Ash Whitelund was both right and wrong about his suspicions. The date of their duel kept approaching at light speed, while the troubles that he encountered made it all feel so agonizingly slow. It was a hellish torture where the entire week was going too fast and too slow at the same time. Ideally, he’d have liked to say that he had spent every waking moment preparing for the match, but that would be a lie. They said that time was money and unfortunately for him, he was flat broke. VEA didn’t just put everything on pause just because he had a match to prepare for. No, the young boy still had to keep up in his classes, which meant he still had to keep up with his catch up studies.
The group couldn’t practice during school hours, so that left only the early hours in the morning and late into the evening for them to get any actual work done. Ideally they’d have lunch as well, but Magnolia had boldly declared that she had ‘social duties’ to attend to. It didn’t earn her any good will with Kyouko, but then Ash couldn’t say that his own social life was going great either. Now that he had to suddenly deal with being thrust into the limelight even more than he had been before. With a greater need for secrecy, Ash found himself on constant alert at all times. Every whisper, every stare, there had even been people who had finally come up to try and strike a conversation. Of course he gave them the cold shoulder, even if they did seem nice, because he didn’t know how much he could actually say without Anemone using it against him.
When he wasn’t training, he was studying. When he wasn’t studying, he was working. When he wasn’t working, he was eating. When he wasn’t eating, he was sleeping. There was no time to do anything else. He ran out of time before he even knew it. Stress, exhaustion, paranoia, all these emotions became commonplace to him.
It was probably no wonder then, that the day before it all came to a head, Ash finally collapsed.
The incident happened during another mock battle with Magnolia. Ash had transformed and was tasked with keeping a cone upright while also defending an assault by her trainer. It was supposed to simulate what being on the defense would be like during a Domination Battle, but having to constantly switch her attention between defending herself and defending the cone felt like her mind was tearing apart. Or at least, she thought that was just part of the training. Then came the moment when her thoughts cut out, her limbs gave way, and her vision blackened, as it felt like all strength had left her body.
When Ash finally came too, he found himself lying on a sofa inside the dorm. Miss Ingen was staring over him, looking over his state while clicking her tongue. “Don’t worry, it’s just exhaustion. He should be fine after a good meal and rest.”
Liesa let out a sigh of relief as Ash sluggishly turned to face the rest of the group. “Oh thank goodness.”
“I suppose that a break is in order,” Magnolia mused. “We can eat dinner for another thirty minutes before getting back to work.”
“Hah?” Ingen let out, whipping her head around with a surprising amount of energy for her aging body. “I don’t think you understand. When I say rest then at minimum he needs to have a good night’s sleep.”
“So no physical activity?” The Asgardian’s face twitched. “Then we can plan for the match-”
“She means no activities period.” Kyouko took a step forward while glaring at his handler. “Ash doesn’t need any more stress on his plate, mental or physical.”
“It’s fine,” the boy in question muttered as he tried to sit up, only for the dorm manager to push him back down. “I can at least do that mu-”
“No way.” His partner shook her head furiously. “The schedule we designed before was already pushing our limits but it was still manageable! Keeping up with her insane work hours on top of that is the problem! Push yourself any further and you will break.”
“Oh so you wish to pin the responsibility on me?” Magnolia’s eyes blazed as she stared down at the girl. “Ash is the one who wishes to become a Wing. If he can’t keep up with this schedule then that goal will forever be out of his reach.”
“Cut the bullcrap!” Kyouko groweld back. “As if you actually care! You’re only in this because your ‘Hale’ name refuses to be dishonored by some other family or whatever!”
“And what of it?” The Asgardian brushed her hair back. “Even if it’s for different reasons, we both want the same goal, do we not?”
“I’m doing it because she hurt my best friend! You’re just in it because of some dick measuring contest!” Magnolia’s face scrunched at the vulgar language, but Kyouko kept on going. “And like hell am I going to let some Asgard princess hurt Ash for such a stupid reason!”
“Princess?!” The blonde seethed. “I am the one working tirelessly to make sure our efforts aren’t lacking! A street rat like you has no right to call me by such a name! You couldn’t even make something of yourself in the Realm of Man, you really think it would be different in the Realm of the Gods?!”
“Call yourself a God or whatever, but at the end of the day you’re still human.” Kyouko raised her fists, knuckles making an audible crack and pop throughout the room. “And I’m more than willing to prove that here and now.”
“A-Alright you two, please keep control of your tempers.” Liesa held her hands up as she tried to placate them both. “Infighting now will only cause disarray in group dynamics during our match tomorrow.”
“Treating the symptom of a problem doesn’t mean it goes away,” her charge growled. “You have to treat the illness at the source!”
“You really think you can harm me?” the Invincible Warrior scoffed. “It doesn’t matter. Even if I am the only one who shows tomorrow morning, I’d still earn myself a victory. You’re just a hanger-on who happened to get lucky, the leech of society, just like you’ve always been.”
The two girls growled at each other, temperatures blazing high before eventually- There was a flash of white. Both of them instantly backed away from the other in order to dodge the sudden blast that shot between them. With a loud crash, an icicle lodged itself into the dorm wall, a frosty chill engulfing the room. All the girl’s in the room turned to face the source only to see wintry eyes glaring at them with cold, hard contempt. “Both of you. Shut up.”
There was a moment of freezing silence as the Vintrkind collected himself. Ah crap he had let his emotions slip. He was just so exhausted that he… Never mind. Just needed to breathe in and out. Once he had finally chilled his emotions, Ash continued to speak. “Breaker… I get that you’re worried about me, but stop trying to pick a fight with one of the few people here actually willing to help us. At least until after tomorrow. For my sake, if nothing else.”
His longtime partner gave him a look before placing a hand on her hip and sighing. “Fine.”
“And Magnolia, I’m… sorry.” Was how Ash could best put it as he collapsed back on to the couch. “I’ll be better by tomorrow, but I honestly don’t think I can keep training tonight.”
“If that’s your decision, then so be it.” His handler shook her head in resignation. “It’s not ideal, but in return I’m expecting you to put on a perfect showing tomorrow.”
“Yeah, yeah.” A wry smile crossed his face. “I already know what you’ll do to me if I don’t.”
“Good.” Magnolia declared, beginning to walk out the door. “Then if my work here is done for tonight, I’ll return to my quarters early.”
“Ah, I suppose I’ll do that as well.” Liesa carefully gave the two Midgardians an apologetic look before following her fellow Wing Candidate out the door. “Rest up and restore your calorie levels!”
There was a moment of silence as the two vanished before Breaker spoke up, walking towards the stairs. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Vargr. I’ll be in my room, tell me when dinner’s ready.”
And then it was just him, sitting all alone.
“By the way, you’re paying for that wall,” Miss Ingen told him as she wandered over to the kitchen.
“Of course,” Ash sighed.
----------------------------------------
Even if she was not physically in the room, Magnolia could feel her mother’s presence. This was partially due to the fact that she always chose to use a holographic form of communication that didn’t just show her screen but projected her whole body. There was really no need for it, since sensation wasn’t transmitted a video projection would’ve served just as well, but it had always been her mother’s preferred communication method. So, no matter where Magnolia traveled to, the woman could feel as if her mother was really right in front of her, staring down with the same cold blue eyes as always.
“I have heard word of tomorrow's event.” It would be a miracle if she hadn’t, the only mystery was why she had chosen the night before to finally call Magnolia. “I trust you will not make the same mistake you did last time you dealt with the Montagues?”
“No, mother.” The blonde shook her head resolutely. “I’m different from back then. This time, you can place your trust in me. I won’t disgrace our family name again.”
“That remains to be seen,” The woman said, and with a wave of a fan in her hands, covered her mouth.
There was a brief moment of pause between the mother and daughter pair before Magnolia finally found the courage to broach the subject at the tip of her tongue. “Will you be watching the match tomorrow?”
“Naturally.” Perhaps for any other child, this confirmation would be delightful, but for Magnolia it was only yet another heavy weight onto her shoulders. “This is yet another chance to earn back our family’s prestige. Magnolia, you will put on a performance as befitting of a Hale.”
“Of course, mo-”
“And should you fail, I will stop being so lenient on you,” her mother interrupted. “But that won’t happen, now, will it? You’re a good girl, far better than your wastrel of a father.”
“...Yes, mother.” Magnolia nodded, her eyes towards the ground subserviently. Her mother’s eyes bore into her, holding none of the warmth that a parent’s should. For as long as Magnolia had known her mother, she had always had a biting chill to her gaze.
The Matriarch of Ruin intentionally drew out the moment of silence. before finally giving a nod. “Then that will be all.” And then, with not so much as a ‘good luck’ or ‘good bye’, the fan her mother held snapped shut and the holographic communication was cut off, leaving Magnolia alone in her room.
“ ‘Lenient’, she says,” the girl muttered to herself in the quiet silence, saying words only meant for her own ears. “Yeah right.”
With a weary breath, she pulled herself over to a chair and stared out the glass pane that served as her window. As Wing Candidate, she had been assigned a prestigious room on one of the top floors of the high rise that made up the A-Rank Dorms. From here, she could see all of Valhalla below her, everything seeming so small and beneath her. Those who were still awake and enjoying the nightlife little more than dots to her. Perhaps to some, it would be picturesque, to her it was just something that she had grown up with. Commonplace, ordinary. The only thing she had truly found beautiful about living in Asgard was the artificial moonlight that shone through the glass.
It was bright and full tonight. It always was.
Magnolia let out a breath, sinking into her chair as her muscles relaxed. Stress and exhaustion consumed the poor girl in waves as she simply didn’t have the energy to do more than watch the view from her window. Before now, in front of others, she couldn’t show it on her features. A Hale was always strong and decisive. Showing you’re tired and battered form would just make others think negatively of you, and that would be dishonorable. There was a standard she had to live up to, after all and she’d make certain that none would think her incapable. No, it was only when Magnolia was certain that she was utterly alone that she could finally stop trying to fuel her fire when it had already become mere embers.
“Call yourself a God or whatever, but at the end of the day you’re still human.”
Magnolia’s fists curled at the words. The encounter had not been a good one, she wasn’t some deluded fool she thought herself right in every circumstance. But neither did she think she was in the wrong. The implications of the words wrangled her, that she should settle for a mere ‘good enough’... Tiredly, the asgardian muttered under her breath the words her mother had always repeated. “In this world, you need to be more then human.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
A human has desires. A human has flaws. A human was imperfect.
For Magnolia Hale, that was unacceptable.
But spiteful mutterings was all she could manage as Morpheus came to claim his debt. Even though there was still so much that she could do to prepare for tomorrow, she could already feel herself drifting off as she gazed at the view. Heavy eyelids drifting closed, as the sight in front of her began to blur, street lights mixing together as she began to drift off into unconsciousness-
There was a knock at the door. Magnolia jolted out of her chair as she realized someone was waiting at the front. Her hand instantly went to her mouth, wiping away the faint drool that had escaped her lips as she shouted towards the door. “Just a minute!”
Panic and adrenaline surged through her as she quickly tidied her hair and outfit to make herself look presentable once more. With what was most definitely not a desperate scramble, she elegantly made her way over to the door before opening it. “Can I help you… Oh, Stark, how unexpected.”
It truly was. Despite both being in theoretically the same position, the two girls had been assigned to different floors of the high rise, so even though they did live in the same building, they rarely, if ever encountered one another inside.
“My deepest apologies for suddenly visiting at this time of night.” Liesa twiddled the green fringes of her hair as she stood in Magnolia’s doorway. “I just received a new shipment from Alfheim a moment ago, some equipment that they want mister Ash to try and test out. Since you're his handler I figured that you would want to know…”
“Thank you for letting me know.” Shouldn’t she have heard about this beforehand? Well, it’s not like she’s checked her data pad in the past few hours. To her, that device was only just a tool for keeping up with the news and making connections. Instead of a convenience, it was more of a chore, if she was being honest. “Will that be all?”
“No, there’s…” Liesa struggled a bit with the words, Magnolia’s exhausted irritation rising before she finally managed to figure out how to phrase it. “Pardon me, but would you mind if I came in? There’s a topic I wanted to discuss with you.”
No. Magnolia just wanted to go to sleep. “Of course.”
It wasn’t long before the two were sitting at Magnolia’s dining table. Liesa glanced around the place wide eyed, taking in everything that she couldn’t see from the door. “Wow, it’s so spacious here.”
The blonde raised an eyebrow, “Don’t you have the same accommodations as I do?”
“Yes but I quickly found myself running out of room.” The bespectacled girl let out an awkward laugh. “The A-Rank Dorms here are much bigger than what I had back when I was an academy student in Alfheim, but that just meant more space to fill up. Textbooks, research papers, encyclopedias, that sort of thing. Before I even realized it, my room was cluttered, but sometimes you can’t just help yourself, you know?”
“...I can’t say that I do.” It wasn’t like Magnolia’s accommodations were lacking. Even if this was a ‘dorm’, it was more accurate to say that she had been given a multi-room hotel suite. And what decorated the walls were exquisite paintings, fancy instruments, her own awards and accolades. But… It lacked a distinct personal touch. That was only to be expected, as Magnolia had meticulously designed each and every part of her room to be appealing towards any guests that might visit. Like, for instance, the girl in front of her right now. “I’ve always been a neat and tidy person.”
And personal collections were just a waste of space. Garbage to be thrown out.
“Would you like a cup?” Magnolia asked as she poured herself a cup of steaming tea.
“Oh no, I don’t think this will take long.” Liesa shook her head. “At least, I hope it doesn’t.”
“Then I suppose we should skip the pleasantries.” The Asgardian sighed as she took a sip from her cup. The warm drink soothed her parched throat as she collected herself. “After all, I can already guess what you’ve come here for.”
“Really?”
“It’s quite obvious.” A breath escaped Magnolia’s lips. “You wanted to talk about what happened this afternoon didn’t you?”
It was only natural after all. The incident had been rather unpleasant. No, unpleasant was underplaying it. Nobody had walked away happy from that training session, which was disastrous with the duel scheduled tomorrow morning. Considering that Magnolia had ended up arguing with the girl that Liesa was not only in charge of, but with whom she had—for some reason—decided to make friends with, it was only natural that the girl would come to confront her about it. Magnolia would probably have done the same if she were foolish enough to make that mistake.
The real question was how she should play this. It wouldn’t do to make unnecessary enemies, especially not with someone she was supposed to be working with. Magnolia had no particularly good feelings towards the Alfheim wing candidate, but neither were there any ill ones. They were colleagues, put into the same position. She clearly needed to placate her and make amends, but she also couldn’t back down from her original stance. That would be a sign of weakness.
“I admit that perhaps I let my temper get the best of me, and it might have seemed overly harsh, but I don't think that I was fundamentally in the wrong,” Magnolia began. “One needs to be pushed to their limit if they wish to succeed. In my own youth, when I collapsed, I was given very little time to recover before my instructors told me to get back up and try again. At the time I hated it, but now I can’t help but be grateful for them helping me get to where I am today. And while I know of the need to cooperate, I do believe that the claims I made against Kyouko were neither false nor inaccurate. Of course, I perfectly understand if you’re upset on behalf of your charge-”
“It’s not her I’m worried about.” Liesa shook her head. “Miss Kyouko is… Strong. I’m sure she wasn’t affected all that much and will bounce back by tomorrow.”
“Ah, I see.” Magnolia wasn’t sure how much she believed that, but if Liesa said so. “Then is it Ash you wanted to discuss? I’m afraid that even as his handler, there’s little that I can say about him.”
Ash Whitelund. When she had first seen what level his technical knowledge was on, she had accidentally misidentified the kind of person that he was. Sure, he was so far behind that it might as well be a disgrace to the Valhalla name, but he had proven on multiple occasions to be able to handle himself in a fight as well as put in the effort to try and catch up with his peers. Magnolia knew not what his purpose was, but that drive and dedication to improve was admirable, and marked him distinctively from most of the men that she had encountered in Asgard. Layabout scum who had aligned themselves with the decedent faction, there was hardly any man left who hadn’t been tainted by Asgard’s rot and corruption.
“His efforts are praiseworthy, as well as his actions thus far,” Magnolia said honestly. It helped that he had also proven his character not just through his achievements but through his own actions. There were scores of gutless fools who would abandon her for Anemone’s offer without even a second thought. “That’s why as his handler, even in his current condition, I can assure you there is no need to worry. I have faith that this is just a minor setback for Ash. And of course, it is my responsibility to encourage his growth-”
“It’s you!” Liesa suddenly blurted out, seemingly exasperated for some reason as she raised her voice. “I’m worried about you, Magnolia!”
Blue eyes stared at her unblinking. The Asgardian desperately tried to clamp her jaw and prevent it from slacking as she stared at her fellow sign candidate with shock and bewilderment. All of her thoughts came crashing into a screaming halt only manifesting in one single word. “...Pardon?”
Her guest seemed just as flustered by her own answer as she twitter with her braided hair and tried to calm down. “Mister Ash and Miss Kyouko are my friends, yes, but you’re the one I’m most worried about. You’re a part of the team as well, but you were the one who stood to get hurt the most this afternoon. When we were walking back to the dorms you didn’t speak a single word and… You seemed lonely.”
Hurt? Lonely? Her? A flash of anger sparked in Magnolia as she processed the words. How absurd. “I assure you, I have no such feelings towards today’s events. Even if I got into an argument with that street rat, minor comments from one who has achieved nothing would never scratch my heart.”
“But you do feel responsible for Mister Ash’s collapse, don’t you?” Liesa asked. “I… Think if you had just apologised then things wouldn’t have escalated so badly.”
“Apologies are for those who desire to be forgiven,” she snapped, before desperately trying to restrain herself. “I am willing to bear responsibility, yes, but I also believe that there’s always a price to pay for actions and that Ash can handle himself perfectly fine. I am able to keep up with such a grueling pace as well, after all.”
The Alfheim girl looked off to the side, gazing out the view of Magnolia’s window with a misty gaze behind her frames. “...Sometimes, the things that we think come easy for us are the most difficult things in the world for others.”
A bitter smile crossed her face as she moved to clutch the side of her stomach. “I know full well what happens when stress and failure manage to consume a person’s mental state. It’s never a pretty sight.”
“But sometimes it is a burden that we must bear,” Magnolia declared, discreetly gripping the seat of her chair beneath the table. “A duty we must complete no matter how it all ends. No matter what one thinks of it, there is no running away from responsibility.”
“Is that what motivates you?” Liesa asked as she turned back to face the blonde. “I think that living for a purpose someone else dictated for you is just… sad.”
“Passion is what causes men to go astray. To abandon what needs to be done for short sighted pleasure.”
“Far be it from someone in my position to argue against responsibility, but please.” The green haired girl leaned over the table to grab Magnolia’s hands, clutching them tightly. “Even if it may not seem like it, you have us! If the burden gets too much then Mister Ash, Miss Kyouko, and I are always here for you if you need support! There’s no reason to destroy yourself trying to carry the burden for something that happened before you were even born-”
Magnolia’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“Ah.” Liesa exclaimed, having realized that she had said too much, promptly shut her lips sealed tight but it was already too late.
“So that’s what this is about,” the asgardian huffed as she pulled her hands out of her guest’s. “No wonder you suddenly seemed so interested in my personal affairs. Tell me, how much do you know? Did Anemone reveal it to you or was it some other Asgardian gossiping behind my back?”
“No, it wasn’t anything like that. I coincidentally ran across it while I was looking through some records…” She adjusted her glasses, the smart device activating as her eyes started to read rapidly. “About what happened fifteen years with Jotunheim-”
“That’s more than enough,” Magnolia snapped as she stood out of her chair. “I do believe our conversation is done here.”
“But-!”
“Stark.” The invincible warrior’s blue eyes were smoldering as she gave the Alfheim girl a look. “I am being polite. Do not make me repeat myself.”
“A-alright…” Liesa stuttered out meekly, Magnolia walking her towards the door before she suddenly turned around to face her again. “I haven’t known Ash for very long but… I don’t think he’s the type of person who’d hold you accountable for something out of your control.”
“So you say,” she replied before opening the door for her guest and sighing. “I’ll be going to bed now and resting up for tomorrow. I suggest you do the same.”
“Of course,” the dark-haired girl replied as she stepped outside into the hall. With a polite smile, she gave Magnolia a wave. “Good night then, Miss Magnolia.”
It was impolite of her, but Magnolia couldn’t find it in her to return the words and instead opted to close the door. Muffled footsteps came from the other side of the door before a wave of exhaustion drowned her the moment she knew Liesa was gone. Magnolia collapsed to her knees, not caring about the mess her hair was making as she mumbled under her breath. “Why did she have to discover that now?”
With little strength left in her body, Magnolia pushed herself back on her feet before stumbling over to her bed and collapsing onto the ultrasoft mattress. Her mind began to wander, even as a haze of sleep began to erode her consciousness. The Hale family’s past was an open secret, but Magnolia would’ve preferred it if this confrontation happened after tomorrow, rather than the night before the duel.
Besides, when Ash learned about it, there was no way that she would go free of blame. After all, no matter how one looked at it, it was her family’s failure that brought the tragedies in his life.
And it was because of that Magnolia Hale had thrown away passion and pleasure. The sins of humanity would only create a weakness in the invincible warrior. This was not just responsibility, but a way of taking accountability. It was the only way her family could atone for all that they had done.
The fire of duty that pushed her forwards. One that she could never, ever let burn out.