‘Ugh!! ‘We shall’....?! What am I even saying!?!’

“Follow me, I know of a place where we can sit and discuss.” Sylvia says as she begins walking with an elegant stride.

DaiKar and its surrounding premises consist of a titanic iron fortress in the center. This building is then surrounded by twenty mountain peaks, one for each of the academies preparing students to the world of the [enlightened], totalling eighteen peaks, one for those who did not go to a pre-[enlightened] academy, yet have been confirmed to have reached [enlightenment], and a penitentiary peak, for those who aren’t able to follow or adapt to the rules of DaiKar.

Then, all of this is located right in the midst of a dense forest of unknown location. Even if I were to speculate on its general position using the time it takes to get here and the climate, I doubt I could pinpoint it. Sometimes I even wonder if this forest is artificial.

The professors claim otherwise, saying that the forest has simply been rid of any threats by them, hence the lack of wild animals, but I don’t know if I buy it. On the positive side, though, its relative safety allows trainees to freely roam within it so long as they stay within DaiKar’s effective perimeter.

As such, this place does not lack spaces where one can have privacy, if you don’t mind the bugs of course.

Sylvia and I run down the mountain peak in less than a minute, to find ourselves among the trees and vegetation of the DaiKar flora. We then walk for thirty minutes or so in awkward silence. Branches break under the pressure of our boots and the scent of nature fills our nostrils.

‘Should I say something…?’

“Uh, so-”

“We’re here.” She says, turning around to face me.

She then points to a small clearing, where the dense forest gives way to a tranquil pond. Its waters, reflecting the bright sunlight, are especially clear and devoid of any waste. A few fish stride lazily beneath the glassy waters, their movement unhurried and graceful, as if uncaring for the world around them.

She leads me to two large rocks situated near the pond’s edge. Looking at them, it seems as if each rock has been sculpted, perhaps by hand, or perhaps by nature itself, to perfectly serve as a seat. With a measured step, I follow her towards the rocks. She instructs me to sit down, and they feel smooth to the touch as I settle in. Sylvia sits on the rock beside me, and for a moment, the only sounds are the rustling of the leaves and the soft lapping of water.

‘I wish this could last forever…The relaxation I mean, not being with Sylvia…!’

Sylvia turns to look at me. “Before we have our talk, can I ask you a question, Alden?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Sure.”

“... Do you dream?”

I close my eyes to think, hoping to remember one of my recent dreams. “...Can’t say I do, not recently at least, I’m usually too tired for that, why?”

She places her hand over her mouth. “Pfttt… sorry, that was bad phrasing, do you have any dreams?”

Her question surprises me somewhat, but I want to answer it as honestly as I can. I look to the sky, thinking. “... Yeah, I do have a dream. It’s nothing grand though, I just want to make sure those I love can live nice and long lives. Then, at the end of their lives, I want them to pass away without having to regret what they couldn’t do.”

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“I see… what if that’s at the expense of what you want to do?”

I shrug. “If that’s what it takes.”

She sighs. “That’s so like you.”

“And what about you Sylvia? Do you dream?”

She takes a long pause, staring at the water, then breathes in and speaks to me. “...A family picture, I’d like to take one.”

I tilt my head to the side. “But the FullCastle family have plenty of family pictures, do they not? You’ve been in the newspapers more than a few times.”

She shakes her head, sending her golden hair swaying from left to right. “No, not real ones. I want to take one where everyone in the picture is smiling, not because it would look good for the press, but because they’re happy to be there, in each other’s presence…It’s silly, I know.”

Her gaze softens as she looks into the distance. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, I know how privileged I am to be born with the FullCastle surname, but it’s… cold there, so cold…”

Her gaze drifted to a place beyond reach, looking for something I could not hope to understand. Realizing that her mind has wandered off, she shakes her head and continues the conversation.

“...Anyways, sorry for that, now, what did-”

Looking at Sylvia, I can tell that there is a lot more that she would like to say. I’d like to push to know more, but I sense that it’s not the right move here, she’ll tell me when she’s ready. I can’t even begin to imagine the burden she must bear, having to live as the perfect daughter of the FullCastle. Our struggles may be different, but I do not, for a second, think that her worries are inconsequential. Before she can change the subject, I interrupt her.

“I don’t think it’s silly at all. In fact, I think that’s an awesome dream!” I grin, then add with a playful tone. “Though… knowing how much of a battle junky you are, I thought you’d say something along the lines of ‘I want to be the strongest!’ ”

She chuckles and turns to look at me. “That’s my goal, not my dream—very different!”

I can’t help but laugh. “Pffttt.”

She looks away, placing her hand over her mouth, feigning concern. “A battle junky though… is that really how you see me?”

I shrug mockingly. “Well, I’ve seen you get pretty intense over a sparring match. I’d say it really isn’t that far-fetched.”

She gasps, then raises her fists in the air, adopting something resembling a battle stance. “I see… then perhaps I should confirm your impression of me right here and right now?”

“Spare me!” I say while throwing my hands in the air in mock surrender.

We both burst into laughter, a genuine, heartfelt laughter that echoes through the clearing. For a moment, we forget about the pressure of our lives at DaiKar, and the pressure of the outside world. Surrounded by nature and in each other’s company, we’re able to let go, if only briefly. Once we’ve regained our composure, Sylvia is the first to speak.

Her expression is more serious now, contrasting with the previous playful and soft one she wore just a moment ago. “On a more serious note, would you like to start? I also have some things I want to discuss, but I don’t mind going after you.”

I shrug. “Sure, I’ll start. First, I think we should let Maestro Lauren know about the tuning pill. I want to include Ivana for the full conversation but I thought I’d let you know since we’re here.”

She nods. “Yes, that sounds reasonable. What else?”

“...Just one more thing actually. What made you decide to use your [melody] so openly? You usually use it secretly during our spars, but today you just went all out.”

Up until now, Sylvia has been claiming that her [melody] allows her to affect the weight of anything, allowing for stronger, heavier blows. This has been made believable by her sheer physical might which far surpasses any of the other trainees, in the entirety of DaiKar. However, that could not be further from the truth. Now that she has used her real [melody] against Tianna, anyone who was paying attention to the fight will know that Sylvia was lying. That’s because hypnosis is simply too different for it to be a sub-ability of what she claimed her [melody] to be. As such, I wonder what has suddenly made her want to put an end to the subterfuge and reveal herself, when she was so adamant about not doing so in the past.

Before answering my question, she rests the palm of her hands on the rock’s surface and leans backwards. “Ah, so that’s what you really wanted to ask. Well, It’s simple really, after watching Zora go beyond her limits, and witnessing first hand the strength of our seniors, I realized how naive I was being. I thought back to your words during our spar on Lauderdale’s training ground, and it just struck me that if I really wanted to not only improve, but give a minimum of respect to my opponents, concealing my abilities was foolish. So I’m done, I won’t hide anymore. I still don’t feel the best about using my [melody], but that is something that will be resolved in due time.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Haha… so we had the same realization, huh. I also kind of thought it was dumb to hide what I could do.”

“Indeed…” She says.

She sighs pensively, and speaks once more. “So, I suppose it’s my turn now?”

“Yeah, I’ve asked what I wanted to ask.” I answer.

“Great… As for me, I only have one question. Even now, I hesitate to ask you this, but I simply can’t contain my curiosity. The question has been gnawing at me ever since that day… How did you escape that person, Soulweaver?”