“Yo!” She greeted with a wide smile. She hadn’t been able to talk to him since departing early in the morning from the Academy campus.

Darren gave a small wave and forced a convincing smile onto his face. “Hey.” He greeted back before sitting down on a rock next to Essairyn. He opened his mouth to talk but then closed it as he didn’t know how to start. He searched her bright face for any signs of mental fatigue from training with Hætherin. But he was merely met back with an expectant, smiling expression. For a moment, he thought about ditching his planned conversation subject, but Darren withstood the urge.

“About that mission, I heard about what happened to some people in Farinheld. That group after mages kills anyone regardless of who they are. So, are you sure about deciding to join the mission?”

Essairyn returned the container of water to her inventory and lowered her head while turning to face him. Seeing his genuinely concerned expression, she felt a glimmer of warmth. But that was soon replaced by a prick of annoyance at his insistence on what she ought to do. “You decided to become a knight when I didn’t want to, so I don’t see why you should be so worried about someone else doing something different, too.”

Darren’s eyes twitched as he grimaced at her passive aggressive tone. “I see. Never mind.” Throw your life away for all I care. He shot up from his seat and stalked off.

As he strode away, Essairyn sighed, closed her eyes for a moment, and lightly thumped the side of her head. Why did you say it like that? Ugh… He’s just looking out for me… You didn't have to lash out at him because he reminded you of your past life... She pressed down on her upper legs and heaved herself up from the rock. Looking at Darren’s backside, she ruffled her hair in discontent. Is it really too hard to understand? I guess it really is a dangerous mission, but how can I explain this feeling?

She clasped her hand over her thumping heart and breathed in deeply. …I want to go. Something is telling me to go, that I’ll discover something exciting, that it’ll be the start of something new. Just thinking about it makes my heart race. I want to know; I want to continue being impulsive, acting on this gut feeling, this calling… For all her life on Earth, she had used her head and not her heart or gut. The feeling of release was still something she hadn’t gotten used to, and she desired to grasp onto it more—to claim that freedom and mold it into something spectacular. That something she had always been missing.

She chuckled softly to herself. Are you even that same person? Who are you now to act so rashly? Seriously, where is all this boldness coming from? Essairyn wondered if she was going through a belated, rebellious teenage phase, or if she was always like this but was suppressed by her circumstances on Earth that made her grow up too quickly. Fake it until you make it? Haha… just don’t die, Essairyn.

“Hey!” A group of cadets much younger than her approached Essairyn. “How was sparring with Knight Hætherin? Do you think you can teach me some moves?” One of the boys punched several times into the air for accompanying effect. Then, they all turned to Essairyn with expectant, eager expressions.

“Umm,” Essairyn murmured at a loss. “I didn’t really… get a handle on it to teach anyone anything…” She scratched her head sheepishly. If only that damned knight tried teaching me some moves rather than bombarding me round after round!! It was one thing to observe such skillful blows as a bystander and another to observe while being the incapable recipient. She furtively grit her teeth behind slightly pursed lips that curled up into a forced smile.

“Oh, that’s okay!” They laughed. “It’s only the first day. Besides, that you can even last against him is pretty amazing!”

“Haha, thanks. I have a lot to learn, though.”

“By the way,” interjected a girl in front. “Where did you get that water container? It doesn’t look like the bottles you get at the store!”

“Yeah, it almost looks like it was crafted!”

“Oh, now that you mention it, it does! Do you know how to craft things, too?”

Essairyn’s eyes widened a bit as she gazed slowly at the gaggle. “Uh, yeah. I made that container out of wood…”

“Wood?! And then you painted it over? That’s pretty cool! How did you do that?”

“Stupid, she obviously carved it using magic.” One boy elbowed his overly enthused friend.

“I meant the paint, stupid!” His friend made a face while accentuating the last word. “And it could be handcrafted! You never know! Crafting spells are tricky, after all.”

“That, I covered it with a waxy paint,” said Essairyn quickly before the friends could start bickering.

Even though she had learned that magic users could also be “crafters,” she didn’t go into detail that the ‘paint’ was plant dye, wax, and oil mixed together. Merely staining the wood with plant or berry-based ink wouldn’t be enough to acceptably dye the container a color. Also, it wouldn’t look good. In truth though, Essairyn simply had fun experimenting with ‘making paint’ and decided on this particular blend. On that thought about crafting, she asked after a breath’s hesitation, “Is crafting with magic that uncommon?”

“Hm?” One boy raised his eyebrow. “Well, sorta. It’s difficult for mages to learn the crafting spells depending on how complex the item is. Better off using the magic for other things much harder to do by hand, ya know? Why? Is it common where you come from?”

He was referring to her hometown as the trainees didn't know that she was a traveler. But, put on the spot without knowing exactly what he meant, she hastily answered, “No, I was just curious why my water container was eye-catching is all…”

With the focus reversed back onto him, the boy simply replied, “We thought it looked pretty unique since we didn’t believe at first that you were a rank B mage.”

“Rank B? Since when was I that rank?” Essairyn’s head tipped to the side as she struggled to keep her facial expression composed. So much for hiding that I’m a mage now…

“You’re not?” They chorused in surprise.

“Huh, I guess it was just a rumor then,” said the boy who first brought up ranks. “But you’re definitely strong! So that rank is probably pretty close!”

“Ah, thanks,” murmured Essairyn, relieved that they didn’t pry into her actual rank as she hadn’t taken the test, and explaining why would get complicated. But she did wonder if mages often dabbled in knight combat and vice versa by their lack of questioning on that matter.

“Hey, you’re the one that told us she was a rank B mage, where’d you get that from?”

The accused girl gasped and lifted her head away. “I-I was just guessing when I saw her fighting and overhead Hætherin say she would’ve overpowered him if she used magic, so doesn’t that make her a rank higher if he’s at the top of C?”

“Stupid, it doesn’t work that way!”

“Stop calling people stupid, stupid!”

Essairyn zoned out at the group’s squabbling. These kids…do children join the Order this early? She noted the wide range in ages from roughly ten to a little older than herself. Maybe because the Academy and Knight’s Order are connected, they start training at a young age? I suppose it makes sense like a different form of education or sports extracurricular…

“So then, what’s your rank?

Her head jerked up at the distinctly deeper voice not belonging to a child. It was Leœss. He had overheard the nosy, younger cadets. But before she could begin to form a hasty response to decline sharing, Hætherin’s voice boomed.

“Everyone, regroup! It’s time for three versus one training!”

Saved by the senior knight, Essairyn simply gave a nod to the auburn-haired young man and rushed over with the other trainees who collectively groaned at the end of their short respite. Leœss quietly watched her retreat without answering his question. His brown eyes burned ambiguously at her back.

For the next hour or so, they rotated fights so that everyone fought as the outnumbered one at least once. When it came time for Essairyn’s turn, however, Hætherin increased the number to ten. At first, she felt overwhelmed by the abrupt change. But, while she was uncomfortable and unaccustomed to being in the limelight, she couldn’t deny that it was also self-gratifying to be acknowledged for her abilities.

After three versus one sparring, Hætherin immediately moved onto the next training session, garnering further hatred from the trainees. Their unanimous loathing was what fueled them to persist together. Unbeknownst to them, this was exactly the kind of situation that Hætherin was hoping to achieve. Hardship naturally could form bonds. But while it went according to plan, he wasn’t so content on Essairyn’s end.

Peering at the girl who was currently sitting out of group combat for overall fairness, Hætherin pondered what the girl’s future would hold. Everyone would face hardships, and knight training and missions would help cadets by exposing them to difficult situations. But Essairyn would have to face challenges with higher degrees of intensity in order to be instilled with that necessary sense of urgency, distress, and determination. This meant that those around her could be involved in unduly danger.

Will you choose to walk your path alone? Or will you have the power to protect those that accompany you on that path? Seeing her solitary figure propped up nonchalantly against a tree trunk, curiosity mixed with concern glimmered in the depths of the man’s eyes. It might take something dire to open your eyes to this world. You can’t stay relaxed like that forever. I only hope that nothing bad will happen in the process… Hætherin couldn’t help poring over the possibility of a catastrophic mission happening like last time in Farinheld. Despite Bodraig not holding any ill intentions in his proposal to Essairyn, Hætherin believed it was too much for a newly descended traveler. But, perhaps an early wake-up call was better than later.

His eyes flickered over to Darren within the clashing mob of trainees, recognizing that he was one that Essairyn had accompanied to the entrance exam from Bodraig’s brief. Is it good or bad luck for you to have met this girl? Although Darren possessed no extraordinary abilities, he was still above average considering he was the most novice out of all natives present. He could live a successful and comfortable life without Essairyn. It was early enough for them to go their separate ways without feeling unnecessary attachment to one of their kind from Earth.

He shook away the rumination and issued the trainees to stop fighting. It was enough for today. They would return home for supper now. Jubilant cheers resounded in the forest, startling the birds out of the trees. The way home felt quicker than going to the hills.

Back in the dorms after dinner, Essairyn stood standing resolutely in front of Darren’s closed door. Since their conversation about the Farinheld mission, they hadn’t spoken a word to one another again. She didn’t want any bad blood or miscommunication between them, so Essairyn confidently rapped on the wood. A few seconds later of footsteps approaching, the door cracked open.

“Darren! I just wanted to talk about today in the forest! I—” She began quickly but then halted abruptly after seeing who opened the door.

It was Aispin. He leaned languidly on the doorframe and tipped his head to the opposite side. The middle section of his bangs drooped in the same direction, obscuring his right eye slightly. The leisurely pose was charged with charm and sent a strange tingle through Essairyn’s center. Dang it, I can’t handle this level of attractiveness so close to me—! …On second thought, it’s no big deal? It’s not like you haven’t seen handsome guys before.…on television. She inwardly laughed and waved her nervousness away from being caught off guard.

“Hello, Aispin.”

The boy straightened his pose and faced forward. His ocean blue eyes glittered like sun-struck waves as he greeted, “Hello, Sairyn.”

“Is Darren here?” Essairyn leaned her body to the left and looked around Aispin's frame. He turned his figure while opening the door wider for Essairyn to see into the room.

“He’s not back yet from dinner,” informed Aispin as he gestured for Essairyn to come inside. After a fraction of a second’s hesitation, she entered.

While she appeared to be surveying the room, inside, her mind was spinning frenetically with the belated realization that Aispin called her ‘Sairyn’ instead of Essairyn.

“So how was today? Rough, right?” Aispin joked with a sideways grin. He leaned against the post of his bed with his arms lazily crossed. A large broadsword sheathed in a decorated, multi-colored enamel and semi-precious stone-laid scabbard was propped up against the other bedpost. “The first day is always like that, especially if you have old man Hætherin.”

Essairyn mentally snapped out of her daze and chuckled halfheartedly as she neared the table in the center of the room. “Yeah… You know him?”

“Knight Hætherin? Hah, he’s a stickler for the rules and likes to push the trainees harder. He means well, though. The kids in his classes always do better than average because of his harsh teaching methods. He’s known as one of the ‘Hell Knights’ by all the cadets. You’ll be able to find a lot of people willing to share a story or two about their suffering from that old man.” His bangs quivered as he lightly laughed. Aispin remembered back to his grueling first days as a young knight cadet. He had the pleasure of often being assigned to Hætherin’s classes.

“Anyway, you and the rest of the new trainees will be split based on your evaluation and first day results tomorrow morning. So you might not see Hætherin much again depending on what official rank you receive.”

Essairyn’s softly angled eyebrows arched up in curious surprise at this news. No one had told her about this, for she assumed that today’s group of new trainees were her classmates for the rest of the two week training period.

Seeing the girl’s questioning look, Aispin preemptively answered, “The Academy strictly judges according to merit, ability, and potential and places students in classes with people of the same rank. That's why the first day is only for the newest students and knights, to better ascertain their true rank in a competitive group setting. Classification helps students progress more because they’re contending with those of the same strength. But, while this makes sense and works well…” The boy scratched his head uncomfortably. “It creates a pretty clear divide between the students. Those at the top are definitely more respected and privileged.”

Hearing this, Essairyn’s eyes darkened a little. Although she liked the idea of a meritocracy, she hoped that this ranking structure didn’t hinder those at the bottom from rising. Aispin picked up her subtle change in expression and immediately waved his hands, clarifying, “I didn’t mean it in a bad way though! Bodraig told me that as a new traveler, you haven’t been to Neu’arth’s main campus, so you won’t know exactly what I mean. But, high-ranked students are treated almost like idols or something, haha! Unless you’re already a knight, in which you already get free board and tuition, unaffiliated, high-achieving students get full scholarships for however long they wish to study at the Academy. It’s pretty nice, right?”

“True, but…” Essairyn trailed off. “It doesn’t help those who are low-ranked. What if they’re really passionate about school?”

Aispin nodded in acknowledgement before calmly countering, “If they’re that passionate about school, then they should join the Knights. Since the Knight Mage Academy is about applying both magical and physical combat, then joining the Knight’s Order is the best way to do that. They need to have that kind of dedication as a low rank in order to survive in this world anyway…” He sighed and smiled halfheartedly.

“Missions can be life-threatening after all. Otherwise, it would be better to live a quiet, normal life in Neu’arth. And if it’s just basic education without combat, then the sister school of KMA for non-magical or non-combative humans inside the walls are the way to go. The tuition’s also free by living in Neu’arth.”

Aispin made a good point. The system was put in place while considering the future well-being of those less able to defend themselves. Essairyn wouldn’t want to see lives lost because false hope and expectation inspired starry-eyed students. It reminded her of high school commencement urging graduates about the strengths of their dreams. What baloney. No one realized that if they hadn’t already grasped onto the first corner of the fabric of their dreams, then by that point, they would never seize it in time at all. Those dreams and the life they hoped for would slip away with the passing of the hours breathing. Maybe the saying that it was never too late to chase one’s dream was true, but that didn’t mean it would be easy either. Every tick of the clock caused the dream to stray from the mind until it died in the heart.

Essairyn shook these bleak thoughts from her head. That reality didn’t exist anymore. She looked directly into Aispin’s blue eyes and communicated her agreement. “And what walls are you speaking of?” Essairyn’s interest pricked at the mention of them. She wondered if this was the magical system of Neu’arth that kept out and defended against intruders. Lachlan had lightly touched upon this at the Reisparte campus, but he didn’t go into detail about the exact implementation. Perhaps it was similar to the system she had placed onto the Welforts’ fence.

“Oh, Neu’arth’s magical wall. You can’t see it unless it’s activated. Usually, you can only see the segment of the walls around the official entrances when people are registering as a visitor or new citizen. That part of the wall lights up then.” Aispin gestured with his hands on the last remark, making Essairyn smile faintly at his animated explanation. He clearly liked Neu’arth and approved of its setup to ensure the safety and welfare of its people.

“Mmm, that’s great. Neu’arth sounds like a really cool place.” Essairyn’s smile grew, garnering a grin from Aispin who enthusiastically responded.

“Yes! And this way the country can expand easily without having to destroy or construct physical walls! I can’t wait until Neu’arth spreads to the rest of As’pyze!” Realizing that he got ahead of himself by fully exhibiting his emotions, Aispin coughed lightly and smiled sheepishly.

“Anyway, Neu’arth is a great place to live, especially for non-magical humans. It saves people, you know? People who couldn’t…” He trailed off and discontinued his words. He wasn’t sure why he was about to open up to Essairyn about his past and current wish for the world. Not many knew about his past before becoming a knight, and none at all knew about the full details of how he survived until he arrived at Neu’arth. It was a difficult story to tell, but it was one that many people who struggled in As’pyze after the Great Elemental War shared. Nothing would change by his story being told. And he didn’t want anyone’s pity. As long as the fire burned within him, he would take it day by day to reach his ultimate goal. That was all that mattered.

Essairyn also read the changes in Aispin and didn’t dig into it deeper. They had just met, so she didn’t expect him to fully disclose his life’s story. In two weeks and for however long the Farinheld mission was, they would spend plenty of time together getting to know one another better. Even if they didn’t end up having much time to chat, simply being in dangerous situations would naturally bring people together. Trust and understanding was necessary to fight side by side.

Before Essairyn could say anything to restore the somewhat awkward mood and move onto another topic, Darren whipped the door open. They both spun their heads at the sudden, loud entrance and looked at the sandy-haired boy who peered back in flummox. What’s with this strange mood? He wondered as he gathered his composure and approached them. And why is Essairyn here? She was talking to Aispin? About what?

Although he was full of questions, he didn’t let it show on his face and proceeded nonchalantly as if he didn’t find the situation questionable. Besides, it was good that Essairyn was here. He wanted to get something straight with her.

“Essair—”

“Darr—”

They began strongly and then faltered when they realized that they both wanted to say something to one another. “—en.” The two ended upon the same sounding syllable.

“You go first—” They both started and then stopped.

“Darren,” she repeated quickly, determined to rid of any misunderstandings between them. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about this afternoon. I know you were just concerned about me in the mission, and I’m really grateful for that. But I really want to go and—”

“It’s okay.”

Essairyn abruptly halted in her words at the sound of Darren’s even-tempered voice. With wide eyes, she stared at the boy who continued, “It’s okay. I understand. I can’t stop you from going. I guess I should be used to that by now.” He chuckled halfheartedly with a small smile. “So instead, I’m going with you.”

“…” Essairyn blinked.

“Wait, WHAT?! You’re not—! Why would you also go! You don’t need to risk your life too!” She stumbled upon her words while drawing closer to Darren.

“So now you’re admitting that you’re risking your life?”

Darren’s joking manner threw Essairyn off as she floundered her words. “Huh? I mean, yes, but no! I’ll be there, so it won’t be life threatening! I mean, wait, that sounded––”

Rich laughter filled the room, making Essairyn and Darren turn toward Aispin who waved apologetically for them to continue. He found the two traveler’s dynamic and Essairyn’s reaction rather funny. Yesterday, he hadn’t detected much camaraderie between the two, but now he saw that despite their tip-toeing around one another at times, they had already formed a bond.

Darren coughed. “So, I might as well be there in case anything happens and you get ahead of yourself.” He side-grinned with a forced confident expression.

Essairyn’s forehead creased in worry. “No, that’s a bad idea. You can’t—”

Aispin slapped a hand onto the girl’s shoulder and chimed, “Hey, that sounds like a good idea to me. You never know what two weeks’ training can do. Darren is fit, so I’m sure that he’’ll be fine. It’s better to have a trusted partner when fighting anyway.”

“Huh?” She frowned while her eyebrows lifted in astonishment. “That’s not what I mean. I trust him, but—”

“I’ll be fine, Essairyn. Trust me.” Darren staunchly peered into the girl’s eyes.

Essairyn’s mouth hung open and moved like a fish. She was rendered speechless. Since she was so set on joining the mission against his wishes, then what right did she have to go against his wishes to join as well?

Aispin chuckled at her helpless expression and thumped his other palm onto Darren’s shoulder as well. “See?” He turned his head toward Essairyn and smiled assuringly. “He’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I’ll be there along with everyone else, so no one will get hurt, all right?”

She sighed heavily in defeat. “All right, all right. I got it. I’ll make sure not to let anything happen to you.” Or I won’t forgive myself. “Just don’t slow me down, okay?” She winked teasingly at Darren who grunted to clear his throat.

“Yeah yeah. Just you watch, it’ll be me at your back, just like with the wolves.” He smirked playfully.

Essairyn giggled and bobbed her head once. “It’s a deal.” She stuck out her hand, and Darren shook it.

“It’s a deal.”