Cora pursed her lips, her expression tight as she turned to Seiji. She weighed him for a while, then turned to meet Endora’s brown eyes.

“That would be a fantastic opportunity, but we’ve been training for most of the day.” She pointed a finger at Seiji. “I don’t want to run him ragged.”

Endora smacked Seiji on the back so hard he could’ve screamed. He did his best to ignore the pain, though Cora winced on his behalf.

“He cycled aura to his wounds, didn’t he? He’s fine!” She said, lazily waving a hand. “Besides, if you win I’ll make it worth your while!”

Cora perked up slightly, though she was clearly still contemplative. While he was renewed by the Mist Breathing technique, he had to admit he was approaching his limit. Rest was just as important as training, he’d been taught. Regardless, Seiji tried to consider this from a different angle. Sure, he had enough physical strength left for a single battle, but he had barely touched his Magical Stamina or Magical Strength.

Simply put, this was an invaluable opportunity for him. It allowed him to fight with Cora and not against her, and he got to weigh his skill against a Valkyrie. Seiji recalled Endora’s words, “You need real guidance.”. Getting guidance from Endora seemed a surefire way to gain an edge in the Valkyrie Exam.

“How will you make this worth our while?” Cora asked, taking a few cautious steps toward Endora.

The Valkyrie smiled a toothy grin. “Satisfy me and find out!”

Endora kicked off with golden wings to sit atop the white and gold banner of the training hall.

“Hit me whenever you’re ready!” Endora shouted, kicking her feet as her silver halberd dangled at her back.

Cora turned to Seiji with wide eyes just as Endora finished speaking, though Seiji wasn’t exactly sure why. He’d begun to think of a plan of attack suitable for Endora when Cora grabbed him by the collar and threw him at the door of the training hall. Just as he collided with the door, a massive ball of water exploded at the same place he and Cora had been standing. The technique sent Cora flying into the wall opposite him, but she recovered almost instantly – shifting into a focused battle stance.

Seiji recovered just as quickly, standing to his feet and looking up to where Endora had been seated mere moments earlier.

A spear of water shot toward Seiji’s head, and he deflected it with a swift palm of Dragon Fury. Just as he deflected the attack, a powerful kick sent him flying into the air. He could barely make Endora out, the Valkyrie appearing and disappearing faster than Seiji could blink. Before he could hit the ceiling, Endora grabbed him by the neck and whispered in his ear, her tone venomous.

“I expect you to satisfy me, not bore me.”

Following the words, Endora threw Seiji to the floor with blistering speed. His body hit the floor with a crash, rocks kicking up as he left a small crater. When he lifted quivering hands to his head, he wasn’t surprised to find blood at his fingertips. He looked up at Endora, who looked down at him in disgust, her body suspended in the air by golden wings.

Rage slowly grew in Seiji. He knew he wasn’t as strong as the locals, but he’d rather die again than be looked down upon. Fate bent to his will, his divine purpose to erase. He wasn’t the plaything of a Valkyrie, he was an arbiter of Fate. Something must’ve given his feelings away, because Endora’s bored frown slowly shifted into the manic smile of one who’d spent a lifetime in battle. Seiji readied himself for her attacks, calling blue fire to his hands.

Rather than approach him, though, Endora turned to Cora and guarded. Cora shot balls trailing blue fire from her hands, each attack detonating on Endora’s guard with an audible bang. The Valkyrie covered herself with her wings, and Cora responded by sending even more of these magic blasts at Endora.

Endora lowered herself to the floor and lunged at Cora with her halberd. The weapon glowed with bright light with each attack, and Cora put considerable effort into dodging and deflecting it.

That must be an Aspected weapon…

Catching himself before he could get lost in thought, Seiji decided to join the battle. He kicked off with a Dragon Fury-infused foot and closed the distance in a single bound, using the momentum to land a Dragon Fury-infused fist to Endora’s head.

Endora didn’t so much as flinch. Instead, she lowered her head with the momentum of the punch and twisted her weapon to strike Seiji.

Cora grabbed the weapon, kicking at Endora before snatching it from the Valkyrie’s grip.

The weapon’s light vanished as Cora held it, instead reverting to the shiny silver it’d been before the battle. Undeterred, Cora wielded it with mastery, swinging it at Endora in blurring speed.

Seiji did his best to find some sort of opening, but Cora left none. Not wanting to be a burden, he ran to Endora’s back, preparing to catch the woman in a pincer attack.

Endora blasted off with golden wings, leaving Seiji before a swing of Cora’s halberd. Before the attack could connect, Cora dropped the weapon and shouted for Seiji to get back.

He did as much, anticipating another flurry of attacks. Instead, the scent of ocean water filled his lungs, and Cora’s face grew dark. She picked the halberd up once more, ushering for Seiji to get as far away from her as possible. Endora spoke as he stepped away.

“Good thing you’ve learned!” she called, once again seating herself on a white and gold banner. “You have my word, I’ll leave you both to it. I’ll just watch, promise! If it makes you feel any better, you’re both doing… okay. I guess that doesn’t make you feel better, huh? Oh well, you have a chance to do better starting now!”

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Seiji was blinded by light as Endora clasped her hands together. When vision returned, he was surrounded by four dummies made entirely of opaque blue water. They were featureless outlines of Endora, as if made to suggest her appearance rather than imitate it entirely. Seiji turned to Cora and was shocked to find the girl surrounded by twenty of the clones, each armed with weapons made of water that seemed to grow out of their hands.

“Aqua Silhouette!” Endora shouted from the ceiling. “Kill them, and I may be a bit satisfied. Maybe.”

A cold, wet fist connected with Seiji’s face as Endora finished speaking. He turned to find the offending Silhouette and was shocked to find it laughing, the sound guttural and wrong coming from the creature.

Gritting his teeth, Seiji stood to his feet, only to get kicked down by another Silhouette. This continued far longer than Seiji could accept, struggling to his feet only to get kicked down by a chortling Silhouette.

This was not the will of fate. The heavens didn’t permiss this. Seiji roared, ignoring his pain and grabbing one of the Silhouettes by the throat. Seiji growled, his tone low enough to be heard only by his victims.

“Your Fates have been decided.”

The Aqua Silhouette in his grip smiled a wicked grin before it spoke, its voice hoarse.

“Try it.”

Seiji willed Dragon Fury into his hand and squeezed, the Silhouette’s neck sizzling where he gripped it. Cold water boiled, slowly turning hot, before finally turning to mist. The Silhouette splashed at Seiji’s feet, no more than regular water. Seiji didn’t move his fist. He turned his head, slowly, giving them time to prepare for heaven’s decree.

Though they struggled, their Fates had already been written. Seiji carried out the will of the heavens.

Remembering himself, Seiji looked over to Cora, who’d been struggling against her own Silhouettes. He began to approach, but a hand held him back. Seiji turned with Dragon Fury at the ready, but was stunned to find Endora, a gauntleted finger hovering over her lips. She pulled him closer and whispered into his ear like a child, cupping her hands to his ear.

“I doubt you want to get close to her when she’s mad.”

Before Seiji could ask what that meant, the Valkyrie smiled and flew back to her perch at the white banner. He decided to turn to back Cora. Seiji wasn’t sure what Endora meant, but Cora was clearly overwhelmed. The Silhouettes encircled her, weapons bared and cackled loud. Seiji slowly approached, regardless of Endora’s warning. Cora clearly needed–

“Pieces of shit! If you want to fight like animals, I’ll put you down like animals!” Cora roared.

Cora stretched her hands out wide, palms open. With a shout, a blast of blue fire shot out from her hands like an explosion. The blast lingered for just a moment, the attack large enough to reach Endora at her perch, but the Valkyrie didn’t flinch. When it faded, the Aqua Silhouettes were gone, evaporated with the blast.

Cora turned to the remaining Silhouettes, still furious. They’d begun to run from her, but another one of those massive blasts was enough to get rid of them. As soon as her last attack faded, she turned to Endora and roared.

“Get down here and… face me like a Valkyrie!” Then, she turned to Seiji. “Come!”

Seiji wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say, so he said nothing. Kicking off with Dragon Fury, he was at her side in a single step.

“Flank left… and… I will… flank right.” Cora breathed, though her posture was still.

“You know,” he began, far more softly than he intended. “You can be quite intense. It’s a good look on… you.”

Cora spat blood on the floor on her side before she spoke a muffled, “Focus… on… the fight.”.

Endora floated down across from them, a smile clear on her face. She didn’t say anything, something that surprised Seiji a bit. Still, she beckoned for them to attack, and they did so, kicking off at the exact same time.

With a single flick to Cora’s forehead, the girl fell to the floor unconscious. Seiji quickly prepared his own attack, but Endora raised a hand.

“That attack Cora used is called Dragon Burst. It’s her strongest technique, so it’s likely the last one you’ll unlock during the Exam.”

Seiji felt a pang of excitement at the words. Cora looked monstrous when she used that attack. If he could do that, those Aqua Silhouettes wouldn’t have been a problem at all. Well, they hadn’t been much of a problem when Seiji took them seriously, but they wouldn’t have had to push him that far in the first place, he imagined.

“It uses a lot of aura to cast. Cora spent hers, and now she’ll be out for the rest of the day.”

Endora knelt at Cora’s side, stroking her ear as she had earlier. The Valkyrie smiled softly before lifting Cora in her arms.

“I’m satisfied, Seiji. I’ll accept this as a victory.”

”Why?” Seiji said, surprised by his own words.

Endora seemed to expect them, though, her soft expression unmoved.

“You both have that aura.”

Seiji immediately knew what she meant. He recalled his readiness to fight Endora when she’d humiliated him. The finality of his strikes against the Silhouettes. Cora’s shift in demeanor after defeating the Aqua Silhouettes with her strongest attack.

“I’m not sure the kind of life you lived,” Endora continued. “But you can access that aura more readily.” She lifted Cora slightly before lowering her again. “Cora, meanwhile, needs to be… coaxed into it. When she’s on, though, she’s on.”

You have been touched by the Hand of Fate.

It was an old saying among the Hidden Hand. To be touched by the Hand of Fate meant that you no longer acted on your own will, instead carrying out the will of the heavens. Right now, Seiji currently was in the heavens. He was surprised the phenomenon existed even here within them.

“She shouldn’t be.” Seiji found himself saying, once again surprised by his own words. Rather than leave them, though, he continued. “I’ve been made to have this aura. Cora hasn’t. She shouldn’t have to become me to find success.”

Seiji recalled an office filled with angry assassins. Fat men and haggish women sat badgering them for new wars they could incite, political figures whose deaths would lead to the most conflict. Conflict equals commerce, as they’d say. He recalled a middle-aged man bursting into the room, crying for his son’s murderer. The son that Seiji himself had killed. He recalled his conversation with the man, whose words were enough to convince him to leave the Hidden Hand. Those words ate at him with every passing moment.

“Protect her, then. You’re her Servant, no? That’s part of your job!” Endora looked away, her face softening as she continued. “Listen, Seiji. Every Valkyrie has her purpose. My purpose is to protect, and I do whatever I must to protect the weak.” She looked down at Cora’s unconscious form, smiling deeply. “Cora has the will to protect, but she is not a protector. You may not be a Valkyrie, but you are still fully capable of being a protector.”

Seiji turned pensive eyes to Cora. Rather than stand around in confusion, he decided to say the first thing that came to his mind.

“I only know how to kill. I don’t know how to protect,” he said in an uncertain tone.

“And I can’t teach you!” Endora responded, far more certain. He turned to the Valkyrie, who affected an earnest smile.

“This Exam is about learning how to do what you cannot.” She nodded down to Cora. “She isn’t very good at fighting in a team,” She nodded upwards at Seiji. “And you aren’t good at controlling your emotions.”

Though he wanted to say something, Seiji knew she was right. He recalled his outburst at the System Ceremony, his surge of anger at Endora in the fight, and his intensity against the Aqua Silhouettes. If he wanted to go far in the Valkyrie Exams, he needed to have a handle on his emotions. Endora read his introspection, meeting him with a wide smile.

“Luckily, the perfect opportunity to do just that is coming in a few days! I promised to make victory worth your while, didn’t I?”

Seiji nodded, “I guess you did.”

Endora knelt down and placed Cora gently on the floor. When she stood, the Valkyrie punched a hand into nothing, her arm disappearing into a rippling puddle of air. After rummaging through it a bit, she pulled her hand out, brandishing a simple scroll. She tossed it at Seiji, and his System opened without prompting. When he read the message, he couldn’t help but share a mischievous grin as a million different plans hit him at once.

“Now you both have an opportunity not only to learn, but to learn from one another!” Endora shouted, reading his excitement.

Seiji nodded furiously. “Thank you for the opportunity!” He sounded more enthusiastic than he would’ve wanted to, but Seiji didn’t mind. He’d been too busy rereading the message in his System, thinking of their best plan of attack.

DAY 3

BOTANIST’S BOND EVENT

HOSTED BY ENDORA LASKO

@ THE GRAND GARDEN