Chapter 2; Arthur; Hemhir 30th, 329SR; 11:45

The sunlight peeked through the gaps in the leaves, their gentle rustle reminded him of why he liked the spring season so much. Arthur crossed his legs as he laid atop a thick tree branch, holding the top of the spine of a large book with his left hand, his head resting on his other. The gentle breeze rustled the leaves, covering the sound of wooden spears clashing. He held a small book in his hand, the page he read showed a peculiar diagram. It resembled a circle, however one part seemed to be split open, revealing an assortment of colorful structures arranged within. 'The medical practices used by Hirian natives from Welis are far different compared to the angels. Upon inquiry into their practices, many, but not all, were open to discussing the contributions of the Doctor Zilin... Pernas? Pernais? No that sounds like mayonnaise, no, it'd be...'

"Pernias... A shaman from the south western regions of Hiria... South western?" Arthur raised an eyebrow as he read that.

'Hybrids from the resistance have contributed to the medical field? Wow...' Arthur continued to read with an obsessive curiosity, the cracks of wooden sticks nearby barely caught the same intrigue from him. 'The people of Hiria have trusted the harbingers' teachings for generations, as Doctor Phelps noted, "They see no need to understand the inner workings of their practices, and if I may make the judgement, I believe they were rather upset about my inquiry into it." Kristoph Phelps, 294 SR. After the discoveries of Siba Pendragon in 38SR, we understood the human body was made up of multiple systems acting together all at once, and he deduced, that the therapeutic methods of Welis had to have been founded by scholars aware of the inner workings of these various systems, and how they all work together and effect one another. Several first generation gifts of the Hirian people utilize natural energies, however, introspection into the energy the gifted natives of Welis can harness, is near impossible due to its incredibly reactive nature. Marok's descendants are an alternative, however, due to political hindrances, further research has not been approved. The energy their clans harness is similar in its medium, however its behavior is far different, the only observed phenomenon would be the effect it has on weather observable even from the southern regions of Kamino. ' The young noble studied the book closely, entranced by every word. A loud clash of wood was followed by a sharp whistle from the instructor.

"Halt!" A loud voice announced. "That's a match, good deflection, you stay on! Next up is... Hmph... The ace... Arthur! You're up!" Instructor Istvan called, but Arthur didn't feel like replying. "Where is he!"

"Arthur was bored, so he climbed the tree and started reading," someone answered.

"What?" The instructor scoffed as his head snapped toward the tree. "Arthur! Get down from there right now!"

Arthur heard Istvan calling him, but he didn't care, he wanted to read a little more. The sound of footsteps in the grass approached. 'Here we go...'

"Arthur!" the instructor called from below. "I know you can hear me!"

"Loud and clear," Arthur replied.

"Don't act smart with me! Just because you're Shinra's son do you think you get to slack off?"

"Have you ever considered writing songs? You have a great pitch," Arthur turned the page and kept reading.

"What?! Don't make me come up there!"

A few people in the class giggled. Istvan put one foot on the tree, his metal boot scraping against the bark. 'Ugh...' The instructor grumbled as he pulled himself up. Arthur raised one eyebrow, then shifted his legs off of the branch. He looked across Pendragon Boulevard, a courtyard surrounded by walkways in front of the major buildings associated with Arthur's family, it was about a hectare in size. He slid out of the tree, crouching and rolling as he landed.

"Okay, okay... I'm down... Don't want you falling out of a tree in armor..." Arthur sighed as he yawned.

"I'm getting real sick of your attitude Arthur!" the instructor got off the tree.

"Aren't you burning up in all of that armor?" Arthur asked as he picked up a reinforced vest.

Istvan Bahar, a knight captain and the instructor of the class was clad in a full suit of armor, he was just missing a helmet. He had slightly tanned skin and a full set of thick facial hair that went pretty well with his messy hair. He gave Arthur the usual intense stare with a blank face. Arthur squeezed his head through the tight collar, the white vest felt skin tight, but it was due to the plates within. Istvan handed him a wooden spear, then turned and walked away, each step causing the suit to make hefty noises. The armor he wore was a newer model of the trooper suit, it was considerably smaller. The braces around the arms and legs were bulky, made up of plates wrapped around the limbs, two between each joint rather than four with the prior model. 'They keep making the suit smaller with each generation...'

"The suit is designed for harsh environments, so no... Now stop wasting time and get into your circle, spar with Rukard," Istvan ordered.

"Harsh environments..." Arthur snickered to himself as he walked between the different pairs of people sparring.

Arthur approached a circle where a familiar man stood by. Rukard Lielos, he stood just under six feet tall with his hair tied back in a ponytail. 'Darn... Did it have to be Rukard... I wanted to take it easy...' He wore baggy grey sweatpants and similar white vest to the rest of the class. Rukard took a stance with a smirk as he held up a wooden dummy sword, he was the only one in the class using a sword.

"Where'd you find a sword?" Arthur chuckled.

"It was in the back of the tool shed," Rukard nodded. "I've always wanted to use a sword over a spear!"

"Hm... A spear is way better though..."

Rukard slowly inched forward, he shifted between his feet, making it hard to predict if he'd go left or right. 'He always takes training so seriously, and he tries extra hard against me...' Arthur took an offensive stance, keeping his spear pulled back and observed closely. Rukard stayed at the opposite end while continuing to shuffle back and forth. 'I'd say his range is between two and half feet and... Five feet to be safe, he has to close the distance...' Arthur jabbed his spear forward, causing Rukard to redirect it to the left and then take two quick strides to the right. Arthur felt his heart rate quicken. 'Huh-' Arthur pulled the shaft back, quickly turned to the right, then stabbed the spear forward again. This time Rukard parried, but pushed the blade up against the spear and ran forward. Arthur tried to pull back, but Rukard crouched low. Using the guard, he pushed the spear above him while keeping Arthur from disconnecting. Rukard entered his range, and made a side swipe from over the shoulder. 'Block!'

Arthur stepped backward, pulled the shaft forward and flipped his staff around, stopping the incoming slash from Rukard. His foot slid against the grass, Arthur inhaled quickly, then pushed Rukard back. 'He'll probably assume that I'll stay on the defensive, but I know about other weapons too, Ruk!' Arthur put his grip on the handle together, then flipped the spear back around and pushed forward while Rukard staggered backward.

"Rgh!" Rukard grunted as Arthur swung the spear down hard.

Arthur exhaled as the strike connected, but he continued to spin the wooden spear. Rukard fell on his rear, quickly staggering back to his feet, he got ready to block again. Arthur angled his strike, shifted his right hand up the shaft of the pole and pulled it back in one motion. Rukard's eyes widened as Arthur readied for a jab. 'Launch him!' Arthur lunged forward, twisted his torso, and forced the butt of the spear forward into the face of Rukard's wooden sword. The strike echoed through the air. Rukard stumbled backwards, but lost his footing and fell, rolling over onto his back. Arthur breathed in and out steadily, he lowered the spear as he relaxed his stance. Rukard shook his head, and then pushed himself up on his elbows. Arthur offered him a hand.

"You had the right idea to keep moving unpredictably, caught me off guard when you suddenly ran to my right. And my last attack, I committed to that strike, but if you parried it, I probably would have been in a bad spot..." Arthur pulled him to his feet. "Let's go again?"

"Yeah!" Rukard enthusiastically nodded.

"Rukard!" Istvan called. "Where'd you get that?!"

Rukard turned and squinted, "I... Found it in the back of the barracks?"

"You should be using a spear, I taught you to use a spear!" Istvan yelled.

"Hey, he almost won, did you see that?" Arthur spoke up.

"Yeah, almost!" Istvan shook his head at Arthur. "You think just because you are the ace in this class, it makes you some special standard?"

Nearby students in the class gradually noticed the growing commotion going on. A chilling wind blew by, momentarily breaking the consistent warmth from the sun's rays. Arthur took a deep breath and shrugged. 'Here we go...'

"You said it, not me..." Arthur smirked. "Leave him be... He should do what he likes."

Istvan stopped, and glared at Arthur. 'That's right. You heard me.' Arthur stood tall, the office for House Pendragon behind him.

"Arthur, I swear, if I hear-" Istvan stopped talking and bowed, causing Arthur to raise an eyebrow.

"What's the matter," a man with a deep voice approached, their steps could be heard against the grass.

"Lord Rael? All is fine, Rukard! Go and get a proper weapon!" the instructor shouted.

Arthur sighed, and turned around slowly. Behind him was the behemoth of a man known as Alexander Rael, the noble of House Rael, and a friend of Arthur's father. His white dress shirt with green decals was stretched by his monstrously huge muscles, his imposing presence stopped the wooden clacks between weapons. He had a bulky face, sharp jawline, and short green hair and eyes.

Behind Alexander was a man dressed in a similar white shirt and black pants. His black hair was dense, but considerably grown out, so much so it was tied back into a short ponytail. His sleeves were rolled up as he felt the wall, a stern look on his face as he examined the stone. The ring with an orange jewel was a Celestial gift that was passed down through his family.

"Every time I walk by this class, you're the odd one out..." Alexander squinted. "Always misbehaving..."

"Hey Alexander, how's your day going?" Arthur yawned. "Hey Bruno!"

"Good morning," Bruno waved.

Alexander's face twitched slightly, "You're sullying your father's name. Stop acting entitled, and get to training with the rest."

"How am I sullying his name?" Arthur tilted his head.

"What?" Alexander squinted.

"I mean... Father is well respected by citizens from both lower and upper Helios, and... I don't want to be a knight or a scout, so I'd rather learn more about medicine and science. Wouldn't I be honoring my father by following in his path? Helios doesn't have many doctor's, so... I don't think I'm sullying my family name."

Alexander glared at Arthur.

"You think a medic doesn't have to defend themselves on the battlefield," Alexander stated.

"Not what I said," Arthur squinted.

Alexanders face twitched again.

"I'm already at the top of the class..." Arthur shrugged. "I think I can defend myself fine..."

"Oh really... And how powerful do you think you are? Young man, Rukard was it, let me see that sword," Alexander asked Rukard.

Rukard looked at Arthur, 'Wait, is he serious?' Alexander walked past Arthur, Rukard held the sword up and Alexander grabbed it by the blade end. Alexander had a smirk on his face, but so did Arthur. 'I've always wanted to try fighting Alexander... '

"Sir Alexander! I don't think you should-"

"Silence Bruno," Alexander turned. "Let's see just how strong you are, son of Shinra..."

The rest of the students looked between each other, they spread out as they expected something big now that a noble was going to fight. Alexander walked toward Istvan as Arthur spun his spear around. 'This might not end well...' However, at that moment, a light shot down from the sky. 'Huh-' Arthur hesitated as he felt a weight tied to his neck, a silver pendant that resembled a coiled snake dangled over his chest. Arthur looked down with wide eyes, he looked up at the other students, but no one else seemed to have noticed. Nobody but Rukard, whose jaw was dropping slowly. 'Did- Did that just happen...' A single name came to his mind, but Alexander ran forward and leapt at Arthur with the wooden sword raised.

"Ah-" Arthur gasped as he dashed under the blade to Alexander's right, and delivered a quick smack to his side.

His heart beat rapidly as he quickly turned, but as he saw Alexander again, the noble was already lunging forward for a stab. Arthur dodged to the left, but then Alexander immediately swung, so he ducked low. Alexander was relentless, 'Go for the knee- No!' Arthur was about to raise his blade above him, but chose to roll to the right, but felt the wood graze his left shoulder. 'Shit!'

"You move well... But where did that confidence from earlier go!" Alexander grinned as he pursued relentlessly.

"You rushed me without saying anything!" Arthur started stepping back.

Arthur retreated quickly and prepared to jump back. 'I can't get around him, he's too big, and he has insane range... Why did I have to get a Celestial gift right now!' Arthur blocked an attack with both hands and then redirected it, then spun and swung his staff at Alexander's head. The noble dodged by simply moving his head, then raised his hand to grasp Arthur. 'I don't need to use the gift-' Arthur dodged low, rolled and got up again, his heart beat quickly and each breath was heavy. Alexander immediately turned and lunged forward.

"You should be prepared for anything in a fight!" Alexander instructed as he swung wildly.

Arthur tried to dodge, but Alexander still connected some of the slashes. The force of Alexander's swings was pushing him back over a meter at a time, they weren't even within the boundaries of the arena anymore. 'Anything in a fight, huh... Well, then let's see how you deal with this!' Arthur stopped dodging backwards, then blocked Alexander's next strike while pushing the blade away as he closed the distance. Alexander grinned as he jumped up and raised the wooden sword high. The speed at which he swung down shocked Arthur. 'Reiu! Protect!'

The silver snake that appeared like a pendant, unraveled and took life. 'A spirit?!' It had blue eyes, glowing stone scales, and blue gemstones were embedded on the tiny dragon's head. A white shield of light formed in front of Arthur and blocked Alexander's strike. The shield suddenly got brighter, and was sucked into the nose of Arthur's living pendant. The small dragon then opened its mouth and blasted a white and blue force at Alexander.

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"What-" Alexander stuttered.

Alexander was suddenly blasted away, the force sent Arthur off his feet as well. 'Agh!' Arthur fell backwards after the strong impact, landing on his rear and immediately rolling backward. He looked down at the pendant in shock, he was surprised to see it had changed back to its lifeless form. When he looked up, he was surprised to see Alexander had been launched into the tree that Arthur had climbed earlier. Arthur stood up slowly, taking a deep breath. 'I gotta show dad...'

"I win," Arthur suddenly announced.

Istvan and the rest of the students looked confused. Arthur suddenly turned and ran toward the hospital. Alexander shook his head as he tried to make sense of what he saw, but he was much more focused on Arthur's declaration.

"You win?!" Alexander coughed. "What was that light! Get back here you brat! You did not win!" Alexander's voice got quieter as Arthur got further away.

"Sorry! I really gotta go!" Arthur yelled with a smile on his face as he quickly ran off.

"Huh... Hey, hey Arthur! Wait, come back here and explain yourself! What just happened!"

"I just got guaranteed a place as a lieutenant! That's what!" Arthur quietly laughed to himself.

He ran directly toward where his father worked, the Helios Hospital of Medical Research. To the right was House Pendragon's Bureau, to the left was a plaza with multiple shops. In front of the convenience store Arthur always went to as a kid, were multiple bags of what looked like sand, but there was a lot of grey ash and dust around it. He stepped off of the grass and onto the pavement in front of the massive building. Every time Arthur approached the building, he'd remember the awe he felt as a child the first time he looked upon it. He ran up the steps and then approached the door. However, it was pushed open before Arthur reached it.

"We need more cement..." a construction worker wearing sunglasses walked out of the hospital.

"Why the hell can't we just get Bruno to do this job... This makes no sense..." Another one who was bald walked out.

"Stop complaining, the pay is good..."

"Seal a broken wall of the building," the other worker said with a mocking voice. "But then they want us to bury the room in cement, like... What?! Where do we get that much cement, and the equipment?! And not to mention, we'd basically have to do everything again..."

"Trust me, this client is worth the extra work. There's no one who would pay more."

Arthur walked into the hospital as he looked back at the two construction workers head toward the bags he saw earlier. He turned and was immediately met with heads rising. Two people stood at the front desk, one of them behind it. Several patients waiting in the lobby looked up with bright eyes.

"Arthur, how are you doing today!" the lady at the front desk waved, she was blonde, her hair tied back in a pony tail with a pair of glasses resting atop her head.

"Morning Lisa, morning Dr. Fost!"

"Hey Arthur!" the doctor leaning on the desk waved, he was rather plain looking, skinny with short black hair.

The bright light from outside shone through the glass roof, illuminating the lobby. It was mostly white, save for the banners with red symbols of House Pendragon, a snake-like dragon coiling around a spear. A large tree sat in the corner between two rows of seats along the wall. It was a tree native to Hiria's jungles, Arthur could tell from its odd shape and the twenty large leaves evenly spaced out in sets of five. 'That tree is almost too big for the lobby... It's been growing for some time now... Huh... Technically the tree is around my age, it was a gift for my father before I was born.'

Down the hall, next to the information board, a few workers were seated on a wooden bench. The sound of hammers and picks could be heard from the entrance. About halfway through the hallway was yellow tape to block people from entering that area. 'They're doing construction on the first floor? That's going to be annoying for the offices down here...' Arthur took a left, pushing open a door and entering into one of the building's primary stairwells.

Arthur turned and ran up the steps two at a time. After passing the third floor, he stopped and took a deep breath as a drop of sweat trickled down the side of his head. Outside the building he could see Istvan helping Alexander to his feet, only to be shoved off in the noble's frustration. Arthur knelt slightly, then continued up the steps at the same pace. He slowed down passed the eighth floor, his legs felt strained, but he was used to climbing the stairs. Before he reached the ninth and top floor, a man with blonde hair passed him.

"Arthur!" the man shouted with a welcoming tone and a slight laugh.

"Hey Oliver!" Arthur waved as he leaned on the railing.

"Are you skipping class again? You know your dad blames this on me right..." Oliver spoke with a serious tone.

"Oh don't worry, I chose to skip," Arthur laughed.

"That's... Not my point..." Oliver squinted. "Ah well, not like Shinra was any different when he was young."

"My dad skipped classes? Really?!" Arthur's expression turned to one of disbelief.

"Yeah, crazy right..." Oliver shook his head as he walked down the steps.

"Is he in his office? I wanna show him something!" Arthur could barely hide the excitement in his eyes.

"Hm, he seemed busier than normal..." Oliver put a thumb to his chin as he looked up in thought. "Why? What's so important that you run up nine flights of stairs and skip class..."

Oliver wore a white shirt with red decals, he was one of the current lieutenants of House Pendragon, a warrior who inherited a powerful weapon from the Celestial. The thin sword secured to his waist was a simple rapier, but highly effective with deadly precision. He pulled his blonde hair back and then rubbed his chin. Arthur just smirked with a toothy grin as he pointed his thumb at the pendant. Oliver leaned forward with a curious expression, his thin eyebrows rose as he realized. Arthur held up the silver pendant he had received from the Celestial.

"No," said Oliver.

"Yes," Arthur replied.

"Oh! Oh shit!" Oliver jumped.

"I can't believe it either!" Arthur cheered. "I got it right before I sparred against Alexander!"

"You what?! Wait, forget that- of course you'd get a gift, you are Shinra's son after all!" Oliver threw his arm over Arthur, rubbing his head with his other hand. "That's amazing! If you become a noble you'll have two!"

"It looks really cool right!"

"Yeah it really does, it's..." Oliver squinted as he looked at himself. "It's like an amulet... That's peculiar, it kind of looks like a snake? Balakin also looks like a snake... What can it do?"

"I'm not too sure yet, the vision I received was a little hard to understand... I think it might be both a tool and spirit though," Arthur recounted.

"Well I'll be damned... A spirit?! You might actually surpass your father at this rate..." Oliver commented. "I think Shinra was in his office, but I'm not sure if he'll see anyone right now... Has a difficult patient apparently..."

"Huh, well, I'll see you later, Lieutenant Blume," Arthur said with a snarky tone.

"Huh..." Oliver paused for a moment. "Oh, you little- I know I said you'll surpass your dad, but you're gonna have to surpass me first!"

"Haha! I'll be giving you orders soon enough," Arthur laughed as he walked onto the top floor.

"As if!" Oliver shouted as the door closed behind Arthur.

"And how will you be giving orders when you're skipping every single operation, hm?" A woman with a thick accent lightly hit Arthur's temple with a stack of papers.

Arthur turned and saw a woman with dark skin he recognized all too well. She had puffy, curly, black hair and was a little plump. She wore a white coat with red stripes on it that stretched down to her knees, underneath she had a teal shirt and black pants. She wore a black necklace that depicted a winged figure; it was a symbol of a church in lower Helios, Selenos Chapel.

"Haha, hey Ako," Arthur greeted.

"Again with the first names, i'm glad you remember, but you better be more formal when you get older!" Akovo walked by with a stack of strangely shaped papers.

Akovo dropped the stack of papers on the desk and slowly made her way behind it, judging from how long it took her to get around, Arthur could tell she was getting old. He walked over and looked at the stack of documents, a lot of it looked worn out. The pages were all changing color.

"Hey... What is that stuff?"

"Some documents your father recovered a few days ago, I don't know where he got them, but they are quite old, here, see this..." Akovo pointed at one of the pages.

The page wasn't white anymore, it seemed to be a translucent brown. As Akovo touched the page, he heard it crinkle. 'It's so brittle... Didn't know that could happen to paper...' Arthur looked at the top of the stack, there was a calendar.

"What's this?" Arthur reached for the calendar.

"Hey, this is classified by the way," Akovo moved the stack away from him.

"It's just a calendar," Arthur shrugged. "Does this have to do with the difficult patient Oliver mentioned?"

"I'm not sure, that boy is odd to say the least... Cute kid, but he's just about terrified of everyone... The only one who he opens up to is your father."

"It's a kid?" Arthur squinted.

He looked down at the calendar once more, the top page had red letters written on it. The last entry was odd though. Rather than the usual X on the date, it was just a single slash that dragged past the borders of that day and became rather squiggly. As if the person who was marking the calendar had slipped while they wrote. Arthur quickly scanned through the days as Akovo wasn't looking. 'The dates stopped being marked off a few days ago.'

"Well, I have to drop this off at the records office, see you Arthur!" Akovo walked away with the documents.

"You need a hand with that?" Arthur waved.

"Thank you, but I'll be fine."

The nurse continued down the hall, Arthur looked the other way as he continued on. 'I wonder if that patient is still here... Should be...' Arthur made his way toward the head office, his fathers office. As he got closer, he noticed a woman standing by the door. It was his fathers second in command and the spy of House Pendragon. Arthur tried to lighten his steps over the carpet, and approached without making noise.

The black haired woman was just shorter than him, she leaned against the door to Shinra's office with her arms crossed. She wore a similar shirt to Akovo and Oliver, but she had a black leather coat overtop, with golden buttons and stitching. The woman had lazy red eyes, but Arthur knew she was sharp. There were offices on either side of the hallway, benches for sitting, and trolleys with intricate machinery on top. Common equipment hung on the walls, and there was a bottle of sanitizing liquid. Her red eyes glanced at him. 'What? How did she know!?'

"Oh, hey Arthur," Leia turned back to the room, she looked at the vest Arthur still wore. "Skipping class again?"

"Yeah," Arthur replied with an annoyed tone. "Is dad in there?"

"No, he asked me to keep watch outside the room while he went to the treasury."

"Why is he going to the treasury?" Arthur asked. "Doesn't he usually send you?"

"Yeah, he insisted he go this time though," Leia sighed.

Arthur tried to enter the room, but Leia lifted her foot and blocked the door with it.

"I'm sure I said I was keeping watch," Leia raised an eyebrow at Arthur.

"Didn't know you were also a guard," Arthur stepped back. "I heard that patient is being a huge problem."

Leia snickered, which made Arthur tilt his head.

"He's really not, Oliver must have told you if you think it's that bad..." Leia shook her head.

"Heh, sharp as ever..." Arthur complimented. "That's why dad trusts you though."

"Oh? Do you trust me too?" Leia asked.

"What? Of course not," Arthur laughed. "It's common knowledge not to trust a spy."

"Pfft, quit pulling my leg," Leia shook her head.

"I've known you so long I don't even think it matters," Arthur added.

"Aw, that's sweet," Leia turned to Arthur and smiled.

The two stood outside the room for a moment. Arthur could only see his fathers desk, there was a white book on top of it. The label on the spine was somewhat familiar, 'The Legend of Ragnarok.' Arthur squinted at it. 'I've seen that book before... Isn't that a children's story?' A cough came from inside the room, it sounded like a child. Leia glanced inside the room, then walked in.

"Hey, do you need anything? You don't have to go pee? You're not hungry?" Leia asked with a very soft tone.

Arthur poked his head into the room. The boy had loose white hair, he shook his head in response to Leia. The boy glanced at the door and noticed Arthur. His blue eyes widened as he saw him, he immediately tensed up. 'Huh...' Arthur looked away, scanning the room for anything out of place, but finding nothing.

"How is this kid difficult?" Arthur asked as he stepped into the room.

Leia glanced at him for a moment and let out a sigh. She shook her head.

"Arthur, I thought I told you not to come in," Leia groaned as she looked out the window.

"Well, too late now," Arthur walked over to an open pill bottle next to the boy.

Arthur walked past him, getting a better sense of his age. 'He really is a kid...' The boy tensed up as Arthur passed by, even leaning away.

"I'm... I'm just closing this..." Arthur mentioned.

"Yeah you don't have to worry, he's the nice doctor's son," said Leia. "Unless you make a mess, then his inner neat freak comes out."

"Oh shut up, there's nothing wrong with being organized..." Arthur chuckled slightly under his groan.

"The doctor is your dad?" the boy asked.

Leia squinted as she noticed the boy open up just a little.

"Yeah..." Arthur replied, the question puzzled him.

"Oh. Huh..."

"Hm?" Arthur tilted his head.

The boy just squinted as he looked at the ground, he was clearly thinking about something. He continued to look around the room, then squinted at the window.

"Why is... The sky is orange? Why?" the white haired boy asked.

Arthur turned and looked out the window, the sun was setting. A gradient of orange was pulling back the dark blue. 'What?' Arthur raised an eyebrow as he thought about the question. What was even more bizarre, was how genuine the question sounded. Leia continued to observe next to the window.

"Because... The sun is going down?" Arthur squinted.

"What? Isn't the sky supposed to be blue?" the boy asked another seemingly obvious question with genuine ignorance.

"Yeah... When the sun is around the horizon..." Arthur nodded, his tone insinuating this should be obvious.

The boy just looked down again, squinted and then held his head. A fast pair of steps came down the hallway. Shinra stepped into the room, and scanned it from left to right in less than a second.

"Arthur," Shinra squinted, then looked at Leia for a few seconds. "I thought I said, not to let anyone in..." He walked to the desk and moved 'The Legend of Ragnarok' into his desk drawer. "Or... Did my son just put up that much of a fight."

"I couldn't stop him sir, it was a desperate effort," Leia replied while yawning.

"And what about the other? No problems right?"

Shinra had white hair slicked back, a thick mustache and goatee covering his mouth. He was in his late sixties. He wore a white shirt, and held his white and red coat in hand. Arthur noticed his forehead shine, 'What's he sweating for?' The boy jumped off the bed and looked to the head doctor. Shinra's breaths sounded a little fatigued.

"No, no he's been behaving... He's just an odd kid..."

"Uhm... Sir..." The boy called Shinra.

"Give me a moment, lad," Shinra asked while flipping through some files on his desk.

"Did... Did you end up finding my-"

"Wait, just a moment, my brain isn't as good as it used to be..."

"Oh, sorry," the boy spoke with his head low.

Leia kept her eye on Shinra, before leaning off the wall and turning toward the door.

"You do your thing doc, I'll go write my report," Leia waved as she walked out the door.

"Yes... Oh! Wait just a moment Leia!" Shinra called and Leia turned. "I asked Ako about the construction happening on the first floor, but she didn't know about it, who ordered that?"

Arthur thought back to the men he saw when he entered the hospital. Leia tilted her head.

"Are you sure you didn't call them?" Leia asked.

"Yes, I'm sure... Besides, a construction warrant requires approval from me... I don't recall approving any construction on the first floor for the last few months..."

"I'll look around, might have been a mistake, see you later, bye Arthur," Leia walked out of the room.

Shinra walked over to the door, poking his head out and observing Leia as she walked down the hall. Arthur turned back to the child. Shinra let out a drawn out sigh as he closed the door and turned to Arthur.

"You shouldn't be in this room either. I saw Knight Captain Bahar outside on the way out and back to the building, you weren't there both times..."

"I was there the first time?! Just... Out of your sight.." Arthur glanced in other directions to avoid his eyes. "Besides, I know everything already."

Shinra sighed.

"Well, I am of the belief that intelligence does not require institution, however, there is more to it than acquiring knowledge and skill," Shinra spoke as he closed the windows and shut the blinds.

"Huh? What else could there be to school?"

"Those students will be your colleagues Arthur, for years to come, it's best for you to get along with everyone and build strong bonds."

"Well, I'm good friends with all of your lieutenants..."

"That's fine, however I want you to have friends around your age," Shinra opened the door for Arthur. "The perception of the world is different for people of all ages, and understanding everyone is difficult. Anyways, we'll continue this discussion later, I cannot continue my consultation with you here."

Arthur pursed his lips as he walked to the door. "Most people in class just hang out with me because I'm smart, or because I'm a noble... It's really annoying..."

"Ignorance isn't something we should avoid or punish, Arthur. When we were growing up, your mother wasn't very bright, she'd bombard me with questions all the time," Shinra laughed.

"Mom was a nurse here before she passed away though..." Arthur tilted his head.

"Exactly," said Shinra. "People can change Arthur. They may be ignorant now, but that's exactly why they are in school. They seek to change and better themselves, only a fool wouldn't acknowledge that effort."

"Hm..." Arthur thought about his fathers words. "I guess you're right... It's still really annoying though..."

"You'll get over it," Shinra patted Arthur's shoulder twice, but then raised an eyebrow as he looked down. "What's this?" he held the pendant up.

"Oh, that's why I came up here! Take a look! I got my own gift!"

"By the Celestial... Arthur, that's incredible!" Shinra gushed.

"Right!" Arthur laughed.

The little boy watched with wide eyes. He didn't seem to understand, but he had shifted on the bed and crawled toward them to get a better look.

"Woah..." the little boy whispered, he looked surprised.

"I'm not too sure how it works yet, but check this out," Arthur held the amulet up in his palm.

"Is it safe? Don't blow up my office!" Shinra warned.

"Yeah, yeah, its fine," Arthur stepped past his father.

Shinra stepped back as Arthur took a deep breath. 'Reiu...' The pendant unwounded, then brightened in its color. The silver became a white glow, the small snake-like dragon slithered around Arthur's neck and rested its head on his shoulder.

"That's so cool!" the little boy shouted with his hands on his head.

"Huh? I didn't even do anything with her yet," Arthur laughed.

Arthur pointed to the boy.

"Protect," he commanded.

A white barrier appeared around the boy.

Arthur glanced one last time at the young angel. He watched Arthur and Shinra with a dazed expression.

"What's his name anyway?" Arthur asked.

"Eos," Shinra answered. "His name is Eos..."

"Eos?" Arthur repeated as he glanced at the boy.

"It's... Definitely not a common name..."

"Huh... Well, his family should be in Helios... Which district did you find him in?"

Shinra stared at the ground with a blank expression, Arthur tilted his head as he waited for an answer.

"Where'd you find him? Dad?" Arthur repeated.

"I haven't told anyone this, I really don't know who to go to... But..."

Arthur tilted his head, his father seemed tense. It was uncommon for anything to make him worry. The silver dragon floated toward Eos, tilting its head as it observed the boy. Eos reached forward to touch it, but then felt the surface of the barrier Reiu had conjured. The boy was mesmerized by the sight.

"A dwagon?" Eos uttered to himself.

"Told anyone what?" Arthur asked.

"Nevermind what I just said..." Shinra turned around. "I'll get something nice for dinner tonight, it isn't often someone receives the Celestials generosity. And a spirit at that! Your mother would be proud."

"Oh... Alright, no problem..." Arthur waved as he turned around, as he stepped outside, the door closed behind him.

Arthur made his way down the hallway. He looked down and pondered the last few things his father said.

"I wonder what's got him so worked up..." Arthur asked himself.