Rain spattered against Niva’s window as she sat down in her room, reflecting on her day, and her muscles relaxed.

She was tired from her recent hunting escapades. Yet, the best course of action was to do another round of essence purification because, if today had thought her one thing, it was that she was too weak.

Their group had been able to take out a regular animal with ease. Still, a fledgling Spirit Beast proved too much. So much so that the beast would've been munching on their bones had the two older disciples not stumbled upon them.

What were they even doing there? Niva mused. Both of them were above the high Gron stage. Did that indicate that the animals in the other zones were too strong for them?

She shuddered at the thought. Instead, she focused her attention on purifying her essence, losing herself in the process.

An unknown amount of time passed before the sound of knocking took her out of her meditation.

No rest for the wicked, Niva thought, opening the door for Tia.

Water dripped from her roommate's clothes onto the floor, and her toned physique was visible for all to see, which reminded Niva how she had, in the end, skipped the first lesson with Tia, promising they would train tomorrow.

"Someone at the door for you." Immediately after saying so, she walked toward the bathroom, but turned around at the last second. “Do you want me to stay nearby?”

Niva raised her eyebrows. That was unexpectedly thoughtful. Then again, Tia had offered to train her whenever she had time, albeit out of a necessity. Still, she appreciated the sentiment.

“Do you know who it is?”

“Didn’t catch the name. His perfect pronunciation gave me a Central Territories vibe, though.”

“Long black hair?”

Tia nodded.

Although that didn’t exactly narrow it down, perfect pronunciation combined with long hair made her think it was Yuta. In addition, there weren’t that many people that would openly be searching for her.

“It’s fine, then. Thanks for asking, though," Niva said, giving Tia a smile which her roommate only responded to with a thumbs up.

She moved down the stairs quickly, peered through the peephole to confirm the identity, and opened the door.

“Good evening, Yuta,” Niva said.

Even though the rain god was weeping her hardest, Yuta didn’t care. He took his time, removed his hat, and bowed, his hair moving in that way only his did. “Greeting, Milady.”

It occurred to her to tell him to stop being pretentious. In his case, however, she thought it was sincere. So, she let it go.

What she could not let go of, though, was that some nearby disciples, who were rushing home, stole glances in their direction. It was unusual to receive a visit from a boy this late at night.

“Given the circumstances,” Yuta said, apparently aware of the implication. ”I’ll cut right to the chase. Dino has been hospitalized.”

She spasmed, her hand tightening around the doorknob.

The light in Yuta’s eyes turned dimmer. “Sudden, I know. I received the news just now and thought it wise to let you know. That’s all I came here for.”

“Yes…,” Niva stammered. “Thank you.”

Yuta raised his hand. However, he lowered it before wishing her luck and going on his way.

Not knowing what to do or think, Niva stood in the door opening, the rain splashing against the pavement, wetting her in the proceeding. She took a deep breath. The smell of the rainfall invited her in, whispering for her to enter its embrace fully.

She closed the door and sat down, fully allowing the downpour to wash over her. A sense of clarity overcame her as her soul thrummed in something akin to the melody of a joyful song, allowing her to assess the situation.

First, getting hospitalized as an outer-sect disciple was costly.

Occupying a hospital bed required you to pay Sect Points. Moreover, the healers decided whether you could be released or not, for it would be on their heads if you left the center and died of some overlooked wounds afterward. This sounded benevolent in theory. Practically, though, it meant that they could increase the time you stayed there, to a certain extent, and increase how much you owed them.

In a vacuum, this wasn't that bad. If Dino wasn’t that injured and made a full recovery soon, he could do a couple of jobs and transfer the points later. But, and this led to her second and last point of consideration, a concerning problem occurred if he required more than the basic treatment.

The healthcare students weren't stupid. Therefore, if you came in on the verge of death, they would keep your condition from worsening, and no more than that. The only way they would invest more resources into you was if you already had enough points to cover half the fee upfront, or if you had someone to vouch for you who would shoulder the debt when, for some reason, you couldn't pay them back.

She knew Dino’s family, and they, like her own, weren’t wealthy enough to sponsor the sect, which resulted in her and Dino having a non-existent starting capital of Sect points. So, the former option was an impossibility, leaving the latter.

That is, if he required special treatment, then he would need a voucher. And who would vouch for him?

No one. No one except…

”Me,” Niva sighed.

It would be easier for her if she left him to his own devices. To let him shoulder the burden of his stupidity himself. After all, they weren't close friends or anything.

As much as she wanted to, though, whenever she thought of leaving him be, the image of his mother would pop up in her head. A woman she had seen only once when her father had brought her to the annual assessment held by the council of Crayton as a learning experience some years ago. Still, that one time had been enough, for the woman was a goddess in the flesh.

Short with night-colored hair flowing down to her waist and lips that were not too thin, neither too full, one saw, in her eyes, a motherly protector with the restraint aura of a dragon who was ready to exterminate whatever threatened her people.

Despite this, her eyes didn’t form her most stunning feature. That glory went to her sheer presence, which grounded everything like the anchor of a ship and swallowed it. Case in point, Niva felt the rain on her skin become less distinct just by thinking of the woman, and she drifted onto the plaza where the city council was announcing the results.

After the lady had spotted her and her father in the crowd, she walked toward them, Dino in tow.

Niva’s father tried to stop the otherworldly being, but she bowed nonetheless, her hair fluttering as she did. “Adrian, or is it more proper for me to refer to your title?”

“Octavia,” her father said. He held one of his hands behind his head and laughed. ”Please, you are embarrassing me in front of my daughter. You know I gave up my status a long time ago.”

“And yet,” the goddess said, lifting herself right on time for Niva to see her teasing smile turn into one showing off her glimmering teeth, “your presence feels stronger than ever. Perhaps, all that relaxation is doing your cultivation well.” The extraterrestrial existence turned her way, and she swore the weight on her knees increased ten-fold.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. “Introduce yourself, Niva,” her father said.

“Niva–“

Because her knees wobbled like never before, she fumbled mid-curtsy, and her father had to help her right herself.

“–Asturias." Turning her head sideways, she felt her cheeks reddening. Stupid! She always did it correctly. Why was she botching things now?

Dino snorted and she glared at him.

After the lady slapped Dino on the back of his head and said, "Don't be obtuse!" she regarded Niva again. "I apologize on my son’s behalf.”

Not looking Dino’s way as he stammered out words expressing his indignation, his mother twisted his ear.

Niva's heart rate sped up. Even though her initial impression had already been off the charts, the goddess managed to move up five more places on her list. It was a jump in reverence that caused her to land right under her mother, who was that high up because of the fumes of the past.

“Although my son is an insensitive idiot at times, I hope that the two of you support each other, especially when you enter the sect. Heaven knows our city will need it.”

“That is high praise, Niva,” her father said, interrupting her infatuation.

“Thank you, Milady,” Niva said, at least not screwing up her bow. “I can’t make him drink, but I will try my best to lead him to the water whenever he needs guidance.” She reveled in the look Dino gave her. Payback was sweet.

The ethereal existence nearly pulled Dino toward the ground as she twisted his ear further, and she giggled, her voice ringing a sweet tune in Niva’s ears. “I do not ask for more.”

A sensation disappearing stopped her memory prematurely.

“Are you okay?”

Opening her eyes, Niva saw Tia standing above her, holding an umbrella.

“Yes,” Niva said as she got up, placing the memory of Dino’s mother on the backburner.

“You sure?”–Tia placed a hand on her hip–”I stayed in the bath for around twenty minutes. Yet, I come down to you sitting in the rain, right after that guy came.”

Niva wrung out her hair which had come loose from her bun. After she finished, she looked up to find her roommate scanning the surroundings. She inwardly smiled. Somehow, she had lucked out and found a great connection in the sect, Niva thought, looking in the direction of the medical center.

So, how far was she willing to go to honor the wishes of a dead woman?

“…you boys. If you wait too long, it’ll be too late,” Dino heard his mother say.

“Mother?” he croaked, his vision blurry. He looked toward the figure next to his bed, who tilted their head sideways.

“Had you been in your right mind,” he heard a female voice say, ”that would’ve been the single most flattering compliment anyone has ever given me.”

His eyes adjusted just in time to see the figure place a ceramic plate with peeled apples on the table beside his bed. The middle of which was the same color as the curtains surrounding him.

Turning his gaze toward the figure's face, he discovered it wasn’t his mother.

Good, that meant he was still alive.

“I am completely lucid,” he said, finally. Staring into Niva’s eyes, he struggled with describing them like he always did. Alright, let’s try once more.

…they were as the emerald scales on a snake?

A hardy exterior that protected her and warded off danger. However, if one were to get close enough, she would allow them to peel them off, giving them access to an interior more yielding than an unbarricaded, rotten, and wooden door.

Yes, he liked that description, he thought, his chest swelling up with pride.

She sat beside him with her hands linked together in her lap and said, “Sure you are.”

He blinked. Had she acquired a mind-reading art?

“Is speaking hard on you?” she asked, leaning forward, her hair partially covering her face. He could sense the worry in her voice. Not to the point that it insinuated a deeper bond between them, but enough to portray it was genuine. Or it would've been enough had he been a lesser man.

Nice try, he thought. That was a distraction that could work if she trained for a thousand more years. Time for a counter-diversion.

“You should let your hair out more; it suits you better.”

She sucked in one of her cheeks and rolled her eyes. “Since you have enough energy to be silly, you must also have enough to answer a question of mine.”

Right as he started to appreciate the concern in her tone, it disappeared. “Why are you causing me so much trouble?”

“Trouble?” he asked, taken aback.

“Don’t play dumb. You attacked my roommate.”

His eyebrows scrunched up. “The barbarian you mean?”

“No,” her voice lowered an octave, and she fixated him with those pretty eyes of hers. "Tia, my roommate."

However, he wouldn’t allow that to sway him, for no Gaumond would ever be considered a pushover. "It was her damn fault!”

A quiet reigned between them, and he turned away from her. Not because he was incapable of holding her gaze –he would never lose to a girl– but because his body urged him to rest his head in a different position. Yes, that’s why; he must be tired.

“She reminded me of someone,” he stammered out when he had rationalized his previous behavior. “Of something.”

Her tone of voice softened. “Of something?”

The moment came back to him, and he saw the barbarian in front of him. Black spots started to appear in his vision and energy suffused his body filled with anesthetics. If he opened his mouth now, he felt like he would explode, so he only gave her a confirming murmur, which came out sounding more like a grunt.

"Justified or not," she said after a pause, her features hardening, “doesn’t matter.”

“What does matter is that your actions led to factions forming within the students. As a result, I must fight a battle I don’t even want to be a part of.”

“Furthermore,” she said, her voice rising and interrupting him when he opened his mouth, ready to throw out a bunch of excuses, "your moronic and solitary deep dive into the forest made it so that I have to vouch for you."

Whatever planned retort he had died in his throat, vanishing together with the energy that had suddenly appeared.

A vouch? The bear got him good, that was true, but was it that bad? His left hand moved over to get a sense of the damage when something stopped him.

“Don’t. The nurse said it is better left untouched.”

Looking down, he saw her hand on his arm. It felt wet and cold, rough yet smooth. Moreover, offhandedly, he noticed her fingernails had collected some dirt combined with dried flakes of blood.

“Sorry,” he said when his attention returned to her face. Because if she was here, then that meant she was planning on being his guarantor. It was a burden she shouldn't need to carry. One he never planned on being, especially not on her.

“If you apologize to Tia, then I’ll forgive you.”

A vein popped on his forehead, and his previous gratitude went up in smoke. She wanted him to apologize to a barbarian?! They were–

“Dino,” she said, increasing the strength of her grip. Her tone assured anything but mercy. “You will apologize to her.”

The underlying threat couldn’t have been more obvious to a donkey. So, he bit his lip. “Fine.”

“Promise me.”

It cost him the effort required to take out a middle stage 2nd realm Spirit Beast, yet he managed to groan out the words.

“Thank you,” she said as she stood up – he felt his eyelids droop. “I’ll visit you over the week to check up on you, okay?”

After her lips curved upward into a smile, she disappeared behind the expanse of white surrounding his bed, leaving him to stare up at the ceiling, alone with his thoughts. And some apples.

"This tastes great,” he said, chewing on a slice. ”How come her apples taste better?"

He imagined his mother's voice drifting through the ether, making known to him that she thought he was the number one goofball on the planet.

I wonder if it’s too late? He thought as he listened to his mother's complaints and devoured the deliciousness Niva left him.