Part 1

"Listen well kid. Don't blame the world for what's about to happen.

You're a Notos so be proud of that until your dying days."

A proud smile can be seen on the face of that man.

His warm embrace can be felt by the kid.

Salty tears running down on the child's cheek as another man carried him to a two man sky ship.

He screamed as loud as he could but to no avail the man locked the kid to the seat making him unable to leave.

As explosions were heard nearby, the sky ship flew across the battlefield.

And finally a large blinding explosion flashed before him.

"You've had it again.. that dream."

Valion realized that he was sitting with cold sweat running down everywhere.

It was a dream that kept haunting him ever since he was a child.

In the dream, he was being carried of by his uncle away from Stormbreaker.

The majority of House Notos perished that day.

When the Sky Fortress was broken by the rebels during the War of the Winds, It also marked the fall of their house.

Thousands died and they are to blame. That is the curse that he had inherited from his family.

"How long was I out?"

"A day. You don't need to overwork yourself you know."

Valion looked at his uncle. He couldn't avoid looking at his metal arm.

His uncled gave up his arm to save Valion during their escape.

He didn't blame him though.

He always wore that happy smile while tinkering away the parts recovered by Valion from the scrap yard.

"I'll buy some food before going out. I'll be back soon."

"Alright. Take your time."

Valion lived in the Village of Caurus which is near the city of Skiron.

Now that he won the tournament made by the Dean Chlys, he can now advance to the sophomore year without going to the school.

The deal was made by Valion and Chlys when they met each other the day before the tournament with Chlys informing him that he was enlisted as Aria's partner.

During the tournament, he was surprised that someone in his year was able to keep up with the output of mana being converge on the corus.

Someone with an ability like that isn't considered normal so he was surprised by Aria's talent.

Even though fighting twenty plus teams was overwhelming to some, Valion carefully analyzed the situation and realized that all freshmen who participated used only the textbook maneuvers shown by the academy.

'Doing something like that in a real battle would score them a tragic death.' He thought.

The village was bigger than the average size. It was bustling with people trading the parts scavenged at the Lands of the Fallen for some food or coin.

Caurus was the nearest village to the Lands of the Fallen. It was called 'Lands of the Fallen' because it is where the fiercest battles took place at the end of the War of the Winds.

Even today, not all places have been explored properly so scavengers are always visiting the area looking for parts that could be sold for some coin.

Valion due to his knowledge of sky ships frequent the area to take sky ship parts that are easy to find but are always overlooked.

No one in this town knows him so it was easy for him to move about without the criticizing looks the people at the city gave him.

His spiky gray hair and jet black eyes are just considered uncommon in these parts.

He went to buy some food from the local food stall nearest to his home.

He bought some salted egg and tomatoes which go great with rice.

It was the food which he will take with him while he scavenges in the Fallen Lands.

He also planned to buy some ingredients for cooking so that his uncle wouldn't be bothered by going outside to buy some.

He noticed dark clouds forming in the sky so he was about to head home when.

"FOUND YOU!"

A shout was heard from his back that made people not only Valion look where it came from.

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There stood a girl with a blushing face probably because it was embarassing to do that in public.

She clenched both her fist with a weirdly embarassed face and approached him one step at a time.

After a few seconds, he remembered her as the girl she was partnered with during the tournament.

The question now is why she's here and how she found me.

"Aria Anemoi."

He mumbled in a low voice.

The girl kept advancing until they were facing each other.

Part 2

'Oh my gosh! I haven't been this close to a boy my entire life! Mom.. Dad.. I can't be a bride anymore!' She thought to herself.

She realized that it's been a minute since they stood there like idiots.

The boy losing interest turned around and walked away.

When she saw this, she again shouted. "Wait!"

"What now? We won right? Why are you bothering me again?"

"That's exactly why I'm here. Dean.. Yes! The Dean asked me to come to him with my partner! That's you right?! You have to come to the academy with me right now!"

"He said to come with your partner. He didn't specifically said that it should be me right? If you didn't think about it enough then it's not my problem."

He was right. The dean didn't specifically told her that she needs to bring Valion with her. She could've taken anyone but why him?

She remembered the solitude of being alone. A fish in a pond dreaming of the sea. She realized her abilities are far inferior to others outside her domain.

She knew that with Valion's help she would encounter people with great skills and maybe compete and battle with them.

"I want you!"

The people around started looking at them again,

"Way to go boy!"

"Don't let that little girl's heart be broken now kay?"

"Youth is such a wonderful time in our lives!"

People started cheering them on thinking that it was some sort of love scene unfolding in their eyes.

To her, Valion only has one thing to say.

"What?"

"Don't get me wrong. I-I want you to be my partner!"

"I'm not interested in being a sky ship pilot. I'm leaving."

Aria was shocked. With his skills, he could be a top student. Even an accomplished pilot after graduating.

Why would he decline her offer? The thoughts raised inside her mind overwhelmed her for a second.

Should she give up? No. A big NO showed up inside her head.

She knew that Valion shouldn't waste his talent. So she wouldn't give up on him.

Aria followed Valion in front of his home when he entered, she stood there waiting for him to come out.

Maybe today wasn't particularly her lucky day because rain suddenly fell down.

She didn't mind though. She was resolved to wait until he comes out so that they could talk about partnering up.

"That girl outside. Let her come in. It's raining she might catch a cold."

Inside the house, Valion and his uncle Revan are talking.

"She's just trouble for me. I don't want to get affiliated with people like her."

"People like her?"

"Yes. The kind who wants to prove themselves to others."

Valion grew up never trying to prove his worth. He knew that living proudly is what his parents wanted for him but as a child he can never practice that.

The constant bullying of kids in the city made him realize the cruel world set upon him.

The curse of his House weighs heavily onto him.

He never called it a curse but that was the constant remark repeated by not only the kids but also the adults who approached him.

"You still need to let her in. She's a guest."

"Uncle don't let me do this."

"Valion."

"..Fine."

In front of the house, He saw the girl still standing there shaking from the cold.

When they locked eye to eye, it's as if time stopped for a moment.

They understood each other that second and she went inside.