"Well, Mom and Dad...It's almost time."

Adele Russell stared fondly at the picture of her mother and father. Today was the day that her little brother, Jack, would set out to pursue his dream of becoming a famous knight just like their father. For years, she trained and taught Jack everything she knew about combat. She only hoped that it would be enough.

From a child to a young adult, Jack had always been driven. When she suggested they take a break during their training sessions, he always pleaded with her to keep going, pushing himself constantly to the point of collapsing out of exhaustion. Jack only grew more and more stronger as time went on. His death-defying will was his strength. It was a mystery who he inherited that from...

"I've been waiting a long time for this day..."

Turning around, she saw Jack standing at his doorway, dressed up in the handmade tunic she made for him.

"We've all been waiting for this day, Jack..." She said, giving him a hug which he returned. "Everyone in the village can't wait to see you off."

"They must really want me out of here, don't they?" He joked, earning a small laugh from her.

"Of course not, Jack. You know what I meant."

Letting go of each other, Adele motioned for him to follow her. Jack complied without a word. He knew that breakfast would not start until after they've done their daily morning spar.

Stepping outside of the house, Jack kept walking past Adele even after she stopped moving, going towards the center of their small little village.

"Catch!"

Immediately, Jack turned around, catching the wooden sword that had been tossed at him...

CLANG!

Which also protected him from the power strike of his sister. The two were stuck in a power clash between each other, with Adele smirking in satisfaction.

"Very good, Jack." She complimented him.

"What did you expect? I learned from the best." He replied, grinning as his eyes seemed to spark with fires of passion.

Jack broke the clash, pushing away Adele a few inches away from him. The other villagers watched from a safe distance.

"If I'm going to become an even greater knight than my father, I have to overcome every obstacle in my way!" He shouted and then pointed the tip of his wooden sword at Adele. "And sis? You're the first!"

"Very well! This will be your final test, Jack! Do you have what it takes to beat me, the one who taught you everything you knew!"

Jack dropped into his battle stance.

"Let's find out then!" He answered her.

The two charged at each other, swinging and striking their weapons as if they meant to kill the other. Jack dodged and blocked, returning with counter attacks that Adele barely had time to defend herself from. He moved with incredible speed, something he earned from his hard work. For years, every day he trained, he would strap specially made weight cloths that made it difficult to move around than a normal person could. Now that he was off it, the benefits were paying off for him.

"Come on, Jack!" Sunset cheered his best friend on. "You can do it!"

"Yeah, you go, Jack!" Sora, Sunset's little sister, clapped energetically.

"Give it all you got!" Mint shouted as loud as she could.

Jack spun to the right to avoid Adele's downward strike and then ducked down low to avoid a swing from across. She tried kicking him, but he used one hand to stop it while avoiding another attack from above. He pulled on her leg, causing her to lose her balance as she hit the floor hard, but recovered by doing a spin attack while on the ground, her famous 'Windmill' attack, which Jack could never dodge. Not even now.

"Oof!"

Falling on his own back, Jack instinctively rolled away as Adele struck the floor where he once was a second ago. Then he copied her technique, forcing her to jump back as he stood back up.

"You executed my windmill perfectly! I never taught you that move!" She exclaimed, remaining in a defensive position.

"I know." He smirked. "I picked it up myself."

Jack sprinted at her, swinging his blade only for it to be blocked. Then he did something unexpected. Pushing both their blades downward, he raised his foot up and stomped down on Adele's blade, breaking it in half. Obviously caught off guard, Jack tackled her right into the ground and had his wooden sword against her throat. Not pressed too hard to suffocate her, but enough to make a point clear.

Minutes passed as the two panted breathlessly, exhausted from their battle. Once they calmed down, Jack stared at her while staying mounted on top of her with his weapon still against her neck. She closed her eyes, resting for a moment before she sighed.

"You did it." She stated proudly. "The student finally surpasses the master...Like they all should."

"But they couldn't have done it in the first place...without the help of the master." Jack said, smiling at his sister. "Thank you, sis...for everything."

"Come on now, don't say it like that. You make it sound like we'll never see each other again. If you don't come visit every once in a while, I'll drag your sorry butt back here myself!"

Silence loomed over for the first few seconds before the two bellowed out in laughter and the rest of the villagers who had been watching followed soon after, shaking their heads at the Russell's.

"Those two..."

An elderly lady smiled in amusement as the Russell kins got back up on their feet and were surrounded by Sunset, Sora, and Mint, who all crowded Jack.

"They really are like their parents..."

After morning breakfast, Jack was free to do whatever he wanted for the next hour before he would leave for the kingdom of Radiata. He spent most of his time hanging out with his childhood friends Sunset, Mint, and the new addition of their group, Sora, Sunset's little sister. When it was getting close to leave, the residents of Solieu and Tria village stood at the entrance, wishing Jack the best of luck in the city and occasionally getting a hug or two. Adele was the last one to to speak to him and give him something really special.

"Dad's sword!" He was slightly shocked to see it as was everyone else.

"Yes, Jack, this is your father's legendary sword, the Arbitrator." She said. "Of course, you aren't ready to use it yet. But someday, Jack, you will...You'll be a leader of men with this sword at your side. I know you will."

"Wow..." Jack was pretty much speechless as he was handed the sword into his own hands.

"You've trained all your life for this moment, Jack. I have absolute faith in you." Adele smiled at her brother.

"I won't let you down." Jack nodded his head, strapping the Arbitrator behind his back.

"I know you won't. Now go! You don't want to be late!"

Jack nodded his head, glancing around at everybody who just had that look on their faces that said they would be supporting him even when he wasn't here. Being here was nice and all, but now it was his time to become a man.

"Well...Be seein' ya! Next time you guys see me..."

He gave a big grin and a thumbs up before turning around and running off, but not without screaming out one last thing...

"I'll be a knight!"

Hello everyone, the name is Wings of Reparation and I like Radiata Stories. So here's my story. Enjoy. Review it, hate it, love it, whatever you want to say. I'll see you next time.