《Fena - The Final Shinobi》


 Chapter 1 - Fena Alexandria!!

    1


    Aww yeah! I''ve waited so long for this¡ªlet''s kick some ass! squealed the bubbly and boisterous young girl internally, as she chomped down on a slice of toast which impromptu served as the barrier preventing her screeches of exhilaration from becoming audible. She slipped into the purple and blue hakama that she''d left hung over the bottom end of her bedframe the night before.


    The sun hadn''t long since risen to its perch above the clouds, yet she was already wide awake and freshly showered. She bumbled about her messy bedroom, patterning the wooden floorboards with the droplets of water still falling from her toned, tanned figure and tousled bedhead.


    "Fena, dear!" her mother called out from below, "We''ll need to be leaving in about five minutes, so make sure you''ve got everything that you''ll need."


    "I''ll be right there, Mom, just a sec!" Fena replied, her husky voice muffled somewhat by the remnants of toast she¡¯d yet to swallow.


    Hopping over clothes strewn about the floor and bumping into just about every piece of furniture in her bedroom, Fena paused as she stumbled upon her reflection in the large, purple mirror affixed to her wardrobe.


    "I''ve worked so hard for this chance to earn my place at the academy... Mom''s supported me so much... Today, I will succeed."


    As she confided within her own reflection, an avalanche of memories flashed right before her eyes. The reflection of herself that she withheld began to dissipate; innumerable pieces of her crumbled and drifted away like sands being swept away by the wind''s kiss and in its place a darker, more ominous visage surfaced. Fena grimaced at the sight, "I''m not likeyouanymore¡­" she shook her head, refusing to allow the person she once was to hinder the person whom she desperately needed to become.


    Her chest swelled right up, like a balloon crammed to the brim with fear and anxiety ready to burst upon the prick of a needle. Fena exhaled a long, drawn out breath, then plunged her small hands into her messy purple hair, grasping it tight as she tied it up. She leaned in toward the mirror, locking eyes with the unwelcome intruder trying to escape from her memories, "I will become a Shinobi... I have to become the strongest. I won''t let them take Mom away from us¨C frommeever again."


    Dauntless, despite not having the slightest inclination of whatever or whoever may stand before her and her dream, two blazing hot supernovas burned with the will of a hundred¡ªno, surely a thousand Shinobi, disintegrating the spectre that skulked behind the glass.


    "I''ll make sure everyone across ''The Four Continents'' knows how strong I am. If they still want to make Mom work away from home... then I guess they''ll have to take her from me!" Grinning from ear to ear, Fena fist-bumped her defiant reflection in the mirror and then struck a pose reminiscent of a heroic, knuckle-headed Shinobi from her favourite book, thus bringing her motivational soliloquy to a close. She skipped out of her bedroom, humming a tune as she did and then proceeded to rendezvous with her mother downstairs.


    She spotted her mother, Melina, waiting by the front door.


    Their home wasn''t ornate, though it wasn''t for a lack of funds or other reasons of the like¡ªFena simply preferred a cosy living space. The walls were painted a warm, idyllic shade of brown (aside from in Fena''s bedroom where she¡¯d insisted on purple) and the harsh creak in some of the floorboards were indicative of their indefatigable service towards keeping the pair''s feet dry... Or at least that¡¯s an apt way to summarise Fena¡¯s fierce rebuttals towards her mother''s recent proposals to have them replaced. Decorating the walls, sat comfortably atop drawers and stored just about anywhere else you could find, were photos of the pair.


    As was the case more often than not these days, Melina was dressed for a day''s work. She sported her typical white lab coat and tied up her lovely brown curls into a messy bun, the picture of a mature and professional woman. She stood slightly shorter than her rapidly growing daughter, making her about five-foot-six. Though her work wear and modest stature hid it well from any who were none-the-wiser, Melina was also a Shinobi in her youth, a Shinobi of the highest calibre and she¡¯d trained Fena in preparation for this very day.


    However, today was the start of Fena¡¯s journey¡ªtales of her mother¡¯s exploits were sure to find their way to her ears sooner or later¡­


    Traipsing down the creaky wooden steps, Fena smiled as she passed by precious memories pressed onto paper, one in particular capturing the moment of sheer shock on her face upon laying eyes on a special gift she''d received for her fourteenth birthday: a beautiful katana made specially by her mother that Fena had named "Bolt," until she noticed that her mother seemed to be preoccupied with something. An otherworldly, faint blue light emitted from the tip of her index finger; a light that Fena knew very well, given her complicated relationship with it, "Essence". Her mother intricately traced what looked to be the sheath of a blade with her index finger.


    Fena''s skip instantly ground to a halt. She was certain that she''d recognized the blade her mother held but batted the thought away in an instant.


    Is she mumbling something to herself? Fena thought.


    "...Mom?" Fena called out.


    "O-oh! S-sorry dear¡ªspaced out for a moment there." Nearly jumping out of her skin, Melina skittishly turned her back.


    "You look exhausted. What time did you get back last night?"


    "Well... work has been really busy lately, ha-ha," Melina said with a tired smile.


    Fena scrunched her fists up tight. This wasn''t the first time she''d heard such a flippant remark in response to her expressing concerns over her mother''s work schedule; they''d locked horns plenty of times over this issue and on any other day, the pair would''ve surely gotten into a spat over it.


    Not today though. It was certainly true that Melina''s words had wounded Fena, deeply so, but the magnitude of this day was enough to kick this can of problems a little further down the road for now. In just a few hours, Fena would no doubt have her hand raised victorious and she''d take one more step toward liberating her mother from the implacable clutches of her work, and most importantly, she would be right there watching, seeing the dream that Fena could so vividly envision begin to take shape before her eyes.


    Fena couldn¡¯t afford to let anything get in the way of that¡ªnot even her own feelings.


    Fena dashed down the steps and leapt towards her mother. The pair of them crashed into a set of old, brown drawers, sending a myriad of photo frames and trinkets tumbling to the ground, scattering shattered glass across the floorboards¡­


    "Fena, calm down¡ª"


    ...Fena buried her head into her mother''s chest. Many a time, when things got too much for her, she''d jump into her mother''s arms and focus solely on the fuzzy, pillow-patting thudding of her heartbeat, its assured tempo would always gradually soothe the rapid thumping and blasting of her own.


    "I''ll figure everything out,¡± Fena cried, ¡°nothing will ever come between us ever again. We''ll have all the time in the world to spend together¡­ I promised you, remember?"


    Thin, glistening rivulets flowed from her cloudy, scarlet eyes and onto her mothers white lab coat, creating small, dark puddles that swelled as more tears fell into them. Fena quivered as she spoke almost breathlessly, "I¡­ I''m terrified Mom. I''m terrified that my resolve might break. I''m terrified of people seeing me as a freak because I''m not blessed by the Goddess. I''m terrified that no matter how strong I become, it won''t be enough to keep my promise to you¡ª"


    Fena''s voice caught the instant she felt her mother''s soft embrace tighten up.


    "Oh Fena, my sweet little girl. I''m already the proudest mother in the village¡ªno, the entire world."


    Melina cupped Fena¡¯s puffy, flushed cheeks into her palms. Carefully, she wiped away Fena¡¯s tears, which sparkled like tiny crystals underneath the sunlight that peeked through the window frame on the front door, then planted a tender kiss on her forehead, "You are special, my dear. Essence is the life force of our world. It is the reason why we can live and grow and survive. Legends have said that the Goddess ''Origin'', even in all of her divinity, was not perfect and people unfortunate enough to not receive her blessing live short and awfully painful lives. We cried until we fell asleep that night Doctor Seitz told us that you''d be lucky to make it to your eleventh birthday... but look at you now, by some sheer miracle, you''ve not only survived, but are standing on your own two feet and chasing your dreams."


    Melina wiped tears from her own eyes, sniffling as she spoke, "The Shinobi world that we live in is, and always has been, built entirely upon strength¡ªnothing else truly matters. So, if you want to achieve your dream, I guess you''re going to have to keep getting stronger for me. I''ll be waiting," Melina said, with a cheeky giggle and a wink.


    Fena received those words loud and clear, grasping them tight in the depths of her heart, "I''ll try not to keep you waiting too long, Mom." she leaned into her mother''s arms again for another hug. Today, she''d be needing all the energy she could get.


    "Oh gosh, just look at me!¡± Melina said, ¡°I''m supposed to be the adult here, but I''m all over the place. Of course, today is your big day but¡­ can you blame me for wishing that you could remain my sweet little girl for just a bit longer?"


    "I can''t, but my heart is set."


    Cherishing each other''s embrace, the pair took themselves a moment to have a good cry.


    2


    After the waterworks had finally subsided, Fena noticed her mother''s demeanour changing somewhat. Oddly, though Fena couldn¡¯t quite understand why, she seemed strangely frustrated and twitchy all of a sudden.


    Her mother revealed the object that she''d hidden behind her back.


    The dwindling flames in Fena''s eyes, dulled by her tears, instantly flared up. She was certain that she¡¯d seen it when she stood at the top of the stairs, but second guessed herself; she''d only ever been allowed to lay eyes on this blade, let alone use it, when she and her mother trained together.


    The pitch-black carbonised sheath hadn''t so much as a speck of dust on it. Small, pulsing circles of blue light danced from the midpoint of the sheath¡¯s surface to its end, full of vigour, as though the blade itself were alive. The hilt was lovingly adorned by a plethora of tassels, their colours varying between shades of red, purple and pink, alongside a small, cute fish cake keychain (it was merchandise that originated from her favourite book.)


    The mere presence of the weapon was enough to draw sweat from Fena''s palms, "B-Bolt?! You... want me to take him?"


    Less a gift and more the solidification of her promise to her mother, it was a one-of-a-kind weapon that by far and away was Melina¡¯s greatest technological achievement to date. It was the blade Fena had received for her birthday nearly two years prior; a katana that she''d named "Bolt".


    "Fena, as a former Shinobi myself and most importantly, as your mother, it is time that I acknowledge all of your hard work," Melina said, glaring intently at the weapon. Her hazel eyes were as sharp as the steel encased within.


    Fena raised her hands in anticipation of receiving the katana, her palms now sweating profusely. She gazed into the utter blackness of its sheath, almost losing herself as its total darkness seemed to expand beyond its visage and swallow everything around her. A swathe of ambivalence assaulted her stomach. Bolt was right in front of her, yet it felt as though her hands were passing through a limitless void, slowing her reach the closer she came to making contact.


    Finally, it began to descend and when it sank into her palms, she embraced its weight and the slight chill that it dispersed into her shaking hands¡ªthough it wasn¡¯t just her hands that were shaking.


    Her mother¡¯s shook too. Her fingertips flushed white as she clutched the blade, reluctant to let go, "However, earning one''s trust can in and of itself be a burden. And as I''ve taught you, it is the duty of a Shinobi to endure the weight of those burdens," suddenly, her words felt distant, almost cold. The look in her beautiful hazel eyes that usually shone with such intelligence and compassion, were now dimmed and fraught with fear, a fear Fena had never seen before.


    "Fena¡­Neverunsheathe this sword, do you understand?¡±


    Melina pushed the blade toward Fena''s chest, "There is no other sword like this in the entire world. It binds us together. I placed a special seal on it that you mustn''t ever tell anyone about and if anyone is to ask, you¡¯re to tell them that it¡¯s simply a common technologically augmented sword. Whether you''re near or far, as long as I''m still infusing it with my Essence, you''ll be able to draw from some of that energy when you fight without any Essence entering into your body and hurting you. Keep it on your person at all times. You told me you wanted to be strong so that you could protect me right? Well, I put everything I had into creating this weapon so I could match your resolve, the rest is up to you. I need you to promise me, just one more time, that you won''t ever unsheathe that sword."


    The age-old saying "it was as if time had stood still" is something you can never really understand until you experience it firsthand. When she¡¯d first heard the phrase, Fena had wondered, "Why the heck would time stop for some random person?" She felt the saying conveyed a creepy undertone of narcissism.


    In spite of that, no other moment in Fena''s life so far fit the description of that phrase so perfectly.


    Fena perused her minds library, reminiscing on all the events that had made her who she was today: never knowing her father, not receiving The Goddess''s blessing, which left her bed-ridden for most of her youth and begging on her hands and knees for her mother to help her achieve her dream of becoming a Shinobi¡ªthe memories jumped out from the pages of each book she pulled from the shelves, the contents of their pages so clear and vivid that it felt as though she were experiencing them all over again right this moment.


    The words she so desperately wanted to say just weren''t coming out, as though the raging tides of ambivalence crashing about in her heart had swallowed them up, and she was slowly sinking alongside them...


    ...Alas, time doesn''t really stop for anybody, Fena knew that. A mere few moments passed before the cinders of poise within the budding Shinobi''s fiery scarlet red eyes would spark a new and incinerate her doubts and fears.


    Fena reinforced her grip on the blade, matching the tightness of her mother¡¯s grip, "I won''t let you down, I promise."


    After a few moments of stillness, hesitantly, Melina released her grip on the blade and exhaled a long, drawn out breath.


    A familiar and welcome warm smile surfaced once again, truly the picture of an elegant woman and loving mother, she rustled Fena''s hair, gliding her fingers over the shaved sides of her head, "You know, you''re going to be meeting a lot of new people today, maybe even making some friends? I''m sure there''ll be a few other girls there too... Why not wear your hair down for a change?"


    Fena''s wide-eyed expression painted her as the nail and her mother''s words as the hammer, "Saw right through me... hehe," she said, shifting her gaze to the ground.


    Once I win today¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll try it, as long as it makes you happy.


    "All right, it''s about time for us to leave. Are you ready to set off?" Melina asked.


    "I''m ready, I''ve got everything I need. Let''s kick some butt today Mom!"


    On this day, like countless others throughout history, a fierce and fiery young girl was about to take her first step toward becoming a Shinobi.


    Her dream: to become a Shinobi that would be strong enough to protect the person she treasured more than life itself.


    Today, though neither the pair of them, nor a soul across the four continents could''ve ever possibly foreseen it, the era of Shinobi, an era that had existed since time immemorial, was entering its final act.


    Today, the story of "Fena : The Final Shinobi" began.


    3


    Clear blue stretched as far Fena¡¯s eye could see like an ocean in the sky whilst the orange sun shone gloriously over the village that Fena called home; the mountainous village, ¡°Origin¡¯s Peak¡±, known also as ¡°The Village Amongst The Clouds¡±.


    "It seems ''LadyOrigin'' is looking forward to today just as much as everyone else," Melina said, pointing upwards toward the sunny sky.


    On the first day of each new year, a massive celebration dubbed as "Origin''s Ritual" would be thrown across the entire village and spearheading the festivities was the "Origin''s Peak Shinobi Academy''s" enrolment ceremony. Shinobi and civilians alike from across The Four Continents made the journey each year to partake in the festivities.


    Origins Peak was unique in that way; no other village across The Four Continents held a festival that quite matched it in terms of scale. Though that was befitting of the largest village in the nation known as "Ramus" which was also the largest nation on the "Genesis" continent.


    Fena and Melina walked hand in hand past the many stalls and entertainment acts hustling and bustling about the village streets and chatted away about which tasty treats they''d love to sample later on.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Fena said, mouth agape at the sights, ¡°this is amazing! So this is what I''ve been missing every year mom?¡± Every year, Fena could only watch from the window of the stuffy, clammy room in the hospital that she was stuck in. Her mother did the best she could to give Fena a taste of the festival, quite literally in fact, by always bringing her a sample of tasty treats, Fena¡¯s most notable favourites being pink plums, a blue cotton candy that she always forgot the name of and, her absolute favourite, ¡°Sky Poppers¡±.


    Men, women and children clad in festival attire sung and danced in unison, groups mixed with sparkling red, deep red, bright red, scarlet red and auburn red all waved around huge red feathers bathed in sparkling glitter and danced all around them.


    Whilst she found herself puzzled with the flamboyant dress code, Fena failed to notice that one of the dancers had seemed to sneak a small red feather into the waist strap of her hakama.


    After her mother had pointed it out, Fena decided to give it to her, "Your work stuff is way too plain and boring, this''ll give it some much needed colour. How about it?"


    Her mother gladly accepted and it seemed Fena¡¯s sharp tongue managed to draw out a smirk, "Maybe they''ll fire me for breaking dress-code and lacking professionalism... Which is exactly what you''re angling for!" They both laughed.


    They were running short on time, but providing any major detours didn''t suddenly present themselves, Fena would safely avoid disqualification via tardiness. She deemed that by far the lamest way to go out.


    ¡ªFinally! Some fun time with mom! Feels like forever since the last time we were able to just walk and talk together...


    When with her mother, even the simplest, most mundane pastimes filled her heart with joy. Her cheeky giggles, her reassuring, precious smile; whatever challenges that the Shinobi world had prepared to throw at her, Fena would conquer them all, so that she may stroll hand in hand with her mother through a blissful and beautiful life.


    "Hey, Mom! Now that I¡¯m healthier, we really gotta go out more often. Just you and me, spending time togetheroutsideof the house. I really wanna see the rest of the village! I wanna see some of the things that I read about in the books at the hospital like ''Origin''s Wake'' up there!¡± Fena tugged at her mother¡¯s arm and pointed toward her location of interest, ¡°¡®The black tower that pierces the clouds''. Is that really true mom? Oh, and we gotta go outside the village gates so I can see all the wildlife out there an¡ª"


    "Hold on now, dear, you''re getting way too ahead of yourself..." Melina said, caressing Fena¡¯s hand with her thumb whilst giving her ear a little pinch with her free hand, "Let''s save this discussion for after you''ve won and earned your place in the academy, alright?"


    Fena shrugged her shoulders and groaned; she knew her mother was right, she needed to be a patient for just a little longer.


    Meanwhile, Melina seemed to sink deep into thought, her index finger rested lightly on her lips as she ponderously gazed straight ahead. After a short silence, she found her words, "I''m almost certain you''ll end up having one of the higher seeded opponents today because you didn¡¯t graduate from a recognized pre-school," Melina sighed, "I just hope you don''t have to fight Elira''s boy."


    "¡®Elira''s boy¡¯? Who''s that? And who¡¯s Elira?" Fena asked, her scarlet eyes flaring like fireballs as she inched her face closer and closer to her mother¡¯s with each question.


    "She¡¯s¡­ someone I see for my work. Her son is... troubled..." It seemed for a few moments that Melina was carefully thinking of how to expand upon that statement, "...Never mind, don''t worry too much about who you¡¯ll be fighting until they¡¯re in front of you. Focus on yourself and the things that you can control, and do your best." Deciding otherwise for whatever reason, she smiled and brushed it off.


    Though puzzled at her mother''s hesitance to speak, Fena was quite intrigued as to who "Elira''s boy" was. Her mother had let it slip that he¡¯d likely be one of the higher-seeded opponents, which would raise the chances of Fena being drawn to face him¡ª she just had to know more, "Is he stro¡ª"


    "By Lady Origin''s grace, it''s Lady Melina! The cultivator of modern Shinobi combat technology!" A man shouted aloud.


    "It''s ''Origin''s Guardian Angel¡¯! My daughter absolutely adores you and wishes to learn all about the modern medical sciences!" Another person; an elderly woman, tearfully lauded whilst pressing the palms of her wrinkly, frail hands together.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Lady Melina! Pardon my impatience, but it''s been a whole week since I''ve heard from anyone at the council about assistance for the sewage leak in the river outside of my farm; I simply cannot harvest anything with filthy water!" Another man yelled, waving his arms about.


    Suddenly the pair were ambushed by an avalanche of people, burying Fena''s question underneath a bombardment of adulation and requests.


    In recent months, Melina had regularly been coming home well into the night. Her job, at least as Fena understood it, involved experimenting in ways to even further expand upon the capabilities of the rapidly improving technology that she herself had cultivated and help the people of Origin''s Peak with the resources at her disposal.


    Fena was also somewhat aware of her mother''s reputation, insofar as she was revered for her excellence in the field''s she conducted herself in; being able to recall a handful of occasions where similar scenes like the one she was watching unfold now happened whilst the pair were on the way to or even inside of the hospital near their home, though they were far more subdued in their nature.


    ¡ªMakes sense I guess, definitely not the type of place to be causing an uproar,Fena concluded.


    Compared to the muted celebrations that she''d witnessed prior however, today''s events were truly unprecedented.


    Tethered to salvation only by the warm clutches of her mother''s hand, Fena daren¡¯t let go, lest she end up stranded amongst a sea of unfamiliar faces. Faces who''d not a care in the world for whether their cascading waves of adulation and worship would drown Fena beneath them.


    It''s like they''reworshippingher, like she''s their Goddess.Biting her lip and clenching her fists, Fena was fast having about enough with the abundance of obtuseness on display.


    As for her mother, without missing a beat, she dutifully engaged each and every person who bombarded her with care and courtesy, doing her utmost to swiftly quell their woes and provide them a word of encouragement, which left many in the crowd swooning. To them, every word was worth its weight in gold, and she shone twice as bright.


    The title, "Origin''s Guardian Angel", that Fena had heard shouted out numerous times now quickly made sense to her. Though it still didn''t stop Fena from thinking it sounded stupid.


    What started as an already uncomfortably large group had now ballooned into a stampede of pious fanatics celebrating merely being in the presence of Origin''s Guardian Angel. Ecstatic followers desperately clawed through the crowds, bumping shoulders with Fena and one callous woman in particular, whose shrieks of joy were as harsh as the sound of whetstone sharpening steel, had even stepped on Fena''s foot and when she jolted from the sudden pain, the woman just looked at her, puzzled, as though it were absurd of Fena to have left her foot there in the first place.


    Fena winced in discomfort. An awful feeling, one that she''d tried countless times to forget, swirled about her stomach. An all too familiar feeling that was enough to make her entire world feel as though it were falling apart.


    "Ugh... I''m sick of this!" Fena tore her hand away from her mother¡¯s.


    "Fena, dear, I understand this is a lot but please just calm down. I promise we''ll make it there on time."


    That was the last straw; Fena had had enough of her mother¡¯s empty words, "Just like youpromisedto stop coming home so late!?" she snapped venomously.


    A loud gasp reverberated around her in unison. Everybody stopped dead in their tracks as the familial spat unfolded before them.


    Fena wanted to say something, anything that would make her mother understand.


    That was until she saw the looks on everyone''s faces.


    Everywhere her scarlet eyes went, faces stained with disgust, anger, hatred and shock reflected her gaze, like the expressions of a believer witnessing a blasphemer insult their Goddess.


    Fena''s knees shook violently; her hands clammed up. Was everyone just dead silent? Or had her hearing suddenly failed her? Why did she feel so light all of a sudden?


    ¡ªAm I about to pass out?


    A light weight thudded against her shoulders, pulling her back to her senses as if it had grasped her wayward soul and returned it back to her body. Melina¡¯s concerned, hazel eyes met hers, "Fena, can you hear me? Are you feeling alright?"


    "This awful feeling... again and again... How many times do I have to feel this way before you understand?" Fena collapsed to her knees. She remembered it now¡ª that sickening feeling gnawing away at her stomach, suffusing her heart with darkness and fear: it was abandonment.


    She shoved her mother away and immediately took to the rooftops, sparing not another word and fast putting distance between them. She heard her mother call out to her and though it pained her to ignore her, ignore her she did as Fena made her own way towards the academy.


    "How is it that even when you''re right in front of me¡­ I feel so, so far away... What happens if one day, we¡¯re so far away from each other that I can''t even see you anymore?"


    Everything Fena had been through up to this point in her life, everything she''d resolved herself to facing head on once she''d earned her place in the academy, she''d done all of it for one simple reason: so that she could obtain the strength to protect her mother.


    If so many things came between the pair that if she reached out, Fena could no longer touch her, or no matter whether she peered over or under even around the wall of obstacles between them that she couldn''t see her... what was she even doing all of this for?


    4


    Deeply despondent whilst her internal struggles ate away at her, Fena neglected to consider the fact that she actually hadn''t the slightest idea of how to get to where she was even headed¡­ Well, that wasn''t entirely true.


    During her extended trips to the hospital, Fena often killed time by reading whatever she could get her hands on. Though she would only request fictional books, her best attempt to combat the boredom of being bed-ridden, every now and then she''d receive literature about the village''s history. One time in particular, she happened to stumble across a brochure advertising a holiday experience to "The Sacred Mountainous Village Amongst The Clouds: Origin''s Peak".


    Fena recalled that one of the most popular tourist attractions was the Shinobi Academy and the venue where Fena''s spar would be taking place today was right next door to it, she¡¯d be able to find them somewhere in the north-western corner of Origin''s Peak... if she''d accurately been able to recall the brochure.


    On the surface of it, that was simple enough... providing the person making their way towards the academy was at least somewhat familiar with the layout of The Village Amongst The Clouds. For Fena, someone whose only point of reference were some pictures that she could vaguely recall from that brochure a few years back, it was far more arduous a task. Doubly so considering she''d dashed off in the direction she''d assumed was the correct one and realised she had absolutely no idea where she currently was. Neither did she have a compass or any other way of finding her bearings.


    For a brief moment, the thought of dropping back down to the streets and asking someone for directions flashed across her mind, "No way, I''ll never rely on them... Ungrateful losers," the thought alone was enough to make her blood boil. She clutched that same thought and burned it until nothing remained, "although, I really don''t even know where to start, and I could already be late right now!"


    Fena surveyed the sights before her from where she sat, searching for something, anything, that would give her some semblance of an understanding as to her current whereabouts. She could see the gigantic black tower, Origin''s Wake, clear as day, ominously lingering amongst the clouds, but buildings and other, taller mountains obscured its base and Fena couldn''t really tell how long it''d take her to get there. If she darted all the way over there only for the academy to not even be there, she''d most certainly be late, so that was out of the question.


    Buildings, buildings and more buildings. That was the only thought that the surrounding area elicited from Fena''s mind; nothing quite resembled the photos that she vaguely recalled. "I can''t afford to keep wasting ti¡ª"


    "All commoners take heed; you must clear a path for the procession! His excellency, Lord Ember and His Grace, Young Lord Fenrir are in a hurry!" A tenor, posh-sounding voice resounded from somewhere nearby.


    "¡®Procession¡¯? What the heck does that mean? ¡®Lord Ember¡¯? Is he a Shinobi? That name sounds awesome! I bet he''ssuuupercool and strong too!" Compelled by her own wild imagination, Fena sprung up onto her feet and continued toward the sound of the voice.


    "You can''t just push people around like that! We''re trying to prepare for Origin''s Ritual here too!" A woman shouted.


    "Silence, common filth! You should know your place!" The man barked back. By the sound of his voice, Fena discerned that it was likely the same man whom she''d heard shouting moments prior.


    Well, he sounds like a real jerk¡­


    A loud cry abruptly rang out, knocking Fena off of that train of thought¡ªsilence fell immediately after.


    Coming upon the scene, Fena observed a hulking, bald, brown-skinned and broad-shouldered man towering over a woman not even half his size who lay on the ground. He squeezed into a plain, black tunic with a long, ash-black feathered cloak that was marked with an insignia that Fena couldn''t quite make out, both due to her unfamiliarity with it and the fact that it¡¯s full image was obscured by the huge battle axe strapped to the mans mountainous back.


    Wow, he sounds awfully girly for such a big lump.


    That flippant thought as an aside, Fena felt an exhilarating heat rush through her body, "Oh... you sick pig. I wonder which finger on that filthy hand of yours I should break first?" she said, grinning from ear to ear.


    Dangling a foot over the edge of the rooftop, Fena basked in the light breeze as its chilly touch nuzzled at the nape of her neck, she flared her nostrils at the sumptuous aroma of cooked meat amongst other flavourful fragrances of foods being prepared for Origin''s Ritual, until suddenly, the hustle and bustle about the village streets completely escaped her hearing... Her mind was fixated on the one and only thing her heart desperately desired right this moment¡ªtostrike.


    ¡°I can''t wait to see it... The look on your face when you''re as helpless as that woman,¡± Fena said, foaming at the mouth as she revelled in the imagery that the cinema in her mind''s eye displayed to her.


    She took hold of her blade and held it before herself, "I know we don''t have this one down yet Bolt¡­ but practising it on apiglike him means that we don''t need to worry about form..." readying herself, she gripped Bolt tight and cocked it back, "...Alright Bolt, you''re up!"


    "...Huh?" Seemingly not at all worried about the object approaching him, the large man casually raised his huge hand.


    "You''re mine now," Fena grinned, her tongue was like a slivering snake as it licked at her lips, relishing her prey''s tantalising offer, "here goes nothing... ''Wind Release, Sheath Step¡¯!" Upon forming a singular hand-sign, Fena vanished from her perch above the streets in an instant, as if she''d never even been standing there in the first place.


    "What the¡ª" Leaving him no chance to retract his outstretched arm, Fena appeared right before his eyes before he could so much as blink, barrelling into him at full speed and sending the pair of them careening through a multitude of wooden stands, banners and other d¨¦cor made for the day''s festivities.


    Dazed from the impact, the large man''s pitiful attempt at struggling was only in vain, for Fena rose to her feet the quickest. She stomped the foot of her sandal right into his sternum and his puffy, muscle-bound body sank into itself like a dried-up carcass. She slithered down toward one of his tree-trunk arms and clutched it, coiling her own arm around it to constrict it. Carefully, she observed the sizable hand that sat limp underneath her gaze and spitefully took hold of one its helpless branches, "That look on your face... Oh, I LOVE IT¡ª"


    CLANG!!!


    SHING!!!


    KRRING!!!


    Before she''d any time to react, standing before her¡ªand by the sounds of it behind her also¡ªFena was surrounded by steel. The cold nip of at least two weapons pinched the back of her neck, they shook violently like two rabid silver wolves desperate to rip and tear into her skin.


    "Move another inch... I beg you, compel ''His Grace'' to order me to plunge my spear into your neck," A tall, dark-skinned, slender woman with a scar over her nose and dark blue hair eerily pleaded as she stood before Fena.


    The woman was dressed similarly to Fena¡¯s prey, clad in black, but noticeably different, as she''d clearly no qualms flaunting her bronze skin, leaving little to the imagination whilst her emerald-green eyes reflected the shimmering steel of her spear and Fena herself at the end of it. Her deep, raspy voice shook as she spoke and a single tear glistened against her cheek. The twisted smile on her face as she licked her dark lips accentuated her flourishing desire to draw Fena''s blood.


    "I don''t know what your problem is. Thisboarwas stronger than that woman and that''s why she''s laying on the ground, right? Well, I wanted to the see the look on his face if someone stronger than him¡ª"


    "It would behove you to hold that tongue commoner boy, lest you lose it!" A shrieking voice from behind whelped, "Release that gentleman''s arm and remove your filthy foot from his chest right this instant! How dare you assault one of the four pillars of the ''Ashen Covenant¡¯. It is our sacred duty to serve and protect the illustrious Ember clan, a clan that Her Grace, Lady Origin, created at the dawn of the Shinobi Era and..."


    ¡ªYour voice is super irritating,Fena thought, clicking her tongue as she tuned out from the man¡¯s ear-splitting rambling whilst focusing on her next course of action. Slowly, she released her prey¡¯s lifeless limb whilst spitefully dragging the wooden sole of her sandals over the mountainous man''s chest as she shuffled it toward the ground.


    I need to create some space¡­ Did they see me use Sheath Step? Maybe I could convince them that I''m surrendering and let them take Bolt, then escape when the chance comes? Ugh, mom''s gonna kill me if she finds out about this...


    "Please let me through! I beg of you, you must let me through!" Sang an enchanting voice, one that rang louder and louder as its owner drew nearer. A soothing, reassuring voice that was as beautiful as the sound of light rainfall against a window in the middle of a serene night.


    For just a split second, Fena had completely forgotten where she was.


    "You¡¯re naive!" the blue haired woman before her yelled. Her emerald eyes lit up as she flipped her spear over and rammed the wooden pommel into Fena''s stomach, causing her to collapse onto the ground.


    ¡ªCrap!


    The situation was rapidly becoming worse.


    Spewing out saliva with traces of blood as she reeled from the impact of the blow and unable to make out anything through the profuse ringing of her eardrums, Fena was now at the mercy of her attackers. For a moment, Fena stared at the small pool of her own fluids, she couldn¡¯t move and aside from the splitting pain in her abdomen, she couldn¡¯t feel a thing. The tiny blotches of red began to bubble and steam rose from the ground, but before Fena could make much note of it, out of the corner of her eye she saw ash-black feather¡¯s rustling. It seemed that the mountainous man had recovered and it went without saying that he wasn''t going to let her off the hook.


    Bolt... Mom... help me, I''m sca¡ª


    "No! No more, you must stop this at once! No more violence, please Salacia!"  That same enchanting, magical voice chimed in Fena''s ears once again.


    She pleaded to the woman, whose name appeared to be "Salacia", after barging between her and Fena, "Just leave this foolish boy and the civilians here be. They have agreed to move their concession stands and decorations, so I beg you, please show them mercy!"


    Desperate to learn more, Fena mustered just enough energy to lift her head from the ground and catch a glimpse of the person so earnestly beseeching her attackers to stand down. Meeting her gaze was a tall, sparkling wall of black embroidered with an elegant pattern that formed what looked like some sort of bird. An inexplicable feeling of warmth and reassurance began ebbing away all of the tension and panic that was crashing around her body, even the crushing pain in her stomach had turned into an afterthought and what had replaced it was rapidly burgeoning enthrallment and fascination at the wonderful individual who stood so elegantly before her.


    "No way... You''re a real-life princess right!?" Fena gasped, her voice seemingly falling on deaf ears.


    Did she hear me? Or is she just ignoring me?


    "Surely you jest, girl?" the mountainous man snarked, approaching menacingly with blood pouring profusely from his nose, "That filthy runt must repent... and he can do it FROM UNDERNEATH THE DIRT!" he roared, slicing effortlessly through the air in an arc with his humongous battle-axe.


    "Cease, Gale," a baritone voice as hefty as the beat of a drum demanded. Fena couldn''t ascertain to whom it belonged or exactly where it came from, but what was immediately apparent was that her impending fate that would''ve seen her head rolling across the dirt like a tumbleweed had been abruptly postponed, just as immediately as the voice had commanded.


    Instantaneously, Salacia turned her back to Fena, the exposed part of her toned back glistened with sweat. She then retracted her spear and bowed toward the direction of the voice, "Your Grace. Our orders?"


    ¡ªThey''ve all... stopped?it was as cut and dry as it looked, her assailants truly had stood down.


    An awkward silence ensued after Salacia''s question. Puzzled and unable to quell her swelling curiosity, Fena dared to shift her posture just a little more so that she may see the mountainous man, whose name she''d now understood to be "Gale", more clearly.


    The look on his face was palpable; ghoulishly pale, as if all of his vitality had been sucked right out of him, starkly contrasting the warm, deep red paste dripping from it. His face seemed to twitch erratically and his huge, black battle-axe rattled feverishly like chattering teeth.


    Who in the world could possibly reduce such a hulking, beast of a man to a fawn trembling at the sight of its own shadow? Surely, they had to possess power beyond belief, Fena thought.


    That robust, commanding voice boomed out once again, deigning to even acknowledge the insufferable tension in the air, "Foolish daughter of mine, pray tell, what in the world is it that you are playing at this time?"


    The "Princess Girl" as Fena had decided to call her, jolted upon receiving the words imparted unto her from the man that proclaimed to be her father, uttering not a single word in response, only trembling where she stood.


    Is she even breathing? She¡¯s so still¡­ Fena thought.


    "What is it that someone likeyoucould even hope to accomplish!?" a spiteful, callous voice, belonging to a boy that sounded as though he was about Fena¡¯s age, howled, "...You... you''ve nothing¡­ not The Phoenix¡¯s flame, no skill and certainly not any physical strength either, yet once again you make a fool of yourself and this family. And for what? Some crestless peasants and some runt in way over their head? You stand there, defiant, in spite of that empty look in your cowering little eyes telling me that a measly yawn from ¡®The Tempestuous Tyrant¡¯ would be enough to topple you right now. So why¡ª"


    Despite the boy''s nasty words, the Princess Girl still remained silent, though she still did not move a muscle.


    Just as Fena had started to believe that the situation was beginning to resolve itself, it now seemed that the Princess Girl had no sway at all with the ruffians that were causing her grief. Instead, they were belittling her. For all of her courage, she''d have no chance of protecting Fena from harm if they all decided to attack.


    How dare you speak to such a wonderful girl like that! It sounds like they''re family, or at least he''s known her for a while... but who cares! Family should never speak to each other like that!Fena gritted her teeth and dug her nails into the dirt, her eyes and cheeks were burning up as she pictured her nails digging and clawing into the boy¡¯s face.


    The horrible boy seemed to grow even more irritated at the lack of response to his tongue lashing, "Speak dammit! I don''t recall our mother being so uncouth that she¡ª"


    "Silence Fenrir!" The Princess Girl¡¯s father suddenly yelled, hastily interrupting his son before a loud thud rang out in tandem with a groan. Shortly afterward, he spoke again, his deep and booming voice now noticeably shrill like a boiling kettle, "Never speak of that crestless whore again. This is your final warning. Need I remind you once again, boy? Though your sister most certainly seems to be a lost cause, she''s a female¡ª she isn''t entirely worthless and neither is her mother. You, on the other hand, are wearing my patience thin... Do not force my hand."


    The Princess Girl¡¯s supposed father exhaled a deep breath, "Ruby, imprudent child, do as you please with this scoundrel, but do not be late to the arena. I expect you to arrive at the academy on time, is that clear?"


    Though she didn''t respond, it seemed that her silence was intuited as comprehension, "Koria¡­! By The Phoenix''s grace, just where is that darned maid when you need her. Koria!" he shouted.


    Shortly following his call, a womanly voice spoke up, "My sincerest apologies, Lord Ember, I''d only just finished seeing to the civilians you''d instructed me to pacify."


    "Is there anyone around here who I can truly depend on?¡± he asked. ¡°Never mind. Just as we discussed the other night, you will serve as the girl¡¯s final warning. I''m hereby appointing you as her personal maid, you''re not to leave her side under any circumstances. Get that child to understand her responsibilities as an Ember, lest I resort to my own methods¡­"


    "Understood, Your Grace," she remarked. Fena then felt her suddenly appear right next to her; she¡¯d covered the distance in a flash.


    "M-my Lord," Gale called out, it seemed he''d cleaned up his face somewhat. "I beg that you''ll pardon me for interrupting you, but the ''Chief''s Summit'' begins shortly, we must make haste."


    ¡°Damned Summit. A colossal waste of my time, I¡¯ve no desire to watch my brother tuck his tail between his taint for those ¡®Historia¡¯ dogs,¡± Lord Ember raged. ¡°Nevertheless, you are correct, Gale. Though, before we make haste, I''ve one more warning I must impart... Young lad, stand beside my daughter and face me, so that you may see me clearly."


    The Shinobi surrounding Fena suddenly took a few steps away from her.


    Seemingly taking heed of the man''s request, Fena, still somewhat feeling the pain from the blow she¡¯d received earlier, carefully rose to her feet, though instead of looking towards whoever "Lord Ember" was, a far more pressing opportunity presented itself and some stupid Shinobi with an ego problem wasn''t going to deter her from taking it.


    Her heart thumped and throbbed, it had been pounding away inside of her chest ever since she¡¯d laid eyes on that girl and it was becoming unbearable. Fena poked her head into the girl''s line of sight.


    She shone brighter than any sunrise Fena had ever seen before. Deeply enraptured by her glimmering ocean-blue eyes, Fena wondered just how in the world someone so remarkable could even exist. Standing right beside Fena was someone who, by simply laying eyes upon, incited feelings of wonder and inexplicable enchantment, just like some of the characters from her favourite stories would inspire in her.


    But this girl wasn''t a fantasy nor a dream¡ª she was well and truly real.


    She was regally adorned in a long, glittery black dress with black silk sleeves, whilst wearing sparkling black heels, which left Fena absolutely stunned, as she¡¯d never actually even seen a pair of high heels before. Though the dress covered most of her skin, Fena spied glimpses of her sun-kissed pigmentation between flocks of her perfectly straight black hair that flowed all the way down to her waist.


    Fena could''ve sworn that her father had called her by name, but amongst her finding herself stranded in the sea of the Princess Girl¡¯s twinkling ocean-blue eyes whilst repeatedly rubbing her own eyes to confirm that their flames weren''t conjuring images before her that she wasn''t even truly seeing, Fena had already forgotten it, a sin Fena thought she may never be able to live down.


    The Princess Girl, however, continued looking in the direction of her father, showing no sign at all of noticing Fena''s extreme fascination with her.


    "Ahem... You''ve a lot of nerve, commoner lad. Pay no mind to my foolish daughter... Though ogling her in the presence of her own father is more than enough to justify me having your head." Lord Ember said through gritted teeth.


    After his pompous, snarky voice dragged Fena out from her daydream, she stood up straight and turned toward where it came from.


    Atop a ginormous red and white coloured carriage that was barely wide enough to pass through the village streets, one with a figurehead that seemingly had been delineated in the image of a Phoenix and was encircled by many Shinobi, stood a rotund and stubby little man. He¡¯d waddled out from a grand, opulent chair twice the size of him that also shared the same phoenix design as the carriage. He was slovenly draped in pure white and red and shimmering gold robes that did little to offset his protruding stomach, and was coated in a smattering of jewellery, which Fena thought made him look like an extremely large, jewel embedded Genie Lamp. His black hair, noticeably thinning and greying out, was drowned in gel and slicked back and puffy red tomatoes sticking out of either side of his mouth matched the roundness of his stomach. His black eyes withheld Fena with contempt, though he''d a weird smirk on his face, as though he were enjoying scrutinising her or something... Fena didn''t quite get it, but all in all, he was extremely odd.


    Next to him, his son, a young boy who, like everyone else bar Fena and the Princess Girl, was kneeling. Despite all the apparent physical contrasts and his skin being more tanned, he was his father''s spitting image. His jet-black hair burned with streaks of red and a scar over his closed left eye gave the impression that he himself must also be a Shinobi, or at the very least had been in a fight or two. He ground his teeth together as his black eyes, just as harsh and piercing as his fathers, scorched holes in Fena¡¯s direction, though, unlike his father¡¯s, she was certain their fury wasn¡¯t directed at her.


    The fat dude is Lord Ember? Why''s everyone so scared of that?it was apparent that Fena was missing something that everyone else seemed to know, that''s surely what the issue was... right?


    "Her Grace''s providence on this sacred day is the sole reason why her Essence shall continue flowing through your veins. Commit it to memory that if there is a next time, you shall receive no pardon and my subjects shall show no mercy. Am I clear?"


    Fena took a long, hard look at the man known as Lord Ember as well as his son, Fenrir, burning their faces into her memory. Biting her tongue, she responded, "Yeah, you got it."


    "Hmph... Wonderful." Lord Ember grinned. "Koria, see to it that my daughter deals with this lout swiftly and arrives at the academy on time."


    "As you''ve ordered, Your Grace." With that, Koria grasped both Ruby and Fena by their hands and began exiting the scene, snaking through a few alleyways, "Let''s find somewhere quieter, my lady," she said curtly.


    Fena looked back toward the carriage, watching Fenrir as he reached his boiling point, punching a hole into the wooden platform.


    Underneath his breath, the boy swore to himself a solemn oath, forged in flame, "On the dying embers of the everlasting Phoenix, I swear it on my life that on this day, my foolish sister, I will draw the curtain on your hopeless charade... Our blood ismyburden...minealone."

 Chapter 2 - The Maid And Her Mistress

    1


    Pinned up against a wall with the cold nipping of steel pressed against her neck, Fena''s tumultuous journey to the Shinobi Academy took yet another turn for the worse.


    "You! How is it that you know this girl? Tell me who you are¡ª I will not hesitate to cut you!" the maid woman with short, auburn hair demanded.


    "Miss Koria, I''ve already told you. I''ve never met this boy in my life¡ª I just panicked! I promise I won''t do it again!" the Princess Girl cut in, trying to assuage her maids fury.


    A fistful of Fena''s hakama, the maid pressed further, "Your eyes have been glued to my mistress all the way here... Even now, with steel to your neck, you gawk at her. Who sent you? Was it that fat oath Horace himself? Or are you in league with those Shinobi hunting lunatics?"


    Reluctantly pulling her eyes away from the Princess Girl and back toward the narrowed, brown talons that dug into her, Fena muttered, "I was... angry."


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± the maid screeched, further tightening her grip of Fena¡¯s clothing and pushing her hard against the wall, "even if it were by surprise, you, some crestless child, brought ¡®Gale-Force¡¯ to his knees and if it weren''t for outside interference, you may well have killed him. I won''t ask again¡ªwhat business do you have with my mistress!"


    Though Fena surmised she¡¯d likely have no trouble dealing with the maid if things escalated to a fight, she just couldn¡¯t reciprocate her aggression. Right now, thoughts of the like lingered out on the very periphery of her mind.


    It was because of her. That beautiful Princess Girl.


    Twinkling gemstones trickled down from her sparkling sapphire eyes and onto her rosy cheeks. She fought tooth and nail to wrest the weapon away from Fena''s neck. Yet, try as she might, it just wouldn''t budge. Nevertheless, she persevered, maintaining such elegance as she did. Fena''s heart yearned for her.


    ¡ªWait, what the heck is wrong with me?


    Whatever it was that was swelling within her chest was unlike anything she''d ever felt before. It ached, desperately so, but that pain wasn''t something that Fena was sure she wanted to go away.


    "Miss Koria, please just listen to me! Just as you said, this boy almost brought down Gale. If he seriously wanted to do us any harm, don¡¯t you think he¡¯d have already done it by now?" the Princess Girl wailed.


    "What has gotten into you, my lady? Why are you so passionate about protecting this... boy?" The maid woman fixed Fena with a wide-eyed, blank stare for a few moments as her words suddenly trailed off, before carefully looking her up and down¡­


    Hurriedly, the maid averted her eyes and adjusted Fena¡¯s hakama, covering the skin that¡¯d been exposed by her aggressive handling of Fena¡¯s clothing, though she didn¡¯t go so far as to relinquish her hold.


    "I just¡­ couldn''t take it anymore." the princess girl said.


    "I-... I understand." Sighing deeply, the maid lowered her weapon, lifted up her long, black skirt and slotted it back into a small pouch of which the handles of multiple other knives poked out. She embraced her sobbing mistress into her arms, gently patting her head.


    The maid looked toward Fena, still with a degree of apprehension in her eyes, "Do you have a name, child?" she asked.


    Fena nodded gingerly. She just couldn''t bring herself to say it. Or say anything for that matter.


    "Never mind. Fret not, you are safe now¡ªwe''re not like the other''s back there..." The maid, who stood far taller than Fena, left the side of her mistress and crouched down, sitting just below Fena''s eye level, "...Please, allow me to introduce myself and my mistress properly. My name is Koria, you may address my mistress as Lady Ember."


    For some reason, Lady Ember seemed quite irritated upon hearing her maid''s words, sporting quite the frown as she wiped tears from her eyes.


    "I sincerely apologise for my harsh questioning, and particularly for being so rough with you... I didn''t realise you were¨C"


    "N-NO!" Fena yelped, as she squeezed her eyes shut.


    For a few moments, there was complete silence, interrupted only by the occasional ¡°um¡± and ¡°ah¡± until finally, a stiff, confused apology stumbled out from Koria¡¯s lips, ¡°My¡­ apologies? I simply wished to express that I''ve no shame acting in the best interests of my mistress. I ask that you please understand this."


    Fena finally opened her eyes but still remained speechless. Her heart was all jumbled up. The words formulated in her mind, but like popped bubbles they disappeared without a trace the moment she tried to speak them aloud, as if her flailing tongue were the very needle that was pricking them to burst.


    Koria returned to the side of her mistress, tending to her dishevelled dress and quizzing Fena, "Do you have a home to return to? Or a parent nearby?" she asked.


    For a moment, Fena considered that attempting to explain who her mother was may help her out, but she brushed the idea off straightaway, fearing that word of today''s exploits would only cause trouble in the end. Plus, Fena was still mad at her mother, really mad. Talking to her was not an option.


    "I''m lost," Fena confessed, fiddling with the hilt of Bolt as she looked toward the ground and shrunk against the wall behind her.


    "You''re lost, you say? You''ve no familiarity at all with this area? Did you even know you''d strayed onto the ''Ember Estate?''" Koria asked.


    "A-academy," Fena mumbled.


    "What? You were headed to the Shinobi Academy too?" Lady Ember chimed in, her blue eyes seemed to sparkle a bit.


    "You¡­ have business at the Shinobi Academy?" Koria asked, her eyes narrowing on Fena¡¯s person once again.


    Whilst Fena continued to struggle summoning her words, she spied Lady Ember mumbling something in Koria''s ear, though she couldn¡¯t quite hear what.


    "L-Lady Ember, have you lost your mind? If your father spots you with this child once more, by The Phoenix he''ll¡ª"


    "Enough! I''ve made up my mind," Lady Ember yelled, stomping her foot onto the ground repeatedly, "and my Father isn''t here right now, is he? So, for the hundredth time, it''s Ruby, not Lady Ember¡ª I hate that stupid name, you know that. You''re my friend, not my slave."


    "I¡ª... You truly are incorrigible," Koria sighed, as she smiled and shook her head. "You are in luck child, my mis¡ª, my dear friend, Ruby, wishes for you to join us. I assume you''ll accept her offer?"


    Fena¡¯s face blushed beet red. She hid behind her hands, peaking through the gaps between her fingers at Lady Ember.


    ¡ªI gotta see more... I wonder what she loves? Or what she hates? What about friends? Would she still be friends with me if she knew I was a girl? Maybe¡­ I¡¯d get to call her Ruby?


    Practically bursting with both excitement and nervousness at the many scenarios playing out in her head, Fena continued to indulge in her own daydreams. Even just hearing The Princess Girls name made her heart flutter.


    Unfortunately bursting Fena¡¯s fantasy filled bubble, an open hand, poking out from a sleeve of black, a hand that Fena couldn¡¯t help but notice possessed extremely puffy and squishy fingertips, appeared before her, "I must insist that we make haste, lest we are late and suffer disqualification. I''m sure that''s the last thing you''d want, right? May I take hold of your hand? Or, if that is too intrusive, may I instead take hold of your sleeve?"


    Though it''d been a short time since she''d met her and they''d not exactly gotten off on the right foot, Fena gradually began to see visages of her own mother in Koria. The warmth of their calming voices, the tranquil stillness of their gaze whenever they would patiently await a response, Koria''s eyes were even brown, slightly darker but still similar to Melina''s hazel tint.


    Fena wanted to trust her, at least for now.


    Fena lifted her arm up closer to the open palm awaiting a response and muttered, "Fe-... na..."


    It reciprocated her gesture, lightly grasping the loose, purple material underneath Fena''s arm, "Fena? That is your name, yes?"


    Fena nodded whilst sneaking a glance at Lady Ember once again.


    "Fena, a lovely name indeed. Right, shall we be off then? Ruby, may I take your hand as well?"


    A stoic expression on her face, Lady Ember replied, "I think... I think that I would quite like that."


    2


    And so, the newly acquainted trio stepped back out onto the main streets, which Fena felt were somehow even more rammed than they were earlier when she was with her mother. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    This was par for the course as, unbeknownst to Fena, about less than half an hour remained until the Academy''s notorious spars showcasing the next generation of talent in the Shinobi world officially kicked off the day''s celebrations.


    Also remaining the same was the sweltering heat. Now that she''d finally escaped the trouble she was in, Fena was really feeling the effects of it. This was the first time she''d ever ventured this far from home and without her mother''s supervision no less; the heat beating down on her back was beginning to make her feel queasy.


    "Fena, are you alright? I would offer you a moment of respite, but I must stress we are really running short on time here," Koria said.


    "I don''t usually get to spend this much time outside, and I''ve never been this far away from home... I had no idea it could be this hot."


    Belatedly realising she may have spoken a bit too much, Fena shied away, covering her mouth. The words just seemed to slip out.


    But¡­ was that really so bad?


    Fena ruminated upon her mishap further, questioning if there was really any problem with opening up a little to Koria after all. She''d been violent with her in the beginning, yes, but she was protecting Lady Ember, a real-life Princess Girl and Fena had given Koria reason enough to regard her as a danger.


    Yeah¡­ I''d have definitely done the same to protect her, Fena thought.


    "Oh, I see..." Koria said. She paused for a moment, fixing Fena a wide-eyed stare, as did Ruby also, before pulling something from her pocket, "...I believe I have something that will help somewhat, may I?"


    "U-um... Yes please.¡±


    Koria then handed a small, black flannel to Fena, one embroidered with a red and white phoenix. Fena peered closely at its design, it was the same as the one on the back of Ruby''s elegant black dress, except hers was black.


    "That insignia seems to have sparked your interest, child, do you know of it?" Koria asked.


    "That big carriage kinda looked like this, I think that loudmouth boy and his big fat father had it on their clothes too.¡±


    "You''d be quite right; indeed they did." Koria affirmed, chuckling like a schoolgirl who''d been told a naughty joke. "That symbol is the insignia for the Ember clan, the blood of which runs through Ruby''s veins. Legends, as they¡¯re told on the Genesis continent, have it that when Lady Origin began our existence as we now know it, she birthed four children who all inherited fractions of her divinity and entrusted each of them with the responsibility to be humanities custodians. On that flannel, ''Ramus, The Eternal Flame'', colloquially known to people like us as ''The Phoenix'', is depicted. He is said to have been the first child born of The Goddess, inheriting the power of eternal life through resurrection, and responsible for forming the Ember clan supposedly thousands of years ago... There, all done. Hold this flannel against your forehead whilst we walk."


    Far, far adrift, Fena sank deeper and deeper into an oasis of fascination and curiosity, not even noticing that the flannel she held in her hand was now pleasantly cool and somewhat damp. "Eternal life¡­ Does that mean he¡¯s still around today? Does he live in our village? And what about Origin''s other children?" she asked excitedly.


    Koria leaned in close to Fena''s ear, "You''d want to ensure you only invoke the name of Her Grace in public appropriately,¡± she whispered, whilst giving Fena a gentle tap on the shoulder. ¡°Though non-believers and sceptics are not officially prosecuted by the police force, public prosecution is often ignored."


    After pulling away and glancing towards Lady Ember, Koria smiled and said, "If there is a next time, I would be delighted to indulge your curiosity further. It seems that you are someone who enjoys stories, much like my mistress here who refuses to go to bed without me reading her one first." Koria said, giggling as she winked and flashed a cheeky grin at Fena.


    Lady Ember, who''d been utterly silent thus far during the trio''s journey, burst into life with a shriek like the whistling of a boiling teapot, "E-excuse me Koria! Was that information really necessary to share? It''s embarrassing!" she squealed, waving her arms all over the place.


    It seemed that her friend knew exactly which buttons to press.


    Feeling something swell up inside of her, Fena blurted out, "D-don''t worry, Lady Ember... My mom reads me a bedtime story every night too. I don''t like sleeping alone. I get nightmares."


    "Lady Ember¡­" Lady Ember repeated slowly, the sparkle in her sapphire eyes vanishing as she did. She cast her gaze toward the ground, before looking back up toward Fena and leaning in closer toward her, stoic as a statue of ice.


    Wishing she could snatch up the stupid words that had broken free from her stupid mouth and shove them back down her own stupid throat, Fena froze up underneath Ruby''s placid stare, unsure if she''d just stepped on an Essence bomb.


    TOO-CLOSE-TOO-CLOSE-TOO-CLOSE. Ruby¡¯s soft breaths tickled Fena''s cheeks, her delightful smell was sending her heart into overdrive.


    "Come on now, the pair of you. The ''East Bridge'' is just up ahead, let us make haste," Koria urged.


    "You... are very... different, Fena." Lady Ember said, her eyes empty and still.


    Fena didn''t dare inquire as to what that could''ve possibly meant.


    3


    Up ahead, a gargantuan bridge leading to various higher up mountains appeared as if summoned upon the blink of an eye. Multiple thoughts rattled through Fena''s mind, like how the heck would they traverse this huge bridge in time for the ceremony? Which mountaintop was their desired destination? Even if they could get up there in time, wouldn''t she be exhausted once she got to the top? There''s no way she could fight right after that; there''s no way anyone could, surely? And most pressing of all... how the heck didn''t I notice this thing myself?


    "You needn''t worry Fena, my mistress will handle this part," Koria said.


    Taking the lead and now pulling both Koria and Fena along, Lady Ember headed towards a small building where an elderly man and an elderly woman seemed to just be going about their business. They both smiled a weary smile as they greeted her.


    "Passage for my maid and my acquaintance please, Victor." Lady Ember curtly requested.


    The old man rested a watchful eye upon Fena, one she didn¡¯t quite appreciate, before responding to the request, "Of course, Lady Ember, right this way, if you would," he said, his voice as creaky as an ancient floorboard as he shuffled his feet and turned his back, beckoning Lady Ember inside the building that stood next to a service station.


    Lady Ember followed, pulling Koria and Fena along with her. Inside, it was plain and minimalistic. The building seemed to simply serve as a roof over the heads of whoever these old people were and whatever business they were handling. A brochure, much like the one Fena had read in the hospital from a glance, was pinned by itself in the dead centre of a large wooden bulletin board, serving as the only distinguishable decor.


    "I assume you''ve the payment ready, Young Miss?" the old man asked, rubbing his hands.


    "Yes, as always Victor." Reaching into the breast pocket of her dress, Lady Ember pulled out a variety of sparkling trinkets and held them before the old man, "Take your pick."


    "Ohh, by Origin¡¯s blessing, your wares never disappoint Lady Ember, hehe¡­ Let me see¡­" Taking a long, hard look at the opulent wares on display, the shrewd-looking old man seemed to keenly eye one in particular, a silver necklace of some sort.


    Fena couldn''t quite make out what it looked like but guessed that it vaguely resembled something like a fairy, just like the ones she''d read about.


    "I must stress that our time is limited,¡± Lady Ember said.


    "Ah¡ª yes, the ceremony, of course¡­ This one here shall suffice.¡± The old man¡¯s carrot-like fingers plucked the shiny silver necklace from Lady Ember¡¯s hand, then gradually raised his ancient arm about as high up as his body would allow, dangling the fairy before his wiley grey eyes. ¡°¡®The Fairy Of The Wind¡¯, they call her in Historia¡­ did you know that? Pitiful fools,¡± the old man chided, the wrinkly skin drooping from his cheeks stretching as his dry lips took the shape of a wry smile, ¡°though I guess they¡¯re half right, ¡®Of The Wind¡¯ she most certainly is, but a ¡®Fairy¡¯ she most certainly is not¡­ Oh! Nevermind the ramblings of an old fool, you¡¯ve somewhere to be.¡±


    "Over here." Suddenly, the old woman, whom Fena had completely forgotten about, spoke up.


    Whilst Lady Ember had been dealing with the old man, it seemed that the old lady had been preparing whatever travel idea that was to be the substitute for traversing the huge bridge. "Step into the lift. Stand within the markings. Infuse no Essence."


    Utterly confused, Fena did just as she was instructed, though it''d be a bit more accurate to say that Fena was just following Koria''s lead. What was even more confusing though, was that neither she nor Lady Ember looked in the least bit surprised¡ª Fena wasn''t sure whether that helped to make her feel more a little more comfortable or even more nervous, though it was likely a bit of both.


    The old lady was last to step into the lift. The old man gave her a signal, prompting her to weave a few hand signs. Shortly after, sounds of static became audible, which caused Fena to jump almost out of her own skin.


    "Remain still!" the old woman yelled, swiping a hand at Fena''s wrist, then repeating her process once again.


    After a few moments of silence, the lift began to move.


    ¡ªWait, move?! What the heck is happening?


    Darting her gaze in every direction whilst trying her utmost to remain as still as she could, Fena quickly began to understand where she was and what was happening.


    "Ah! I know what this is now! This is one of the ''Grand Lifts!¡¯"


    As she did, Lady Ember turned around from looking outside the opposite window and looked toward Fena, Koria also looked toward her.


    "You''ve knowledge of this contraption, Fena?" Koria asked, her eyes seemed to twinkle as she did.


    Hours and hours of her mother''s ramblings flooded into her head all at once like water flooding from a burst dam. Fena scoured the lift, observing her mother¡¯s innovations and how they''d been implemented into the final product; most notably the usage of Essence being pumped into a small gadget to stabilise the cart and move it respectively.


    Pointing to that small device, Fena explained, "That''s called an ''Essence Compartmentaliser'', it stores the Wind and Lightning Essence that gets infused into it by the operator of the lift¡­ Oh! And this small thingy on the end is called an ''Essence Distributor'' and that pushes that Essence wherever it needs to go."


    "Wow... well, it would seem as though you''ve no end of surprises, Fena. Is your father an engineer? With Melina Alexandria''s ingenuity, I feel as though I hear rumours of another fantastic contraption every week. It''s truly quite fascinating.¡±


    Fena felt her heart sink. The words escaped her mouth before she¡¯d even realised what she¡¯d said, "I... don''t have a dad.¡±


    Following a few moments of awkward silence, Fena scrambled to throw some words out to fill up the stagnant air, waving her hands all over the place as she spoke, "Oh but you don''t have to worry about me at all though! My mom never tells me anything about him and I can''t really remember him, so..."


    "I think it best we stray from discussion pertaining to personal matters henceforth,¡± Koria said, looking ahead toward their destination. ¡°Today, you compete for the official title of a Shinobi, correct? I shan''t occupy your mind any further with needless discussion."


    Koria was right. Belatedly, Fena realised that ever since she had run off from her mother, she''d completely lost sight of what had mattered most to her, the reason why she was even doing this in the first place.


    Was the world around her truly so terrifying? Was it truly so vast and unpredictable that it could so easily sway her from the dream she''d desired for as long as she could remember?


    No. For Fena, the answer to that question wouldn''t even be relevant, for the life she dreamed of spending with her mother, one where she''d never again miss a birthday, or be away from home when Fena had awoken from an awful nightmare, a life where she''d never again come home at the crack of dawn and collapse of exhaustion in the hallway, Fena would have to be stronger than whatever the world could possibly throw at her.


    Like her mother had hammered into her during her training, "The Shinobi world is built on strength, nothing else matters," so if Fena could become the ultimate strength in the Shinobi world, nobody would be able to take her mother away from her ever again.


    Firmly clenching her fists, Fena waged war upon the world she''d only seen but a fraction of, "I will not fail, I will protect my mother, I will be the strongest." Fena¡¯s scorching supernovas looked waywardly out of the window towards the scenery below, focusing on nothing in particular¡­ Envisioning only her hand being raised victorious.

 Chapter 3 - A Pure Heart

    1


    After stepping out of The Grand Lift, which Fena now understood to specifically be ¡°The East Grand Lift¡± upon noticing signs detailing as much around the drop off point, immediately she was awestruck by the jaw-dropping sight that was Origin¡¯s Wake. At the dead centre of the highest mountain in the village, a gargantuan tower as black as pitch loomed ominously, piercing through the clouds just as Fena had read. It was like a spear of black lightning, tethering the land of mortals to the domain of the divine. She tried her best to take in its unfathomable proportions, imagining just how far she¡¯d have to descend into the Earth¡¯s heart to find its base, as well as what she¡¯d be able to see if she could stand atop its peak amongst the clouds.


    Fena blinked and rubbed her eyes, scoping it out again, then shook her head as she rubbed them once more, before this time using both hands to form an imaginary camera of sorts¡­ Yet, no matter how she framed it within her field of view, she couldn¡¯t make out any perceivable patterns or consistency about its structure at all. The tower''s true proportions skulked behind an all-encompassing wall of darkness emptier than a starless sky and slumbering atop that ethereal tower, an omnipotent, all-seeing eye carefully watched over the world she had created.


    Well, that was the extent of Fena¡¯s knowledge on the tower at least, ¡°No way¡­ Crazy stuff like this actually exists in the real world too? Not just in books? Incredible,¡± Fena said. The red orbs of fire in her eyes danced and crackled and flared in astonishment. However, in the wake of such a revelation, a far less welcome realisation in turn unearthed itself, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t get it, why does mom never talk about history stuff like this? It¡¯s always that technology crap.¡±


    Fena cringed at her own words as soon as they¡¯d spilled out of her mouth. She respected her mother¡¯s work, the little she understood of it at least, and cherished seeing her mother¡¯s face light up when she¡¯d come up with a new idea or finish a design for a contraption she¡¯d spent all night drawing up.


    Nonetheless, Fena still felt conflicted, her mother had taught her so much about combat, what it meant to be a Shinobi and about technology, but next to nothing about history¡­ Her head felt heavy as she gazed toward Origin¡¯s Wake, completely unaware that she¡¯d strayed quite far from her accomplices¡­


    2


    Watching on as their newfound acquaintance had wandered a short distance away, Koria nudged Ruby, ¡°My Lady¡­ are you certain that this is what you desire?¡± she asked as she twiddled with her auburn hair.


    Obscured by a tousled curtain of black, Ruby responded, ¡°Yes, of course. I don¡¯t know his story but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not him¡­¡± Koria ground the words between her teeth. She snatched hold of Ruby¡¯s arm.


    Ruby peeked out from the veil of black that she so often hid behind, her beautiful blue eyes met Koria¡¯s for just a moment, before shrinking away and retreating toward the ground, ¡°I have seen to you in the shadows for how many years now?¡± Koria said, relinquishing her grip.


    Koria kneeled slightly to sit just underneath Ruby¡¯s eye level, ¡°I know you, Ruby. It is because I came to know you that I still draw breath to this day. However, what you propose to go through with today is absolute madness,¡± Koria said, clenching her fists. ¡°You know just as well as I that your father¡¯s sordid hands will be submerged in today¡¯s events and he¡¯ll pit you against your brother.¡±


    Ruby¡¯s eyes shot up from the ground and met Koria¡¯s, ¡°And what exactly is it that you are implying? Say it,¡± she demanded, with more than a hint of venom in her voice.


    There had been fewer divine children born of the Goddess than the number of times that Koria could recall moments where she¡¯d sighted any semblance of colour on that girl¡¯s face. It crushed her that this latest instance remained just the same as the previous two; blackened pain and reddened anger. Her sapphire stare was glacial, as harsh as any winter Koria had ever lived through; it dared her to continue.


    A crimson tear spilled from Koria¡¯s lip. She stood back up, cursing them for spewing words that wounded her dearest friend so, but it was precisely because she valued Ruby so much that she wouldn¡¯t shirk them, ¡°We both heard what your father said. He¡¯s no patience left within him for your brother¡¯s ¡®incapabilities¡¯ and if he doesn¡¯t prove his worth and awaken to his birthright this day, only the Goddess knows what he¡¯ll do to him.¡±


    Koria placed her hands onto Ruby¡¯s shoulders, digging her fingers deep as she leaned in closer, ¡°As for you¡­ You are shackled, girl. Bound by blood. You are his. Just as I, an ¡°Ashen¡± slave, am his also, nothing more than chattel that he houses, waiting only for when his whims call for making use of you, be-it for power, wealth, or even¡­¡±


    Koria reached for the frilly white collar of her uniform. Her hands trembled as she undid the buttons. Underneath her black dress were harsh, deep red blotches that stained her bronze skin like a field of red roses.


    Ruby gasped and immediately looked away.


    No, Koria wouldn¡¯t allow it. Ruby had to see it, all of it. Koria cupped her hand underneath Ruby¡¯s chin, ¡°Look at me child,¡± Koria said. ¡°If by some sheer miracle you see the end of this day with your life intact, this is all that awaits you.¡± Rage seethed within her, she couldn¡¯t let Ruby become like her, never.


    On the contrary, Ruby¡¯s flames seemed to have simmered down. Only saddened, flickering Ember¡¯s remained. Her oceanic eyes were directed toward Koria, yet she knew that within their vision she was not. Just what was it that she saw when the apathy would assail her as it did in this moment? Where is it that her mind would go to seek refuge when the heat of her burdens scorched too hot for her to handle? For nearly a decade Koria had wondered, and she wondered now just the same.


    Ruby had always been a timid and hesitant girl, what with an abominable, flame-fisted father that¡¯d have her battered blue by boys twice her age and size, hiding his twisted lust for authority and excellence under the cunning guise of ¡°training¡± if she¡¯d ever dared so much as step out of line or show any weakness. ¡°Flickering flames vanish under the cover of night; The Pheonix deign bequeath his blessing to those who are not worthy,¡± he¡¯d always warn her. Most despicable of all, without fail, even if she couldn¡¯t bring herself to stand, he would force her to fight against her own brother as her final opponent. The boy''s corrupted flames never spared her even a flicker of mercy.


    Koria had always cherished Ruby¡¯s passivity, even if it was considerably abnormal. It was part of what made Ruby, Ruby. Despite being inequitably burdened with her father¡¯s implacable expectations whilst also having no real family to turn to, there was room reserved in her heart for those that she loved, even more room than she left for herself. She¡¯d offer nothing but the warmth of her embrace and the gentle, soothing sound of her breathing, yet it gifted Koria a priceless stability.


    Though the memories were vague and painful to reminisce upon, Koria always likened Ruby¡¯s calming presence to when she¡¯d used to walk barefoot across her favourite place in the entire world: a small beach just a stone¡¯s throw away from her home back in ¡°Fret¡± called ¡°Rock Beach¡±.


    The tide would creep across the sparkling, grainy gold sand and tickle at her feet, but just as quickly as she could appreciate that sensation, the water would disappear, dragged back into the ocean¡­ Inexplicably, it would always leave her feeling hollow and bereft. She¡¯d always wish that she¡¯d have savoured that blissful sensation the way she ought to have before it so suddenly would leave her. Just like how when she¡¯d be comforted by Ruby, in between her steady breath¡¯s, horrific memories and survivor''s guilt would thrust their sharp, hateful cries into her stomach¡­ Until the waves would come creeping back, tickling at her feet once again, reassuring her that things would be alright, that she wasn¡¯t alone, that the next breath would come¡ª it would always come. That reassurance had kept her going all these years.


    However, today that feeling was fleeting in a way it never had been before. Just as she was powerless that tragic night when she¡¯d witnessed Fret set ablaze with pillars of fire whilst a ferocious, howling wind bent and twisted those flames to make them dance over the corpse of her home, staining the once beautiful, glittery golden sand with blackened, burning ashes, once again, Koria was powerless as she watched Ruby, her sole purpose for remaining in this world, determined to walk into those same flames.


    ¡ªPlease¡­ Not again¡­


    Koria confided within her dearest friend the dark cloud permeating the halls of her mind, ¡°Your father¡­ He has burrowed his way into that boy¡¯s head. Your brother is a lost cause. He will fight and continue fighting until he seizes the power that is his birthright, even if that means he must take your life.¡± Koria collapsed to her knees. She dug her hands into the earth beneath her, clasping at the soil as tears poured from her eyes, ¡°I can¡¯t do this¡­ Not again¡­ Please, I beg of you¡­¡± Run away with me, Koria cried within herself as her words trailed off.


    Koria was selfish, so unabashedly selfish. Ruby had chosen this to be her fate as was well within her right, but Koria refused to let Horace have his way once again, not with Ruby. She wasn¡¯t trying to control her; she wasn¡¯t the same as him.


    Suddenly, the radiant sun and the brightness of the world as she knew it became shrouded in a veil of black that tickled at her face, one she knew all too well. Thin, delicate fingers gripped at her shoulders, scrunching up her black dress and the white shoulder straps of her apron, whilst two intricately embroidered black sleeves wrapped around her back and embraced her, ¡°Then so be it,¡± Ruby said, the resignation in her wavering voice shaking Koria to the core. ¡°I cannot live like this anymore. I¡¯ve long run out of stars in the sky to wish upon for the courage to take my own life or to run away, but my heart simply cannot abide it. I love my brother, I believe in him, Koria, and I love my mother, I refuse to relinquish her to my father¡­¡± Ruby pulled Koria in even tighter. Her words devastated Koria, but she wouldn¡¯t dare interrupt, ¡°...Father always told me that the Ember name engulfs all within its flames¡­ its wretched, heinous flames¡­ If I cannot best my brother, begin to change this twisted clan¡ª¡±


    ¡°Heeeeey! I kinda recognise those two buildings over there! And I see a bunch of people too! That¡¯s gotta be where we¡¯re going, right!?¡± a familiar, oblivious voice called out, interrupting with the worst possible timing.


    Hurriedly pulling away from Ruby¡¯s embrace, Koria wiped her eyes and patted down her uniform. She¡¯s grown so tall now, she fondly remarked to herself. The sparkly black dress that she wore today was absolutely stunning. It perfectly complimented her long, flowy black hair, in spite of the fact she knew that her dear friend hated the colour so much. Her putrid father had long labelled his daughter ¡°The Queen Of Ash¡±, insisting that her natural hair was a sign that she was no daughter of his and refusing her leave of the estate unless she wore all black as he deemed her unworthy of the Ember Clan¡¯s traditional red, white and gold. To hell with her father, Koria thought, a benevolent, wonderful Queen she would be.


    It had just occurred to Koria that when Ruby cried, her big and beautiful oceanic eyes glistened just like the waves did back on Rock Beach¡ª a bittersweet realisation that stabbed her right in the heart. Would she ever have the privilege of witnessing those sparkling sapphire crystals twinkle with hope and enthusiasm, with happiness and love?


    As her world hung on the brink of collapse once more and those thoughts floated around her mind, one particularly stormy night, about a year shy of a decade ago, began to play out in Koria¡¯s mind.


    3


    Heavy rainfall relentlessly crashed against the dilapidated wooden shack like an onslaught of arrows whilst water crept through the crevices between the wooden panels, soaking Koria and the prickly ball of hay that she struggled, just as she did every night, to sleep upon. The flaming demon who¡¯d erased her home and everything she¡¯d ever known thrust upon her a new life, one of servitude. She¡¯d been working in the stables, where she¡¯d also been lodged, at the Ember mansion for about two weeks¡ª a mere fifteen years of age. That night, desperate for someone, anyone to hear her cries, she held her hands to her knees and cradled herself back and forth, praying for the indiscriminate hand of the cold to sweep through her bones and freeze her heart stiff, or that the distant roaring of thunder would rampage on and find its way to the shack, relieving her of the suffering that was her life.


    There was nothing left for her in this world, yet she was stuck within it. How could she possibly draw her own blood and disgrace the memories of those who fought and sacrificed themselves for her survival?


    Suddenly, a loud bang shook the wooden double doors that served as the entrance to the stable. Granted, they¡¯d been rattling and banging away all night, but this thud was far heavier, as though something, or even someone had banged on it, hard. Koria shot up to her feet, the freezing, damp stone floor bit at her heels whilst she frantically rummaged for a knife, one that she¡¯d stolen from a kitchen on the first day she was brought to the mansion. Once she¡¯d found it, she tiptoed toward the door. The steel in her hands shook in all directions, both out of fear and exhaustion; she¡¯d been the only maid appointed to the upkeep of the stables and the caretaking of the myriad of animals carelessly sheltered within them and she¡¯d been worked to the bone. Small bumps and bruises and cuts marked her all over and she was sore in places she didn¡¯t even know she could be sore. Her fatigued, beaten legs rattled like maracas, buckling under her weight, which itself was fast fading from her.


    Servants ate less and worked more, that was it meant to live a life of servitude.


    The winds were so fierce that as soon as Koria slid out the wooden board from the makeshift latch she¡¯d built, the door swung wide open, nearly flying away off its rusted hinges. She held onto the wall beside her and poked her head around, yet nobody was there. She reached for the door and pulled it back with all her might, praying that the winds wouldn¡¯t snatch it away. After she finally slammed it shut and slid the plank of wood back into the latch, Koria collapsed against the door, ¡°I¡­ definitely gotta get some sleep¡­¡± she insisted, lightly thudding her head against it several times.


    Servants slept less and worked more. This truly was her life now, there was no other choice but to get used to it.


    The skirling shriek of the wind refused to relent and just as Koria thought she¡¯d settled upon some semblance of calm, another bang, accompanied by the crashing and tumbling of wood and the smashing of rain inside the shack left no doubt in her mind¡ª there was an intruder. The rickety roof had collapsed with a tremendous thud. Koria pivoted instinctually, almost falling over her own feet as she held her knife out before her, screaming, ¡°STAY AWAY!¡± with her eyes sealed shut.


    After a few moments of silence, save for the turbulent weather, Koria dared to glimpse what was ahead of her. In a bed of splinters and boards lay a tiny little girl who couldn¡¯t have been older than seven or eight, soaked to the bone. Blood oozed from underneath her opulent, silk white nightgown. Koria knew straight away who she was, the youngest of the two children of her employer, Ruby Ember¡­ But why was she here? What in the world was she doing outside at this time of night in this perilous weather?


    Koria shuffled toward her, knife still raised, daring not to breath or blink. The noble child raised her head. Her eyes narrowed slightly, yet she did not waver. She was clearly wounded and she shivered violently, yet she did not wince. Koria saw an emptiness in her eyes, so bereft of anything at all, not pain, nor fear, nothing. The body moved, but what of the mind controlling it?


    She¡¯d no doubt see ¡°The Demon Of Ember¡¯s¡± flames again if she were caught holding a knife toward his daughter, but Koria soon perished the thought, as the girl needed immediate attention, ¡°You¡¯re hurt, let me¡ª s-sorry, I mean, Y-Your Grace¡­ may I please assist you?¡± Koria asked, her voice quivering. She bowed stiffly, still not quite accustomed to the formalities expected of her.


    ¡°Bathroom,¡± the girl droned, stoic and still.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand. Can you show me?¡±


    And show her she did. She stood up and walked toward Koria, grabbing her by the sleeve of her uniform and led her toward the big double doors. Koria was at first opposed to going back outside for obvious reasons, but once she¡¯d voiced that concern to the girl, she let go and then made a start for the run¡¯s where the horses stayed.


    What is it with this girl? Koria asked herself, incredulous. Still that emptiness lingered in her eyes. Koria glanced up toward the hole in the roof, making certain that there wasn¡¯t a puppet master manipulating the girl¡¯s body and playing a nasty trick on her tired eyes.


    The girl nonchalantly slipped out of her nightgown and Koria could only pray that she¡¯d scraped herself scaling the shack or during the fall, because everything else other than the wound on the child¡¯s stomach was mortifying and the fall from the roof wouldn¡¯t even begin to explain it all. Deep, purple lumps with small pools of red in their centre swelled all over her stringy legs like fleshy volcanoes. Clearly emaciated, her hollowed, bony body had been scourged by a demon''s tongue. The glowing, red welts left in its wake intruded upon the girl¡¯s sanctity, a sanctity that seemed as though it¡¯d been long stolen from her, a sanctity that she may have never even known she¡¯d had a right to in the first place. It made Koria shudder to her core.


    She just couldn¡¯t leave the girl in such a state, ¡°Don¡¯t! J-just¡­ stay there, please.¡±


    Beside the bundle of hay that served as a sorry excuse for her bed sat a large, ancient chest that she¡¯d made use of since arriving at the Ember Estate. Koria sifted through it, grabbing some rags that had been tossed to her by a senior maid and some mouldy bread that she¡¯d stolen and stashed away. Everything to her name was in that box. Though it humiliated her having someone else witness that fact, her feelings were of the least importance right now. The little girl needed to be fed and Koria¡¯s mouldy bread would have to do for now, ¡°I¡¯ll take you back inside. We gotta be quiet though and you¡¯ll have to show me the way, how¡¯s about it?¡± she asked, kneeling before her whilst washing off her wound and dressing the girl into the rags.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    After she¡¯d finished, Koria grabbed whatever rags she¡¯d had left and made deft use of the final thing stored within her chest, a sewing kit, and fashioned together a makeshift bandage. Morbidly enough, neither when Koria wiped at the wound, washing away the blood and making sure no debris remained in the cut, or when she tightly wrapped the bandaging over it, not once did the girl wince or cry out in pain, not even so much as flinch¡ª it was harrowing.


    Koria offered her the bread, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, forgive me for such a poor offering, but please, before we leave, you gotta eat.¡±


    ¡°Flickering flames disappear in the dark... Father says that The Phoenix doesn¡¯t give his blessing to weak children,¡± the tiny girl droned immediately in response to the offering.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Shocked beyond belief, Koria didn¡¯t know what to say. She sank her teeth into her bottom lip. Horace Ember was truly a monster.


    Koria forced out a weak smile, ¡°Hey, uh, R-Ruby? It¡¯s okay if I call you that right? I promise that I¡¯ll get you back inside, take you to the bathroom and get you tucked up nice and warm in bed, but you gotta promise me one thing,¡± Koria raised a single finger in the air, ¡°keep this a secret from your papa, okay?¡±


    Finally, for the first time since she¡¯d so unexpectedly met her, Ruby Ember showed just a glimmer of emotion. Her fingers, thin as a spider¡¯s legs, reached out for the bread, probing at it. Just one more push, Koria thought; she refused to abide even the rising of the morning sun before the girl had been fed.


    Koria leaned in closer. Ruby jolted, letting out a barely audible gasp as she shrunk back slightly. She¡¯s brave, so, so brave, Koria thought.


    As gently as she¡¯d handle a newborn, Koria lowered her rough hands onto Ruby¡¯s bony shoulders, pulling her towards herself slowly until the pair''s foreheads touched, ¡°¡®A song from the heart to quell the tempest in the mind¡¯. Where I come from, these words have been spoken to solidify promises for generations,¡± Koria pulled away from Ruby, looking her in the eyes once again, ¡°but that story can wait until another time,¡± Koria said with a smile. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get you inside.¡±


    Koria turned her back to Ruby, beckoning her to climb on. It was frightening just how light she was. The weak embrace of her sunken body came with a groan and a shiver; there was no more time to waste. She slid the wooden latch open once again and as soon as the winds wrenched the door away, she bolted out from the stables and onto the main courtyard. Save for the day she was brought in, Koria hadn¡¯t once stepped inside of the Ember mansion. She¡¯d have to keep her guard up. Koria made a start for the main entrance until a weak tug at her shoulder gave her pause.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Ruby said. A paper-thin arm rose up, extending outward and pointing to the left.


    Koria struggled to intuit what Ruby was trying to communicate, though her shivering arm remained raised, so Koria followed its direction, aborting her original plan of sneaking in through the front doors.


    She skirted toward the left-hand side of the building. Instead of now extending outward, Ruby¡¯s arm retracted and now signalled for Koria to look upward. There, she saw an open window about four stories high with a long, white curtain flapping about at the mercy of the violent winds. If she were caught, no doubt she¡¯d see those flames that burnt her home once again, so she decided to scale the wall as fast as possible.


    Using every ounce of strength she had left within her, Koria kneeled on the mushy mud beneath the window and infused Essence into the palms of her hands, then plunged them into the soil. Shortly afterward, a small mound emerged from beneath the surface, just barely large enough to encircle the area where Koria stood and slowly, it began to raise the pair upward toward the window. Fatigued, starved and recently bereaved, Koria simply wasn¡¯t in any condition to be harnessing Essence and each and every second that passed by dealt her excruciating pain. She drifted dangerously close to passing out multiple times, no longer feeling the torrential rain or turbulent wind at all. Her body was succumbing to the stress, but she refused to give in.


    How dare she when a child half her age showed such tremendous resolve yet didn¡¯t so much as wince in discomfort? Somehow, she¡¯d made it out to the stables and for some reason, she¡®d put her trust in Koria. A promise had been made, one sanctified by the words that The Fairy Of The Wind had parted with to her ancestors centuries ago, and she fully intended to keep it.


    In spite of her resolve, the glowing brown light swirling around Koria¡¯s hands began to dim. She braced herself to jump, squeezing out every last drop of Essence that her body could manipulate to get them as close as possible to the window.


    ¡°Hold on tight!¡± Koria shouted.


    The instant that the platform began to crumble and rock, Koria leapt from her kneeled position and reached for the windowsill jutting outward toward her, then she scrambled to establish solid footing onto the wall, ¡°Climb inside, quickly!¡±


    Koria dug her fingers into the unforgiving brickwork as the wind and rain beat away at her suspended body whilst Ruby clawed her way up from her back and through the window. Finally¡­ Safe from this terrible weather¡­ Koria felt herself fading, she¡¯d pushed herself far, far beyond her limits. She¡¯d gotten Ruby inside, to safety¡­ It didn''t matter what became of Koria now. She felt numb. She¡¯d felt numb since that day she¡¯d watched her loved ones and her home burned before her eyes. Her family, her friends and the beautiful music they¡¯d played together every single night¡­ Playing the piano filled her heart with inexplicable joy, it transported her to a place where the delightful, varied tones of the keys could soak up her deepest thoughts and feelings and woes and share them to the people who would hear her play.


    She¡¯d yearned to feel the weighted thud of a pressed key against her fingertips once again for what felt like a lifetime now, visualising herself playing and singing at the top of her lungs to the people that she loved, just like the best of times.


    Even right this moment, her mind wandered there, but it was different, everything was different.


    Nobody was there. She was all alone. She struggled to breathe. She¡¯d try to sing, but her voice made no sound. She¡¯d press onto the keys, but she couldn¡¯t feel their touch on the tips of her fingers and their wonderful sounds were replaced by empty, lifeless thuds. She tried smashing her hands into them and screamed as loud as she possibly could¡­ but there was simply nothing ¡ª no sound could ever come from playing a piano at the bottom of the ocean. (Keep?)


    A fall from this height, with her body so exhausted, would almost assuredly result in her death. We¡¯ll be playing together again soon, mother, father, brother¡­ Koria closed her eyes. She let everything go. The water rushed into her lungs, the darkness closed in around her¡­ Soon, she would feel nothing at all.


    Until suddenly, a clawing, squeezing pain racked her left forearm and her eyes shot wide open, ¡°Why¡­¡±


    Perilously leaning out of the window, Ruby had clutched onto Koria¡¯s arm. Tears poured from her eyes, or was it just the rain? She grimaced, grunting and groaning as she grit her teeth with her eyes squinted shut, ¡°Won¡¯t¡­ let you¡­¡±


    In an instant, the pain forced Koria¡¯s survival instincts to kick in. She snapped back to reality, scrambling for the windowsill once more and once she felt its cold, wet embrace, she gripped onto it tight, tighter than she¡¯d ever grabbed anything before and launched herself upward in unison with Ruby, who assisted her with one final pull.


    Koria flew through the window and grabbed hold of Ruby, twisting to avoid landing on top of her as the pair of them crashed onto the laminate wooden floor.


    Save for heavy breathing and the awful weather, a silence befell the pair as they lay upon the ground, soaked, sore and utterly exhausted. How someone hadn¡¯t heard them thus far was nothing short of a miracle; at least in this one aspect, Koria felt grateful for the tumultuous weather. Suddenly, the near silence was broken by sniffling and short, irregular breathing beside her, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, are you hurt?¡± Koria asked, reaching out toward Ruby and checking for her wound.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Ruby smacked her hand away, then buried her head into Koria¡¯s chest, ¡°...You¡¯re just like everyone else¡ª just like him¡­ You¡¯re a liar. Your promise¡­ You were gonna break¡­ your promise¡­¡± she cried, whilst pillow-punching and kicking Koria all over.


    The truth in those despaired words pierced sharper than any steel could ever, straight through her heart and into the depths of her very soul. Koria was a liar; she was going to break her promise¡­ Yet despite that, Ruby had still saved her life. How lucky she had been to have received such benevolent kindness, especially from someone who¡¯d so clearly lived a life bereft of it thus far.


    ¡°I... I am so, so sorry Ruby¡­¡± Koria said, wrapping her arms carefully around Ruby, ¡°...You¡¯re right, I am a liar. I was going to break my promise¡­ I miss my family so, so much. I wanted to be with them again, more than anything in the world,¡± Koria rubbed tears away from Ruby¡¯s eyes with her thumb, ¡°but still, you saved me. Thank you.¡± Koria lifted herself up from the ground, then lifted Ruby up into her arms, ¡°I gotta promise to fulfil, right?¡± she winked. ¡°Let¡¯s get you cleaned up.¡±


    Ruby nodded, then leaned into Koria¡¯s chest.


    After taking a moment to collect herself, Koria crept out of the room, tiptoeing down a lavishly decorated corridor, sporting an expensive looking red carpet and various opulent ornaments and portraits, to Ruby¡¯s direction. Fortunately, their destination was only a couple of doors down from the room that Koria presumed was Ruby¡¯s, despite it housing nothing of note that would distinguish it as such.


    Once they had entered the bathroom, Koria locked the door behind them and slumped down onto the warm, white marble floor. Her head throbbed, both from the impact of her smashing it against the floor earlier and upon recalling the events of this torrid night.


    Mere minutes ago, she¡¯d almost been swallowed whole by the jaws of death and accepted that this night would be her last. Koria exhaled a deep breath and looked toward the white marble ceiling, losing herself in the intricate patterns that just seemed to go on and on without an end.


    The bathroom was huge, just like Ruby¡¯s room and everything shimmered and shone with a glean that made Koira feel queasy. Nothing was out of place, towels were freshly stocked and all toiletries were neatly arranged¡ª it seemed that a servant''s life didn¡¯t seem much easier inside the mansion than it was outside, save for dealing with the weather.


    Koria felt a light tug at her hand. She looked up toward Ruby, who fidgeted whilst staring at the ground, ¡°I¡¯m here. I won¡¯t let go of your hand,¡± Koria said.


    Ruby ceased her fidgeting, remaining still for a few moments, before tugging again at Koria¡¯s hand, this time pulling slightly harder and leading her toward the lavatory.


    A wonderful warmth filled Koria¡¯s heart, one which for a moment surprised her; despair and bereavement had cast their unforgiving flames over the flower garden where her memories were planted, even those that remained were burned beyond recognition, horrifying to relive knowing now that those people whom she shared those moments with were gone.


    Koria directed that warmth toward Ruby. Even if just slightly, the feeling that she¡¯d taken one tiny step toward understanding the person who¡¯d given her life meaning once more meant the world to her. Never again¡­ I won¡¯t let go, ever again Koria swore to herself.


    4


    Once Ruby had relieved herself and was ready to return to her room, Koria quickly bathed her and dried her hair. Then, after the pair had snuck back into Ruby¡¯s room, Koria promptly sealed the windows shut then discreetly searched the room. Finally, a serene quietness fell upon the pair.


    She checked Ruby¡¯s wound once again, then swapped her out the towels that she¡¯d wrapped her up in and replaced them with a cosy grey bathrobe that was hung up within a large, old oak wardrobe. Inside, it housed a myriad of ridiculously gaudy looking clothes that Koria surmised individually could¡¯ve probably commanded more ¡°Essence Crystals¡± than her entire home would have back in Fret.


    Is this what happens when men become filthy rich? They just become closet weirdos? she wondered.


    It¡¯d escaped her notice before, but there was a distinct, acrid smell that stuck to her nose, suffocatingly so now that the windows had been sealed shut. Koria covered her mouth with a mortified hand; if the tales of Gods and monsters and mythical creatures in this world really were to be believed, Horace Ember was as foul and rotten as the worst of them.


    As was typical of such an abundantly rich family, it seemed you¡¯d never be found wanting for the essentials, as after a short bout of searching, Koria located spare bed sheets inside of a large drawer affixed to the bottom of the bed, choosing a dark blue colour to replace the pure white sheets that had been soiled.


    She wrapped Ruby up under the covers nice and tight and at first, she seemed quite puzzled, her breaths short and erratic. She looked toward Koria, trepidation in her blue eyes as they shrank.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Koria said, looking down toward Ruby¡¯s hand as she gently took it within her own. ¡°I won¡¯t let go.¡±


    Koria watched on with a smile as the warmth suffused Ruby¡¯s body, drying her chilled, rain-soaked bones as her eyelid¡¯s drowsily descended. The huge bed and thick covers threatened to swallow up her tiny little body whole. Koria chuckled quietly; it was truly a blissful sight.


    For a short while, Koria watched Ruby¡¯s hollow little chest rise, her bony ribs looked as though they were pushing the elasticity of her skin to its limit as her lungs filled to the brim with air before sinking back down. ¡°I see it now¡­¡± Koria whispered, brushing away some hair that had fallen onto Ruby¡¯s face with the tip of her finger.


    There was a frightening power hidden within this little girl. Not a power of the Goddess or of fabled monsters, nor of insurmountable strength or impenetrable defence, one as inherently human as any power could be, one that made Koria certain that this girl was human, just as human as she was: a pure heart.


    Alone, it wouldn¡¯t free her from this prison of fire and flame that her father confined her within, it wouldn¡¯t fill her stomach and it wouldn¡¯t provide her the love and care that her life was so bereft of. Maybe one day she¡¯d even grow to despise it, cursing how in the end it would only ever seem to shackle her to pain and suffering whilst knowing she didn¡¯t have it within her to cast it aside. Such a simple, worthless power that like herself, couldn¡¯t achieve anything on its own, yet it could reach the heart of another, someone who would value her pure heart just the same way Koria had begun to right now, someone with the strength to protect her.


    Ruby¡¯s dainty fingers gradually slipped from Koria¡¯s hands, yet they didn¡¯t relinquish their grip entirely. An overwhelming warmth filled Koria¡¯s heart, tears escaped from her eyes, it broke her heart that she had to leave Ruby¡¯s side for the night, but to ensure that she could remain by her side, she would have to see to her in the shadows, directly underneath the nose of her employer, lest she bear witness to The Demon Of Ember¡¯s flames once again.


    Once Koria was certain that Ruby had fallen asleep, she¡¯d gently slipped her hand back underneath the covers and made her way back to the stables.


    A few hours later, not too long after the sun had relieved the moon of its duties on a day as usual as any other, Koria was dragged out from her soaked slumber in the stables by rampant shouting and screaming and smashing and banging. Ruby was turning the entire mansion upside down, smashing ornaments and screaming at the top of her little lungs that she¡¯d wished her father was dead and that if she didn¡¯t get what she¡¯d demanded of him, she¡¯d run away.


    The hearty, conceited laugh that spewed from her father¡¯s pompous mouth when he¡¯d told her, ¡°Go right ahead! The Phoenix sees all, and he¡¯ll be squawking as loud as I once the taste of your petulant words hit your stomach, because that¡¯s the only food The Princess Of Ash will get her hands on.¡± made her blood boil to this day.


    That night, Ruby really did run away, and Horace, who never, ever, waddled out toward the stables, watched her like a hawk. Every few hours or so he¡¯d waddle on by, the pitch-black coals in his eyes bulging wide, glowering at her, yet not a word would he ever speak.


    A few days passed and Ruby still hadn¡¯t returned. Each night that went by, Koria got less and less sleep. It was blatantly apparent that her father abused and neglected the girl and Ruby seemed to have found her own way of bottling it up, but what in the world could have caused her to lose herself in such a fit of rage and madness? So much so that she¡¯d spew such venom in the direction of the man at the source of all her pain, knowing how severe the consequences would be?


    The night before she finally returned, Horace came by the stables once again, but this time he came with another man, a hulking, brute of a man, bigger than any she¡¯d ever seen save her late father, and approached her, This is it. They¡¯re going to take me, she despaired. It haunted her to recall how terrified she was in that moment.


    Had Horace somehow found out about the events of last night? Surely, upon unearthing such information, he¡¯d pin his daughter¡¯s rebellious behaviour slowly upon Koria¡¯s influence, an ungrateful stable wench who¡¯d far overestimated her station. Horace traced his stubby radish-like fingers over a thick, golden chain that coiled around his neck like a snake and let out a long sigh, then curiously remarked, ¡°Seems you maids have caught my daughter¡¯s eye as of late¡­¡± He looked at Koria through one eye and then turned toward the large man, ¡°...Gale, collect her belongings for me, and you, follow along. Do not speak a word.¡±


    Though she didn¡¯t quite know what time it was, the moon had long cast its dim glow through the hole in the roof and the inconstant gaps between the wood-boarded walls of the dilapidated shack and the constant hustle and bustle of maids and servants and training and all other new wealthy person activities that Koria encountered each and every day had all ceased.


    Just as she was instructed, she followed the two men and kept her mouth sealed shut, slinking through shadows and entering the mansion underground through an entry point she¡¯d never seen before. Every ounce of her being wanted to turn tail and run, but if she did, the large man would most certainly catch her.


    As preposterous a wish it was, she¡¯d wished that they¡¯d both at least possess the decorum to be gentler with her womanhood providing she did as she was told. The impending atrocity that the two beasts accompanying her were about to put her through ate away at her spirit. First, they took her home and her family, and now, they¡¯d take her. Koria felt empty, vacant, not paying any mind to her whereabouts whatsoever. She bumped into walls and tripped on steps, feeling all the vitality from her body being sucked away.


    They led her to a huge, extravagant room on the western wing of the mansion, which she had only recognized because of the furnishing; it was nearly identical to Ruby¡¯s room.


    The large man tossed Koria¡¯s things onto the massive bed in the centre of the room.


    Horace then beckoned the man closer, whispered something in his ear and then saw him out of the room, shutting the door carefully behind him. He took a long look at Koria, then, with his hand raised and poised to strike, he warned her, ¡°Not a damned word ¡®Ashen¡¯ wench. Noah tells me those Shinobi hunting lunatics have been spotted as near as Emberfield, yet he doesn¡¯t do a fucking thing about it. Only Origin knows what the devil¡¯s they¡¯re plotting.¡± Horace exhaled a deep breath and then lowered his raised hand onto Koria¡¯s shoulder, digging his fingers into her skin through her torn rags, ¡°You will speak nothing of this to anyone. If I even suspect your treachery, you will see my flames again, is that clear?¡±


    Koria bowed her head, retreating from his terrifying gaze, ¡°Y-Yes Your Grace.¡±   Once he¡¯d finally left the room, Koria held her breath, focusing on Horace¡¯s heavy, laboured steps shuffling away until she could hear them no longer, then collapsed to her knees. She scanned the room around her, then jumped back to her feet, grabbing whatever she could to barricade the door whilst making as little noise as possible and waited, slipping out her knife from underneath her dress, fearing that it was all too good to be true.


    At some point, Koria had drifted off, slumped over a small wooden table and when she awoke, what she saw both spooked her out of her skin and relieved her to no end. On the other end of the room, a huge window, just like the one in Ruby¡¯s room, welcomed a brisk breeze that rustled at the white silk curtains, carrying with it an earthy, mushy smell. Orange-tinted rays of warm sunlight beamed onto the laminated oak floor and underneath the window, in and amongst the blotches of light that swayed in and out of the curtain''s shadow, she saw red¡­ Blood, fresh blood and wet mud and pieces of torn clothing, ¡°What in the world happened?¡± she gasped to herself.


    It then occurred to her that she had no recollection at all of opening that window. Did someone render her unconscious? Where was her knife? She clenched her fists, but no longer was it in either of her hands, instead it was on top of a set of tall drawers near the window on the other side of the room. A weight tied her body down to the floor and her legs were incredibly sore. Frantically, she checked herself all over, starting from her chest, scouring for any bruising or markings and when she looked down toward her legs¡­ everything became clear.


    There she was, clothes torn to shreds, cuts and bruises all over her and her hair an awful mess, fast asleep in Koria¡¯s lap. ¡°You¡­ are truly incorrigible.¡±


    Remembering those events all these years later filled Koria both with an overwhelming happiness and a suffocating sadness. Ruby was her everything. The second chance at life she truly didn¡¯t deserve. ¡°I will be praying that you return safely, Ruby.¡± Koria said, her own words the anchor that sank her heart into the depths of despair, knowing that they may be the last words she would ever speak to her dearest friend, words that she despised herself for even having the nerve to say, for she did not believe in Ruby¡¯s chances whatsoever.


    Ruby reached out her hand, passing Koria¡¯s face and touching the back of her head. She pulled Koria close and the pair¡¯s foreheads rested upon each other, ¡°¡¯A song from the heart to quell the tempest in the mind¡¯. Thank you Koria, you¡¯ve done more for me than I could ever repay you for. I¡¯m not going to lose, I promise.¡±


    And with that, the pair reunited with Fena, making their way towards the academy. The trio walked in complete silence and as they did, Ruby resolved herself to her fate one final time¡­


    Father, Brother¡­ No longer will I cower in fear. In victory, or even in defeat, you will see it¡­ You won¡¯t dare tear your eyes away. Even the sun shall be put to shame; my flames shall burn brightest this day.

 Chapter 4 - Alone Again

    1


    Hmmm¡­ Something¡¯s definitely wrong here. They both look like they''ve been¡­ crying? Fena was completely stumped.


    Upon returning to the group after being at the mercy of her own fascination with the wonders of the world around her and wandering off, Fena found herself completely lost in the stark mood change that had befallen Lady Ember and Koria. The entire walk to the Academy, the pair had remained completely silent. Not a single word. Not even so much as an exchange of glances.


    Instead of holding hands like before, the girls positioned themselves either side of Fena¡ªthough neither of them were within arm''s reach¡ªleading the way.


    Koria¡¯s steps were intentful and mature, almost too intentional, as though she were making a concerted effort to behave as ¡°normally¡± as possible.


    Lady Ember¡¯s steps were hasty and stilted, like she was playing a game of tug of war with herself, one side fighting to stride out ahead of the group, whilst the other wanted to avoid causing a scene.


    Stranded between the pair of them, Fena felt her breath¡¯s hastening and her heart thumping away in her chest, tet in spite of being in such a position, she couldn¡¯t imagine ever feeling any further away from the two of them than she felt right now. It was terribly lonely.


    ¡ªWell, they only said they¡¯d help get me here¡­ It¡¯s not as though we¡¯re actually friends, right? that awful feeling stirred inside of Fena¡¯s stomach once again. She punched herself¡ªhard¡ªdigging and twisting her knuckles in right where she felt it festering.


    Abruptly breaking the silence, Koria finally spoke. ¡°This is where we shall be parting ways,¡± she muttered, plainly looking ahead.


    Towering over the trio were a set of ginormous, magnificent shining silver gates that led into a sprawling garden-like area which served as a social space, and on occasion even a training space, for the academy''s main building. Hung over the gates were a myriad of flags sporting all sorts of different colours and symbols of which Fena was none the wiser as to what they represented, aside from one in particular that immediately struck her as familiar thanks to the day¡¯s events thus far: a red and white flag with streaks of gold and in it¡¯s centre, a red phoenix spreading its wings over a fire surrounded by people with their hands raised¡ª the flag of the Ember Clan.


    As she continued to observe the flags, another one, a bright green flag with streaks of purple and white, caught her eye. Fena racked her brain, wondering just what about it made it feel so familiar to her, ¡°Ohh I remember,¡± Fena pointed toward the flag. ¡°That looks like that fairy! The one Lady Ember gave to that old man earlier.¡± she said, shamelessly applauding her keen eye with a ¡°Hmph!¡± as she puffed out her chest.


    ¡°The academy¡¯s main building is straight ahead. That is where you must register.¡±


    Ouch¡­ Well that sucked¡ªI can¡¯t leave things like this, right?


    Fena¡¯s palms clammed up, a chilled sweat made her clothes stick uncomfortably to her back. For a brief moment, Fena wondered whether the pair were actually upset with her. Was it because I wandered off? she thought¡ªKoria never offered to hold her hand, Ruby looked furious, but also deeply upset and neither of them would even so much as look at her¡­ but they¡¯d still stuck to their promise of guiding Fena to the Shinobi Academy.


    Giving up on her futile speculations that were only leading her in circles, Fena brushed the fingertips of her shaky right hand over the shaved sides of her head as she asked, ¡°So¡­ Uh¡­ D-did you both have a fight or¡­ something?¡±


    Bingo.


    In perfect synchronisation, the pair in question both snapped their necks towards each other, as if to check whether either of them had been foolish enough to give the game away and then winded their necks away from each other in the opposite direction, as though they were blaming one another for making it so obvious.


    Lady Ember pulled a sour, stroppy face, folding her arms and narrowing her thin brows out toward the distance whilst tapping her foot against the floor¡ªFena could practically see the steam blowing out of her ears.


    Whereas Koria looked awfully upset, stoic and silent, save for some sniffles, as she gazed wistfully at the ground beneath her, clutching both her hands to her chest.


    A cheeky, nervous chuckle escaped Fena¡¯s mouth, they remind you of anyone, mom?


    Fena sucked in a deep, deep breath. She¡¯d fallen out and made back up with her mother many times¡ªespecially in the last few months¡ªbut poking her head into someone else¡¯s business like this wasn¡¯t at all the same. She couldn¡¯t shake the image in her head of being some sort of intruder, trespassing upon a sanctified space unseen to the eye but housed within the heart that she¡¯d no right to enter. The thought of interfering any more than she already had done was making her tremble.


    She thought really hard about what would be the right thing to say, and when that didn¡¯t really work, she tried to think of what her mother might say¡ªshe always knew the right thing to say¡­ but right now, she wasn¡¯t here.


    In spite of that fact, one that made her feel a sudden pang of guilt, Fena¡¯s left hand slid down to Bolt¡¯s hilt and she refused to be defeated by her own inexperience. ¡°Uh¡­ l-look, I¡¯ve never really done this before, I don¡¯t have any friends and¡­ heck¡ªeven my workahlolic mom never seems to listen to me anymore either, so here goes nothing!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°You don¡¯t always need to have things figured out before you¡¯ve even begun trying¡± is what her mother had always taught her and though that advice was geared toward figuring out how to defeat an opponent in combat, Fena viewed solving this spat as just that¡ªThe strongest Shinobi should be able to solve any problem, either with their fists or with their words, Fena told herself.


    She stomped her foot onto the ground and lifted Bolt high above her head whilst pointing toward Lady Ember with her free hand, striking an eccentric pose that she¡¯d definitely not practised in the mirror countless times before and shifting between her and Koria as she spoke, ¡°I dunno what the hecks happened with you two but¡­ I really wanna help! Me and my mom, we get into fights like this all the time¡ªactually¡­ I got lost today because we had a fight, and I ran off¡­ W-what I mean is, it¡¯s okay to have fights and to get mad at each other, as long as you say sorry in the end and¡­ stuff.¡±


    Whilst Lady Ember didn¡¯t so much as even flinch, Koria raised her head from the ground and looked toward Fena with a weak smile.


    Okay, halfway there, Fena thought¡ªjust a little more and she¡¯d get through to Lady Ember for sure. ¡°I can help you, I know I can. I heard your brother¡¯s gonna be fighting today¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, Lady Ember shuddered. An icy finger glided across Fena¡¯s neck as an overwhelming pressure filled the air. Lady Ember¡¯s head slowly turned towards her, eyes stretched to their limits.


    ¡°W-well, uhh¡ªoh! Here, how about this¡­¡± Fena rested her chin upon the gap between her thumb and pointer finger, pausing for a moment as she frantically attempted to get her thoughts in order, ¡°Let¡¯s just call this, ¡®Facts About Fena¡¯! Here¡¯s fact number one, I never was allowed to go to school, so I¡¯ve never properly graduated. That means I¡¯ll be seeded low right? Chances are, you¡¯ll get to see me kick his butt and¡ª¡±


    Before Fena could even blink, Lady Ember had stormed right up to her, grabbing  a fistful of her clothes and speaking with a venom in her voice that chilled Fena to her core. ¡°Listen to me closely,¡± she hissed. In the centre of her blue eyes, a pure, festering white swelled, slowly engulfing the darkness of her pupils as she leaned in closer and ground her teeth, ¡°If you are matched against my brother, do not fight him¡ªforfeit.¡±


    ¡°W-what? W-why? But I¡¯ll fail. If I fail, then I can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T CARE!¡± Lady Ember screamed, shoving Fena and sending her crashing into the gates behind her.


    Fena gripped Bolt tight, ready to launch her response¡ªbut caught herself before she could act¡ªstunned completely still by the tears streaming down Lady Ember¡¯s distraught face.


    Why? Fena despaired. Why was this girl so hurt? Why was she so angry? Why wouldn¡¯t she let her help?


    It hurts¡­ She makes me hurt inside, but why? What¡¯s wrong with me? Fena¡¯s chest felt so hot, yet so cold. It didn¡¯t make any sense. None of this was making any sense.


    Was her strength really not enough to solve this problem? Lady Ember¡¯s father was treating her awfully and so was her brother, her brother was competing today and so was Fena, so the only way to help Lady Ember out was for Fena to show her that she was stronger than her brother, then she would have no reason to not trust in Fena or believe that she could protect her¡ªFena just couldn¡¯t understand where it was that she went wrong.


    ¡°I-I truly am sorry for this, Fena,¡± Koria said, unable to hold back her tears. She snatched Lady Ember¡¯s arm and yanked at it, ¡°We shall be taking our leave now.¡±


    And just like that, the two girls that Fena had hoped to call her friends by the end of the day were gone, leaving her all alone once again.


    2


    Fena sat slumped against the gates, not moving an inch from where Lady Ember had pushed her. Countless people passed her by, filtering in and out of the venue, walking and talking and laughing¡ªit was all so loud, so frighteningly loud. The sea of faces she was stranded amongst began to all blur together and that feeling, that awful feeling, sunk its teeth into her wavering heart once again.


    Fena¡¯s eyes clouded, ¡°I haven¡¯t changed,¡± she murmured, as she hugged her knees into her chest and buried her head in them. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll never change.¡±


    The spectre of her younger self that she thought she¡¯d left strapped to a hospital bed skulked about the halls of her mind, taunting her with a fiendish smile. Fena couldn¡¯t be that same girl anymore, otherwise they¡¯d take her mother away from her for good, but no matter how hard she¡¯d tried to forget her, that helpless little girl was, and always would be, just as much a part of her as her own shadow.


    Fena cried. She cried and cried and kept on crying. It felt like she¡¯d been crying for hours. She felt as though all she could do was cry. She knew that she had to get up, her dream was supposed to start turning into a reality from this day forward, but Lady Ember¡­ That amazing, stupid, confusing yet special girl had snatched her beating heart right out from her chest, stuffed it full of feelings and thoughts that Fena couldn¡¯t even begin to understand and then smashed that same heart into tiny pieces, leaving Fena all alone to pick the pieces back up. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    In the depths of her despair, Fena dared to ponder a possibility that would snuff the flickering flames in her scarlet eyes completely. Whilst covering her mouth with her quivering hands, she dared to asked herself, ¡°What if¡­ Mom¡ªcould she ever feel that way about me¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡ªUmm, hey? Are you lost? Oh¡ªn-no, wait a sec, there¡¯s no way you¡¯d be lost sittin¡¯ right outside the academy on the day of the Ritual, right?¡± a chirpy voice asked, laughing nervously. ¡°You worried about your match or somethin¡¯? Trust me, I get it. Honestly, I¡¯m pretty terrified myself, but you gotta do what you gotta do, ya know?¡±


    Fena kept her head buried into her thighs. What the heck do you know? she thought, as she held her breath and squeezed her stomach in tight, hoping that the boy would just leave her alone.


    Instead, slowly, he shuffled toward her. He¡¯d slide one of his feet forward and the sound of his footwear scuffing at the ground would scrape at Fena¡¯s ears, there¡¯d be an awkward silence for a few moments¡­ and then he¡¯d do it again.


    Fena tried to compose herself, hold back the tears for just long enough so that she could tell him to go away, but she knew that if she tried, the words would fall right back down her throat.


    ¡°I uh¡­ I don¡¯t know what it is that you¡¯re fighting for, but it¡¯s gotta be pretty important to you, right?¡± the boy said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry all that much about what¡¯s getting you down right now. You¡¯ll probably have other times where you wanna cry and kick and scream, that¡¯s normal, ya know? It¡¯ll all be okay in the end if you can reach your goal, right?¡±


    Everything will be fine¡­ If I reach my goal? Just as she had done many times before, Fena imagined how her world would look if she finally did achieve her goal. Every day would be filled with never-ending happiness, side by side with her mother, the one person she treasured more than life itself and doing anything and everything she¡¯d ever dreamed of, like going on little adventures and camping outside of the village, getting all muddy whilst searching for cool looking bugs, or going for long walks and not having to ever again worry about special moments being interrupted or birthdays being spent apart.


    Inexplicably, everything seemed so clear to her now. It was okay to cry. It was okay to get angry. All the strange and weird feelings she didn¡¯t understand right now were okay too, there¡¯d be time to figure all of those things out along the way.


    Fena¡¯s dream was bigger than her¡ªall that mattered was making it a reality, no matter what.


    ¡°Fena,¡± Fena mumbled.


    ¡°Feee-what-now?¡±


    Fena¡¯s head shot up. She squeezed her eyes shut and shouted, ¡°F-E-N-A, FENA¡­ Was that loud enough for you?!¡±


    Complete Silence. Everything from the chatter of the people around, the sounds of their footwear scuffing at the dirt and the distant bellowing of pious song in praise of The Goddess on her special day, even the smell of the lingering aroma of cooked meat that seemed to follow her even here on the highest mountain of all the mountains in the village, all of it was gone, as though Fena had been trapped in a glass globe, separated from the rest of the world around her.


    Her blood ran cold; shivers nipped at her sweaty back. The courage that the boy had just inspired in her seemed to vanish without even a trace. Had he left her too? Why did everyone always find a way to leave her?


    ¡°Damn, ya really got a good set of lungs on ya,¡± The boy was absolutely creasing himself, laughing so hysterically he was bending himself out of shape. ¡°I thought¡­ phew, I thought I¡¯d heard it right the first time, but I just had¡¯da make sure we were singin¡¯ in the same key, ya know?¡±


    Fena scrunched up her fists tight, thinking that she¡¯d give the boy something he really ought to laugh about. Yet, as Fena scrutinised his image further, her frustrations gradually faded into obscurity.


    He was a tall boy, far taller than Fena and such an observation gave rise to an ill-timed query¡ªI wonder if he¡¯s taller than Lady Ember?


    His hair was short and spiky and mostly blue, aside from a small patch of black hair right at the top of his head. Fena mused to herself that he looked like some sort of weird hairbrush, though she still thought it looked pretty cool. Strapped to his back, in some sort of black case, was what Fena could only assume to be the boy''s weapon of choice, as she¡¯d never seen anything quite like it. He wore a flashy, gold kimono that sported a myriad of black and white coloured symbols that looked relatively similar to each other, yet Fena had never seen anything like them before. A small, circular swell at the bottom connected to a thin line that at the top sometimes rounded out into a hook looking shape, or back down into another swell, keeping the two symbols attached. Some were even more intricately designed than that.


    ¡°Uh¡­ There somethin¡¯ on my face or¡­?¡± The boys face scrunched up as he felt about his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re here to fight right?¡± Fena bit down hard on her words as tears still streamed from her eyes, ¡°So, why¡­ Why waste your time on someone like me?¡±


    Something about all of this just didn¡¯t feel right. This boy was a total stranger to her, he¡¯d no reason at all to try and comfort her or say the nice things he¡¯d said, yet Fena couldn¡¯t sense even a hint of malice coming from him, even after he¡¯d laughed the air from his lungs three times over at her.


    The tall boy''s brown eyes locked on to Fena, ¡°Wow, tough crowd¡­ Well, it sure ain¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve been booed,¡± he sighed. He walked toward Fena, carefully removing his weapon from his back, and plonked himself down on the dirt beside her just outside of arms-reach. ¡°You¡¯re kinda right, but kinda wrong. Yeah, I¡¯m here for a reason that¡¯s way more important to me than dealin¡¯ with some girl I just met crying so much you¡¯d think she¡¯d gotten ¡®The Sea Serpent''s Curse¡¯, but that reason would absolutely kill me if she found out I just left you sittin¡¯ here on your own like this.¡±


    Fena took a moment to consider his words, but then abruptly shuffled away, ¡°Y-you can tell?¡± she shrieked.


    The boy smiled warmly, ¡°Look, this ain¡¯t the first time I¡¯m dealin¡¯ with a girl who¡¯s going through a rebellious phase. Ya kinda remind me of her when she was your age¡­ Though that was a long, long time ago now¡­¡± he said, as his words abruptly tapered off and his warm smile faded away. A weak, morose haze clouded his dark brown eyes before he looked away from Fena and toward the ground.


    The boy exhaled a deep breath. For a few moments, he just seemed to stew. His thick eyebrows were furrowed until suddenly, he sprung back up to his feet, scraped the dirt from the backside of his black trousers and held both his hands behind his head, ¡°It¡¯s probably because you remind me so much of her that I spoke too much, so enough with all that sappy stuff,¡± He turned around toward Fena, extending a hand to her. ¡°C¡¯mon, we both got somewhere to be, don¡¯t we? And¡­ if The Goddess wills it, we¡¯ll both be facing different opponents our victories will take us a step closer toward our goals! Though her favours about as reliable as pissing in Galeforce¡¯s wind to put out a fire.¡±


    Fena just didn¡¯t quite know what to say. It really did seem like the boy was being honest and open with her, but she struggled to bring herself to trust him. It all didn¡¯t make any sense, yet it sort of did at the same time. Though he didn¡¯t know her, though he¡¯d never laid eyes on her before a few minutes ago, it felt like he knew her; like he understood her. However, it wasn¡¯t Fena that he understood at all¡ªit was somebody else. Did that mean Fena was just a substitute until that person came back?


    Ambivalence thrashed about inside of her body. She thumped herself in the stomach where she felt it stirring, then stood up without taking the boy''s hand. It¡¯ll all be okay, as long as I protect mom, she reminded herself, finding her strength once more. ¡°Galeforce¡­ Sounds like you know that guy?¡±


    The boy¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°We¡¯ve got some unfinished business,¡± he said, looking aimlessly into the distance and clenching his fist. ¡°Enough about me anyways¡ªhow¡¯s about we go and register? Clocks tickin¡¯!¡±


    3


    ¡°I TOLD YA TONTA! THEY¡¯VE ALL GONE MAD! THEY¡¯RE TRYING TO GET INTO OUR MINDS!¡± shouted a tall girl as she tussled with a boy about half her size.


    ¡°No¡ªdammit Nat, I warned you about cameras about a thousand times before we got here, they aren¡¯t trying to clone us or get into our minds you idiot, they¡¯re just for security!¡±


    Upon entering the grandiose building that served as ¡®The Origin¡¯s Peak Shinobi Academy¡¯s Educational Institute¡¯, Fena and her accomplice were immediately greeted by the sight of a feisty, strong looking girl and a short, timid looking boy tussling in the main lobby.


    ¡°LOOK DAMMIT, THAT¡¯S ME! AND THAT¡¯S YOU! B-BUT I¡¯M ME! AND YOU¡¯RE YOU!¡± Incredulous, the girl clawed at the shorter boy like a spooked cat in an attempt to reach the security camera that, for whatever reason, was causing her such ire. Yet, the boy wouldn¡¯t relent either, surprisingly overpowering the girl and pushing her away from the camera and toward the entrance.


    ¡°And I already explained to you that yes¡ªwhilst they may look exactly like us, they are NOT us! Oh¡ª¡± the boy suddenly gasped after accidentally bumping into Fena. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! Please ignore us, she just gets way too excited when a bunch of people are around,¡± he said with an awkward laugh and as he did, the rowdy girls furious face lit up.


    ¡°Perfect timing¡­ So first they make us face ourselves and question which of us is really the real us, then they send in their lackeys to come finish the job whilst we¡¯re all upside down! Well I ain¡¯t fooled! I¡¯ll kick both yer¡ªagh¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, the small boy chopped her across the back of the neck, sapping the crazy girl of her energy and sending her into a gentle slumber.


    Woah, this boy really is strong, Fena thought, now watching him closely, paying attention to his every move.


    Carefully, he sat the now sleeping girl against the wall next to where he stood, then slumped against it right beside her. ¡°Ugh¡­ I said this was a terrible idea right from the start,¡± he said, taking a moment to catch his breath before rising to his feet again and lifting the girl onto his back. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m real sorry about all that, and about bumping into you¡­ ¡®Name''s Tonta, this little squirt on my back is Natalie, but you best call her ¡®Nat¡¯, cuz if you don¡¯t¡­ well, you can probably guess.¡±


    Fena looked toward the ground whilst fiddling with Bolt¡¯s hilt. She furtively glanced toward her accomplice, who looked just as confused as she was, tilting his head at her with a wide-eyed stare, until his brown eyes seemed to flicker and he cleared his throat, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it man, it was an accident. We¡¯re all good over here.¡±


    Tonta smiled, ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± Shuffling about as he readjusted his grip on Nat, Fena couldn¡¯t help but find that the pair looked absolutely ridiculous. It was like a mouse giving an elephant a piggy back ride. ¡°Soo what about you guys? I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re both here for the Ritual right?¡±


    Fena¡¯s accomplice scratched the back of his head. An awkward tension filled the space around the small group for a few moments, until he began to speak again, ¡°Right on. Well, this here¡¯s Fena, or F-E-N-A if you¡¯re me, I guess?¡±


    Fena thumped the boy¡¯s side with her elbow, which caused him to belt out a ¡°yeowch!!¡± loud enough to draw the attention of plenty of other people in the lobby. ¡°Come to think of it, you never actually told me your name earlier. I didn¡¯t really care then, but now I wanna know, so tell me,¡± Fena pressed, as she narrowed her eyes at him.


    ¡°Alright-alright fine¡ªjust save all that for whoever your opponent is, sheesh.¡± Rubbing the soreness out of his side where Fena had struck him, the boy took a few moments to collect himself. ¡°Call me Cello.¡±


    ¡°Cello?¡± Tonta repeated with a raised tone. ¡°Best of luck to you both then, especially if one of you ends up facing Nat¡­ You¡¯ll be needing it.¡±


    ¡°H-huhh¡­ whuzzat? Who¡¯s calling for me now¡­¡± The group''s gaze shifted nervously towards Nat, who seemed to be awakening from her forced nap. As though lightning had just struck her, she zipped to her feet, jumping off of Tonta¡¯s back and flashing her big green eyes in every direction before grabbing him, ¡°Y-you IDIOT! We¡¯re gonna be late! The heck you do that for?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d have already registered if you didn¡¯t freak out over the camera¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­¡± Nat¡¯s lips curled up. She stood on one leg, half-twirling in place whilst looking at the ceiling. ¡°Fine. Sorry for overreacting,¡± she said, before looking toward Fena and Cello. ¡°My bad for what I said, and for bumping into you as well¡­ Here¡¯s an idea, after we all kick ass today, how about we meet up again and celebrate! We were talkin¡¯ about how the food was supposed to be pretty crazy here whilst we were on the way, right Tonta? Please, can they come?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about all that after we¡¯ve won¡­ who knows, you might be looking into the eyes of the person you¡¯re about to fight after all,¡± Tonta said, his eyes narrowing particularly upon Fena¡¯s person.


    Fena returned his gaze. Today had most certainly been a tumultuous day to say the least and at times, it¡¯d felt neverending. When things had gotten tough, she¡¯d ran away, or not been able to find the words to say, crying like the helpless girl that she was in that hospital, the girl she¡¯d sworn that she¡¯d never be again.


    Tonta¡¯s gaze scared her and though she couldn¡¯t really understand why, this time, she refused to run. She refused to cry. This time, she¡¯d find her words and she¡¯d speak them true. She slid her left hand onto Bolt''s hilt and looked toward Nat, then back and Tonta, ¡°I won¡¯t lose.¡±


    Tonta¡¯s lips curled into a mischievous grin. Nat flashed her teeth and crashed her fist into her palm, ¡°Ya know what, I kinda like you. Maybe I¡¯ll use my challenge on you if my draw ends up being lame. Let¡¯s go Tonta.¡±


    And with that, the pair walked away toward one of the many registration booths deeper inside of the lobby.


    ¡°¡®Bout time we did the same, you ready?¡± Cello asked Fena, flashing her a confident smile before the pair filed into a line for a different booth.

 Chapter 5 - May The Ritual Commence

    1


    Upon successfully registering themselves for the ¡®Origin¡¯s Ritual Ceremonial Spars¡¯, Fena and Cello filtered themselves into the ginormous arena that was situated right next door to the Shinobi Academy. Lifting from her vague recollection of the brochure that she¡¯d read whilst stuck in the hospital a number of years back, the arena, which had a specific name that evaded Fena¡¯s memory, was able to seat over thirty-thousand people. A fact she could only recall due to remembering the state of utter shock it¡¯d put her in when she¡¯d first read it; it had terrified her to imagine just what it¡¯d be like to have such a huge number of people in one place at one time. She remembered asking her mother questions like, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be so loud that your ears would hurt?¡± and ¡°If everyone jumped at the same time, wouldn¡¯t it cause an earthquake?!¡±


    Inside, it was absolutely packed full of people, and though her ears were doing just fine with the noise, Fena¡¯s fears of the possibility that the ground beneath her feet might start to shake violently at any second weren¡¯t exactly assuaged just yet. Nonetheless, Fena did her best to soak up the environment around her. The buzz and excitement and singing stirred and bounced off of the tall brick walls and reverberated back into Fena¡¯s ears like she was being stirred about inside of a colossal sized brick made cauldron.


    Thankfully, the registration procedure itself was mostly painless. After displaying a letter of acceptance that Fena, just the same as anyone else who¡¯d successfully applied to participate, had received months prior, she and Cello were guided into another room where she¡¯d then confirmed the basics, such as her name, which schools she¡¯d attended¡ªor lack thereof¡ªand given a rundown on the rules of competition as well as what ¡®Shinobi Combat Technology¡± would be available for those competing to choose from.


    Unconcerned about the particulars, Fena had cut straight to the point, brushing off the guide and their explanations by turning toward a man who stood silently in the corner of the room and asking him specifically just how a match could be won or lost. Fena was alert to the man the moment she had laid eyes on him; there was a presence to him that was hard to explain but impossible to ignore. Without making a sound, he¡¯d slipped into the room a few short moments after Fena, Cello and the guide had. He¡¯d stood, arms folded, next to the doorway. Though he wasn¡¯t exactly a tall man, it felt as though he stood far, far taller, he had short white hair and a scar tracing down from his top lip to his chin and he wore a white and gold shoulder cape that mostly obscured his black leather chest armour. Multiple small pouches were strapped to his waist belt, likely containing shurikens and kunai and smaller throwing knives and darts, possibly even some ¡®Tech Scrolls¡¯, a hugely popular recent innovation of Fena¡¯s mother¡¯s that essentially allowed anyone to carry around a myriad of techniques both offensive and defensive inside of a tiny little scroll; all you¡¯d have to do was crush the scroll in your hand and boom.


    ¡°Hey you,¡± Fena had called out to him. His grey eyes narrowed sharply, which gave Fena a slight chill. Shaking it off, she¡¯d asked him, ¡°I was told back when I was accepted that you can win a fight here in two ways: you knock your opponent out or they quit, is that still how it works?¡±


    At first, he¡¯d grumbled to himself, scowling as he looked toward the ground and mumbled something about ¡°...patience,¡± before he¡¯d looked back at Fena, then at Cello and back at Fena again. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, kid. Render your opponent unconscious¡ªyou win. Make your opponent quit¡ªyou win.¡±


    With the conditions for victory being established, Fena made a start for the door, but before she could leave, the man had stepped in her way, ¡°There¡¯s one more rule yous¡¯d ought to know,¡± he¡¯d said, his tone shifting to one far more stern and severe. ¡°No participant may interrupt a fight once it¡¯s in progress, nor may you engage in combat with anyone else¡ªwe won¡¯t be having a repeat of last year. Start any trouble and I¡¯ll cut you down, understand?¡±


    Though Fena had no idea what exactly the man was referring to; she¡¯d never once heard anything about last year''s Ceremonial Spars from her mother worth any note, she nodded her head and the man then removed himself from her path, allowing both her and Cello to leave the room.


    After the pair had wandered around the arena where the matches were to be held in silence for a short while, Cello twisted up his face and wheezed in agony, ¡°Man, that guy was terrifying don¡¯cha think?¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡± Though Fena found herself smirking at his silly expression, her words trailed off as an uneasy feeling assailed her the more she took in her surroundings.


    Just like everywhere else Fena had been this morning, the venue was filled with singers and dancers and food stalls and just about anything else you could think of all lavishly decorated with the now familiar sparkling and dazzling reds that Fena was now acutely aware were chosen very much in reverence to Ramus, The Eternal Flame.


    ¡°I wonder¡­ if all of this makes him happy?¡± Fena mused aloud. She found herself captivated by a large painting that depicted Ramus spreading his wings wide and taking flight, with people at the bottom of the painting raising clasped hands up toward the sky and she couldn¡¯t help but think of her mother.


    ¡°Who, The Phoenix?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    It¡¯d been a reoccurring thought that¡¯d struck her numerous times throughout the day thus far, but as her eyes lingered upon that painting, Fena once again found herself floored by just how many people were singing and dancing and celebrating in the name of someone she¡¯d never even heard of until today. Though she couldn¡¯t quite grasp the deep reverence for the Goddess or for Ramus in particular, it wasn''t necessarily all too unfamiliar to her, as Fena saw her mother in a very similar way¡ªthe strongest Shinobi and the most innovative technological genius, but most important by far, the most loving and caring mother in the entire world.


    To everyone else, she was ¡®Origin¡¯s Guardian Angel¡¯,  some omniscient oracle gifted to the people of Origin¡¯s Peak by Lady Origin herself so that in her absence, the helpless, lost sheep of this village would have someone to shepherd them toward salvation. Her mother bore the weight of the world without so much as breaking a sweat, because that¡¯s all she¡¯d ever allow them to see.


    Yet Fena knew the truth. Her mother, the ¡®Guardian Angel¡¯, was merely a human, just like everyone else and the halo that everyone else saw floating above her head was slowly crushing her. In the eyes of the people she soared high amongst the clouds as bright as the sun, if not even brighter, illuminating the village in her benevolent light and keeping everyone safe and warm, but when the moon would relieve her of her duties, underneath the cover of the night sky her wings would fail her, the consequences of bearing such an insurmountable weight all alone would take effect and she¡¯d come crashing back down into the stratosphere, just barely having enough energy to crawl through the front door of her own home and collapse in the hallway.


    Fena couldn¡¯t help but find herself wondering why, on a day where he was being so jubilantly celebrated, Ramus himself was nowhere to be seen. How did he handle all of that pressure?


    ¡°I think that people who make lots of other people happy are special people¡­ but it¡¯s wrong for people to rely¡ª¡±


    ¡°Attention. Attention. The opening ceremony for Origin¡¯s Ritual shall be starting shortly, please attend to your seats. Attention. Attention¡­¡±


    ¡°Guess we really don¡¯t got any more time to waste. Hey Fena, follow me!¡± Cello ran ahead, beckoning for Fena to follow.


    Her train of thought suddenly derailed, Fena found herself flustered. ¡°W-where are we going? How do you even know where we can sit?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re participants. We can sit where we want man!¡±


    Picking up the pace after stumbling over her own feet, Fena followed Cello¡¯s lead, he hurriedly dashed through the circular halls that winded to the left before taking a sharp right up a set of stairs.


    Fena was certain they¡¯d gone pretty high up, both from the sheer amount of steps they¡¯d scaled and the somewhat more settled atmosphere in the area that they now found themselves in. With the singing from the floors below ceasing after that man¡¯s voice had sounded out throughout the arena, the only noise that vaguely echoed from below was the hustling and bustling of people rushing to their seats.


    Whilst the main entrance and the ground floor in general seemed to use the excellent stonemasonry as the appeal, aside from the flamboyant decorations for Origin¡¯s Ritual, the upper floors were a lot more like what Fena was used to seeing inside of the hospital near her home¡­ which made her feel slightly queasy.


    The natural bumpy browns and greys were replaced by flat whites and without all of the compliments of red such as could be seen below, everything just felt sterilized and dull. Down below, there were so many people that Fena at least felt somewhat at ease battling against her distaste for large crowds with the trade off of feeling unseen and simply blending in, but up here there were far fewer people, and it became immediately apparent that the reason why that was the case was because this was an area frequented by those a step or two above the rest in importance.


    Many dressed in exuberant and extravagant clothes unlike anything Fena had ever seen before, laughing shrill and hearty laughs that felt like pins pricking at Fena¡¯s ears. Others drank and ate their fill, filing into one of the many rooms that seemed to serve as a seating area where people could watch the events on large screens hung upon the walls. Instead of numerous Shinobi posting up about the area as security, such as was the case below, Fena spied numerous Shinobi in and amongst the groups of wealthy and important people going about their business, some donning a familiar looking white and gold uniforms like the one that the man in the registration briefing room wore earlier, and some others dressing just as gaudily and unfamiliar to Fena as some of the rich people did. All of this was to say that in taking all of this in, Fena just knew that she wasn¡¯t supposed to be here at all.


    ¡°Cello,¡± Fena shouted. He ignored her, so Fena called out to him again, ¡°Cello!¡±


    ¡°Na, not here either,¡± he said aimlessly, in a manner that seemed as if he were cursing himself. He stewed for a moment with a serious look in his eyes, before finally turning toward Fena. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go higher!


    Before Fena could even begin to protest, he was already halfway up the steps. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s gotten into you, stop ignoring me.¡±


    ¡°¡ªMay The Flames Of Creation guide us back to you, Lady Origin.¡± The speakers sounded out once again. This time, a different man spoke. A man with a voice like velvet, conveying a deep reverence in his dulcet tone that seemed to lull the lingering buzz and bustle around the arena into a serene slumber¡ªfinally, the proceedings had begun.


    ¡°Cello! Stop messing around, we¡¯re gonna be late! Where the heck are you going?¡±


    Cello had dashed around a corner out of view, but just as Fena had reached the top of the stairwell and was about to turn the corner and follow him, he ran back to her. ¡°Stop complaining, we¡¯re here now, see? Look, follow the corridor, take a right down that corner and grab us some seats, I¡¯ll catch up in a sec.¡± Flashing a wink, a silly smile and a thumbs up at Fena, Cello shot off once again.


    Fena wasn¡¯t remotely convinced. Despite wanting to keep chase with Cello and confront him for whatever it was he was obviously keeping from her, hearing the man through the speakers continuing to run through the pleasantries once again conveyed to Fena that she¡¯d simply no time to spare¡ªif her name were called for the first match and she wasn¡¯t ready to answer, she¡¯d be disqualified.


    Fena hurried toward the seating area. It was all sinking in now. Finally, everything that she¡¯d worked for up until this point was about to start taking shape. This was the first major step toward taking her mother back from all the people that were stealing her away. A flush of energy and excitement suffused Fena¡¯s entire body as she felt her heart thump away in her chest as though it itself was serving up a drumroll to the biggest moment of her life to date.


    Basking in that abundance of anticipation, excitement and nervousness, Fena¡¯s awareness eluded her for just a split second and on any other day, that would¡¯ve been all it took for her head to be separated clean from her shoulders, tumbling to the floor like a led balloon whilst the blood spewing from the fountain of headless flesh painted the dull white walls with a deep red, as if it were its own display of reverence to Ramus on this special day and the dream she¡¯d worked so hard for reduced to naught but ash.


    ¡°¡ªFilthy runt!¡± a man roared. A man that for a moment, Fena could¡¯ve sworn she¡¯d recognized, yet she was so thrown off guard that it didn¡¯t occur to her just who it was straight away, or that he was swinging a gargantuan battle axe right for her neck.


    Before she¡¯d even time to so much as blink, Fena had gone from running on her own two feet to being bundled over and crashing into the wall whilst the shrieking sound of steel grinding against steel clawed at her eardrums. Fena instinctively gripped Bolt, shook the pain from her head that¡¯d smashed into the wall and leapt backwards, but as she took in the threat, she wasn¡¯t exactly sure how she should act.


    ¡°Galeforce, huh¡­? That pig Horace put you up to this shit or what? He want another repeat of last year, that it? Remind everyone that I ain¡¯t up for the job no more and tear ¡®The Order¡¯ down for good, chop the head off the snake, yeah?¡± A different voice spoke now, his gravelly tone rising in anger with each question he fired at Gale.


    Fena noticed in an instant that the man holding Gale back was the same man who was in the registration room with her and Cello, the Shinobi with the scar over his mouth and inexplicable presence to him. She¡¯d no idea why, but from what Fena could piece together, that Shinobi had saved her from what surely would¡¯ve been her death.


    ¡°Speak ill of His Grace in the presence of his spouse once more, consequences be damned Colt I¡¯ll crush your skull underneath my boot just the same as I¡¯ll do that runts. To hell with The Order¡ªI¡¯ve a score to settle with that gutter rat and that¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    In a rush, a woman dashed out into the hallway. ¡°Gale, what the fuck is¡ª¡± Frantically, she scanned her surroundings and the instant hers and Fena¡¯s gazes met, fury blazed in her emerald green eyes. She darted towards Fena like an arrow shot from a bow, the steel of her spear ripping through the air as it aimed for her chest. Fena¡¯s stomach had tasted only the stiffness of its pommel last time around, but this time there¡¯d be no room for error, she poised herself to parry the weapon and then mount a counter attack; she¡¯d guide Salacia¡¯s weapon into the wall and whilst she was vulnerable, she¡¯d strike with Bolt straight into her sternum¡­


    ¡°¡ªAlright, gloves are comin¡¯ off, ¡®Mist Release, Purgatory¡¯.¡±


    ¡­Yet, just as she was about to make her move, Fena¡¯s vision was enshrouded in heavy mist. Everything was gone. Everyone was gone. She couldn¡¯t even hear a thing aside from the thumping of her own heart, and she wasn¡¯t even sure if she really was hearing it or just feeling it. Disoriented, Fena instinctively changed plans, she leapt toward the opposite wall, thinking that if she sprung off hard enough she¡¯d hit it and from there attain her bearings, but even after her manoeuvre, she never felt it. Salacia, who was merely a hair''s breadth away from making contact with her a mere moment ago, just never seemed to appear.


    Am I¡­ stuck here?


    ¡°You are¡­ unless you tell me what I need to hear, ¡± Colt¡¯s stern voice called out from somewhere in the void.


    Wait, you can hear me? Am I speaking out loud? But I can¡¯t even hear me?


    ¡°Yes. No. Stop asking questions. I¡¯ll let you out on one condition: no more fighting. I already warned you before.¡±


    Hey! They attacked me first¡ª


    ¡°I know what happened¡ªyour little buddy came screamin¡¯ down the steps about there being a fight or something. Luckily for him, the nearest Shinobi was one of mine and a sensory type at that¡­ but that ain¡¯t the point. I was too late last year¡­ I ain¡¯t makin¡¯ that same mistake again. Look, ya wanna get outta here or what?¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    You keep mentioning last year this last year that, but I don¡¯t have any idea what you¡¯re talking about. If it¡¯s a thank you ya want then thanks, I really would¡¯ve been a goner if you hadn¡¯t pushed me out of the way, but you saw it, they started it so I¡¯m not backing down.


    Colt let out a stiff guffaw. ¡°That right? So ya think you¡¯d have just dealt with ¡®em both yeah? Just beat them up, make ¡®em say sorry and then go sit down somewhere and wait patiently for your match like a good kid, that it?¡±


    W-well yeah¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s so funny¡ª


    ¡°In other words, what you¡¯re saying is that you ain¡¯t got no problem pissin¡¯ all over the warning I gave you earlier, right?¡± Colt¡¯s voice now abruptly fizzed with anger. Fena couldn¡¯t be certain, but she felt as though the wispy white mist around her was becoming darker and more heavy, making it harder to breathe. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your deal is kid, but there¡¯s somethin¡¯ that you just ain¡¯t gettin¡¯. If you don¡¯t quit fuckin¡¯ around and stand down, it¡¯ll be me that you¡¯ll be dealin¡¯ with, not those Ashen dogs.¡±


    You aren¡¯t making any sense! Why¡¯d you save me if you weren¡¯t actually trying to help¡ª


    ¡°Helping you is exactly what I¡¯m doing here,¡± Colt raised his voice, cutting Fena off. He sighed a long sigh before continuing on, ¡°At last year''s ritual, right here inside of this arena, it was under my watch that a lotta people died.  One of ¡®em was ¡®The Chief¡¯s¡¯ only kid. My incompetence that day¡­ Fuck, enough of this shit. Ya wanna get yourself killed, then that¡¯s fine by me, but not today and not here, I ain¡¯t gonna let ¡®Noah¡¯ down again¡ªthat¡¯s why I saved you and that¡¯s why you¡¯re in here, cuz that crazy bitch was about to skewer you. You asked for an explanation, right? Well now ya got one, so I¡¯ll ask you once more and if ya got the nerve to say no, I can keep you in here as long as it takes, are you going to stand down, yes or no?¡±


    Fena still didn¡¯t understand much of what Colt was talking about, she didn¡¯t know who the chief of the village was and she never knew of his family, but in spite of being none the wiser to it all, Fena found herself sympathetic to Colt¡¯s troubles, as well as quite surprised. He didn¡¯t really owe Fena any explanation whatsoever.


    Yet here he was, reflecting upon his troubles and, just as Fena did with her own, hurting all the same. He¡¯d warned her severely in the briefing room about fighting and though Fena couldn¡¯t help but feel indignant upon being subjected to Colt¡¯s interrogation when she hadn¡¯t even started the fight in the first place, it began to make sense to Fena just why Colt was so determined to put a stop to it. It was as all of that sank in that Fena suddenly realised something. From the moment Colt had entered that briefing room, Fena had felt that there was a presence to him, something she couldn¡¯t quite explain but something that innately, she could just feel. Something that, upon looking at Colt, you could glean in an instant.


    You get it don¡¯t you? What it means to endure?


    ¡°...Look kid, the fights are about to start, I ain¡¯t wasting anymore time with you. I need an answer now.¡±


    Fine-fine, I¡¯ll stop fighting¡ªI mean, as long as they do obviously.


    ¡±Don¡¯t worry about them, it¡¯s been handled.¡± Just as Colt had said that, the mist around Fena rapidly dissipated. Standing before her, feeling mountainous in size in spite of his modest stature, was Colt, holding a spear in his left hand, and opposite him, stood both Salacia and Gale, Salacia bereft of steel and Gale with his weapon lowered, tempers seemingly quashed.


    ¡°Wait a sec, I¡­ thought I moved?¡± Fena gasped. She was absolutely certain that when she was stuck within that mist that she¡¯d leapt across the width of the corridor, but upon the mist clearing, she¡¯d found herself in the exact same position.


    It was then that suddenly, another person burst into the corridor, and though Fena¡¯s parting with her earlier hadn¡¯t exactly been stellar, her presence was leagues more welcome than anyone else¡¯s here at least, ¡°F-Fena? By The Flames, what are you doing up here?¡± Koria asked, covering her mouth with her hands. Her head swiveled constantly back and forth, looking toward something and then back at Fena and the rest of the group. ¡°M-My Lady¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡®My Lady¡¯?!¡± Fena yelled, cutting Koria off. Her heart raced at the chance to speak to Lady Ember again. ¡°Is Rub¡ªI mean, Lady Ember over there? Is she okay? Let me see her Koria, please!¡± Fena blurted out, trying to barge past Colt.


    ¡°Not so fast kid¡­ I don¡¯t care much for showing nobles any courtesy, but you ain¡¯t supposed to be up here¡ª¡±


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t even my idea! Cello told me to follow him and then he just ran off. Ugh, when I see him again I swear!¡±


    In response to Fena¡¯s explanation, something about Colt¡¯s expression suddenly changed. He still looked as sculpted and steely as Fena was fast growing accustomed to, but a pulse of energy seemed to rush through his grey eyes.


    ¡°I want to see my friend! I have to help her!¡±


    Colt seized Fena¡¯s right arm, his grip like a vice wracking pain right through it, ¡°I ain¡¯t asking kid¡­ I gotta find that boy and fast.¡± but just as he did, Gale, Salacia and Koria gasped and instantly took a knee.


    ¡°¡®Y-Your Radiance¡¯!¡± they all said in unison.


    Breathing heavily as she leaned against the dull white wall, a tall woman wearing a mask designed in the image of Ramus, The Phoenix and a long, thick black cloak with black leather gloves and flat pump shoes shuffled carefully towards the group. Though her arms were mostly obscured by her cloak, Fena caught glimpses of her pale legs where her trousers didn¡¯t quite reach her ankles and it was frightening just how thin they were.


    Koria rushed to her aid, carefully taking one of the woman''s arms over her shoulder. Fena felt her own arms shiver; she just couldn¡¯t shake the fear that at any moment, the woman''s arm might snap as easily as a twig.


    ¡°My Lady! Please, you mustn¡¯t be on your feet¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ friend? You came to see¡­ your friend?¡± the woman asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. The narrowed talons of the mask she wore settled onto Fena¡¯s person. She raised her free arm wearily and pointed toward Fena.


    ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯re not friends, I guess¡­ She helped me out, even though she didn¡¯t even know who I was. Her fat dad and nasty brother were so mean to her¡ª¡±


    Gale¡¯s bronze cheeks flared red. ¡°Watch your mou¡ª¡±


    All it took for his words to scurry right back down his throat was a mere glance from the lady in the mask. He froze in place for a good few seconds before bowing his head right down to the ground.


    ¡°Please¡­ continue.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­ Well, I just wanted to help her. She was so upset and I just didn¡¯t know what to say. She was crying and¡­ it made me feel so sad. I just thought that if I tried to help her, she¡¯d see that she could trust me and maybe I could ask her to be my friend and¡­¡±


    After rattling off her words like a machine gun, Fena found herself freezing up under the woman¡¯s placid, unmoving stare. There was something about not being able to see her eyes that made it all the more paralysing and an ill feeling of foreboding crept about Fena¡¯s stomach and she punched herself right where she felt it festering.


    The woman turned to Koria, prompting her to speak. ¡°It is as sh¡ªhe described. Me and Your Radiances daughter guided Fena here to the academy. He¡¯ll be partaking in the Ceremonial Spars.¡±


    Fena¡¯s eyes lit right up. ¡°N-no way, your Lady Ember¡¯s mom?¡±


    Before Fena could get an answer, Colt cut in, ¡°Look, I really ain¡¯t got time for this shit.¡±


    ¡°Please, Captain Colt...¡± the woman pleaded, straining her voice. She coughed and her frail body collapsed into Koria. After gathering her breath, she asked, ¡°Would it be plausible¡­ that the child remains with me?¡±


    Colt cleared his throat and looked aimlessly towards the ceiling. ¡°...¡®Lira¡¯, I already told you to stop calling me ¡®Captain¡¯,¡± His voice softened as he spoke to the woman, but he still wasn¡¯t entirely convinced, ¡°yeah, I could leave the kid with you, sure, but what¡¯re you gonna do if these idiots start fighting again?¡±


    ¡°Horace,¡± The woman spat that name out of her mouth as if it tasted like dirt. ¡°I don¡¯t know why he insists¡­ they protect me¡­ The man cares not for my health or my safety,¡± She craned her head in the direction of the pair. ¡°Go¡­ grovel at the feet of your real master.¡±


    ¡°At your behest,¡± Gale and Salacia responded, rising to their feet. Whilst Gale turned to walk away, Salacia held out her hand and Colt threw her spear back to her. She shot Fena a snarl before turning away and following Gale.


    Watching them both with trepidation as they walked down the other end of the hallway, Fena pulled her arm away from Colt and began to make her way toward Koria and Lady Ember¡¯s mother before Colt called out to her, stopping her in her tracks, ¡°Don¡¯t make me have to come back up here.¡± and just like that, he was gone too.


    Fena caught up with Koria and Lady Ember¡¯s mother. ¡°Is it okay if I help?¡± she asked nervously.


    Koria smiled warmly, but politely declined her, ¡°No Fena, it¡¯s quite alright. To our seats then?¡±


    3


    ¡°Noooooow then, with all of those pesky pleasantries fiiiinally out of the way, I must express my dearest, deepest apologies to each and every one of you. It truly bereaves me so to deprive your eager ears of my soothing symphonies henceforth. I, the magnificent, ravishing, awe inspiring, ¡®Caleb John Emberfield¡¯, yours truly today and forevermore, so long as you reserve just a tiny corner in your blessed hearts for me, shall give way to a man who I am most certain needs no introduction¡­¡± Caleb John Emberfield was an extravagantly dressed man with a velvety voice. Flaunting his chiselled, pale white physique, he wore a rather strange unbuttoned blazer that sported a variety of different colours like black and green and purple and yellow all encased within different shapes alongside embroideries of all different kinds of things like flowers and symbols and people all in different colours too. A sparkling silver crown sat upon his silky straight blonde hair, which just seemed to dance alongside the man''s every move, moves of which he made aplenty, timing his theatrical gestures with his speech.


    Sat high right amongst the top rows, Fena surveyed the sweeping crowd packed into the brick cauldron arena as they all sat dead silent. She herself had gotten pretty sick of Caleb¡¯s ramblings and breathed a sigh of relief that he¡¯d soon be handing over to someone else.


    ¡°Yet¡­ I can feel it¡ªI can sense it. Deep within all of your hearts, that special little tavern that you¡¯ve reserved only for me cries out for an encore¡­ therefore, it is a spirited introduction my wonderful fans shall get!¡± Caleb roused those in attendance and, like a conductor, directed their noise levels as his hands wove intricate patterns in the air, before finally raising them well up high and toward the sky, which was matched by a ferocious roar from the crowd that shook the arena.


    Covering her ears in a panic and curling up into a ball, Fena¡¯s worries about the dangers of so many people being squished into a single space wracked fear through her heart. The monsoon of voices shook the very air around her and the stone floors beneath her feet shook too.


    ¡°Fena, are you alright?¡± Koria asked, reaching out toward her. ¡°Is it the heat again? Are you feeling nauseous?¡±


    Fena could barely get her words out, her heart thumped so frantically that it felt like the noise was filling it to the brim like water rushing inside of a balloon and that any second now, it was about to burst. ¡°It¡¯s too loud!¡±


    Koria¡¯s soft brown eyes widened. For a moment she seemed taken aback, before a giggle escaped her lips and she placed her hand on Fena¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will grow accustomed to it. I can assure you that the noise in this venue won¡¯t do your ears any harm, though I do agree that it is most certainly unpleasant.¡±


    In an attempt to distract herself from her fears, Fena found herself looking toward the huge screens that were suspended from the roof of the stadium displaying a live feed of Caleb as he entertained the crowd. She found herself in utter disbelief at just how real Caleb looked upon them in comparison to his real life image, which she could spot in the neighbouring stand, not too far from where her group were currently sat. She¡¯d seen plenty of television shows and such whilst stuck in the hospital over the years, but there was something truly uncanny about both seeing a person in real life and looking towards a screen to find their visage so perfectly replicated in real time.


    Caleb, bowing and waving his hands, hands that were sporting white gloves that had small golden chains dangling from them, continued to prattle on. ¡°Thrust into the stewardship of Lady Origin¡¯s maiden voyage of creation after the sudden assassination of his late father a decade ago¡ªlet¡¯s just say he¡¯s certainly not had an easy time of steadying the ship. Technological revolution, a proponent of peace amongst the major nations, Ramus nowhere to be found for more than a hundred years and, now this one¡¯s the kicker folks, casting aside his ¡®Ember¡¯ lineage, yearning to break free from the chains that he perceives our history to be and for man to live not underneath the thumb of a deity who hides from her people!¡± A cheeky smile was smacked along Caleb¡¯s face. Boo¡¯s rang out from the crowd and as he continued to speak they grew louder and louder, which only seemed to stretch his devious grin further and further. ¡°And so, it is without further ado that I, Caleb John Emberfield, introduce to you all, by far the most handsome of the two Ember brothers¡ªthough the bar was never set too high to begin with¡ªself proclaimed, ¡®Child Of The Sun¡¯, ¡®Noah Breaker¡¯!¡±


    With the curtain finally closing on Caleb''s eccentric performance, a different man stepped forward out onto the platform. He stood there stock still, not even moving so much as a muscle, completely unflinching amongst the chorus of boos and ridicule that echoed around the arena.


    Fena, her worries about the wellness of her ears forgotten, was astonished. This man was supposed to be the village chief? He for sure looked the part, a lot taller and certainly in better shape than his ugly fat brother that Fena had had the misfortune of encountering earlier. Instead of the white and gold with accents of red that Fena had seen Lady Ember¡¯s father and brother wear, The Chief instead wore black robes and a big headpiece with a large ornament of the sun affixed to the back of it, looming large behind his person.


    Fena turned to both Koria and Lady Ember¡¯s mother, who each sat to the right of her respectively. ¡°Hey, why does everyone not like him? And why¡¯s he just standing there, why doesn¡¯t he just tell them all to shut up?¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­what you would do, Fena?¡± Lady Ember¡¯s mother asked. It was reassuring to hear that her voice wasn¡¯t so frighteningly frail whilst she was seated as opposed to when she was straining herself earlier. If it were, there¡¯d be no chance at all of hearing her over all of the jeering and booing.


    Even more concerning however, Fena¡¯s heart was absolutely racing in response to the question¡ªwell, it¡¯d be a little more accurate to say her heart had been racing ever since she¡¯d sat down with Koria and Lady Ember¡¯s mother. So many thoughts rattled off the walls her mind all relating in some way or another to Lady Ember herself; all she really wanted to do was just ask questions about the woman''s daughter and learn more about her, but she couldn¡¯t shake feeling awfully guilty about not being able to help Lady Ember when she was in so much pain¡ªhow could she ever claim to be her friend, or even want to be her friend, if she couldn¡¯t even help her when she was in need?


    ¡°Y-yeah, I would actually! This guys The Chief, which means he¡¯s gotta be like, the second strongest person in the village at least, so I¡¯d tell them all to get lost. Stupid sheep all needing a master to help save them or whatever¡ªI hate idiots who expect others to just do everything for them!¡± Overshooting severely as a result of all of those conflicting feelings as she stood up from her seat and raised her fist in the air, Fena found herself blurting out a little too much in response to the question. ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry, Misses Ember!! I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡±


    Like a cork flying from a champagne bottle, Koria looked as though she was just about to shoot out of her own seat, staring daggers at Fena with her eyes stretched wide open until a frail hand from Lady Ember¡¯s mother touched against her arm. ¡°Koria¡­ it is alright. He is not with us, calm yourself.¡± Once again she¡¯d spoken of Horace Ember in a way that sounded like she¡¯d spat dirt out from her mouth. Slowly, she leaned closer toward Fena. Fena could tell that she was struggling to get all that close and so she met her in the middle, the both of them sneaking their heads just underneath Koria¡¯s chin, ¡°¡®Elira¡¯. If you might consider calling me by my name, I¡¯d be very happy.¡±


    Though Fena couldn¡¯t see Elira¡¯s face, she had a feeling that underneath that mask, she was smiling. Completely occupied with the explosion of joy from her heart that suffused her entire body, Fena didn¡¯t notice at all the rather strange stares from both Koria and Elira at her reaction, or their own giggles as they both watched Fena wiggle about in her seat like a child who¡¯d been gifted a brand new toy.


    ¡°¡ªI wish to speak but a few words, I shall do my best to not come between you all and the ceremony for too long,¡± Bursting Fena¡¯s joy filled bubble, The Chief¡¯s voice pierced through all of the noise in the arena. ¡°To those gathered here, inside of ¡®The Phoenix¡¯s Nest¡¯, and to the many watching throughout the world, paupers and princes, aristocrats and commoners, minor and major clans and anyone and everyone in between, I beseech you to ask yourself one simple question,¡± Hushed, harsh voices began to rapidly multiply and the tension began to rise once again. Fena found herself captivated, sitting right on the edge of her seat in anticipation of The Chief¡¯s words.


    The Chief stomped his foot onto the ground as he took a stride forward right toward the edge of the platform he stood upon. ¡°The Goddess blessed this world and us with a truly special power, and she gifted us her children so that they may teach us how to harness it. Generations and generations before us, our ancestors worked together, sending Shinobi far and wide to ensure lands bereft of the rains moisture, unable to grow the food needed to feed those who inhibited them, could create the water they so needed, to lands where freezing cold temperatures would beget the cold hand of death to steal loved ones away in the dead of night, teaching its people how to create the warmth they needed to survive from the palms of their very own hands¡­ The Goddess blessed us with the gift of creation. Nevertheless, since the death of my father ten years ago at the hands of ¡®The Crimson Witches¡¯, and now my dear son at the hands of the Shinobi Hunters last year, as well as severe incidents in other nations, some whose representatives sit right behind me as I speak, it has become clear to me that we have drifted far, far from the intended usage of our gift,¡±


    The noise was fast reaching a boiling point. Like tidal waves, the neighbouring and opposite stands fervor only rose higher and higher as he continued to speak and threatened to soon cascade onto him and crush him beneath their weight. One final time, The Chief pointed from his perch, his finger tracing a horizontal arc from left to right in such a way that Fena was convinced the man was making a concerted effort to ensure that every single person in the arena was certain that he was indeed pointing at them and his powerful voice parted the rising tide, sending it crashing back into the ocean. ¡°Ask yourselves this: will you allow The Goddess¡¯s gift, the gift of creation, to become the archetype of our very own destruction?¡±


    Noah¡¯s question lingered heavily in the air and the arena fell silent once again. Though the question didn¡¯t really make much sense to Fena, she felt the sheer magnitude of it nonetheless and tried her best to think of an answer, but before she could, like the sound of a bullet on a serene night, The Chief¡¯s voice rang out one final time and for the first time since he¡¯d made an appearance, the crowd roared in response, ¡°May The Ritual, commence.¡±