Chapter 2- The Greil Mercenaries

Micaiah was reading through one of her books from the shade of a tree near the base of the Greil Mercenaries. She had since stop wearing her cloak and was now wearing a sleeveless magenta shirt, black fingerless gloves that stretched to her upper arms, black leggings, a yellow belt with a small bag for her light tome and brown leather boots that went halfway up her shins. There was a blue ribbon tied into her silver hair in the back, though most of it fell freely, as well as a long blue scarf wrapped around her neck. Around her right wrist was a double-hoop golden bracelet, a gift from Marth for her birthday (or at least the day she thought was her birthday), while on her left wrist was a band made of red string tied in an identical way as her bracelet.

It's been three years since she and her three friends have joined the Greil Mercenaries. To be honest, she still felt some reserves with joining the corps given that she and the Umbris siblings were Branded, which meant that they aged slower than the beorc. Thankfully it would take maybe a decade or so for the other mercenaries to really notice this detail. Although she still had to be careful with regards to her mark. One look at that would easily give away her mixed lineage. Well, that or they might think she's a spirit charmer, a mage who makes a pact with the spirits to increase their magical power. While Micaiah could probably go with that cover, there's no way even Boyd or Kirito would believe that Marth and Kisara were spirit charmers, especially since they don't use any magic.

That didn't mean that the siblings had no aptitude for magic. They just never had the opportunity to really learn how. Supposedly there was a Branded sorceress that lived in that same Begnion desert Marth and Kisara lived in for a few years who acted like a surrogate mother for them. She taught them a little about magic, but the siblings had left before they had finished their training. They both try to practice a little during their off hours, with Kisara using fire magic while Marth used lightning, but it was clear they needed a proper mentor if they wanted to even get past the basics. Micaiah would help the duo, but after just one practice session, it became clear that they needed that sorceress if they ever hoped to progress past beginner level.

"Rias Morningstar," she mused to herself as she enjoyed the gentle breeze as it brushed past her, her silver hair swaying about. "I wonder what kind of person you are. I do hope we can meet someday."

Marth and Kisara were currently on a mission with Oscar dealing bandits in a far-off town. Naturally she wanted to go help her friends since they were in fact a team, but Greil said he wanted her on standby in case another job came in. It was a little frustrating, but she couldn't really go against their commander when he graciously allowed Sothe to stay with them.

Speaking of the green-haired boy, he certainly managed to recover quite nicely from his time as an orphan on the streets. It took a few months for him to regain all his missing muscle mass and get rehabilitated, but after that, Marth began handling his training so the younger boy could help fight once he was old enough. While Sothe was not strong enough to wield a sword, at least as of yet, he proved to be quite proficient with a dagger. His small size made him quite nimble, making it the perfect weapon for him.

Whenever Sothe wasn't around either her or the Umbris siblings, he was hanging with Mist and Rolf. It was honestly a relief to see him be around beorc that were closer to his age. It gave Micaiah some hope that he'll turn out just fine.

Her "little brother" was currently helping Rolf out with some of the chores. He wanted to help out in some way to thank the mercenaries for taking him in after all. The silver-haired maiden felt some temptation to go join him, but it was such a nice day outside that she had to enjoy her time off before inevitably being sent out for yet another mission. The life of a mercenary was always unpredictable. You never know which battle will be your last.

"Hey, Micaiah! Good afternoon!" said a cheery voice.

She perked up and saw a familiar girl with short brown hair approach her. It was Mist, the daughter of Commander Greil and the younger sister of Ike. The brunette hadn't grown too much over the last three years, unlike her brother who practically shot up like a beanstalk, but she never seemed to be bothered by that. It was hard not to like Mist, both for her honesty and her ability to pretty much befriend anyone. She easily got Sothe to open up a little in one day. Quite an impressive feat given that happened soon after they joined her father's mercenary band.

"Good afternoon, Mist," Micaiah said politely with a gentle smile. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, have you seen Father and Ike at all today? I haven't seen them around the compound."

"Hmm, I think I saw them go into the forest to do some training."

"I thought so. I know Ike is planning to be a full-time mercenary soon, but I hope he doesn't push himself too hard. Father's pretty strong after all."

Oh Micaiah was very much aware of how powerful the commander was. He easily held his own against her, Marth and Kisara combined without hardly even breaking a sweat just to test their skills. The man was a literal monster, a beast in human form. She still felt the occasional sores on her back from Greil's strikes. She was lucky the initial pain didn't knock her out instantly or left her spine broken.

"Hey, Micaiah, want to come with me?" Mist asked politely.

"Are you sure? Won't I be intruding or something."

Mist simply chuckled at that. "Of course not. Besides, we might get to see Ike get his butt kicked by Father again."

That was strangely tempting in a weird way. The elder son of the commander had been taking sword lessons from his father shortly after the Branded trio had joined the company. So far, Ike has yet to get a single win against his father, but even Micaiah could see that he held great potential within him. She couldn't help but wonder what the goddess had in store for the young man.

Since it'll be hours before Marth and Kisara get back from their job, and Sothe was in good hands, she didn't see any harm in checking on the trainee. In fact she might have to given how strong Commander Greil is. It wouldn't be good if Ike got a broken bone or something when he's so close to becoming an official member of the Greil Mercenaries.

"Alright, why not?" Micaiah said softly. She rose to her feet and brushed the dirt off of her tights before pocketing her Light tome in her small bag.

"Great!" Mist said with a cheerful smile. "C'mon, let's go."

The brunette practically bounced into the forest with youthful energy. The silver-haired maiden found herself giggling in amusement before hurrying after the girl. The summer sun's light leaked through the leaves of the tall trees, creating some rather tempting shadows to rest in. There were quite a few times where Micaiah would find Marth taking a nap under the shade of one of these trees whenever he was off duty. Interestingly enough, Kirito loved doing the same thing, with the two of them sometimes even sleeping under the same tree. It was honestly kind of adorable to see.

Mist finally slowed down to a regular walk, allowing Micaiah to do the same. Ike's training tends to go for a few hours and it always happens in the same place. There was no need for them to rush. Instead, Micaiah took this stroll as a good way to enjoy the warmth of a Crimean summer, quite the contrast to Daein's colder climate. She could hear the buzzing of insects and the birds chirping their lovely songs filling the air. Greil sure picked a nice area for his headquarters. This natural beauty alone made their long trip here worth it.

After a few minutes of walking, the furious sounds of clashing wood could be heard in the distance. Mist burst into yet another run towards the sound while Micaiah herself went more for a fast walk. They descended down a hill leading to a small clearing in the trees. Right in the center of the clearing was Commander Greil in a swordlock with a young man (around seventeen years old) with messy blue hair. The young man wore a blue tunic with gold accents, its long sleeves rolled up around the elbows, a single silver shoulderpad attached to his left shoulder, a brown belt, khaki pants that were tucked into brown leather boots, and black and silver fingerless gloves. A red cape that was light beige inside was tied around his collar while his bangs were held up by a green bandana.

Both the young man and Greil were wielding training swords and were in the middle of a sparring match. Greil was casually swinging his weapon with one hand while his opponent was using both. The veteran mercenary easily kept the young swordsman on his toes, effortlessly blocking his attacks with just the lightest of swings. Despite this, the young man refused to back down, maintaining his current assault. The young man raised his sword up and brought it down towards the commander's head, which he quickly blocked with his own weapon.

"Father! Ike!" Mist cried out as she hurried towards her family members, waving all the while.

Greil repelled his son's sword away before turning towards the approaching girls, slowly lowering his weapon in the process. "Oh, Mist," he greeted warmly. "I see you brought Micaiah too."

The light mage caught a glimpse at Ike, who was eyeing at his father's now open back. She prayed to Ashera that the mercenary-in-training wouldn't try anything foolish. Even with his back turned towards the enemy, Greil was not someone to be underestimated. Sadly her prayers went unanswered as Ike let out a battle cry and swung his training sword at his father's backside with both hands. In a quick movement, the mercenary commander sidestepped away from his son's brazen attack and delivered a powerful counter to Ike's own back.

The ranger was sent flying into the earthen ground, not moving even the slightest. It would seem that Greil might have used too much force in his last attack, again.

"Oh, no, Ike!" Mist cried out in worry as she hurried over to her fallen brother to check on him.

"You know, Commander," Micaiah spoke up as she approached her boss. "Sometimes I think you don't know your own strength sometimes."

The leader of the Greil Mercenaries let out a hearty chuckle. "Well he was foolish enough to try attacking someone with his back turned. I'd say this is a fair punishment. Besides, I made sure it wasn't strong enough to break anything."

She simply shook her head at that. Some things just never seem to change around here besides her appearance. She strolled over towards the downed ranger and brushed her right palm against the middle of his back. True to Greil's word, she didn't feel any fractures. A welcome relief for sure. That meant she wouldn't have to resort to using that power to heal anything this time.

Ike's breathing was a little slow, but he seemed relatively alright. That last attack had simply rendered him unconscious, although he might end getting a bruise from it later.

There was a pond nearby, so Mist went over to it to soak a rag she had carried in her pocket while Micaiah gently rolled the ranger onto his back. It was somewhat challenging for the light mage to do since her physical strength paled before her fellow Branded, but it was enough to do the job. After a few minutes, Mist finally returned, the rag now damp. The brunette folded her rag in a neat manner and gently placed it on her brother's forehead. It didn't do anything to rouse the older sibling, but it was the thought that counted.

Both girls knew that it would take a little longer for Ike to wake up, so they decided to pass the time by admiring the flowers that were growing a few feet away. The aroma they gave was very pleasant, easily making the light mage feel relaxed. This atmosphere was even enhanced by the continued sounds of birds and insects going about their business, oblivious to the actions of the mercenaries.

"Perhaps I should pick some flowers to give to Kisara when she and Marth get back?" Micaiah thought to herself as she knelt in the flowerbed, breathing in the fresh air. "Her birthday is coming up after all."

Her ears perked to the sound of a strange humming that was close by. Its source was none other than Mist, who was casually picking some of the flowers while humming some kind of song. This wasn't the first time she heard the younger girl do this, but every time she heard it, she found herself feeling this strange sense of familiarity, right down to her bones. This song was ancient, powerful, but incomplete. Something crucial was missing from it, but what?

"Mist, isn't that Mother's song?" a familiar voice spoke up.

The girls turned around to see a now awake Ike approaching them, cloth in hand. His movements didn't hint at any lasting injuries, although he was rubbing his back with one hand. That part was understandable. It must be sore after enduring a blow like that.

"Morning sleepyhead," Mist said with cheerful grin. "Are you alright?"

Slowly, Ike nodded his head in confirmation as the girls rose to their feet. "Yeah, I'll be fine." He then turned his gaze to the light mage. "Did you heal me again, Micaiah?"

"Not this time," the silver-haired maiden answered while shaking her head. "You're quite lucky that the commander didn't put more force into his last swing, otherwise your spine would've been damaged. Even with my power, you'd probably need a day or two to fully recover from that."

Ike simply cracked a light smile. "Even so, I'm glad that the Greil Mercenaries have you and Rhys with us. Without a healer among us, things would get a lot harder for us."

The power Micaiah possessed was what she dubbed as "Sacrifice". Normally to use healing magic, one would require the use of a heal staff. Sacrifice, however, had no such requirement. That didn't mean it didn't have a cost though as using this special power required Micaiah to use her own magical energy. The more serious the wound, the more energy she needed to heal it. There were times where she blacked out from overusing it, prompting Marth to forbid her from using it unless it was an emergency. He could be a little overprotective sometimes.

As to why she had this unique power, the best guess she had was that it was because of her mixed lineage. It was not uncommon to hear of Branded children possessing special powers or being exceptionally skilled in their field of combat. That was the other reason why Marth forbade the use of Sacrifice. Not only would it reveal that she was a Branded, but there was a high chance that power-hungry people may try to capture her and exploit her abilities for their own selfish purposes.

Unfortunately for him, there were times where Micaiah's selfless nature got the better of her and she ended up healing some wounded villagers after a bandit attack, even some of the Greil Mercenaries on occasion. Naturally those mercenaries were surprised by this power, but they promised to keep her secret despite not knowing its origins, which she very much appreciated.

A new set of footsteps could be heard approaching them. It was none other than Commander Greil, who had bit of a cocky grin plastered on his face. "So the sleeping prince awakens," he said teasingly.

Mist, on the other hand, was no longer amused. "Father! I can't believe you! I know you were using practice swords, but they're still heavy. You shouldn't be so rough on Ike."

Greil simply shook his head at his daughter's protest. "If this is too much for the boy, then he'll never make it as a mercenary," he answered firmly.

"But…"

"It's fine, Mist," Ike spoke up in reassurance. "Like I said, I'm alright."

The mercenary commander let out a hearty laugh. "Ha! You better be. Now grab your sword and get ready."

It was no surprise to Micaiah to hear that Ike was more than eager to fight his father again, regardless of how many times he gets knocked down. He has yet to land a single good blow on the veteran mercenary. Such a dynamic between master and student was bound to create such a reaction. In fact, she remembered Marth doing the same with his mother and teacher during the early days of his training.

"If I may make a suggestion, Commander," Micaiah spoke up, "might it be better for Ike to fight someone closer to his level than sparring with you again? At this rate, all he currently knows is how dirt tastes."

"Hey!" Ike shouted in protest while Mist couldn't help but giggle.

Greil paused for a moment before answering. "A wise idea. I was even thinking the same thing. Would you be willing to be Ike's sparring partner then?"

"M-me? I don't…"

Luckily, or unluckily, two new figures had entered the clearing. The first was a young man with messy green hair held up by a brown headband and green eyes. He wore a sleeveless red shirt, red cloth armbands wrapped with brown leather, a brown belt, pale green pants, and brown boots. He also wore a pair of white shoulderpads. His name was Boyd, the middle brother of Oscar and Rolf, and one of the newer members of the Greil Mercenaries. He tended to be more reckless and brash than his elder brother, which causes him to be the butt of his siblings' and Mist's jokes. Despite this, it was hard to deny that he had a good heart. He was also pretty good with an axe.

His companion was someone Micaiah was more familiar with, mostly because he tended to tag along on her missions with her fellow Branded. He was a young man with slightly long but neat raven-black hair and black eyes. He had a delicate face, which could cause some people to mistake him for a girl. His outfit consisted of a black overcoat with blue covering on the shoulders, black fingerless gloves, a gray undershirt with brown leather padding, as well as black pants and boots. Strapped to his back were two swords.

His name was Kirito, another practitioner of the Dual Blades style. Because of this, he and Marth would frequently spar with each other to improve their own techniques. They even developed a good repour with each other, making even Micaiah feel somewhat jealous.

"Aha! I told you we'd find them here, Kirito," Boyd proclaimed loudly.

The swordsman in black simply shrugged before scratching the back of his head. "Well it's not like we had many places to search," he replied casually. "I doubt the commander would take his son too far from the base just for some simple training."

"Hi, Boyd. Hi, Kirito," Mist greeted kindly as the duo approached them. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing special," the green-haired fighter answered. "You said you were going to get the boss, but you never came back. Kirito and I got picked to come check on you."

"Oh! I'm sorry. I got caught up with Ike and my father, not to mention Micaiah."

Boyd just casually shook his head. "It's nothing. Besides, I figured that I'd get a good laugh at watching Ike get worked over by the boss." He glanced over at Ike, his eyes widening in surprise at seeing the ranger still standing normally. "What? You look…fine. What happened?"

"Nothing at all," Ike said dismissively. "Sorry to disappoint you."

Micaiah rolled her eyes at that. It wasn't too long ago that the ranger was out cold in the dirt after his last match with his father. It would be a shame if a certain someone decided to reveal that little tidbit to the fighter.

"You just missed it," Mist replied with a mischievous smile. "Just a minute ago, he was out cold from one of Father's attacks. Right on the back too."

"Mist!" Ike cried out in frustration, which caused his sister to giggle before giving him an apology.

"You both came at the right time, Boyd, Kirito," Greil suddenly spoke up. "You two can be Ike and Micaiah's sparring partners."

That took the light mage by surprise. She could see either Boyd or Kirito serving as good training partners for Ike, but why was she getting involved? She by no means disliked the blue-haired swordsman, but she still couldn't help but question her boss's reasoning for this.

As if he had read her mind, Greil added, "It's like you said, Micaiah. It would be better if Ike fought against someone closer to his own skill. Plus this gives him a perfect opportunity to practice his teamwork skills."

"I'm down with that," Kirito said nonchalantly. "What about you, Boyd?"

"Sure," the fighter replied. "I don't agree with this 'closer to his skill' business, but I never turn down a fight."

"I'm alright with it as well," Ike added before glancing at his would-be partner. "Will you fight beside me, Micaiah?"

She couldn't refuse him. She knew that immediately. While she disliked fighting, this was something she couldn't avoid, especially since it was pretty much an order from her commander. Oh well. At least this would be a fight she didn't have to worry about losing her life over. Besides, she couldn't deny that this was a good learning opportunity for Ike.

After sighing in defeat, Micaiah reluctantly said, "Sure. I'm in."

Kirito and Boyd then returned to the base to fetch their training weapons. She didn't tag along as she always kept her Light tome with her. One would develop that habit after living six years with mercenaries. Since this was simply a training match, she'll have to reduce the magnitude of her magic, otherwise she might inflict a more lasting injury on her comrades. Luckily, she won't have to hold back too much since her current tome was the weakest one of its particular element.

It took a few minutes before Kirito and Boyd returned with their training weapons in hand. Greil and Mist moved to the side to supervise while the combatants got in position. Right before the match started, Micaiah briefed her partner on the plan. Since she was a mage, she could use her magic to attack from a distance and soften their opponents enough for Ike to finish them off (in a non-lethal way). However, she was quite vulnerable to physical attacks, which meant she would most likely be their first target to take down. That meant that they couldn't allow either opponent to get too close to her.

"Don't worry, Micaiah," Ike said as he got into a fighting position in front of the mage. "We got this in the bag."

"I hope so," she replied slowly before Greil gave the signal to begin.

As expected, Boyd and Kirito made the first move by charging at the duo. Ike brazenly ran to meet them and managed to block the fighter's axe with his sword. While his opponent was stopped in their tracks, it left the ranger open to an attack from the other beorc. Kirito exploited that opening by unleashing a spin attack with his dual swords, striking the ranger in the side.

Ike grimaced in pain as he ended up stumbling backward, trying to compose himself. His opponents, however, had no intention of letting him catch his breath and prepared to press their attack on the ranger. If he was out of the way, then Micaiah would be totally defenseless. However, they were immediately forced back when several bolts of golden light rained down upon them, forcing the opposing duo to retreat.

"Thanks for the save, Micaiah," Ike said in gratitude, tossing a quick glance towards his partner.

"Anytime," the light mage replied simply as she held her open tome in one hand. "Now don't let up."

The ranger nodded in acknowledgement and rushed towards his foes, who were both too distracted from avoiding Micaiah's light spells to notice him. Boyd was even glazed in the shoulder by one of the light bolts, though it was only a minor injury. However, the action left the fighter wide open as Ike swiftly closed in. The ranger drew his training sword close before unleashing a powerful diagonal slash, striking Boyd in the chest. The axe-wielder grimaced in pain and fell to his knees as Ike slid past him. It was safe to say that Boyd was now out.

"Gah!"

Before he could even catch his breath, Ike turned around and saw with wide eyes as his partner was knocked to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain. Kirito was standing over her with his right sword aimed at her neck. The ranger muttered a curse over his negligence. In his rush to defeat Boyd, he had forgotten all about the Dual Blades practitioner and it cost him his partner. If this was a real battle, then Micaiah would be dead right now.

"Looks like it's just you and me now, Ike," Kirito said casually as he strolled over to the ranger. "I can't wait to see all the stuff the boss taught you in swordplay."

The dual swordsman's movements were rather calm, but that didn't mean Ike could lower his guard. Kirito, otherwise known as the Black Swordsman, may be around his age, but he was an experienced swordsman. He is capable of fighting Marth, Micaiah's partner and fellow Dual Blades user, to a standstill. This will not be easy, but he had to win. He had to prove to his father that he was ready to join the Greil Mercenaries.

"Don't get cocky," Ike said, trying to sound as calm as possible, silently bracing himself for a difficult fight. "I'm a stubborn opponent. I won't go down so easily."

The Black Swordsman cracked a light smile while taking on a fighting stance. "Ooo, fighting words. I like it. Let's see if you can back them up."

The two swordsmen held their positions while everyone else watched with bated breath, the sun being covered by a large cloud. The air was so tense that you could cut it with a butter knife. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the sun's rays finally leaked past the cloud, and the two opponents rushed at each other, swords raised.

When it came to speed, Kirito had the upper hand, plus an additional weapon, making blocking and evading more challenging for Ike as he struggled to withstand the dual swordsman's flurry of attacks. However, the ranger himself had bit of a sturdier build than his opponent, not to mention that he was physically stronger. He just needed to land one solid hit on the dual wielder and he'll win.

Remembering his father's teachings, Ike gritted his teeth as he continued struggling to defend himself from Kirito's relentless attacks, all the while searching for even the smallest of openings. Then, as if it was a blessing of the goddess, it happened. Kirito cracked a smirk as he put his right training sword in a certain position. Ike had seen it enough times to know that he was preparing to use a Sword Skill.

Sword Skills were special attacks that are considered gifts of the goddess, Ashera. They allowed their user to attack with incredible speed and power, capable of allowing them to defeat even the fiercest of foes. However, they came at a cost. All the movements of Sword Skill, regardless of the amount of hits they unleashed, all had preset movements and they could not be canceled after activating. If a Sword Skill is activated, you were forced to carry through whether you want to or not. This also meant that if the opponent knew what the skill was and its movements, they could easily block or evade them. Additionally, after a Sword Skill concludes, the user is left rigid for a few seconds, leaving them wide open for a counterattack.

The blue light radiating off of Kirito's right sword and its position indicated that he was intending to unleash the four-hit One Handed Sword Skill, Horizontal Square. Ike himself only knew a handful of Sword Skills, and the highest they went were two hits. He couldn't use them to cancel out Kirito's Sword Skill. That meant that he had to rely on his own power if he wanted to win and avenge Micaiah's defeat. Talk about pressure.

Ike took a deep breath, steeling his nerves as he tightened his grip on his sword. His eyes kept switching from Kirito's swords to the dual wielder's eyes, wondering where he should direct his focus. It was all cut short as the dual swordsman rushed at the ranger with inhuman speed. Kirito performed the first horizontal slash, successfully hitting Ike in his left arm.

Ike grunted in pain and took a step back, but held firm. The second horizontal slash stuck him in the waist, causing more pain to flare up, but he was about to evade the third hit with a lucky dodge. He then managed to block the final horizontal slash with his sword, smirking at seeing the surprised look on Kirito's face.

"No way," the dual swordsman said in bewilderment.

"My turn now," Ike said in determination. He gathered his strength and knocked the sword away, sending his opponent stumbling backward. Not letting up, he brought his own sword to his shoulders, causing the wooden blade to flash with green light. It was the one-hit Sonic Leap, a skill that Marth had taught him.

With a fierce howl, Ike rushed at the stumbling Kirito, striking him in the chest with a downward diagonal slash. The dual swordsman grimaced in pain as he collapsed to his knees. Before he could even attempt to stand up, he quickly found Ike's sword aimed at his head.

"Yield," the ranger said firmly.

Kirito was silent for a few moments. After what felt like an eternity, he dropped his weapons and raised his hands in defeat, conceding the victory to Ike and Micaiah.

"Way to go, Ike!" Mist cried out with joy as she rushed to her brother and tackled him into a hug. "You actually beat Kirito and Boyd!"

Ike couldn't help but chuckle at his sister's enthusiasm, but he couldn't deny that he was happy himself. "Thanks, Mist, but don't forget Micaiah helped too."

The other mercenaries rose to their feet, with Micaiah dusting off her tights and tome. Her stomach was still a little sore from Kirito's blow, but it was nothing a simple vulnerary couldn't fix. It was a reminder that she shouldn't let her guard down on the battlefield. Marth and the other mercenaries won't always be there to protect her after all. Still, she couldn't help but feel proud of Ike's victory. While she could tell that Kirito was holding back, it was still impressive that the ranger was able to turn the match around like that. He might make a fine mercenary someday.

"You were holding back, weren't you, Kirito?" Ike suddenly inquired as the others gathered around the duo. "Your movements didn't seem like they were whenever you spar with Marth."

"Wait, what?!" Mist cried out in disbelief.

Kirito, on the other hand, simply chuckled in amusement. "If you could tell the difference, then that means you're improving," he said inquisitively. "That execution of Sonic Leap was well done. You clearly put a lot of time and effort into mastering it. I think you're ready for the intermediate Sword Skills."

"Thanks," the ranger replied, cracking a light smile. "That means a lot coming from you, Kirito. Thanks for sparring with me."

"Don't mention it."

"Hey, I was holding back too," Boyd suddenly interjected, his chest puffed out in pride. "I couldn't risk leaving a permanent injury on a newbie like Ike."

Mist just rolled her eyes at that. "You are so lying, Boyd."

"Hey!"

Kirito then cleared his throat before turning his attention to the commander. "Hey, Greil, I think it's safe to say that Ike's ready for the next step. It's time to become a full-fledged mercenary."

"Yeah," Ike said eagerly. "Even though he was holding back, I still managed to defeat the Black Swordsman. I also acknowledge that I left Micaiah vulnerable and know not to repeat that in the future."

The veteran mercenary was silent, clearly pondering over whether he should allow his son to branch out from the safety of training matches to real battles. "You do have a point, Ike," Greil said finally. "And it's good to hear that you realized your mistake on your own. Very well, tomorrow will be your first day as a full-fledged mercenary. But if I think it's too much for you, you're back to trainee status. You better work hard."

"Of course! I won't let you down, Father. I'll catch up to everyone."

"We'll see."

After that, the group made their way back to the fort. As they walked together, Micaiah found herself thinking about that strange vision she had three years ago, right when he and her two friends joined the Greil Mercenaries. Over the last few years, she would occasionally find the memory of it returning, but every time it did she still couldn't make sense of it. This time however, she had a strange feeling that something was about to unfold in Tellius, and that she and her friends will get caught up in the chaos that followed. She could only hope that she was mistaken and see what tomorrow will bring.

To be continued

And with that, the prologue of Path of Radiance is done. At first, I was going to have Sword Skills be exclusive to the SAO characters, as well as Marth and Kisara, but upon thinking about it, I decided to have a few Tellius characters be able to use them too. I was also hoping to show off a few more of the Greil Mercenaries in this chapter but it didn't feel quite right. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait for the next chapter (we might even see one or two more SAO characters being members aside from Kirito). Oh and the next chapter should hopefully include POVs of a few other characters, not just Micaiah. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time!