Strange noises could be heard coming from Kiett's room. Claire was downstairs when the noises caught her attention. Alarmed, she ran upstairs calling for her brother, but he didn't answer and the noises grew louder.
"Kiett, are you okay, is everything all right?" she asked, receiving no answer. She continued climbing, the wood creaking with each step. Claire began to feel nervous. "What is that fool doing?" she thought. The suspense of the moment made her ignore a wooden bucket, which she tripped over, twisting her ankle. "Damn it!" she shouted, losing her balance and falling onto her back, hitting the railing.
The sound coming from Kiett's room intensified. "This isn't good" Claire thought, and immediately got up, even though her ankle was still hurting and she couldn't put any weight on it. Suddenly, the door flew off its hinges and was thrown out of the hallway window, along with a cloud of smoke and tongues of fire. "Kiett? Kiett, brother, what's going on?" Claire shouted. She ran as fast as she could into the room, fearing for her brother's condition after that enormous burst of energy. When the smoke cleared, Claire saw Kiett lying on the floor on his back, laughing hysterically. This angered Claire, who approached him slowly with a smile that would scare a small child.
"Are you hurt, little brother?" she asked, smiling, as if nothing so violent had happened that it sent the door flying out of the house, destroyed half the roof, and blew out the window. "Claire, calm down, I'm fine, I'll fix it" he replied fearfully. Claire looked at him angrily, and in Kiett's view, a great darkness began to emanate from her.
"You think we're rich, you idiot?" she replied. Kiett got up quickly and tried to escape his sister's wrath, but she was as quick as a cat, jumping on her brother's back and leaving him breathless. "Claire, please, I can't breathe" he said. Claire laughed maliciously at him, "You really can't breathe?― Tell me, do you have money to repair the roof or for a new door and window?" Claire recited, "Because I don't and Uncle Joel isn't coming―You'll have to repair everything yourself" Claire exclaimed.
Kiett gave up and lay motionless beneath Claire. Eventually, she calmed down and let him be. As Claire got up, she looked around his room. "Wow this is a real mess" she said. Kiett simply grunted. His sister continued looking around until she found a curious book. She picked it up, closed it, and looked at the cover. "The Tales of the Wanderer? Kiett, what's this?" Kiett jumped up with almost superhuman speed and tried to grab the book from her, but Claire was faster and dodged him like an elegant dancer. "Claire... give it to me... it's just a book of bedtime stories" he replied.
Claire began to laugh softly until she ended up laughing loudly. Kiett just looked at her, not believing that she was really laughing. "Bedtime stories? Are you afraid of the dark? Did you wet the bed?" Claire said mockingly. "Don't fool me, Kiett―you're always doing things you shouldn't, that's why you almost blew up half the house!" she scolded him.
Kiett sighed and walked over to his bed. After a moment, he sat down and asked Claire to join him. She obeyed, sitting down next to her brother. "Cosette recommended it to me, as a first step toward asking to study with the Sentinels" Kiett said. Claire was surprised, although deep down she knew it would happen. Kiett had always shown a certain talent for elemental mysticism, but she didn't expect him to decide so soon. "Listen, Kiett―I understand how you feel, but don't you think you're rushing into this a little? You can still improve your sword skills―I'll help you."
Kiett looked at his sister, she came closer and kissed him on the cheek, "It's you and me against the world... remember?" Claire stated, "I know, Claire, we'll keep our promise―It's just that when I was fighting in Threnafell, I didn't feel like it was enough" he replied. Claire stood up, a little upset, but instead of criticizing him, she agreed with him.
"I know, brother―I know, but no one could have been prepared for a situation like that, not even the hunters or Uncle Joel" Claire reiterated. "By the way, we haven't seen him these days. Do you think we should look for him?" Claire asked. "Let's leave him alone a little longer―We'll visit him tonight after the incense ceremony" Kiett replied.
Claire handed the book to Kiett and left, not without first kissing his forehead. He remained thoughtful in his room. "Clean up this mess―Silly!" she exclaimed as she went downstairs. Kiett got up and walked over to one of his double-door wardrobes, turning to make sure he was alone. When he opened the doors, a bright light illuminated his face, and he slowly smiled. "Just a little more of my mana, and I'll get it!" he said.
On the outskirts of Averford there are also some settlements, hamlets, and villages under the protection of the Kingdom. Although they do not enjoy the protection of its walls, there are towers of erratic mystical energy that function as an electric barrier with great defensive capabilities. Through these settlements, a man rides energetically on a beautiful black horse through the beautiful village of Dove. Upon leaving the village, the man continues until he enters a small forest, where the wildlife is beautiful. Some beautiful and large rabbits and deer jump and graze, the singing of birds adorns the sound of the wind blowing. Everything happens despite the light rain. The sun was unable to break through the black clouds laden with water that continued to bathe the land of Averford. For almost a thousand years, the climate had been changing drastically, and Averford had had to adapt greatly in order not to be greatly affected.
The rider continued until he reached a ranch near the village of Dove, at least it was far from Threnafell. Curiously, that forest was also a good place for hunting. Upon arrival, the rider was greeted by servants who stopped him in his tracks. "I come in the name of Her Majesty Fiora Bright-Windham. Her Majesty needs General Montecristo."
One of the servants escorted the man to the back of the estate where General Joel Montecristo was cutting pieces of wood with an axe. "Sir Joel... The Queen has sent a messenger for you" the servant reported. "Thank you, Victor" Joel replied, and when he turned around, he saw that it was not a messenger, but a hunter. It was Alistar. "Please leave us alone."
The servant obeyed immediately and withdrew. "What are you doing here, Alistar?" Joel asked. "I've come for you, Joel. We need you" Alistar replied. Joel pretended to ignore Alistar's words. "Please, Joel, you can't lock yourself in here forever―We need you. Our Queen needs and that's why I'm here," Alistar repeated. Joel cut a huge cedar log with his axe and turned to Alistar. "Our Queen will be fine without me―I intend to resign as her general" Joel replied. Alistar remained silent, and Joel proceeded to continue cutting wood.
"Joel, these things happen... but you can't just give up... you're our general!" Alistar said emphatically. "They were children, Alistar... just children... and I couldn't do anything―I couldn't save them. I did nothing!" Joel shouted with each blow of his axe on the cedar trunk until he split it in half and his voice cracking under the weight of his guilt and then fell to his knees crying. "I'm not worthy to continue being your general―It's over for me."
Alistar watched the suffering of the man who had once been his master, but he had a lump in his throat and found it difficult to speak. He searched for a single word to ease the pain Joel was going through. "Listen, Joel―Don't do it. Fiora needs you, your nephews need you―You can't leave them now" Alistar said. Joel turned toward Alistar, and the hunter watched the tears roll down Joel's cheeks.
"My nephews. I forgot about them for a moment―How are they?" Joel asked. For a moment, Alistar saw a slight smile on Joel's face, and when he saw it, he felt as if the sun had returned after years of gray skies. "Alistar, they don't know this place―Could you bring them? I'd love to hug them!" Joel pleaded, "Come with me―Tonight is the incense ceremony, they'll be there, join us" Alistar replied. Joel wiped the smile from his face and responded with a firm 'no.' "You have to go―I have things to do!" Joel said.
Before leaving, Alistar took a scroll from his hunting bag and said, "Believe me―Our queen needs you, she left this scroll for you, her instructions were precise, she wanted me to give it to you." After this, Alistar left, leaving Montecristo very intrigued. Alistar saddled his horse and set off on his journey back to Averford. Joel entered his bedroom and opened the parchment. As he began to read, someone knocked on his door to tell him that dinner was ready, preventing him from finishing the document.
―Averford mystic Academy at night―
In Averford, Claire and her brother arrived at the kingdom's mystical academy. Upon entering, they met their other classmates, all wearing black uniforms with gold stripes. Kiett and Claire also wore these uniforms, only a little more modest. Most of the students aspiring to become Legionnaires of Averford wore more elegant uniforms. "Claire... can you see Margott?" he asked. "Give her some space, can't you live without her now?" she replied, annoyed. A pair of female arms wrapped around Kiett's hips and hugged him tightly. "I'd really love that" Margott said, referring to Claire's comment.
In Margott's presence, Kiett was content and kissed her tenderly. Claire, on the other hand, made gestures of disgust and walked away from them. "How shameless can they be?" she thought as she walked aimlessly until she bumped into Princess Sonia. "Ouch, hey―Why don't you watch where you're going?" Claire exclaimed, then regretted it and apologized over and over again. "I'm so sorry, Your Highness, please forgive me―I didn't mean to be rude, it was all my fault, forgive me!" Claire begged as she heard the mocking laughter of her classmates around her.
"Don't worry―Are you Claire Sigrid?" asked the princess, her eyes filled with emotion. "That's right, Your Highness. My name is Claire Sigrid, it's an honor to meet you!" Claire said. "I had the pleasure of meeting your brother, where is he. Did he came with you, I would like to see him" said the princess with a look on her face that Claire would never forget, showing enormous interest in her brother.
"This can't be" she thought.
TO BE CONTINUED…