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coldace24 · 6 years ago

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White Elegance In Snowy Splendor (RWBY Fanfic)

[When Everything Inside Suffers Silently]

Head up...

Shoulders back...

Right foot forward...

slow your breathing...

wait for the right time to strike...

...

Now!

She rushed forward, the tip of her rapier raised in front of her for a poised strike. Traveling a few meters ahead, she ground to a halt, pulling back her weapon for a moment, then continuing on with a flurry of thrusts. Suddenly, she pulled back, raising her blade for a parry, then ultimately a counter, before giving one final, powerful, forward thrust.

The air settled quietly as she ceased her onslaught; the dust settling away on a wide radius around her. She adjusted her stance, pulling up the blade in front of her as she stood straight, then delivered a small bow to mark the end of her practice.

A small sigh of disappointment escaped her lips; though satisfied with her skill, she found much discontent with their lack of acknowledgement, especially from her father. Tucking away her rapier to her side, she started to walk towards the fountain at the edge of the courtyard. Sitting down on its surface, her gaze fell upon the vast yet empty night sky, searching for visible stars as if searching for an answer to her own troubles.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company... is out on her courtyard trying to look for non-existent stars." She mumbled to herself, unconsciously letting out another sigh. "Sounds like the perfect summary of my life."

"Aww, don't be so down, princess. It's not all bad." The voice of a young male came from behind her, much to her surprise.

In an almost instantaneous reaction, she drew her sword and turned around, the tip of her blade pointed towards the perpetrator, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"Woah, easy there, princess!" It was a young boy, perhaps around the same age as her, dressed in commoner's clothes; his dark hair long enough to almost cover his blue eyes. He had a grin on his face as he held up his hands in surrender.

"W-Who are you and how did you get in here!?" She shouted, still holding up the sword to him.

"Well, princess, my name's Zephyr. Zephyr Monochrome." He flashes a wide smile at her. "As for how I got here... well, I have my ways."

"What do you want!? If you're here to kidnap me...I'm warning you, you'll be in for a world of pain!" As if to make a point, she leveled her blade to the boy's eyes.

"Nah, I'm not here to do that. I was just looking for a good spot to find some stars. And I think I found just the right one." He held up his fingers like a frame towards the sky.

"HUH!?!? I'M SORRY BUT DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHERE YOU ARE!?!?" Her eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"Hmm, not exactly but-"

"YOU, mister, are trespassing in the home of the Schnee family, owners of the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers and exporters of Dust in the whole world!"

"Oh...cool then."

"Wha- excuse me!?" She was dumbfounded at his indifference. What mongrel would not even care after hearing the Schnee name? "That's it. You, mister trespasser, are going to have to leave, whether you like it or not."

"Oh come on, I finally found the perfect spot. It's not like I'm bothering you or anything. Just here to watch the night sky." As if enforcing his defiance, he crossed his legs and sat on the floor, again flashing her a wide smile.

Weiss's patience had reached its peak. This boy was clearly rubbing her the wrong way, and she would be nothing but more than glad to get rid of him. She pulled back her sword, preparing to launch a strike at him, though she made sure to aim at his forearm so as to avoid major injuries. She thrust forward in a fast, preemptive strike, but before the blade could connect with the boy's arm he had managed to catch the blade with a single hand.

Only then did she notice that the boy was wearing steel-enforced gloves, the kind issued to the military, but seemed more customized and personal. His grip on the blade was strong; strong enough for Weiss to use her entire weight as leverage just to pull it away from him.

"You really shouldn't be stabbing people like that all of a sudden, princess." He slowly stood up, patting his backside to get rid of the dust.

This person is dangerous. Those words rang in Weiss's mind, making her think twice of her actions, trying to find a better solution. But then again, she already attacked him, what other alternatives could there be? If it came down to this, she thought, then I might as well go all out.

Raising up her sword once more, she poised herself into a calm stance; regulating her breathing as she began to concentrate.

Remember your training, Weiss...

Head up...

Shoulders back..

Right foot forward... ...not that forward

slow your breathing...

wait for the right time to strike, and...

"Are you meditating or something?" The boy's sudden disturbance ruined her delicate focus. His face was already an inch away from hers, his eyes darting around as if trying to examine her features up close. She stumbled back in surprise, losing her balance on her wedge heeled shoes and started to fall, but before she could hit the ground, the boy managed to grab her sword arm, pulling her up gently until she was close enough to feel his breath.

Perhaps the shock of losing her balance clouded her mind, as for a moment, she was unsure of what had happened, then noticed the wide smile of the boy in front of her, ticking her off and making her remember how she was supposed to get rid of this accursed trespasser. Pushing him away, she pulled back into a stance, her left arm holding the sword's point towards the boy's direction, ready to strike.

"Look, princess, I really don't want any trouble. Can't we settle this peacefully?"

"Hmph! You can blame yourself for trespassing in Schnee property!"

She lunged, a quick but powerful strike aimed for his shoulder, yet he simply took a step aside and dodged with minimal effort. She skid to a stop, pulled back her weapon, then continued on with a flurry of thrusts. With each strike, the boy would simply dodge to the side or swat the blade away with his hand, resulting in nothing but silly misses that left her feeling belittled; and nothing could have irritated Weiss Schnee more than being belittled.

She pulled her sword close, spinning the revolving Dust chamber at its guard until it settled and locked on a single color; Fiery Red. From the exhaust barrel came red Dust that wrapped around her rapier's blade, and with one, powerful thrust, she sent a wave of flames toward her opponent.

The flames landed and erupted into a large explosion, sending smoke and dust everywhere like a heavy fog. As the fumes finally began to clear, the very first thing she noticed was the wide blast crater that had newly formed on the courtyard's floor; something her father would surely not be happy about.

"...I might have gone a little bit too far." Her words had a hint of tremble in them. The lack of a trespassing boy or a burnt corpse in sight served only to add to her unease.

"...I'm definitely going to get in trouble for this, aren't I?" The words finally escaped her mouth, words she didn't want to hear.

"Well, hopefully not. Although I have to say, you really went all out with that one."

She turned around to find the boy sitting on top of the ornate fountain, his clothes a little charred, but had no visible injury or burn.

"How did y-" She cut her sentence off, realizing how it would make her seem dumbfounded by his escape. "H-Huh, I thought for sure you'd been blown to little bits."

"Well, I'm a bit...skilled, princess." He gave her a sly wink, which did nothing but irritate her more. Fortunately, Weiss had regained her composure after her explosive display so as to not repeat it again, and went with a more...civilized approach.

"Mister...Zephyr, was it?" She tucked away her sword as she started to walk towards him. "Look, how about we put all of this behind us, and settle this peacefully."

"Why of course, yes, we should." Zephyr dropped down from the fountain and slowly walked towards her, hands raised in surrender. "Although when you look back, it was you who started it. But yes, I agree."

"Great!" Weiss was now face to face with him, around a meter apart. "So, how about you leave this place, and I can forget about all of this. Yes?"

There was a long pause, and for a moment, Weiss thought she might have screwed up a bit, but then he started nodding his head as he slowly backed away.

"Alright, princess. I'll do that." He flashed that same wide smile again. "I'll take my leave, seeing as how I've found my star tonight. An especially bright one at that."

Before she could ask what he meant, the boy had dashed away and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Weiss Schnee alone again at the empty courtyard, left to ponder over his parting words.

"...what star...?" She turned to the empty heavens above her. "...there's nothing up there..."

. . .

"Weiss Schnee, do you have anything to say for yourself?" Her father's tone was adamant and strict. She could only stare at the floor in silence, guilty of yesterday's destruction of the courtyard.

It was one thing to be reprimanded for that, but for her father not to believe her story about the trespassing boy, that hurt her the most; she would never make up a story, yet that is how her father sees it, unconvinced and unbelieving of her.

"Hmph! I thought not. If you had just admitted your mistake in the first place, we wouldn't have wasted so much time on this." He turned towards the window. "Now, return to your room. And when you train, make sure you don't destroy anything else, understand!?"

"...yes, father."

. . .

"...why am I doing this?" She could only shake her head at her illogical action. There she was, in the middle of the night at the courtyard; the place she should be staying away from due to the previous fiasco. Yet because of her father's response, some sort of rebellious spirit had found its way inside her, and now, more than anything, she wanted to meet the boy, and perhaps...

"I doubt he would be coming back. Not after my impeccable display of Dust explosions." She gave out a long, heavy sigh as she sat down by the fountain. "Why is everything I do always wrong...?"

"Sulking again? You must really have it tough, huh, princess?"

Before she could even turn around to see, the boy, Zephyr, had settled down beside her, crossing his legs and turning towards her with a grin.

"Y-you!"

"Yes, me."

"H-huh, I didn't think you'd actually return to this place. You must be quite the fool to trespass here yet again."

"You say that but... weren't you waiting for me?" He smiled. "After all, you came back out here around the same time as last night. Surely that's no coincidence, right?"

"Wrong!" She answered almost instantly. "I simply like being here. This is both my training ground and my leisure area."

"Alright alright, if you say so." He raised his hands in surrender. "So, what's gotten you so bummed out this time?"

She could only stare at him in silence. Even when she had attacked him and even insulted him, there he was asking about her problems; perhaps the only one who had shown a sliver of care aside from her butler and her sister. A stranger who barely knew her, how could she ever confide in him? Yet, when she thought about it, who else was there?

"Princess...? Are you alright?" His question broke her train of thought.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm...alright."

His eyebrows furrowed in doubt, but he didn't press on to ask, perhaps understanding how it was a private matter. For the rest of the moment, he was quiet, not saying or asking anything, not even a sound or a grunt, which made Weiss quite conscious, but somehow comfortable just sitting with him in silence.

"You know..." She finally spoke. "I feel kind of...trapped."

"Trapped? Why is that?"

"Well...as heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, I was always told to keep face, no matter what I do. My whole life was dictated by my father, and my future was written in stone." Instinctively, she found herself holding her arms. "I didn't want that...but I didn't have a choice. My only solace was reading about the outside world, about the things I've never had, or can never experience."

"What kind of things?"

"Hm...like, bunk beds." She held back a chuckle. "I've always wanted to try sleeping in those. They seem fun, and you'd get to sleep with...a friend."

"Well you're absolutely right, princess. Bunk beds are pretty fun, especially when there are a lot of them together in a room. You'd have loads of friends to play and chat with the moment you wake up!" He was laughing as he explained in wide motions.

"Yes." She tried to smile, but it felt heavy. "Yet...that is something I'll never be able to experience."

"And why not?"

"I just told you! I can't, because I'm the heiress to the company! That's already decided for..."

"And why do they get to decide that?" He looked dead straight in her eyes, his expression and tone, serious. "Look, princess, you're you. Nobody gets to decide who you are, or what you should become."

"But I can't!"

"Yes you can! For once, princess, try to be honest with yourself." His words struck a cord inside her. "You're strong, you're smart, now make use of those talents and reach for what you want."

"...how?" Her voice cracked. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"The first step...is to stop following what everyone says, and start following what your heart says." He pointed at her chest. "I know, somewhere inside you, you understand what that means, isn't that right, princess?

She did. Of course she knew, but the obstacle in front of her, the highest wall she has to overcome is none other than her father. That scared her, more than anything else; just the thought of going against his wishes made her tremble.

"You know, you don't have to do it altogether at once, princess." He placed his hand on her head and started to gently stroke. Usually, such actions would warrant anger from the Weiss Schnee, but at that moment, she didn't mind; rather, she felt assured that maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright.

"Maybe...you can just start with this." He motioned to her ponytail. "I see how you, in your dress and everything, seem to be going for a symmetric look. Was this because of your father as well?"

"Yes...even that was his decision."

"Then how about you switch it up? Maybe tie it to one side next time?" He smiled. "A small action with a greater meaning. Until you can muster up the courage to go against him fully...you can start with these small things, right?"

"That's..." She thought a lot about it, but ended up laughing instead. It was the silliest thing, but somehow, she understood what he meant. A small action with a greater meaning... those words were soon carved into her heart.

"Perhaps you're right..." She turned to him. "One step at a time."

"Mhm." He smiled at her. "And when you finally break out of your cage, princess, and you have no idea of any destination...then there's a place called Beacon Academy over at Vale. They train Hunters and Huntresses there. With your skills, I'm sure you'll make it in there easy."

"Beacon Academy? Vale? But that's in another kingdom!"

"I know. But you wanted to see the world outside, right? What better place to start than in another kingdom?" He stood up and stretched out his arms. "Take my word for it, princess. The places out there are breathtaking!"

"H-how do you know all that...?" She started to wonder. This boy who seemed like any other commoner was someone who knew so much, not only about other places, but with almost everything else. From fighting to encouraging, this boy was so enigmatic, yet captivating in her eyes.

"Just...who are you...?" The words escaped her mouth.

"I told you, princess. My name is Zephyr Monochrome." He smiled as he gave her another head pat. "As for my occupation...I'm a hunter. Well, a hunter-in-training, to be exact."

"You're...a hunter?" For a moment, she was in awe. "But...why are you-"

"Woops, hold that thought, princess." He interjected. "Seems we're out of time!"

"Stop, trespasser!" A pair of guards shouted from the other end of the courtyard as they ran towards them.

"Well, good luck, princess. And hopefully, we'll see each other again." He dashed away, his smile being the last thing she saw as he disappeared into the darkness just like the other night, leaving Weiss Schnee alone yet again; alone, but no longer lonely. This time...she knew just what she had to do. One step at a time.

. . .

"What...did you do with your hair?" Jacques Schnee, her father, had his eyes set on her ponytail, now tied to her right instead of the back.

"It's a fashion choice, father." She held her stance, looking unfazed.

"Hmph. Whatever." He pursed his lips. "So, what do you need from me?"

"I'm applying for Beacon Academy's Huntress program."

"Nonsense!" His voice was raised, causing Weiss to flinch, but she stood her ground nonetheless. "If you want to be a Huntress, fine. But Beacon Academy!? Bah! You can take the same program here at Atlus!"

"But father I-"

"No!" This time, he was shouting. "I'm not letting you study in such a far away place when the same results can be achieved here, where you're within reach."

"You don't understand, father! I want to study in Vale!" She pursed her lips, so as to hold back her anger.

"Bah! Atlus is better equipped than Vale!" He shook his head yet again. "Stop this stupidity at once!"

"I will not back down, father." She did her best not to falter, but with every moment, and every rising of her father's voice, it became much harder each time. "You will let me study in Beacon, and I will do anything to prove to you that I'm ready to take this step."

Her father fell silent. The look in his eyes was fierce, yet instead of lashing out, he seemed to reconsider, breathing out a heavy sigh as he turned towards the room's only window.

"Very well." He paused to sigh again. "You've been training everyday, haven't you?"

"Without fail, father."

"And you believe these skills of yours will let you survive the world out there?"

"I do."

"So be it." He turned to look her straight in her eyes. "You will take a test, and if your skills and training prove their worth, then I will reconsider your application to Beacon Academy. But if you fail, you will never speak of this nonsense again, understand?"

"I-" She hesitated for a moment, but then bit her lip so as to regain her resolve. "If that is what it takes."

"Good." He sat down on his desk chair. "Then go and be ready. Because your enemy will not show you mercy."

"Enemy...?"

"...the Arma Gigas shall be who you fight."

She pursed her lips. The Arma Gigas, whatever that was, it sounded dangerous; but she couldn't back out from here, not after everything that has happened. She steeled herself once more, holding onto the resolve that the boy had given her, and with one quiet breath, spoke out the words that have lingered in her mind.

"I will be free."

. . .

~ Mirror, mirror, tell me something, Who's the loneliest of all? ~

#Weiss #WeissSchnee #RWBY #fanfic #Fanfiction #Dust #Myrtenaster #Zephyr #fantasy #Magic #romance

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coldace24 · 6 years ago

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coldace24 · 6 years ago

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Dynamax Chronicles (Pokémon Sword & Shield Fanfic)

"Shhhh, they're comin'." In a sort of panic to shut me up, she grabbed my head and stuffed my face on her chest. Of course, the only thing I could do was to keep quiet and not make obvious movements, otherwise I'd end up escalating my already precarious situation. A few minutes pass by and the sound of footsteps disappeared into the distance. Fortunately, the guards hadn't noticed us hunched down beside the crates and continued on with their patrol.

"Tha' was close, wuzinit?" She seemed to relax; I could tell from the way her chest eased up as she breathed out a long sigh. Yet instead of replying to her, all I could think of were the soft, ample mounds that were squished against my face, and her alluring scent that kept invading my nostrils.

"I knew this wou'n't be easy, but I di'n't think the security would be this tight. Now wha' are we supposed to do?" I wanted to answer, I really did, but the things in front of me wouldn't allow it; how awkward would it be to open my mouth in such a dangerous place, so yet again I had to keep quiet.

"...Ray..?" This time she called my name. Still, I couldn't respond.

"...you a'right?" Her words came with a bit of worry now. "Why are you so...quiet?"

Finally, she loosened her pull on my head, and I slowly lifted my face away from her chest; perhaps it was out of guilt or maybe just embarassment, but by then, I couldn't manage to look at her eye to eye, which seemed to only confuse her.

"Is sumthin' the matter..?"

"Well..." I managed to open my mouth and answer this time. "I just didn't think it would be proper to talk when I was in such a...provocative place."

"Provocative...?" She seemed confused at first, then finally realized as she looked down at her chest. "...ahh."

"Well le's jus' call tha' a free sample, shall we?" She gave me a wink. "Do well, and you might ge' the whole package next time."

I could hear her chuckle as she stood up, and patted off the dust on her backside. Of course she'd throw a dirty joke at it, because why not.

"So, now wha'?" She finally turns to me.

"Guess we'll just have to push forward. But I don't think we'll be able to just ghost our way over. We'll probably have to deal with the thugs sooner or later."

"So it seems." She looked disgruntled, but that soon changed to a look of determination. "Well a'right. I trust you to take care o' things if it comes down to tha'."

I smile. Although I was glad that she would put so much faith in me, it would still have been too dangerous to initiate every guard we pass by; I had to get us moving without being seen as much as I could. Thankfully, I found our magic ticket.

"What do you think about getting on top?" I pointed up towards the hatch on the ceiling. "They don't have patrols on the roofs for sure, but it might be a tad dangerous."

"Well it can't be more dangerous than facin' the dimwits head-on, can it?"

"True." I started climbing up the crates, opening the hatch just above the stack I was standing on. "Come on then, this way, missy."

"Missy?" She crossed her arms. "Tha's Miss Sonia to you, lad."

I rolled my eyes as I extended my hand, offering to pull her up. "Yes yes, Madamoiselle Sonia. Now may I have your hand, please."

"Well aren't you gettin' ahead of yourself? Askin' for my hand should come after the dates, Monseiur Ray." She couldn't hold back her laugh as she joined me above the crates. Soon after, we had made our way up to the hatch and outside.

Phwoooot ksssh!

The loud hissing of the steam engine blasted throughout the air; the carriages behind it rumbled and rattled as the whole train moved forward at amazing speeds. As soon as we stood outside, the force of the winds almost pushed us off our balance. Luckily, we somehow managed to stumble into a low crouch, slowly making our way forward on all fours.

Unfortunately, the roofed carriages soon ran out, and what was left in front of us was a wide, open wagon filled with covered crates. On each side was a guard on the look out for nosy trespassers like us.

"That's a problem." I motion to Sonia. "Guess we'll have to get rough. Hopefully we don't blow the whistle and alarm everyone

"Oh you can do it. Jus' hafta hit 'em fast n' hard."

"You make it sound so easy." I reached for my bag, pulling out a small round ball the size of a marble; its surface colored half red and half white. I press the button on its center, making it expand to the size of my hand.

"A pokéball?" Her brow raised in doubt. "I thought we were tryin' not to draw attention."

"Trust me." I smiled at her as I held the pokéball close and softly whispered commands to the pokémon inside.

Moving as softly as I could, I descended down towards the platform and snuck by until I was a few feet away from both of the guards. As agile as I could, I threw the pokéball to the right while I dashed towards the one on the left. Once the pokéball reached the guard, it popped open, releasing a large Corviknight; without a delay, it used its steel wings to knock out the guard in one sweeping motion. Meanwhile, I managed to hit the other guard at the back of his head, catching him as he crumpled down into unconsciousness. Slowly, I dragged his body underneath the covers of the crates, then doing the same to the other.

"Nice work, Corvus." The black bird softly cawed as it landed on my arm, happy with my immediate praise.

"Okay, I hafta admit, tha' was pretty brilliant." Sonia had gotten down as well, making her way towards us and looking rather impressed at our display.

"So, do I get the whole package now?" I throw back her previous joke.

"Perhaps." She smirked. Stopping just in front of me, her gaze fell upon the crates, eyeing them with suspicion. "Do you think...these could be it?"

She pulled out her GPS device, and turned on the holo-display. It showed our current location, marked with a dot at the center. Just beside it, where the crates were at, was a red blip, the symbol for the other end of the tracking device.

"Bingo." She started pulling off the sheets that covered them, then stopped midway and turned to me. "Well don't jus' stand there. Help me."

"Oh right."

. . .

The train was now passing through the canyon, and below the rails was a huge drop towards the bottom of the valley; a rather deadly drop if we ever fell off. A few minutes later and we'd managed to remove most of the covers, revealing crates with the initials D.M.B. printed on their surface; it seems we had found the right cargo.

Unfortunately, before we could pry open the lid and search the contents, a loud screeching noise drew our attention forward. At the edge of the platform, where our open car was connected with the main locomotive, was a Weavile grinding its claws against the iron floor as it slowly moved towards us. Behind the pokémon was a man dressed raggedly in black leather clothes; his loud bellow threatening to overpower even the train's noise.

"Well well well, if it ain't Magnolia's lil' twerp!" The grin below his thick mustache seemed sinister. "Now what brings ye on our old, rickety train, eh?"

"Oh shut it, thief! I'm takin' back wha' you stole from Gran!" Her tone was sharp and serious, very different from how she normally talks with me.

"And what makes ye think I'll be letting ye, huh?" As if on cue, the Weavile up front charged at us, its sharp claws aimed at Sonia. Fortunately, I managed to get my Corviknight to intercept its attack; steel against steel clashed, sending out sparks with every strike and parry, until they both pulled back.

"Corvus, Aerial Ace!" I shouted to my Corviknight. Before the Weavile could even react, my Corviknight dove at an incredible speed, hitting the poor pokémon square on its chest and knocking it out in the process.

"Hah! Well ain't ye quite the trainer, ei lad?" Another loud laugh came from him as he returned Weavile into its pokéball. "But this is the end of the line. I don't plan on losing my loot today."

His lips contorted into a wide, ugly grin. In that moment, an ominous feeling surfaced inside me, like I knew something bad was gonna happen unless I did something. The man pulled out a different pokéball, then from beneath his sleeve, he revealed a white metallic bracelet.

"Looks familiar, ei twerp?"

"You wou'n't dare." Sonia stared him down.

"Oh but I would..."

The pokéball on the man's hand started to glow red, enlarging to the size of a sports ball. Before he could do anything with it however, Corvus dove in for a quick attack at my command, hitting him on the chest and sending him flying towards the next car, unconscious. Unfortunately, the enlarged pokéball flew out of his hand, rolling off the platform and into the deep valley.

"Oh dear..." Sonia frowned. "Tha' can't be good."

Before I could ask her what she meant, the whole train started to shudder and rattle. Then I realized it wasn't just the train, but the whole canyon seemed to be shaking. I grab hold of Sonia, pulling her close as I leaned against the crates for balance. All of a sudden, a gigantic Gyarados appeared just a few meters away beside the rails. The pokémon was a terrifying sight to behold, measuring almost around fifty meters in size; much much bigger than what they should be. Its eyes turned towards us, releasing a loud, deafening roar that turned my legs into jelly.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" I screamed.

"It's a Dynamaxed Gyarados!" Sonia replied. "We might be in a bit of a pickle!"

"Oh sure, a bit.... DOES THAT THING LOOK LIKE A BIT FOR YOU???"

"Don't worry, it doesn't last long! We jus' hafta survive 'til it runs out o' juice!"

"And how do you expect us to do that!?" I asked.

"Well, since it's come to this..." She pulled out a pokéball from her bag. "I guess I'll hafta use it as well."

"...what?"

Sonia pulled back her sleeve, revealing a metal bracelet similar to the one the man in black used, although hers was black in color. The pokéball in her hand started to glow red, which soon grew larger in size. Then, with both hands, she threw it off the rails, towards the direction of the giant Gyarados. The large pokéball popped open and out came an equally gigantic Raichu; all of a sudden, it became a battle of titans.

The Gyarados roared in rage, charging at the Raichu with incredible speed. Raichu managed to dodge its charge, side-stepping with a quick turn, but Gyarados circled around and started wrapping itself around the pokémon. Its coil around Raichu's body started getting tighter and tighter, until it constricted its poor prey, crushing it in slow, painful agony.

"Raichu, time for Max Lightnin'!" Sonia shouted. On cue, Raichu's eyes started glowing, electric sparks lashed out everywhere, and a loud rumble came from the heavens. Next thing I knew, a large column of lightning blinded us, its force so immense, it sent out a huge shockwave that completely covered the place with smoke and dust.

When it cleared, I took notice of two important things: first, Sonia managed to defeat the gigantic Gyarados; second, the shockwave threw it towards the rails, destroying the train's path in the process.

"...crap."

Before we could even do anything, the main locomotive nosedived as it ran out of tracks; our car soon followed suit, and we plummeted into the depths of the canyon. I pulled Sonia into my arms, making sure I embraced her tightly as I shouted to Corvus. The black bird flew in fast, grabbing ahold of my backpack as he tried to pull us up. Of course, even as Corviknights were strong enough to carry a person and fly, lifting up two was too much, so we ended up gliding down instead until we reached the bottom of the canyon. Our landing wasn't very good though, as the exhaustion of having to carry two people in a slow descent caught up to Corvus, the bird had to let go of us a few feet higher than intended. We stumbled and rolled on hard ground until we finally stopped; a bit dirty, but still alive at least.

"Well aren't you jus' dashin'?" Sonia smiled at me. "And for tha', I give you permission to le' go of me now."

"What if I don't want to?" I smirk.

"Well, tha' would be quite the problem, wou'n't it?"

"Alright, alright. Just...give me a few a seconds." I breath out a sigh. "I think my body's still in shock."

She laughed, and god was it a beautiful laugh. Now that we were so close, literally a breath away, I couldn't help but stare; her eyes, her lips, her features, there was just something about her that was so captivating that I couldn't help but be...attracted to her.

"Are you quite done starin' at me now?" Her voice pulled me back from my daze. She was staring at me, her brow raised in question, perhaps still wondering when I would decide to let go of her.

But I couldn't. At least, not yet. Not until I've made the moment count. It was the perfect chance, and I was damn sure I wouldn't ever be able to get another one. So I mustered up my courage, held her by the cheek, and gave her a soft, gentle kiss on the forehead.

"I'm glad you're safe, Sonia."

Her body tensed at my sudden action, and the only response she could mutter was an awkward "oh". For a moment, she was quiet; her gaze, initially aimed at me, shifted towards the ground to her left. In those few seconds of silence, my heart was pounding like crazy, worried that my action was something unwanted and unnecessary. Then, she finally spoke.

"Can I... take tha' at face value?" She asked in a low voice.

"Y-yeah. Sure." I replied, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

"Wonderful." Her smile returned, looking beautiful and somewhat rather mischievous. "But darling, if you're gonna kiss someone, you might as well do it right."

With that, she moved closer and pressed her lips against mine. The soft feeling and the taste of peaches held my mind hostage, not letting me think about anything else but the boldness of the moment. It lasted for a good few seconds, until she finally pulled away with a shy but contented smile.

"Tha's how you're supposed to kiss me."

"Wai-.... you.....but....I-.. huh..?" She could only laugh at my inability to form coherent sentences.

"Now come on, we've got a train wreck to check." She stood up and brushed off the dust from her clothes while constantly having to hold back giggles and chuckles.

A few jogs forward and we soon reached the wreckage; a massive pile of train carriages and cargo, all spread out across the width of the canyon.

"We screwed up spectacularly, di'n't we?" Sonia's face was now sullen, her bubbly smile gone without a trace. We started to search around the area, but surprisingly found nobody at all, not even that man we fought; perhaps the thugs had a contingency escape plan in case things went awry like it did. That gave us some relief.

"What about those crates?" I asked as we met up at the train's main locomotive.

"I found them but... they were empty." She could only shake her head in disbelief. "We hafta report this to Gran, and I don't think she'll be happy when she hears it."

. . .

"Have you two completely lost the plot!?" Professor Magnolia, Sonia's grandmother, could only shout in anger. "What were you two thinking, doing something so dangerous!?"

"But Gran, we-"

"Not another word from you, young lady!" Sonia could only purse her lips as Professor Magnolia cut her off.

It was a few hours after the train incident at the canyon. Rescuers had arrived at our location, analyzing the wreckage and giving us a lift back to the professor's lab. Of course, we told her about our encounters with the thugs, and how they seemed to have disappeared after the crash along with the cargo. The professor was understandably upset, but mostly because we decided to interfere with the thugs and got into a dangerous situation; she was probably more worried about Sonia than the cargo.

After a flurry of lectures, the professor finally cooled down a bit. Although still visibly mad, she pulled Sonia into a hug, giving her a head pat. Sonia seemed to get teary eyed, but managed to hold it in as she returned the professor's hug. With a low voice, Professor Magnolia asked her to go to her room and rest, hinting that she had some things to discuss with me.

Free from the professors arms, Sonia turned to me, lightly tugging my sleeve as she motioned to her room upstairs. I nod in silence, understanding her intentions and motioning for her to go. Soon after, it was just me and Professor Magnolia left in the room.

"Now then, I have a few questions for you, Ray." She took a seat down at her desk. "And I'm sure you have some for me too, so shall we begin?"

"Of course, Professor."

"So tell me, did something happen between you and Sonia?" Her question caught me off guard.

"W-why would you think that, Professor?"

"Well, putting aside how she was all giggly and fidgety when you two arrived, she seems to look at you differently now..."

"R-really? I didn't notice." I answered, in hopes of ending the topic.

"Bah, stop denying it, you skirtchaser." She laughed, presumably at the new nickname she gave me. "You two have been chatting up, haven't you?

"Uhh..."

"Well truth be told, I'm actually gobsmacked that it took you this long to get together." She shrugged, then pointed her cane at me. "But now that you have, I need you to promise me that you'll take good care of my Sonia. Otherwise..."

"O-okay, okay, Professor. I get what you mean." I raise my hand up in surrender. "So...does that mean I have your blessing?"

"That's for marriage, you bloody idiot! You want me to end you!?"

"It was a joke!!! It was a joke, Professor!!!"

"Bah. Kids these days." She shook her head in dismay. "Anyway, that aside, I believe you have some questions for me, am I right?"

"Just one." I reply. "What in the world is Dynamax exactly?"

"Heh, of course it would be that." She turned to her desk, opening up the drawer and pulling out what seemed to be a metal bracelet, the same kind of bracelet that Sonia and that man had. "This here is called a Dynamax Band. It's a special bracelet that I created which allows the wearer's pokémon to adapt the phenomenon known as Dynamaxing."

"As you've already seen before, Dynamaxing makes the pokémon gigantic in size, which not only enhances their strength, but also gives them special attacks known as Max Moves."

She puts the Dynamax Band away, then breathes out a sigh. "But of course, even sich tremendous power has its weaknesses. The transformation only lasts about the time it takes for the pokémon to do around three attacks, plus the D.M.B.'s have a very long cooldown period before it can be used again. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that you can only use it once per battle, on a single pokemon."

"But still, Professor, being able to use something like that, even if it's just for a bit, is insane! Just look at what happened at the canyon. That's thing's just too dangerous!"

"I know, lad. I know. But we need it if we're ever gonna survive an onslaught of a naturally Dynamaxed pokémon." She turns to the papers on her desk. "Those things are different...once Dynamaxed, they'll forever stay Dynamaxed, rampaging throughout the lands unless we deal with them."

"Naturally Dynamaxed? I thought you created this?"

"I only created the device to harness the phenomenon. The phenomenon itself is what we've been trying to understand for the past years. What it means...and why it exists."

"...I see." I breath a heavy sigh. "But it's still a dangerous power, and I'm afraid, because of my failure, some of it fell into the wrong hands."

"Indeed." She stood up and planted her hand on my shoulder. "Worry not though, lad. You'll be able to get them back. After all, your skills are the reason why I chose you."

"Yes, Professor."

"What I didn't count on was how you'd be hitting on my granddaughter."

"I- well..."

"I kid, lad. I kid." She laughed as she patted me on the back. "Now go. I believe Sonia is waiting for you."

. . .

knock knock knock!

"Is tha' you, Ray?" Sonia's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, it's me." The door opened as soon as I answered. Inside, she sat on her bed, motioning for me to sit beside her. It was my first time being inside her room, and the first thing I noticed was the scent in the air; a sweet, flowery aroma, very much like the scent of Sonia herself. As I settled down beside her, she immediately rested her head on my shoulder, giving out a long, relaxed sigh.

"Did she need anythin' from you?" She asked, turning her head up a little so our eyes would meet.

"Well...not really. She just asked some questions." Then I realized that it probably wasn't such a good idea to say that. Too late.

"Really? Like what?"

"Uhh... she asked if uhh... something happened between us."

"Oh?" She had that beautiful, mischievous grin on her face again. "You know, I don't exactly remember either. Was there something tha' happened to us, huh, Ray? Was there?"

"Uhh..."

Before I could answer, she took hold of my hand, intertwining her fingers with mine. It surprised me for a bit, but the warmth of her hand made me feel so relaxed and comfortable, as if all my worries and troubles were being melted away.

She looked at me, waiting, and I knew that this time it had to come from me. So with my free hand, I held her by the cheek, slowly pulling her close until our lips touched, then the same feeling and taste burst into full bloom as we kissed, embraced in each others arms like true lovers.

. . .

"So...I guess it's official now?" I ask Sonia who was snuggled up against my arm.

"Did you think it was a one off?" She questioned back teasingly.

"Well, I hoped it wasn't."

"Oh come on. Do you need another kiss jus' to be sure we're official?" She pouted.

"No, but I certainly wouldn't mind another one."

"You sly fox." She laughed. "Well a'right, maybe jus' one more."

[ END ]

. . .

Glossary (Slang):

Tad = a bit Lost the plot = gone crazy Chatting up = flirting Gobsmacked = amazed One off = one time only

#pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #sonia #pokemon sonia #dynamax #sword and shield #adventure #romance #corviknight #weavile #gyarados #raichu #professor magnolia

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coldace24 · 6 years ago

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Shipping this cute hoodie tomorrow! The character is Azuma Lim, she’s a virtual youtuber! The cat ears are just so cuuuuute! I’m digging the anime style. :D

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coldace24 · 6 years ago

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December 21, 2012: “The End of the World”; “The Beginning of a New Life, For a New Couple”

*Diary Entry: December 22, 2012

December 21, 2012. People say it was supposed to be the end of the world but here I was, standing inside The Queen of Peace Parish, waiting…

They say that a girl turns into the most beautiful woman on the day of her wedding. I never really thought about it before, but now, I couldn’t agree more. Tears started to blur my vision as the bride, in her beautiful wedding dress, entered the doors of the parish. I wasn’t really sure why but now that I think about it, it might have been because I myself wanted to experience this wonderful occasion with me as the leading man.

To some she might not have looked as beautiful as others would see, but on that night, she radiated all the happiness in the world, giving her grace and splendor that could make anyone stand and stare in awe. I’m sure no one could have denied that.

I’m sixteen years old, not mature enough to marry, but old enough to understand love. My cousin, Mark Mondia, was to marry a wonderful woman named April Jimenez. Surely, others would think that this was just like any other wedding, but to me, it was special. That was my very first time seeing a wedding ceremony from the start till the end.

I had a great view in watching every moment of the wedding as I was seated near the front. Actually, that was because I was a “proxy” or a substitute for one of the groom’s men since my cousin’s brother, Sammy Mondia, could not come.

To be frank, I thought that the night would end just the same for me. But unluckily, fate had his own way on things. The end of the world? Nope. Just a few firsts for me…

. . .

I had met up with my sister, Lalena Mondia, at the parish and after the ceremony, we rode the same van along with our good cousin, Benjamin Mondia. The reception for the wedding was held at Roof Deck of The Chalet, an extension of The L’ Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City. As we had gotten out of the van, we had to wait in the Chalet’s lobby on the first floor since the elevator could only carry a maximum of eight people at the same time.

In the lobby my sister, Benjamin, and I met up with our other cousin, Andrea Fernandez. Well, we talked casually just like how we used to but I still couldn’t help noticing the other girl with her. She could’ve been just any other girl, but I noticed something. I kept glancing at her from time to time, though I wasn’t really sure why.

Of course, our so ever friendly cousin Andrea introduced her to each of us, by the name Bea. I was quite energetic that time but I still wonder why I hadn’t asked for her family name at that time. Maybe it was because I thought she was our cousin or something. So this girl, this “Bea” seemed to be a fun girl to be with. She shared the same humor we had and so all of us got along well. After a few minutes of wait, it was our turn to ride the elevator.

Me, my sister, Andrea, Bea and my little sister, Tracy Mondia went in. then, we noticed that Benj was missing. We tried to scan the crowd from within the elevator and found him at the back of the crowd, waving at us to go first. ‘Course it was a bummer not to have him there. As we reached the roof deck, a feeling of resentment crawled up my spine. I had remembered an eventful happening… right then, at that same place, was where I had stayed after my grade six crush had dumped me in front of our whole batch.

“But that was a year ago, Ray! This is different. Just forget about all that.” I thought to myself. I guess my inner conscience was right with one thing, that it was a year ago. But, I couldn’t just forget about it, not when she keeps appearing in my dreams every other night.

I snapped back into reality when my sister called my name. They were pointing at a photo booth that was located just in front of the elevator. You know those photo booths where you pose for three or four shots then they get printed out in an instant with the event as the theme of the photo? Yeah, those photo booths. My sister, Andrea, Bea, and Tracy were already lining up for it, so I figured I was going too.

After a few poses, the photo was printed out but it was only one copy. We decided that my sister and I would keep it. Benj had joined us after we had our photo, so sadly, he wasn’t in it. As we arrived at the reception area, people were already eating the snacks prepared by the hotel, so we decided to join in.

As we finished, it was time for the reception to start, so we went in the room and sat on unoccupied seats. We were separated though. Andrea and Bea sat somewhere at front and my sister, Benj, and I sat at the back, near the room’s entrance. I was about to settle down on my seat, when my mom called for me. She asked me to get the charger of the camera in the car which was parked on the first floor.

Of course, I had to obey mom’s orders. I walked towards the elevator when I noticed that Benj was behind me. He offered to go with me so that I would at least have company. I thanked him for that and together, we fetched the charger. On the way back, I started up a conversation regarding his studies.

He told me that he was studying in CPU or Central University of the Philippines in Iloilo. I tried to gather information about the school when all of a sudden, he mentions something out of topic… well, maybe.

“You know, Bea studies at Ateneo de Iloilo.” He said. I was surprised as to how that topic came into our conversation. I stared at him blankly, thinking that maybe, Benj had a thing for Bea. He looked at me with a confused look but all I did was smile at him. Soon, we were back at the reception area.

. . .

I hadn’t noticed it but when the program was starting, Andrea and Bea were dancing up front with their “crew” along with the newlywed couple. Some parts of the program went by (which I am too lazy to mention) and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. As the rest of the people went to get their food, the emcees/hosts of the reception announced that we could take pictures with the couple while we waited for the buffet table to clear out a bit.

Me and my sister invited Benj to take a photo with the newlyweds but he was already at the buffet table, taking his turn to grab some food. So me and my sister went on ahead, just the two of us, and took a picture with the couple along with our little sister.

While everyone was having dinner, the technical crew presented a video containing the photos taken by the couple for their photo shoot. I watched casually as I ate my food and soon enough, I was finished. Benj and I decided to get some fresh air for a while, so we stayed just outside the entrance of the reception area.

“So, my good cousin…” He started to say. “What do you think of Bea?” Well now, I surely didn’t expect that question to pop up out of nowhere. I glanced at him and I could see he was smiling at me.

“Well, I think she’s pretty. You?” I answered back. I guess I kinda caught him off guard with that straight-to-the-point answer since it took a long time for him to answer back. He did answer back though, and he had the same thoughts as me. But this time, we wondered just how old Bea was.

Surely, the range of her age from my point of view was from fourteen to sixteen years old, which was very fine with both of us since he was fourteen and I was sixteen. We weren’t sure though, then we started to argue about who of us should ask about her age. But we decide that it should be the one who was willing, which was no one.

After all those slideshows of photos and videos, the hosts had announced that the games were about to begin. The first few games were mainly for the newlywed couple so I didn’t really take note of them. As those games were going on, I decided to take a breather outside. I took in the cool breeze that blew and as I scanned the area, I found Benj near the roof deck’s railings, watching the night city with a girl in a purple gown beside him.

Obviously, the girl was, well, Bea. I couldn’t help smiling at what I saw. It seemed like Benj was already makin’ a move, so I decided to just go back inside. I tried to collect my thoughts and soon, I was in my imaginary world, or simply put: lost in my thoughts. The games continued on and soon, the spotlight was open.

I was waiting for what was about to happen next when suddenly, the male host started to speak on the microphone. He was saying names of guys invited to the wedding a few hours ago. When I asked what he was calling out, I learned that he was calling out the names of single men who were invited to the wedding. I didn’t mind it, not realizing what might happen. Then all of a sudden, he called out my name.

I was thinking “WHAT?” and then my sister kept on pushing me, telling me to go up front. Well, I wasn’t really doing anything else, so I decided to just join in the flow. Who would’ve cared anyway? I mean, I wasn’t gonna lose anything, anyway. I stepped up front along with six other men. One, I knew and met just a few hours ago. A good man named Louis Wenceslao.

Soon, the male host started to talk. He told us that we were going to play, “Garter” something. I wasn’t really listening that time so all I heard was garter. The female emcee/host took out some deflated, oval, plastic balloons and gave one to each of us. Then, the male host explained to us the rules of the game.

The rules were that we were to blow up the balloons but, the one who blew the shortest length would be the one staying and the rest would be back to their seats. The others probably wanted to sit down since they were just probably forced into doing this, and so, they blew their hardest. Me? I tried blowing too but no matter how hard I tried, the thing just wouldn’t inflate. Then, I noticed that the others couldn’t get it to inflate too.

So in the end, all six of us had a draw. Seeing this as a problem, the male host decided to have another game where the groom throws a single flower and the one who catches it gets to sit down. So the host took a flower, a purple flower, and gave it to the groom. The groom turned around and threw it towards his back.

Now, my first thought was that this host was quite unpredictable. I wasn’t sure what he was planning, really, so I tried to see what would happen if I didn’t catch the flower. Well, I kept up an act as if I was actually trying until there were only three of us left. Seeing as how the others were trying so hard to catch it, I started to think that maybe, something terrible or embarrassing might happen to the last one left.

I couldn’t focus anymore and so when the groom threw the flower, I jumped for it. But, with no luck, I didn’t get it. Now there were only two of us. It was me and my friend, Louis Wenceslao. My heart was beating fast, I wasn’t sure if I was going to catch this or let my friend take it. Before I knew it, the flower was in the air and unconsciously, I jumped and grabbed the flower.

I was sort of relieved when I saw the flower in my hand. That meant I was to sit down and Louis was to be the “winner”. But then suddenly, the male host took my arm and pulled me near him.

“Ah well, I change my mind. You’ll be the one.” He said out loud into the microphone as he held me. My first thought was “WHAT!?” and then, Louis started laughing. I couldn’t say anything so I just started to scratch my head. The male host announced that we should start the next part of the game. It was then that I started to get nervous.

The female host started to stick pieces of paper with names onto my body. I wondered what it was for when the male host started to call out the names of the girls. He explained that on the pieces of paper were names of girls invited into the party. Girls who were, well, single.

This was part of the game and the rules were that, when the male host gave the signal, the girls must find their names and take it. The last girl to take their name or the girl, whose name was left, was to stay up front with me. The girls started to gather around in front of me, getting ready to grab their names. I wasn’t prepared yet, when the host suddenly shouted… go.

All hell broke loose and I seriously didn’t know what was happening. Girls surrounded me and I couldn’t move as they searched my body for their names. The girls were already clearing out, I guess they got their names. Then I saw the last girl pick out her name from my left thigh. She seemed awfully familiar, and then I realized, it was Bea.

The host told her to stay for a while to check the other names that were left, just in case. The host announced the three or four names that were not taken but they seemed to be not around. One name was my niece’s name but then the female host said that blood relatives wouldn’t do. So, all that was left was the last girl, Bea.

The male host took a chair and asked Bea to sit down. Then, his gaze turned to me and chills ran down my spine. He smiled at me, which seemed friendly, but I couldn’t help feeling… odd. Then, he announced something that I didn’t think I’d hear. He said… that I should kiss Bea.

At first, I thought it was a joke, but when I looked at him, he was urging me. Blood started to rush up my face as I walked closer towards her. I bent down and neared my lips toward her cheeks. Of course, it was supposed to be on the cheeks, not on the lips. I was an inch away from her cheek when suddenly, I felt something pull me and I staggered backwards.

“Oops! Not yet! Excited now, aren’t we?” The male host laughed as he pulled me away. Everybody laughed and I could feel my face getting hot. I could see Bea laughing too. Then the host conversed with the groom and asked him to take off the garter from his bride’s right leg. It was then that I realized just what was about to happen next…

“There we go. Now please Mark, hand over the garter to Lorenzo.” My hand was shaking as I received it from my cousin. “Now, Mister Lorenzo, please put on the garter on Bea’s ankle.”

I gave out a sigh of relief, knowing that it was only on the ankle. I knelt down and started putting it on her foot. As I pulled it till her ankle, the host suddenly told me to stop. Of course, I did as he said. Then, he went to a girl sitting in one of the tables and asked her…

“Higher or Lower?” He asked as he pointed the microphone towards her. The girl answered “Higher”. Then, he went to a guy from a different table and asked him… “How high?” He pointed the microphone towards him. The guy answered “Twelve inches”. My mind started to panic… Why twelve inches!?

The host looked at me and smiled. I knew then that I couldn’t decline, so I tried to pull it up slowly. I couldn’t dare myself to look at Bea’s face. As I probably reached six inches above her ankle, the host told me to stop. He pointed the microphone towards Bea and asked her how she was feeling. All she answered was “Awkward”. Then, he pointed it to me and asked me the same question. Not knowing what to say, I just answered that I was “Embarrassed”.

He laughed and went to someone and asked again, “Higher or Lower?”. The person said “Higher” yet again. Then, he went to a woman and asked her what her favorite number was, and she answered “Thirteen”. The host laughed and pointed to me.

“Okay, Lorenzo. Raise it up by thirteen inches!” My eyes widened and the words echoed in my head. I pulled the garter up slowly until it reached her knee, then the host told me to stop. The host said that that should be enough. He then asked Bea how old she was and she answered, “Fourteen”. Well, she was younger than me I guess.

The host reacted and said that she was still young and started to joke around that I was harassing her or something. I stood up and tidied myself, obviously shaken up by this new experience. I thought it was over but then came something more… new.

The host asked that the two “couples” stand side by side and so, the bride and groom stood with us. Then, he asked us to face our partner… and kiss. Obviously, I wasn’t going to kiss her on the lips. The host even reminded me to kiss her on the cheeks. The newlyweds kissed and I kissed Bea on the cheek.

The rest of the people clapped for us… and I was sure my mom was taking pictures of the whole thing. After all that, the event went on and was finished. Some people stayed to drink on the roof deck and some of us, well…. That’s another story…

And so, that was the first time I did such things… but I must say… it was quite fun…

~ END ~

P.S.: True Story

#December 21 2012 #True Story #Diary

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coldace24 · 6 years ago

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Defiance (V.I.S.U.A.L.)

“I heard from the dev team about your new custom weapon.” She leaned on the rails, her back against the view where I was looking. “It’s a pretty amusing idea.”

“Hah, I guess. Kind of surprising coming from you though.”

“What do you mean surprising?” She started to fiddle with the ends of her pink hair.

“Getting a compliment from you, of course.” I laughed at my own words; it really was a surprise.

“Hey, I compliment you…sometimes.”

“Sure you do.”

There was silence for a good while, but I kept my gaze at the horizon. She’s pouting, isn’t she? Then, a loud sigh came from her direction. Yep, definitely pouting.

“Whatever.” She turned around, this time planting her arms on the rails, gazing at the same horizon I was looking at. “That aside, what’s it called?”

“What’s what called?”

“The gun, of course. A precision grenade launcher, right?”

“More like a sniper grenade launcher, but yeah.” I stretched out my arms, a yawn escaping my wide-opened mouth. “Now that I think about it…I feel like that gun is kind of like me.”

“Hm?”

“A mish-mash of ideas that’s illogical and makes no sense, but somehow, it works…just like me.”

She laughed, perhaps the cutest laugh I’ve ever heard coming from her. “You’re right, it is kind of like you.”

“Then I have the perfect name for it.” I turn towards her, giving her a thumbs-up, as if in approval of her agreement.

“And? What is it?”

“It defies logic and common sense…so I’ll name it ‘Defiance’. Perfect, right?”

She laughed again, somehow managing to sound even cuter. “Yeah, it’s perfect. Just like you.”

Before the meaning of her words could sink in, she had disappeared beside me. There, a few feet away, was the door leading inside the base, closing; a shade of pink being the last thing I see before the steel frame blocks my sight.

“Perfect, huh… that’s the second compliment.” I could feel the smile form on my face. Thanks.

#V.I.S.U.A.L.#Defiance #Chris #Luka

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coldace24 · 7 years ago

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CA/SUAL

Standing on the edge of the sidewalk, the whole crossing was laid out in front of me, filled with crowds and cars, hustling and bustling in yet another busy day. With the sun glaring at amazing intensity on the top my head, I could only breathe a heavy sigh, casually wiping off another drop of sweat with my sleeve.

As I crossed to the other side, the overwhelming heat had me decide to use a different route home than usual, somewhere with more shade, perhaps through the small-time market lined with wonderful, sun-blocking canopies overhead.

I really didn’t want to leave my apartment, especially not during noon when the heat was this bad, but alas, I had ran out of toilet paper, and running out of it during times of emergencies would be…devastating. So I went and bought a pack of rolls, just so I wouldn’t need to have to go out again in a while just to restock.

Passing by the electronics store just around the corner of the market, my eyes caught sight of the video playing on the store’s large screen display. Four girls were dancing to an upbeat music, looking fierce and rather pretty at the same time, and before I realized it, I was standing there, admiring their performance. Even as the video looped, I found myself still watching, entranced as it showed a girl with blonde hair and….cat ears I think, singing with an expression that seemed to speak to my heart.

“KDA huh…” I mumbled as their group name popped up at the end of the video before looping again. “They seem pretty cool.”

I stopped myself from getting too absorbed with the video and started to walk towards the market, humming their song that was now stuck on repeat inside my head. In a few more steps, I was under the canopies, and the familiar sight of meat shops, vegetables and spices put a smile on my face. If I was any good at cooking, this place would probably have been heaven, but sadly, all I can cook are instant noodles and fried food.

The calm breeze passing through the street, and the shades provided by the canopies allowed for a comfortable stroll, much appreciated as the heat seemed almost unbearable. To my surprise though, from the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of someone wearing a rather thick coat which seemed impossibly uncomfortable to wear on such a sunny day.

“….well, to each their own.” I mumbled to myself, but before I could look away, the person in question tripped at uneven ground, sending cabbages and leeks flying everywhere, a deadly hailstorm of gastric healthiness. In a fit of panic, the person started hurriedly collecting the vegetables scattered all around the floor.

“…..are you trying to tell me something, huh, life?” I grumbled as I went to approach the person, picking up the rest of the sprawled greenery on the way.

“Hey, are you alright?” I asked as I picked up a handful of greens.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just tripped and it’s nothing big, ahahaha…” The voice of a female surprised me, my attention shifting to the golden high-heels on her feet that were about five inches tall. Well yeah, with shoes like those, you’re bound to trip on these uneven streets.

“Uh… here you go.” I held out my hand filled with the veggies.

“Ah, thank yo-” She froze as she looked up to my face, or at least I felt like she did. I couldn’t exactly tell as her features were hidden by a black face mask that covered her nose and mouth, and round-rimmed purple sunglasses for her eyes. Is she a fugitive or something?

“Ah…감사함니다.” She continued in what seemed to be Hangul or Korean, much to my surprise and dismay. Why would she start speaking Korean now?

“Oh uh… do you need help?” I tried not to sound suspecting as I asked. She only shook her head, her black cap sliding from side to side. Only then did I notice the letters “KDA” printed boldly at its front. Fangirl…?

Although she denied my help, as soon as she stood up, the paper bags holding the vegetables ripped, leaving the greens sprawled out on the floor yet again. I swear I heard a yelp come from her as she hurriedly tried to gather them again. As amusing as it was to watch her get flustered trying to hold everything in her arms and fantastically failing, I decided to help her out instead.

“Woah there!” I quickly caught the few leeks that fell off her arms. “Um… how about I just help you, okay?”

She shook her head vigorously in protest at first, then noticed the amount of veggies still on the floor while her arms were already full. A heavy sigh escaped her breathe, nodding weakly as she passed me the ones in her arms to pick up the rest. Not long after, we were headed off to her destination, vegetables in hand, and awkward silence in the air.

“So uh…” I tried to start up a conversation. “…you’re Korean?”

“예, 저는 한국인입니다.”

I have no idea what she said, but it sounded like a yes. Gah, why is she even speaking in Korean? I’m pretty sure she spoke straight English before. This is more trouble than it should be.

“Uh…so what brings you here then?”

“Hm…우리는 영화 촬영을했습니다.” She turned to me as she spoke, although there wasn’t really much point since I couldn’t see her face. Okay, this time, I really have no idea what she just said.

“…Oh, okay. Cool.” I tried to play it calmly, hoping she wouldn’t notice my inability to comprehend what she was saying. To my surprise, she started laughing. Crap, have I been caught?

The rest of the way was me trying to figure out her answers to my questions, which, apparently, she found fairly funny as all she ever did was laugh at my pathetic attempts at understanding her. Soon, we were standing in front of the door to some apartment, on the fifth floor of some building…somewhere. Seems I focused too much in trying to understand her that I lost sight of my whereabouts on the way.

As she rung the bell, the shuffling noises and muffled chatter from inside turned into the sound of rushing footsteps that grew louder and louder. After a brief pause, the door swung open, and we were face-to-face with a woman who seemed oddly familiar; her purple hair and amber eyes gave it away, but I couldn’t seem to pinpoint who she was exactly. The way she stood in front of us, her stature, posture, and aura seemed to give off the kind of vibe you’d get from divas and celebrities. Perhaps she was one?

“What took you so long?” Her brow was raised as she asked.

“미안 늦었 어.”

“Hangul….?” The purple-haired woman looked surprised, but seemed to understand as her gaze fell upon me. “Oh… well, hello there.”

“Uh…hi.” I couldn’t make it sound any less awkward. “Here’s your uh…vegetables.”

I tried to hand her the greens, but she didn’t seem to be willing to accept them. Her eyes darted back and forth between the girl in the coat and the veggies in my arms, as if silently asking what she’s supposed to do with this. After a brief pause of awkward staring, the purple-haired woman smiled a mischievous grin.

“Well, why don’t you come in?” She stood aside and gestured for me to enter. A yelp came from the coated lady beside me as she shook her head vigorously at the woman’s words.

“Uh no, it’s okay I-”

“I insist.” Her grin grew wider. “It’s just a little hospitality and gratitude for helping my friend here with her…vegetables.”

“Uh…okay then. I’ll just drop these off inside.” I didn’t really know what else to do nor what to expect from this turn of events. She ushered me inside, the lady in the coat following right behind us who seemed to be avoiding my gaze whenever I turned to her. The place wasn’t anything fancy, kind of like those common four-person apartments with the kitchen, dining, and living rooms connected all together at the center, with only the bedrooms separated. Sitting on the sofa were two other ladies; one had dark hair tied back to a rather wild ponytail, her features suggested she was of Japanese descent, while the other had violet hair tied up to two buns on either side of her head, complimented by her slim facial features, she seemed to carry a style reminiscent of Chinese culture.

“Oh hey, you’re finally back, A-” The Japanese woman stopped mid-sentence as soon as she saw me. “Wha- who are you?”

“Uhh…nobody. I’m just here to uh, help carry the um, vegetables.” I tried to explain, motioning to the greens in my arms then pointing to the coated lady.

“Oh.” She seemed to accept that so easily, much to my delight. “Well, let me get that for you.”

She stood up and took the vegetables from me, giving me a quick thanks as she carried them off to the kitchen. The Chinese lady followed behind her, giving me a quick nod before she proceeded to help the other. Seeing as my job was done, I turned around and started to walk towards the door, only to be stopped in my tracks by the purple-haired woman.

“Leaving so soon?” She smiled, which at the sight of, somehow managed to make me feel chills. “Why don’t you join us? We’ll be having hotpot for lunch. It’ll be good~”

“Uhh, no it’s okay. I’d be imposing too much.” I tried to decline as politely as I could, but her smile was setting off a lot of danger flags all over my head. Who the heck would want to eat hotpot on this freakin’ hot day?

“Oh but it’s just our way of saying thank you for helping out our friend.” She made it sound as convincing as possible, which somehow seemed to affect my thinking, even if just for a bit. “Isn’t that right, Ahri?”

Her gaze turned towards the woman in the coat, much to her surprise as her name was called. With a heavy breath of sigh, she removed all the accessories covering up her face, revealing a familiar blonde hair and…cat ears? Oh.

Her features were stunning, the hazel color of her eyes seemingly glowing, threatening to mesmerize me if I stared any longer. Needless to say, she was very pretty, her aura exuded that sense of beauty and grace, someone who was positively poised and charming at every move. Then, I remembered her tripping… Oh.

“Evelynn…” Her eyebrows were furrowed as she called the purple-haired woman’s attention. “왜 이런 짓을하는?”

“Oh just let it be, Ahri. It’ll be fine.” She rolled her eyes in response to what seemed to be worry in Ahri’s tone. “Besides, I haven’t seen any reaction yet. Probably doesn’t know who we are anyway.”

“Uhh…..” I wanted to tell them that I did know who they were, thanks to Ahri revealing her rather memorable face, but it might’ve made my situation more…difficult. Besides, I never really knew any of them, I just know they’re part of some group called KDA and they sing and do uh…stuff.

“So, you will be staying, yes?” Evelynn’s eyes were staring at me, accompanied again by that smile that always seem to make me feel weird. Somehow, with the way she said it, tone and all, I felt compelled to accept. Well, whatever. Might as well.

“Um…yeah, okay. Sure.”

“Perfect!” She clasped her hands in what seemed to be delight in her expression. “Akali! Kai'sa! We’ll need to prepare enough for five people! Our guest will be staying for lunch~!”

The way Evelynn said ‘guest’ felt weird, like it wasn’t really what it was supposed to mean. From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Ahri planting her face deep into her palm. Imagine that, a face-palming cat-girl. Not a sight you see everyday.

I stood at the side as I watched the other two prepare, the Chinese woman whose name seemed to be Kai'sa was setting up the table while the Japanese, Akali, was cleaning and cutting up the vegetables Ahri and I had carried. Somewhere to my right, near the far side of the room, Ahri pulled Evelynn along and started a somewhat quiet argument. I watched them bickering for a good while, then a glint of light came from somewhere to my left, catching my attention and gaze in the process.

With each masterful cutting and slicing motion of Akali, the metal surface of the knife in her hand reflected the sun’s rays coming in through the window, sending it towards my way in a flash of blinding light. Upon seemingly finishing her job, she gently set the knife down beside her. It was then that I realized, it wasn’t really a knife, but rather a Kunai, a sort of Japanese dagger you commonly see in movies and anime. Woah, this girl’s hardcore.

“Why don’t you take a seat?” Kai'sa had approached me, gesturing towards a seat on the table she had finished preparing. She had a sweet smile on her face, which I very much appreciated after going through a couple of Evelynn’s 'smiles’. Although, when I tried to look closely, her eyes had this tinge of worry, perhaps due to having a stranger in her abode. Well, I couldn’t really blame her. I’d worry too if some stranger was suddenly going to eat lunch with me.

“Ah, thank you.” I thanked her in the most polite tone I could muster and proceeded to sit down. In front of me, just around the center of the table, was a large ceramic pot on top of a portable stove, inside it was some sort of yellowish-orange broth and a few cabbage leaves already being slowly simmered at low heat. After a few moments, Akali approached and started to add the rest of the ingredients in, organizing it in a way so that each one stays in one location and avoid mixing up with the others. There were cabbages, mushrooms, leeks, radishes, carrots, some noodles, and delicious slices of meat; a good, hearty home-cooked hotpot.

Soon, everyone had settled down at the table; Evelynn right across in front of me while Ahri sat beside her, and the two Asian beauties, Akali and Kai'sa, at each end of the table.

“Before we eat, I’d like to thank you again for helping our Ahri with her groceries.” Evelynn had her wry smile on as she turned to me. “But it’s a shame how you never really knew who we are, so why don’t we introduce ourselves.”

“Ladies?” There was a brief pause.

“We are KDA!” On cue, they all spoke together, spelling out their group name with an energetic tone. I was surprised at their sudden increase in volume that all I did was stare at them for a couple of seconds.

“Hey, you okay?” Akali was the first to break the silence. Her brow was raised in concern at my lack of reaction.

“Uh…yeah, I think.”

“Well, to explain it clearly, we’re a Korean-pop idol group called KDA.” Kai'sa tried to calmly expand on their previously laconic introduction. “Well, we say Korean, but really, we’re from different countries. Although, the language we use for our music is a mix of English and Korean, thus we fall on the category of Korean-pop, or K-pop for short.”

“Ohhh, I see. That’s fairly easier to understand.” I nodded my head just to show that I understood.

“우리 정말 이러는거야?” I thought Ahri spoke to me at first, but then I realized she had her face turned to Evelynn.

“Yes we are doing this, Ahri. It’s good PR.” Evelynn rolled her eyes as she replied. Ahri could only furrow her eyebrows in concern.

“So uh hey, I’m Akali.” Akali extended her hand towards me, looking rather chill compared to anyone else in the room. “I’m the group’s rapper, and well, the youngest and last member to join. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” I smiled as I shook her hand. She was so chill with it that it never ocurred to me I was shaking hands with a celebrity.

“I’m Kai'sa.” Kai'sa introduced herself as soon as our gazes met, although she didn’t seem to want a handshake. Bummer. “I’m KDA’s dance choreographer and um, hi.”

“Cool.” I smiled at her which managed to bring a smile out of her lips too. As the two ladies finished their self-introductions, I turned to the two sitting across me. Evelynn caught and held my gaze, her other brow was raised as if questioning my stare.

“If I must.” She finally sighed. “I, as you must already know, am Evelynn. One of the group’s lead vocalist and, well, elder sister perhaps?”

Akali and Kai'sa seemed to hide a snicker as Evelynn mentioned the words 'elder sister’, much to the purple-haired diva’s dismay. But instead of calling the two out though, she turned to their blonde companion.

“And of course, this is Ahri.” She motioned her hands as if presenting Ahri. “Our group’s glorious leader, as well as it’s face, and our main lead vocalist.”

“Wow, uh, quite a lot of titles, huh? Nice to meet you, Ahri.” I beamed a smile at her.

“안녕.” She responded with her own smile which was very much breath-taking, but after that, she turned away. Was it something I said?

“A-Anyway, now that introductions are over, we should start eating.” The anticipation was within Kai'sa’s voice, she must really like hotpot. “The hotpot should be well cooked now, and the broth should’ve seeped well inside the ingredients. I guarantee it’ll taste best if we dig in now.”

“잘 먹겠습니다!” All four of them say together, perhaps a small thanks for the food. Not before long, we were chowing down, positively delighted with the flavor.

“So, what do you think?” Akali asked me just before she slurped up some noodles.

“It’s pretty good.” I say as I set my bowl down. “Amazing flavors.”

“Oh, thanks, I guess. But I don’t mean that.”

“What do you mean then?”

“What do you think about our group, I mean.” She pointed to her groupmates with her chopsticks.

“Oh. Well, I think you guys are pretty cool.” I say in all honesty. “Actually, I just saw your music video a while ago, before I bumped into Ahri. Awesome neon rap by the way.”

“Heh, thanks. So…” She seemed to want to continue our conversation. “…who do you like the most?”

Everyone turned towards me at the mention of Akali’s question, their eyes actually looking eager to know.

“Uh…” The hardest question was suddenly dropped on me from out of nowhere, all the more harder as the people in question were sitting right in front of me.

“Well?” Evelynn’s impatience was oozing.

“To be honest… I don’t really know.” I tried to play it safe, but irritation seemed to appear in Evelynn’s face. Perhaps it wasn’t best to be indecisive and just go for one? So I immediately followed up. “BUT… if I really had to pick one…..well, um…it would be… uh…. Ahri..?”

“Huh, another point for Ahri then.” Akali shrugged.

“Of course it would be Ahri.” Evelynn shrugged too.

“Well, we knew it would be Ahri.” Kai'sa also followed suit.

“너희들…” Ahri seemed to want to say something, but just shurgged and continued on eating.

“Can you tell us why, though?” Akali pointed her chopsticks at me.

“Hm…well, I guess I just find it cute that she keeps speaking in Korean even though she knows straight English.” As if on cue, Ahri choked on her food and started coughing and wheezing. Evelynn quickly started rubbing her back as she gave her a glass of water.

“You knew?” Evelynn turned to me and asked, as if it was such a surprise.

“Well yeah, I guess?” I tried to recall how we met at the market. “She spoke to me in straight English before she somehow started speaking in Korean.”

“Oh dear.” Kai'sa’s face was planted with worry. “Are you alright, Ahri?”

Ahri responded with a nod as she set down the glass and started inhaling and exhaling deep breaths.

“Oh…was I not supposed to know?” I asked.

“No, you weren’t.” Ahri replied, and this time I could understand her in full English.

“Well, it’s not really much of a big deal…kind of.” Akali set her chopsticks down. “We were kind of trying to sell Ahri’s image as, well, someone who only speaks Korean, and that Evelynn, or any of us would be the one to translate for her.”

“And now that you’ve found out…” Kai'sa’s eyes looked pleading as she spoke.

“Um…if it needs to be kept secret, I can just not tell anyone, right?”

“I find that hard to believe.” Evelynn was glaring at me, but then it softened to more like a stare. “…or so I would say if you weren’t so ignorant about us or our fandom. Can I trust you to keep your word?”

“Absolutely.” I gave her a thumbs-up. “Besides, I think you guys are awesome, and so is this hotpot you invited me for. Oh, and if you’re talking about images, then maybe you should worry more about Ahri tripping on the street.”

“What…?” They all simultaneously turned towards their leader as she could only blink at them without any explanation. “Why did you have to tell them that too?” Even when she was pouting, she still looked so pretty.

“Well, they had to know how we met, right?” I tried to stifle my laugh. Before we knew it, we were all smiles and laughter as we kept talking about the silliest of things over hotpot.

“Last piece of meat is mine!” I shout as I reached for the meat with my chopsticks, but before I could, Ahri swooped in and took it for herself. “Hey!”

“You can’t beat a fox when it comes to meat.” She grinned and winked at me before munching it down.

“Oh wait…those are fox ears?” I only realized then. “I thought they were cat ears.”

“I’m a fox. And foxes love meat.” She then swoops over my bowl and steals the slice of meat I was setting aside to eat as a finale.

“Hey!!!” I stopped her chopsticks with my own. “Well you’re definitely acting like a theiving cat.”

“Aww.”

“What’s the deal with those ears anyway?” I took the meat off her chopsticks and sliced it in half, giving her the other part.

“It’s my image. Oh, thanks.” She happily ate the slice I gave her. “My fans call me Gumiho, which is in reference to a nine-tailed fox lady from Korean Mythology.”

“Ohhh, so that’s why you had all those shiny tails in the video.”

“Mhm.”

“Are the ears real though?”

“That’s a secret.” She winked at me. I could only stare at the protruding animal parts on top of her head in wonder.

“They’re real.” Akali whispered sarcastically loud in my ear, loud enough for everyone to hear and laugh about. “Ahri and her ears aside, how about we all get a photo?”

“Um… I don’t think that would be a good idea.” Kai'sa warned.

“Why not?” I asked out of curiosity.

“If the fans find out…they might find out who you are and stalk, or even assault you just to find us.”

“Woah, that seems extreme.”

“You have no idea.” Akali shook her head as if remembering something bad. Then, her face lit up, as if an idea had sprung inside her. “But what if….”

Next thing I knew, I was posing in the middle of the four ladies as Ahri held up her phone for a group picture. My face was covered with the same disguise Ahri wore when I first met her at the market; apparently, the mask and cap belonged to Akali, while the purple shades were Evelynn’s. And with that, we took a close up photo of our faces. Cheese~

Click! Snap!

“Hey.” Ahri called my attention as I stepped outside the apartment, about to leave. “Thanks for helping me carry those vegetables. Funny how I never actually got to thank you for that.”

“Nah, it’s cool.”

“So…see you around?”

“Maybe?” I shrugged. “If we ever run into each other again in the market, I guess?”

“Hopefully, I’m not tripping down again.” She laughed at the memory of it. I raise my hand up for a high-five, and she slaps it hard. Soon, I was on the street, waving goodbye at the celebrities standing outside their apartment door. Hopefully no one saw them. Hopefully.

The next morning, the whole internet was going crazy about an official post from Ahri, the leader of the super popular K-pop group KDA, on twitter. Apparently, she posted a picture of her and her groupmates with an unidentified person in the middle, sharing a groupie with them with the translated caption “Hotpot with our newest fan~”. The picture went insanely viral as the search for the mystery fan continued.

This is insane. How do you even deal with this, huh, Ahri?

That’s a secret. Come on, they’re waiting for those veggies.

[End]

#kda #kda ahri #kda evelynn #kda akali #kda kaisa #popstar #kpop #league of legends #fanfic #Ahri #Evelynn #Akali #Kai'sa

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coldace24 · 7 years ago

Text

Camp

"Hey, Ray..." Her fox ears were flat against her head as she looked up to me. "What do you think is the best part about me?" It was a few hours after dusk, the sky lined up with streams of endless stars, shining silently in the dark of the night. We were camped outside near the woods, snuggling comfortably together inside the tent I had clumsily put up a while ago. "The best part, huh?" The question caught me off guard, as we had been nothing but silent only a few moments ago. "Well..." "Sorry...that came out of nowhere." She gave out a chuckle, realizing how she'd unintentionally put me on the spot. "Nah, it's okay." I gave her head a gentle pat as she nuzzled her face against my chest. "There's a lot of great things about you... but if I had to pick the best one, it would have to be the kindness hidden behind your playful facade." She gave out another chuckle, muffled by my clothes as she pressed her face harder against my body. "That sounds so cheesy." "What? It's true! Really!" "Oh? And what kindness would a fox like me have exactly?" Her gaze turned towards me. "The kindness to seek humanity, even when you're more human than most people are." The expression in her face turned anxious as strands of her dark hair fell across her eyes. "...human, huh. Will I ever be one?" "To me, you already are, Ahri. Every bit of you." I smiled as I gave her nose a gentle poke. The worry in her face had left, replaced by a beautiful smile, and a rather seductive gaze. "You sure know how to pick the right words, hm." She sighed in surrender. "And they say I'm flirtatious." I laughed at the sarcasm in her words, her face now only inches away from mine as she leaned closer and closer. "Well, maybe we both are." [End..?]

#Camp #Ahri

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coldace24 · 7 years ago

Text

Twice Arcanum: Prologue

"Another dull night..." She frowned at the thought.

Beneath the sea of stars sprawled across the vast night sky, just by the edge of town, she sat on top of the outer walls, isolated from the presence of townsfolk. Under her wide-brimmed hat, strands of purple hair brushed against her face, and her amethyst eyes reflected the gentle moonlight.

With nothing to rid of her boredom, she closed her eyes and began to listen to the wind. The gentle breeze whispered in her ear, humming a melody of its own. She found herself almost falling into a trance, but was abruptly awoken by the sudden noise of steel clashing against each other. Her gaze turned towards the forest, a few hundred meters away from where she was.

"Hmm, let's see..."

The tattoo under her right eye began to glow, and streaks of purple light appeared, circling around her iris as it enhanced her view range like a telescope. Near the edge of the forest, she could make out three figures locked in combat with each other; one, who was of rather small stature, was holding its own against the other two. She focused her eye, letting it adjust to the darkness, and as it cleared, she realized that what she was looking at was, in fact, a man fighting against two brawny, armored trolls.

A feeling of excitement had filled her, finally managing to find some amusement. She stood up and grabbed her spear, pointing it towards the direction of the ongoing battle. With the help of her right eye, she adjusted her grip and aimed at the trolls. Then, the air around her started to hiss; arcs of purple electricity formed, creating sparks that lashed out everywhere like violent whips. She began accumulating them at the tip of the blade, molding it into pure destructive energy. With a loud crackle, a bolt of lightning shot out, trailing towards the woods. From inside the forest came bellows of pain, after which, there was dead silence.

The streaks of purple light faded, and the arcs of electricity dispersed, leaving bits of static discharges here and there. She gave a quick scan of her surroundings, just to be on the safe side, and with no abnormalities whatsoever, she tidied up her clothes, adjusted her hat, gave her spear a quick twirl, then jumped down the wall.

"Guess this wasn't going to be a dull night after all." She grinned at the thought as she started running towards the forest.

° ° °

He knew it was a bad idea, but he didn't realize it was THIS BAD of an idea. Leaving the town at night was his only choice, he couldn't tell his little sister he was taking on such a dangerous job; she'd definitely get mad at him, and he'd never hear the end of it.

So then there he was, in the middle of the night, running away from two trolls who seemed like they had won the title of "World Muscle Contender" in whatever troll muscle building competition they had. Plus, they had chunks of metal strapped around their chests, not very fashionable, but hey, it did a pretty good job of making them harder to kill. So he decided: the quest was done for, no way was he risking his life to go against such unfair monsters. Definitely a good time to run.

With his well-thought-out escape plan he'd only formed minutes ago, he thought for sure he'd lose them after scurrying around all over the place, but somehow, at every twist and turn he had made, the two consistently followed, as if they had a leash on him.

It was only a matter of time before he ran out of energy; luckily, he had reached the edge of the forest. If he could just make it out past the trees, surely the trolls would stop following him; they never really did like leaving their forest, and for whatever reason that was, it wasn't really any of his concern. With all the energy he had left, he dashed towards the clearing. Unfortunately for him, one of the trolls jumped out from behind a tree and blocked his way, making him skid to a stop.

"This...was truly a bad idea." He grumbled as he gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist. He didn't want to fight; firstly, because he wasn't as good with the sword as he'd like to think; and secondly, there were two huge enemies, and fighting them with a puny metal stick when they have rows of abs and steel platings was just plain unfair. As he was trying to determine his next move, the second of the two trolls jumped out behind him. Surprised as he was, he pulled out the sword and swung to the back. The steel blade grazed across the metal plate's surface, unleashing a loud, screeching noise, but leaving little to no visible scratches.

There was an unusual pause, then came a grunt. Or was it a laugh? Whatever it was, one thing stayed true; the troll had ridiculed his sorry excuse for a strike. A sweatdrop fell from his forehead down to his cheek, and again, he thought of just how truly a bad idea this all was.

Slowly, the troll raised its oversized club, and in the next moments, it was swinging down towards him. The club hit the ground hard, and dirt flew everywhere. Good thing he was able to roll aside fast enough, otherwise, it would have been his guts flying everywhere instead of dirt. But he didn't have time to be thankful, as the other troll, the one who had blocked his path, began swinging around its club too.

The only thing he could do was dodge the incoming flurry of swings; sometimes hiding behind a tree, other times sliding between the two and getting them to hit each other, but it wasn't working. They were just too hard, even their own attacks bounced off at the combination of metal and muscle.

Things seemed pretty bad; he was out of breath, and his body ached; the trolls didn't give him any chance to rest either. Fortunately, not all hope was lost; he had saved his trump card for last, and he knew it was time to use it. Sheathing back his sword, he put a bit of distance between himself and the two trolls, and out from the small pouch on his side, he pulled out a crystal; a roughly cut ruby about the size of a coin, and held it firmly on his hand.

The two trolls walked slowly towards him, both raising their clubs and looking rather annoyed. Just as they were a few meters away, he held the crystal towards them, but before he could do anything, a flash of purple light appeared and his vision turned white. He covered his eyes with his arm, not knowing what had happened; all he could hear was a high-pitched hissing, drowning out the unrecognizable screams. Soon, the discordant noise stopped, and the light faded; what followed after were two hard thumps to the ground.

".....Am I...dead?" He reluctantly asked as he peeked under his arm.

° ° °

".....Hello...? Are you still alive...?"

The trolls had turned into two crisp-burnt corpses laying motionless on the ground, but just to be on the safe side, he started poking at them with his sword; thankfully, there was no response. Somewhere along the blackened mass in front of him, something had glinted, and digging through, he managed to find a golden locket; one that was fancy-looking enough for a noble to wear, though now it was covered in soot. He held it up against the moonlight, its surface revealing an intricate design somehow resembling a familiar insignia.

"That looks like it'd sell for a lot." Someone suddenly called out from behind him; the energetic voice of a female.

As he turned to look, he found himself face-to-face with a girl; her round, amethyst eyes staring straight at him. She was close to his face, perhaps too close, and that made him unconsciously take a step back.

"It would definitely sell for a lot, but I need it for something else." His gaze turned towards the corpses.

"Were you the one who did that?" He asked as he pointed.

"Mhmm." Her eyes scanned him from top to bottom as she slowly walked backwards.

"You...look like a noble." She said, sounding somewhat displeased; perhaps she wasn't fond of nobles.

As much as denying it would probably have been better, with the way he was dressed: a dark emerald vest over his white dress shirt, dark slacks, boots, and leather gloves; it was fairly hard to.

"Well...yeah, I am...kind of."

He placed the locket inside his pouch while giving the girl a quick, inspecting glance. There was one way to describe the girl, he figured, and it was very much associated to the color purple; her hair was purple, her clothes were purple, heck even her eyes were purple. Well, at least her hat's beige...although it does have a purple accent.

"So tell me, why is a noble like you dancing around with these two muscle-heads?" She started poking the corpses with her spear. "Not to mention in their forest. Oh, and in the middle of the night too, might I add."

"...A quest." He replied as he started to fix his soot-covered, brown hair.

"Quest?" She sounded surprised. "Why would a noble be on a quest?"

"I need money."

"A noble...looking for money..?" She laughed, as if that was the funniest thing she'd heard the whole day. As much as he hated it, he expected at least that much of a reaction; a noble trying to earn money through quests was practically unheard of after all.

"Look, I'm going back to the guild to get my reward. If you don't need anything else, I'll be on my way now." He started to walk towards town, feeling a bit irritated.

"Hey, can I at least expect some form of thanks?" She asked, sounding a bit playful. He stopped in his tracks, letting out a sigh as he turned around.

"...What do you want?" His tone sounded monotonous as he asked. She pranced towards him, humming an unfamiliar tune with a mischievous grin on her face.

"A couple of drinks over at the tavern will do." She said with a wide smile and a pat to his back.

° ° °

"I'm Kaleina, by the way. Nice to meet you uh..." She introduced herself, hand extended, as they sat at the local tavern. It was only under the lamp's light that he had noticed her long, pointed ears.

"Cleras. A pleasure." He replied, reaching for a handshake. "Are you an elf?"

Her eyebrows furrowed at the question. "Isn't that kind of obvious? I mean, you know, the ears and all."

"Yeah...well you know, just to make sure." He shrugged. "It's not everyday I get to see an elf. Much less talk to one."

"You make it sound like I'm some sort of exotic animal." She grumbled. Even though she meant it as a joke, he knew it was somehow true; elves were quite rare in human settlements, so being one was definitely attracting attention.

"Anyway, I give you my thanks for actually agreeing." She motioned to the drinks on the table. He sighed, raising his hands up, as if surrendering to her demand.

"Well, you did help me with the quest. Although I'm pretty sure I could have handled it fine by myself."

"Hah! If I wasn't there, you would've been crushed to a pulp." She grinned as she downed a glass of ale. "Speaking of which, how much did you get?"

"What do you mean?"

"Money! I'm talking about money, Cleras! How much did you get?"

"Oh. Just a little bit, I guess." His gaze shifted to the side.

"...How much, exactly?"

"Uhh....three thousand pliones...?"

She stood up and slammed the table, moving towards his face as close as possible then grabbing him by the collar.

"Three thousand?! For those two knuckleheads?!" Her eyes widened. "I could spend the whole week stuffing myself with that much! Unbelievable!"

"H-hey, I had a hard time dealing with them, so they should be worth at least that much." He pulled his face away, just to get a little more distance between their noses. "But I guess it is kind of odd. I mean, the quest details said I'd get a thousand."

"Tripled?! Why?!" Her eye started to unconsciously twitch.

"S-Some girl was at the guild. They said she was the client, so I gave her the locket. Turns out she was the daughter of a noble."

"And?"

"When I gave it to her, she asked the guild to put in a little extra for my reward, and gave me two grand."

"So the extra was from her?"

"Y-yeah."

"Tsk, figures." She remarked as she let go of him and went back to her seat, looking a bit irritated. "You sure are lucky, getting saved by me and getting extra on your pay."

"W-Well, yeah, I'm grateful for that."

"Guess that means I can order a few extra glasses, eh?" She had a mischievous smile on her face.

"Actually, no. I need the extra. I'm trying to save up for something."

"Meh, cheapskate." She pouted. "For a noble, you sure care a lot about money."

"I have my own problems, you know. Problems that require money to be solved." His expression turned serious for a moment, then returned to normal as he watched a bored-looking Kaleina trying to muse herself with ale. "But well, I guess it can't hurt to spend a little more than usual. Don't order what you can't finish, alright?"

"Yes!" She smiled then turned towards the counter. "Hey! Bring us your best batch of ale over here!"

° ° °

"You're not going home?" She asked, a bit surprised. They were done drinking for the night, and as dawn was to come in a few hours, they decided it was time to hit the hay.

"I snuck out to do the quest, and right now I'm too tired to even walk back home, much less sneak back in."

"So what's your plan?"

"I think I'll spend the night here at the tavern. You?"

"Same." She burped as she replied. "Ugh, I think I drank too much."

° ° °

"Are you sure you didn't plan this?" Kaleina asked with a look of doubt on her flushed face. They were inside one of the rooms at the tavern; cozy enough for a single night's rest, but what caught their attention was the room's single, large bed.

"I swear, I didn't!" Cleras held his hands up in surrender. "They said they were fully booked tonight, and this was the only room available."

She stared at him for quite a while, then decided it was pointless to argue. Upon reaching the bedside, she started to take off her clothes, leaving only her strapless bralette and her miniscule skirt on.

"HEY HEY HEY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Cleras shouted at her irresponsible action.

"What? You can't expect me to sleep with all my clothes on." She argued as she climbed onto the bed.

"But I'll be sleeping beside you!"

"I don't care."

He bit back his lip. Surely this girl was not serious, he thought. He stood there for a few moments, unable to decide whether or not to go along with her idea.

"Oho. Don't tell me...are you inexperienced with these kinds of things?" She asked with a wide, mischievous smile on her face. He could do nothing but swallow, unable to give out any form of response.

Kaleina stood up, pulling the blanket along as she slowly walked towards him. Now only inches apart, her hand reached out to his face, gently resting her palm against his cheek. Their eyes locked, and with a warm smile, she gave him the most seductive gaze.

"Am I not good enough...?" She asked him with a sweet, tender voice. Her lips seemed so lush, like plump peaches ripe for the taking; it took everything he had just to stop himself from taking them for his own. The young man forcefully closed his eyes, trembling with nervousness at the possibility of where it all might lead to. Then, from Kaleina suddenly came a laugh. He opened his eyes only to find her wiping away tears from her eyes as she tried to contain her laughter.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't think you'd be that nervous." She apologized, finally managing to catch her breath after laughing so much. The distraught noble glared at her, clearly irritated at her display.

"Look, Cleras. I don't really mind if we sleep together in a single bed." She said as she let out a sigh. "We're just gonna sleep, you'll be fine."

She walked back and climbed up the bed, and in response to her companion's concerns, she wrapped herself with the blanket and rolled over to one side, giving Cleras enough space to lie down. He could only sigh as he walked towards the bed, taking off his vest and boots, and settling down beside the elf. Although his thoughts were still cluttered from all that has happened, his body was undeniably exhausted, and in a matter of minutes, his eyes fell shut, and his vision darkened.

° ° °

Pain shot up from his abdomen, instantly waking him from his sleep. He panicked for a second, thinking he was being attacked, until he saw a pale-skinned leg resting across his stomach. He turned to the elf beside him only to find her out of the blankets, now lying down horizontally across the bed, and still asleep.

He pushed Kaleina's leg away as he tried to get out of the bed, somehow managing to wriggle out from under her limbs. As quietly as he could, he put on his vest and boots and slowly walked towards the door. A few feet away and a sudden thud stopped him in his tracks.

"I-I'M AWAKE!!!" Kaleina shouted, her eyes only half open. She had fallen off the bed, and was now staring into space, looking a bit dazed. He tried to keep on walking, hoping she had not noticed him yet.

"Oh, Cleras...it's you. Where are you off to so early in the morning?" She asked as she rubbed the sleepiness off her eyes.

"Um...home...?"

"Oh riiiight." She stood up and yawned, stretching out to get rid of the numbness in her body. He smiled at her, then turned towards the door, finally managing to reach and open it.

"Wait!" Kaleina demanded as she hurriedly put her clothes on. "I'm coming with you!"

His eyes widened at her statement; his face full of discontent and disbelief. She locked her arms around his, and smiled at him, enjoying the thought of tagging along. Cleras sighed, once again unable to escape from Kaleina's crazy whims.

° ° °

"Tell me, why are you coming along again?" Cleras asked as he and Kaleina walked through the streets of Bowfort City, following the road towards his house.

"Cause I'm bored." She said proudly with a smile. "Besides, I get free breakfast if I go there, right?"

"Look, my place isn't some sort of charity where you get free food, okay?"

"Oh come on, I'm a guest. There should at least be food for the guest, right?"

"Don't you find it weird? Look, we only met yesterday, so I don't think we're well acquainted enough to be house visiting."

"Oh, but we ARE aquainted enough. I mean, we did sleep together last night." She said as she gave Cleras a wink.

"And sleep was ALL we did! Nothing else!" His voice raised a bit.

Kaleina smiled as she ignored his statement, finding amusement in playing with her spear instead. The poor noble could only press his palm against his face in discontent.

The previous mention of the word "sleep" caught his attention, only realizing something was off after the brief silence where he had time to think.

"Say, Kaleina..." He started to ask her. "you went to sleep last night, right...?"

"Yeah...?" She answered, sounding a bit suspicious. "....Did you do something to me?"

"No, of course not." He refuted. "Look, I was just wondering... I thought elves didn't sleep. Don't you, like, meditate or something?"

"...Oh." Her eyebrows furrowed a bit, then after an unusual pause, she continued. "Well, the right term for that is trance, actually. And yeah, they do that instead of sleep."

"They..? You don't...?"

"Nope." She moved her hands behind her back. "I like sleeping better than trance."

"Why?"

"Cause I get to dream when I'm sleeping, and that has to be the best part about it." She smiled as she talked. For a moment, her expression seemed full of sentiment, as if reminiscing something from the past.

"Why do you ask?" She followed up.

"Well, I've read some things about elves before, and well, you know, things just didn't add up and I started wondering."

"...Hmm. You're surprisingly knowledgable, huh, Cleras."

"...You make it sound like I was dimwitted before I asked." He turned to her only to find her sneaking a chuckle.

° ° °

"Okay, so here's how I'll explain things." Said Cleras as he stopped in front of the gates to the manor and turned around to face her. "I woke up early to walk around town, only to bump into you, an old aquaintance of mine, and being the good man that I am, I asked you to join me for breakfast, alright?"

"Mhmm."

"Okay, good." He turned back and gave the gates a push. The black, iron bars swung open, and the two followed a path of grove that lead them to a mansion; one not as big as what Kaleina had in mind, but big enough to be called a manor.

Cleras knocked on the large, oakwood double-doors; the echoes resounding within their vicinity. From inside, Kaleina could hear faint footsteps approaching, though Cleras didn't seem to notice; apparently, elven ears were more sensitive.

"Who is it?" A feminine voice asked from the other side of the door.

"It's me, Cleras."

The doors slowly opened, swinging inside with a mild creak. As the manor's interior came into view, in front of them stood a young woman, most likely a maid as suggested by the clothes she wore, with brownish hair and hazel-colored eyes. She curtseyed and smiled as she gave them her greetings.

"Welcome back, young master." She said, sounding formal yet also relaxed.

"Thanks, Amilya." Cleras replied. The maid's eyes turned towards the purple-haired elf, then back to him.

"She's Kaleina, an old friend I ran into on my morning stroll." He quickly stated as he getured towards Kaleina. "I invited her over for breakfast."

"Hi." Kaleina waved at the maid in response to Cleras's introduction.

"Welcome, Miss Kaleina." Amilya smiled at her, then gestured for the two to enter. She led the way with Cleras and Kaleina following behind her as they made their way towards the dining room. It was among the many doors found at the hallway; a wide room with a long table in the middle, able to cater at least twenty people. Amilya opened the door and ushered the two to their seats, with Cleras sitting at the head of the table, and Kaleina sitting just beside him.

"You've become quite the man, spending the night with such a pretty girl." The maid stopped to lean beside Cleras, whispering in his ear as she served his tea. "Not to mention, she's an elf too."

"W-what? No!" He stuttered. "I told you, we just happened to run into each other during my morning stroll."

"Oh, please. I know you snuck out last night." She said with a smug look on her face. "And I can only infer that you spent the night together with Miss Kaleina, whom you came back with this morning. Isn't that right, Master Cleras?"

From beside Cleras came a laugh; Kaleina had been quietly listening to their conversation and couldn't resist laughing as she heard Amilya's statement. The two stared at the elf as she sipped her cup of tea, unbeknownst to them that elven ears could hear their whispers.

"Look, Amilya. Nothing happened between her and me, okay?" Cleras turned back to Amilya and continued to whisper; his eyebrows furrowed as he spoke. "I snuck out to do a quest, and I just happened to bump into her. I have no idea why she's following me around either."

"I think I know why." She grinned. "But well, I'll just leave it at that. Prying too much would be rude after all."

A sigh of relief came from Cleras, having much appreciated Amilya's decision to stop prying, although leaving her to her own imagination might not be so good either. In the next few minutes, Amilya along with other maids had served them breakfast; creamy stew coupled with loaves of bread, some cooked eggs and slices of meat, and a new batch of warm tea; upon finishing their duties, they left the room, with Amilya giving Cleras a mischievous wink as she closed the door. Kaleina's eyes shone as the appetizing food sat in front of her; the enticing scent giving her nose a tickle. Though she had expected nobles to eat in luxury, being able to experience it herself was something new. She turned to Cleras, as if asking for confirmation if she could start eating, which in turn made Cleras laugh. He nodded, gesturing for her to take the food, and without hesitation, she grabbed her utensils and started digging in.

"Do you always eat this much for breakfast?" Kaleina asked.

"No, actually. I think most of these were prepared for you. I mean, technically, you are a guest."

"Well if that's the case, then I'm not holding back." She grinned as she started stuffing herself with every food on the table. Cleras calmly sipped his tea, observing the elf quietly, when she stopped and turned towards him again.

"I've been wondering...what's this bitter stuff?" She asked as she pointed to the cup of tea beside her.

"It's tea." Cleras replied.

"Tea...? Sure tastes weird." She took another sip at it, her lips curving into a small smile as she set the cup down. "But well, I guess it is pretty nice too."

The young noble couldn't help but smile. As much as he found this elf to be quite vexing, he's also been intrigued by her, wondering how she was so different from what he's read about elves. She was far from graceful, and neither was she calm and collected. The more he thought about it, the more confused he got, coming to notice that this elf beside him seemed more like one of the rowdy humans rather than the said dignified elves. Suddenly, the doors to the room opened, and Amilya entered, somehow walking a bit faster than usual, then stopping to lean towards Cleras's ear.

"Miss Emeraude is awake." She whispered. "I've told her you are having breakfast with a guest, but she wishes to talk to you."

Kaleina's ear twitched as she listened in on their conversation once again. The name Amilya had mentioned intrigued her, but she proceeded to eat quietly, as if not aware of what they were talking about.

"I see." Cleras replied. "Have you prepared her breakfast?"

"Of course."

"That's good." The young noble finished his food and stood up. "I'll bring it to her then."

"As you wish."

He nodded to the elf, excusing himself from the table as he walked away and left the room, leaving Amilya and Kaleina with each other in awkward silence. The maid stood at the side of the room, her gaze upon the elven girl enjoying her meal.

"Who's Miss Emeraude?" Kaleina suddenly asked, her purple eyes now staring at the young maid. Amilya was surprised, unsure of how the elf had learned the name. Perhaps she overheard their conversation, she thought, but surely she whispered as quietly as she could. She was silent for a bit, still in wonder as Kaleina waited for her answer.

"...She's...the master's younger sister." She finally replied.

"Sister, huh?" Kaleina took a bite off a slice of bread. "Does she not want to eat with me?"

"Oh no, it's not like that." She shook her head. "Miss Emeraude is...her health isn't very good, so she stays in her bed most of the time."

"Well that's good. Wait, no, I mean...not that kind of good, but...uhhh, you know what I mean."

The maid chuckled at the elf's awkwardness, to whom in turn she started off a casual conversation with. As their talk went on, there came loud knocks on the front door. The two women stopped mid-conversation and stared at each other, then, Amilya curtseyed and headed off to check.

° ° °

Cleras stopped in front of the door, his hands holding the sides of the silver tray with breakfast for his sister. He took a deep breath, then balanced the tray on one hand and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" A frail voice asked from the other side.

"It's Cleras. I brought you breakfast."

"Brother!" She exclaimed. "Of course, do come in."

He opened the door with his free hand, swinging it inside to reveal a bright, sunlit room; the windows were fully opened, and a gentle breeze swept in. On one side was Emeraude, slowly sitting up on her bed with a smile on her face; her silver hair was combed neatly, and her blue eyes greeted him with frail cheerfulness. She wore her favorite pink pajamas, ones riddled with designs of flowers that Cleras had given to her as a gift for her birthday.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he sat beside Emeraude, gently setting the tray down on her lap.

"Quite well, dear brother." She gave a bright smile. "Forgive me for selfishly asking you to see me when you have a guest."

"It's alright." He gave her head a soft pat. "I wanted to see my lovely, little sister as soon as possible anyway."

She smiled at her doting brother's words, feeling assured as she started to eat her breakfast. He loved his little sister, and he didn't want her to worry, for it was that sweet, innocent smile that Cleras wanted to protect, and that was why it was necessary to keep his side-job a secret.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Amilya entered the room with a brief greeting, then ushered in an old woman in white robes and spectacles.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The old lady said with a humble smile.

"No, of course not. It's good to see you, Doctor." Cleras replied. "You're here for my sister's check-up?"

"Yes, I am." She placed her suitcase on a nearby table and opened it, taking out her tools before getting to work. "I believe I might have figured things out, but I need to be sure."

"I see."

"Um, I hope you don't mind, young lad but could you..." The doctor started to say.

"Ah, yes, of course." Cleras replied as he stood up and headed for the door together with Amilya, slowly closing it behind them.

° ° °

"Worried?" Asked the maid as she and Cleras patiently waited outside the room.

"Honestly? Yes." His eyebrows furrowed upon replying.

"It's going to be fine, Cleras." She placed her hand over his shoulder. "You've done so much to help. Even going as far as taking on dangerous quests to pay for her recovery."

"I just hope it wasn't all for nothing." Anxiety showed on his face, fearing what might become of his treasured sibling.

Moments later, the creaking sound of the door as it slowly opened made their heads turn. The doctor poked half her body out and gestured for them to enter. Cleras turned a quick glance at Amilya, to which she returned with a smile then proceeded inside.

"How is she, Doctor?" Cleras asked as he entered the room and sat beside Emeraude, giving her a soft pat on the head.

"I'm afraid my intuition was right." The doctor said with a sigh as she sat down on the foot of the bed.

There was a brief silence, followed by uneasy glances between Cleras and Amilya. The old lady held out her hand, sitting on top of it was a Stethosphere, a chunk of clear crystal, smooth and round in shape, that helps doctors in detecting and diagnosing illnesses. She handed it over to Emeraude, gently nodding as the little girl held it between her hands.

"Now dear, if you don't mind..." She raised her hand towards the orb, and soon after, it started to glow a gentle azure, the color of her mana. "Your turn, dear."

The azure was joined by a fickle streak of silver, and soon they were intertwined, swirling together, but never really mixing. For a while there was harmony between the colors, then the silver light started increasing in volume, flowing out erratically and unpredictably.

Crack!

The doctor quickly pulled the orb out of her hands, shutting off the lights that illuminated the room a little while ago. Emeraude was breathing heavily, much to her brother's dismay, who seemed nervous and panicked as he wiped the sweat across her face.

"Doc, what the heck was that!?" His voiced raised quite a bit, as the worry destroyed his usual calm demeanor.

"That, young man, was an overflow of mana." The old lady replied with a grim expression. "A common symptom, but on a grander scale. So far greater than I've ever seen."

She held up the Stethosphere, on its surface was a large crack, spanning across half its side. Cleras's eyes widened, shocked because of the outcome, and because he realized he had to pay for the now broken tool.

"I've never come across something so bizarre. The flow of mana from her is unnatural, like it's leaking out of her body in different places. Then, when it finds a stable outlet, it blasts full on like a water out of a hose." She stood and walked towards her bag, taking out a weathered book amongst its many pockets then returned to her seat.

"Fortunately, this book holds records of it." She turns it by a few pages, then hands it over to Cleras.

".....Ephysma...?" He read aloud the word in bold letters. "...a rare illness akin to a curse that disrupts the flow of mana inside a living being, causing it to leak in great amounts..."

A curse? His eyes darted towards Emeraude, then back to the book, sweat dropping across his face.

"...symptoms include leaking of mana, lack of stamina, and disheveled breathing." The lump forming in his throat made it harder to speak, but he continued on reading.

"Only three cases have been encountered so far, the initial two concluding with complete depletion of mana, thus leading to...death..." The words rung in his head, air almost leaving the entirety of his lungs. His excessive sweating and pale face caught the attention of his sister, who, even as she heard of her condition, was more worried of her brother.

"Big brother...are you alright?" She asked as she held his arm.

"I-I'm....fine..." He spoke in-between gasps of air. After regaining his normal breathing pattern, he continued.

"...fortunately, the third case concluded with successful recovery." His eyes lit up as he subsequently read, a small glint of hope adding color to his expression.

"The treatment was successfully carried out through regaining lost mana via potions, and with the consumption of a brewed concoction..." A huge sigh escaped his lips, thankful that there was at least a known solution.

"Don't stop yet, young man." The old lady had her eyebrows furrowed as she urged him to continue.

"... a brewed concoction, made by... brewing Alcea Rosa in tonic. The only difficulty in procurement of said cure was that Alcea Rosa is an extremely rare herb, known to grow wild in the plains of Lithania..." His voice trailed off at the mention of the word. The Kingdom of Lithania, kingdom of the elves, far off to the west across the land, far from the borders of their own kingdom. Needless to say, no human was allowed entry lest they be emissaries of the throne. What's more, they barely had enough money to send someone on such a long way. The journey itself would take a few weeks at least, and there was no guarantee they'd be able to reason their way inside the gates, much less get access to an extremely rare herb.

There was silence in the room, the unease settling slowly with each quiet breath. No one wanted to say anything, no one wanted to break the ice, or at least no one in the room, that is.

"I could help you get it." A familiar voice came from behind the door. For a good while, they all glanced at each other, before Cleras finally approached and swung it open, staring face-to-face with the purple-haired elf and her mischievous grin.

"Kaleina...why are you here?" His eyebrows furrowed at the sight of the elf, positively bothered by her action. Ignoring his inquiry, she walked past him, heading straight into the room where everyone was, struting playfully with a smile on her face.

° ° °

"Emeraude, Doc, this is Kaleina. She's... an aquaintance of mine." Cleras introduced the young elf to his sister and the old doctor.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Kaleina." The awe in the little girl's tone was evident. "It's my first time meeting an elf. You look very pretty."

"Thank you." She smiled. "It's nice to meet you too. Oh, and of course you too, Doc."

"How long were you out there?" Cleras had a dubious look on his face.

"Oh, quite a while actually. I kind of heard everything."

"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know." The irritation in his tone was prominent.

"It's also rude to leave your guest all alone." She retorted with a smug look on her face, much to the noble's dismay.

"I'd like to offer you my services." She turned towards Emeraude, performing a little curtsey with her skirt tails.

"What do you mean, Miss Kaleina?" Emeraude's eyes were glued to Kaleina's ears, perhaps still amazed at the sight of an elf's long and pointy instruments of hearing.

"Seeing as the place you wish to go is located in elven territory, I'm sure I could be of help in securing a way inside the kingdom...I think." She gives Cleras a pat on the back. "Me and Cleras could go to Lithania and get that whatcha-call-it for you."

"Wait, I thought you were offering YOUR services? Why am I coming too?" He exclaimed, surprised yet again by Kaleina's remarks.

"Come on, Cleras...would you really just leave this to me, on my own?" Her brow was cocked as she asked, daring him to say yes. "...especially when it's so important?"

Her eyes darted towards the young lady, flashing a smile as their gazes met.

"Well, no...but I can't just leave my sister." He was anxious, even more so now that he understood the depths of his sister's illness.

"I'm gonna need your help if you want this to work. Traveling solo is never a good thing, not with these kinds of situations." She shook her head, her eyes locked onto his.

Cleras couldn't answer; there was too much at stake, and too little reassurance. How can she expect him to completely trust her just like that? They've only known each other for a day, literally.

In the midst of the brief silence, Emeraude breathed out a heavy sigh. She turned towards her brother, eyes filled with worry, but steeled with courage.

"She's right, Brother. You can't just let a lady go to such dangerous places alone." She crossed her arms, trying to appear angry, but her expression betrayed her. "And don't worry...I'll be fine. Amilya is still here with me. And doc will be visiting me from time to time, right?"

The old lady nodded, her wrinkled face showing a vibrant smile. "I'll be here to check up on her and make sure she has enough supply of mana."

"...But I-"

"Come now, brother. I've grown up enough to be fine if you're away." She placed her hands on her hips. "I trust you...so come back home safe and sound with that herb. Then, once I'm healed, we can finally travel around together, okay?"

He could only nod at her, unable to look her in the eyes. The shackles that held him back were removed, replaced by the weight of responsibilty and success.

"And Miss Kaleina..." The young girl turned towards the elf, looking straight into her amethyst eyes. "...thank you for lending us your help. My brother...he's a handful and gets into a lot of trouble, but please... take care of him."

"Of course." She smiled.

° ° °

Phwip!

He'd finished packing the things he'd need for the journey; food, a change of clothes, crystals, and a few hundred pliones. Of course, he'd left most of money to make sure the people in the manor would have enough to get by during his absence. He could simply earn some on their way, doing quests at the guilds in passing villages. As he slung the pack behind his back, Kaleina entered the room, waving two of her fingers in the air in greeting.

"Hey." She greeted nonchalantly.

He could only nod, still unsure whether doing this was the right decision. Maybe it would have been best to just hire someone else. Someone more capable. He shook the thought away. Emeraude had trusted him with this, he had to. No way would he leave Emeraude's fate in someone else's hands. But are my hands good enough?

Suddenly, there was a loud snap and pain shot up on his back, the sensation of a hard slap. He turned to the elf beside him, irritation clearly planted on his face.

"There, that's better." She gave him a smile. "No need to sweat over things, we'll be fine."

"...I hope so." A heavy sigh escaped his mouth.

"You know, me and your sister were talking a little while ago, just before I came here. She seems to trust you a lot."

"Yeah...well, we're the only family we have left. Of course we trust each other."

She shook her head, disagreeing to his statement. "I don't think it's simply because of that."

"What do you mean?"

"Hm...well, for one, she knew about you sneaking out at night to do quests." She gave out a hearty chuckle as she spoiled the secret.

"What!? She knew?" His surprise came out louder than expected.

"Mhm. But she never told you or reprimanded you for it, because she knew you were doing it for her."

"..."

"When she knew...she was afraid. She thought 'What if he never comes back?' ....but then you always did." She snapped her fingers as she pointed to him. "Maybe that's why she trusts you so much...because she knows you'll always come back to her."

"..."

"Cleras, are you crying?"

"I'm not. Shut up."

She could only laugh at his cute display of emotion, getting more and more intrigued by this so called "noble". A noble that was stingy, who let a stranger join him for breakfast, a noble...who'd go to great lengths to save his sister. She was perplexed...perhaps her notions of nobles were wrong...perhaps...there was more to it than what she previously thought. She swatted the thought away, just before the dreaded flashes of the past could surface again.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Cleras picking up a bottle filled with sparkling blue liquid, a sweet scent coming off from the small hole on its cap. Perfume? Is he insane???

She grabbed the bottle before he could spray, slamming it down on the table as she glared at the visibly surprised noble.

"Are you insane!?" Her words were coated with disbelief at Cleras's irresponsible action.

"W-what?"

"This is exactly why you were chased around by those trolls!" She pointed to the perfume. "What, you think monsters can't smell you? They'd get a whiff of your scent from a mile away with this!"

"...oh." It finally dawned on him. "So that's why..."

"...now I'm the one having doubts..." Kaleina planted her palm on her face in dismay.

° ° °

"Miss Kaleina." Emeraude had called the elf girl's attention. They stood just outside the mansion doors, with everyone wishing the two good luck on their journey. "Are you sure you need no payment?"

"Nope." She smiled at the young lady. "Let's just say it's a thank you for that delicious breakfast."

"I see. But perhaps you'd like to take something? Perhaps just a little compensation of sorts?" The young lady seemed to insist. Kaleina couldn't help but laugh, realizing how the awkwardness of these siblings are so much alike.

"Well, if we're talking about compensation..." Emeraude's eyes seemed to light up from Kaleina's words. "I already have one. After all...I'll be taking your brother with me."

Kaleina gave her a little wink as she grabbed Cleras by the arm, resting her head on his shoulder. Emeraude froze, her expression still the same, but the light in her eyes had gone dull, the geniune smile now looking forced, plastered on her pale face.

"Th-that's...!!!" she finally managed to speak, although unable to finish her sentence. With a pout, she turned to her brother, her eyes squinting at their display of familiarity.

"Brother, you better keep your hands to yourself!!!" She had her hands on her hips. "If I ever hear about you laying a hand on Miss Kaleina, you'll be very sorry, GOT IT!?"

Cleras was surprised, unsure of what was going on as his attention returned from deep thought. Without hesitation, he nodded vigorously, taking notice of Emeraude's fuming expression. "Y-yes, of course!"

A chorus of laughs came from everyone else, much to the young noble's surprise. As everyone settled down, Amilya approached to whisper in Emeraude's ear, handing her a box around the size of her hand. The young lady smiled, a mix of pride and sadness in her eyes as she took it.

"Brother..." Emeraude approached him, her hands extended with the box on top. "Please, take this along with you."

She opened it, revealing a silver necklace with a cross pendant, on its center was a beautifully cut emerald, resting perfectly between the grooves. His eyes widened at the sight of the jewel.

"It was father's gift to me before he disappeared." The young lady picked it up and placed it on her brother's hand. "I want you to take it."

"Emeraude, I can't."

"Yes, you can." She smiled. "Keep it safe for me...and make sure you come home to bring it back, okay? Safe and sound."

"...alright. I promise." The necklace sat on his chest, tucked inside his shirt where it was perfectly safe. His eyes seemed more determined now, more than ever.

"Take care, you two." Emeraude held back her tears as she waved. "I'll be waiting..."

Waving goodbye, the two finally set off on their journey. The young lady stood there, her silver hair flowing with the soft breeze as she watched their backs grow smaller and smaller, until they were no longer in sight. With hope in her heart, she prayed for their safe journey and sound return.

"Goodbye..."

[Prologue End]

CREDITS:

Kaleina is owned by RiceGnat

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