The crisp orange sun rose over the sea of trees. A wind rustled and shook a wave of branches and peeled away leaves to flutter off into the gale. Despite the fact that this area of Palmenae was a warmer climate year round, Mrs. Greene couldn't help but feel cold as she remembered that Avures and Rael had both been gone for over a year now. Though they had gotten to that age where they would have been turned loose from the orphanage, she still regarded the two of them very closely like they were her own children. After all, she had been taking care of them since they were infants. As she looked out the window to the morning sky, she caught a glimpse of her own reflection. Her hair was a plain gray, and a few wrinkles adorned her face. To her, it really ingrained that perspective of herself being an old lady. She remembered holding Rael at this window, and seeing her reflection with more vibrant hair and a colorful smile...

But now, it was much harder to find that same smile within. She received orphans, nurtured them, taught them, watched them grow up, and watched them leave. It always broke her heart a little to watch them leave. But they needed to grow up. If only it didn't hurt her so badly. If only they visited more often. Alas, it was their life to live. So, there was no resentment or disappointment. Only wishful thinking that they might give her the time of day once more by stopping by. Which is why she would watch the morning sky. She hoped that she would see one of those kids come into the village before she got to work. Something to invigorate her spirit and make the rest of her day...

And on that final thought... She saw a set of wagon wheels emerge from the treeline…

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"Whoa! Are these guys your friends, Avures?" A small boy gawked at Bif, Lylas, and Olicia. The three of them stood by Avures and watched as a small group of kids surrounded them. Back by the wagon, Ventrix leaned against it and observed. He was plenty fine with just watching it all.

"Mhm. That's Lylas... This is Bif... And this is Olicia..." Avures pointed between the three of them. Lylas smiled and waved at the children while Bif brought up his arms and flexed his large muscles. Olicia awkwardly darted her eyes away from the group.

"Ha-ha! Bif! That's a stupid name!" One boy pointed and giggled at the posing Lancer.

"Sorry. Can't hear you over how big my arms are." Bif closed his eyes and strained his arms harder as his veins became more visible.

"No, dude. He's cool!" Another boy swatted the kid's arm down. Bif chuckled as he lowered his arms down and crossed them. Lylas scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Avures... I thought you didn't have any friends besides Rael." Olicia glanced over at him.

"Well..." Avures raised an eyebrow as he scanned through the small crowd. A lot of them were normal village kids, and some were from the orphanage. That much he could remember. But, he never supposed that they would be this excited to see him when he hardly ever talked to anyone else besides Rael.

"Yeah. Seems you're pretty popular after all." Lylas glanced between the crowd here, and another group off in the distance talking to Rael. This group was filled with kids with the oldest probably being around twelve or thirteen years old. But that other group, those people were about their age themselves. Late teens, early adults... "So, that's how it is..."

"Avures doesn't look dorky anymore..." A girl from the group of children walked up to him. She stood a foot or so shorter than him. "He looks strong now... But that arm looks scary!"

"Uh..." Avures watched as the group of kids simultaneously gazed at his right arm... And then his left hand. The looks were a mix of fear, disgust, but some of awe. Avures then pointed to Lylas. "Well, what do you think about this guy? He looks cool, right?"

"Meh. He doesn't look special." An older boy in the crowd shook his head.

"Ah-..." Lylas scratched the back of his head and sighed. Bif quietly laughed and turned away from his friend.

"I've been telling them that you've been saving people and being a hero." Mrs. Green held her hands together as she walked forward.

"It's not inaccurate." Avures felt some relief as he looked upon his old caretaker.

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So, how's it been Rael?" A short-haired blonde boy had a woodcutting ax resting on his shoulder. The piece of grass in his mouth moved with each word he said. "Is that Academy really as tough and hard to go through as they say it is?"

"Yeah..." Rael sighed and drooped her shoulders down. "It's all like one big chore you do everyday. And it doesn't end."

"Whew... I think I'm happy with just chopping trees then." The boy chuckled as he shook his head.

"Mm... So, how have things been around here since I've been gone?" Rael perked her head up immediately and gazed around the village. "Last time I visited, I didn't really get to hear from you guys."

"Same old same old..." A boy with short-cut brown hair shrugged. "Pretty quiet without you though. We kinda miss having you around..."

"Ha-ha... Yeah." Rael put her hands behind her head and held them together. She held her smile, but couldn't deny that she felt off. No... It was more than just feeling off. As she observed the looks the two boys gave her... As their eyes looked her up and down... She felt annoyed. Annoyed that they could even look at her in such a way after leaving her behind before. And especially bothered by the fact that these two boys were the same two of three that had beaten Avures up that one day so many years ago...

"You said you just got back from a contract... How was it?" A plain looking girl with long brown hair tilted her head at Rael.

"Oh." Rael snapped out of her momentary spite. "It was... It turned out well... I almost died though."

"Oh jeez... I'm sorry. I didn't realize." The girl put her hands up.

"It's fine!..." Rael sheepishly smiled as she waved off the girl's concern. "I feel like we did really well even though I had to save Avures from dying too."

"Tch... Damn. To think the two of you both almost died." The brown-haired boy sighed with his gaze widened.

"You know... I just don't get it. I figured he would have given up on it by now." The blonde-haired boy turned his attention to Avures off in the distance. "But what I really don't get is why you keep sticking your neck out for that creepy weirdo. It sounds like you almost died cause you were trying to save him."

"Is that how it looks?..." Rael had to hush her tone down as a flood of anger rushed to her head... But, she took a deep breath and turned her attention towards Avures. She smiled. "He saved me first. He's helped me in ways that you could never understand."

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"So yeah, it's been quite the journey so far." Avures sighed as he stood next to Mrs. Greene. He watched from some ways away as the other three played games with the kids.

"I still find it so hard to believe... You used to fit in my arms so snugly..." Mrs. Greene stared ahead as she reminisced about the past. The baby that never cried, never caused a fuss... "And now you're out there helping people. I couldn't be more proud of you and Rael."

"I-... I don't know what to say." Avures felt his chest tighten up. He brought his left hand to his chest and grabbed at his body. It wasn't pain, but a cathartic relief that bordered pride. Still, maintaining his stoic exterior... "Thank you..."

"Mm... I imagine those people were extremely grateful." Mrs. Greene clasped her hands together and smiled at Avures.

"Oh... Yeah. They seemed like it." Avures drifted his eyes away from the old woman as he recalled leaving that town. It was a short and concise thank you from the town. They were nice enough to give them some food and water as a parting gift... But then spent no time tearing apart that nobleman... Avures was just glad that everyone else had the same idea of not sticking around for that.

"So, are those four all actually your friends?" Mrs. Greene daintily pointed between the other Lancers. "I'm just not sure... What with that work being a business and all..."

"I feel like I can safely say we're all friends." Avures glanced between the four of them. It was odd to think that they were all strangers at one point. This whole friendship and comradery started from a few sudden conversations. Avures could have never pictured himself having any one person that close to him, much less five people.

"Oh... I'm so glad..." Mrs. Greene turned to Avures and wrapped her arms around him in a big embrace. Avures didn't hug back, but lowered his gaze as his face turned red. A few seconds later, she pulled away. "I'm sorry, dear. I forgot you're not a fan of that."

"It's okay... Actually, I want to thank you." Avures turned towards her. "Thank you for putting us together that day. I don't know where I would be without Rael."

"Oh... Dear, I'm just happy that it worked out..." Mrs. Greene turned away from Avures and looked out to where Rael was. Rael had finished talking with the small group of people, and joined up with Olicia, Bif, and Lylas. "You had me worried for a long time, Avures."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Avures stepped forward, closer to the caretaker.

"For so long... You never made a single sound aside from breathing. No crying, no yelling... And no talking either... Avures, did I ever tell you the story of when I found you?" Mrs. Greene turned back towards Avures. Though Avures had already discerned how it went down... He was curious as to how Mrs. Greene had seen it.

"No, I don't think so..."

"It was only a day or so after I had taken in Rael. The village had gotten wind that a town was destroyed by a sudden cultist onslaught. A town called Belva. As soon as I heard, I went out to see if I could find any survivors." Mrs. Greene looked out towards the forest in the direction of the destroyed town. "Of course, I couldn't do such a thing anymore. I'm not as spry as I used to be, but..."

Mrs. Greene cradled her arms together and bowed her head down. Everything down to the sensation of holding that baby to the weather of that fateful meeting... It all came flooding back to her head at once. The stare that the infant had...

"Before I even got a good look at Belva... I saw someone's leg sticking out from beside a tree. I came closer... And there was this young girl holding you. All wrapped up in a blanket together... She was dead. But you were alive. She was missing her arm, and blood had permeated the blanket... But to me, it seemed she used the last of her strength to keep you alive. At first though, I thought you were dead. You didn't cry or make any noise. But when your eyes met mine..." Mrs. Greene looked deep into his emerald green eyes. It was like looking into a time capsule. The way Avures stared back was nearly the exact same as that fateful meeting.

"Mrs. Greene... Are you okay?" Avures watched a tear stroll down his caretaker's face. He wanted to move forward and try to comfort her... But he also felt that it wasn't his place to do so.

"I am... I am... I just... It was so sad to look at, but so beautiful too. That girl gave everything she could to give you a chance. That thought always stays with me. It used to scare me, because for a while, I thought you were dead of the soul. You never cried, never got angry, and you hardly talked. I thought that maybe you had been so traumatized from whatever happened that you would never be normal... But then, I had an idea..." Mrs. Greene wiped her tears away as she smiled at the boy.

"Rael..."

"Yep... You would always look so annoyed around her. But, you'd also seem down when she wasn't around."

"I don't know about that." Avures rubbed the back of his head as he slyly gazed away.

"Oh, you can't hide that from me. I've taken care of kids all my life, Avures. And that includes you too, even if you're different than most. I notice things about you that you probably think you keep hidden pretty well." Mrs. Greene put her finger in Avures's chest.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Avures looked at the old woman. He slowly lowered his arm back down to his side.

"It took me a while to understand you... But I can tell that you've changed. Those people over there... You care about them, don't you?" Mrs. Greene peered past the boy to look over at the five of them.

"You can-"

"Of course I can. You carry yourself so much differently now... I guess all it took was meeting the right people, huh?"

"I guess..." Avures sighed as he closed his eyes. His chest felt light. What was this feeling?

"Avures. Take care of them. And let them take care of you..."

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"Mrs. Greene! I'm sorry! I didn't want to butt into you and Avures talking!" Rael ran up to the old woman and nearly tackled her to the ground with a hug.

"Oh dear!... That's okay, Rael." Mrs. Greene held onto Rael tightly trying to keep her balance. "How have you been doing, sweetheart?"

"Mm... The last couple of months have been rough for me... But I've been feeling great recently!" Rael released her caretaker and giggled. Mrs. Greene partially understood what she meant. Rael was deeply upset and troubled that one night... Mrs. Greene was still fairly upset about George telling her the truth. She knew it would only hurt Rael.

"Oh... Well, I'm glad you're doing better now then! Have you been doing everything you need to be doing in the Academy?" Mrs. Greene wagged her finger at the girl.

"Heh... Yep." Rael was all smiles as she rubbed the back of her head. She turned her gaze over to the wagon. Avures, Olicia, Bif, Lylas, and Ventrix were all over there. Avures had figured that he would give the two of them some time to talk alone as well. "They all seem to like me there."

"Rael. Honey... You aren't trying to go out of your way to make them like you, are you?"

"Eh?!... No no! I get along with them just fine. If anything..." Rael kept looking at Avures. Her smile dropped for a moment as she took in his appearance fully. "I was worried about Avures. I wanted to make sure that he would be able to stick around and all..."

"Do you think he's been doing okay?"

"Yeah... He's doing a lot better than I thought he would." Rael's lips curled into a grin as she turned back towards Mrs. Greene. "I still have to keep an eye on him though... Otherwise, he won't tell me anything about what he's doing or feeling."

"That's just how a lot of men are Rael." Mrs. Greene chuckled and sighed. "Anyways, it looks like you're all ready to head out."

"Oh yeah... Sorry we can't stay longer. Avures wanted to just make a short stop here anyways. We'll be back in the capital tomorrow. It was nice seeing you again, Mrs. Greene." Rael hugged the old woman one last time before she took off towards the wagon. Mrs. Greene was sad to see her go, but happy knowing that Rael and Avures were doing well...

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"So, all that was just to visit granny, huh?" Bif leaned his head back in the wagon and watched the clouds roll by.

"Mhm. Is there something wrong with that?" Avures tilted his head at the boy.

"No. Not really. Those kids seem to think of the two of you pretty highly though." Bif yawned as he outstretched his arms. "I guess they aren't so bad then."

"They tired me out by just existing." Olicia had her head bowed as she sat criss-crossed in the cart.

"It's weird though. I only ever hung around Avures and other people our age." Rael shrugged with a simple smile on her face. "They probably talked us up for them."

"It was a lovely little village." Ventrix sat against the side rail of the cart. "Seems like the kind of place where everyone knows each other."

"Just about." Avures knew from his experience of watching people that Ventrix was right.

"Can y'all believe all this, though?" Lylas guided the horse from the driver's seat. "We actually completed a contract together..."

"Wait, does it even count?" Olicia perked her head up. "Ventrix assaulted our employer, and he's dead now."

"They were not too happy with him." Rael grimaced as she recalled the angry crowd almost literally ripping him apart.

"By all technicalities, we should be fine. If the contract was signed after completion... Then we're legally separated from the binds of the job and have no association with him otherwise. Basically, whatever happens after that is a different thing." Avures watched the nodding gazes of his friends...

"Right... So, we're getting paid?" Bif looked between all of his friend's faces.

"Yes, Muscle-brain. We're being paid." Lylas sighed as he bowed his head down.

"Then I'm happy." Bif let his head fall back once more and his eyes greeted the blue sky. "I gotta say though... Even though we all almost ate shit and died... It was a lot of fun."

"Is that what qualifies for fun?" Olicia narrowed her eyes on Bif. Bif, in return, merely waved his hand dismissively towards her without looking back.

"C'mon. You know what I mean." Bif smiled as he kept his eyes up.

"Everyone played their part perfectly." Avures gripped his leg with his right hand. "And it worked out."

"It was a little scary... Knowing how close we all came to... Yeah." Rael looked out the corners of her eyes at Avures. "But I get what Bif means. That was fun!"

"Oh. Rael! Don't encourage that thought!" Olicia rolled her eyes and rubbed her temples.

"Olicia, is there anyone else you would rather do it all with instead?" Ventrix chuckled and smiled at her. "There's no one I'd rather fight alongside with."

"Well, of course I liked fighting with you guys..." Olicia crossed her arms and looked away.

"Huh... The one who can regenerate her wounds is hesitant to call a near-death experience fun." Lylas giggled to himself.

"Come on! I just don't-" Olicia threw her arms up in the air, but then Bif sprang to life and carefully maneuvered himself behind Lylas's seat.

"Yeah! C'mon bro! Don't you get it? It's not fun for her because she has a deep psychological need for the thrill of battle and it can't be fulfilled since she can't die! Because she keeps regenerating, she can never be happy in battle because she knows she won't die!" Bif had planted his hands firmly on Lylas's shoulder and used a mocking tone to get his message across. Lylas couldn't even muster a coherent thought as Bif's bit got to him. His laughter filled the air.

"Okay! Come on!" Olicia's face was a bright red as she stood herself up in the wagon. "We are not doing this after that whole talk!"

"Right... B-Heh... Bif knock it off." Lylas waved his friend off. Bif obliged with a big smile on his face, sitting back down in the wagon.

"I get it, bitch." Bif looked directly at Olicia's furious expression. "It's not so fun to watch everyone else get hurt so bad."

"That's-... Yeah..." Olicia was shocked that Bif took the words out of her mouth. She sighed and plopped back down onto the wagon.

"I'm sure all of us are hurting pretty bad." Lylas gripped the area of his torso that Patchwork had stabbed him at. "Those clerics were... Underwhelming? The healers in the capital are a lot better."

"Hey, as long as it holds for now, I don't care." Bif had gotten off much better than anyone else here besides Olicia.

"It would probably pay to have one of us learn how to heal..." Ventrix looked around at the other five. The silence was so thick that a needle could be heard dropping from a mile away. Lylas coughed.

"Hm... Not me." Rael waved the idea off. "I don't have the patience to learn that."

"Yeah no. I'm already pretty spent magically. There's no way I could end up being good at it." Olicia shook her head.

"No way I will. Fuck that." Bif smiled and shook his head as well. "You suggested it, Blue-Blood. What about you?"

"I only know a basic amount. I'm pretty spent as well." Ventrix shrugged his shoulders.

"There's no way I could. Ya have to have decent potency to be effective." Lylas's answer left only one person in the cart.

"I... Only know a basic amount as well." Avures turned his gaze away from the rest of his friends.

"You can't lie to save your life." Bif shook his head and grinned.

"Okay. I read books on it. I... I might have even read some books on other elements to see how those casters might perform it..."

"That seems pointless." Bif raised an eyebrow. The obvious implication of Avures reading these other books.

"Well... It at least keeps me occupied. Besides, as far as healing goes... It takes a great deal of dedication. I could try to further what I can do, but it probably won't be any good." Avures sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"So... It seems none of us besides Avures are really willing to try... Maybe we just try not to get hurt, huh?" Ventrix chuckled as he bowed his head down.

"Not a chance. I love self-destructive behavior." Bif crossed his arms behind his head and smiled.

"You've really been using a lot of big words. That guy must have hit you pretty hard." Olicia's redness faded as she smirked.

"Nah. Avures is just a pretty good teacher. It's also "good to have an articulate vocabulary" so I may pronunciate myself better." Bif's smug aura permeated the air.

"That's not the correct word to use there." Avures muttered as he brought his knees up and rested his arms on them.

"Eh. Who cares? Shits dumb." Bif let his gaze rise to the sky once more. Rael put her hand over her mouth as she tried to stifle her giggling. Bif immediately shot up and looked at her. "Hey! This isn't funny! Rael! Do not laugh!"

"B-Bif-Please..." Rael closed her eyes and tilted her head back as she could no longer cover her mouth. Small bursts of laughter escaped her mouth.

"Rael! It's not funny!" Bif grinned ear to ear as he shouted at the top of his lungs. He pointed his finger at her and Rael couldn't contain herself anymore.

"Ha-ha! Bif! Stop! Ha-ha-ha! Stop it! It-it... Ha-ha! It only makes me wanna laugh when you do that!" Rael doubled over with laughter and fell over against Avures's legs. Ventrix put his hand over his face as a small chortle erupted.

"Guys I'mma need ya to stop laughing at Muscle-brain. He has a serious condition." Lylas turned his head around and stared deadpan at the five of them. All the laughing teens silenced immediately. The silence was thick as Bif bowed his head down.

"It's true." Bif moved his head up and down with a slow and lifeless motion. "I may only have a short time left..."

"That's right... If Muscle-brain doesn't get a middle-aged woman with big muscles in his life soon... He may not make it." Lylas took a heavy breath and lowered his head with as much seriousness as he could muster. Rael buried her face in her hands with muffled cackling escaping her barrier. Olicia's lips curled into a grand smile as she crossed her arms and stifled her laughter.

"Ah..." Bif sighed... And sighed again with more dramatic effect, dragging it on for a few seconds. "Guys... Pray for me."

Ventrix launched into an outright roar of laughter and tears, with everyone else in the cart following suit. Of course, except for Avures who merely let loose a small laugh and heavy exhale...

After a short while, the laughter began to subside and the silence of the ride hit the group once more. It was surreal. Over a year of training, they had all gone from strangers to friends. They went on a contract together and completed it. There was an air of pride and happiness that floated from each of them and all around. Nothing needed said.

"Hm... Hey guys." Lylas twisted himself to look at everyone in the wagon. "At this rate, we won't be back till nightfall. Which means the office will be closed and we won't be able to get paid. Do y'all just wanna camp out for the night? I had a spot I was eyeing when we first went down."

No one objected to Lylas's proposal. Everyone felt it appropriate to take the night to camp out. It also seemed like less of a necessity, and more something the six of them wanted to do for fun. As everyone came to an agreement, Lylas turned back to the road ahead of him and set course for a certain spot he found...

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"Huh... This does seem pretty nice." Ventrix hopped out of the parked wagon.

"I'll go get firewood! Someone should make food for dinner!" Rael almost tripped over herself as she jumped up from her seat and rushed out from the cart.

"I'll handle the cooking. Muscle-brain and Olicia can pitch the tents. Brainiac and Blue-blood can make space and set up an area for a campfire." Lylas stepped down from the driver's seat of the wagon and handled the horse.

"No nickname for me?" Olicia jumped out from the back and crossed her arms as she addressed Lylas.

"Oh we have a nickname for you." Bif stretched out his arms as he walked past the two of them.

"Well? Why not use it?" Olicia narrowed her gaze.

"We do. It's just... Uh..." Bif stopped in his tracks and scratched his head.

"It's not very endearing." Lylas scoffed as he finished taking care of the horse.

"I mean. We're all pals here, right? Any nickname is endearing. Just use it." Olicia rolled her eyes.

"Okay, Bitch." Bif shrugged as he continued on past the two of them.

"Eh?" Olicia's eyes went wide and her arms dropped. "Are you fucking serious? Just tell me what it is."

"We did, Bitch." Lylas grinned as he went over to the side where their bags sat in an overhang.

"Eh?! Why is my nickname Bitch?!" Olicia scowled and stomped her foot. Lylas peered around the edge of the cart and stared at her. Bif turned and also glared at her... "Okay okay! I see how it is!"

"Look, Bit-Olicia... It's meant to be like an insult with a form of tough love. Just like the nicknames we gave everyone else." Lylas returned to unpacking supplies.

"Okay. List the other nicknames." Olicia crossed her arms again.

"Well..." Lylas sighed and stopped his task.

"There's Brainiac... Bro... Blue-blood..." Bif counted on his fingers slowly.

"And Muscle-brain... Red-head... And then you, Bitch." Lylas finished Bif's counting and smiled.

"Okay, but "Bro" and "Red-head" hardly seem like insults." Olicia rolled her eyes and pouted.

"Lylas is Bro though because he's kinda like the big bro here." Bif shrugged. "It makes too much sense. If you think about it, he's probably one of the main reasons we all meld well."

"I can agree with that." Ventrix piped up as he carried over a few small rocks. Ventrix remembered that little sparring match they had where the two of them talked for a bit. It was good advice.

"Mhm... And as for Rael... I suppose we could call her "Air-head?" She might even like it." Lylas carried a set of pitons and bundled up tents to a grassy patch and dropped them.

"Most definitely. Very fitting." Avures didn't bother looking away from arranging the rocks in a circle around an area he helped de-grass.

"Damn." Bif chuckled at Avures's sudden sassiness. "Anyways, see? It isn't a bad thing."

"If ya don't want us to call you that, we won't do it." Lylas put his hands up next to his head.

"Eh... It's whatever. I'll just get used to it I suppose. After all, it's all in good fun." Olicia smiled and shrugged as she dropped her apprehensiveness. This wasn't like before. She had reassurance in her heart that they were truly her friends.

The area itself that the six of them would set up camp in was a large opening based on the top and side of a hill. It wasn't a large or towering hill, but had a sizeable enough incline and wideness to it to stand out in the open fields it occupied. That, and it also had a towering and thick singular tree at the apex of it.

Particularly, Lylas's intrigue and interest in this location was its view. If one were to camp next to the tree and face north, they could gaze upon Palmenae and the surrounding area. Palmenae resting on it's cliff against the ocean and its wild tide. When looking at the capital from far away, it's distinct, massive buildings and features gave the illusion of a pattern which could be pointed out with a finger. The shape's pattern resembled a cut gem with edges and lines that cut between the structures which acted as points. This, along with the city supposedly being situated above a small network of caves with gems in the walls, earned Palmenae the nickname "The Gem of Tumae".

However, drawing vision away from the city and its walls, one could outline and point out the forest next to Lancer Academy along with the building itself. Further down the road, there was a small littering of homes and shops. Small scale farms were also set up along the way. Then, out from there, a few noble manors and houses stood out. Of course, everything from then on out was a small scattering of the previous before just becoming a long, winding road which went past the very hill they stood on now.

The city and its surrounding constituents was quite the sight. But it's position in nature also had an interesting effect. When the sun would go overhead, it cast a giant shadow on the ocean behind it. In the morning, the shadow would be to the left side, and in the afternoon it would overcast onto the right side. The final piece in Lylas's decision however... Was that tonight would have a mostly clear sky. So, the stars would be in full display...

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"Mm... I like this!" Rael smacks her lips and chews her food as she takes in the surroundings. By the time the six of them got everything set up, the sun had begun to set. The way the orange light of the sky covered all along with a cool breeze... It was a perfect evening. "This is nice!"

"This was a good idea." Ventrix gazed out towards the land. He was able to pinpoint the exact location where he and his father lived.

"We were almost outta rations and stuff anyways... Figured one last outing would be fun." Lylas poked around some of the sticks in the fire pit with a bigger stick. "Especially since the job is done. This is just to relax."

"I guess-... Mm... It's alright." Bif chewed his food and shrugged his shoulders. Bif wasn't so easily impressed by anything outside of a fight. "So, campfire... Night coming in... Who's starting?"

"Huh? Starting what?" Avures finished chewing his food as he raised an eyebrow at Bif.

"C'mon... Mm... Brainiac! Campfire stories." Bif swallowed the last of his food and sighed. "I suggested it on our way to the job, but no!... "We still have a job to do"... Fucking Bro..."

"Muscle-brain, what the fuck are ya going on about?" Lylas continued to stoke the flames as he narrowed his gaze on Bif. "We needed to get to the town."

"We were camping out anyway!" Bif threw his arms in the air and shook his head.

"I wanted to keep us serious." Lylas rolled his eyes and dropped the stick. "Whatever. I like the idea anyway... But you don't get to tell stories."

"What? Why?" Bif's face was struck with a look of disbelief.

"Ya tell your stories all the time... And they're all the same..." Lylas sighed and rested his cheek in the palm of his hand.

"Yeah. Lylas is right." Rael finished her food and tapped her legs in a rhythm as she sat on a log. "Your stories all kinda blend together."

"Nuh-uh!" Bif shot up and pointed at Rael.

"Someone approaches you, they say something rude, you beat them up, they apologize, people think you're cool... More or less with the truth being very obscure." Olicia crossed her arms and plainly looked at Bif.

"I-!..." Bif changed to pointing at Olicia instead... But could find nothing to retort with since her description was blatantly true. Bif huffed and plopped back down onto the log. "Fine. But I get to pick who tells first! And I pick... Air-head."

"Well... Go ahead." Lylas gestured over to Rael who looked slightly confused.

"Air-head? Why did my nickname change?" Rael pointed to herself and pouted.

"Does it matter? I think it's a little more interesting than Red-head." Lylas shrugged and grinned. Rael also shrugged in tandem and smiled.

"Okay! I kinda like it since it fits." Rael giggled and raised her hand to her mouth and nose.

"Like clockwork." Avures scoffed.

"Eh?" Rael snapped over to stare at Avures. Her eyebrow was raised and her lips puffed together.

"Nothing." Avures didn't bother looking towards her as he kept looking at the flames.

"Hm..." Rael squinted at Avures... And then turned back to everyone else with a smile. "Well, you'll like this story anyways I'm sure, Avures."

"Oh no..." Avures muttered as his eyes went wide. He had a feeling he would, in fact, not like this story.

"So, here's something that happened a few months ago..."

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I remembered waking up in the middle of the night and feeling restless. No matter what I did, I just couldn't fall back asleep. So, I did what I normally do in this situation. I walked over to Avures's side of the room and sat at his desk. And, I watched him for a bit.

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"Huh?" Avures swiveled his head to Rael. "You watch me when I sleep?"

"Yeah, of course I do." Rael smiled wide until her teeth were shown.

"That seems like a perfectly normal and sane thing to do." Olicia rested her hand over her mouth and held her fingers on the side of her nose.

"Exactly!" Rael clapped her hands together.

"That was sarcasm." Olicia sighed as her voice was overpowered by Rael.

"Anyways! Let me continue..."

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So, I was sitting there and I got curious about what Avures had been doing in his free time. I may or may not have snooped around his desk a little.

"You are such a nerd..." Rael grinned as she carefully moved around a pile of books with one hand while keeping a low flame on her other hand.

I happened to find some technique books. Specifically, Fire Element books. And I thought it might be a good idea to practice a little while I can't sleep. Maybe it would tire me out? So, after sifting through some books, I found one I wanted to learn... Well, a lot of them actually. I just piled them up on the ground in the order I wanted to try.

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"Wait, did you try this in our room?" Avures's eyes were wide open and pasted on Rael.

"Yes!" Rael was holding a smile in the face of Avures's disbelief.

"Doesn't the Academy have a rule against practicing magic in the dorm rooms?" Ventrix put his hand to his chin.

"It's specifically against Fire, Lightning, and Earth magic. Everything else is fine. And I'm sure anyone can understand why those three are prohibited." Olicia buried her face in her hands.

"So..."

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A lot of it was harmless as I was being very careful. I learned a thing or two from a book... But the rest I couldn't seem to figure out so I got frustrated... However, there was one book in particular I really wanted to try to learn from. I noticed Avures had a lot of bookmarks in it and it had some wear from him reading it.

My thinking at the time was that Avures had been studying up on a Fire technique to suggest to me. I'm not quite sure how I got to that conclusion, but it didn't help that none of the books were color-coded.

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"Wait, yes they are." Olicia blinked in rapid succession at Rael.

"Yeah, ain't it like Fire books are red, Water books are blue?" Lylas raised an eyebrow at Rael's claim.

"They are..." Avures took a deep, long sigh as he held his face in his hands. He rested his elbows on his legs and ran his fingers through his hair. "But... I was doing Manipulation practice on the book covers themselves. I made them all black..."

"Ah! The truth!" Rael jumped up from her log and pointed at Avures. "That makes me feel less bad about this next part!"

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So I was trying my hardest to get this technique to work. It was so hard to get. Something about pooling my mana in the area around me... And then, I got it!

"Ah!" Rael watched in awe as she saw a red circle emerge from her. It spread out around seven feet away from her in all directions. The wooden floor was overtaken with a slightly opaque red color, and nearly reached both Rael's and Avures's beds.

It was... Unfortunate that I got it...

"Oh no-Oh no-Oh no!..." Rael covered her mouth with her hands as she tried to muffle her voice. Every spot on the floor where the red overlay was now had flames sprouted from it. Small, crackling fires were popping up all across the wooden floor. Rael jerked her vision around the room, looking for anything to stop the fire. Though it was directly proportional to her mana, she couldn't outright stop it. Her flames had enough fuel and already used up the initial mana.

Rael whimpered and groaned as she tried to think of anything to stop this. She first turned over to her side of the room and lunged towards her possessions at the foot of her bed. Quickly scouring through, she located a canteen of water. Wasting no time, she turned around, opened the canteen, and threw the water towards the flame. A partial amount of the fire was doused out immediately, but a large portion still remained. Rael threw the canteen aside and looked around the room for another solution.

With the fire being reduced for now, she needed to just snuff out the rest of it before it got worse. Rael snatched the blanket off of her bed and shuffled over to the flames. She threw the blanket onto the crackling fire and stomped down over the area of her blanket several times over. After a few more seconds, she ripped the blanket off of the floor and surveyed it. All the flames were gone, and the floor didn't look very damaged at all thanks to her quick acting. Rael sighed in relief as she threw her blanket over to the side of her bed.

However, after doing so, she instantly noted that the books were on the ground the entire time. Cursing under her breath, she got down on her knees and looked through them. Out of the eight she had put down there, three of them were damaged. The others were fine, but the damaged ones were unreadable. Rael cringed as she gazed over to Avures. He was still sound asleep somehow.

Rael tiptoed over to his desk and sat the unscathed books down. She then stealthily slid the three books under Avures's bed, making as littlesound as possible. Rael sighed in relief as she meandered over to her side of the room. She slowly laid herself down and pulled the blanket off of the floor. The blanket was wet in some spots from being tossed where the water had been used. Otherwise, the blanket was hot from the flames. She turned and adjusted the blanket until she was covered with a dry area.

Rael then shut her eyes and passed out, hoping Avures wouldn't notice what happened at all…

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"God... I'm glad we never roomed together." Olicia's eyes looked lifeless as she stared at Rael.

"Huh? Why do you say that?" Rael tilted her head to the side and stared back with a glimmer in her eyes.

"Beca-What?! Are you serious right now?" Olicia squinted with her mouth agape at the girl. Rael closed her eyes and covered her mouth as she started cackling to herself. Olicia continued to watch on as she felt the life and anger drain out from her.

Lylas tapped her on the leg. Wanting any reason to forget Rael's stupidity/joke, she turned to look at Lylas. He then pointed over to Avures. Avures still had his face buried in his hands and was continually shaking his head.

"I cannot believe you... I can't believe this..." Avures groaned aloud in one of the most emotional displays he had yet. "You ruined the book that had Perfect Dark in it... And two others... And hid them from me... After you tried to use a technique outside of your element..."

"Well... I was bored..." Rael slowly swung her head over to look at Avures as she shrugged. "Besides, it's not that big of a deal."

"It is a big deal... I have to reimburse the cost of that..." Avures went motionless while keeping his face hidden. "My first pay..."

"Sheesh... That's rough..." Bif chuckled and cringed at the same time as he watched Avures drown in sorrow.

"Wait... But isn't it impossible to use techniques for different elements or whatever?" Lylas rubbed his chin in confusion, but he supposed that it didn't matter if the room caught on fire anyways. He was still curious though.

"No... It's based on the way you weave and cast mana. Not the element necessarily. Hard versus soft casting... I think Mister Zen went over it before... But when you do something like that, it's going to have an obviously different effect because of the element. Like, for example, lighting our room on fire!" Avures pulled his head up from his hands and stared daggers at Rael. Though, his tone was calm but loud.

"Heh... Sorry..." Rael cautiously patted Avures on the back. He sighed again and placed his hands overtop of his cheeks, covering most of his face except his eyes. "Uh... Ventrix next!"

"What?" Ventrix was caught off guard and physically flinched. "Oh... Let me think..."

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I suppose this was a year or so before I got into the Academy. As far as the rest of our family branch was concerned, I might as well already have been in it. They considered me prodigal. However, my father was still of the opinion that I had a lot to learn and show. I considered him correct in that thinking, and I still do. He'd always been even-tempered and well-thought.

In his mind, I needed to be constantly challenged whether that be physically, mentally, or emotionally. So, he often invited over Iola and her father in order for me to have a sparring partner who was in a similar standing to myself. Sometimes, Uncle Tendrick and his son would visit during these times as well.

"Tsk..." Iola felt the sweat drip down her face as she stood off against Ventrix.

"Ah..." Ventrix winced as he moved his arm slightly and triggered the bruise on the side of his torso. Wooden swords were a much safer alternative to real ones for training, but Ventrix hated them for the lingering marks they would leave. Still, Iola managed to hit him three times... And Ventrix hit her once...

"Tch... Heh..." Iola used her free hand and wiped the sweat off of her face. It cascaded down her pale skin and dripped onto the ground. She grinned as she brought her hand up and straightened it.

"Iola! No magic! This isn't that kind of sparring!" Ion appeared beside the girl and slapped her arm down.

"Fine!" Iola rolled her eyes and threw her wooden sword to the side. "I'm taking a break..."

"Okay..." Ventrix steadied his breathing as he dropped down to the ground and sat on his behind. Ventrix felt the rush of pain throughout his body again as he forgot about the bruise on the back of his right thigh. "Tch!..."

Ion huffed and walked back towards the front door of the manor, going back inside.

"Iola doesn't get anything from this... If I didn't owe you..." Ion walked over to the dining room table and took a seat. Ventrix quietly followed in tow and hid behind the doorway to the dining room.

"That's the name of the game, isn't it?" Ventrix sipped down a small glass of wine as he eyed his brother.

"Simmer down, Ion... Ha..." A man sat across from Ion was relaxed back in his seat. He giggled to himself as he spotted Ion squinting at him. The man had black hair in a similar vein to both Velix and Ion. The difference in attire was staggering. Whereas the other two wore suits, this man wore a set of scratched up iron armor with a black cape and red scarf around his neck.

"The disdain I have for your jokes almost overrides my respect for you, Tendrick." Ion sighed and sipped on his glass of wine.

"C'mon now... We're all brothers here. No need to be so hostile, Ion." Tendrick threw his arms out wide as he looked between both men.

"Velix, the only reason I can assume you have him around so much is that his humor reminds you of your wife." Ion shook his head and held a vexed look at Tendrick.

"Ion. Must it always come to her?" Velix closed his eyes and clenched his jaw as he sat his wine glass down.

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"Forgive him, brother. Ion can't talk about his own wife, lest he start thinking about a woman who isn't her at all." Tendrick grinned ear to ear as he twirled his thick mustache.

"That's some nerve, Tendrick. Don't forget that there's ample space outside..." Ion held his eyes firm and still.

"Oh... I'm the one with the nerve, eh? Tell me, Ion. You only hate this shared activity because you're well aware my son, Tendrick, and Ventrix will eventually surpass Iola. So, when that inevitably happens, what will you say to her? What will you tell her when she can't utilize the powers bestowed to firstborn Felsta kin? No Eye of Felsta... No Tears of God... Nothing." Tendrick rested the back of his head in his hands as he continued laying back.

"I've had quite enough of this, Tendrick!..." Ion thrust himself up from his seat and unsheathed his sword... In a mere moment, Tendrick had drawn his own sword. The tips of each blade made contact with the other.

"By the way, how is the bastard doing?" Tendrick stood with one foot on his chair and one on the table. A long silence stood between the two of them. Ion had murderous intent in his eyes as a vessel of blood popped within, causing a seeping redness to spread out to the bottom of his right eye.

"I hear she's vanished from the face of the world. An ideal situation for you, brother." Velix shook his head and stood up. As the two of them continued to have a standoff, Velix walked past them to go to the other room. As he hit the doorway, he stopped right in his tracks. He looked to his left and saw his own son whose eyes were widened and surprised.

Velix kept staring at his son. And Ventrix stared right back. Velix clenched his jaw harder than before and closed his eyes again. Then, he nodded off to the front door. Ventrix immediately took the hint and ran off.

"Now now... Can you two stop? Not at my residence." Velix turned around and shook his head, pushing down the sword of Ion...

Ventrix shut the door behind him and stepped outside. The bright sun hit his eyes and forced them into cover as he held his hand up. He took a few more steps and walked out into the path out front, then went out into the grass.

"Hey! Ventrix!" A boy who was a splitting image of Tendrick, without the mustache, ran over to him.

"Oh... Hi, Tendrick." Ventrix waved at the kid who was only a couple of years younger than him. He often found it confusing that the kid and his dad shared the same name.

"I heard you hit Iola pretty good! Serves that bitch right!" The kid punched a fist out towards the air beside him.

"Hey. Watch your language." Ventrix raised an eyebrow at Tendrick with how easily that had passed through his lips. "How'd you hear about that?"

"Oh!... Iola came outside and she was mad! Real mad! She took it out on that bush over there..." Tendrick pointed out a clipped bush which was... Unrecognizable now.

"All because I hit her once?..." Ventrix remained looking bewildered as he tried to reason her actions in his head.

"Yeah!... Anyways, every time I watch you get your butt kicked. How did you manage that this time?" Tendrick's eyes lit up and sparkled as he prodded Ventrix.

The kid had asked me with sincere honesty. Tendrick had always been the closest thing I had to a brother... Even if he was a little irritating. And so, I told him a new trick I had learned with sword fighting that I used against Iola. It wasn't much, but it seemed like I finally got an edge up on her. So, I was pretty elated to have felt like I made progress. However, what I didn't know at the time was that Iola had listened in on the whole conversation and watched from a hidden location in the bushes. I was only to figure that out later...

"Ach!..." Ventrix fell backwards onto the floor and dropped his wooden sword. He gasped for air as his lungs cried out for any reprieve. Ventrix flinched backwards as the tip of a wooden sword was suddenly thrust near his face.

"Hmph!... I win again!..." Iola's lips curled into a devious smile as she panted. Her chest rose and lowered with the rate of her breathing. Her heart was beating like crazy and fluttering. She felt like she beat him for the first time again.

"Hm... Perhaps I was getting anxious over nothing." Ion crossed his arms and walked over to his daughter. "Come now, Iola. Let us return home."

"Okay, father!" Iola threw the wooden sword off to the side and sighed. She then looked back over to Ventrix one last time. "Maybe keep your tactics hidden a little better next time, eh?"

Ventrix grimaced as the realization hit him. It only made sense from how different this sparring went. Iola strolled away with her father and left Ventrix regretting this session.

"Tough break. Anyways, I ought to get going too. I'll see you around, brother." Tendrick patted Velix on the shoulder. He pulled away and gestured for his son to follow. "Let's go, junior!"

"Okay, dad!" Little Tendrick followed in tow... But glared at Ventrix. "Sorry... I didn't mean-"

"It's not your fault..." Ventrix sighed and covered his face. Tendrick frowned as he slowly began to leave with his father.

Velix stood still and gazed upon his own son. He watched down at Ventrix as he pityingly continued to sit there with his face buried... Once he considered enough time to have passed, he walked over to his son and got down on one knee.

"A man does not wallow in misery, lest he lead a truly miserable existence." Velix watched his son adjust himself, but not remove his hands from his face.

"I was so close... Then I completely fell short once again..." Ventrix took a deep breath that shook his chest to its core.

"What do you think went wrong?"

"I had a leg up... And I was careless and gave it away by telling Tendrick about it... Iola overheard it... She had to have been listening..." Ventrix removed his hands from his face. His eyelids lazily sat overtop of his sorrowful gaze.

"Ventrix..." Velix sighed and looked off. His gaze seemed to stretch a million miles. "That wasn't a real advantage. You will win or lose by being stronger or weaker. Wipe that pitiful look off your face, and listen closely."

"I'm sorry..." Ventrix brought his hands back over his face, and slid them downwards. His eyes still looked pained, but the fatigue and tiredness was absent for now.

"Very rarely should you look back on things with any emotion or thought... Nothing other than "How does this get me ahead?" or "How does this set me back?"... The same goes when considering the actions or words of someone else. Things tend to make more sense that way. That is simply, life." Velix held his hand out to his son, and helped him off the floor.

"But... Mom said-"

"I know what your mother has said before... But, perhaps if this were a world similar to the one she envisioned..." Velix took a deep breath and let go as he cast his gaze up to the sky. "Such is the way of the strong. Keep that in mind, Ventrix..."

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"Wow. So, you mean to say that blue-bitch is a hack?" Bif chuckled and shook his head.

"If that's how you want to interpret it." Ventrix shrugged and looked off towards his father's manor.

"After hearing that, I start to understand why your dad is the way he is a little better." Olicia tapped her cheek as she remembered back to meeting him.

"Maybe. But, it was just a bit of a story about how I acted a little... Stupid." Ventrix struggled to find the right words.

"I don't think you acted stupid." Rael gazed over at Ventrix with a solemn look.

"Eh... Think about it however you want to..." Ventrix turned back over to the fire.

"Hm..." Bif looked around the other three who had yet to tell a story... Then he pointed at one of them. "Bitch."

"Pf..." Olicia rolled her eyes as she waved off Bif. "Fine. I have one. So..."

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Back when I was first learning how to defend myself and what it meant to have a Demon Sigil from my parents... I was still unsure of where I was going and what I was doing in my life.

They already had correspondence with Xilvas Numidis about my sigil and entry into the Academy. So, at this point, it was all training with my dad. But, I wasn't really sure what to expect of the Academy... Or anything really. I was socially sheltered up until this point, and was being told I would just enter the world suddenly.

So, during a break in my training, I ran off into the marshes near my house with my big book. I just wanted to relax and see if I could study more bugs or animals. These creatures were the closest things I had to friends. It wasn't just to indulge a passion of mine, but to escape the suffocating loneliness of being around people who didn't like me or understand me. The entire thought of going to the Academy was making me sick to my stomach.

After I was far enough out in the marshes to relax, I remember taking a seat on a large root and opening up my book. I wanted to go to an open page and find something new...

"Ahem!... Excuse me, miss..." A loud, gravely voice echoed throughout the marsh.

"Eh?! What? Who's there?" Olicia jolted her head side to side. It was roughly mid-day. The marsh was cool and vibrant with life. Sunlight peeked down through a veil of leaves, gracing the moss and grass with luxurious heat in several areas around Olicia.

"You're sitting on my root!" The voice boomed out again. Olicia hurriedly hopped up onto her feet and spun around. The massive root she had made herself at home retracted to her right. The sheer length and span of the root made the ground quake below her as it slithered out of the dirt it made itself home in. Olicia carefully watched the direction of the root, and honed in on the source...

"You're... A Treant?" Olicia's vision locked onto the source. A large, towering tree with dark oak bark and hundreds of branches with a plentiful amount of leaves several feet into the air.

"A Treant? And here I thought I was just normal!" The bark of the tree shifted and flowed over its own surface like water. It expanded and contracted at a slow rate until a makeshift face was formed from its own structure.

"You know what I mean!" Olicia pointed her book at the gigantic creature before suddenly pulling it back in and grabbing her pen. "I have to draw you! Oh my god!"

"Hm? Draw me? Don't you know anything about us?"

"Well!... I know that everybody believes that they're just a myth." Olicia furiously scribbled down a portrait of the creature with her pen.

"Mm... And what else?"

"That they're-..." Olicia's drawing came to a sudden halt. She cast her gaze back to the face of the tree. "Incredibly dangerous... Malignant... And defensive..."

Olicia trembled as she watched more roots slither out from the ground around the tree creature. She was stuck, frozen. It was as if her feet were tied and rooted into the ground. Four roots swung around in the air like tendrils as the tree's face glared at her with a vicious appearance.

"Correct... And it even seems that this human in my territory is actually a demon as well..." The roots stiffened and pointed directly towards Olicia.

"P-Please!... I mean no harm!..." Olicia found the courage to take a single step backwards. But, the four roots leapt forward suddenly and stopped a few inches away from her face.

"I could only wonder what someone like you is doing out here alone..."

"I-... Uh..."

"Hm... Well, consider yourself lucky." The roots all retracted over to the Treant and loosened up, waving around in the air once more. "I'm quite old for my kind. Violence and bloodshed just isn't in my nature anymore."

"T-Thank you..." Olicia dropped to her knees. The moist ground cushioning the fall and making a squishing sound. Her breaths were but brisk quivers as she clutched her book and pen to her chest.

I believed in that moment... I was going to die. A Treant is no simple creature of yore. Of the few sentient beings to exist in our world aside from humans, they are some of the oldest and most powerful. However, they are also on the cusp of extinction. Very few of these creatures remain. From what I had previously known, and what this Treant was willing to tell me about its kind, human expansion had really pushed their kind to the brink. That coupled with their slow breeding and maturity rates made it impossible to keep up.

Its mercy had granted me so much knowledge. But being a wise creature, it had also seen through me...

"Young Yulva. We have something in common it seems."

"Hm? What might that be?" Olicia swayed her feet back and forth as she sat upon one of the floating roots.

"Being as you are, you are vilified by most, and rarely get along with others... Is that a correct assumption." The Treant moved its root to put Olicia face to face with itself. She bowed her head at the question.

"Yes... My days are filled with the same thing over and over. No one else to spend time with to fill that void. So, I ran over here the first chance I got. Something to break the monotony..." Olicia contemplated her home life as she kept her gaze low. It was the same thing every day. Avoid other people, train her abilities, and prepare to leave for the Academy. Even before her entry, she just spent most of her time alone with only her big book to distract herself.

To the people she lived around, she wasn't taken seriously. Or, they wouldn't interact with her at all. There was a notion that she wasn't a threat because her father had the reins on her. But that never stopped others from being wary. So, it was better to shrug her off rather than indulge her. The less they interacted with Olicia, the better for their sake. And if they did take note of her, it was just to say how much of a freak she was. Sometimes, they would spend time around her just to find new ways to belittle her. It was an endless cycle that seemed to have no solution. It made her crave leaving home as much as it made her dread it.

"Mm... But you will be leaving to go somewhere entirely new to you... Is that right?"

"Yes..."

"Well then. Let me show you something you might appreciate." The root Olicia sat on began to journey out away from the tree. Olicia watched with a glint of wonder in her eyes as she saw the marsh around her move beyond her reach, and new areas enter her vision. The tree's face would morph itself onto this root beside Olicia as they traveled on.

"Where are we going?" Olicia held on tight to the root with her arms and legs.

"To a place abandoned by your people. The areas that man vacates often take up new, and exhilarating forms of life..." The root increased in its speed, darting Olicia past more sets of trees above the sponge-like ground. The atmosphere of the muggy marsh felt quite different to her with the wind breezing past her. It was exciting. It felt invigorating. It was freeing... Then, she spotted it.

A cleared out area marked by dried dirt and mud before it. A carved out ground with a tiled-stone flooring. It could be seen that there were a few skeletal remains, and plenty of stone and marble debris. What remained were some beaten and broken chunks of pillar that were still attached to the ground. And an entryway with a staircase that seemed mind bogglingly unscathed. The root's travel speed began to crawl to a halt as the elevation lowered, and Olicia hopped off of the tree to meet the stone ground.

"Gaze unto one of nature's beauties." Contrary to its large, bulky, and earthly nature, the Treant guided the tip of its root to one of the remaining pillars. It had some chips in the structure, but the overhang was still partially intact. And draping down from this overhang were a set of rusting chains. The root delicately slithered around the pillar and pointed to the chains. Olicia tilted her head and stepped forward as her wonder was overtaken by curiosity. Each step she took was a gentle one as she watched the chains sway in a gentle breeze. As she gazed closer, Olicia spotted what the Treant had referenced.

Hanging on from its own threads, Olicia spotted an orb weaver spider. This was nothing new to her. Though it was different from any species she had seen, it truly did not seem remarkable. But, she figured that the Treant surely had a reason to show her this. The spider had its webs spun within the interlocking of the chains. Olicia turned towards the face on the root with a look of confusion on her own. There was no response. Olicia then looked back to the spider, and slowly pulled her book out...

"No. Watch closely." The Treant used its root to lower the book. Olicia took his command and put her book away, opting to just study them without writing anything down. "These spiders are quite unlike any you might have seen before."

"How so?"

"These spiders require little sustenance to live their lives and spin webs. Thus, their food goes a long way..."

A stray fly happened to land directly in the sticky webbing of the spider. Olicia put her eyes directly on this. She watched as that spider wasted no time in sedating and wrapping up the prey.

"And because their food goes a long way... They sometimes invite spiders of their own kind to join them. After all, they need their help to make more webbing too."

From behind the chains, the pillar, and other parts of the web, a few more arachnids emerged. They were all the same type of spider as this one, and they all honed in on the morsel. Olicia watched as they all took turns feeding on the unlucky fly.

"And even after inviting their own kind into their web, they may still have some more leftover. Thus, these spiders may sometimes invite other species into their web for a meal..."

Olicia's eyes brimmed with amazement as an entirely different species of arachnid crawled out from the cracks of the pillar and scuttled onto the webbing. The orb weavers did not get hostile, nor back off in fear. They parted ways for this other spider to partake in a bit of their feast. It was a fascinating sight. One she had never been beholden too. And even so, it continued to stun her as the invited spider parted ways after a few moments... And then returned with a small chunk. Olicia couldn't recognize what this was exactly, but could only figure it to be some type of sugar as all the spiders on the web then crowded it.

"As a thanks, they sometimes give back to these spiders. They will often feed and protect each other. However, there is the opposite outcome which can occur as well. Come." The root unfurled itself from the pillar and floated on over to one of the skeletal remains. Olicia took light steps in following, careful not to stomp or move too fast.

Several meters away from the pillar, they stopped at the skeleton. All that remained were some decayed bones, and a rusted sword laid against a rock. But, upon closer inspection, Olicia spotted the same webbing patterns like before around the sword. It had to be that same species of orb weaver. But, when she saw a spider crawl out, she immediately recognized it as not the same species. In fact, she had written about this one before. This was an invasive species, and with some more light investigation, she found the orb weavers over here were all dead and partially consumed. This invasive species was particularly noted for its willingness to eat other species. So, it was no surprise to her. However, to think a single one had completely wiped them out over here...

"This group of spiders had chosen poorly, and allowed a spider into their web that would undermine them over time. And thus, soon enough they were too weak to fight back against the one that betrayed them."

"That's... Sad." Olicia frowned and held contempt in her heart as she watched this arachnid walk all over the web as if it belonged to them.

"If there is but one thing to glean from this, young Yulva... You can pick and choose who you allow into your web. You do not need to remain alone when you arrive at your destination. Those who you allow within your web... You should help them, and they will help you. But be cautious, as allowing the wrong one may lead you to ruin..." The root stood itself in front of Olicia with the face of the tree looking at her.

"I see... I-... Thank you..." Olicia wrapped her arms around the root and embraced the Treant. "Thank you for showing me this!..."

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"Oh wow! So, those tree monsters are real?" Rael's eyes held a glimmer of wonder as she prodded Olicia.

"Yep. There's just not a whole lot of them." Olicia nodded to satiate Rael's giddiness.

"So, I see where all that comes from then." Lylas gestured to the chains holstered on Olicia's waist with a sly grin on his face. "I suppose ya think of us as being in your web too?"

"Kinda... It helps..." Olicia's face turned to a reddish hue as she bowed her head down.

"Ah jeez. Stop being so fucking corny." Bif smiled as he lifted his gaze to the sky, making sure no one saw his own face blush.

A long silence stood between the six of them, giving them a brief reprieve from each other to notice that the night sky was out in full display. Time had passed while Rael, Ventrix, and Olicia recounted some events that happened. And now, all attention was on the stars above.

As the fire crackled, the crickets chirped, and the leaves brushed against each other in the slight wind, the six of them couldn't help but feel appreciative for this moment. The silence would continue on as none of them felt a need to break it. Collectively, their vision of the sky led them to stargaze. A plethora of constellations and shapes littered the scene in front of them. It was perfect. It was beautiful...

"Oh! Oh! Shooting star!" Rael had been gazing up at the stars when she noticed one soaring through the sky to the west. She nearly fell backwards in excitement as her eyes lit up and she pointed with a fervor unlike any other. "Quick! Someone make a wish!"

The silence that had been broken by Rael's sudden spotting was now back in effect as each of them basked in the presence of the shooting star...

"I wish I could tell ya all about this adventure and my friends so far, grandpa Cynthis..." Lylas closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he smiled. Despite how weak he perceived himself to be, Lylas had outperformed his own expectations. And as a leader... Lylas quickly wiped his eyes as he took in the sight of his friends all around him. Lylas couldn't be happier. If only Cynthis were around to see...

"I wish to live up to the expectations of my friends... And the expectations of The Prime Owl... I want them to recognize my strength to the fullest extent." Bif leaned off the log further and further until his back was on the ground. He rested his arms behind his head as he gazed up into the starry night. Hanging out with the other five had been the most fun he ever had. They surely respected him and his strength. But it was more than just strength. He wanted to be the one they could lean on most. He wanted them to think he was cool too. And he wanted his hero to see him for that sentiment.

"I wish to keep the friends I have. To keep them close, so that I can help them and they can help me. I've finally found people who will take me seriously, and aren't going to back-stab me. I want to keep them on my web, so to speak." Olicia looked to the sky with a certain hopefulness in her eyes. It might not have been a materialistic wish, but it meant the world to her. "Oh, and I guess I wish to open up my own Museum for archeology or something... Heh..."

"I wish to be able to bring my mother back to life. I want to show her how much I've missed her... And how much I've taken her message to heart... But to also save my father from his own deluded thoughts. That way things can be the way they were before... I guess the bare minimum is that I don't want to end up thinking like him..." Ventrix's eyes were unwavering as his sight held onto the stars. Vivid memories of him, his mother, and his father watching the stars flooded back to him. In a way, it was much like tonight. But rather than any non-specific joy or happiness that rose up in him like before... He felt a deep, sincere hope. For he knew the key to this dream was in the hands of someone he felt he could trust.

"I wish to be prettier and cuter and-!... Well, I don't need any of that. I just wish for all of us to be able to keep adventuring together forever! And maybe, along the way, finally break Avures out of his shell. Even if it isn't really a "shell"... I hope that I can make him feel something. I want the best for him... And the crafts shop of course!" Rael had a full, toothy grin as her imagination went wild with the idea of the crafts shop once more. Running it with Avures, and still going on adventures with him and the others. That was her ideal future. A future where they could all continue to have fun.

"I... I just wish to be able to share a future with everyone without dragging them down. I want to keep everyone by my side. I want to be able to keep the only friends I've ever had. And, maybe, I wish I could just understand my own feelings and express them. That, instead of just feeling something and never truly understanding why. That way... I can actually be friends with them..." Avures dragged his vision down from the sky and onto his friends. They were still making wishes, he presumed. Or, maybe he was the only one... He couldn't shake it. There was this special, fluttering feeling within. But also this one with shame. Perhaps shame that he almost got everyone killed. Or shame that he couldn't understand himself, yet there was still an expectation that they should understand him...

"Okay! What did everyone wish for?" Rael clapped her hands together and looked around the other five with a twinkle in her eye.

"I just... Kinda wished that we could all share a future together... Make this moment last I guess." Avures shrugged as he looked away from everyone.

"Avures!" A few of them all burst out at once. Avures's face grew slightly red as he looked back at them all.

"W-What?" Avures felt embarrassed that he even said anything now, and was prepared to be teased about it.

"Dude, you aren't supposed to tell anybody! That's bad luck!" Bif pressed both his hands against the side of his head as he repeatedly shook his head.

"Damn. Brainiac didn't know... That's a first." Lylas cringed as sighed and smiled.

"Wait. Really? That's it?" Rael looked bewildered by Avures's response. She scooted herself closer to him until she was practically on top of him. "Are you sure there wasn't... Something else?"

"No. That was... Basically it." Avures had been looking straight into Rael's fiery red eyes... But he knew he couldn't lie while doing that, so he glanced away. And if what Bif said earlier was true... Then they could all tell he was lying. Which means they might have gotten the wrong idea...

"Hm... Well that's an easy one! Here! Guys, let's do this! Lylas, gimme a knife!" Rael sprang off of the log and pranced over to Lylas who obliged in her request. Rael looked in awe at the blade before giggling and hopping over to the tree.

Rael hummed to herself as she took her precious time. She took the knife and jammed it into the tree. She then mustered her strength and began carving as best as she could. She continued to hum her little tune as she created her masterpiece.

"Tada! All done!" Rael grinned ear to ear as she waved everyone else on over. The other five all got up from their logs and meandered on over to Rael's creation.

Onto the wood, Rael had peeled away some of the bark in her creation. Rael used both her arms to signal her masterpiece...

There were six stick figures all holding hands carved into the wood... Her five friends all looked around at each other...

"It's definitely full of heart." Avures gave a thumbs up to Rael, who's eyes lit up like the stars in the sky.

"Endearing is the word I would use." Ventrix gave a slight smile as continued to stare at it.

"I dig it... But here... Gimme a knife too, Bro. Let's all carve our names in!" Bif held his hand out to Lylas...

Each of them with a knife in hand began to carve in their own little mark among the massive tree.

Lylas managed to carve in a little lightning bolt alongside his own name. Bif shaped in muscular arms beside his name. Olicia put her name in and then spent the rest of her time putting in a symmetrical web shape. Ventrix simply just put his name in. Avures followed suit and did the same. However, Rael placed her name next to Avures's own and then carved in a little heart, much to Avures's embarrassment.

"Bro, what the fuck is that supposed to be? It's just like... Six lines." Bif raised an eyebrow and smiled as he pointed towards Lylas's thunderbolt.

"It's lightning, dumbass. And that's ten lines. And you're one to talk. Look at this shit." Lylas scoffed as he patted his hand on top of the tree where Bif had carved in muscles.

"You just lack taste. That's all, Bro." Bif smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "But at least it's not... Oh... The Bitch's one looks... Cool? Her lines look cooler than yours, Bro."

"It's a web..." Olicia pouted and crossed her arms.

"Huh... Good job then!" Bif gave Olicia a big thumbs up.

"Mm... Thanks..." Olicia breathed heavily out of her nose and stopped pouting.

"Well, at least we made a little drawing. Those guys didn't." Lylas pointed over at Ventrix, Rael, and Avures.

"Nothing came to mind." Ventrix shrugged and gave a small smile. "It's still fun for me anyways."

"Wait wait! Look! They did draw something!" Bif shoved Olicia and Ventrix out of the way and put his finger directly on the heart between Avures and Rael's name. "Aw man! Who put it there?"

"Me, duh." Rael smacked Bif's hand down away from her little heart carving. She leaned against the length of the tree next to the carving and smiled.

"Bleh! Cutesy stuff is so gross!" Bif chuckled to himself as he stepped away.

"Ya put it there so ya know what that means, right?" Lylas stepped forward, crossed his arms, and slyly grinned as he looked between Rael and Avures. "Ya gotta kiss, obviously!"

"Eh?" Rael leapt forward from her leaning position and nearly tripped over her own feet. As she regained her balance, she glanced over to Avures with a redness in her cheeks close to that of her eyes. "Hm?"

"Uh..." Avures's face turned to a light red hue as he felt the pressure of Rael's burning gaze. The attention of everyone was on him as well. It was overwhelming. In his mind, there was no way she was serious this time. Last time, she was quiet and unpronounced about it. Knowing Rael's silly and playful nature, this had to be a joke or gag of some kind to ask out in front of everyone.

"Lylas..." Ventrix bowed his head and tittered at the forwardness his friend presented it in.

"Hm?..." Rael squeaked out as her face grew redder. She knew Avures was sometimes... Not socially aware. But, she was starting to think he was actually considering it with the way he was looking at her. Or, he was thinking this was a real request. He was taking his time... Was he actually going to agree?

"This is embarrassing to watch..." Bif bumped Olicia with his elbow as he snickered to himself.

Avures thought about this a little deeper. Beyond it being a joke, did he actually want to? He remembered his reasoning the first time...

"I want to be someone worthy of you. I want to make a future for us first...where we can be together without worry..."

Thinking back on it, the idea that he even had the courage to speak it to her... To even make such a boisterous claim and goal for himself...

His reasoning for wanting to kiss her?... She wanted him too, but aside from her prompting... He couldn't deny that with the moonlight with the stars in the sky, the flickering rays of the campfire, and her fiery eyes... Avures found himself attracted to her more so than before. And after the events of the contract...

That warmness he felt on his face from when Rael had slowly caressed her bloody thumb on his face... It was all over him.

But he snapped back to reality for a moment, and realized that his goals weren't met yet. That future he wanted was yet to arrive. And as it stood right now, he didn't consider himself worthy. He still almost dragged everyone down with him... The thought wasn't in his head every waking moment, but it kept resurfacing. It was a correct analysis.

"No... I-" Avures was going to continue but Rael's hand was now firmly overtop of his mouth.

"See? He's not gonna. Especially not in front of you guys... Weirdos... Ha-ha!" Rael burst into a laughing fit as she removed her hand from Avures's face.

"Fair... I overstepped. "Lylas chuckled as he then covered his mouth and yawned. "I'm turning in for the night. Y'all do whatever."

"I'm pretty tired too. See you all in the morning." Ventrix waved to the rest of them as both Lylas and him walked over to the tents.

"I suppose I'll go to sleep too." Olicia sighed and meandered back over to the tents.

"Well. You losers can kiss with privacy now or whatever. Night." Bif waved Rael and Avures off as he walked over to the tents as well.

"Heh..." Rael's laughter began to subside as their four friends went over to the tents. Her smile and bright attitude began to fade out as she kept her eyes to the ground. Rael let out a quiet sigh as she frowned. Avures watched on... He felt... Like he made a mistake.

"Are you okay?" Avures carefully brought his hand up to Rael's face. It grazed a single strand of hair before Rael shot her head up and stared at him.

"Yup!" Rael beamed with her usual energy. Rael turned away from Avures and took two steps towards the camp. Then, she suddenly spun around and bent over slightly with her hands clasped behind her back. She had a small grin on her face as her normally fiery eyes seemed more refined and soft. It was warm, like a small flame, but a passionate one. She hummed to herself quietly as she gazed at him. Her eyes were all over him. She let out a slight giggle as she continued to stare at him.

"Uh?" Avures scratched the back of his head as unease entered his body. A sort of apprehension gripped him as she continued to look at him. Had he actually done something wrong? Or was she just teasing him?

"You'll be ready when you decide you are. I'm not worried... Because..." Rael's eyes took a more devious and seductive tone with her eyebrows lowering and the flame in her irises growing more intense. Her pupils grew wider and seemed to envelope Avures's entire being. Her lips curled into a wider grin. "I know you're mine..."

"I-..." Avures's heart was practically beating out of his chest. His entire being was trembling, not from fear, but from uncertainty and anxiety. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? Was she right in saying that? It felt so strange to hear her say that... But it also felt reassuring at the same time.

"Goodnight, Avures!" Rael stood up straight once more and reset her face back into her normal smile and vibrant eyes. She skipped back over to the tents and went to her sleeping bag...

Avures watched without responding or raising any protest. There was nothing he could muster up. No action or words he could figure to use in response. He was captivated, paralyzed...

"Oh my god. You're either clueless or hopeless, Avures." A girly voice rang out to Avures. He looked around for the source of it. It wasn't Rael or Olicia... So it had to be... "Up here!"

"Avura..." Avures turned his gaze upwards to see the visage of the blonde girl laying down flat on a tree branch several feet above him.

"Actually, let me come down to you. Hold on..." Avura's form faded out into nothingness... Before appearing right next to Avures. Avures was a little startled to have witnessed it, but calmed down. "It's a beautiful night!"

"Quiet..." Avures gestured with his hand for Avura to lower her tone... But she started laughing out loud instead.

"Ha-ha!... Oh, don't worry about me. No one can hear me except for you... So, if anything, you probably sound crazy right now." Avures let out a few more giggles before walking past the tree and away from the camp. She waved for Avures to follow. "Come, I wanna talk and I know you don't wanna sound crazy."

Avures let out a long sigh before obliging. Avura twirled and hopped through the field of grass ahead of him. She found a suitable spot and plopped herself down on the ground. She speedily patted the ground beside her, wanting Avures to sit next to her. He meandered on over and dropped down to the ground. He looked over at her. She sat with her legs crossed and gazed up at the stars. Avures followed in suit... And the two of them sat in silence for a few minutes...

"Why do you keep appearing to see me?" Avures turned his head to look at his sister. His eyes narrowed down. It just seemed odd to him.

"Because I'm your Guardian Angel! Duh!" Avura met his gaze and smiled as she twirled her finger in a circle next to her head.

"If that were the case, I wouldn't have this... Would I?" Avures raised his left arm and presented that spatial pattern/color.

"Well... It should be obvious... You inherited my soul... But who says it can't be that, and me being your Guardian Angel?" Avura pouted as she turned away from Avures.

"I just don't get why." Avures sighed and continued to watch the girl pout.

"Because... You're my little brother, Avures. Wouldn't you do the same?" Avura turned her head to him once more, tilting her head to the side. Avures stared on at her. He didn't have a response. He remembered her talk with him... The multiple of them. He felt swirls of emotion during them. But like always... Why?

"I just... I think so?..." Avures turned back to look at his lap. He brought his hands in front of his face. He had gotten emotional during the visit to Belva when she revealed it to him. But it was more so because of the sincerity of someone caring about him than any familial relation. Even with a family relation... What did he feel?... There was nothing there, yet he wished he wouldn't have to say it... "I'd like to think I would... But the truth is, aside from what you've told me and what I've seen... I know nothing about you or our family. To me, you're a stranger with connections to me."

"You know we loved you! Is that not enough? I just want you to live your life to the fullest! I want you to enjoy life! I'd give my life for yours a thousand times over! And you call me a stranger? Selfish! You're selfish!" Avura jumped to her feet and pointed to Avures with a look of hatred on her face. Her deep green eyes, which mirrored his own, tore through his soul.

"It's not that..."

"Ungrateful!..."

"It's not that!" Avures raised his voice as he threw his hands down and looked at her. The sudden loudness from Avures quieted her. "I'm not trying to be selfish... I just don't know anything. I don't know anything about you or our family... And I'd at least like to know something."

"Oh..." Avura regretted jumping to such a conclusion. Avures lowered his gaze again and continued to peer at his hands. She slowly inched back down onto the grass and watched him.

"I'm not feeling anything... And when I do, I'm not understanding why most of the time... That's just who I am it seems. It's all just... Nothing to me. No reason for it. And so when I look at my hands... I'm reminded that I have no clue who I come from. I have no clue of the legacy of who I am. I'm just... Avures. And I have no idea why I am the way that I am... I know what frustration is, and that's what I feel. The only feelings I can seem to understand are the ones that hurt me the most." Avures clenched his hands into fists. His eyes narrowed in on the texture of his skin, overtaken by that spatial pattern. It was the mark of his origins. A legacy left to him... And nothing else. "If you just want to talk to me, that's fine. But, I want to know more."

"Mm... More about what?" Avura brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"Avura... Who are you? Who am I?" Avures slowly turned his head towards his sister. She brought her knees in even tighter as she hid her mouth behind her legs and arms. "What was our family like?..."

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Our family, Kovar, comes from the marriage of individuals from the two parent families: The Kolisti and the Variental. I was never in the know of the entire standing of these families, but mom and dad always assured me that they bitterly hated each other. More so than merely disliking each other, they also despised anyone who took the name Kovar. Both families took it as a grave insult to marry with the rival family.

The entire premise of this joint marriage in the first place was an idea created in the hopes of raising the families back to prominence with the creation of prodigies who had both the talents of Kolisti and Variental houses. It was supposed that, eventually, a Kovar would be born with the incredible prowess of both families. Something to rival the bigger houses. So, a few rogue family members went off and attempted this, including our parents. However, the sheer hatred from the heads of both houses at the mere thought of a merger somehow bound them together for one act of cooperation.

Seeing as how such a marriage could force both houses into cohesion, or altogether erase their prominence... A great, mighty curse was put together by some of the strongest mages of both houses. A generational curse was placed upon all who tried to emulate the name Kovar. No child born from an intermingling of both families, could inherit the power of both through birth. Every child to be born, would distinctly have the physical features of one family or the other, and would only inherit the talents of one family.

When the news had come around to the Kovar families, many gave up in this pursuit. After all, most of them were doing this out of obligation and to create powerful progeny. However, two families kept to this idea. One family was convinced that such a curse could never fully work, or would eventually lose power to the point where a child could inherit from both sides. And another stayed together out of the truest principle there was... Love.

Avura sat at a wooden table situated beside a closed window. In her hand was a pen, and in front of her was a laid out scroll. Avura furrowed her brow and groaned to herself as her vision scanned over her work already.

"The symbol here derives from the center... Which crosses into the western rune who links to the south... Through the southwest portion who's shape maintains stability... And then links-" Avura hovered her pen over the intricate markings as she mentally double checked her own work... But a woman came up behind her and put her hands on both of Avura's shoulders.

"Sweetheart, how's your study going?" The woman started rubbing Avura's shoulders. This woman had short, messy blonde hair, and emerald green eyes. She wore pure white robes which came out from underneath a neat gray tunic she wore overtop. She had small lips, and a friendly smile. Avura groaned even louder than before as she completely lost all concentration.

"Mom! I was trying to focus!" Avura dropped the pen from her hands and put her hands overtop of her forehead and eyes as she sighed. Her mother quickly pulled her hands off of her daughter's shoulders.

"Oh... Sorry, honey!" The mother giggled nervously as she held her hands up and stepped back.

Our mom's name was Zelia Kolisti. I was never sure how old she was... But I know she was at least five or six years younger than dad. In fact, she was the youngest among all Kolisti who went through with this idea. Supposedly, her father was so upset when she left that he went on a rampage and destroyed anything she left behind. This is because she was one of the most powerful Kolisti to be born in several years. She was a natural at magic, and extremely nimble and strong. But, she was very simple-minded and reckless too.

"Eh... It's okay... I'll never get this stuff anyways. Besides, it's not like I need to know it." Avura relaxed back in her chair and looked out the window. It was a nice, sunny day. And here she was... Spending this day inside.

"Don't let your father hear that..." Her mother got close to Avura's ear and hushed her voice.

"Too late." A man walked through the front door of the house and closed it behind him. The man had long, midnight-black hair along with dark green eyes. His attire consisted of a fancy black coat overtop of a thin gray vest which sat on a white button shirt. His face was undisturbed, and held a stern look. A lit cigar sat in his mouth as he continued forward. "Zelia, darling, step aside."

"Uh-oh... Well... Okay, Avuran. I'm going to go check on Avures." Avura's mother stepped away from the table and walked into another room, leaving only Avura and her father.

Our dad's name was Avuran Variental. I think he was around thirty-four when he married mom. Dad was very straight-laced, pragmatic, and quiet. Mom would sometimes call him "her beloved stoic" as a jab at his lack of volume and excitability. Dad never talked much about his old life with me, but mom would always tell me about it. He wasn't much of a prodigy himself, but had a knack for scholarly trades and works. Mom would sometimes say that if it wasn't for her, dad would just spend all of his time alone reading and writing.

"Avura. Let me take a look at your work." Avuran walked over to the table and held his hand out.

"Okay, dad..." Avura half-heartedly lifted the scroll up to his hand. Avuran seized the scroll and held it out straight in front of his eyes. He grunted as he took a puff of his cigar, blowing the smoke out of the side of his mouth.

"Seems to me like everything is almost in order... Keyword, almost. Definitely an improvement, however, precision is key, sweetheart." Avuran placed the scroll firmly on the table.

"This is stupid anyways. Runic magic is a waste. You said it yourself, it's an unused form." Avura huffed and crossed her arms.

"Nonsense. It's unused because it is fairly unknown. Tobias is a pioneer. And I am happy to ferry the works of an old friend to new heights. I even got to show that Meius Valkir the uses of it and my book on it. Now I can only hope he'll get me a position at the Academy to teach it... Which will also get you in, I'm sure of it." Avuran turned away from his daughter and put his arms behind his back.

"It's so hard to use though... You have to be perfect at making those shapes!"

"Wrong. You have to be perfect at making containers for both Flow and Mana."

"That's the same thing, dad..."

"Slightly different... Besides, being a Light user, it's easier for you... A lot easier to fix the mistakes as well..."

"God... Isn't this basically witchcraft?" Avura glanced at her father as she sighed.

"Oh!... Avura, don't say it like that. It's... Not inaccurate, but that gives it a bad connotation." Avuran turned and pointed towards his daughter. "We're long past the age of the witch despite what some fanatics and worrywarts might say."

Mom and dad were two who truly loved each other. So, despite the presence of the curse, they stayed together and had us. If anything, it also served as a confirmation of such a hex. It's the reason why, despite us being siblings, we look so radically different. If you didn’t know, you inherited the physical traits of dad’s side, or the Variental. I inherited the Kolisti physical traits. However, we both inherited the abilities of the Variental instead of the Kolisti.

"Whatever... Can I take a break?" Avura slumped back in her chair and gazed at her father with saddened eyes. "Is cousin coming over to play?"

"Hm... Why don't you go outside and ask her?" Avuran rubbed his chin as he gave his daughter a sly grin. Avura exploded out of her chair with an instant smile and ran towards the door...

Sometimes the other family would come visit us. While we lived in Belva, they lived in some other place. So, visits were pretty commonplace. I would hang out with our cousin, and her parents would talk with mom and dad. To be honest, I never really knew much about them. It seemed like they were somewhat secretive about it. But I do remember one day...

"Hey, mom, how come our cousin never comes over and visits anymore?" Avura walked over to her mother. Her mother cradled Avures in her arms. Zelia looked at her daughter and furrowed her brow.

"Dear, it's a bit of a complicated matter." Zelia rocked the baby in her arms.

"Your mother is right. I think it would be best if you forget about them for now." Avuran walked through the house and up to his daughter. In his left hand was a sealed letter. "In less dreary news, I have something for you..."

"Huh?" Avura's eyes locked on to the letter. Avuran held it out slightly towards her. It was as if the sun emanated from her pupils. "For me? That must mean!..."

"Indeed. It seems as if the Academy was quite pleased with my work, and the mention of your potential. Next year... We'll be moving to Palmenae." Avuran gently placed the letter into Avura's hands. Before anyone could say another word, however, a set of vicious knocks assaulted the front door. "Oh... Who could that be?..."

"Avuran! Goddammit, open up!" A muffled voice filled the room from the other side of the door.

"Well... I can recognize that anger. Losuto... Come on in..." Avuran hustled to the door and opened it up wide for the man on the other side. The door gave way to an older looking man with very short, flat cut black hair with graying spots. His eyes were a fierce teal color, and he had a short mustache and beard around his mouth. He wore a dark brown leather coat, and worn black pants that seemed slightly saggy along with black boots.

"Avuran! You sunnavabitch! I hauled ass over here as soon as I heard about-!..." Losuto had planted his finger firmly in Avuran's chest as he lunged at him. But, he began to look around the rest of the room and his tone came to a halt on his loudness. "Oh... My mistake, Avuran. I didn't realize your misses and kid were awake at this hour."

"The sun only just set... Besides, Losuto... It's "kids" now." Avuran pushed the man's finger off of his chest as he walked towards his wife. Gesturing for him to follow, Avuran came close to his wife who sat in a chair and rocked the baby.

"Dad... Who?..." Avura watched the strange man follow in suit.

"Mm. Avura, this is Losuto. He was a retainer of my family who watched over me in particular... And Losuto, this is Avura. My first child."

"So... This is the one I held then... Wow, you've grown quite a lot since I last saw you... As a baby." Losuto rubbed his chin as he narrowed his eyes on Avura.

"I would hope..." Avura whispered under her breath as she looked away with discomfort.

"Oh, lord. And who's this little fella? Can I see him?" Losuto held his arms out to Zelia. She obliged, carefully bringing the baby out and placing him into the man's arms.

"This is our little Avures..." Zelia relinquished her hold on Avures.

"Hm... Avures? Is uh-... Is the little guy okay? He's just looking at me." Losuto furrowed his brow as the baby's emerald eyes seemed as if they were looking through him. The man brought his hand over the baby's head and softly caressed his patch of hair.

"Well... He's just not very... Active? He doesn't cry or really make noises at all. But he is pretty peculiar about how we care for him." Zelia smiled as she gazed upon her son.

"Avures... What an interesting little guy." Losuto chuckled to himself as he cautiously handed the infant back to Zelia. "Here... I don't want to get caught up in my anger with a baby in my arms. Avuran..."

"Right... Right. What is it you were being angry about?" Avuran meandered his way over to a window and relaxed against the wall next to it.

"You know damn well what I'm upset about..." Losuto leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the window. "You two-timing sunnavabitch..."

"Losuto... The knowledge of Runic Magic is an art."

"Oh, here we go with this!... I knew you were always a weird kid about this stuff... But I'll take weird over giving away valuable secrets!"

"It's a form of magic. It deserves to be known and studied by others. And it's the only one which can blend Flow and Mana together. There is truly unlimited potential within it." Avuran turned his head over to the old man.

"This is Tobias's life work! His dream of a peaceful world!" Losuto shook his head and crossed his arms. "There's two things wrong with what you did. One: You gave his enemy the knowledge of this casting method! The very people trying to keep him from doing his ritual. And two: You've given merit to a type of casting that won't even exist if Tobias is able to succeed! Senseless! All of it... Are you turning your back on him?... On me?..."

"Losuto... You know that I'm not turning my back on anyone. I only pursued this venture because I want to see magic expand. Also, so my daughter could get an admission into that Academy for her future."

"Avuran! That's stupid. You know only a few kids ever get admitted to that school. Even the branch academies out there only take in a few more than the one in Palmenae." Losuto sighed and moved off of the wall. "Very few kids are that gifted."

"But, it's the parent school. And she may not look like it, but Avura is very special..."

"Is that so?..." Losuto stared at the girl again with contempt. As he did so, the girl looked apprehensively back at him. Losuto dropped his heavy, angry stare as he cooled down. "Maybe... Anyways, step outside with me for a moment, Avuran. There's something else important to discuss..."

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"It's funny... When that guy held you, and spoke your name, I remember asking mom sometime after that why she named you Avures. Mom had her reasons, but she only ever told dad. She forgot about that and was so surprised that she had forgotten to tell me why after you were born. Mom was so giddy to tell me because she thought it was really clever and cute." Avura gave a laugh as she reminisced.

"I just thought names came from the parents by status." Avures watched over her joy.

"They do... But see, our names come from a similar word, azure. That means the sky. So, our names had little twists on them. "Avuran" is supposed to mean something like "mind in the sky". Avura is supposed to be "limit is the sky". When you were born, mom had looked out the window at the night sky and saw a star. Specifically, that one right there, actually." Avura pointed up into the blackened sky. Some ways away from the moon, she pointed at a cluster of six stars.

"So... Which one of them?"

"The middle. See, they're all out tonight. It's a cluster of six stars called "Esiasm". The middle one, however, is the main one. It's slightly bigger than the others. And, it's usually all visible at night. But the surrounding ones aren't always there. Some nights, there's only the middle. Other times, there might be three others. And then there's nights like this where all of them are out. Mom said that three of them were out in the middle that night, so she got the brilliant idea to name you Avures. Taking the "es" part and giving it to you. Which makes you "the star in the night sky". Mom really loved the name, and dad thought it was very fitting."

"The star in the night sky..." Avures cast his gaze upon that star...

"Mom would constantly hold you and coo: "My little Avures is born of a star!"... Or: "He's my little star!"..." Avura giggled as she ducked the rest of her head under her arms.

"Born of a star..." Avures felt a trembling accompanied by a rising warmth in his body. It was a feeling like none other. Pride? Love? Validation? The indication he could draw... Was that his life had held some value to someone... "I see... It's kind of hard to fully picture what they were like in my head... Mom and dad... But I appreciate it."

"I know those stories don't put it into perspective well... But it's hard to outline mom and dad by words alone. I guess if I had to say... They made me feel secure. There was never a day where I ever felt too unsure of myself without their encouragement. It was this feeling of confidence they both had that molded me into who I was. I miss them..." Avura waded her left hand through the blades of grass between her and her brother. Avures watched as her luminescent hand simply passed through the grass.

"But... What about you?" Avures brought his eyes to hers.

"I guess... I just liked to have fun. I had all my wishes and dreams laid out. Every path I had planned out involved spreading joy and experiencing the joy of the world." Avura leaned forward and climbed to her feet. She slowly took a step forward, looking under her own path as she moved ahead. Avures climbed to his feet and followed in suit.

"What sort of wishes and dreams?" Avures kept his eyes forward as he walked alongside her. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. She turned her head to him. Avura's eyes gazed softly at Avures. She smiled and giggled as she leapt in front of him and began to walk back and forth in a line, side to side in front of him.

"I was going to go to the Academy. Make a whole bunch of friends. Meet a whole lot of new people. Experience avenues of life I never have dreamed of. I was going to come back once you were old enough, and teach you a whole lot of stuff. We were going to play around and I would be your teacher until I could get you in the Academy too. Maybe somewhere along the way, while you're learning and studying, I'd find love and settle down. Or, maybe, after you would graduate, we'd be an unstoppable sibling team who'd journey the world and have boundless adventures. I'd make sure that mom and dad would never have to work again unless they wanted to. And everything would have gone okay for our family..." Avura stopped directly in front of Avures, facing out to the night sky away from him. Her arms were raised up as she had given her speech. "But, it didn't go that way... It was never meant to go that way... To be that easy, huh?"

Avures watched on as Avura's arms weakly and sluggishly fell to her side. Avures's facial expression tightened as he felt the sorrow rise up in his sister. A long pause sifted between the two of them...

"Those dreams were never meant to be. The truth of the world we live in... Is that no joy, no happiness, will ever truly last forever. My destiny was one to be ripped away from me. And maybe I could have done things differently... Maybe... Just maybe... If I wasn't so naive... If I wasn't only concerned with having fun, and were a little more mature... I wouldn't have foolishly tried to make it all stop. I would have understood that no matter what I tried... I wouldn't have been able to save mom and dad. And maybe, I would still be alive, so that I could be a real big sister for you... Y-you wouldn't have had to be alone for so long... A-Avures... I-" Avura remained facing towards the field ahead of them. Her hands rose up to her face as she bowed her head down slightly. Faint sniffling sounds permeated the air as Avura frantically tried to breathe normally while her entire body shook.

"But... I'm not alone..." Avures kept his eyes directly on the girl in front of him. He didn't budge an inch, but his expression took a concerned appearance.

"Y-yeah... I guess you have that girl... And those other three..."

"But I wouldn't have them if it wasn't for the one person who understands me... I wouldn't have anything if I didn't have my... Guardian angel."

Avura's sniffles and faint moans ceased. Her hands dropped down from her face and fell to her sides motionless. The silence in the air dragged on for what felt like an eternity. Avura's head lifted slightly... She turned her body to face Avures with her head tilted to the left. Her mouth was partially agape. Tears were visibly cascading down from her eyes and over her cheeks. A melancholy tone had overtaken her face. The moonlight brought a particular glow to her luminescent form that allowed the rays of light to pass through her, yet make her shine with a brilliant radiance. Her eyes were glued to Avures's own.

Avures was frozen with an indescribable and overwhelming feeling. An insurmountable measure of nostalgic sentiment for something that never happened... And was never meant to be. Nostalgia for a love of family. And though love was one of those emotions that Avures couldn't understand... He understood that it was but a fleeting warmth that could never be replicated or reclaimed. But at this moment...

"Avura..." The older man put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Go grab your brother...and run as fast as you can..."

"Avura...we will always love you...and we'll always be with you and your baby brother...take the letter inside with you...now go." The man took his hand off of the girl's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Avures...I'll get you out of here." She looked into the baby's eyes. Those dark green eyes...she could only hope...that Avures would live on...she smiled softly...as she grew more and more tired...until...

Avura leapt forward and threw herself onto Avures. Her arms snugly wrapped around his torso as she buried her face in his chest. Her body shook and fidgeted as she began to cry aloud. Her cries and sniffled were muffled by Avures's jacket. He stood there with his body slightly reeled back, having not expected such a thing. But, after a few more moments, he wrapped his arms around her visage in return and embraced her.

The girl kept humming along as she swayed her head back and forth. Then suddenly, she stopped, and looked right back at Avures in the eyes.

"W-why... Are you here?..." Avures moved his finger up to his lip, biting into it.

"Hmm. You can see me now?" The girl tilted her head and hopped off the bed.

"Yeah! I've always been with you, Avures!"

"You didn't answer me... Who are you? Why do you know my name? Why have you always been with me?" Avures slowly inched closer to where the girl stood. They stood nearly eye to eye.

"Sorry! I can't tell you my name. It would serve no one to do so. But think of me as... A guardian angel... Your guardian angel!" The girl pointed at Avures and lightly poked him in the chest.

"I need you to come out from hiding. I know you're watching me." Avures looked around his room as walked to the center of it...nothing. "Stop trying to make me look like a crazy person."

"Who would you even be looking crazy to?" That familiar voice rang out.

"All you can say, huh... Still allowed to chastise me though."

"That's because I have to look out for you! Guardian Angel things and all." The girl smiled and waved.

"You're..."

"Yes. I am..."

"We all gave our lives for you, Avures..." Avura's cries began to subside, but she remained firmly attached to the boy. "I wish I could make you understand emotions... Make you understand why you feel things the way you do... But it's not for me to make you that way. Please... Live for the moments you have with those you care about. All I want from you... Is for you to enjoy... To value... Life..."

"As much as I want to... I've seen the future. I've seen countless, horrid futures I want to avoid." Avures's arms went limp as they released their grip on Avura and fell to his side. "As much as I want to live in the present... I won't be satisfied until I know that I can have many more moments like them in the future."

"Avures... All moments and memories are but fleeting currents of time. If you don't cherish what you have now... What will you have to show for later when it's gone?"

"I guess it's just a difference of ideals."

"You know... I weep for you..." Avura's grip loosened as she pulled herself off of him. Her arms were still wrapped around him. Her eyes averted him and looked to his side behind him. "But, I gave my life so that you could carve your own path... I'll always be cheering you on... I just don't want to see you suffering..."

"I won't suffer as long as I'm able to keep everyone within my reach..." Avures felt Avura let go of him. Her eyes came up to meet his own. Then, they both simultaneously turned their gazes to the stars...

"I can tell that you really care about them... When you were born... Esiasm had three visible stars surrounding the main one. Mom, dad, and me... And you were considered the center. Tonight... There are five stars surrounding the center. I'll be praying that it stays that way for you... My baby brother..."