Word: apex - noun - the highest point; peak
"So what you do want to be when you grow up?" Rosa asked the two of them, hands clasped behind her back as she half-walked, half-skipped between the other two as they headed for the castle. "I want to be an adventurer, and ride a chocobo all over the place rescuing people. And I want to know magic like my mother and swordsmanship like my father and music and dancing and I want to be able to stand under a waterfall for hours and hours like a monk!"
"If you did that last one you'd end up as bald as a monk as well," Kain snorted, reaching out and grabbing at one of Rosa's neatly-braided pigtails.
Rosa deftly twisted away, skirt billowing out as she spun to stick her tongue out at him.
"So what do you want to be, Cecil?" she asked. Kain looked indigent and she smiled mischievously. "You could be an explorer too and we could see the entire world, and when we were done with that we could go to the moons!"
Cecil's face scrunched up in concentration. After a moment he said, "I want to be the King."
"King?" Kain asked incredulously. "Before you said being king would be scary 'cause then you'd have to talk to Baigan every day."
"I don't want to be king," Cecil stressed, "I want to be the King. Because he's so strong, and he knows everything! He'd still be king, though."
"Well, when I grow up," Kain began, almost before Cecil had finished speaking, "I want to be just like my father." He paused. "Except even better. I'm going to be the best dragoon ever!"
But that doesn't make any sense, Cecil thought, slowing his pace. Why would Kain want to be anyone else? Because if Cecil could be two people, he'd want to be the King and Kain, because Kain could do everything. He could always find something to do, and he could always find a way to do it, if it was something worth doing. Like that time Kain had decided they should ride the chocobos, but the guards wouldn't let them. So Kain had decided that going swimming that day would be better anyway, since chocobos were smelly and it was so hot, and they had seen a sahagin!
Also, Kain didn't have a big scary beard. Cecil didn't want one of those.
Rosa and Kain were saying something, but he couldn't hear what. Yes, Kain was definitely the best, and Cecil hoped that, one day, he could be just like him.
"Cecil!"
Kain was calling him. Cecil had stopped without realizing it, and the other two were already almost at the castle gate. "Hurry up! How are we supposed to be adventuring if we have to wait up for you all the time?"
Cecil ran towards his friends. Yes, he wanted to be just like Kain. Except when Kain was being a jerk, of course.