Clink. Clink. Clink.

Kiro rolled over, groaning as his injuries flared from the movement. What was that? Had Seira already gotten up —

He gasped. The Saint was in his room!

The silver-haired woman turned towards him, and he scrambled to his feet. "H-honored Saint, I am forever humbled by your presence."

As low as his aching muscles would let him go, he bowed, hoping beyond hope that he, Seira, and the entire population of Paradise didn't end up dead in a bout of heavenly retribution. Yet, as he chanced a look up...

"Greetings. I am Aeripha, Saint of Wind and Storms, but you can just call me Aer. Now, how are you?"

He slowly rose. "I — I am just a Sun of the Hong Clan, not even worthy of your attention. Yet, honored Saint, this lowly mortal hopes that..."

He stopped. Would the woman take offense if he asked to be her disciple? Seira had said…

Seira! He jumped to his feet, looking for her.

She was still spread on his bed, arms curled around her chest and lips quivering in pain. 

He rushed over to her. “Seira! Are you alright?”

She opened her eyes, and he noticed that they were even redder than they had been before. His throat knotted, but she gave him a small grin. “We made it.”

A hand gently gripped his shoulder, and he turned to see the Immortal.

The Immortal! He quickly bowed, wrenching his eyes shut. He had been so distressed that he hadn’t finished his greetings.

“H-honored Saint! I apologise for my insolence! I was simply —”

“No, no.” The woman shushed him, moving to examine his sister. “Don’t apologise. Hong Tang Kiro, right?”

“U-uh. Yes, exalted Immortal.”

“It’s nice to officially meet you. Until yesterday, I… I didn’t think you made it.”

He frowned. “What? Honored Saint?”

The woman shook her head, turning back to Seira. “I’ll explain everything later. But for now, it seems like your sister is injured.

He gulped. “Please excuse my disrespect, b-but would it be possible to heal her?”

Aer nodded, bringing out one of his burn salves. “That’s what I’m doing right now.”

Was she just going to apply it? He had already done so three times, and Seira was looking even worse off than —

Suddenly, the glint of metal flashed in the corner of his eye. A foreign figure landed outside his window, and he jumped, throwing himself out of the way of any potential attack. But nothing hit him. And as he turned his head, he realized that the metal belong to a lone blade, hovering in the air.

A flying sword. His eyes widened, and he quickly got back to his feet. Flying swords were legendary items, only owned by the matriarch and a select few of her Elders. Even Seira didn’t have her own, though she still trained extensively for the day she would receive one.

Then again, he supposed that a Saint was worlds wealthier than even the matriarch. The sword floated over to the woman’s side, and he examined the man that had jumped off.

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Tall, handsome, and lean with muscle, the man would have been the picture of a noble Warrior if it weren’t for the Sun mark on his hand. Rynn, the other apprentice.

The man climbed through his window and nodded to the Saint, holding a bag that Kiro could only assume was full of his worldly possessions. “I thank you for your generosity, honored Saint. With your aid, I have managed to retrieve all that I require.”

Even though this was someone just like him, the man emitted a sort of hidden determination, a will that couldn’t quite fathom. Was this what it took to attract the attention of a Saint? Then, he looked at Kiro, an unspoken question in his eyes.

“Ah, greetings, fellow Sun. I am Hong Tang Kiro, and…” He hesitated. What was he? Seira’s brother? A fellow apprentice? He wanted to say the latter, but what if the Saint took offense?

“A fellow apprentice.” A green glow enveloped Seira, and Aer stood, winking at him.

He froze, staring at her. That… He hadn’t even said anything. All the Saint knew was that he had failed to protect Seira.

“I — what? Honored Saint, are you sure? I… I don’t…”

The woman sighed, and he abruptly closed his mouth. Had he annoyed her even further? He looked up, prepared to face any number of punishments, but Aer simply examined him.

“Kiro, you’re a fine alchemist, and I wish for you to hone your skills under me. Do you accept my offer?”

He jumped. She had been inspecting his alchemy. And she wanted him to come with them...

He cleared his throat, bowing low to the floor. “Y-yes, honored Saint. I — I am forever grateful for this opportunity.”

The silver-haired woman walked over, and a gust of wind blew him back upright. “Then up, my apprentice. I’d rather have you standing straight than bowing before me all the time.”

Seira gingerly stood back up, walking up to them with a cheer. “Kiro, see? I told you the Saint would want you. We made it, and you’re…” She wiped her eyes, laughing. “You’re coming with us!”

She tackled him in a hug, and he squeezed her back, relishing the fact that they were safe. “I suppose I am.”

“Aww.” The Saint appeared behind them, grinning. “You two are so sweet. But now let’s get to business. I… I think it would be best for us to ascend sooner rather than later.”

Right.

He opened his mouth to ask why, but Aer had begun speaking again. “And while I can take all of you through the void without a problem, there’s a tiny issue I hadn’t anticipated.”

The woman held up her hand, manifesting sparks of electricity in between her fingers. “The way you keep your spirit and body attached when you’re in the void is by channeling mana. If you were all at least at the First Purification, I would have been able to do the process for you. However, I hadn’t anticipated taking two Suns with me.”

Kiro’s heart sank, and he mentally berated himself. Of course he wouldn’t have been able to come with them. He shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up. He was too weak, like the clan had always said, and he wouldn’t —

“If only we had someone who knew how to make an elixir that would bring you up to the First Purification.”

“H-honored Saint?” he stammered.

“You made an elixir that converts fire mana to a usable state even for non-mystics, correct?”

He shook his head, protesting. “Well yes, but the recipe is simply too inefficient to provide me enough mana to advance… ”

“Not just you,” Aer corrected, patting at her side. “And that’s fine. I have everything you need here.”

She slapped her bag, and a stream of objects flew out, setting themselves on his table one by one.

He gaped. An assortment of crystalline vials, shimmering gloriously in the sunlight. A runed burner, that even while off emitted more pressure than Seira’s aura. A jug of water that seemed to keep itself perpetually ice-cold. And, above it all, alchemical herbs the likes of which he couldn’t even dream of. Even just smelling them seemed to rejuvenate his body, and as they fell, they landed softly into his open palms, almost as if they wanted to serve him.

He flicked himself, still half-convinced he was in a dream.

“These are my lowest-level items, so please tell me if there’s anything else you need. And if you —”

He bowed low to the ground, eyes closed in gratitude. “H-honored Saint, I am forever in your debt.”

These herbs, this equipment, they were more than he could have ever hoped for as a Sun. And not only had Aer let him use these, she had given them to him specifically so that he could reach the First Purification.

The woman waved him off. “Oh please, it’s nothing. I just wanted you to —”

A booming cackle shook the ground underneath them, and a choking aura weighed upon him, collapsing him back against the ground.

“I’ve finally found you again, thief! Now I can make you pay!”