(SHIRO'S POV)
The sun was setting and I had not one of the animals the I was supposed to bring back. My first day of training and I was already off to a terrible start.
I reached the entrance to the hunting grounds where I started and was greeted by Eliza. She was lounging on a rock.
"So...how did you do?" She asked.
"...Well you see-" I started but she held her hand up and silenced me.
"Relax, I was watching the whole time. You did good in terms of killing your prey, but the securing the kill was the bad part. You do get some points for saving the Grizzly bear though." She said.
"I thought you wanted me to kill it." I told her with a raised brow.
"The point of this exercise wasn't to just slaughter some animals. It was to show me how you operated on stealthy missions and to test your resolve. Your confrontation with the bear only made it more clear to me that you've got the determination that it takes to be a hero." She said.
"Well alright then! What's next?!" I asked with excitement.
"Well for now, we're gonna head back to the House of Mentors. Your test is over." She said.
-FEW MINUTES LATER-
Eliza and I had stepped inside the house and walked up to the others. I noticed that Isabel's face was red and Gabby scoffed at me. Clyde was nose deep within a book. Eliza walked up to the other mentors. I walked next to the apprentices and greeted them.
"Hey guys." I said to them.
"...H-hi…" Isabel said looking away from me. Ok maybe I was a tad bit too friendly. I just couldn't help myself though.
"Greetings…" Clyde said, unenthusiastically. What a dick…
I looked at Gabby, hoping for some kind of response. All she did was roll her eyes and walk away.
"What's her deal?" I asked.
"She's a serious person that has gone through a lot of pain. She lost a lot recently." Clyde said.
"Yeah well so have I. She doesn't have to be such a bitch about it." I said a little louder than I meant to.
"Who's a bitch?" Tazorac asked. I jumped up with surprise.
"Uh...um...Clyde is!" I shouted quickly.
Clyde narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head. "He said Gabriella was a... female dog."
"Wow... You're such a freaking snitch!" I said to Clyde with a glare.
Tazorac looked at me. For a second, I thought he was going to rearrange my entire existence, but he instead just sighed. "Listen kid, my niece has been through a lot during these past months. She lost her parents and her home so before you-"
"Tazorac, I don't need you telling him anything about me! He's irrelevant and has nothing to do with my life." She snapped.
The two began to argue and before things got outta hand, Xena stepped in. "Ok, that's it! Everyone out back. Now!" She demanded. We all did as we were told and ended up out back. We all took a seat in a circle. "Ward of Flames. Fireball!" She shouted as she hurled the fiery spell at a log, creating a campfire. "Now since we're all a team now, why don't we share our motives and goals for the future." Xena spoke. "The mentors will begin first starting with me."
"Ok, that sounds interesting." I said.
"I was born as the daughter of Dex, a legendary Spellcaster that was able to stop evil with a simple wave of his hand. He was strong but craved more in life than just magic so with a very complex form of magic, he was able to create life. His creations being me and my two brothers Xeno and Xeto. Together, we would all live up to our father. That is my reason for bettering myself." Xena said to us. She must be strong as hell.
It was the healer Amora's turn to share her story. "I was born the daughter of an Oracle. Growing up I was taught to heal those that were hurt. To cleanse people of evil actions. I loved the idea of healing wounds instead of creating them. It gives me purpose in this world of violence." Her words were so damn genuine and selfless. Spoken like a hero.
Eliza stepped up next as she cleared her throat. "As a little girl, I was taught to fend for myself. To survive at all costs, so with determination and a little luck, that's what I did. I didn't choose to be on the path of a Rogue. It just came to me. I enjoyed the thrill I got from near death experiences, the rush from being on the run, but most of all, kicking the ass of anything that threatened the innocent." Damn was her story gripping as hell!
Tazorac finally stepped up. "I remember running around as a kid with my older brother and playing knights and dragons with him. The day we both became warriors, was the day we had dreamed of. We saved lives, slayed BattleBeast, fought armies. Then the attack on our home happened. We fought against the hundreds of demonic soldiers, fought for hours upon end, but the enemies just kept on flooding inside of the kingdom. As my brother and I got tired, we began to get overwhelmed to the point that we could barely stand." As Tazorac spoke, I noticed that Gabby got more and more depressed. "That day, I lost my brother, my sister in law, my wife...and...my only son…" I saw a tear drop down Tazorac's one good eye. "Thousand of soldiers died during that day, thousands of citizens were wiped out. Only about four percent of the occupants of Hazen Reach survived the attack. That day will be forever remembered as the Red Death." My eyes widened at Tazorac's word. He was their, fighting for the city. I was stunned to say the least. "King Warren and Princess Madeleine were found dead underneath inside of the destroyed castle. Nobody knows what happened to the Prince Shiro. He was assumed to be dead but his body wasn't found." With every word he spoke, I felt a constant feeling of sorrow and guilt.
"Damn. Ain't it funny how Shiro has the same name?" Eliza said with a grin.
"That is quite peculiar. What was the price like, Tazorac?" Clyde asked.
"Nobody knows. The prince was never really seen with the royal family. He was a mystery." Tazorac answered. I tried to calm myself down and relax.
"Well if you ask me, the "prince" was a freaking joke. He was probably off hiding somewhere instead of trying to help his people." Gabby said. I was starting to lose myself.
"That does seem likely to be the truth. Why was he so absent from his family's affairs?" Clyde chimed in.
"He was a goddamn coward Clyde! He couldn't even be their to help his family for Christ sake-" I jumped up, cutting off Gabby's annoying ass words.
"I TRIED!" I shouted. Their words finally sunk in, and it got to me. "YOU THINK I DIDN'T TRY?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! I DID EVERYTHING I COULD TO SAVE THEM! I DID EVERYTHING I COULD TO SAVE THE KINGDOM! WHICH IS MORE THAN I COULD SAY YOU DID! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I WENT THROUGH! I WISH I COULD TURN BACK THE CLOCK, BUT I CAN'T! I DECIDED TO MOVE ON AND FULFILL MY PROMISE, SO YOU CAN JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" I didn't notice the tears flowing down my eyes until I began to simmer down. I dropped back to the ground and began to hold my gaze down, avoiding eye contact.
"...S-shiro...-" Isabel started.
"Just keep sharing…I don't care anymore." I told her.
Isabel sighed and looked at the group. She took a deep breath before she spoke. "I...was an orphan when I was little. I d-didn't think I... would ever have a family. I was alone for a long time but soon, I was adopted by a p-priestess. I watched the way she would use her magic to heal others. It was... amazing and I wanted to be just like her. To help others and to save...l-lives." Isabel spoke. Her words plus he soft, cute voice almost made me forget the turmoil I was having with myself.
She sat down and look at me with a small smile. I smiled back at her a gave a thumbs up.
Clyde stepped up and straighten himself out. "I'm going to be the world's best Spellcaster. I'm going to show the world that I have what it takes! I've been trying to be a mage since I was just a little kid. Now that I'm in training, it's only a matter of time before my magic abilities are unmatched, and once they are, I'm gonna be the best hero this world has ever seen!" I chuckled a bit at his words. Soon my chuckles turned into laughter. Everyone looked at me with confusion. "What's so comical?!" Clyde asked.
"Sorry dude, but I have to be the best hero. Maybe you could be second best, but I'm gonna be number one." I said.
"... Idiot…" Clyde muttered to me.
"Well then, I suppose that we all know a little bit more about each other so why don't we all head inside and get some sleep." Xena said.
"Wait. I get to sleep here?!" I asked Eliza.
"You are my student now so...yeah!" She said with a grin.
We all headed back to the house. Eliza pointed me to a room that I'd have to share with Clyde. Clyde and I walked down the hall, both looking at each other with narrowed eyes. "This was my room first so you get the floor." Clyde said.
"What about guest hospitality?" I asked.
"I left you a blanket and an old pillow." He retorted.
"Gee thanks buddy. I feel so damn lucky." I groaned out sarcastically. When we got to the room I automatically was disgusted. "Aww dude! What the hell?!"
"What is your problem. The room is tidy and neat. Everything is in perfect order." Clyde responded.
"It's not that! It's the amount of freaking books in here!" I shouted.
Clyde rubbed his temples and sighed with frustration. "They are my spell books. I must memorize each spell in order to increase my magical powers." Clyde explained.
I rolled my eyes. "That sounds boring as hell!" I said to him.
"Well luckily, YOU don't have to read them."
I walked over to one of the book shelves and picked one up. "Dude, this book isn't in English. Where the subtitles at?" I asked him. Clyde snatched the book from me and placed it back on the shelf.
"That's because it's written in words only those with magical experience can comprehend. Your mind has not been awoken."
"Big whoop. Oh look at me. I'm Clyde and I know some stupid words because I'm a magician!" I said mockingly.
Clyde grit his teeth. "Number one, I am a Mage. Magicians are for cheap, parlor tricks, not for combat. Number two, Spell of Influence, SLUMBER!" He shouted.
"What the hell did you say-" Before I knew it, I was asleep.
-NEXT MORNING-
I woke up on the floor in an awkward position. I had cramps and aches all over my body. I lifted myself off of the ground and stretched out my body. I thought back to last night and how I ended up on the floor.
"...Clyde…" I hissed.
He wasn't on the bed so I busted the room door open to see Gabby standing there. I took note on what she was wearing. Those short shorts had me pitching a tent if you know what I mean. I was was confused about why she was there so I asked. "Uh...hey…what's up?" I said awkwardly.
"Yeah...hey, so look, Tazorac said we should talk. I told him it was a bad idea and that you wouldn't even consider it, given the way that I have been treating you." She said.
"Ok. Let's talk then." I said.
"What?!" She said surprised.
"Look. Your from Hazen Reach. I'm from Hazen Reach. It only makes sense, right?" I told her.
"Yeah I guess. What do we talk about though?" She asked.
"Well, I have some stuff to get off my chest anyway so I'll start." I took a deep breath and looked at her. "As you could probably guess, I was the prince of Hazen Reach. I was next in line to take the throne along with the inheriting of my father's powers. Only problem was...I never got the power that I needed to protect Hazen Reach. I tried to find any source of power that I could use but nothing worked…until I stole one of the Shards of Sithilum. I obtained powers that I still have yet to unlock by consuming the shard. The shard was priceless, and was locked up tightly. I almost died trying to get it, but I did. The price for it the was some hefty jail time. I was freed given the fact that my dad was the king but my father would be forever disgraced by my actions...Then the Red Death happened and I lost my dad and my…my sister." I explained to her. She was looking at me with an unreadable expression.
"I never would have guessed that the prince stole the sacred shard of Hazen Reach. That's some next level shit." Gabby replied.
"Yeah... I made my share of mistakes but I made a promise and I intend to keep it." I told her.
She nodded in response to my statement. "... Tazorac and I lost a lot after the Red Death as well. He's a broken man but he always tries to do right by me. All we really had were each other. After the attack, Tazorac met up with his old crew. We've been here ever since."
"We've both lost a lot...but who knows. Maybe something good can come from all of this." I said to her.
"I want to believe that Shiro. I really do, but…" She began trailing off. I understood how she felt though. Losing people you care about is never easy.
"You don't have to say anymore Gabriella. I know."
"Yeah...so…" She started awkwardly.
"We good?" I asked her.
"I guess so. Just lay off on the annoying, pervert crap and we might actually get along." She said with a grin.
"Sorry Gabby, but a man likes what he likes and I LOVE me some sexy ladies." I said wiggling my brows at her. She rolled her eyes at me and gave me a playful shove.
"Clyde was right. You are an idiot." She said laughing.
I chuckled at this but then realization struck me. I almost forgot about that bastard! I ran straight past Gabby and right down stairs.
"CLYDE!!! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!!!"