Author's note
Alright, welcome back for chapter 2. This time around we'll get to see some of the interactions between Kinzo and Ur, as well as a bit of Victoria's backstory. If you guys think anything seems clunky with the way I'm writing these characters please let me know. If it is a meaningful critique I can always go back and edit the story later on.
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
"Internal conversations/ messages"
"Spells or Important Items"
The Greyhound Chapter 2.
Ur was confused, to say the least. She had spent the whole day training with her pupils because one of the strongest snowstorms she'd seen in years was happening. Once they had finished she came inside to shower, and in the middle of conditioning hears Gray scream that there was a person outside their house.
Instantly mom mode turned on and she was in the living room. Towel wrapped around her, ready to castrate whatever idiot was trying to get too close to her or her kids. Only to find that the 'Intruder' was actually a young boy not much older than Gray or Lyon.
As soon as she made eye contact, he just said "Noisy" and passed out, the hell? So, they covered him in a half dozen blankets and set him next to the fireplace.
He'd been there for the past 12 hours. But how did this kid get here, wearing extremely light clothing for the tundra? Seriously the blizzard alone was enough of a roadblock, but did she mention that she lived at the top of a fucking mountain? No one ever visited her, ever. So why, why was this kid here, how was this kid here? Oh, she felt a migraine coming on.
"Ur, find Ur, mom… did it… where are you?" mumbling was easy to hear from this distance as said boy started to talk in his sleep, and Ur wasn't missing a beat.
"Ok so the kid knows who I am if nothing else, but I don't really get the rest of it."
"Oh well, better ask to find out."
Taking mumbling as a sign of recovery Ur went to wake the boy as gently as she would her own kids. "HEY, GET UP!" she began yelling and violently shaking him until finally, he responded.
"AHHH!... huh? the hell?"
"Good you're awake, now explain why you're here."
Bewilderment and irritation were the two most prevalent emotions running through his system after her rude wake-up call. Though he wasn't too upset about being pulled from that particular dream. Still, her self-entitled introduction had gotten on his nerves.
Staring up he was met with a middle-aged woman, her face framed by dark-purple chin-length hair. Black eyes looked back at him intently and for a moment he saw his mother. Though the mirage had gone as quickly as it arrived, replaced again by annoyance at her harsh awakening.
"How about we start with, who are you? and where am I? Alright lady." speaking with the same tone she had.
Ya that didn't go over too well.
Soon the conversation had devolved into a schoolyard brawl. Profanities soared as Kinzo tried to claw at Ur's hands and arms while she pinched his face and screeched at the little $*** to show more respect. Though all this came to a grinding halt once Lyon cleared his throat.
The two froze, Ur mid-punch and Kinzo about to bite down on her other hand. The white-haired boy he briefly remembered seeing… last night? (How long had he been out anyway?) was seated cross-leg on a large chair across the room. Another boy with dark hair, presumably the one who had screamed in his ear, was standing close by watching with interest.
Ur quickly distanced herself trying to save at least a little face in front of her students. "Lyon Gray I didn't realize you two were up."
Seeming to ignore her the dark-haired boy, presumably the 'Gray' she mentioned approached, and asked a simple question "Who are you?"
After a brief pause, he turned back to the only adult present; responding with a question of his own "Can I assume you're Ur?"
the woman answered with slightly narrowed eyes but nevertheless said "Ur Milkovich, yes."
At this point, a bit of uncertainty had slipped in as he had basically just assaulted the women who was supposed to mentor him for the foreseeable future.
"Well, then my name is Kinzo, Victoria sent me here to train with you."
"Victoria!? How in the hell does some half-pint like you know that witch?"
Not taking kindly to the comment about his mother or height his mood soured considerably as he answered, "I'm her son."
A short pause and a brief flash of surprise on Ur's face was all the reward he got as her next words left him a bit confused.
"That makes way too much sense."
The next four days were a blur. First being introduced to both Ur's disciples. Lyon Vastia, a rather prideful and overconfident boy, and Gray Fullbuster. An otherwise polite kid with a bad habit of losing his clothes.
They were easy enough to get along with if a bit strange, but Ur was the person he came for. After managing to fully recover from the cold the connection between his mother and this woman was revealed.
"I used to work with Victoria. We both got contracted by a country in Northern Ishgar to assist in a civil war going on at the time."
As her story unfurled Kinzo couldn't hide just how curious he was to learn about his mother's past and if Ur could provide, he wouldn't deny.
Telling of how they met and what role they each played in the war to the North. Ur had described his mother as her perfect opposite.
While Ur was a frontline fighter preferring to pressure the enemy head-on with her exceptionally large reserves, Victoria took a much more (in her view) underhanded approach, assassination.
This vast difference in style lead to a number of verbal altercations between the two. Ur claiming the immorality of killing the opponent without even giving them a chance to fight back, and Victoria calling her immature for being so battle-hungry.
Their verbal and sometimes Physical brawls happened almost nightly. Often brought about by Victoria killing a high-value military target that Ur was hoping to face off against on the battlefield.
"I never did understand how she could stand up to me like that. Her container was really small, but she was so fast, and her physical strength was nothing to scoff at. In the end, I think my hurt pride was the reason we fought so much."
"I was so immature, always looking for someone to test myself against, but Victoria. It was like she didn't care about how strong she was only that the job got done, she had no desire to prove herself only to win. And I'm completely convinced that the only reason we did win was because of her."
"Every battle she took part in was a complete success. Her tactical planning and ability to execute were unmatched. It was to the point where the men in our company started calling her Victory instead of Victoria. I never liked that nickname, but in the end, she did earn it and my respect in our last fight together."
As the story continued, she described the last fight for the North. The enemy had hollowed up in a large fort surrounded by open snowfields. This was literally Ur's playground, burying and incapacitating dozens of soldiers at a time with her men backing her up. She felt unstoppable, until he showed up.
At least 6'6" and solid muscle, shrouded in a thick cloak and absolutely decimating her men as he marched, in a straight line, right for her.
His magic was strange, every time someone got too close, they just seemed to shrivel up and fall to their knees, gasping before finally going silent. It was unnerving to see hardened Veterans collapse without even getting a spell off, but she couldn't stop to think about it.
Charging in trying to stop the man from taking any more of her comrades and unleashing one of her stronger spells "Ice-Make: Rose Garden." Filling the open space with giant thorn-infested flowers. Attempting to restrict the movements of her assailant while also dealing a bit of damage.
She accomplished nothing. Not only did the man avoid her attack he seemed only mildly hindered by the obstacles as he continued his leisurely walk. She attempted to stop him a number of times reducing the once open field to a hodgepodge of random constructs she had made, yet still, he approached.
less than 10 meters away now she had only one thing left to try "Ice-Make: Gauntlet." Covering her hand in the cold material she took a swing.
"If all else fails, just clock him."
As her fist should have connected all she met was empty air, and soon after she noticed, her feet weren't on the ground anymore.
Instead, she was held up by her collar and forced to look her attacker in the eye. A short glaring match began before Ur had another realization; she couldn't breathe.
Seeming to notice this as well the man dropped her in a heap on the ground. Watching her gasp for breath with emotionless eyes.
—
He'd seen this happen too many times to care now. And once she was dead, he'd carry on as though nothing had happened. Because really nothing in the world would change from the death of one woman.
"This is all so meaningless."
He was briefly brought out of his musing as he noticed that he had lost sight of the woman. No that wasn't right he was looking down for some reason, and his vision continued to face downward before it started to spin, and everything went black.
—
After taking her third massive gulp of air Ur seemed to remember that she shouldn't be able to breathe at all. Quickly turning towards the man who had nearly killed her.
She wished she hadn't.
Gruesome deaths were nothing new, but this was just excessive. The man who had given her so much trouble and nearly stolen her life was still standing there. But his head was barely hanging from his body by what little skin was still connected around the front of his neck. His eyes aimed at the snow and… hell did his face just move?
It may have been her imagination, but it seemed as though the man looked... confused. The sight didn't last long though as Victoria walked around his still standing body and finalized his decapitation. Sending the head spinning towards the snow, and his body soon followed.
"Get up we need to keep moving."
The words broke her from the near-death stupor, and she looked to see Victoria walking back into the heat of battle.
"She saved me?"
Oh, her pride loved that, and desperately wanted to claim that her help wasn't needed, but she knew that was a lie. Death had nearly come for her, and there was no feasible way she could have escaped on her own let alone win.
Suddenly a wave of gratitude hit, realizing that she would get to live another day. The realization that she almost lost every good thing that she may have gained had she stayed alive. The woman was barely 25, and although she craved a strong opponent, she did want other things as well. Friends, security, a family one day. She'd nearly lost all of it because of her damn pride and single-minded thinking. Well, if her pride had almost cost her all of that then to hell with her pride!
"Hey!" her shout carrying dozens of meters, easily reaching her target's ears.
Turning to face the foolish woman she'd just saved Victoria was surprised by what came next.
"Thank you for that, I would have died if you hadn't stepped in."
...
That wasn't expected and her tone seemed genuine, "strange" she thought, before saying "Just make sure you survive this; I'd hate to think I wasted my time helping you."
The simple response was all it took to get Ur back on her feet and from there victory was assured.
With the war finally over and Ur's contracting organization compensated in full there was only one thing left to do.
"PARTY!" cheered one of the many excited soldiers as the festivities finally started. Food and dessert in large portions were available, with plenty of alcohol to go around. Loud cries of joy and laughter rang out through the night and long into the morning hours. They had won a war, and managed to keep themselves alive while doing it.
As her men danced and ate Ur laughed at their antics, but decided she needed to do something before joining in. Walking towards the corner of the hall the military officials had set up for their victory feast, she found her savior lounging on a small couch. "Victoria"
… a moment of silence passed before a response was heard "What do you need Ur?" taking the response as permission to sit she did, before gathering her thoughts and starting to speak her mind.
"Thank you for saving my life."
"… is that all you're here for? Thought I told you already, survive the war and we'll call it even."
Her irritation grew at the rather dismissive response but carried on.
"No, we're not even. You saved my life so now I feel at least a little indebted to you."
Continuing with her disinterested tone Victoria responded, "Regardless of how you may feel I don't want anything from you."
And finally, Ur saw a chance to do what she'd planned to do since the party started.
"I know, but for the sake of my conscience at least take this" offering a small crystal to the woman which she cautiously took.
"What is it?" looking with mild interest.
"A tiny communication lacrima, and before you say it, this one isn't a standard model. It's one-time use and shatters after."
"Sounds like a pretty lousy gift."
actively resisting the urge to slap the woman Ur continued.
"It's only good for one call and can only make that call to a sister lacrima I have. The idea is that it's totally protected from all outside interference or eavesdropping."
She seemed to stare at the small stone for a moment longer and Ur decided now would be the best time to leave before she could try to give it back.
"Just keep it, and if you ever find yourself in a bad situation give me a call. Take care… Victory."
As the Ice Make mage walked away Victoria couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Hmm, I guess for some people a close call is all it takes to really grow up. Alright Ur, I may just take you up on that offer someday."
Deciding that she'd had enough excitement for one night and wanting to finally leave this Frigid country she started walking. Payment in hand, train station insight, and an unexpected gift resting inside her breast pocket.
"It was probably another 6 years before I heard from your mother again, through the emergency lacrima I gave her no less."
"Apparently, she had gotten mixed up with some bad people. The kind that wipe entire villages off the face of Earthland for the sake of getting what they want."
"Normally she would have just left and been done with it, but apparently these guys aren't the type to let someone walkout. Plus, she said something in her life had really changed and she needed to get away from all of it as soon as possible. So, I hooked her up with a few contacts I knew in Fiore and managed to smuggle her in undetected. That was around 11 or 12 years ago so I can only imagine that big change was you."
Taking in the rather long tale Kinzo had a number of questions to ask, but the first thing coming to his mind was "Do you know who's chasing her?"
"Sorry kid she never said."
For the next hour, questions were fired off, almost all of them being met with the same answer. It seems his mother was rather secretive with everyone, not just him.
He still had one last question but was too afraid to ask it, even though he figured she probably didn't know the answer to that one either.
"Spit it out kid, you obviously wanna say something."
"Well crap."
Clearing his throat in order to get a few more seconds to steel himself. "Do, do you know who my dad is?" Wide eyes and poorly concealed pity were his responses.
"Sorry kid I wish I could tell you. What I do know is this, your mother is an incredible woman. Whoever she saw as worthy of standing by her side must have been someone special."
"If he's so special why isn't he here?" was his only bitter thought.
As the days passed, Ur finally decided it was time to help Kinzo with whatever his problem was regarding Maker Magic.
"Alright let me see you try making a dagger."
Closing his eyes and starting to focus, ignoring Gray and Lyon training in the snowy background.
First imagining the blade with a sharpened edge and then the hilt, not bothering with any intricate designs. Next, calling out his magic and trying to mold it into the shape he'd created mentally.
Finally, he'd push the magic out of his body and form the large knife, but it didn't happen. Instead, his precious magic just evaporated into the air around them.
"Pfff, hahaha. What the heck was that?" The taunt heard loud and clear had come from none other than Lyon. Still laughing the boy continued.
"And your container is so small, I don't even think someone like Ur can help you."
Kinzo tried to remember his mother's instruction in times like this, he really did "Remain calm. Any emotion in a fight positive or negative will take away from your ability to reason." But Lyon was really pissing him off, and really there is only so much restraint you can expect an 11-year-old to have.
"I don't need magic at all to deal with someone like you."
The statement seemed to get under the white-haired boy's skin because not a moment later he began his assault. "Ice-Make: Birds." Sending half a dozen living ice sculptures at his older opponent.
"Lyon!" Ur shouted but her call for peace fell on deaf ears as Kinzo moved as well. "Damn kids."
Attempting to close the distance he was nearly hit dead-on by one of the fouls, so he tried another angle only to face the same resistance.
—
He'd been trying to get closer for the last half-minute, but Lyon was good at maintaining space. Seriously he just kept making more and more of those damn birds, and he didn't even look tired. Clearly flexing his advantage in magic capacity, but Kinzo had a plan.
If he gave Lyon a great chance to hit him, he'd probably over-extend to try and capitalize. After that, he'd be wide open.
Putting the plan into motion, he ran straight forward as fast as he could all the time focusing on forming a small magic circle just ahead of him in the snow. The Circle was a dull orange, but Lyon was so focused on him he never saw it coming.
Just as a fresh flock of inanimate animals was about to make contact, he released his Conversion Leap launching himself nearly 10 feet up and still traveling forward.
Lyon's eyes lit up at this, and he panicked. Trying to stop the rapid advance he launched yet another set of birds, then began to relax. Kinzo was midair and his attack was dead on. With that little jumping stunt, he'd effectively trapped himself.
"You can't maneuver in midair." His ice would crush him, and this mouthy fool would be dealt with.
At least that was what should have happened. Instead, an orange circle formed right behind his opponent and he pushed off of it straight down. Straight down towards him. "Crap I don't have time for another spell!"
Lyon had played right into his hand. Launching another hasty attack while he was midair, he couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Now completely overextended by trying to end the fight in one attack Lyon was wide open for what would come next.
Creating another Conversion Leap circle behind him (it was quickly becoming his favorite tool) he pushed off. Changing his trajectory, avoiding the birds, and landing right in front of Lyon.
Hitting the snow with a thud but continuing to move forward. He didn't even try to stop just pressing on, practically touching the now terrified ice mage.
Using all the momentum from his little sprint and his enhanced strength, he buried a fist in the arrogant boy's gut. The body molded itself around his attack completely doubling over, and if you were paying attention, you may have seen Lyon's feet leave the ground for a few seconds.
After landing the ice maker crumpled to his knees and began to heave, practically begging for Oxygen to return to him. Though he'd likely be down for at least a couple more minutes.
It was over, his first real fight against someone that wasn't his mother, and he came out on top. Ya, that felt good.
Ur approached at his 6 and stopped just behind him "you two done now?" Taking silence as a yes, she proceeded to whack the back of Kinzo's head with her palm sending him face-first into the snow.
"Pagh!" Spitting out the snow that got in his mouth "What's your problem?"
"You two are both idiots. Lyon you just attacked someone because they taunted you show some self-control, acting like that will get you killed in the real world. And Kinzo I figured your mother would have taught you not to instigate something like that, guess I was wrong."
That hurt, she could have said anything else, and he'd just brush it off but not that. Claiming he wasn't living up to his mother's standards hurt, especially since she was right.
"Honestly just go inside both of you, we're done for the day" After managing to find their feet, Lyon still clutching his stomach, they both started towards the house neither willing to go against Ur's command.
A notable sigh escaping her lips at their actions "What am I supposed to do with them honestly… any ideas Gray?" the otherwise silent boy pondered for a moment before replying.
"Lyon's always seen himself as better than other people, and Kinzo acts like he has something to prove, so I doubt he took kindly to being looked down on. This was bound to happen eventually." The response surprised her but, in the end, she couldn't bring herself to disagree. Those two were just too different it seemed.
"Did you see it though?" Gray asked.
"Hmm? See what?" he met her eyes.
"He was able to use magic just fine in the fight, so why couldn't he use Maker Magic earlier?"
"Ah, I have an idea about that, but it's gonna have to wait now. Head inside would ya? Make sure those two don't kill each other for me."
Nodding and heading inside himself Ur considered her options for helping Kinzo's magic and getting all her kids to mature a bit.
"Solving his problem would be pretty simple actually. I mean we had a similar problem while teaching Ult-!" Surprise came as she realized where her thoughts had brought her, but sorrow replaced it in an instant.
It was gonna be a long night.
It was late, definitely late. The clock on the wall read 2:37 A.M.
Wanting more sleep Kinzo rolled over and tried to make himself comfortable but nothing seemed to work. Knowing it was hopeless he got up to stretch his legs maybe some walking around would tire him out.
Blanket draped over both shoulders he exited the little room, careful not to wake Gray or Lyon. As much as he disliked the latter at the moment, he knew he'd been immature before and should probably apologize, but now wasn't the time.
After leaving he started towards the living room, steps silent just like his mother taught him. Taking in the wooden structure as he went, appreciating the safety it offered from the elements.
Turning a corner, he noticed a light was coming from the living room. Moving closer to investigate he started to sharpen his already enhanced senses.
He could hear slight breathing, but the rhythm was erratic. Could feel a small tremble in the floor from someone shaking, and finally, he could smell… salt?
Putting everything together he had a pretty good idea of what the person was doing, but what had caused it was another question. Moving closer his suspicions were confirmed. From here he could see just a few feet away, was Ur seated on the small couch, crying.
Clutching a picture of her and a small child. It seemed to be a girl, with short purple hair and striking red eyes. Waving one hand towards the camera while the other was wrapped around Ur's head holding herself close. She looked like a cute kid, sporting one of the brightest smiles he'd ever seen.
As Ur's near-silent weeping continued, he decided it would be appropriate to reveal himself. He had walked in on something private; it wouldn't be right to leave without at least letting her know he was there. So, allowing his next two steps to be heard he paced forward.
The woman's posture immediately stiffened but she didn't turn, instead remaining silent for a while longer.
Deciding inaction was helping no one Kinzo voiced a question "Who is she?"
Her body visibly tightened again almost recoiling from the sound, but nonetheless, she answered, "My tear."
The statement left him more confused than when he'd started, and so he pressed "What was her name?"
Her response came more quickly this time, though it wasn't what he wanted to hear "It doesn't matter, she's gone."
The thought that he may be overstepping did occur, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he shouldn't leave, not just yet. So, he asked once more "Who was she, to you?"
Her head fell, and he could hear the struggled breaths come once more "My daughter… my baby girl."
He'd never been around sadness, not like this. His mother was always so reserved, keeping everything to herself. So, he felt entirely out of his element when it came to consoling the crying woman. But even for something like this his mother had given some wisdom.
Though it was meant to be used for interrogation.
"Humans are resilient creatures. We can be very hard to break, but something no one can handle for long is being truly alone."
He didn't want her to be alone, and so he wouldn't leave, instead choosing to take a seat on the couch, right next to her. He didn't speak, he didn't try to understand or piece things together, he just sat there making sure she had someone. Because after all, no one should be alone.
—
When the crying stopped, he'd already lost track of time again. Glancing over he could see her, no tears just a sad face staring down at the worn picture of her little girl.
He didn't really know how to help before and he still didn't now, but whenever he was feeling down physical contact usually helped cheer him up. The rare hug he got from his mother always brightened his day.
He didn't know Ur that well and lacked the confidence to try and embrace her, so instead, he just leaned against her to test the waters. His head and arm pressed against her side, and he could feel her adjust to the added weight. He also saw her head turn towards him out of the corner of his eye, and she seemed to give pause at his actions.
A few moments passed before she decided to lean back into the couch and wrap her arms around him. Pulling him into the crook of her neck she spoke "Thank you."
After some time, and feeling her grip loosen he looked up to meet her eyes "Do you want to talk about her?"
A small smile graced her lips, and the rest of the night was filled with stories.
—
"Hahaha, she really just brought back a wolf cub?"
"Ya, I turn my back for 5 minutes and the girl comes prancing through the front door with a little pup in her arms. Scared me half to death, and I still don't know where she found it since wolf packs normally steer clear of my cabin."
"Gotta say Ur, she sounds like a really interesting girl."
"She was… you know she would have been about 12 years old by now. And I think, if you two had met, she'd have you wrapped around her finger."
"The heck is that supposed to mean?" he said with narrowed eyes.
"Hmm, even when she was young, she had this fiery personality about her. I think if you two had met she'd just beat that bad attitude out of you."
"And she is my daughter so she would have been quite the looker. I bet you'd do anything she asked."
Seeing his irritated expression, Ur couldn't help but chuckle "Hehehe, oh I'm just kidding. Really though, I think you two would have gotten along."
Tonight had been good, and while he still didn't know the girl's name, he knew Ur would tell him if or when she was ready.
She was in a good mood and he didn't want to ruin it, but there was still one thing he wanted to know "Ur, what happened to her?"
The atmosphere became somber once again and it seemed like the conversation was over, but then she started talking.
"My magic container is exceptionally large even among higher-end wizards and her father was just as blessed. So, when her magic started to mature as she aged, it was obvious that her potential was monstrous. I was really proud and so happy that I could give her that gift, but it all fell apart."
"Just after her sixth birthday she started practicing magic and she was actually pretty good at Maker Magic for someone so young."
"For a while thing just carried on but the more she used her magic the more she would complain about pain. It ended up getting so bad that she just collapsed one day."
"At that point, I raced to the nearest Medical facility I could think of, a research institute to the east of Fiore. They took her in and ended up telling me that her magic container was too large for her little body to handle."
"Her magic was literally tearing her apart from the inside out. She died within the week, and they wouldn't even let me see her body. My greatest gift to her ended up being the thing that killed her."
Wow, this girl truly was his polar opposite. Reserves so large she couldn't contain them and a personality so bubbly everyone she met seemed to love her. It truly was a tragedy to lose someone like that, especially so young.
Ur had apparently had enough depression for one night, as she decided to end things there "Alright kid that's enough for now, you should try to get some sleep... and thanks for checking up on me."
Standing up to leave for her own room Kinzo had to ask "Ur?"
Turning to face her charge she waited for the rest "she was 6 and she could use Molding Magic… why can't I?"
At that Ur seemed to debate whether or not to say anything, but seeing how downcast he was relented to tell him now rather than later.
"Something people today often forget is that magic is fundamentally tied to a person's emotional and mental state of mind. This is seen most clearly in what is known as lost magic. Spells that come from this category will change their effects and effectiveness to fit the user and its power often depends on the motivations of the mage."
"Most modern types of magic have strayed from that core idea. Instead, focusing on basic incantations and by the book magic formulas. There are however a few notable exceptions, one of them being Molding Magic."
"It makes sense, doesn't it? The only limit to what we can make is our own imagination, so state of mind matters. With a style like ours even when every piece of the puzzle is set perfectly, if the motivations aren't there then it just won't work."
He seemed to ponder this for a moment before asking a not so simple question.
"So, what does that mean for me?"
"It means that the issue isn't in your execution. The problem is why you want it to happen at all. If you can figure out why you want Maker Magic to work for you, truly, then it will."
Ending her explanation, she decided to leave him to think about what she'd said.
"If you do stay up don't be too loud. Hope he gets some sleep."
As Ur turned in for the night, Kinzo was racking his brain trying to understand what she said. "I'm not motivated? But that doesn't make any sense, I've always wanted to learn magic, to learn anything she tried to teach me."
Of course, he was motivated! How could he not be she always pushed him to be strong, to be firm, to be like her…
…her
He was doing it for her, wasn't he. For his mother, the woman he truly looked up to. He'd never done any of this for himself.
But understanding that problem alone wouldn't fix his issue. Could he even view things any other way at this point? He'd never cared about being strong for himself only for her, for her approval.
"I-I don't know if I can do this."
"Do you even want to?" Hands shaking at the fear of being rejected.
"Do you really want to be a mage?" Did he?
"I'm not sure."
"You could just leave now, run from the mountain find a nice quiet town, and forget about magic."
"If you hide, she'll never find you and you'll never have to see the disappointment in her eyes."
"Why not, you're already a failure? At least this way it'll hurt less."
"Go, run away Kinzo, RUN AWAY!"
"SHUT UP!"
"Runaway, you want me to just run away? To hell with that!"
"I'm not gonna go hide like some coward! She'd hate me more if I did that!"
"Honestly, I couldn't care less if I ever learn how to use you! I already know I can beat other mages only using my own strength. I don't need you! I've gone my whole life without your help!"
At this point, Kinzo's magic had begun to flare.
"I scaled that damn mountain by myself!"
It started to pool around his hand.
"I kicked that prick's ass on my own!"
He raised it ready to slam his fist into the adjacent coffee table.
"And I will continue to live well, by her side, whether you decide to help me or not!"
He brought it down intending to crush the table before him, but he never touched it.
Looking towards his hand to figure out what had stopped him, he found a peculiar sight. His fist was stuck about 4 inches above the table's surface gripping what appeared to be a hilt, and just under that, he saw a blade. A long dagger buried at least 4 inches into the wood.
Shock came first, but then "I did it?" He had done it, and he'd done it for himself.
"I DID IT!" his cheers loud and mood soaring nothing could bring him down from this.
"KINZO what did I just say!" Oops.
Author's note
Alright, you made it through another chapter thanks for taking the time. If you want let me know what you thought. I really liked writing certain parts of this chapter and other parts I'm a little uncertain about so any feedback would be appreciated. The next chapter should be out in a few days. Tell then have a good one.