3.1

A rest for the weary warrior

"Hey, can I tell you a secret"

Johann opened his eyes to see himself lying in the living room with Alva who was silently reading a book, one of Silas's novel. The young warrior remembered training but what happened. Outside, it was raining cat and dog. Not waiting for the question, Alva answered his question.

"You fainted while training"

"Tch" Johann is ashamed about himself "What a disgrace"

"Hey, there is no need for that, Jo. You have been overexerting yourself these past few days already, this is bound to happen" Alva said but she knew he was not listening, letting out a sigh, the girl continued "Eikichi sent word to me, he said that you shouldn't train too hard. We may be attacked at any time, you don't want to get caught while exhausted, don't you"

"That's… right. I'm sorry, I have been irresponsible" In a drive to improve himself, Johann had overlooked his mission.

The young warrior turned around to find the girl pouting at him.

"What's that for?"

"Nothing"

Alva continued to read her book. It really wasn't much but it was still amusing to see Johann confused. Still, she felt rather put off. The two had been engaged ever since they were born and they had been together ever since. And yet, to see him value the word of Eikichi so much more. Well, not like it was that big of a problem, the bald man was always right anyway.

It was just a bit… frustrating.

Her fiancée meanwhile, seemed to be thinking about something. Johann was trying to remember what was it that he dreamt of before waking up.

"Hey, can I tell you a secret"

Oh right, it was the conversation he once had with father, the great Divine himself. That was after a particularly tough session. Johann, who was just a young boy then, stayed silent as he endured the harsh training laid out by mother.

But he had hit a rut, a wall he couldn't climb over. The young Johann kept getting beaten by his fiancée, a fact mother considered inexcusable. His… tendency wasn't tolerated either.

And so the boy spent all of day training. He wasn't allowed to sleep on his bed or talk with his best friend, Cassian. Even his only toy, the small wooden robot Sam, was confiscated. It was days after days of training. He even involved big brother, who secretly smuggled the suffering Johann some sweet.

But then he was found out by mother. She was furious, her eyes filled with the usual cold look of contempt. Sam was crushed under her foot mercilessly and big brother was punished for his action. What about little Johann, nothing happened to him. He wasn't beaten, he wasn't berated, but he was made to sit and looked at his big brother, punished for having taken pity for his own kin.

But that went too far. In an action that surprised all of Johann and his siblings, father stepped in. Even his big brother, who had lived for decades, had his mouth agape as for the first time, they saw father… angry.

It was a strange anger, however, the emotion wasn't directed at his wife or their children. No, somehow, in a way Johann could never understand, father was angry at himself.

Afterward, Johann and big brother were let off the hook.

The Divine himself then sat with his youngest son, cuddling the sleeping Willow. Even now, Johann could still remember their conversation.

"Hey, can I tell you a secret"

"Of course, father"

"In truth, I wasn't that great of a swordsman"

"Um… Ah, I am sorry but I didn't get your joke"

"Ha ha, no son, it was no joke. In Eden, I maybe the strongest swordsman, but back where came from, that was simply untrue"

"How? I can't see anyone that can be better than you?"

"To be fair, I was considered a genius back home. But even then, my father was still a better fighter. Then there is my brother, that guy… I wonder if he ever managed to figure out why our father stopped teaching him"

"Why?"

"Well, he simply surpassed the old man already, and me of course. Well, that isn't the point… How do I say this? Back then, to me, everything was full of uncertainty. But then I got brought here to Eden. It was simply chaos and I was unsure whether my blade could stand up to the test or not"

"But you succeeded"

"Yes, but I wasn't alone, there were many by my side. Fighting alongside my comrades brought gave me a purpose. It was then that I truly earned the title of the best swordsman. So don't worry about your skill now, you are so much better than me when I first came to this world. Later on, when you find your purpose then everything will become clear. And don't worry about mother, I promise I won't let this happen again. As your father, I was weak and I failed you. For that, I offer my sincerest apology"

Hearing those words made Johann even more determined than ever. The young warrior trained by himself even harder and he hadn't looked back since.

Father also gave him item, one that he still had in his side pouch till this day.

Johann sunk his head back down the pillow and gazed at the raindrops outside the window. The faint sounds of Alva humming, luring him to sleep. The young warrior closed his eyes…

No, Johann stood up. The enemies might come at any moment. There would be plenty of time later, after this was all over. He would either perish battle or return victorious. Then, maybe he would his request finally heeded, his long-time purpose, finally over.

Alva looked on as her fiancée returned to duty. She wanted to whack him in the head but held back from doing so. It was just like Johann, the silent one, to be earliest to rise and the latest to lie down. The girl returned to her book, she couldn't really remember where she left off in the tales of Silas.

All this time, Cassian just sat there, completely oblivious of the highs and lows his companions were going through. Well, it was not like he had the capacity for that anyway.