Rina guided Svana across the uneven plains of their final stretch toward Matrun. Svana held on tightly to her hand. Their grips were hot with sweat and sometimes Svana had to grab onto Rina’s clothing as they stepped over the cracks in the Nadian floor, such things she’d never seen before. The way the very dirt opened up into dark holes, traveling far, far down into the depths of the world. She couldn’t help but look even though it scared her. They climbed over rising hills that didn’t appear natural... They were portions of the world pushed apart, rising, building atop itself.

“I won’t let you go,” Rina said, “But you must hold on tightly.”

Svana did so each time she couldn’t make it over a gap. Rina had spoken of this place beyond the Storming Grasslands, lands of deep crevices and openings like caves that went straight down.

“What happens if you fall in?” Svana asked, feeling a bit silly. She figured she knew what would happen. What she meant was where someone would go if they fell.

“There’s no coming back,” Was all Rina said for the question. “So stay focused and careful, okay?”

“Okay.” Svana wiped away sweat with her other hand and then held on tightly once again.

The gaps were scary but she approached them like she always saw Rina approach every situation. Standing tall and brave. Many times Svana pretended she was a Swordswoman much like her. Along the journey she had picked up a nice looking stick -- when Rina asked what it was for, Svana lied and said it was just something to play with -- and she held it, pretending it was a blade as bright as Rina’s, something she could use to fend off bad people. So it wasn’t play. It was practice. She would swing it about whenever Rina left her to gather water or firewood.

Svana took a deep breath and was brave like Rina was, using all her strength to hang on as Rina lifted her up and over to the other side of a wide gap. While it wasn’t her own strength being used to cross, Svana still felt strong to do so. Just like a Swordswoman.

They stopped for some food, hunks of bread and cheeses that Rina had packed for the both of them. They shared from the waterskin that Rina had filled with spring water and it was clear they would have to find water again soon. They had passed much of the damaged fields and they sat upon a green hill overlooking an even more grassy ocean.

Svana’s mind was on home but was resisting sadness about it. For a long time she just couldn’t get those bodies out of her mind. Her and Rina rarely spoke of Gnosh and the loss of her entire world. She had tears about it in the past. Now, traveling with Rina and seeing so many wonderful places, the sadness seemed to drift behind her by ten paces.

Though, sometimes when they would rest for the night or stop for food it would catch up with her. She would look back, beyond the mountains, remembering such a simple life of farming and running through the trees. Of warm seasons filled with swimming in the cool rivers nearby. Of tossing the throwing disk with Yellow over the open fields, feeling the afternoon winds nearly blow her over.

But she recalled the darker times too. Being so near the Kingdom and seeing those Knights travel nearby. Some of them would come to Gnosh either for questioning or a simple place to rest in between destinations. What they would bother with their village for was beyond her. But she knew that whenever Kingdom soldiers were nearby, mama would become extra careful.

And then that day, during the bright hours before Rina came to her in the darkness, they took her away for no reason. The way mama screamed and fought was so scary. Svana did her best to smile and shouted to her that it would be okay. Svana still had no idea why the Knights wanted her questioned… or dead… Rina told her it was because of her Gift. But Rina also told her that her Gift was wonderful and useful. So why would they want to kill her if she could be helpful to others?

Sometimes she still felt the sting of that man’s sword. The way he attacked her with such awfulness. The glare, the angry look on his face as he moved that table aside that rested between them. That man, Task, had a moment of hesitation where Svana could have run -- but she was frozen by fear. And then the sword ran through her right shoulder, near the chest, so painfully stinging, so sickeningly hot and strange. Svana never considered death before that night, falling to the floor, listening to the sounds of violence, falling into a space between wakefulness and sleep.

But… if she thought back with the knowledge she had of Rina’s teachings now, she thought she could feel that sensation back then, the sensation of her Gift -- When her Aura started to heal herself, to prevent the wound from killing her.

Svana placed her hands upon that new scar on her body, the line of messy flesh that ran from her right shoulder down to her chest. It felt fine now, but it wasn’t just another part of her like the scars she was used to for years. This one was new and different, done to her with hatred. It reminded her of how the land looked, so full of scars. She hoped the beauty that surrounded it was much the same for herself as well.

Svana looked over at Rina who chewed in silence, looking off into the distance. Svana knew she was up late many nights, using her Aura to listen for anyone who might be following them. It made her feel bad but also very safe. Svana, after many of their training sessions with sensing and using her own Aura, could feel Rina’s passing through her. Along with it, Svana could feel something that she never heard Rina speak of -- she could feel emotions along with it. As Rina sent her Aura outward, using her Gift to listen, it was with the energy of pain and desperation.

Svana looked down at her food and hesitated. She had only taken one bite. She was hungry but…

Svana inched closer to Rina and pushed her food toward her. Rina looked down at her with some surprise, as if Svana had just shaken her from some deep thought. Her black hair got in her face from the breeze and she pushed it out of the way, looking at Svana curiously.

“I’m not hungry,” Svana said meekly. Lying. But for a good purpose. She placed her share of the bread and cheese into Rina’s hands, knowing she needed it more. She was the one fighting and carrying and leading.

Rina’s entire body seemed to relax a bit and she gave Svana a look.

“Svana,” she said. “You know, I can always hear your stomach growling when you’re hungry.”

Svana blushed, forgetting about that. Rina smiled and patted her on the shoulder, handing the food back to her.

“You’re very kind, Svana, but I’ll be alright. Not much longer to go.” She paused, tilting her head. “Well. Relatively speaking. We do have a lot of walking to do,” she grinned.

“But,” Svana protested, “I know you’re hurting. And you’re doing so much. There’s nothing I can do. So I need to at least do this.” She pushed the food forward again but Rina didn’t take it.

Rina furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

Svana swallowed. “At night I feel you using your Gift. I remember you talked about people being able to feel certain things from Aura. Or, smell it and see it and stuff. I guess I don’t have that… but I can feel sadness in it.”

Rina flinched a little. She looked away from her.

“Sorry,” Svana said quickly. “I don’t mean to, I just feel it. It makes me feel tired. So… I figured, with everything you’ve gone through…” She stood up and tightened her grip on the food. “I can be uncomfortable if it means you get to feel stronger! Thea told me--! She said I would save you. So this is something I can do. Maybe this is what I’m supposed to do. So you don’t have to feel tired anymore.”

She shoved the bread back into Rina’s hands and crossed her arms. “I don’t want it!” She added, defiantly.

Rina nodded, looking down at the food. “It’s true, Svana. I hear more than what is known... But so do you it seems.” She reached out and took Svana’s hand but she refused.

“No! I don’t want adults telling me what to do all the time.” She was hungry. But, for once, just one time, she wanted something to go her way. It didn’t matter what it was. Adults took her home. They took her family. They dragged her across the world and now she didn’t want them to force her to eat if she didn’t want to.

Rina nodded again and stood up before her. “I respect that, Svana. I’m responsible for you though, you know. You need to stay hydrated and healthy for the journey ahead. We have many days to go and it’s not going to be easy.”

Svana looked up at her, arms crossed and felt her stomach grumble again. She grabbed her belly in a futile attempt to hide the sound from Rina but she knew that Rina’s ears were too good for anything like that. She sighed and looked at Rina who had crouched again and pushed some dark hair behind her ears, though the wind moved it in her face again.

“I feel like I don’t do anything,” Svana said then. She knew she was no warrior. “I’m not a Swordswoman like you are. Mama always told me that you needed good foods if you were going to work hard. Like when we took care of the gardens. But now I’m just walking. And you’ve almost been dead for me.”

Rina stood tall then. “Well. That leaves me no choice then, does it?”

“What?”

“I’ve been training you with your Aura. But perhaps you’d like to become a Swordswoman as well.”

Svana’s eyes lit up and she felt her heart skip a beat. “What? But -- you can just teach that?”

“I can,” Rina nodded with a smile. “And you’re already on your first steps to becoming one.” She looked down at her and exaggerated a sturdy, tall stance. “Stand tall, warrior!”

Svana flinched. Then followed the direction. She stood up as straight as she could and looked forward. She resisted a smile and for a moment forgot about her hunger and self-consciousness. The strength, power and grace that Rina held was what Svana wanted. To be able to protect others. To be able to protect Rina if she had to.

“It looks like I can’t convince you to eat your food. So, if you want to eat, you’ll have to begin your journey as a Swordswoman,” Rina said. “So your training begins now.” Rina walked away from her. “Stand tall and proud, Svana. That’s preparation for lesson one!”

Svana was confused, watching her descend the hill as she spoke but remained standing, breathing slow, practicing the breathing tech… techni… the, er, breathing practices that Rina had shown her when it came to Aura. But this time she was learning something new. She held herself patiently yet sturdily, waiting for what felt like forever for Rina to return. The sun beat down on her neck and it became harder to remain strong...

Eventually, Rina returned with two sticks. Svana’s eyes caught them, one much shorter than the other.

“I’ve seen you finding sticks, you know,” Rina said. “I think these are perfect training devices.” Rina knelt down with one of them. “Well maybe not these specifically. But they’ll do for now. Training with blunt weapons are always best.” She handed Svana the shorter one.

Then, she stepped back and swiped her stick through the air with a whoosh. Svana flinched but remained still, watching. Rina spun about with another strike into nothing. It was almost like dancing. Her other arm was out, her fingers splayed, as if to give herself balance. The stick swiped and cut and stabbed. Svana’s eyes bounced from the wooden weapon to the movement of Rina’s feet. With another spin and strike, the next movement was fluid transition to Rina pretending to sheathe the stick at her hip.

Svana looked from her, to it, back to her again. Then, wielded her own blunt weapon, standing before Rina, terrified yet exhilarated.

“Now, remember Svana,” Rina said, drawing the wooden pretend blade once more. “What have you learned about violence since we started traveling?”

Svana nodded. “It’s a last resort. And I never want to kill. Never.” And it was true. She had spoken with Rina about murder before. Rina never wanted her to do such a thing despite seeing her do it, and Svana respected what Rina suggested.

“That’s right,” Rina said with a grin. “Lesson number one completed. You are already a Swordswoman knowing that.”

Svana blinked. “Just like that?” She smiled wide. “Really? Or are you just kidding?”

“I’m serious,” Rina said. “A Swordswoman must know that her weapons are never used to kill unless absolutely necessary when defending oneself. That knowledge is the first lesson.”

“I understand,” Svana replied. She held that knowledge like the rarest treasure. It was as if the stick in her hand became something incredibly valuable. Like she held much power. It scared her a little. But knowing what Rina had taught her helped her wield it with much more care and caution.

“Lesson two,” Rina said, stepping closer. “Are you ready for it?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, my pupil.” Rina swiped the stick through the air some more. “Lesson two is… learning how to defend. How to protect yourself.” The wind gusted and Svana did all she could to breathe slowly. Rina continued, “Because if you cannot take care of yourself you can never take care of others.”

That was something Svana had never considered. She nodded firmly, holding her words with focus.

Rina acknowledged her understanding slight head tilt. “What you hold right now isn’t anything like a real sword. But… the length is close enough for a weapon that would be crafted for your size. I will come at you with an attack -- don’t worry I won’t hit you -- and you must meet it with your own swing. Understand?”

Svana paused. Felt her heartbeat increase in pace.

“It’s okay if you’re not ready for --”

“I’m ready!” Svana blurted.

“Alright,” Rina said. “We’ll move slow. Knock my stick away in whatever way comes naturally to you.

Rina lunged, rising for an attack. At first it seemed aggressive and powerful -- but Rina was clearly moving slow enough so that Svana could respond and smack the attack to the side with some relative ease.

However, Svana perceived it differently in that moment -- she saw that sword coming for her chest once again. Task, the man who wanted to kill her, was now before her instead of Rina. The stick was a weapon meant to kill and there was no stopping it. Everything within Svana’s head blurred and the world became dark except for that monster in front of her.

Svana screamed and swung the stick wildly in reaction, stumbling backward.

“Svana!” Rina cried out, bringing Svana back to reality. But Svana had already lost the stick and had fallen backward, tumbling over herself. She pushed herself up, trembling. In a flash, she recalled so many things. Most notably after seeing Task’s confident grin, she saw her dead mama. Dead. So many dead -- everyone she knew in Gnosh. Tears came to Svana’s eyes and she felt so weak and alone, despite Rina, despite Thea, and she hid her face away in her palms, moving away from Rina’s sight.

However, Rina was at her side as fast as she could arrive and was grabbing her shoulders, gently, holding her steady. Svana covered her face in embarrassment with her arms now and felt a lot of tears rising up. The first strong ones in a long time.

“I don’t want you to see me,” she said through heavy breaths. She thought she was ready for so many things, that so many things were going to change. But she was just a kid among a world of adults who were way stronger, way scarier -- a world that was against her.

Svana was trying to rise and train as a Swordswoman but she thought of mama’s smile, Yellow’s barks, her friends, her neighbors. All of them, motionless and cold. The things she saw… that feeling of screaming, of energy surging out of her body with desperation to just… reverse whatever it was that had happened to her home.

And then Svana felt like she burst. So much sound and water emerging from her red face. She couldn’t move, but was pulled up by Rina who hugged her tightly. Svana had such a wonderful journey with Rina but… she felt alone. And scared. And her head was full of so many things that haunted her. She wanted to speak but her sobs came out as nonsensical words. She gripped at Rina’s clothes as she hugged her back… entering such a tight embrace from Rina.

And Rina looked out, past Svana, glaring upon the world. Tears in her own eyes. This cruel world had scarred this child far too much, and not only physically. This cruel world kept trying to take the innocent -- Kept taking those it deemed unworthy and bury them deep into suffering. And Rina would hold onto her so tightly. She would hold onto this girl’s Gift and let it flourish like it was always meant to.

Hatred filled her heart. For the Kingdom. For Task. For the armored Knights under the High Priest’s command, striking fear and pain into the hearts of so many. She squeezed Svana and swore, swore again and again within her heart and mind that she would help change everything.

“It’ll be okay,” Rina said, feeling how much Svana shook. “It’ll be okay. I promise you.”

After some time, Svana sniffed and sucked in shuddering breaths, her crying coming to a halt, attempting to say something.

“What is it?” Rina asked, moving away to look down at her. The sun had begun to set as they sat together.

Svana wiped her eyes and said, “I think I would like to eat after all.”

Rina smiled and moved hair out of Svana’s face. “I think that sounds good.”

After a meal, Rina glanced over at Svana. Perhaps it was foolish of her to show her such things. She figured using sticks would be a good introduction for someone so young… but Svana had been affected by so much violence in her short time in this world. Rina felt ridiculous for considering such a thing. She just thought it would be good for her, inspirational perhaps.

She eased her way to sit next to Svana on the edge of the hill, overjoyed that Svana was chewing away at some bread.

“I like looking out this way,” Svana said quietly.

“Well,” Rina said, “This is the direction we’re going. Looking forward is a good direction to pick.”

Svana nodded. “So much trees and so much lands.” She fell silent for a moment. Then said, “I’m sorry for failing the lesson.”

Rina felt a pang of shame. “No, Svana! No.” She held her shoulder reassuringly and looked down into her eyes. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m… not the best at teaching. And I don’t think a lesson in fighting was what you needed. I was trying to accomodate you but I did it in the wrong way. I’m sorry.”

Svana shrugged and said, “But I completed the first lesson. Right?”

Rina laughed and nodded. “Yes, that’s right. You are a Swordswoman in the making. And someday I believe you’ll be ready to hold a real sword someday. And use it to protect yourself and those you care about.”

“Do you think so?” Svana looked back out over the landscape. “I hope so. It was scarier than I thought.”

“We’ll focus on the gifts you hold now,” Rina said. “Such wonderful gifts of healing. Your Aura already makes you a powerful and brave Swordswoman, Svana.” She held her own sword in her hand and Svana looked over at its gleaming blade. “I believe a sword can be anything. A Swordswoman serves to protect those in danger, those who cannot protect themselves. That’s what the Goddesshood in Umsa teaches, the women who defend the monasteries and defend those in need.” She held the sword high and the setting, colorful sun kissed its metal. “The root word for sword comes from many places… in the end it means to cut.”

Svana looked up at Rina. “That sounds like it could only be one thing. Something violent.”

“It sounds that way,” Rina nodded, lowering the weapon. “But we have the power to redefine anything we want. My daughter… she wanted to train to become a Swordswoman too. She believed that a weapon doesn’t have to cut down an enemy. She thought a weapon, a sword, could cut through violence itself. A weapon against weapons. A tool with a gentle and elegant offense that creates an impeccable defense.”

Svana’s eyes went wide. “Could my Gift be my sword? A gentle sword… that sounds nice, Rina!”

Rina laughed softly and placed the sword down into the grass. “It does. I really does. And yes I believe it can be. And perhaps someday you’ll wield a real blade made just for you. But I know you’ll learn how to use it in a way many violent users never would.”

Svana stood up and the setting sun silhouetted her in darkness. The color of her hair became deeper and, for just a second, Rina saw her own daughter standing before her.

“I’ll do it, Rina. I’m afraid. But I know, someday, I’ll learn how to handle being afraid. Just like you do.” She turned back around and Rina saw Svana again, she was in the present again.

Not only did Rina see Svana, this girl full of empathy and potential and kindness, but she saw a figure of hope in this child. Someday she would grow into a woman and Rina saw a bright future for the world within her gifts. It was something Svana would learn soon, once they entered Matrun… but the girl had no idea what she possessed within her Aura. It was precisely why the Monks wished for Rina to seek out this girl in danger in the first place.

The skilled Aurans of Matrun had sensed a Healer-Type. The first one born in decades upon decades within the long history of Nadi. Rina had only heard some talk of the rarity and preciousness of Healer-Type Aurans, and witnessing Svana’s strange and powerful abilities herself, she could only wonder and be in awe at the vast potential. But there was no mistaking ever since she found the girl -- Svana was a Healer. Her Aura was a rarity.

And with it, it was possible that she could single-handedly change the world.