My head feels light as if it's resting on something soft.

"Errr…"

"Momoko!"

A lady with blond hair wearing a green dress ran over to my side.

"Is she up?"

Another blond-haired individual, but this one wearing armor, ran to her side, bending down.

"… What's… going on…?"

My eyes adjust to the area around me. A room with white flooring and a matching ceiling surrounded me. A table sat in front of me with a bouquet.

I look down, and I lie in a bed with silk-white covers. Black and white runic circles surround me.

"… We rushed over as soon as we heard the news…."

I looked up and recognized Higashi's voice.

My eyes start to water as I clench the bed's sheets.

"I… I… lost…"

Higashi runs over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"No, no… You're still a rited knight. You earned that when you completed all the trials before the tournament."

Aiyoma stood and wiped a tear from my cheek.

"Not only that but you're given a mentor so you can get stronger, Momoko."

A young girl ran and leaped into my bed, hugging me tightly.

"You still kicked butt!"

"… Okami…" A smile starts to form on my face.

I lift my hand and look for any scratches or bruises. They seemed to have all healed. My face doesn't sting anymore either.

Sakuma caressed my arms.

"Phoenia has some of the best healing sages in the world. As a mentored squire, you're given extra care."

Aiyoma looked over to a door situated at the end of the room.

"… She was the one who stayed here all night watching over you."

A lady with silver locks ended a conversation with another knight then peered through the door's window. She opened the door slowly and gave a warm smile.

"… Hi… You may know me as General Calina? I'm the proctor for the Rites Tournament..."

My eyes look up and meet hers. A shiver runs down my spine as our pupils interlock.

She breaks the gaze and looks toward the ground.

"I'm sorry… It's a skill I have… Intimidation…"

Aiyoma's gaze, however, couldn't be broken as she stared with intensity.

"Y-Your the knight from all those years ago…."

Higashi and Sakuma's eyes widened.

"We… Never got to thank you for what you did."

Calina smiled while giving off a nervous laugh.

"Just… Doing my job is all… Haha.."

She walks over and stands near Aiyoma, looking at her scabbard. Her eyes widen as she gazes into the young knight's eyes.

"Your…!"

Calina then shifts her attention to Maori.

"Wow! You two really grew up!"

The young girl scoots away, clenching my arm.

"She wouldn't remember what happened back then." Higashi pats his daughter on the head.

"It's alright!" She looks back to Aiyoma.

"I've been on an expedition after expedition for the past few years, so I couldn't proctor the Rites… But I knew it had to be you when I saw the echelon 'Sword Maiden.'"

Aiyoma gives off a laugh. "Thank you once again… General Calina."

Calina bows and then look toward me.

"Could we have a moment, please? I just need to go over a few things with Ms. Momoko." The silver-haired knight gave a smile.

"O-Of course!" Higashi picked up Maori and walked toward the door; Sakuma and Aiyoma followed after him.

"We'll be right here with you, Momoko."

The door creaked as they closed it behind them.

Calina pulled up a chair sat next to my bed.

"… How ya feeling?"

I flex my arms and give a faint smile.

"Fine… How long have I been—"

"... Two days."

Calina looked to the right as an open window basking the room in light gave off a cool breeze. Her hair brushed in the wind while the radiating light made it shine and shimmer.

"You and your friend… You all came from somewhere else, right?"

She looked back over at me.

I clench my sheets while looking down.

"You might have been brought here by Lady Helena, am I correct?"

My eyes look up; I'm only able to focus on the skin between her eyes.

"… Yes."

Calina stood up and stretched her arms.

"The Goddess Rin was my savior… I owe her everything."

`… So there's more than one goddess….`

The knight stops stretching and turns to loom over me.

"I want to be your mentor. I believe we have a lot in common."

I look up and stare into her silver eyes. This time, however, I'm not able to break my gaze. As if an ominous force pried my eyes open and wouldn't let me turn away.

She smiles then turns away from my bed.

"Since you're healed up, you may want to make it to today's match. Your friend is facing Saori in the finals."

Calina walks towards the door with her hands clasped behind her back.

She turned the door handle and shifted her head towards me.

"We'll meet very soon."

—Click

The door closed behind her as she made her way down the hallway.

I took a deep breath and moved my legs out of bed to allow my feet to hang over the floor.

My eyes turn to look outside of the window adjacent to my bed. The silk curtains wavered in the wind as another cool breeze entered my room.

I stuff my feet into a pair of white slippers and walk over to a light-brown door. The handle creaks as I enter, and a light from above turns on automatically.

A white-tiled restroom with pink flowers decorated around the room is presented to me. The fragrance of fresh flowers and lavender consumes my nose as I walk toward a mirror.

I caress my face and turn my head back and forth, looking for any scars.

"This healing magic is no joke…."

Clenching my chest, I put another hand onto the white-granite sink. Clenching my teeth, memories of my fight with Yuumi protrude my mind.

「…I ain't holdin' back Momoko…」

`Why would she think that I was holding back?`

Looking up, the mirror reflects a tear coming from my left eye.

—CRACK

—DRIP DRIP

Drops of blood start to stream down the broken glass. A shattered version of myself is seen as I release my fist from the mirror.