Nero awoke naturally, his eyes fluttering open as he yawned. He reached out, and found the warmth that had soothed him back to sleep wasn't there anymore. He sat up, wincing as he did and feeling his abdomen. Apparently, the biotics had work to do yet. Nero turned his head, and found two papers on his bedside stand. This first one was his discharge sheet, and after he took it into his hand, he found that he was clear to leave, and so long as he rested and applied the biotics they were giving him nightly, he'd be combat-ready before the week was up. He looked at the second paper, and scrawled on it was a familiarly messy handwriting that made Nero smile.
Nero, sorry I left. It was getting late and you looked so peaceful. I'll probably be training in the gym all day, so if you want come down there!
Lo-
Jahim
Nero grinned wider, his face reddening at the unfinished and scratched out love on the note. Is it too soon for that? Nero thought to himself. Probably, but it's still adorable. Also I might have let the same thing slip last night sooooo… shit. He scratched the back of his head, before swinging his legs off the bed and gingerly standing up. He was stiff, but otherwise walking was fine. He walked out the door, and down several hallways before arriving at the gym, and hearing shouts and clashing metal within. He entered, and was greeted with the sight of Jahim and Jay dueling with their blades, Jahim flowing into his strikes and shattering Jay's guard with almost no effort. Nero moved to the stands, sitting next to Donovan and Alice.
"Hey Nero," Alice said, "you feeling alright?"
"Eh, I'm okay," Nero replied. "You'd be surprised how much I can take."
"I'm sorry that you got involved," Donovan said. "We would have moved our plan faster had we realized you were taken."
"Wait, there was a plan?" Nero asked.
"Indeed, you didn't think we'd send Jahim in without a fallback, did you?" Donovan said with a chuckle. "Headmaster Arc was overwatching the entire thing. He had used his spirits to take out the Kasbahn operatives hidden in the city, so that if we had to intervene, Dahabi couldn't start the fight from inside the city. Jahim was never at risk."
Nero smiled, turning back to watch Jahim and Jay spar. Jahim was currently clashing blades with Jay, before twirling his blade in a motion that forcefully tore Amaryllis from Jay's grip. As the crimson sword clattered to the ground, Jahim leveled the tip of his sword, and Jay's throat, who raised her hands in defeat.
"Shit, dude, I'm worse than I thought," Jay said, walking over and collecting her blade, sheathing it in its scabbard at her hip. "Good fight."
"Yeah," Jahim said, replacing his blade at his back before scratching the cap still covering his hair. "You've got a long way to go, but that's what training's for. Plus, you've got a lot of tools you weren't using. I'll bet you'll be great in no time."
"What's that style you're using?" Jay asked, thinking back to Jahim's fluid, almost dance-like style. "It's really hard to defend against."
"It's, uh, kinda embarassing," Jahim said. "Before I… escaped, we were all forced to learn dances for, uh, entertaining the men at the palace. I was really good at blade dancing, and when I got out, I weaponized it. Nobody's seen it before, so it catches people off guard."
"That's badass, taking their bullshit and using it against them," Jay said. "Think you could teach it to me?"
"I really don't." Jahim said. "You're not as flexible, and you're a lot slower and stronger than me. Plus, your sword isn't as heavy as mine, so your momentum wouldn't be as good. You're much better off learning a more traditional style, probably one that utilizes that tricked out scabbard you've got."
"You're probably right," Jay said, sheepishly scratching the back of her neck.
"Okay, I'm gonna ask it," Nero said, chiming into their conversation, "what's with the cap?"
Jahim froze, and turned to Nero. "Hey, Nero! You're looking better."
"I've been wondering that myself," Donovan said. "Jahim, are you hiding something from us?"
Jahim sputtered, trying to fabricate a response, but hung his head and sighed. "You guys promise not to freak out?" The group all nodded, and Jahim sighed again, before reaching up and tugging the cap off. Everyone's eyes went wide, aside from Alice's, as Jahim's burning hair was revealed, softly crackling atop his head.
"Okay," Jay said, "I know I promised not to freak out, but what the fuck?"
"My semblance awoke when I was fighting my father," Jahim said. "This isn't even all of it." Jahim breathed deep, and his wings of fire appeared, and spread wide. "I can make fire, look," he said, before conjuring a small pillar of fire in the palm of his outstretched hands. "I haven't tested it very much, but I know it's powerful."
"This is… incredible," Donovan said.
Nero, meanwhile, had made his way over to Jahim, a worried look on his face. "Does it hurt?"
"No, no, no, Nero I'm fine," Jahim assured. "This fire's around room temperature. It's strange, but, it's kinda cool."
Nero hesitantly reached his hand out, and was surprised when not only did the wing coming from Jahim's back not burn him, it seemed to have mass. "Jahim, can you move these?"
"I… don't know," Jahim said, looking over his shoulder. "How would I?"
"Try flexing your shoulder blades," Jay said. Jahim did, and the wings on his back flexed in response. Jay walked over, seeming to measure the wings in her head as she looked at them, before her eyes shot open wide. "Dude, you could fly with these!"
"I could?" Jahim said, trying to flex them back into a folded state.
"Oh, easily," Jay said, a smile forming on her face. "They're not as big as mine, but the ratio to your height is way bigger. You'll fly easier than me out of my armour, for sure."
"Would you teach me?" Jahim said, looking up to Jay with a smile on his face.
Jay froze, and didn't speak for a moment. She smiled, and let out a chuckle. "You… y'know, I never really thought I'd get to teach anyone to… to fly…" Tears began to form in her eyes, as she looked down at Jahim. "I would… I would love to teach you, Jahim. Please, let me teach you…" she murmured, and Jahim turned and hugged her, rubbing her back as she sniffled and choked. "Thank you, thank you," she repeated, as Jahim held her.
"I would be honoured to learn from you, Jay," Jahim said, and they parted, the others coming around and standing with one another. Jahim looked around, and smiled. "It should be good to just… live for awhile. No more villains, or Tahir, or anything. Just, living."
"Just living? No bullshit? No battles? No wars?" Jay said, smiling ear to ear. "Now that's an idea I can get behind."
"Okay, but where are we going?"
Jahim had been following Yang through Vale for nearly fifteen minutes. He had arrived with the team at the Four Maidens for drinks later in the day, when Yang had whisked him away and taken him for this walk to, well, somewhere.
"To your 4:30, kiddo," Yang said.
"What?" Jahim said, before Yang came to a stop, and pointed at the building next to her. It was a clinic, one that looked pristine and clean, wholly unlike the kind of place Yang Xiao Long would take someone. "What is this place?"
"It's a clinic, specializing in, er, sex things? I dunno what the best term is for it, but I scheduled you a 4:30 with the doc, to, er, obtain some hormones, if you want it. I took care of everything, it's all paid for, don't worry about that, but if you want it, it's there for you." Yang chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry that it's short notice, but, I, er, kinda only thought of this an hour ago. Plus you were kinda an underage kid in my bar and I needed an excuse to get you out, so… yeaaaah."
"How did you do all this?" Jahim said, knowing how packed places like this tended to be, with waiting lists miles long.
"The doctor in question may also be known as the legendary engineer and mechanic Power Tool, who built Lawbreaker and worked with the Dragons for twenty or so years, but you didn't hear that from me," Yang said, laughing again. "Plus, I've known Dr. Lua for my whole life, he'll treat you right."
"Thank you," Jahim said, hugging Yang tight.
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" Yang pulled away, smiling at Jahim. "Now, be honest with him, and follow his instructions carefully. You fuck this up, it can really hurt you. Trust me, he knows best." She checked her watch, and began to walk past Jahim. "I gotta get back, but take care of yourself, okay kiddo?"
Jahim nodded, and turned towards the door, he reached out, before turning back to Yang. "Wait, how do you know all this?"
Yang turned her head to look over her shoulder, and winked at Jahim, a knowing smile on her face. Jahim paused for a moment, before gasping, and turning back to the door with an even bigger smile on his face.
The Dark Skies fortress underneath the Living Mire was unusually noisy for this late in the evening. It had been weeks since the conclusion of the Vytal tournament, and Dark Skies had been biding its time, recovering from its losses in Atlas and planning again. It is for this reason that the raid horns being sounded, and troops being sent towards the front of the base was surprising. Lady Knightscape sat in her throne, monitoring the chaos on her terminal, when the doors at the end of the hall opened and slammed quickly, a frightened soldier leaning against it to try to keep it shut.
"My Lady!" the soldier yelled, "there is a warrior tearing through all of us! They're headed this way!"
"I am aware, child," Knightscape said, "I'm monitoring them here."
"Where is he?" The soldier asked, panic in their voice continuing into their scream as the doors behind them blew off their hinges, a fist lingering in the air from beneath a hooded cloak from a punch that sent the soldier into the chair in front of them, knocking them out.
"There," Knightscape said, standing from her chair. "Well, you seem to want something from Dark Skies, traveler." She walked down the stairs to her throne and around the table, to face the figure. They were towering, far taller than the lady, but were completely obscured by the black cloak that shrouded their body. "What do you want from me?"
"What do I want?" the traveler asked, their voice deep and rough. "I want my homeland to not be a vassal to a false freedom. I want my people to not serve Vale, in some strange notion of 'equality'. I want my beliefs to be upheld. These are all things I want, but they are not why I'm here. I'm here for what I need," he said, pulling his hood down. Beneath her mask, Knightscape grinned as the flowing white hair and beard of Tahir Farid were exposed, his expression one of pure wrath. "I need Hamr ā's head on a spike."
Knightscape held her ground, looking him dead in the eye. "Kneel to me, and you shall have that."
Tahir paused, before falling to his knee, and looking up at Knightscape. "If you help me kill my sister, you will have my undying loyalty."
Knightscape allowed herself another smile. "Then may you cast Dark Skies, my Knightterror."
