Breakfast was served warm to the small group who sat in the golden lounge. The smell of eggs, coffee and freshly baked bread emanated from the short table in between them.

“Are you going to finish that?”

Amy poked the untouched eggs with a fork. The lethargic Inkshard lazily looked at her and mumbled.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you~!”

As she snatched the plate to her side, Haiyoto raised an eyebrow to how much the girl ate. A slight glance at her slender physique made Lizen’s brows furrow as she looked down at her half-finished meal.

“Can people from Earth not gain weight?”

Her serious eyes made Haiyato chuckle silently, as Amy noisily thought to herself in between the mouthfuls of food.

“I think my magic training uses up all the energy I eat.”

The muffled nonsense even brought the dazed Inkshard back to life as narrowly stared at the girl across her. Particularly at her chest. A frown formed as she glanced at the vast plains of her body, compared to the mountains Amy wielded.

“Maybe all that food goes straight to your chest.”

“You think so?”

A vein popped on the priestess’ head at the ditzy girl’s remark.

There was a reason as to why she begged Exrite and the others to let her join them. Without anything else to do, there was no excuse for her to avoid baby sitting the three ‘Heroes’ surrounding her.

After breakfast, they were scheduled to train with one of the greater white knights, named Kalis, who had personally taken them under his wing.

Inkshard wondered when his patience would finally reach its breaking point and softly sigh.

“I’m still here, you know?” Haiyoto cleared his throat to remind them of his presence.

“Don’t care.”

The priestess muttered as Lizen gently stared at the slouching girl beside her.

“You sound upset, Inkshard.”

“She didn’t end up going with them, remember?”

While trying to hide his laugh, he spoke quickly and drank from his steaming cup.

The clank it made with the table resounded in the otherwise empty room. A haunting silence followed as something began to gnaw at them. The food was left alone in front of Amy as her eyes timidly moved from the plates to the others.

A wry smile was found on Haiyoto, while Lizen had brought a smooth hand to her face. The slightest mention of the other group left them in a silent daze as they vividly remembered the events of last night.

And only today, they found out that to get to their strength, one needed to be chosen or special.

Maybe, just maybe they were the same. After all – they were the only ones who were summoned into the castle at the time. But the nightmares their inherent weakness made it difficult for them to justify their specialty.

They were only human. They couldn’t bear to kill another person, no matter what. Even in a different world, their values and morals were still inherent. Lizen too, had only recently broken from her peaceful bubble. She was naïve due to her noble upbringing – a prodigy with the spear, but not once had she ever fought with the intention to kill another person.

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As the silence roused, so did the young priestess.

“You all went quiet. What’s wrong?” Inkshard inquired as she erected her posture with a sweeping gaze.

“… Are we really the Heroes?”

The voice slipped from the reluctant Haiyoto.

It seemed like he wasn’t the only one who thought the same thing. Amy and Lizen averted their eyes as they could only wonder if they were truly fit for the role.

Self-ridicule and doubt manifested in the form of a wry smile. What could they possibly hope to accomplish as mere humans?

“Same could be said with Exrite – is he really the Exrenity?”

All eyes rose from the tables to the peculiar voice.

“Of course he is- “

“But he’s still human.”

Cut off by the aggravating voice of the girl, Lizen found herself looking back into the palm of her hands. Indeed. Exrite was a human, despite being the Exrenity. Like them, they were Heroes despite only being human.

She realised – their problems were far less of an issue than Exrite’s. It was pleasantly unpleasant to know that it soothed her worries. As a human, he would have to fulfil the wishes of the Children of Balance.

And them – for only a king.

A newfound respect formed for the strange man they knew as Exrite, as well as the priestess who helped them escape from the encroaching darkness.

“I shouldn’t be smiling.” Haiyoto sighed as he turned to Amy.

“But it’s reassuring, isn’t it? At least we aren’t the only having it rough. Lizen, can I have your eggs?”

“Can you take something seriously for once?” The blonde-haired girl retaliated with edge in her voice as she dragged the plates closer to the edge.

“C’mon! I was seriously thinking there! Are you really going to be like that, Airu?”

“Huh. You glutton. Just cause you aren’t getting my food, you’re going to call me by my first name?”

A fearsome spark flared in their eyes as they stared from across the table like mortal enemies.

Haiyoto shook his head repeatedly and sighed. “This was why you wanted to leave, right?”

No answer was needed for the obvious. Inkshard ignored the battle and compactly folded her arms as she allowed the two to fight to their heart’s content. She felt stupid for trying to help them come back to their senses, especially if they were going to bicker just straight after their thoughtful moment.

Although…

She couldn’t help but to smile. The Heroes were bright and filled with bursting enthusiasm. Their jabs were playful, and they took the methodical and fun road to finding their self-worth.

She hoped that one day, she would also be able to even see Frosty smile with content.

Unaware of her own brilliant smile, Haiyoto chuckled at the rare sight. Inkshard wasn’t raised with much freedom like the rest of her peers. She was kept out of reach from the public since birth, and rarely found genuine happiness.

Surely, their small spark of light now, would one day become a blazing wildfire.

It was her genuine wish, and a future to look forward to.

* * *

Her leather sandals clacked with every step she took through the narrow passageway. Through the yellow halls, her long strides were ignored by the shadows and settled with an afterimage. Urgency reeked from the pores of her body as she turned a corner, the long cloth almost caught beneath her feet.

Sweat dripped from the forehead of the pale robed woman who finally arrived at the end of the hallway, entering a coffee scented room where a group of four remained seated.

Their bickering delayed how quickly they could notice the familiar woman approaching them with haste. By the time she reached them, Inkshard’s eyes lit up as she squealed.

“Mother!? W-what are you doing here!?”

She threw herself onto the towering woman and lovingly embraced her. The others watched with warm smiles as Talia brought her face close and cupped the face of her daughter.

“My, can’t I be here without a reason?” She joked and pecked the girl on the forehead before briefly scanning the room. “I don’t see them here… Dear, where did Exrite go?”

The loving smile morphed into an uncharacteristic frown. Her enveloping hands were warm, but soon began to scorch her soft cheeks.

She gulped, and instinctively knew that something was wrong.

“They left to do something for the Commanders of Pathfist.”

Inkshard’s answer was honest.

But Talia wasn’t satisfied. She silently grit her teeth, before she suddenly shrieked.

“Has he already left the capital!?”

“W-we don’t know- “

The mature priestess – or rather the rugged priestess stared intently into her daughter’s eyes and cried:

“We need to warn him about the fragment! If he’s unprepared, then we’ll forever lose the Maiden of Time!”

Unaware of what she meant at the time, she would soon come to realise that the fragment of time –

Was something far different than what the Gods claimed it to be.