"I have no idea how I got here!" I squeal. Yasuo jumps. Yone just regards me quietly.
"How do you have no idea how you got here?" Yasuo demands.
"I went to sleep with Starshadow in my bed in Targon, and woke up to Yasuo yapping at me!" I yelp. Starshadow quickly slithers up to my face.
Calm down! He shouts in my face.
"Excuse me! Calm down! I was back home for a day! One day! And now we're in Ionia outside a sword school and neither of us know how to get back!" I scream and break down. "I swear if it's Zoe again, we are going to have a rather firm chat over what she should and shouldn't do." I snarl under my breath.
Yeah yeah yeah. Look, we just woke up. You're pissed off. And we have two kids in front of us trying to understand what your crazy ass is saying. Cool it! Starshadow snaps some sense into me. I take a deep breath to calm down before turning to the boys. Yone pulled Yasuo behind him while I was venting.
"I'm sorry for my outburst. I'm just… I'm tired. I was gone from home for months. I climbed a stupid mountain and got to enjoy one day with my family before disappearing on them. They must be worried sick." I finish with a murmur. I run my hand through my hair, causing the stars in it to sparkle for a moment.
"Woah! You have stars in your hair? That's pretty cool!" Yasuo attempts to dash out from behind Yone. Yone doesn't let him and grabs him by his arm again.
"What mountain did you climb?" He sounds so tense. I swallow.
"Mount Targon." I reply as firmly as I can. Starshadow turns his head towards the brothers.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Starshadow challenges. I lightly tap his head, telling him to reign it in. Yone's eyes widen.
"You are not that different in age from myself, and you climbed that Mountain?" Yone asks. He sounds stunned. I shrug my shoulders.
"I didn't want to, and I didn't climb all the way on my own. Starshadow joined me part way up. Either way, I didn't climb of my own volition." I grumble.
"Regardless, that is quite the feat. Come. I'll take you to the elders. Perhaps they can help you." Yone instructs me. Yasuo sticks his tongue out.
"No fair! I can climb any old mountain!" Yasuo whines.
"Mount Targon is not any old mountain. Legend says that's where you can touch the stars. You are certainly someone of interest." Yone contemplates. "Have you ever desired to learn a sword?" Yasuo glares at his brother.
"What about me?" Yasuo demands. For some reason, it sounds different.
He sounds hurt. Starshadow points out. He wants to be with his brother. I make up my mind.
"No. I'm not much of a fighter. I've never even held a sword, so I'm not sure how useful it would be for me to visit." I decline as gently as possible. "Why don't I spend time with Yasuo? If you're in school, I'm sure Yasuo could use some company." Yasuo gapes at me. I spot Yone's lips twitch. Up or down, I can't determine.
"I will go to the masters of the school and discuss what will be done with you. In the meantime, Yasuo, keep an eye on our… guest." He orders. He walks away. I turn back to Yasuo.
"Well, doesn't he have a stick up his ass." I comment lightly. Starshadow smacks my head with his tail. "OW!" I yelp.
"What makes you so special!" Yasuo bursts. I just run my head and look at him confused. "I've been waiting outside the school forever! The monsoons are going to be coming soon! What makes you so special that Yone is willing to help you out but not me!" His voice cracks at the end. I frown.
"I'm not that special. I'm a girl that someone took an interest in and I had to climb the mountain. I didn't have a choice in the matter." I confess. Yasuo looks at me angrily.
"Don't lie! You've touched the stars, haven't you? That's something that interests people!" Yasuo sounds more and more upset the more he yells.
"What's the matter, Yasuo?" Starshadow asks. Yasuo yelps.
"That thing can talk?" He balks. Starshadow snorts.
"I've always been able to talk, silly boy. Now, why are you upset?" He demands. I slap his head back in return. Rude.
You started it. He's a kid. He's scared and needs comfort, not insults. I snap back to him through thought speak. Starshadow sighs before giving a subtle head nod.
"Will you just answer the question?" He sighs exasperated. Yasuo looks ready for a fight.
"I'm not telling you anything!" Yasuo declares. Sounds like he wants to be a challenge.
"You've already told us quite a bit. You're good at fighting. You want to help. You're hurt from your brother paying more attention to us than to you. You want to be as strong as him. You want him to be proud of you." Yasuo gasps loudly. I smirk. Looks like I'm getting somewhere. Starshadow picks up my train of thought.
"You protest and got angry at us because Yone offered us help to his school. You wait outside everyday. You don't belong to the school, do you?" Starshadow finishes. Yasuo glares at us even harder.
"You don't know anything!" He yells and tries to run away. I use my magic and freeze his feet to the ground. His sandals feel harder to hold onto. For some reason, I feel how much magic is going into my will. I ignore it in favor of keeping Yasuo from running away.
"I know you're lonely and you look up to your brother. You want to be in the same school as him, don't you?" Yasuo stops fighting.
"So what!" He bursts around. I don't even have a chance to blink before Yasuo attacks me. He throws his whole weight on me and forces me to the ground. "Are you going to make fun of me for it too? Cause I've already heard it all before! I don't need anyone else to say I can't do it!" Yasuo screams. It takes a drop of water on my face to realize that he's crying. A child a little younger than I am is crying. He sounds so sad. I have to help. I wrap my arms around him and let him cry. He immediately does his best to fight me.
"How can I make fun of you when I've known people that have had to face challenges that seem just as impossible?" I whisper softly. Yasuo freezes for a moment. I take the opportunity to finish. "All those that climb Mount Targon risk their lives to be called worthy of the beings at the top. There's a lot of failures. I don't think any of them are silly for trying to climb. I admire their determination, like I think your determination is admirable." Yasuo stops struggling. Starshadow squirms his way to face Yasuo.
"We aren't making fun of you. We just want to help." Starshadow adds. Yasuo, in a quick movement, shoves me off him.
"Get off of me, you weirdo!" He yelps. I groan as his shove slams me back into the ground. We stay still for a moment. I hear him murmur something.
"What did you say?" I moan.
"Sorry for hurting you!" He shouts. I wince from how loud he's being.
"It's all good. Nothing I can't take. Just give me a minute." I wave him off. I lift my hand up to my cheek to wipe the blood off from that brat kid's stone. I jerk my hand away in surprise. There's no blood, no cut. That is not a part of illusion magic. What the hell? Yasuo picks up on my missing cut very quickly.
"Where's your cut?" Yasuo demands.
"I don't know." I murmur.
"You're weird."
"You've mentioned that before." We sit in silence for a moment. I just enjoy my surroundings. The sky's so bright and beautiful. The grass waving around me is wonderful.
"Can you tell me about them? The mount Targon climbers?" I hear Yasuo shyly ask. I look at him.
"You are remarkably quiet right now, aren't you?" I comment. I stand up.
"Shut up. I just wanna know." He grumbles.
He's embarrassed he cried on you. Duh. Starshadow spits at me.
"Alright, I'll tell you about the ones that I know climbed." I smile and start. I even try exercising my magic by using it to show him my tales. He doesn't interrupt once. By the end of all three stories, I'm exhausted and struggling to stay upright. Yasuo lets me lean against him to support myself. "And that's… That. Taric and… Pantheon and.. Mine."
"Don't forget about me!" Starshadow chirps up. I feel my eyes begin to close and I start to fall forward. Yasuo and Starshadow both yelp and try to catch me. Larger hands do the job instead.
"You are certainly open about many things. That may get you hurt one day." Yone murmurs to me. He picks me up and sets me on my feet.
"Maybe, but at least I tried to help." I whisper back. Even with Yone's help, I'm barely standing. I'm so tired that I don't even yelp when Yone sweeps me off my feet to carry me.
"Is she ok, Yone?" Yasuo asks. I jolt a bit.
"Starshadow?" I croak out.
I'm here. Yasuo's carrying me. I'll watch over you while you sleep, ok? Starshadow comforts me. With that, I let myself pass out.
I come to with a groan. Peeking through my lids, I see that it's nighttime. I'm under a roof. From the dim light shining through the walls, I'd guess that I'm in a shack. I place my palm against my forehead, moaning quietly from the head ache I still have. I hear Starshadow's moans in my head.
Oh, the food, the food! It's delicious but hurts. I turn to my side to see Starshadow with a bulging stomach, not like the ball he was last night. I giggle under my breath, hearing that he talks in his sleep. I turn to the other side to see Yasuo deep asleep. I quietly get up, doing my best not to wake up either of them. My limbs are still shaky from earlier. Eventually, I move far enough away from Yasuo that I don't risk waking him up. Every muscle in my body aches. It takes me far too long before I'm outside. I'm panting from exhaustion. I look up to the stars and smile. A new part of the world, and a new sky to gaze at. All the stars are different. It's beautiful to me.
"Are you alright?" A soft voice whispers. I jump, flinching from my soreness. "I did not mean to scare you." Yone murmurs quietly before taking a seat next to me. I groan.
"I'm ok. Still new to magic. All that storytelling earlier exhausted me." I inform him.
"You used magic for quite a long time. Does it always exhaust you so much that you can barely stand?" He asks.
"Are you referring to my stories or how long I've had magic?"
"Is there a difference?"
"Actually yes. I only received magic around two or three days ago." I inform him. His eyebrows rise up.
"You are quite an interesting girl." He repeats himself.
"Thank you for the compliment." We sit in silence for a little bit. I start to cough from how dry my throat is. He moves quietly to a shelf in the shack and grabs a bottle. He comes back and offers me the bottle. I accept it and drink the water from within. It's not as crisp or as cold as my home's water, but I feel better. "Where's the water from?"
"The last time it rained. Why?"
"It tastes so different from water from my home. You'd think that water is water, it wouldn't taste any different. My home's water is crisper and cooler, this is sweet water to me." I explain.
"Interesting. I may have to ask the travelers about it sometime." Yone contemplates. I nod before taking another sip. I start choking, surprised at the taste of the water. It tastes like water from Targon. Yone pats my back to help me. "What has surprised you?"
"Taste it." I decide to show him instead of tell him. He raises an eyebrow at me before taking a sip. He looks surprised for a moment. He glances at me in concern.
"How are you feeling?" Now that Yone mentions it, my muscles ache even more. I groan and just slump all the way down.
"My muscles all ache, like I just ploughed a hundred fields in one day." I complain. Yone gives a small smile. I tilt my head.
"Enough about me, what about you? You're so quiet all the time. I mean, Yasuo's a child, but you, you don't act like a child. You act like someone who has seen the world fall." I tell him. Yone smile grows a little bit more.
"The world falling? That is quite an interesting take. No, I have not seen the world fall. I merely prefer to be calm anyway." He takes another sip from the bottle. "This is how that water tastes in your home? It's chilly."
"Hey, enough about me and my home. I'm in a new place. Tell me stuff!" I plead. Yone shakes his head.
"I do not know you well enough. That reminds me. The elders of my school wish to see you. I told them that you had climbed the mountain. They want to meet with you. Training an Aspect in the art of the sword would certainly raise their reputation."
"If that's their reasoning, I'd rather be on my own." I spit. Yone looks taken aback. "I'm a simple farmer. I'm not a fighter." I protest.
"You climbed a mountain known to take lives. You had to have learned how to fight." Yone argues back.
"When did you start to listen to my story?"
"Around when Starshadow became large enough to fight off a mind splitter."
"I never fully climbed it. I was teleported to almost the top. I never had to fight anyone. All I did was watch and survive." I emphasize that all I did was watch.
"You still reached the top and fought off celestials to help Starshadow."
"I wouldn't say I fought them off. In fact, I would say I did nothing."
"You still refused to stop. That's the important part." Yone presses. I shake my head.
"Even if I was all that, I do not want to train with them. They want to help me to raise their school's reputation. I'm not a poster girl."
"There is a swordsman who specializes in using the wind to create illusions." Yone tempts me. I frown.
"Only on one condition." I argue.
"Depends on the condition." Yone returns.
"I want to hear your story." I weedle. He sighs.
"Very well. My Father died when I was young. Yasuo is my half-brother. His Father abandoned us. Mother raised us. Mother died recently from disease. For as long as he can remember, Yasuo and I have not separated. A master of the school asked me to join. I joined less than a month ago. That's my story." He tells me quickly. I pout.
"That's really not much of a story." I protest. Yone smirks.
"I'm not that much older than you. I've never climbed a famous mountain. Can you say I have stories worth telling?" he points out. I sigh.
"Fine, I'll go to the school tomorrow. Happy?" I grumble. Yone gives a very quiet chuckle.
"You do not need to make me happy." He adds. I glare at him before giving up. We just stay there, not moving or talking for a while. Eventually, Yone gets up. "Do you need help to return to bed?"
"No. I'm happy just being under the stars. Something about them makes me feel better." I reach up and call for a borealis to appear. It flows lazily in the sky.
"You really shouldn't be doing that." Yone comments before he walks back into the shack.
"I know, but it's so beautiful." I whisper. I fall asleep shortly afterwards.
"What are you doing out here?" I jolt awake from Yasuo's face right in mine.
"Good morning to you too." I mumble before covering my eyes.
He makes a good point. Starshadow adds. "What are you doing out here? Your magic core is very weak.
"I woke up and needed some water. Couldn't sleep for a bit, so I just went out to enjoy the stars."
"Ready, Leilah?" Yone interrupts. I groan and turn over.
"Ready for what?" Yasuo asks.
"She's coming to the school with me." Yone tells him.
"What about me?" Yasuo sounds so hurt. I force myself up and pat his shoulder. I don't know how else to comfort him. Even with just that small action, I feel so weak. My magic core feels another drain and Starshadow grows a bit in size to help steady me.
You're exhausted, Leilah. The journey can wait.
"Normally, I would let you rest, but the masters want to meet you as quickly as possible." Yone adds in. I nod sluggishly and hold out my wrist for Starshadow to climb on. He stops pulling magic into himself and just slithers up silently. I start to crumble when Yone catches and let me lean on him.
"Let me come with you!" Yasuo hurries over and wraps my arm around his shoulders. "At least until we get to the school!" He pleads. Yone gives a small nod.
"Very well. Thank you, Yasuo." He sounds proud of his brother's actions. I smile. We make our way to his school slowly. My body just felt so weak that half the time Yasuo and Yone were basically dragging me along. According to Yone, it took us five times longer than he would have gotten there walking at a normal pace. I just smile and repeat that my magic use was worth it to see Yasuo so interested. Yasuo would grumble over how annoying I am, and Starshadow would just doze off. He'd occasionally talk to Yone, asking about foods in the region. When the sun was midday, we finally reached the school. Yone and Yasuo let me stand on my own.
"This is where we must part, brother." Yone sounds so sad.
"But I'm your brother! I should be with you!" Yasuo protests.
"Brother, you must not let your emotions cloud you." Yone cautions. Yasuo looks so mad.
"I'm just as good at fighting as you are!" He yells. I place my hand on Yasuo's shoulder.
"Sorry to interrupt, boys, but can I have a word with Yasuo?" I ask.
"I'd also like a word with Yone, if you don't mind." Starshadow sounds serious. That's quite rare for someone like him. I turn my head to him.
"What is it?"
I want to surprise you with different foods to try here. Starshadow tells me. I roll my eyes. Him and his newfound love of food is unbelievable. Yone nods and takes the snake with him. I rotate with a groan to Yasuo.
"How upset are you that you aren't with your brother?" I ask him. Yasuo sighs.
"I'm not a child. I can be without him." He grumbles.
"Maybe, but you look up to him alot. You want to be as great as him. Be worthy of being called brother?" I prod. Yasuo flinches. "It's ok. I want to be as great as my idol too. You just can't give up, ok? If the temple doesn't want to see your worth, make them."
"But the monsoon season…" Yasuo sounds so unsure.
"So what about a little rain? Never give up. You'll be as great as your brother as long as you want to be, ok?" I poke his leg. He gives me a smile.
"OK. I hope you don't leave anytime soon. I'm going to see you in there, got it? No disappearing on me like you appeared." He demands.
"No promises, so you better be super stubborn so they let you in." We just laugh at ourselves. Yone and Starshadow come back to us. They look so confused at us giggling without reason. Yone shakes his head and picks me off my feet.
"I hope to see you soon, Brother." Yone sounds so sad. Yasuo just smirks.
"You will. I'll see you in there, no matter how long it takes." Yasuo states. Yone gives him a proud smile.
"I'm amazed. You have some semblance of patience." Yone teases. Yasuo babbles angrily as we walk away. We go into a forest. After a little bit of time, we emerge into a temple. My eyes widen, trying to take in all the beauty of the temple. Several monks come to greet us.
"Welcome back Yone. I see you completed the task we have set for you." The monks turn to me. The oldest one speaks. "Welcome, Aspect of the Borealis. We are honored to have you here."
"Pleasure is mine." I respond in kind. "I was quite surprised to hear your invitation for myself and not Yasuo." I poke at them a little bit.
"You have completed a challenge. Yasuo is talented, yes, but he is too wild, untamed for us to train. We will not invite the boy until he tames himself." The head monk firmly declares. I narrow my eyes.
"I do not doubt that in a short time, you will be, as we put it in Targon, eating your words." I say as pleasantly as I could. I push Yone's chest, letting him know I wanted to be let down. He carefully sets me on my feet. I take a step forward and promptly start falling. I really need to get my magic under control. All the younger people on the side quickly rush to my aid.
"Are you alright, Lady Leilah?" One of the servants asks. I grimace.
"No, no Lady Leilah's, I'm just Leilah. And I overused my magic recently, so I'm still a bit weak." I explain. The monks nod their heads.
"Rest for the week, pupil. We need you recovered enough to be able to learn." The lead monk gently orders me. "We will assign you a room." I nod and take a moment to look around..
I wonder what I can learn from this school.
Right on Schedule! Hello Readers! Well, this is exciting, a sword school is going to attempt to teach Leilah Magic! I feel the irony already. Feel free to guess how well it's going to go! Yone and Yasuo are going to be companions to her for a little bit longer. I'm personally very excited about this mini arc. I love making the characters be a bit more like souls than how they are in league. Seriously, did you guys know about Aurelion Sol or did you guys just think he is pretty cool as a character or not that great to play in League? It's little things like that that make me love the game and make me want to write a more interactive approach.
Hope you enjoy the chapter, and See you all Sunday!