagined doing. Runa cared for them. The weapons and their previous owners. To the perspective of others, it'd be more customary to find the weapons, new users. However, she believed that it would disgrace the deceased, and therefore refused to do so.
The weapons belonged to them, her precious little daughters.
"Hey, girls. I'm back," Runa cooed softly. She stood around for a moment in complete silence, merely listening. The subtle breeze of the fresh wind, the grass that flowed in whichever direction the wind demanded. It was them — her daughters. The woman in mourning took that as a sign of their response. "It's been what, almost five months since the last time I visited? I'm sorry, I've been busy with work."
Runa took a seat and discussed the events of her mission in Soteria. It was one hell of a ride, but she was happy she made it out alive and well for the most part.
She closed her eye and allowed the sweet, comforting memories of her daughters inundate her mind. Those memories turned bittersweet and downright painful once reality closed in on her. The joyous laughter, beaming smiles, and dreams of her daughters were gone.
All gone.
She'd never see them again. Their ambitions, hopes, and dreams left unfulfilled because of Runa and the harsh world of Salome. None of it had to happen. Out of all the people that had to die on that day, why did it have to be them? Why not her?
Her daughters were so young and innocent. They'd done nothing wrong, and yet the world brought the unforgiving hammer of reality down on them without mercy.
"I went to Soteria for the first time. It was quite an experience," Runa sheepishly commented. "As I thought, it's better out here than any country in the world. No walls or rules to restrict our freedom of choice. It's paradise."
Another moment of silence passed as Runa struggled to ignore the hypocrisy of her words. Paradise didn't exist without her daughters.
When a cold, wet sensation trickled on her face, the Huntress looked up at the sky, expecting rain. No clouds in sight. The woman brought an unsteady hand to her face and touched her cheek, feeling the tears that streamed down her face.
All the emotions she'd kept bottled inside, swelled, and exploded in the form of tears without her knowledge. She felt pathetic. No matter how much she wished, the tears wouldn't stop running.
How many years had it been since a single tear reached her eye? What good did it do her? Crying solved nothing.
And yet, the tears wouldn't stop. Runa clenched her hands into fists, internally demanding control of her body. But they continued to flow without disruption.
Runa's weeping session ended once the sound of footsteps reached her ears. She gathered her composure and looked over her shoulder, learning that it was her partner, Sarra.
"What are you doing here?" Runa averted her gaze from the little girl.
"I wanted to talk to you," Sarra answered.
"Another time," Runa shook her head, clearly not in the mood for conversation. "I'm busy."
Instinctively, Sarra turned to leave as demanded. But she fought against it once she remembered the purpose of the travel to the graveyard. She'd never visited the place before, as she knew none of the deceased buried in the ground beneath her.
"It doesn't look like you're busy to me," Sarra pointed out. "You're sitting there, staring at those weapons!"
Runa found the girl's indignant tone tiresome but decided to ignore it out of the girl's ignorance. She knew nothing of the weapons lodged into the ground before her. If she did know, then she'd take a more respectful tone towards the fallen.
"Watch your tone," demanded Runa, merely seconds away from verbally lashing out at Sarra. The weapons and their previous owners were a sensitive topic. "Go back to town, and we'll talk there."
"No! We're going to talk right here and now!" Sarra refused to back down. She'd had enough of Runa ordering her around. She was going to stand her ground and make her voice heard once and for all. "I'm sick and tired of you bossing me around just because you're older than me! We're supposed to be a team, Runa! You need to treat me like a partner, not a subordinate! We should be equals!"
Runa didn't pay any mind to the little girl's complaints. She disregarded them as nothing but the ravings of an ignorant child. How could she consider them as equals? The differences between them were as clear as night and day.
Runa was superior to Sarra in every way--she was stronger, faster, smarter than the little girl. Those qualifications secured her spot as the leader of the team. Hell, she used that term loosely.
Sarra's only priority was to use her powers to sense for other Exousia. Runa took care of everything else.
"Equals? You want to see us as equals?" Runa fought against the urge to laugh in the face of Sarra. The little girl showed bravery confronting her in her time of weakness, so she'd respond in kind. "Start by unlocking your Praus. You're still having a problem with that, aren't you?"
"What I'm having a problem with is your attitude towards Mr. Kyros and me!"
"My attitude?" "Yes! You constantly undermine and talk down to us as if we can't take care of ourselves! Case and point when you interfered with our last mission!" Sarra pointed out.
"That's because you can't take care of yourself. Case and point, you two nearly got yourselves killed by those wolves. Had I not arrived in time, I would've found your corpses." Runa assumed.
"You don't know that! Stop treating me like a kid!"
"I treat you like a kid because that's exactly what you are! You're an eleven-year-old girl that can't use her Praus, accepting missions above your level of skill! That recklessness will get you killed!" Runa refused to sugarcoat things for Sarra any longer. She laid the harsh reality of her choices on thick so that the little girl would understand. Hopefully, she'd take the hint and back off. "If you want to reach the end of this God selection, then you should listen to me so that you can live."
The once subtle of the wind grew harsh as the two Huntresses stared each other down in complete silence. None of them dared to blink, as they'd see it as a sign of weakness.
"Are you sure about that, leader?" Sarra suddenly asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence with a sheer playful condescending tone. She pointed to the gravesite behind her partner. "Those weapons behind you tell me a different story."
Runa's eye widened at the mention of the weapons. Not out of fear or surprise, but instead anger and frustration. Sarra wandered into dangerous territory. She ignorantly walked onto thin ice.
"What did you say?" Runa asked.
In an attempt to silence the girl, Runa allowed her Praus to leak out from her body. The blue light flared violently around her. While the display of frustration unnerved and intimidated Sarra, the girl fought through her fear with sheer willpower.
"Those weapons behind you tell me a different story," Sarra found the courage to repeat herself. "Did those weapons belong to your previous party? You were the leader of that team, weren't you? How'd that work out for them?"
"Shut up..." Runa ordered softly. Her body shook as she tried to restrain her anger.
"Did they follow ever command of yours, never questioning your decisions? How far did that get them in life? From the looks of things, not very far!" Sarra continued with her verbal onslaught. She refused to let up. A year and a half of anger and resentment came to the surface as she resumed to spill everything out, "You don't know everything that will happen out here! Sure, you have more experience than me, but that doesn't excuse your behavior towards me! If you keep me sheltered and treat me like a little girl, then that's how I'll die in this world! I'll end up like your last team!"
"I SAID SHUT UP!!!" Runa's rage reached its peak. The woman spontaneously slapped Sarra across the face, unintentionally knocking the girl off her feet. Sarra's head bounced against the hard ground. The Huntress immediately recognized her mistake and rushed to help her fallen partner.
However, she froze when the little girl raised her head. Blood poured down the side of Sarra's face as she struggled to her feet with a ragged breath. Worst of all, the grievous, piercing gaze turned the hardened woman's blood cold.
She'd never seen a gaze like that from Sarra. A look mixed with fear and intense rage.
"S-Sarra, I'm s-s-sorry!" Runa stammered with her apology. She clenched her shaking hand and hid it behind her back. She'd never done that before, strike a child. No matter what, she never saw any excuse for harming children as permissible in her eye.
Sarra got to her feet, resisting the immediate urge to cry in front of her partner. No, former partner. They were finished as a team. The hard smack to the face was all that the girl needed to reaffirm her decision to cut her ties with Runa.
Without another word, Sarra took off and left the graveyard. Runa wanted to give chase, but couldn't find the words to console the fleeing girl. It was all her fault. That much she knew.
Thanks to her protective nature, she failed to notice the built-up frustration in her partner. She saw her as nothing but a child and continued to treat her like one, never once considering the girl's opinions. All those years she believed she changed, but only realized how wrong she was after striking her partner. She was still the same, unworthy, failure of a mother.
Runa dropped down to her knees and allowed her sorrow to overwhelm her.