Please leave a comment or a review if you guys liked the chapter. It'll really help motivate me to write more because I've been in a little bit of a slump recently.

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I lay in my bed with a book on top of my face. I breathe slowly to let the stress of reading non-stop for hours pass away. With each tick of the clock, I grow more accustomed to doing nothing. Night has already taken over day and only the light of the lamp next to me and the moon, illuminates the room.

It’s already been two days since I found out that Rune was the person snooping around here. It only took me a day too. I haven’t done anything yet. After I found out, I spent quite a bit of time watching him as the partner duels continued.

No luck there. He acted like one would expect a teacher to act. He did nothing but watch the matches.

I followed him home as discreetly as I could afterwards. He lives right on the border of what I’d call to be the city and the slums. It’s quite a walk he has to make everyday to make it to school. He’d have to wake very early to make it.

Yesterday, I chose to spend after school time with my sister. It’s still a ways away until she leaves for the Green City again but I wanted, and want to make more memories.

Like I promised so many days ago, I took Aisha to meet Aron and Maia. It was a wonderful match. Yet, while Aisha had her fun playing with those kids, I spent my time avoiding Heclan’s adopted children. Even if they wouldn’t know my face, I didn’t want them to have the slightest hint that I was the person who captured their adoptive father.

It’s not like my voice changes when I put on the mask.

Today was uneventful. The matches should end on Monday if no incidents occur.

There are no signs of the Headmaster returning. What’s that old man up to in the capital? He claims it’s a meeting but if my master ever said anything about rich, powerful people it was, “They’re like a bunch of wolves. They act all nice and fight in a pack, but once they sense weakness, they’ll be on each other faster than lightning can strike an idiot on the open plains.”

I’ve asked my master multiple times about himself and if he’s ever known any nobles but he always waves away my questions.

I blow lightly at the book. The air pushes itself against the small opening along the spine and leaves my forehead with a tickling sensation.

“I should really try testing the seal.”

I place the book on my nightstand and roll up my left sleeve. Channeling mana into my right hand, I force the seal to appear. It affects my whole body but my left arm is a more convenient source to use for unsealing.

Good thing I knew which seal he used. Everything’s just coming naturally to me now.

Let’s just experiment a bit. First off is a little infusion. Weakening the first part of the seal to see what it feels like.

“...”

There. I just felt its presence for the slightest of moments. I won’t go any further than this today. I know that I can at least weaken the first part of the seal, even if it’s only a little bit.

I’ll have to talk to my master about it if I want anything done.

A glowing blue light on my night stand catches my eye. I reach towards the scroll and open it up.

Psst. Rainen. Do you wanna go and do a quest right now? I’ll sneak out if you’re going on one.

I shake my head and sigh.

Aisha. I’m sure Hilda doesn’t keep you in at six in the afternoon. And I know she’d be more than happy to leave you in someone else's care.

WHAT? Are you saying that she doesn’t enjoy my company? Aisha writes.

What am I doing? It’s like talking to this girl in person.

Aish, I’ll go on one if you want to. I don’t mind.

Yay! Thanks!

Meet you at the city square near the markets. I write back.

I rush into my closet and throw on something other than the school uniform. Although I don’t mind wearing it, it does give others the impression that I’m some rich noble. Not that it would matter considering who I’m going with.

Her red hair is going to be a bigger draw than my uniform based solely on how crimson it actually is. Dylan and Aunt Millicent’s hair are more orange-red than Aisha’s blood-red.

Locking my door and blowing past the stairs, I exit the building and make for the square. Upon reaching it, I stand in the middle awaiting my little sister.

“Rainen!”

I turn towards the sound. Aisha waves while running up to me.

“I’ve got a quest!” she quickly produces a piece of paper from her satchel and hands it to me.

I stare at it skeptically. “Wow. A D-ranked quest. One that’s just outside the city, very very close by. When did you get this?”

“...Just now.” she says, averting her gaze.

“Uh huh. It’s rather convenient for you to have this ready so quickly.” I look closely at the paper. “I didn’t know that you were able to take on D-ranked quests yet Aish.”

“I’m not,” she says, “But I know someone awesome who can.” she expectantly looks at me.

“Well,” I say as I tuck the paper into my pocket, “That person is awesome.” I flick her forehead, “But that doesn’t mean he’s going to take his kid sister along with him.”

“W-why not?” she whines. “Finding stuff is boring.”

“But it’s a necessary starter quest.” I tug on her sleeve. “You may not like it but they’re safe and are good for experience.”

“What experience?” she follows as I drag her. “It’s not like I’m learning anything about the world by digging through trash cans in the city to find a missing toy for a child or a lost seathe for a mercenary.”

“You’re learning that people lose things a lot.” I answer. “That’s important to remember because you’ll probably lose a lot in the future as well.”

“What a bunch of baloney.”

We slip through the crowd of people huddling around the various stands in the market and make our way towards the guild. A few vendors call out to us but I keep Aisha moving. She complains along the way but I stay firm. There’s no way I’m going to take her on a quest outside of the city. Especially not when the monsters are suddenly growing stronger. What if I’m not enough to protect her?

Inside of the guild, instead of seeing a line of people like the last time we were here, many more are drinking around with their friends. The tables are filled to the brim with color while the quest board and front desk are virtually void of life.

“What’s up with everyone?” I wonder aloud.

“I don’t know. It was like this when I came this morning too.” Aisha comments.

I glance back at her, “You picked this quest, ‘Just now’ huh?”

“Ehehe. What am I supposed to do? I’m already caught.”

And with her sigh of defeat, we head towards the notice boards. I’m stopped dead in my tracks as I lay my eyes on them. The whole board is filled with E and F ranked quests. The most dangerous one I can spot is about collecting ingredients outside of the city.

Now I’m a bit curious.

“Aish.” I tap her.

“What?” she mopes, looking through the available quests.

“How’d you get something like this?” I pull out the D-ranked quest. “I don’t see anything close to this up here.”

“I dunno.” she shrugs. “I just found it hiding behind some of the other ones.”

“Ummm… excuse me but is that a ranked D quest you’re holding sir?”

A clerk approaches us. I nod.

“Ah, apologies but we are currently shutting down all quests above D rank from being chosen from the boards. If you wish to take that one, you’ll have to be a B ranked adventurer or above.” she holds out her hand for the paper and I give it to her. “Please understand. Because of all the incidents, we have to revamp the entire system to provide accurate strength measurements.”

“It’s fine,” I say, “I wasn’t planning to take on that mission.”

“Oh.”

“But I’d like to know more about this revamped system?”

“Ah, yes.” she nods as she folds up the quest. “The guild will be gathering information on the new monster-”

“New monsters?” I furrow my brow. “There are new monsters?”

“There are… currently it is difficult for us to distinguish them from the weaker variants. This should no longer be a problem once the guild gathers enough information.” she seems to shrink back.

Aisha watches in silence.

“Is there a source for these new monsters?” I ask.

“Nothing concrete yet.” she answers. “There are a few rumors flying around. The guild is investigating one of them.”

“What are the rumors?” Aisha butts in.

“It’s an old tale,” the clerk says, “The Floating Islands. Of course, it’s not the only one. Some are guessing that the monsters are working under one collective leader.”

“What leads people to believe it’s the islands?” I ask. It’s not a tale I’m very familiar with but I’ve read a piece or two here and there. I assumed they were all fairy tales.

“Most likely because the islands appear very often in multiple cultures, especially my own.” she brushes away her hair to reveal a pointed ear. “The tales said they had creatures similar to the ones on the ground only, they were much stronger.”

“Ah!” Aisha startles the clerk, “I know a little bit about the tale!”

Well, I had assumed I knew almost anything Aisha knew but I suppose I can give her this one. Not that I need to know everything. I should learn about this so I can tell her more about it if she asks… yes. Learning it to keep Aisha’s facts straight is a good idea.

“There was once a collection of beautiful islands floating in the skies. Scattered all around the world, great waterfalls came from them, creating the largest of lakes and widest of rivers.”

“Do you have to tell it in a story fashion?” I roll my eyes.

“Of course I do.” she lightly punches my arm, “I only know the story told to me from when I was 7.” She clears her throat, “Now where was I? On the islands were monsters of enormous strength, far surpassing that of their brethren on the ground. No high priest, king, or god could touch the islands in the sky. They were the creations of ancient dragons, protected by extremely potent magical forces.”

I smile and nod as Aisha continues to explain. I hope she’s enjoying herself.

“And like all of the beasts and monsters, people who were on the islands had powers, magic, that exceeded the races on the ground. The metals found within the islands were strong and plentiful, used to build weaponry and armor second to none.”

“And what does this have to do with the monster crisis?” I ask impatiently. “Are you missing a few things?”

“N-no!” she quickly denies but then lowers her head. “I’m missing a few things… but I haven’t finished it yet so be quiet!”

The clerk chuckles, “You’re remembering it quite well. Please continue.”

“Hmph!” Aisha sticks her chin up at me, “Like I was saying, on the islands, the intelligent races, the counterparts to those on the ground, built magnificent cities. And in those cities were their own rulers. But, instead of seeking conquest, they stayed on their thrones benevolently ruling the islands, punishing troublemakers who sought to disrupt the peace unheld by anything else in the world.”

“Wait.” I stop her. “If there are kings there, how come they didn’t want to expand or anything? Were the people on the ground just ants to those in the sky? Could they never see the cities?”

The elf clerk raises her hand, “I can explain that. The kings were dragons in human form.”

Dragons in human form?

“They used a lot of their power to make the islands by transferring parts of themselves into a single broken purple shard and they used their remaining power to turn themselves into the rulers.”

“Were they as powerful as the gods?” I ask. Purple shard? Does she mean an item that holds magic?

“Well, they were dragons, ancient dragons. Although regular dragons, which are rare, aren’t as powerful, ancient dragons were. They maintained the magical barriers from the inside meaning that it would’ve taken a lot of power from a god to destroy it.” she explains.

“Then no one on the ground ever saw the cities on the islands?”

“They did. They could. The rulers, aka the ancient dragons, weren’t opposed to letting the people on the ground explore their creations. Other than flying, which angels were forbidden to use as a way to get in, and climbing the giant vines, people were able to enter through teleporters on the continents. At most, teleporters only had one island they connected to but there were four near the edge of the four continents that connected with each other.”

“Then couldn’t gods go through these too?” I ask.

“No.” she beckons us to an empty table. “Gods were forbidden to enter like the kings and priests before them. And to make sure that gods couldn’t use the teleporters, mana draining stone golems were placed there for protection. Powerful mages were also forbidden to enter the city, in fear that they would wreak havoc. Since some gods are basically only gods thanks to their immense mana pools, golems would’ve rendered them nothing. Of course, there are natural born gods and man-made gods.”

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“I see.” I respond. “How did the islands disappear then if they weren’t just myths?”

“We haven’t confirmed them to be real yet.” the clerk reminds me.

“Right.” I turn to Aisha, “Story?”

She nods, “I’ve been waiting patiently. Skipping some of the more intricate details in the story, according to the book I read, one king, angry that he was not allowed entry plotted to bring the coveted islands to the ground. ”

“And how would he do that?”

“By planning to take what kept the islands afloat, the purple shard.” she answers.

“What is this purple shard?” I ask, “How can it hold so much energy?”

Aisha shrugs but the clerk steps in, “It might not be in the human story version, but the shard was a fragment of the original orb that granted the inhabitants of this world magic. The various dragon lords, or ancient dragons, pooled their magic together into a single shard and hid it within one of the islands and through its power, it held up the islands.”

“So that’s why the monsters were stronger.” I comment. “They were all linked to the energy source of dragons and an original shard.”

The elf throws up her hands, “It’s still just a story at this point.”

“Right.”

“Please,” she gestures at Aisha, “Finish the story.”

“So, using spies, they returned to him with stories of how the islands kept afloat. The king grew angry at the claims which he thought were outrageous and almost ordered the execution of the spies until a very powerful magician and his companion appeared. The magician convinced the king and even offered to go take down the islands because he too had been unable to enter.”

Aisha takes a breath, “The king then asked how he was planning to enter if he wasn’t allowed to before. The magician explained his plan to the king of having the king’s magicians forcibly take away his magic and seal it away. The magician had heard of a particular bloodline that was talented in sealing techniques one of whom, was part of that bloodline, served the king. And so, the ritual and sealing process proceeded. All the magicians who participated were gravely wounded, but the plan worked. The magician and his companion who acted as his shadow entered the portal without resistance. They eventually came across the shard but instead of destroying it, the magician betrayed the king and sought to absorb the magic within the shard for himself.”

Greed huh?

“The rulers felt the disturbance and raced to the shard. When they arrived, the magician had started to take in the energy, however, they foiled his plans. Although not all of it was absorbed, the magician’s strength was growing. He fought back the humanoid dragons, all the while the islands started to crumble. The dragons were able blast the shard free from his grasp and out into the world. Afterwards, the loss of their energy source caused the islands to fall.”

“And you’re telling me that these gigantic cities and islands simply became nothing? They didn’t cause any destruction? They simply disappeared without a trace?” I grow more skeptical by the minute.

“The story’s not over yet.” the clerks assures me.

“Afterwards, after the islands fell, the surviving dragon rulers looked for the mage but he was gone. They went on a rampage. They were nearly unstoppable until the gods came and a great battle was fought. In the end, they struck a deal. The gods would find and punish the magician if the dragon rulers would cease their reckless attacks. The dragons agreed and used their remaining energy to enhance the growth in the burned down forests and to hide away the islands.”

“And the magician?”

Aisha nods, “The gods found the magician and his companion back at the spot where their original magic was sealed. The magician put up a good fight and with the extra power of the shard, the gods found it hard to deal with him so they locked him away, they sealed him.”

“That’s one heck of a story,” I say, “But how come people are assuming that the monsters are because of these islands? Shouldn’t they still be hidden?”

“That’s why the guild is investigating.” the clerk smiles. “I’ve been off duty long enough, even if I was helping someone. The guild should be back to the way it was in a few weeks once the information is gathered. Thank you for your patience.”

“No problem.” I respond, while nudging Aisha.

“A-ah. Yeah…”

She nods and leaves us to our devices.

“Do you still want to go on a quest today?” I ask her.

“I’m a bit tired from talking so much.” she answers. “I don’t mind just walking around the marketplace a bit. Is that okay?”

I shrug, “Hey, if that’s what you want to do. Too bad we couldn’t go on a quest you wanted.”

“That’s not what you said earlier.” she pouts.

“Well, I can say it now because there’s no way we can go on the quest.” I chuckle as we leave the guild building. “Wanna go get something to chew on?”

“Sure.” she mumbles. “Your treat right?”

“Says the noble.” I mutter.

“But you’re the older one.” she retorts.

I shake my head and pull out my pouch as soon as we reach the nearest food stand. Aisha suddenly grabs my hand.

“I was joking,” she says, “I’ll pay.”

She reaches for her pouch but I grab her arm, “Wait, now I wanna pay.”

“What? Don’t be a kid, I have more money so I’ll pay.” she tries to yank her hand away.

“You’re my little sister and I invited you out, even if you did push me to, so I’ll pay.” with my free hand I rummage through my pouch for money.

“Hey,” the man interrupts us. “Why don't you two pay for your own?”

Aisha and I exchange glances. She nods and I release her hand.

“Two?” he asks.

“Yep.” Aisha and I both hold out our hands. I drop my coins into his first.

“Do you want two? This is enough for two right here.” he spreads out the coins.

I grin, “Aha. Well, that’s my mistake. Since I already gave you the money for two I guess I’ve got it cover-ugh! Ouch.” I rub my side where she elbowed me.

“Here you go.” he hands us our little snack and we head off.

“Aren’t you glad I paid for it?” I comment. “Food tastes better when someone else pays for it.”

“Do you really think so?” she asks as she munches on her snack. “This is the first time I’ve eaten this so I can’t say.”

“You could say-”

I stop dead in my tracks. Aisha continues walking but quickly notices I’ve stopped and turns around.

In front of me, a familiar face greets me.

“Hello. Do you remember me? I’m Henry’s sister, Mia.”

My words are caught in my throat. Aisha stands back, watching the scene unfold. I want to beckon her over but I’m frozen.

“You’ve heard about him, haven’t you?”

I nod. I don’t want to be here.

“I know it might be awkward for me to say this...”

“Go ahead.” Then you don’t have to.

“But I was glad when I found out that you were a friend of his, albeit with a pretty large age gap.” she smiles and I look away.

“He was a good guy.” Don’t force yourself to talk about him.

“Ever since an incident a while back, he hasn’t been socializing as much as I wanted him to.I was always a bit worried about him you know?”

“Yeah…” If only I was a bit more worried about him.

“As his older sister, I would’ve loved to have met someone he was interested in and told her his secrets.”

I want to leave.

“I would’ve vetted her out like he did to my husband… make sure she was a good girl.”

“I see.” was that how he was?

“I would’ve liked to hear him talk about her like how I talked about my husband.”

I wish you could have.

“And I would’ve liked to know more about what he worked as. He’d never tell me no matter how many times I asked him.”

I wish you knew who I was.

“A-” her voice falters, “And I would’ve liked to see him smiling as he took a good girl’s hand in marriage.”

I wish he could have.

“A-and I would’ve liked to have known how he died… or why he died… or… o-or…” she quickly wipes away her tears. “Y-you know? I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that… Thank you for just being a friend to him.”

And I wish you wouldn’t thank me. I wish you knew that I was there. “No worries.” I respond.

“Just-just thank you.” she nods, “I should be leaving now. It was nice seeing you again.”

“You too…”

I watch as she walks off, her back is straight, she walks fine, but she can’t hide her drooping head, or wobbling legs. I start to go after her but her husband rushes to her aid. She leans on him and he supports her.

“Rainen?”

I face Aisha. “What is it?”

“Do you know her?” she asks, looking over her shoulder.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Who is she?”

“A friend’s sister… and a reminder.” A reminder that I’m not doing enough. A reminder that while I’m happy and laughing with my sister, I caused someone else grief. I pat her back, “Let’s go.”

“Go where? What are we doing?” she’s surprised.

“We’re doing what people who are bored do, look around.” I’m glad it’s over.

“Hmm?” Aisha stops and looks down a somewhat crowded street. “I thought I saw someone I knew.”

I follow her gaze and I immediately spot Blue Hair. “You mean her?” I point.

“Oh yeah! It’s Ellar!” she claps her hands and spins around. “You should go talk to her!”

I raise an eyebrow, “And why should I do that? You don’t spend the whole year here so I think it’s more important if we just go have some fun.”

“Gosh, look at the time, the sun is down and I’m getting a little tired. Thanks for paying for the food and everything big brother. I’ve got to run home now, good thing you’ve got a friend by herself just waiting because you’re not quite tired yet are you?”

Aisha starts to push me away but I won’t budge.

“W-why are you s-so hard to m-move?”

“Because I don’t want to move?”

“Fine!” she stops pushing me and I catch myself before I fall back. “Aha!” in the next instant, I’m propelled forward.

“Aisha!” I yell as I turn around. The little red-headed bugger is nowhere to be seen.

“R-Rainen!?”

Great. “Yo.” I throw up a hand in greeting.

“W-what are you doing here?” Blue Hair asks, flustered.

“Just hanging out with my sister, but she thought it would be funny to disappear.” I’ll get her back for this.

“Aisha was just here?” she peers past me.

“She was, until she claimed she had to leave then pushed me towards you,” I say.

“S-she did?”

I nod, “What do you got there?”

Blue Hair perks up, “G-got where?”

“Behind your back.” I point. “You don’t need to show me if you don’t want to. I understand the concept of privacy.” unlike Mr. Rune.

Snow begins to fall and Blue Hair hides her rosy red cheeks behind her scarf. Her hair rests on the outside of it, gathering little specks of white. People walk past us, ignoring our presence. The wind picks up and someone bumps into her.

“Wait!” she reaches out for the paper she hid behind her back.

I grab it and hand it to her, “Here.”

“Thanks,” she says. “I was scared that I lost it there…”

I shrug, “Good thing I caught it then. Since Aisha bailed on me, I’ll probably do something else. Bye.”

“B-bye.” she responds quickly.

As I stroll through the emptying streets of white, and the little crystals in the sky fall, I’m left taking heavy breaths.

A letter huh? I wonder if it was from family… I run my hands through my hair. “Argh!” I shout in frustration. Aisha, why’d you have to cancel so early? My thoughts, they keep flashing back to Mia and Henry.

“I need another break,” I mutter to myself as I stare at the pillar outside the city.

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Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't posted in a while guys, it really has been getting harder to write. That's why I wanted to make another story. But! I'm also excited because in a few more chapters, I'll be a little be more free to do the things that I want without ruining the story.

Sorry if the thing sounded infodumpy in the middle, I'm a bad author so I timed things very badly. The flow might be a bit off but if anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it. Organization was a bit off as well.

Anyways, I hoped you guys liked the chapter. If you did, please leave a comment or a review as it'll really help motivate me since I haven't really been feeling like it in a while. Big things will be happening soon so stick around for a few more chapters. Btw, my reincarnation fiction may be released somewhere in early June.