Five months ago, Mia

"Haaa, haaa…" Mia raises her to her face, feeling the heat stream of blood that flows down her nose. Her bastard master punched her square in the face. How rude! If this is how he treats women, it's no wonder he isolated himself here in the Dark Territory! Then again, he has avoided the advances of many women here...and the only three that have gotten close enough to touch him are her, the supreme commander's wife, and the sister of the leader of the mage guild.

Still, as brutal as his training is, it has improved Mia's skills with the sword by years. The Emperor's "Aincrad Style" is an unorthodox sword style, made even more unorthodox by the plate of gold he calls a shield on his left arm. For someone only three years her senior, he's several years ahead of her in ability. Then again, this is the warrior who fought the former Emperor Vecta twice and won in the end.

Today he isn't using the shield, a "gift" to her to equal their ability and see how much she's grown. Having been a knight in training already, she was already confident in her skill, but in just one month, she feels her skill has jumped ahead by years. It would be nice to have a true demonstration of that feeling, though, if she can land a damn hit on the Emperor!

"Giving up, Mia?"

"As if!" Mia stands up and charges Jaymes. "Seeiiiii!" She leaps and swings for his hand, his form frozen in place. And just when her confidence was at its highest, her certainty that her sword would strike his neck, her downward oblique slice cut through the indoor training ground's air. She trips over her two feet and falls on her belly, face planting on the hard, smooth flooring. Embarrassment and anger swirl in her head as she turns over and glares at her amazed-face mentor. Embarrassed that she fell in the manner she did, angry that he didn't make a move until the literal last second. "What was that?"

"I can't believe it worked! Yes! That skill has been hard to pull off since it's not a sword skill, but an active ability. Unlike Gun Gale, though, I can't just call out 'Hyper Awareness' and it'll keep me from danger. Seems I have to totally concentrate on avoiding danger, no other thoughts. That's gonna be tough to master. Would have been useful when Quinella trapped me in the Main Visualizer-"

"HEY!" Mia steadies her blade on her mentor's neck, enough for him to feel its chilly temperature. He yelps and turns around, scratching his neck. Sighing, Mia sheathes her sword and crosses her arms, fixating her rage on him. "You were toying with me again! You promised to not do that!"

"I wasn't toying around. As a matter of fact, I was testing myself with a new skill."

"...Really?"

"Mhm. But I was taking you seriously. You're improving rapidly. If I must say, you're farther ahead in skill than other people I've trained, but then again, you had years of training already, plus your sister was a knight too. As a matter of fact, you're better than I am, all things considered."

Mia shakes her head and walks to the benches that border the grounds. "I could never beat Lipia, and I haven't beaten you at all."

Jaymes shrugs and twirls his sword. "Lipia was the

eleventh rank in the knights, right?"

"Yeah. But she was more than a knight. She had an institution for orphaned kids from remote regions, where slave trafficking used to be rampant. I think she would have loved to know you're planning to put an end to it. I think she would have liked you a lot, had she not loved Commander Shasta."

"Well, if she was anywhere close as pretty as you are, I might be compelled."

Mia rolls her eyes. "Is that why I'm your apprentice? Because I'm so pretty that you were compelled? Brunhild would say that's a horrible use of sorcery, and she's admittedly prettier. Especially here."

Jaymes chuckles while Mia gestures to her breasts. "Well...I'm not going to comment on that. But I didn't choose you because you were pretty or anything. You just...remind me of someone back home in my world."

Rare that her mentor speaks about himself, and even rarer he comments about the world he comes from. Excited, Mia leans forward in interest. "Do I? Tell me about her. Is she cute, or am I cuter?"

"Hmm, yeah, she's quite cute. But she's like a sister to me, I guess… Heck, if Strea heard me say that, she'd hug me tight against her chest and say something 'I think we're more than brother and sister, Jaymes!' and that will cause a lot of problems. Funny thing is, I don't have a sibling or anything, or anything really of the like before. Kirito has a little sister, Asuna had one, and, well, I kinda do, but it's more like a title with Silica since I dated Liz who is more like Sil's sister. And Strea, well, I share her too with Rain and Philia."

"You know," Mia says while raising back up, "girls don't like hearing boys say they're like a sister to them. That's a rude way to say you don't see them as a woman. Buuuuuut… Heh heh." Mia leans over and places her head on Jaymes' shoulder. "I'll allow it. Never had a big brother before."

"Right. I won't try to replace Lipia, though."

"That's fine. After all, in the month we've been together, I haven't considered having you do so. But since she's no longer here, I'm in your care…" Mia turns her head up to Jaymes, looking at him with the most adorable face she can muster. "I'm your responsibility, Big Brother." Jaymes freezes up, his face slowly turning red, and it explodes as he hangs it in defeat. Giggling, Mia stands up and places her hand on her sword. "Come on, let's keep training. And what was that thing you did? Can you teach me?"

Taking a deep breath, Jaymes stands up and nods. "It's called Hyper Awareness, and it is one of two skills I hope to pass down to you. Granted, I still need to work on it, so you'll be helping me perfect it. It works by allowing yourself to be struck, and you avoid danger altogether. A scary, but useful skill in my past."

"Okay, and the other?"

"Come strike me. Make it a fatal one." Mia is surprised by his request, but she trusts he knows what he's doing, so she swings for his torso, leaving a deep gash from his right shoulder to his left oblique muscles. Jaymes grimaces and drops to his knee, but returns to his feet with his sword cloaked by a black glow. "That hurts… Anyway, this skill is called Trojan Horse. Like Hyper Awareness, it requires you to fully expose yourself, but in return, you get an amplified counterattack that will never miss your opponent no matter how strong your defenses are. The strength of your attack doubles the one you received, but you cannot die once the skill is active."

"Isn't it dangerous, though?"

Jaymes calls off the sword skill and begins to heal himself. "Yeah. You can't chain it. It's a literal Trojan Horse...which means to turn the tide of battle tremendously in your favor. But you've left wounded and, depending on the initial attack strength, your Life could be low too. So once you learn it, Mia, only use it as a last resort. Hopefully, though, you'd never have to use it, but if Kirito somehow figures out how to pass the Walls at the End of the World… Who knows what's beyond them?" Jaymes stares at the windows on the upper walls of the arena, then heaves a sigh. Mia wonders what's on his mind, but asking him to speak is like asking the coarse ground of the Dark Territory to grow grass. One day, she hopes he'll learn he can tell her anything, like how to woo a stubborn knight she's known since childhood.

But for now, she wishes to wield her sword against him, to learn all she can, and one day become someone who can protect him, as she couldn't do for her big sister. "Master, can we continue training?"

"You sure? We can take a lunch break, and maybe I should do some duties as Emperor. Iskahn's worked too much for my liking."

"Yes. I'm sure Iskahn understands, and he has Lady Sheyta whenever her pregnancy isn't a bother. But...for as long as we can, I want to learn from my big brother and master."

Jaymes relents with a nod and raises his sword. "Then let's continue, Mia Zancale."

Present-day, Lodell Desert, Sothercrois

"So this is the desert the wayfarers reported, right?"

"Yes. The last sighting was during a sandstorm at night. A huge shadow. Hope it's nothing too dangerous… Mia, are you okay?"

Mia hadn't noticed she's been quiet and lagging behind the senior-junior pair of Medina and Ilia. The eldest girl looks back with some concern, but Mia doesn't have an immediate answer. For one, she doesn't know what to do about her master, that's a heavy weight on her mind. Then there's the person responsible for the emperor's ailment, Eydis and the First Children. Holding back or not, Jaymes and Medina lost their fights to Eydis, so it's not like she has much confidence in their trip to the desert and potentially encountering the Knight of the Abyss again.

"I'm fine," she finally decides to say as she catches up. "It's so hot here, but the desert is nothing to the barrenness of my homeland. Even though we humans lived in the fertile parts, it still sucked. Illy, you should visit sometime."

Mia believes she noticed a look of distaste on the Integrity Knight trainee's face. "I… I don't know about that."

"Ah, come on! There's some fun to be had. Maybe you'll find the love of your life there, since being here isn't working for you."

"I… I'm fine with not finding love for now. For now, my loyalties lie-"

"'-with Lady Medina,' yes, yes. But you know you can do both. I'm loyal to my emperor as his right-hand woman, and I have someone I love. You know what, Illy?" Mia grabs the blonde girl from behind and hugs her tight. "Forget men. I'll just have to loosen you up when you visit. The best drinks for my best Human Empire friend."

Ilia pales and looks at Medina. "Medina, help."

"The report says that the ones who encountered the shadow were merchants?" Medina's mind hasn't fluctuated from the mission as they come to the gate of the desert town of Danacchia. She turns to the trainees, one hand placed on her hip with authority. "Let's talk to these merchants, see what they know. You two are experienced now with this sort of thing, but I have two things to ask. One, we're not here acting on the behalf of the council. Ilia, don't announce yourself as an Integrity Knight."

Ilia slightly frowns. "Are you sure?"

"For once, I'll do things as Alice once did. As for the second thing, do not act unilaterally. I need not say why."

"But... What if they show up and we're already separated?"

Medina answers Mia's question by holding up a finger, a Thermal Element charged at the fingertip. "Shoot one of these up and make it explode. Jaymes called these flares, which we used for long-distance communication back in the ACTF. I won't dissuade either of you from fighting, but don't try to fight alone. Any more questions?"

"No ma'am."

"I'm good for now."

"Great. You two stick together. When you think you have all the information you can find, let's meet up at the bar."

The first person Mia and Ilia encountered was a girl named Ayesha, who had four buckets of water being filled at a well. The girls learned that, in Danacchia, it's a woman's duty to fetch water, per the teachings. Seeing as they are women, Mia challenged Ilia to a race while carrying two buckets to Ayesha's home, believing there's no way the poor girl could carry all four buckets at once for what looks to be a long walk, and maybe a little bit of her master's 'helpfulness' towards women got imprinted on her.

Mia sets the buckets down perfectly, but her arms and legs are screaming right now. It doesn't bother her as much as her happiness at victory. "I won!"

"Well, of course you did! You took off before I was even ready!"

Mia laughs at Ilia's frustration. "Sure, but I still won."

Ilia sighs deeply, then faces the Danacchian girl who catches up to them. "Sorry about that. As idiotic as this was, Mia meant well."

"No, it is fine. Thank you for helping me, even if it may go against the teachings. I wonder how I can repay you... Oh! did you mention questions? Perhaps I can offer some help."

"Yes. What kinds of large creatures are found around here?"

"I suppose the largest would be the Sandcow."

"Sandcow?"

"One of those." Ayesha points to her left, in the direction of a different entrance to the town. There, an animal that somewhat resembles a horse, but with a longer, thinner neck and a hump on its back stands saddled and waiting for a rider. Mia recalls that when Jaymes recounted his adventure in the southern desert, he spoke of how he wished to ride an animal called a camel and how it would have made land travel easier. She wonders if this is what those animals look like in his world. "That one is ours. Say, how would you like to come in and have some fresh milk tea?"

"As kind as your offer is, we're on the job right now."

Ayesha looks down in rejection. "Oh..."

Unfazed (or either not knowing what to do in that situation, Mia can't tell) Ilia continues asking questions. "So nothing bigger than a Sandcow lives around here?"

"Well, the desert is another story. But I couldn't say, I've never left the town. The Quicksanders would know. They're a group of wandering merchants who roam the desert on the backs of Sandcows."

"Where can we find them?"

"The merchants just passed through. You can follow their footprints from the gate."

After biding farewell to Ayesha, the girls wander over to the gate the resident indicated. There, they found tracks of several Sandcows heading out of town and deep into the desert as far as they could see. "Talk about footprints. These Quicksanders have quite the operation going."

Mia nods and points her finger towards the sands. "We should be able to catch up if we follow them. Let's get moving."

"Wait, Mia. Shouldn't we inform Medina about this? She said-"

"She said to not use your status as Ilia Synthesis Thirty-Four and to not act unilaterally. We're following that rule, aren't we? We're acting unilaterally...bilaterally. Besides, they just left town, right? They shouldn't be far. We'll be back in no time."

"But..."

"Illy, now's not the time to be a spiritless, wishy-washy puppet to your mentor. It is not going to get us anywhere. So I'm going. Are you going to let me go alone?" Mia takes the first steps out of Danacchia, her eyes on the Sandcow tracks. Not before long, she hears a second set of feet crunching the sand behind her. A smirk forms on the darkworlder's face, and she lets Ilia see it. "I knew you'd come."

"Not saying your words don't have merit... But as long as you take responsibility later if we get in trouble..."

A couple of hours later...

The tracks kept going and going, and the girls kept following. Mia doesn't know how much time passed, except that when they got to town it was mid-afternoon and hot. Now it's turning over to evening, and the chill of the night is settling in. While, at one point, those thoughts played on Mia's mind, the one now stops her feet completely. "Ilia..."

"Hmm?"

Mia turns to her partner frantically, pointing at the disappearing tracks. "What should we do? The footprints stopped."

"The other side of this dune has been blown away. Maybe they were covered in sand. That's one powerful wind."

Mia sighs and looks at the darkening sky. "It's getting late...and it's getting cold. Let's head back, I'm sure Medina has words for us. But my feet hurt too. Maybe we should rest up first?"

Ilia neither agrees nor disagrees, not in a way Mia could see. The dirty blonde turns her head back in the direction they came, her arms folded. "There was a rocky outcrop back there that could block the wind. Let's rest up there."

"Good call!" Mia follows Ilia's lead to the outcrop. Once they arrive, they take a seat behind a large rock that, as Ilia said, blocks the frigid wind. Furthermore, she produces a blanket from the pack on her back, which included other supplies such as water containers. Mia smiles in appreciation as Ilia wraps the blanket around them both. "Thanks. It's getting chilly, it was so hot during the day. Deserts are quite the enigma of weather."

"My family lived outside Zacharia in the middle of the northern kingdom. Most of the year, the environment is stable, but I've only heard stories of how extreme the desert is. I never thought I'd experience it for myself."

"I wish we could make a bonfire right now."

"There's no lumber, and holding a flame right now might burn the blanket. So best we can do to conserve body heat is by staying close together."

Mia giggles as she drops her head on Ilia's shoulders and hugs her. "Oh, Illy, I feel so warm already!"

"G-Get off..." Despite saying that, Ilia doesn't attempt to remove Mia from her. The darkworlder does let the other girl go, but her head remains there.

"Hey, Ilia."

"Hmm?"

"Are you afraid?"

"Of what?"

"Just in general, considering all that's happened recently."

Ilia takes a moment to answer. "...Yes. Yes, I am afraid."

"What scares you the most?"

"That Medina will do anything to save Jaymes, even if it comes at the cost of her very being. She did it once, and it led her to betray him. There's no telling the lengths she'd go to save him. She's no different from Jaymes."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know him as well as you do, but I watched him as we waited for Medina to recover. He rarely left her side, only moving to investigate the source of the blue thorn sickness. The rest of the time, he was at her side as she was with him. I didn't understand it before then, but as I watched him, I understood the choice he made that day. I understand why Medina declined knighthood. It wasn't just to avoid competition with Eydis as I thought it was. Ronie, Tiese, and I will be the first knights not to undergo the Synthesis Ritual. We won't have our memories stolen, we won't be subjugated to a higher being, but most of all, we won't have our aging frozen. I don't think she cares if she's chosen or not, no, I think she's conceded. But not being able to be with someone you love forever, to be the only one between them who'll age, who'll die, and one day, be forgotten."

"That's love in general, Ilia. You know why we're really here, to find Lady Eydis. I think, more than saving Jaymes, Medina wants to bring Eydis back home."

"To what home? The council's declared her a traitor."

"Yet it takes a traitor to know a traitor. If Medina believes Eydis has not betrayed us, and if Master thinks the same, then I'll believe them. What about you?"

"I do believe in their judgment. Yet... I don't know what to do if she does go too far."

"That's easy," Mia says as she winks at Ilia. "We'll be there to rein her in."

Ilia forms a small smile, her green eyes directing her sights to the starry night. "A logical conclusion."