Baylee and I stay with Akari for our next two periods as she slowly calms down. Despite this, Akari hardly talks, and, as I’d promised, I don’t ask any questions I don’t think she’ll want to answer. It’s a struggle not to ask, but I know that, to help Akari, I need to keep her trust. The longer I spend with her, the more I feel that something is profoundly wrong in the girl’s life. It’s something that I feel the need to rectify, but I know that may not be welcome.
It’s hard for me to look at Akari’s injuries and not want to help in any way I can. Sadly, I’m not a medical professional, and I don’t have any healing abilities yet. Although, I am determined to get one as soon as I figure out how.
Baylee and I don’t mention the video she had taken towards the end of Akari’s assault. While it could definitely be used as evidence against the girls in question, we need to wait for Akari to get feeling better before we broach that topic. I’m not sure if she’ll want to press charges, but I certainly want her to.
Ultimately, our time with Akari proves to be frustrating as, despite everything we try and think of, Baylee and I can’t seem to find a way to get through to her. Once her stiff posture and stony face had reasserted itself, it had proven impossible to get through to her. Eventually, Akari just requests to be allowed to return to her normal class schedule once more, and — not really being able to stop her — Mr. Yamamoto lets her leave.
Baylee, not wanting to miss more of her classes than she has to, leaves as well — offering me a smile and a goodbye wave. Our little mission had been a disaster, but at least I feel like we’d done some good together. Who knows how much worse Akari could have been hurt without our intervention?
Since my current period is about to end and my next one is in the classroom I’m already sitting in, I decide to just stay put. Mr. Yamamoto and I look quietly out the window together as we wait for the rest of my archery class to arrive. Sadly, these won’t be the hardcore members of the archery team like me, but just the normal class of high schoolers wanting to learn how to shoot for recreation or for their mandatory combat elective; team practice comes after.
“I wish I could do more for Akari,” I admit to Mr. Yamamoto, absently rubbing at the dried blood stain on my jacket.
“As do I, my student,” Mr. Yamamoto responds, quietly looking out his classroom window at the field of archery targets. “Yet, there is only so much we can do to help another if they are not willing to help themselves.”
“I don’t know what to do, sensei,” I say, my head down with shame. I’m meant to be a blue sentinel, a healer. Someone to help heal and protect the victims of such an attack. I’d done my best, but I can’t help but feel like I failed. There is an entire layer to this that I don’t understand, and I’m nervous to uncover.
“There is little you can do.” Mr. Yamamoto says before appearing to think a moment. “I might suggest this approach. Simply make yourself available, continue being kind, and offering friendship. Show her that you care about her well-being and honestly want the best for her. From our previous conversation, I know that young Akari has secrets, most likely painful ones. All you need to do for now is make sure that she knows that the life she is living is not the only one available to her. You can show her another path, but you cannot make her walk it. Any such compulsion would ultimately be false.”
I nod to myself, trying to come up with a further plan to help Akari. “Baylee and I will keep an eye on her. If those younger year girls know that we’re watching out for her, then maybe they’ll leave her alone.”
“That is a good start, but it is only a start. If you want to truly help Akari, you must be committed all the way. Eat with her, walk with her between classes, spend your free time with her, and do all that you can to make sure she feels comfortable with you. Do not force her to open up; simply be there when she decides to do so on her own,” Mr. Yamamoto advises.
“So, just be her friend?” I ask.
Mr. Yamamoto nods, “You might be the only one she has.” With that, Mr. Yamamoto stands from his classroom seat and stretches his arms. “For now, though, we have archery to do. Come, my student, show me what you’ve got. I have high hopes for you in the tournament.”
With that, Mr. Yamamoto and I both head out onto the archery range early, grabbing our bows to do some shooting and let off some steam.
image [https://i.imgur.com/MninSff.png]
I pull back the bow, the string not feeling as heavy as it once had as it presses into my fingers. I pull back until the string brushes against the tip of my nose, sighting the target in the distance. My hands are steady and confident, my movements deft and controlled. I breathe in, focusing my entire being on the target until nothing else remains. Exhaling, I release my arrow, careful to keep my bow raised for some time after the shot to make sure I don’t lower it too soon. I know from the moment of release that the arrow will fly true, and, with a thud, it slams into the dead center of the target.
I’d been shooting for the last few hours, first with just me and Mr. Yamamoto, then with the normal class, and finally with my teammates. I’ve been doing archery for a long time, but I’ve never had a performance as good as today. The bow feels light, and my hands are steady. My eyes are sharper than ever, focusing like a laser on where I want to hit. This must be from bonding with my soul gem, and I can’t help but wonder how good I’d be in my assault state. I really want to find out.
I’m still far from perfect, but my improvement is enough to draw the attention of my teammates.
“Dang Serena,” comments Benny, an old friend of mine who’d also been doing archery for a long time. “I’ve hardly seen you miss a shot today.”
“That’s because she hasn’t!” shouts over the only other girl on the team, Lyra. “I fully expect you to carry us through the tournament while I slack off!” she calls with a laugh.
I flush bright red at the attention, immediately falling out of my state of focus. “T-Thanks, guys. I think I’m just on a roll today.”
“Well, keep it up,” Benny says, nocking another arrow for his next shot. “Lyra isn’t wrong that you could bring us to regionals at the rate you’re improving. We’ll do our best to keep up with you,” he adds, making me flush bright red all over again.
It’s fair to say that, for my next shot, my head isn’t in the game, and it goes slightly wide.
The archery team has only five members: two girls with Lyra and me, and three guys with Benny and two others I don’t know as well. I’m sure that will change soon, though, as Mr. Yamamoto is doing his best to make sure that we become tight. Spending so much time together practicing to work together for the tournament is great for bonding, and by the end of the first team practice, I’d gotten to know Lyra fairly well and even learned the names of the other two guys, Vahn and Kenji. Obviously, I’d already known Benny.
We practice for a few hours after the school had technically ended, and given my extra practice today, my fingers feel raw by the time we call an end to our practice. The sun is low in the sky, and I’m starting to shiver. The school uniform offers me a coat but still makes me wear a skirt in this cold weather, which is just stupid. Sadly, the eco-domes and the skyway bridges only filter out smog; they do nothing for temperature.
Ignoring the small talk of my teammates, I quietly reflect on my day as I unstring my bow so it can be safely stored. As always, I find comfort in the familiar motions of caring for the smooth wood of my bow, taking my time to wipe down the bow’s limbs with a damp cloth and care for the string. Running my hands along the wooden grain once it’s all cleaned off and ready to go for tomorrow.
As much as I try to reflect on my archery performance as Mr. Yamamoto had taught, I can’t help but find my mind drifting back to Akari. I wonder where she is right now. I wonder if she’s in pain. I know that she needs help; I just wish I could do something.
I suppose all I can do is follow Mr. Yamamoto's advice. Just make myself available and keep trying. Still, I have an awful feeling that something about her situation is profoundly wrong — that she needs help, and she needs it now. I don’t know where the feeling is coming from, but I can’t seem to stop thinking about it.
With a sigh, I stand and stow my bow in its cubby and move to grab my bag. I’m going to be in for a long night of worrying. On my way, Benny flags me down with a wave, and I walk over.
“Hey, Serena. We’re thinking of going to get some food together as a victory lap for us all getting on the team. You want to come? You’re our star archer and all that,” Benny asks with a grin.
My natural instinct is to attempt to come up with an excuse as to why I can’t go, but… no. This will be good for me. More friends can’t be a bad thing, right? Besides, it will be good to get to know my team better. Who needs to do that pile of homework sitting in my room anyway?
I give Benny a shy smile, “Sure, I’d love to. Just let me text my dad,” I say, proud of how far I’ve come in such a short time in terms of socializing. I’m still not good at it, and I still don’t like it. But… at least I have the courage to try. Besides, I’m a sentinel now. How hard could a team dinner be?
That’s how, after shooting my dad a text letting him know I’d be slow getting back, I end up walking out of the school with my new archery team.
image [https://i.imgur.com/MninSff.png]
“I think you could pull it off too!” Benny exclaims to Lyra, laughing as our group of five exits the restaurant out into the chill of the night.
Pedestrians stream past us on the narrow skybride we emerge onto, and a frigid breeze tugs at my hair. Despite the late hour, Shinara sparkles with light from the thousands of windows and advertisements on the skyscrapers.
As we move down the bridge, Benny pauses for a moment, the smile dropping from his face. The others don’t seem to notice, but I stop for a moment to follow his gaze. His eyes had locked on the front of a clothing store for women, with mannequins wearing dresses in the window display. Weird, I wonder if he knows someone who works there?
“You okay?” I ask, wondering what was bothering him.
Benny looks towards the shop for only a moment longer before turning back towards me and smiling. This smile, though, doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’m fine. I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow, I guess.”
I return his smile with my own, doing my best to be supportive of… whatever that had been. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night, Benny.”
Benny winces at my words, and I can’t quite figure out why. Had I said something wrong? “Y-You too, Serena,” he says before practically scrambling to get away.
I watch Benny go for a while, puzzled, but ultimately turn away. The rest of my team had also dispersed, leaving me to make my own way. I’d enjoyed getting to know the archery team better, although it is going to be kind of a lot getting to know them and my sentinel team at the same time.
It’s getting fairly late now, and I have homework to get done. God knows that I’m behind. Between Celeste appearing, all the things with the GDF, and now Akari. I’ve hardly had time to keep up with my schoolwork; I’d done some on Sunday, but not enough. I have a hard time feeling bad about it, though. The things I’ve been doing were hard and important. I’ll catch up on schoolwork in due time. Besides, I always have Celeste to help cheat.
I frown, looking around as I make my way towards my apartment building. Where even is Celeste? I haven’t seen her since this afternoon. By now, I’ve grown so used to her near-constant presence that it feels odd to be truly by myself. While Celeste does wander off quite often and gives me privacy during my more delicate moments, she has never been gone for this long before.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
With a shrug and a tinge of worry, I shoot a thought towards my errant familiar. “Hey, where are you? I’m heading back toward the apartment for the night. Everything okay?”
[I’m perfectly fine. I’ve been following Akari since she left to proceed with her classes. I was concerned about her, and following her has not alleviated my concern. I have kept observing in case I felt the need to have you intervene once more. We are still at the school,] Celeste reports promptly, her voice much flatter than her usual perky self.
My eyes widen at Celeste’s words, and I stop in my tracks. “The school?! What is she doing there? You should have told me earlier!”
[You were enjoying yourself with your team, and I didn’t want to alarm you and ruin your mood. You do deserve a break from time to time. As for what she has been doing, mostly crying and talking to her familiar, so far as I can tell. I have kept my distance to offer her privacy as well as to remain undetected, so I don’t know what she is saying,] Celeste says.
I stand in place, commuters flowing around me as I pause in indecision. I’m not sure where to go. I know I need to get home soon — Dad will get very worried if I don’t — but it’s nearly 9:00 PM, and Akari still hasn’t left the school. What if she’s too injured to walk that far? What if she’s scared to go home? I… I know that my going back to try and help her would be creepy and most likely alienate her forever. What do I do?
“Celeste… do you think she needs me? I don’t want to intrude on her life, but she’s hurt and… I don’t know. I want to help; I just don’t know how,” I say.
[I can try to get closer to listen in if you’d like,] Celeste offers.
I don’t answer, deep in thought as I consider, reconsider, and make my choice. “No, don’t get closer. It doesn’t matter what you hear because I’m coming either way,” I say, altering my direction to head back towards the school.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what is happening with Akari. I became a sentinel to heal and protect others. It doesn’t matter if I’m too forceful or if Akari ends up hating me and thinking I’m weird. I want to help her, and right now, that’s the most important thing to me. Perhaps it’s selfish to go when I know my presence will not be welcome. However, I will go anyway, selfish or not.
I reaffirm my decision to myself again and again as I walk through the night towards the school, quickly arriving back on campus as the restaurant we’d chosen hadn’t been too far away. Unlike the city, the wide expanse of the campus is shrouded in shadow. The only illumination comes from the lingering light of the city behind me and the small pools of illumination cast by the few automatic lights on the paths.
The air grows more and more frigid, and the wind continues to rip at my hair and clothes. They must be ventilating the eco-dome. My school uniform is not up for the task of keeping me warm, but all I can think about is Akari. She’s wearing the same uniform as me, and she’d been badly hurt earlier in the day. She must be frozen solid by now if she’s been outside all this time.
“Which way?” I ask Celeste as I make my way back onto campus. Realizing for the first time that I’m currently doing exactly what I’d promised Baylee I wouldn’t do.
[She’s outside, in a small alley between a small administration building and the main school. On the western side of campus,] Celeste reports.
I nod, sort of knowing the spot. My dad has his office in that building, and I’ve gone to see him there a few times. “Thanks, on my way.”
As I walk, I think back to my conversation with Baylee. She’d warned me about Akari’s family, that they were dangerous and unpredictable, and she’d wanted me specifically to stay away as best I could. Even when helping Akari during the school day, Baylee seemed slightly uncomfortable, not talking nearly as much as she normally does. But… that’s just a bias. Akari is a person; she wouldn’t hurt me. Right?
Too soon, I find myself standing before the entrance to the small alley Akari is meant to be in. The area is completely dark, the light wired into the wall of the nearby building having burnt out. Fear causes my heart to bound and my blood to thrum through my veins. I no longer feel the cold that had been bothering me before as my body works itself up into fight or flight mode.
A gray spot detaches itself from a nearby shadow, quickly resolving into Celeste, who leaps up to her normal spot on my shoulder. Her presence comforts me as we both stare at the alley, listening to the faint sounds emerging.
Right, here goes nothing. With a steadying breath, I walk into the alley. This area is so much darker than the rest of campus that I can hardly see as I step into the wall of ink. From how the soft noises in the alley immediately halt, I know Akari had seen me. Her night vision must be better than mine, having been in the darkened space for so long.
“We wondered if you’d come,” Akari says in a soft voice from somewhere deeper in the alley. Her voice sounds sad and deeply hurt. “You’re familiar isn’t as stealthy as she thinks she is. Liora has noticed her following us since this morning.”
I feel as if an icy spike had been shoved into my heart. My pulse pounds in my ears as I desperately look deeper into the alley, trying to make out Akari’s small form. Finally, my eyes adjust enough to see her shape. She sits leaning against the admin building as she looks over at me. She sits at an odd angle, as if not caring about the discomfort.
She’d known Celeste was following her? Is that why she hadn’t been surprised when Baylee and I had come to help her in the locker room? Had this been some kind of trap?
I take a hesitant step back before reaffirming my resolve. I am here to help her, and so far, nothing she’s said changes that fact.
Akari lets out a dry laugh without humor. “So, you’re scared of me too. I should have expected that.”
I shake my head, “I’m not scared of you, Akari. I’m here because I want to help you.”
I hear Akari sigh, leaning back further against the wall. “You’re only here because you want something from me, just like everyone else. Or maybe you really are just a naïve little healer girl who won’t leave someone in pain. You clearly don’t want to be here, Serena. Go home.”
I shake my head again, this time with more conviction. “I am here to help you. I’m not leaving until I know that you’re safe.”
“Just… please leave,” Akari mutters, her voice breaking.
“Not until you tell me that you have somewhere to sleep tonight, something to eat, someone to look at those injuries,” I challenge her gently.
Akari doesn’t answer for a long time, just sitting slumped against the wall. The wind is lessened in the alley, but I can still make out her long, dark hair moving in the shadows. For a while, we just stay there in that alley as the minutes tick by. Neither of us moves as we listen to the muted sounds of the city echoing strangely off of the empty buildings of the campus, the sound suppression systems having been deactivated for the night. The air grows more and more frigid as the partial twilight fades into true night, which doesn’t help with my shivering.
“What would you do… what would you do if I said that I didn’t?” Akari asks after a long time, her voice dead and broken.
“I would bring you home with me,” I respond instantly. “You can sleep in my bed, and I’ll take the couch. I know that we still have some leftovers in the fridge to heat up. My dad has taken a few emergency first aid courses so he could bandage you up. Or at least give you some painkillers. You don’t even have to answer any questions. Akari… I can help you. I want to help you. You don’t have to spend your night here.”
“And what about the next night?” Akari asks, “The night after that? How long before that hospitality wears thin? Eventually, I’m going to have to go home, and then…” She shakes her head, looking away.
“First off, I decided to help you. I want to be your friend and your teammate, and there is no end date on that. Whether you stay with me for a night or ten years, my decision will stand,” I say confidently. I’m committed and will stay committed for as long as is needed. Even if Dad doesn’t agree to help, I’ll have money soon and so will Akari. I can make something work.
“Not to mention,” I continue, “you are about to come into a lot of money. You can afford your own apartment or even use one of the ones in GDF Headquarters, which are supposed to be super nice.”
“Won’t work,” Akari says, leaning forward and sounding at least somewhat engaged now, even if her tone is still empty. “I’m sixteen years old, so, in Shinara, I can’t open a bank account without permission from my guardian. My dad will just give all the money I make back to my uncle.”
My eyes widen, that’s bull crap! Isn’t that, like, theft or something? “Well, we can talk to Prof, I’m sure he will help. Or we can use some of my money to hire a lawyer. We have options.”
Akari just sighs, “I still don’t get why you care about any of this. We’ve met one time before today. You should just run along back to your happy little life. I don’t matter. Go spend your effort on someone who deserves it.”
I bite my lip so hard I begin to bleed at her words, my body trembling with emotion. Akari’s words had struck a chord deep within me, a central pillar of my beliefs. I clench my fists in frustration, my nails biting into the flesh of my palm. Tears appear in my eyes as her words play over and over in my head. No, I cannot, will not, allow her to continue believing that!
“That’s… that’s not true,” I manage, voice raw with emotion. “Everyone matters. Everyone deserves it. Every life deserves to be loved, nurtured, and cared for… I care about you! You matter to me! I’m not leaving this alley without you because if I do, I will regret it for the rest of my life! Please… let me heal you.”
I put all of my heart into my words, all of my soul. Every single person in this world, large or small, deserves to be loved and protected. There is no damage that cannot be repaired, no person that is not deserving of love. It’s a belief that’s so core to my being that there is no Serena without it. With all of my soul, I care for Akari and every other person like her. I want them all to have happiness, to love others, and to be loved in return. Everyone and everything can be healed.
At that thought, my soul seems to burst with emotion, and somehow, my soul gem responds. I feel the power of my core ideal building within me, resonating with my soul gem. I can feel it as magic builds and builds within me, quickly becoming more potent than anything I’ve ever felt before. It continues building until-
Error: Unique Title Forcefully Unlocked
Unlocked: Soul of the Healer
The healing and protection of others is your chief desire. Above all else, you wish for others to be happy, loved, and protected. There is no damage that cannot be healed, and there is no threat that cannot be faced in order to save another. You are willing to help those in need, even at the cost of your own life. Your soul is that of a healer. Go forth and heal the world.
Effect 1: You now directly observe life force.
Effect 2: Healing spells are 100% more effective when cast on others.
Effect 3: Shielding spells are 100% more effective when cast on others.
Warning: Forcefully unlocking a title before your soul is ready can have detrimental effects. Title, Soul of the Healer, is unstable.
Attempting to stabilize title… New effect added to stabilize title.
Effect 4: Cannot heal self.
The odd box, like my Status menu, appears in my field of view. I hear Celeste give a mental gasp of surprise, followed quickly by a severe wave of dizziness. I glance at the text for a mere moment before deciding to dismiss it. I have something more important to do right now; I can look at whatever this is later. Blinking to clear the dizziness, I return my focus to Akari.
Akari just stares at me as if what I’d said was completely incomprehensible. We stay there for another few minutes, just watching each other as the wind tousles our hair. As I watch Akari, I begin to see something. It’s ephemeral, like it isn’t quite real, but at the same time is more real than anything else I’d ever seen. It looks like a weak, flickering violet flame at the center of the younger girl. Her life, a flickering light that could be so easily snuffed out. It must be protected — nurtured until it is the brilliant sun it should be. I don’t know how I can see it, but I understand it on a soul-deep level.
After even more minutes of silence, I move to sit against the wall opposite Akari. The cold of the concrete below me immediately makes me regret sitting here in a skirt, but I’m not about to move.
“What are you doing,” Akari asks, still watching me with a sort of bewildered expression. Well, it’s hard to tell exactly what her expression is, but it’s certainly something.
I offer Akari the best smile I can, although tears run down my cheeks, and my emotions still flair in my chest. I feel weak — overly taxed. Whatever had happened with my magic had definitely affected me. “The way I see it, either we leave this alley together, and you let me do what I can to help, or we both spend the night here. I’m settling in,” I explain, my voice still a bit raw.
“I…” Akari starts, sounding different. I lean forward. Had I said something wrong? I don’t want to upset her further, but I-
My train of thought derails as Akari starts… laughing. It starts as a small giggle until she is laughing loud and hard, struggling to breathe as she tries to catch her breath. I watch her, confused, but stay where I am, a smile tugging at my own lips. At least, it seems I’d managed to make her somewhat happy. That is a victory no matter what else happens.
“You…” Akari gasps out between fits of laughter, “You’re completely mad, you know that?”
I shrug, offering a smile. “What’s life without a little bit of madness?”
Akari’s laughter dies down once more until we both sit silently once again. For a moment, we just smile together, listening to the distant sounds of Shinara outside the campus and shivering in the cold. In that moment, an understanding is reached between us, and I decide to take a chance.
Standing, I walk slowly across the distance that separates us until I stand right before Akari. Bending down, I offer the younger girl my hand. “Come with me; let me help you. I don’t know what your problems are, nor do I know what your life has been like. But I can tell you one thing right now. You’ll never have to face any of it alone again.”
As I watch her, I see that flickering violet light in Akari’s core grows brighter and steadier. Just a little; not to where it should be, but… it’s a start. We lock eyes, her brown meeting my blue. Although the moment only lasts less than a second, it feels like an eternity. A moment that changes the course of two lives forever. And, when the moment ends, Akari reaches up… and takes my hand.