Platina was walking through the woods of deep natural brown and green; the likes of the wind causing her short, navy blue hair with electric blue tips to flow behind her. She stood at 5'3 and had rich lavender eyes, and she wore a gray and steel blue field jacket, a light blue skirt with traces of silver, gray leggings, and a pair of light blue boots. She approached a cliffside from the trees and peered down. It was as if fate caused her to stumble upon the small village. It was Kuchinashi, south of Mistral; her old home.
Platina found herself wandering through the streets almost by accident. She reminisced about the markets she passed that she and her old friends would shop at on Saturday evenings in the summers of her childhood. She glided by the park with the fountain she used to throw lien coins into and make wishes. As if something more than just her own two feet were guiding her, she came across her old house. It had a small front yard with a lone palmate maple tree - just like she remembered. Platina slowly walked up the steps and hesitantly opened the door. The nostalgic smell of her mom's candles immediately filled her nose; mixtures of sweet caramel and various flowers that smelled of innocence. She saw her dad sipping his coffee while reading a news article on his scroll. She saw herself, just a little three-year-old, playing with dolls made of cloth just like any other normal little girl does. The environment released a calming aura that created a feeling of serenity for Platina.
Platina put on a faint, warm smile and took a step towards her mother. Suddenly, she stopped. Something didn't feel quite right to her. Everything was starting to turn hazy, and soon a gripping darkness sketched its way into her vision like the ink from a pen. The ground caved in from beneath her, and the blackness seemed to restrain her body. She reached out to her mother as all of her happy memories dissipated.
Darkness. Complete, total darkness. It was the only thing that Platina could see. At first, the silence created an unbearable void of nothing, but it soon became clear she wasn't alone. She knew the distinct growling of an Ursa by heart. It created something much worse than silence. It created a fear in her heart that forced her to keep her eyes open. She soon found the beading red eyes of a killer staring at her. She could feel them penetrating her eyes and into her heart and soul. She was frozen in sheer terror.
She unsheathed her weapon and hopelessly slashed one of her two kusarigama at the menacing, blood red eyes. She felt no contact. The small shotgun-scythes passed through like it was nothing. She felt the cold hands of panick grip the back of her head and her arms. She wrestled away from the invisible threat and turned tail to run. She ran faster and harder than she ever had in her entire life through the binding darkness, but she grew increasingly aware that she wasn't getting anywhere. The Ursa started to draw near and Platina could feel the fear and panic take over her mind. She could no longer think straight. The beast completely overtook her. She could only see one thing, clear as day; her seven-year-old self, crying. The only thing she could hear; her mother's scream.
Platina jumped awake, panting and sweating all over. The TV was still on from when she had dozed off; giving the 'Are you still watching?' notification. She sat up, still shaking from the nightmare that has haunted her since her childhood. She looked around just to assure herself that she wasn't still dreaming. Same old house, same old living room, same old furniture and decorations.
"You had that nightmare again, didn't you?" A deep, scratchy voice called out to her from behind.
Platina turned to face August Steel, her adoptive father, pouring some concoction into his glass in the kitchen. Even through the shadows, Platina could tell that it was alcohol. Nearly any time of day you saw August he probably had bourbon or something in one of his hands.
"Hey, kid."
"August? What are you doing here so early? It's…" she glanced at the clock, "one in the morning, oh." Great, she must have missed out on two or three hours of her show. Time to start over.
"I was fired." He said as he pushed back his graying, black hair. "Apparently getting into a fistfight with a customer is 'unorthodox' and 'completely crossing the line.'"
"I bet you got your ass kicked, right?" She giggled as she glanced at the large red bump on his unshaven face.
"Wow, it's almost like you can read my mind." He said sarcastically as he flopped on to the couch next to her and let out an exasperated sigh; holding a bag of ice to his face.
Platina mimicked his sighed, "I guess this means we're out of the house then?" She asked in a low tone. August breathed out a laugh and smiled.
"Well, I know for sure one of us is." He handed her an envelope. She tore it open to take a look inside. "It's a letter from Haven Academy, and I already know you passed because you are one of the most skilled fighters I've ever seen.
"Platina A. Steel
225 Forest Lane
Windpath, Anima
Dear Miss Platina Steel,
Congratulations! We are happy to inform you that you have been accepted into our prestigious academy. Your personal and academic accomplishments you have achieved in your school community are exactly what we look for and value in the next generation of heroes. For 80 years, we have trained some of the best Huntsman and Huntresses out there, and we believe you can be among the best as well! We will eagerly await your arrival to our fine institution.
Sincerely,
Professor Lionheart."
Platina began to fill up with pure joy and excitement. Her mind was racing and she put on a smile that she didn't think would fade for ages. Platina gave out a cheerful yell and jumped up and down and nearly crushed August with a hug.
"I'm going to Haven! I'm going to Haven! I'm going to be a Huntress!" She declared ecstatically. "I have to go pack!" She exclaimed and bolted up the stairs to her room faster than the human eye could see.
Platina was on the open loading door of the transport ship. She gripped her backpack and turned around; scanning the crowd of family members that came to wave the other students goodbye in order to find August. Among the crowd of faceless adults, she saw the tired but nonetheless smiling August looking in her direction. She waved goodbye to her friend and father figure who took care of her for over seven years, and he gave a soft wave back. A little tear found its way into her eye. She turned around and marched onto the airship.
The inside was chock-full of people; each with their own unique weapon and style, and they all seemed to already be in designated groups. As the door shut behind Platina, she searched for someone who was just as lonely looking as she was sure that she was. Nobody in the sea of people seemed even a little bit approachable to her, and she breathed a sigh of defeat as she gave up on finding a group of her own before she even began. She looked out the window to see the amazing view. There were trees for miles around her old school, the town she had been living at was visible off in the distance, and the steep, wind-carved cliffs could be seen a long way away.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please prepare for takeoff." The announcer said over the loudspeaker. A great roar of the engines gently lifted the ship upwards, and the people below slowly became little dots that could barely be seen. Finally, the aircraft began to move forwards towards Haven Academy.
"It's a great view, isn't it?" Platina was surprised to hear somebody talking to her already.
She glanced to her right. There was a girl leaning on the same railing as her. She was around the same height as Platina and had long, messy pink hair. She wore a black jacket with two gold strips running down the sleeves, white denim shorts with a red flower symbol on the right side of them, a brown belt, and black knee-high boots.
"I'm new to Anima. They don't have anything like this in Vale." The girl said as she turned to Platina; revealing a pair of sparkling amber eyes.
"Yeah, it is. I-I'm Platina." She reached out her hand, smiling awkwardly. "You can just call me Tina if you want."
"May," she side-fived Platina's hand while flashing a confident smile. "Vermillion." The two of them turned around and started to wander around the airship.
"Soooo, you said you were from Vale? Why'd you move over here?" Platina asked as she crossed her arms over her head. May started to think for a bit.
"My mom graduated from Haven." She answered, her amber eyes slowly being filled with awe. "Back in her prime, she was practically legendary at the school. I want to be just like her," she stopped and locked eyes with Platina, "but even better. I want to surpass her in every way, Tina."
"You're pretty outgoing, aren't you?" Tina giggled in her semi-childish voice. "Well, if we're sharing ambitions already, I want to be the world's greatest Huntress." She looked down and smiled, "I know it's a long shot, but it's what I wanted for a while now, and with all those 'Be a Hero' posters they have around I figured Haven would be the perfect place, ya know?"
"Oooooh, I like it." May said. "'World's greatest', huh? That means you'll have to get better than me," She added with a smirk, "think you can do it?"
"Who's to say I'm not already better?" Platina laughed.
"Tell you what; when we get the chance, when we are at Haven and we find the time, we'll fight. Whoever wins is the stronger one, and whoever loses has to promise to get stronger." May smiled and reached into her bag. She pulled out two grape sodas and handed one to Tina.
"To rivals," May said as she held up her can.
Platina smiled, "To friends," and knocked her can against May's.
"What? No way, I think we'd work well as rivals. Like in the 'main character of a show and their polar opposite' kinda way." May contested as she cracked open her soda. Platina looked at her with a little doubt in her eyes. "C'mon! We totally contrast each other! Red and blue?" She added.
Platina gave a little chuckle, "Okay, you barely have any red on you."
"Oh, well, let's not forget about my sweetheart." May reached behind her bag and pulled out a red and black shotgun, "Meet Amber Storm; my trusty side-kick!" She pressed a button and it turned into a giant four-bladed battle axe that was taller than she was. She planted it into the floor after spinning it twice.
"Woah!" Tina stared, wonderstruck, "That's so cool! It must have cost you a fortune!"
"No, students at Signal Academy make their own weapons. My dad is a blacksmith, so he helped a lot on it. It was hard to decide, but I wanted something that was like my mom's, so it worked out." May explained. "Where did you get yours?"
Platina took out one of her two shotgun-kusarigama blades and looked down at it sentimentally.
"My foster dad gave this to me when I told him I wanted to be a Huntress. He said that he won it in a poker match. Its original name was 'Wisteria Eclipse' and it was silver and purple, but since it was mine we renamed it 'Platinum Eclipse' and repainted it." She answered.
The gray and azure handle always felt perfect in Platina's hand, and the two silver blades never let her down in a fight. After she put it back in its sheath, a hologram turned on at multiple points in the area, and everyone's attention turned toward a young man with an eagles beak. He was about 6'2 and had brown scholarly hair and yellow eyes. He wore a traditional white haori jacket over a black kosode undergarment and had black hakama trousers and traditional sandals. Even without context, you could tell he was someone important.
"Hello, my name is Hawk Valenzuela. I'm a professor at Haven Academy." His voice was incredibly wise sounding for how young he looked. "You have all been selecting to attend this academy because you are some of the best fighters we've received applications from. You are the next generation of heroes that will continue to protect the peace our world has, and avenge it if needed. The other professors and I put much trust in each and every one of you. We will be arriving at Haven in thirty minutes. Until then, I wish you all good luck." After the short speech, his image flickered away.
Platina looked at May, "You ready to be a Huntress?"