Before Kiro could ask where she was going, Seira was off. They normally never kept anything from each other, but this was special. She couldn’t have anyone knowing, lest she get convicted of treason. Not even her status as a Brave would help in the face of something like that. She channeled the teensiest bit of mana into her legs, accelerating her journey into the deep forest.

She was risking getting caught by doing so, but it had become such a habit for her that not using mana was hard, and she reasoned that the increase in speed would balance out the chances of getting caught. She dashed through the woods, passively drawing mana back into her through the air. The invigorating warmth of the aspect flowed through her, energizing her gait. Before she knew it, she was at the meeting point.

A few days ago, a scroll had arrived at her doorstep, requesting a meeting at this point. Normally, she wouldn’t have even opened it, but it emitted an aura of fire more powerful than anything she had ever seen, including the matriarch’s personal belongings. She knew it could have been a trap from the Huang clan, but why would they have such a powerful artifact of fire? The Huang’s specialty was lightning, and even if they had such a thing, why would they waste it just to meet her? In the end, she couldn’t stop herself from going. Who was this mysterious entity, more powerful than even the matriarch, and what did they know about her clan?

A faint breeze blew her hair back, coming from a particularly dense cluster of trees. She stalked towards it, quiet as a mouse. Was this her sender? Where was their aura? A brief flash of flame appeared in her palms, illuminating her surroundings. Nothing. She shook herself. She couldn’t be getting spooked by every little thing, not if she wanted to maintain face. She waited patiently, occasionally illuminating the forest with more fire. The night grew darker and darker, the moons of Paradise dimly glowing in the night’s sky.

Where were they? Was this all some elaborate scheme set up by the matriarch in order to catch treasonous peoples? She considered that prospect, then shook her head. The matriarch would have much more direct ways of doing that. Just as she was about to leave, another gust of wind blew. This time, she could feel the mana contained within it. It wasn’t fire mana, but it was very strong nonetheless. She approached its source, treading lightly. Mana concentrated in her palm, ready to form flames at a moment’s notice. Then, the wind stopped. She turned around, eyes darting in every direction. Nothing but darkness. She sparked her mana. A warm glow enveloped the area, but nothing appeared.

A twig snapped behind her. Without thinking, she pivoted, launching a lance of flame towards the sound. The next thing she knew, she had collapsed onto her knees. She couldn’t breathe!

Her body felt a suffocating pressure, as if the very air was trying to restrain her. She flared her aura, desperately trying to escape the hold, but it was rock-solid. Slowly, very slowly, her assailant stepped forward, bright silver eyes contrasting with the darkness around them. Was this the sender of the scroll? After a few seconds of staring, the pressure around her released. She collapsed, chest heaving.

“Are you Hong Tang Seira?”

She, or at least Seira thought it was a she, stepped closer, reaching down to give her a hand. She stood without it, glaring at the woman.

“Who are you?”

“Me? I am Aeripha, Saint of Wind and Storms, savior of Din, caller of lightning, tamer of dragons, and newly awake after a five thousand year slumber. That’s a mouthful, though, so just call me Aer.”

Seira laughed. A Saint, descended from the heavens? It was stupid to think a Saint would want to speak to her. Also, what did those other titles mean? She had never even heard of anyone or anywhere called Din, and dragons were almost as mythological as Saints. All she had gleaned from those string of titles was lightning, making the woman in front of her a member of the Huang clan.

“Huang scum. Don’t try and fool me with your tricks. If you wish to die, then continue your lies. Otherwise, I would suggest leaving before an actual Saint takes offense.”

Fire erupted in her hand, and dspite the helpless state the woman had put her in just seconds before, she readied herself to fight.

Now, it was the woman’s turn to laugh.

“Alright then, Tang Seira. Let’s say that I actually am from the Huang clan. Their strongest combatant would be their Patriarch, correct?”

Seira didn’t know where this supposed ‘Saint’ was going with this, but she nodded.

“Now, could he do this?”

She felt a flash of mana, hundreds of times as dense as anything she’d ever seen before. In the blink of an eye, clouds gathered overhead, obscuring the moons and enveloping them in further darkness. Then, just as fast as they came, they were gone. All that was left was a singular speck, in which lighting crackled. For an instant, her vision flashed white, and then the very earth in front of her cracked. She sparked a flame. As far as she could see, a jagged line emerged from the ground, splitting the ground in two. For perhaps the first time in her life, Seira was genuinely scared. Was this actually a Saint? Had she just questioned the credibility of a real Saint?

She was reminded of the scroll, with an aura more powerful than even the matriarch’s. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the sender. Without thinking, she prostrated herself before the woman, not daring to even speak. She screwed her eyes closed, fearing the tribulation to come.

She felt a breeze on her face, and then suddenly she was upright once more.

“No, no, please don’t do any of that formal stuff. I swear that I waste more of my life listening to people’s worship than I do actually getting stuff done.”

Seira blinked. The sea of fear that had flooded her mind slowly dissipated. Out of all the people she’d thought she would be relating the most to, she would have never guessed it would be a Saint! She might not have felt completely safe, but she reasoned that anyone who was so similar to herself couldn’t possibly be that merciless.

“Oh, of course. I apologise for doubting you.”

Aer waved off her concern, pulling out a jade slip.

“I don’t have much time before someone from a clan coms to investigate that lightning, so I’ll try and make this quick. I’m looking for apprentices, and I want you to be one. I’ve been watching you for a few years now, and I like what I see. If you accept, you’ll be able to grow to your full potential, far beyond what this little pen can do for you.”

She pinched herself, trying to figure out if she was dreaming. Her? A Saint’s apprentice?

“Not to doubt you, honored Saint, but where else would we go? The rest of the world is sea. The Hong and Huang are the only civilizations on Paradise.”

“You’re not wrong, not at all. That’s why we’re not staying on this world. We’re going to, in a sense, ascend to the heavens.”

Her mind reeled at the thought. She could ascend to the heavens? Right now? She opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Aer shushed her.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to answer your questions later. There’s a contingent of Huang Warriors coming. Take this jade slip and run. If you want to become my apprentice after going through it, meet me at this location at dusk a week from now. Now go.”

With that, Aer disappeared.