“Alright, here we are.”

  I hopped off the gryphon, jumping down into the small clearing in the midst of the forest, high up on a mountain far away from civilization.

  I waved everyone down towards me.

  “Woah, so this is Vertandhi, huh?”

  Hayate admired the scenery around him as he jumped off, sweeping his gaze to the west as he took in the awe-inspiring view from the mountains.

  “Wow, is that Arden!? It looks even cooler up here!”

  He gawked at the shining city, his eyes focused on the ever-present scaffolding of Arden’s evolving architecture, the city trapped in an eternal cycle of accelerating development; new generations of energy generators bringing in new talent, entrepreneurs and fresh minds, only for those fresh minds to lead to the next leap in industrialisation, cycling in a new, even more efficient series of generators, and so on, so forth.

  “Hmm… so this is the tallest peak on this continent, sitting right at Tenmai’s edge,” Setsuna closed her eyes and nodded in approval, taking in the soothing atmosphere, “‘Tis strange, I have never made a pilgrimage hither. One would think in my quest for Heaven that I would have sought out the place on this land closest to the stars. I suppose even I was too scared to leave the Hinanhoro’s sacred shelter as an elf.”

  She turned and bowed deeply towards me.

  “I humbly thank thee for inviting me to this sacred land.”

  I chuckled, waving her off.

  “Oh no, despite the history of the place, it’s not like it’s anything religious or divine. It’s just home for us, you’re welcome over any time. Feel free to make the climb and come over whenever you want in the future.”

  “I shall consider thy offer most graciously,” she bowed even deeper.

  “Oh, stop it, Setsuna… we’re not indebted to each other or anything. We’re friends, this is just how we should be.”

  “Woah, Kagura, Setsuna, look, it’s the Hinanhoro!”

  Hayate swung to the east, excitedly pointing back at the familiar guardian tree of their homeland.

  “You can see that busted ol’ thing all the way thing from the next country, huh? Never crossed my mind just how tall it was… Old man goes up all the way above the clouds.”

  “Yup,” I nodded, remembering the night that Mother took me to Vertandhi’s peak, “you can see its top if you go all the way up the mountain. This is the only other place on the continent that goes above the clouds.”

  “Vertandhi’s peak,” Setsuna frowned, casting her gaze upwards, “the point where Manusyara and Heaven touch. I imagine it a beauty unequalled.”

  “Sure is. You can even see the… um… sorry, I’m not sure what you elves call it, but I always knew it as the ‘Silver River’. It looks like a real stream up there, you can almost brush against it with your fingers and feel it flow past them..”

  “The ‘Amanogawa’, meaning ‘River of Heaven’,” Kagura chipped in, “in history and legends, they say our ancestors, the founders of Calybcor and first of Tenmai, rode upon it downstream to find Manusyara.”

  “Right… remind me to take you all up to the peak, one day. Let me show you the view from up there.”

  “I would thank thee for thy gracious offer,” Setsuna frowned softly, closing her eyes in remembrance, “legends speak of the Amanogawa carrying the souls of the departed as they are carried off to Heaven, washing away their sins and sorrow before they join the sky as one of the stars. Perhaps I could speak to my master one final time, let my ears be humbled by one final lesson, let thy small hands be bruised in one final sparring session.”

  I chuckled.

  “Come on, let’s save those sombre thoughts for later. For now, let’s just celebrate the end of the semester. Come in for lunch!”

  I gestured everyone towards the front door of the quaint mansion atop the mountain’s treacherous forests, welcoming them to my home.

  The first semester of the third year passed smoothly for once, a rare occurrence.

  Normally, vacation for our team was a bit of a chaotic, scattered mess. Setsuna would often be held back for her poor scores in all the written tests, and Kagura and Hayate had to be called back home for family responsibilities.

  When we spent time together over the breaks between semesters, it was often only in Shugokage, at the Wadatsumi Manor where Hayate’s family would graciously host us. I had still yet to make due on my promise to take Hayate to see one of Arden’s famed Evaluations.

  Maybe this year would finally be the year.

  Things had turned around quite a bit.

  Magical Theory switching over to rituals for the syllabus’s core meant that Kagura and I finally had the time to relax, and that allowed us to dedicate the time to pull Setsuna away from her endless training and finally get some tutoring done for her, much to her endless chagrin and complaining.

  Well, at least it paid off, and she didn’t flunk all of her tests, and could actually go somewhere when summer vacation came.

  “Mother, Luna! I’m home!”

  I shouted out into the corridor as I opened the door and ushered everyone in.

  “I brought my friends over!”

  Setsuna brought her hands together, curling her palm against her fist as she bowed down in a martial artist’s traditional salute.

  “Pardon, for intruding into thy humble abode.”

  I brought my friends through the corridor, walking into the kitchen.

  Mother spun around to greet me, waving at me with one hand while sipping on a fresh cup of coffee with her other.

  “Hey. Welcome back, Estelle.”

  “It’s good to be home, Mother,” I smiled.

  “Your garden’s doing fine as always. I already went through the trouble of harvesting the peppercorns and drying out the leaves and herbs for you. Pull ‘em out straight from the pantry if you need them for anything.”

  “Thanks.”

  Her eyes swept past me and moved towards my friends.

  “So, these are your friends, huh? I assume they’re your teammates.”

  “Yup,” I stepped to the side, making way for them as I gestured for them to step forward, “This is Wadatsumi Hayate, he’s our team’s defacto leader.”

  The boy in question blushed and stammered a bit, before bringing his feet together and slamming his fist against his chest in a strange and confused half-salute… greeting… thing.

  I didn’t know, and I wasn’t sure he did either.

  “I-it’s an honor to meet you, ma’am, Lady Symphonia!”

  “At ease, kid,” Mother raised an eyebrow at his behaviour, “we’re not in the army or anything.”

  “Y-yes, ma’am!”

  “Though…” she frowned, “Wadatsumi… that’s the name of one of Tenmai’s Duchies, no?”

  Her gaze flicked up a tiny bit, settling on his eye-catching red hair.

  “Never talked to the man myself, but that’s definitely his hair colour.”

  “Y-yes, ma’am!” Hayate shakily nodded, “Wadatsumi’s first son, the person who will one day bear the standard of Tenmai and lead them into battle! That’s me!”

  “Hayate,” I frowned at his strange way of talking, “why are you talking like that? You can relax, you know. She’s not gonna hurt you or anything, we’re friends.”

  Hayate bristled and blushed.

  “Hm?” Mother frowned, narrowing harsh yellow eyes sharply at his behaviour.

  The boy proceeded to freak out a bit at her gaze, apparently catching onto her suspicions.

  “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Estelle! L-Lady Symphonia, i-it’s an honour to be invited into your home! I-I’ve always admired you and your work, going to Arden and getting my Registration done there has been my childhood dream! Thank you for letting us visit! Your daughter is a wonderful girl and I’m blessed to have her on my team!”

  “Right…” Mother’s eyes sharpened warily even further, barrelling into the young boy, making him flinch and tremble.

  Was Mother really that intimidating?

  She did have a bit of a divisive reputation, I guess.

  Her gaze trailed along to the next member of the team.

  Kagura nodded graciously, stepping forward and bowing lightly, maintaining her perfect etiquette.

  “Greetings, Lady Symphonia. I am Tsukiyo Kagura, future High Priestess and caretaker of the Hinanhoro.”

  “Tsukiyo,” Mother repeated the name, “you wouldn’t happen to be Tsukuyomi’s kid, would you?”

  Kagura sighed.

  “I’m afraid not. While Lord Tsukuyomi is a precious member of our clan, he is only a distant relative of mine, distant enough to the point that I am hardly worthy of calling him Uncle.”

  “Looks like you got a bunch of big shots on your team, huh, Estelle?” Mother chuckled lightly before taking a small sip of her coffee, “hope there’s not too much pressure on your shoulders.”

  “Hardly,” Kagura shook her head and frowned, “your legacy is no less impressive, Lady Symphonia. Your name, etched into the plaque at Yadorinami, is one to be praised and sung of throughout all of Tenmai and its coastal cities. The Tsukiyo family, especially, has all the gratitude in the world to give to those who journeyed into the Infinite Dark, repelling the heretical force of that Black Moon. Estelle is no less burdened to us, than we are to her.”

  “Psh, save it,” Mother waved her off, taking another gulp of her drink, “I’m not a founding member of the Expedition or anything. I just join them on and off to sate my curiosity as a witch.”

  Her eyes moved to the last member of the team.

  She blinked.

  “You uh… you good, kid? Why are you still in uniform?”

  True to her word, Setsuna was indeed still dressed in Nindo’s uniform, even on summer vacation.

  I chuckled sheepishly, stepping in for her.

  “It’s the only clean set of clothes she has, Mother.”

  Sadly, we had still yet to be able to convince Setsuna to get clothes other than that ancient, worn-out robe of hers, and if the choice was between wearing that or wearing the school uniform when it came time to visit another person’s home, we didn’t really give her much of a choice when it came to the matter.

  And even then, we were still unable to convince her not to pack them along with her very few other personal belongings, anyways.

  Those rags really must have had a lot of sentimental value to her if she was that unwilling to budge on the matter.

  “This is Setsuna, she’s a wandering swordswoman. Don’t let her rusted blade fool you, she’s by far the best fighter in our year, maybe even the entire school.”

  “‘Tis my honour to be comrades with your daughter, madam.”

  “Uh, well, sure, I guess,” Mother just shrugged nonchalantly, “I’m no stranger to fighting alongside strange folk… Sol knows I’ve seen enough madness on Chang’e’s ships. Anyways…”

  After rotating across the full team, her gaze cycled back towards me.

  “Are they gonna be staying over for summer vacation? I’ll have to pull out the spare beds and set up the guest rooms if that’s the case.”

  “Uhh…” I chuckled and trailed off, smiling wryly, “I’m not sure what everyone’s plans are, actually. I think we were planning on just staying for the night before popping over to Arden. Hayate’s been wanting to watch the Evaluations since we first met.”

  “Guess I’ll go set those up, then,” Mother sighed, “you eaten lunch yet, Estelle?”

  “No, but I was thinking about setting up hot pot for everyone,” I smiled.

  She paused at that.

  “Hm? They really must mean a lot to you if you’re willing to share that with them.”

  “Yeah, they do.”

  “Well, sure, I’ll go pull everything out then. I’ll help with some of the prep, too. I assume they want it less spicy?”

  “That would be good.”

  “Sure, I’ll be right back then.”

  “Hot pot?” Kagura muttered as Mother walked away, “I’m afraid I’m not too familiar with the dish.”

  “It’s similar to Tenmai’s sukiyaki, you take a bunch of raw ingredients and cook it inside of broth bases,” I laughed, “it’s a bit of a family tradition to have it.”

  “Uh…” Hayate wilted, “I, uh… heard something about spice? I-is it… gonna be okay?”

  I giggled.

  “Don’t worry too much, there’ll be two soups to choose from. No need to pretend to be strong.”

  “Uh- hey!” Hayate sputtered at the insinuation of weakness, “I-I’ve been working on it!”

  “Yeah?” Kagura rolled her eyes, “and how’s that one been going for you?”

  “Shut up!”

  At that moment, the sound of footsteps drumming on a staircase drew our attention.

  A bundle of fingers poked out from the corridor, gripping the door with a slight tremble.

  A pair of tiny yellow eyes peeked out.

  I chuckled.

  “Come on, Luna, don’t worry, there’s nothing to be scared of,” I waved her over.

  My little sister waddled over, nervously hiding behind me.

  “Oh, don’t be so nervous,” I stroked her head, “they’re just my friends, they won’t hurt you.”

  I gently nudged Luna, ushering her to stand beside me.

  Setsuna’s intense gaze barrelled in on her.

  “Hm… was I so frail and tiny four years ago too?”

  Her words, along with her intense gaze, only made Luna shrivel up next to me more.

  I just chuckled in chagrin.

  “Setsuna…” I admonished her lightly.

  She always was rather clueless socially.

  Setsuna had the decency to at least recognise her error, flinching in embarrassment.

  She coughed awkwardly into her hand, suddenly appearing a lot less intimidating.

  “I apologise. I suppose I was simply expecting someone who took more after… your figure, but I suppose that was unrealistic.”

  I blinked.

  What was she talking about?

  Something in her words caused my sister to suddenly snap, leading her to mysteriously gnash her teeth and glare up at me, cutely kicking my heel and seething.

  “It’s not fair! You stupid Earth mages… why do you get to be so big!? How are the rest of us supposed to be able to compete!?”

  Tears welled in her eyes as she repeatedly feebly kicked me over and over.

  Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Kagura roll her eyes, mumbling to herself something along the lines of ‘tell me about it’.

  I giggled and ruffled Luna’s hair.

  She childishly pushed my hand away, sniffling as she kicked me again.

  “No, stop it!” She whined, huffing, “I’m not five years old anymore! I don’t need headpats all the time!”

  “Aw, don’t worry,” I pat her head again as she whined, “I’m sure you’ll grow up tall and strong as well.”

  “Hag! Cow!” Luna drummed her fists against me in retaliation.

  Hayate’s eyes just brightened as he laughed.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Oh, is this the Luna that I’ve heard so much about!? This is your little sister, Estelle?”

  Luna clammed up, freezing at the sound of the boisterous, loud voice.

  She immediately forgot about her childish anger and retreated behind me again, intimidated by the volume.

  His bright, gleaming eyes swept over the little girl’s figure.

  “Wow, a real cute kid, huh? I can see why Estelle talks so much about you!”

  “E-eh?” Luna whimpered, “S-she does?”

  “Yup!” Hayate laughed, “All the time! Honestly, I feel like at this point, I know you better than my own little brothers and sisters! And I’ve never even met you before.”

  I scratched my neck, flustering a bit.

  I did go a bit overboard, at times.

  “Nice to meet ya, Luna! You’re every bit as cute as Estelle described!” Hayate confidently thrust his hand out, “I’m Wadatsumi Hayate! Don’t worry too much, I’m sure you’ll grow up to be just as beautiful as your sister!”

  “E-eh?” Luna repeated, blinking as she curled up even more behind me, a tinge of red flushing her cheeks, “Y-you mean it?”

  “Sure thing!”

  Luna stared at his hand and gulped.

  “I-I’m Luna Symphonia… t-thanks for being friends with my sister, W-Wadatsumi…”

  “Oh, look at that!” Hayate grinned cheerily as she reached out and completed the handshake, “you even know about elven etiquette! Haha, don’t worry too much about being respectful, I might be the son of a duke, but I’m not a stickler for the rules or anything! You can be casual with me, the sister of a friend is just as good as a friend to me!”

  “R-really, c-can I call you… H-Hayate?” Luna squirmed against my back.

  “Hell, you don’t even have to just call me Hayate. You’re gonna be attending Nindo in two years, right?”

  “W-well, I-I’m trying to, b-but… yes.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll make it. I’m so confident about it that I’ll even let you call me Senpai early!”

  “S-Senpai?” Luna blinked in confusion.

  “Yup! It’s a Tenmai term, a name of endearment that juniors use for seniors! You’re not a student at Nindo yet, but from what I’ve heard from Estelle, you’re just as good as one already in my eyes! C’mon, try it out!”

  “U-umm… a-alright, H-Hayate-senpai?” Luna blushed even harder.

  “There we go, that’s the spirit!” Hayate cheered.

  I giggled.

  Hayate always was a bit of a social wonder. His endless optimism and confidence made him one of the brightest personalities in our cohort, attracting countless people to him and attaching him to many social circles around the school.

  It would be nice if some of that optimism and confidence could rub off of Luna. She desperately needed some of that when it came to dealing with other people, not just being reserved for when she was alone with me, blabbering off about books and magic.

  “Hell, I wouldn’t even mind it if you called me ‘big bro’! I’m already used to dealing with all my younger siblings and cousins anyways! And Estelle's sister is just as good as mine!”

  Mother came back carrying a large pot and burner on her shoulders.

  “Do I need to start calling you ‘son’ too?” She grumbled as she dropped the heavy weights onto the dining table.

  Hayate sputtered, immediately losing his straight back and confident posture.

  “Should I be writing letters to Duke Wadatsumi? Congratulate him on his son getting his engagement?”

  “M-Mother!” Luna went beet red.

  “L-Lady Symphonia!” Hayate bristled, immediately kowtowing in her presence, “I-it’s nothing like that, I swear! I-I have no untoward intentions towards your younger daughter!”

  “Oh?” Mother raised an eyebrow, shooting him a half-hearted, lazy glare as she looked over her back, twirling a knife as she set down a cutting board, “Are you implying something about my other daughter, Young Lord?”

  She finished her statement with a threatening chop, slicing the head of a radish clean off.

  “Eek!” Hayate squeaked and retreated.

  “Mother,” I furrowed my brow and frowned, “Don’t be like that, please. Hayate’s a nice boy, he’s been nothing but a good friend.”

  “Urgk!” Hayate keeled over.

  “Eh?” I flinched, hurrying over to help him with his sudden onset of pain, “H-Hayate, is everything okay!? Did you get sick on the gryphon ride!?”

  Kagura just burst out laughing behind us.

  Belle immediately lost that mysterious threatening edge of hers, wincing at the boy’s plight.

  “Wow, that’s… yikes. Poor boy. She really took after me, huh?”

  Well, it was nice that everyone was getting along, at least.

  It turned out that everyone did end up staying at our place for a couple of days.

  One of the following mornings, Setsuna approached me with a request.

  “Estelle, might I ask thee for a small favour?”

  “Hm? Sure thing, Setsuna, what do you want?”

  “Please, couldst thou take a moment of thy time, and show this one to the mountain of Yrd? I have heard many a beautiful whisper of its running streams in my travels.”

  “No problem, let me just ask the other two if they want to come along.”

  When I asked Hayate and Kagura if they wanted to join us, they just winced, saying they weren’t built for hiking through these treacherous mountains, even if they were nature-loving elves. It was just a bit too taxing and dangerous, even for them.

  It was a bit understandable, I supposed. The mountains’ atmosphere was hazardous to nature itself, and the other two members of our team did come from sheltered backgrounds of nobility and privilege, unlike the two of us, who did nothing but spend all day travelling through foreign wilds.

  They had better things to be doing, anyways.

  Hayate got along extremely well with Luna rather quickly, and I was thankful for his attempts to break my sister out of her shell.

  Kagura was intrigued by the contents of Mother’s library; the one at Nindo was technically much larger, but most of its contents were restricted from access by younger students.

  “Alright, here we are,” I announced to Setsuna, spotting one of the many iconic rivers that marked the fact we were now on Yrd.

  Setsuna sighed tiredly, hopping over the last of the cliff faces that linked Vertandhi to its sister.

  Despite her much superior physical strength and stamina, I was aided by the fact that these mountains were home to me; I would spend all day climbing them and hiking through the woods, asking Mother to show me around to any particularly noteworthy spots whenever she had the free time.

  “Hm, perhaps I had overestimated mine elven physiology, vagrant’s life and martial training, if even this mountain is enough to best me,” she grumbled, brushing off a few pebbles that had clung to her worn and torn robe.

  I giggled.

  “Don’t worry about it too much, Setsuna. You elves are much more used to deep woods than high mountains and their thin air, and most of it just comes down to practice. Spend enough summers here and I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.”

  The swordswoman just frowned in response.

  “I suppose I shall be making many more visits over the years. I hope I do not intrude on the time thou spends with thy family.”

  I pointed us towards the river.

  “Come on, let’s take a small break.”

  We walked up to the running water, kneeling by it as we gently dipped our fingers into it, letting its cool flow soothe us.

  Setsuna closed her eyes, lapping up some of the water with her hands and bringing it to her mouth.

  Her eyes opened and widened at its taste.

  She blinked at it, almost confused by what her tongue was sensing.

  “It’s good, isn’t it?” I smiled, taking a bottle out from the bag on my back and filling it up.

  “I see the legends do the streams justice,” Setsuna nodded, “the Wellspring of Yrd, a divine stream from which life grows, guided by the seeds of fate she sowed, cared for through the ages by her wisdom. A truly wondrous liquid, almost divine and arcane.”

  She picked herself up and dipped her feet into the stream, letting it brush over the small aches that had built up and burned over the course of the long hike.

  Wordlessly, she continued to walk up, continuing our journey through the mountain.

  I picked up my staff and continued alongside her, walking along the riverbank and its smooth, white, shiny pebbles.

  “There might be a little bit of truth to that.”

  “Hm? Is there more to the lore of this garden of nature? More than just ancient myths and pilgrims’ whispers?”

  “Mm,” I nodded, remembering what I had been told on some of my journeys here, “Mother said this mountain is at the heart of the leyline that sits on this plate, infusing the water that springs on this mountain with its mana, just like how the Hinanhoro takes its energies from Tenmai’s own leyline. Just like how sunlight that streams through its leaves is blessed by its mana, nourishing its roots and the soil beneath, the rain that falls upon Yrd is energised by the mountain itself.”

  “A miracle of the world, of nature,” Setsuna muttered, keeping her eyes on the stream passing around her feet, “‘tis almost sacrilegious, thinking of this mountain, of the goddess Yrd, as a peer of Sacred Hinanhoro.”

  “Well, Hinanhoro’s a lot more impressive, if you ask me,” I laughed, “unlike the World Tree, this mountain doesn’t actually have any sentience or intelligence. It’s just a big bundle of mana dispersed through nature’s beauty.”

  “Still,” Setsuna closed her eyes again, just letting herself appreciate the flow of water around her, “I have learnt in my many travels to worship the world and its wonders, and the waters of Yrd are no less deserving of enshrinement than the roots of Sacred Hinanhoro.”

  I smiled wryly, stopping as I turned back to look at her with an amused raised eyebrow.

  “Is there any corner of the world that isn’t deserving of such enshrinement?”

  My words gave Setsuna pause.

  She opened her eyes again.

  She pondered upon it, deeply considering my words.

  A rare chortle broke from her lips.

  “No, I suppose there is not. Thou hast proved thyself to be carrying of wisdom again.”

  We journeyed further up Yrd, silently taking in the forest and just enjoying the presence of nature around us.

  Along our journey, we came across our first waterfall.

  Setsuna stopped, drawing her blade.

  “Training waits for no one, hm?” I teased her, “Just don’t break or cut anything, okay?”

  She closed her eyes and calmed herself, pointing the blade straight up, the flat facing her face.

  “Fear not,” Setsuna smiled lightly at my jest, “keeping my sword’s cut restrained to mine intended target was the first lesson my master ever taught me. Many a year in my brash childhood was filled with his distraught complaints of collateral damage.”

  The rusted steel flickered.

  The leaves blew gently in the wind, unfazed by the flashing steel.

  “Kitaken, Hachikata: Suiheisen.”

  The water stopped flowing.

  A geyser spurt out sideways from where Setsuna’s blade cut, mystically severing the waterfall in two as if it were a vein of blood.

  “Tenchishototsu.”

  I narrowly ducked under the burst of heavily pressurised water, watching as a stray end of my hair was cut off.

  Yet despite the hazardous elements spurred into motion from her blade, true to her word, that sharp geyser of water all but sputtered harmlessly against the wood of the trees.

  I chuckled, impressed.

  “Eighth form of your Northern Blade, hm? That’s a new one, you haven’t shown that one off yet.”

  The water flowed naturally again.

  Setsuna swiped her blade across it slowly, cleaning it as she holstered it again.

  “Horizon, Where Heaven and Earth Collide. The art that splits a singular whole into two, dividing land and sky by way of sea. It’s still incomplete. Not fit for proper use. Perhaps a trip to these waterfalls shall prove useful in refining it.”

  “Have anything else you’ve been working on?”

  I decided to take a seat on a nearby rock, propping my fist into my chin lazily.

  “Hmph,” Setsuna turned away arrogantly, “if thou insists.”

  I grinned.

  I knew she loved to show off.

  She drew her blade again, pointing the tip to the river and the blade to the waterfall.

  “Behold, watch as this blade defies nature’s order, and ascends to heaven.”

  Setsuna exhaled slowly.

  “Kitaken, Juukata: Teninamu-Noborikoi.”

  And the waterfall reversed, flowing from the ground to the sky, the geyser of water ascending beyond the clouds, towards the heavens themselves.

  “Climbing Carp Denying Heaven. The Tenth Form of the Northern Blade and its final secret, that which reverses the flow of nature itself, breaking cycles and shattering karma.”

  Setsuna brought the blade to her face, smiling fondly as she closed her eyes and remembered old times.

  “In its perfect form, my master was able to utilise this sword form to deny causality itself, striking true before his sword ever moved. Alas, I have yet to uncover that secret, all this blade of mine can do in its adolescent state is reverse physical phenomena.”

  “I think that’s more than enough,” I smiled wryly, hopping off the rock.

  “Perhaps,” Setsuna agreed, chuckling in amusement, “there may be no practical use for such a technique, as simply cutting faster than the opponent can react will suffice, but ‘tis a wondrous dream, is it not? To deny the thread of fate from its consequences, to defy tragedy, to judge with impunity, to hold a miracle in one’s hand.”

  “Yeah, I can see the appeal,” I agreed, holding my hand out to her, pulling her up from the river bank.

  “That’s why I became a healer,” I tapped my staff as we set off again, climbing higher into the mountain, “it’s a nice fantasy… being able to hold the tangle of fate in your hands, to unwind inevitable tragedies… reconciling two impossible futures, uniting two siblings who could never meet, or a parent with their child.”

  “‘Tis strange,” Setsuna muttered as she jumped up, grabbing a hold of a tiny protrusion in the cliff face in front of us, following me as we climbed up, “Witch and martial artist. One seeks to perfect the arcane, one seeks to perfect the physical, but both seek to deny the divine, to reject inevitability itself. I would not have thought upon first meeting that we could share such similarities.”

  I laughed as we skipped up to the top, reaching out to her.

  “We both yearn to travel, in the end, to see everything the world has to offer.”

  She grabbed onto my hand, using it as leverage to throw herself up onto the next tier of the forests, rivers and waterfalls.

  “I suppose,” she admitted gruffly.

  We went on for several hours, taking a stroll by the winding river, stopping every once in a while to admire the odd, rare wildlife that sometimes flickered amongst the treeline, just making small bits of small talk as we hiked.

  “I fear I know thy answer already, but alas, confirmation is a comfort unto itself. Why dost thou yearn for nature? Unlike this lowly vagrant, thou hast home, hast family. Thou hath no need to wonder so recklessly, so endlessly. There exists no need for enlightenment in thy heart.”

  I chuckled, shaking my head.

  “No, I guess not. Do I need such a grand reason to travel? Is the world and its beauty not reason enough?”

  A rare smile of amusement rose on Setsuna’s face.

  “Nay, I suppose no such requirement is imposed.”

  I remembered the words, the memories and the dreams Mother shared with me.

  I remembered the longing and yearning that the young man who used to be passed onto me, and I remembered the caring wishes and words of love that were bestowed upon him in his childhood.

  I stopped, looking behind me, down at Yrd which cascaded infinitely.

  “Let’s take a small break.”

  Setsuna heeded my words and paused.

  “You didn’t eat this morning, did you?”

  She frowned.

  “Nay.”

  “Thought not,” I smiled wearily, shuffling my bag down my shoulders before opening it.

  I took out a small basket within and opened it, handing her a few sandwiches.

  “Won’t be enough to satisfy your appetite, but it’ll be good for a snack.”

  She stared at the offered food silently, before gingerly taking it from my fingers.

  “Your kind thoughts are filling enough. I thank thee for thy offering, Estelle.”

  “You know…” I chuckled wryly as I munched on the bread, “I suppose there is something. There is one reason I keep dreaming of travelling.”

  “Hm?”

  “I suppose I’ve always just been looking for something… someone. Beyond the kind strangers, beyond the unfortunate, those abandoned by fate who I seek to heal, beyond all the stories there are to hear… I’ve always been a bit of a lonely person, but everyone I’ve ever known keeps telling me about how the world is so beautiful and large, how every kind of person you could possibly imagine exists all at once, all across time. I’ve always been told that there is meaning out there, in other people. In just one other person.”

  It was how my mother met my father.

  It was how Mother met her fiance.

  “Even after Mother took me in… I don’t think I ever stopped dreaming of finding that connection for myself. Somewhere out there, in that infinite flood of passing strangers, there’s someone out there who’ll satiate this needy, greedy self.”

  It wasn’t God.

  It wasn’t meaning.

  It wasn’t salvation.

  It wasn’t an excuse.

  It wasn’t because I wanted to keep running away, because I needed to be blameless.

  It was just a small bit of selfishness. A bit of childish yearning for a quaint, fulfilling happiness.

  The world was beautiful.

  All three of my parents had drilled that into me enough.

  Someone out there, there was someone to share it with, like they had all found.

  Childish jealousy. A desperate need for affection and affirmation. That’s all it was.

  “Hmph,” Setsuna huffed, her lips twitching.

  Her grin cracked, growing even wider.

  “Then thou hath no need to search any longer! Gaze upon my perfect blade, and stare into the face of meaning, witness the answer of all enlightenment!”

  “...”

  “...”

  “Pfft.”

  “Snrk.”

  We shared a laugh over her cheesy, narcissistic words, staring out into the distance, admiring Hinanhoro from the mountains.

  Setsuna shook her head, smiling.

  “Thou doth not need worry. Thy pursuit is not frivolous, nor childish. Well, I suppose not, actually. It is a bit childish, but only so far as all pursuits are childish.”

  She took out her rusted katana and smiled at it fondly, a tinge of sadness running across her eyes.

  She stabbed it into the grass in front of us, slouching as she sat, nibbling on another sandwich.

  “Is it any less mature and ridiculous than my endless search for perfection and enlightenment? To become the first swordswoman in the world to defy the order of nature and ascend to Heaven, fulfilling what was too my master’s very own childish, impossible dream… and in turn, is that no less worthy than seeking for just a singular eternal connection in an ephemeral stranger’s life?”

  She scoffed, chuckling in a small bit of self-depreciation.

  “‘Tis noble, in a way. I have resigned myself an eternal wanderer, forever a stranger passing through the lives of others. That is the inevitable result of the path I walk. There is only room for one atop the mountain’s peak. ‘The Greatest’ is not a title to be split and shared. I have not the heart to share all I own and dream of with another. This vagrant is too selfish to ever make such a kind sacrifice. Let thee be vindicated by my words.”

  I looked at her sad eyes, then towards her lonely blade.

  “I guess I should say the same to you. Don’t worry over it all too much… even if you’ll never settle down or truly share everything with someone else… know that I’ll always be here, I’ll get it. I’ll understand. I’ll be your friend no matter what.”

  “Hmph,” Setsuna smiled wryly, “thy companionship is appreciated, and thy offer reciprocated.”

  “Two travellers, just searching for something out there, hm?”

  “...”

  I sighed.

  “Say, have you ever thought about what exactly you’re going to do once you graduate from Nindo?”

  “Hmm,” Setsuna hummed, giving it some thought, “I suppose not. Just return to the way I was, wandering aimlessly through the lands in search of enlightenment, to find a way to perfect the Four Blades and reach the ‘Sky’ my master spoke of. The only difference shall be that I will finally be old enough to leave Eternal Hinanhoro’s shadow, and wander beyond Tenmai.”

  “I haven’t thought about it that much, either. I guess we’re unlucky, in that regard. Unlike Hayate and Kagura, we don’t really have responsibilities or set paths in life, do we? The most I know I’ll do is come home as often as I can to make sure Mother isn’t lonely and Luna’s still healthy.”

  “Love of family is precious. Keep them close, not all are so fortunate.”

  “Well, if you’re ever lonely, you can come visit us.”

  “Perhaps I shall take thee up on thy offer,” she chuckled.

  She shook her head, briefly pondering a stray possibility.

  “Perhaps… thou shalt travel with me.”

  “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow, “Look at that, is Setsuna saying she’ll miss me when she graduates? Oh, Hayate would love to hear this.”

  “Hmph,” Setsuna chortled in amusement, “if that fool were around, my mouth would never have opened.”

  “A fool you swore to follow into battle nonetheless,” I chided, reminding her of our Oaths.

  “That, I did,” Setsuna chuckled, “in time, he shall prove to be a worthy leader, fitting to be called a Son of the World Tree. It would be my honour when the time comes to follow his banner, the standard of our storied elven people.”

  “Well, it seems you’re not completely lost on what to do in the future. Some day, the clarion of the Tenmai people will sound, and you’ll have to pick up your blade and fight for Duke Wadatsumi.”

  “Indeed. Perhaps it will even be against the Seven Legions themselves,” Setsuna joked, “that would be a worthy test of my steel.”

  “‘Twould be a harsh life. Travelling alone, not staying long enough to hear any stories, only lingering to learn one more thing about my blade, before moving on,” she continued.

  “That’s why I should join you,” I nudged her, “I could balance it out. Force you to talk to other people. Make some friends, let you hear their stories, so when you reach that vaunted ‘heaven’ of yours, you’ll have some faces and tales to remember to keep you company.”

  Setsuna scoffed.

  “Thou art human. Even if thou were to accompany me, when the banner is raised, and Tenmai marches, thou hast no place in the army of the elves, no reason to answer the clarion call.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t accept any call,” I rolled my eyes, “it’d only be Duke Wadatsumi’s. I did make that Oath alongside you two, in the end.”

  “Thou speaks truth, I suppose.”

  She closed her eyes, smiling, imagining that future in her head.

  “A strange pair of travellers. Swordswoman and witch. One heals, the other cuts. One seeks the ultimate solitude, the other seeks eternal companionship. History would write strangely of such a duo. They would leave their mark wherever they travelled, whether across Manusyara or beyond.”

  I giggled, continuing in her place.

  “They wouldn’t know whether to be terrified of them or thankful towards them. Half of them would have been healed by the witch, while the other scared into oblivion by the swordswoman.”

  “Very well,” Setsuna opened her eyes again, “It seems I will have to take thy offer, accept thy vision of the future. Make of it a promise, this Setsuna will embark on a grand journey with Estelle Symphonia when they graduate from Nindo’s storied halls, out into the perilous and great unknown.”

  “Hm… so then, friends until the end?”

  The swordswoman just chuckled.

  “Was that ever in doubt?”

  Mostly needed a chapter that introduced Hayate to Luna, and one that made Setsuna and Estelle’s relationship as ‘best friends’ in the future believable. So here’s both in one.

  oh my god they were ROOMMATES

  Jokes aside, Setsuna kind of admits a romantic relationship wouldn’t work in this chapter. They’re a bit too fundamentally different at their cores and in their goals in life to ever actually work as a couple, but just being friends is good enough to satisfy both.