Volume I: Chapter I: The Maiden's Curse:
This is the first time I've made this walk by myself. It's a good thing I know the way by now.
The fireflies help illuminate my path for me, incidentally helping prevent me from losing my path. They appear like a string of little lanterns, leading under the cloudless night. The soft, white rays of moonlight hit along the path, occasionally through the trees, almost like checkpoints.
This small trek feels more tiring than usual. Anxiety tugs at the back of my shirt petulantly with every step I take. I can feel my heartbeat ever so slightly speed up more and more, serving as a bass to the rhythm of my footsteps. The occasional crunch of a dead leaf or snap of a twig are but an auxiliary sound serving as my only distraction along with the soothing backdrop of crickets faintly chirping.
Arriving, I see the silhouette of Mari sitting by the water with her back to me. I observe her for a moment. She is slumped with her head lowered solemnly. In her hand sat a loaf of bread. Beside her was another loaf where I usually sit. Mari clumsily tears pieces off hers and tosses them into the water for the fish to devour. Her movements are slow and half-hearted. But at the same time, anxious; tense.
A slightly chilled breeze blows by, moving the branches of the willow tree beside the pond. Its tendril-like appendages reach out to her, almost as if to comfort her and give her a sense of warmth. I eventually emerge from the tree line after a deep breath. As she hears my footsteps come behind her, Mari lifts her head slightly, but doesn't turn around.
She likely knew I was standing there, but chose not to call me out. Either because she didn't want to rush me. Or she didn't mind putting it off to enjoy an extra few seconds of solitude.
Her silhouette gradually increases in size the closer I get with each small step, my pace growing more confident and purposeful. I don't say a word. Instead, I remove my shoes and place them under the tree next to her and join her.
The water is cold. I don't like the cold. But, it doesn't take long to get used to.
Gazing into the pool, I can see the little fish swimming around, hungrily waiting for their next batch. They swim around our ankles, their fins or tails occasionally brushing us and creating a soft, tickling sensation. We silently feed the fish, simply taking in each other's company before the inevitable. The crumbs hit the water and create a soft ripple against the surface before the tumult of fish compete to be the first to snatch the morsels.
I look over to Mari. Her face was vacant, blank. She seems to be lost in thought as the moonlight shines on and bounces off her long, purple hair. It illuminates the white petals of the lily she always kept tucked in her hair. Her distant eyes look almost entranced. It was like she was fixating on something she, and only she, could see. I wish I could see it too.
Eventually I would be the one to break the silence.
"Thank you for saving my spot for me." I softly speak up, controlling my volume to not startle her.
As soon as I said that, Mari seemed to have returned to reality. Her expression quickly changes from distant to slightly surprised to heavily downcast.
"Y-you're very welcome, Sim." She stammers monotonously. She uses my nickname in hopes it would help things feel more casual and easier for her.
"I'm sorry for starting without you-"
"It's okay." I assure her. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
Upon saying that, Mari takes a slight deep breath through her nostrils. She blinked a few times and shifted almost uncomfortably.
"Thank you..." She says gratefully with a small, fake smile. "But you're being too kind..." Her smile quickly fades and her face falls downcast.
"Why...?" I ask curiously.
Mari sighs. She looks reflectively and sadly at the last piece of bread in her hand. As if once she discards this piece of bread, there is no more distraction. The fish look up and swim around her expectantly. Without another second's pass, she tosses it in.
Noticing this, I tear my loaf in half and share it with her.
Mari appears caught off-guard, but she takes it from me with a soft "Thank you."
But she doesn't toss anymore pieces in. Instead, her grip on the piece tightens a bit as if she were mentally preparing herself.
"I never wanted this..." Her grip on the bread loosened.
"Never wanted what?" I ask, sliding closer out of interest.
"Simin...," She pauses a moment. "Do you remember the night when you first joined the tribe? When you asked me what my story was?"
"Yeah. You got nervous when I asked."
"My past is... it's something that I don't exactly like talking about. Not because it's out of shame or embarrassment toward something. But rather... I just..." She lets out another sigh. "I'll just let it speak for itself..."
"You have my attention." I turn to face her a bit more, ready to catch every word.
"Thank you." She gives me a genuine smile of gratitude. "Simin, have you ever been to the city of Mistral?"
. . .
The city of a Mistral is essentially the main populace and central hub of the entire kingdom sharing the same name. It's a metropolis integrated with the surrounding mountainous terrain. In Mistral, it was generally viewed that the higher you lived, the wealthier you were. And at the very top sat the huntsman academy, Haven. As for Mari's place in this kingdom, she lived at about the halfway point, which would consider her roughly comfortably middle class.
For Mari, she was fairly sheltered. She had only ever known her life as a quiet and peaceful one. Her neighborhood was pleasant and near free of crime aside from an occasional petty theft or disorderly conduct, which were rare on their own. She was safe and nestled here.
Her life was nothing special or out of the ordinary, but she was happy with how it was. She was content. Comfortable. And she had no desire for change in it.
Mari and her friends, Iris and Claire, were all sat on the edge of the pond that rested in the heart of a local park they frequented. They sat under the shelter of a large willow tree.
"We're going to be graduating soon." Iris spoke up with a tone of realization.
"Is it just now setting in?" Claire asked almost like a light jab.
"Yeah! It just now hit me. What do you think about that, Mari?" Iris leaned to look over.
Mari was silent. Lost in thought after hearing Iris' words.
"Mari?" Iris waves her hand in front of her, getting her attention.
"Hm?"
Iris repeated the question.
"I… I don't know…" Mari answered.
"Don't know?" Iris asked as if boggled by her response.
"Well, I mean, I just don't know how to feel about it."
"Is it the change?" Claire chimed in.
"I guess..." Mari confirmed.
"Personally, I can't wait to see where things go from here for me once I get into combat school. I want to be surprised. My brother's also been helping me a lot before he goes up to Haven." Iris spoke up.
"I didn't know he was graduating." Mari turned to Iris.
"Yep!" Iris said proudly. "Soon we'll be the first ever huntsmen/huntress sibling duo."
"But I thought you said he would be graduating soon."
"I did. But I'm going to be so good, they'll have me skip a year or two and join him." Iris spoke confidently.
"Okay, now you're dreaming." Claire, the realist, commented.
"Keep doubting, Claire. You only give me more of a reason." Iris challenged before turning to Mari. "What about you, Mari? What do you want?"
"I…" Mari spoke before quickly cutting herself off. She turned her head and moved her eyes around as if she were searching for a physical answer.
"Hey, Mari," Claire spoke up. "Why is it that you don't ask for much?"
"Oh. Well, because I'm happy where I am." Mari answered truthfully.
"But don't you have any goals? Like becoming someone, for example?" Claire added.
"Not really, no." Mari answers bluntly. "At least, nothing off the top of my head."
"Be a huntress with me, Mari!" Iris shouted excitedly as she suddenly grabbed her friend's hands.
In response, Mari laughed, causing the girl to release her.
"What?" Iris said with confusion.
"Sorry." Mari stifled her chuckles. "It's just, I can't really see myself doing that."
Iris cocked her head with an inquiring look.
"What I mean is, being a huntress just doesn't seem for me." Mari clarified.
"But wouldn't you want to go on cool adventures and kill monsters and be a hero and all that stuff?"
"Not really." Mari dismissed. "I'd prefer something more… grounded, I guess."
"Well, whatever it is you're happy with, just make sure you make the most out of it." Claire advised.
"I will. Don't worry." Mari laid back.
"And don't get lazy or complacent." Claire added.
"I said I get it…" Mari groaned.
"Stop being so bossy, Claire." Iris said.
"I'm not being bossy. I'm just trying to give advice."
"Okay, 'Miss Naggy'..." Iris snided.
"Mari, push her in the pond for me." Claire requested.
"I'm not doing that!"
"Please?" Claire begged her. "You're right next to her and she's practically asking for it."
"Don't ask a clean soul to do dirty work, Claire~ You know she's too much of a sweetheart for that." Iris teased her friend. "Isn't that right, Mari?" She placed her hands on her friend's shoulders.
"Don't tempt me." Mari warned Iris, side-eyeing her.
"Okay!" Iris peeped. She immediately put her hands firmly on her lap.
"Look, at the end of the day, Mari," Claire continued. "I don't want you to feel pressured or stressed out. But you might want to start giving it some thought is all I'm saying. Just make sure that whatever it is, it's something you want and you chose to do. And make the most of it."
"Alright, then." Mari nodded before getting up from where she was and her friends following suit as they began to make their way home. "I'll give it some more thought later-"
Mari's words are suddenly interrupted by a soft thud followed by a high-pitched 'Ow!' The lavender-haired girl stopped and turned her head instinctively in the direction. A small, 7-year-old boy had tripped and scraped himself.
"I'll catch up." Mari said to her friends as she trotted her way over to the child.
"What did you hurt this time?" Mari walked up to him as if she knew him.
The child picked up his head in response and hobbled his way over. "Hi, Mari!" He said enthusiastically as if her presence made him forget about the cut. "Just my knee." He gestured.
"If this keeps up, I'm going to have to start bringing a whole first-aid kit for you." Mari joked. She then pulled out a wipe and some ointment and began to treat him.
"I'm sorry." He said, slightly embarrassed.
"It's okay. Just try to be more careful."
"I'll try."
"Now which band-aid do you want?" Mari said as she pulled two band-aids from her pocket. One had a picture of a huntsman on it and the other, the emblem of Mistral.
"I want the one with the huntsman on it!" He said excitedly. "He looks cool."
"Alrighty. A brave huntsman for a brave kid." She took the pieces of tape off as she was about to apply.
"Brave?" The boy cocks his head in confusion.
"Mhm." Mari nodded. "You took a tumble and scraped your knee and didn't even seem phased. Even when I was cleaning you up, you took it well and toughed it out. If I were in your position, I'd have been crying and wincing." Mari laughed at herself.
"I try." He giggled.
"Well, I certainly couldn't tell."
"Thank you." The boy blushed at the praise he was getting as he hid his small face.
"Anyway, I have to go. I'll see you later, Jaune. And try to be more careful."
"I'll do my best!" The child waved as the girl ran to catch up to her friends.
"How about you become a nurse, Mari?" Iris immediately suggested.
"Would you stop pressuring her?" Claire playfully scolded her. "Let her come up with her own thing."
"I'm just trying to help!" Iris chuckled.
"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Mari entertained the idea.
"See what you did, Iris?"
Mari would stifle a laugh at her friends' banter. But she also couldn't help but appreciate them trying to help her. Either way, she had something to think about regarding her direction and goals.
However, her direction would quickly be chosen for her.
. . .
The following day, June 3rd, two years and eight months ago, things would drastically begin to change. It was the last day of class. The school day was about to come to a close. It was storming quite hard that day, the wind whistling and whirling outside the windows. The girl stared blankly out the window, lost in the seemingly limitless droplets that made their way down the glass. She was contemplating the words spoken among her friends the previous day.
Snapping her out of her daze, a sudden flash of lightning and boom of thunder rang, almost as if shaking the room. It startled her. And almost on cue, as she reacted, an overwhelmingly strong gust blew the windows open, nearly clipping her on the chin. Some students fell from their seats and pages and utensils flew toward the opposite of the room as rain sprayed the space. The force was almost as if an explosion went off outside. However, Mari was the only one physically unmoved by what happened. The violent gust did not affect her one bit, though she did catch a bit of the rain.
The girl was startled and confused as to what happened. She clung to her backpack, anticipating an evacuation when everyone gathered their bearings. And as the sudden chaos seemingly ceased, Mari's ears perked in response to a shout.
"Mari, your backpack!"
The girl looked down in response. Her backpack had inexplicably burst into flames. Out of surprise and fear of being burnt, the girl squeaked as she flung it to the lightly damp ground. In her panic, she tried to stomp it out, but it only grew bigger and faster with each time she pressed her foot on it. It wasn't long before the girl was quickly dragged away from the burning bag and the room evacuated as the fire alarm sounded in the background. When everything had finally calmed down and the fire put out, confusion and a desperate desire for answers was rampant among everyone.
"What happened?"
"Why are we evacuating?"
"The storm blew the windows open? Only in that area? How?"
"How was Mari not affected by it? The wind didn't move her."
"Wait, there was a fire?"
"Mari's backpack? And she wasn't burnt? How?"
"Do you think she had something to do with it?"
She would be bombarded in the coming days with questions by her peers constantly. Questions she simply did not have the answer to. Her friends tried their best to fend off anyone bothering to pester the girl.
As trivial as a matter this would seem in the grander scheme of things in Mistral, the magnitude of the matter would gradually snowball.
"Mari, you're doing it again." Iris snapped her fingers in front of the girl's face. She was staring blankly into the pond as they sat on the ledge.
"Huh...?" Mari jolted her head up. "Sorry..."
"For what?" Iris chuckled teasingly.
"...I don't know."
"I can tell something's on your mind." The girl pulls her dangling legs, curling herself on the short ledge. "Is it about that stuff that we talked about a couple days ago?"
"Not this time." The girl admitted.
"Is it about the fire?"
"Yeah..." Mari softly nodded with an introspective gaze.
"Did you hear they're having a huntsman take part in the investigation now?"
"Really?" Mari sounded a little surprised. "It can't be that serious, right?"
"Well, apparently it's serious enough that Haven decided to ask the Mistral council to appoint a huntsman to get involved. My brother sent me a link." She said as she pulled out her scroll and clicked the shared headline. "Considering the circumstances, I can see why."
"...Huh..." That was all Mari could respond with as she looked back down at the pond, her image reflecting off it.
She didn't stare long into it before she spoke again.
"Hey, Iris...?"
Iris turned her head, acknowledging she was listening.
"Do you… think that there is a possibility that I caused it?" She blurted.
"Are people still giving you trouble, Mari?" Iris sounded serious.
"No." The girl answered truthfully. "It's just..." Mari didn't finish her sentence as she let out a sigh.
"Don't let them put crap in your head." Iris said sternly. "Investigators said there is nothing tied to you that could have reasonably caused it."
"Well, how else could it have happened, then?"
"How should I know?" Iris shrugged her shoulders. "How should anyone know? Their stupid theories are nothing but garbage anyway. And besides, it's not in your nature to do something like that."
"I'm back!" Claire announced as she stepped up behind them. She carried in her arm three packaged ice-creams, giving one each to her friends.
"Oh, you're a dear, Claire!" Iris said happily as she took her ice-cream.
"Did I miss anything?"
"No." Mari spoke.
"Mari's letting stupid rumors get to her." Iris tattled.
"Iris!" Mari nudged her friend with her elbow. In response, Iris simply shrugged her shoulders. Her aim wasn't mischief, but out of wanting to help.
"Is it about the fire?" Claire inquired.
"No-"
"Yes."
"Iris! I swear to the gods, I will push you in!" Mari complained.
"Mari," Claire spoke as she sat down, immediately aware of what Iris was referring to. "...do you believe in your heart that you didn't do it?" Claire asked.
Mari sighed as she turned to Claire.
"Yes..." She answered honestly as she relented. "But... I'm starting to question it."
"Why?"
"Because… I don't know…! Maybe there was something investigators missed."
"Are you saying you did it?"
"No…! I don't know…" She leans forward and lets her chin rest on her hand. "It just makes sense for people to think I did considering… well, I was the one with the bag in my hand when it happened and-"
"You shouldn't be concerned with what everyone else thinks about you when they're just as clueless, Mari. Yeah, you had the backpack in your hand when it was on fire. But the fact of the matter is, there is nothing to reasonably even suggest you did at this point. Who knows? Maybe the wind did something funky to an outlet next to your desk or caused the heater to short-circuit near your bag before you grabbed it. Maybe someone snuck a fire dust crystal in your backpack and the blast of wind caused it to ignite. There has to be a reasonable explanation here. But the idea of you doing it is not one of them anymore. If you believe in your heart that you're innocent and the investigation has ruled you innocent, then you're innocent. Don't let a bunch of clueless people make you think they know better than you about yourself."
"Okay ...Thank you..." Mari leaned over and gave a quick hug. However, her expression was still unsure and anxious.
Even if the chances were only a fraction, if there were any chances at all, she needed to know for sure that she was not responsible.
. . .
When she arrived home, later that night, Mari would conduct a small experiment. She grabbed a candle and took it up to her room and placed it on the floor in front of her. She sat down in front of it and proceeded to press her fingers against the candlewick.
"Please don't ignite. Please don't ignite. Please don't ignite." She hoped in her head as she kept her focus.
Mari intently focused, not exactly sure of what she was doing. But after a few moments, she began to feel coldness underneath her. Instinctively, she looked down and saw that her hand that was resting on the floor had a sheet of ice suddenly appear underneath it. She immediately became a mix of confusion and panic. She then turned her head back to the candle and she could see a thin string of smoke seeping from her fingers where the candlewick was. She took her hand off it and there it was: a small flame on the now lit candle. The girl frantically crawled back, as if being confronted by her worst fear.
Mari was immediately struck with a sinking feeling. As if a hole were opening up inside her. Along with this feeling, she felt the pressure of guilt weighing down on her shoulders. She was the cause of the fire.
"Oh no..." She muttered regretfully as she tried to get up. "No, no, no, no- ah!'
As she tried to stand up, Mari accidentally slipped on the small ice sheet, hitting the carpet floor of her room with a thud.
"Are you okay, honey?" She heard the approaching muffled voice of her mother through the door.
"I-I'm fine!' Mari shouted while trying to sound as calm as possible.
"Are you sure-?" She asked, trying to open the door.
Before her mother could even make it ajar, Mari immediately pushed the door closed.
"No, no!" She dismissed. "I mean, yes, I'm sure. I... just tripped while changing. I'm changing..."
"Well... okay..." Her mother decided to leave it be after some hesitation. "Try to be more careful, alright?"
"I'll try." Mari told her mother, relieved that her lie was able to fend her off.
As the worry of getting discovered subsided, Mari's thoughts began to prioritize the odd occurrence that has befallen her. She had no exact idea of what to make of it. But at the very least, what was known was the girl seemingly had some level of authority over forces of nature.
Why did this happen to her? How? When? She was worried about what was going on and for others' wellbeing as she was now a walking hazard in her own eyes. Anxious about being discovered and what this all meant in the grand scheme of things. And scared for her life as she knew it. Her thoughts were a discordant twister not even able to begin to comprehend or make sense of this. She hoped that this was all some sort of extremely long dream. That she had drifted off during class on that day and would wake up any second. But, against the girl's hopes, this was no dream. She had yet to accept it.
The young girl blew out the candle and pulled a mat over the small ice sheet and immediately went to bed. She wrapped her blankets around herself tightly for some sense of comfort. As much as she tried, she had much difficulty falling asleep. For a duration, her eyes were locked on the mat that the thawing ice sheet was underneath, as well as the candle's now blackened candlewick. Eventually, her mind and body succumbed to the tiredness and she drifted off to sleep.
. . .
The following day, June 7th. On this day, Mari was reading in the living room. Suddenly, a knock sounded from the front door. The girl's mother answered, opening with a slight creak.
On the other side stood a peculiar tall, lanky man. He was a tad pale with red, vermillion eyes and a bit of facial hair on his chin and jawline. His hair was black and spiky, slicked back.
His clothes consisted of a grayish, long-tailed dress shirt with a small, torn up cape hanging from his shoulders. His legs were covered by black dress pants with his footwear being that of simple black dress shoes. Despite his very formal getup, the way his clothes hung on his body made the man seem very laid-back and laxed. But most noticeably, around his neck, he wore a necklace with a tilted cross.
"Can I help you?" Her mother asked, wondering what the reason this seemingly random visit was for.
"Sorry to bother you." The man answered with a gruff, but cordial, voice. "I'm looking for a 'Mari Varep'. Is she here, by any chance?"
As he asked, he displayed his huntsman license in his hand before promptly pocketing it. Seeing it, Mari's mother became a bit sheepish. She wondered what it could be that would bring a huntsman to her front door and specifically regarding her daughter, no less.
Meanwhile, the moment Mari heard her name spoken, she instantly froze in place. She naturally wanted to quickly tiptoe out the room and leave out the back or hide in her room. But she couldn't move. Her grip on her book tightened, the pages creasing and being stained by sweat forming on her palms. Though her eyes were locked on the pages, her mind was in full panic mode. But it felt as if a massive weight were pinning her in place.
"Yes. She's- She's in the living room." Her mother finally spoke, trying not to sound nervous.
"If you don't mind, is it okay if I speak to her in private?" The man asked as if he were anticipating some sort of push back.
"I'd like to know why you want to speak to her, if you don't me prying." Her mother felt a sense of protection for her daughter. Her demeanor became somewhat standoffish. Her hand was resting on the knob, ready to close it on him if she felt a strong enough reason.
"Ma'am, your daughter's not in trouble or anything if that's what you're thinking. I just need to ask her some questions about what happened at her school a few days ago. Can I come in?"
"...You may." Her mother invited after giving some thought. From his demeanor, the nature of his visit didn't seem bad per se. But she was still a bit apprehensive.
As the man entered, Mari's mother sat next to the girl on the couch and spoke lowly to the girl.
"Mari, sweetie, I don't know if you overheard, but this huntsman is here to ask you some questions in private, okay? If you need anything, I'll be in the other room." She then squeezed her daughter's hand and kissed her crown and promptly got up to leave the room.
The girl, scared stiff, heard nothing.
"So…" The man took a few paces around the living room as it was now just him and Mari. He inspected the place as his hands were in his pockets. "You're Mari, I take it?"
The girl didn't answer. Her face was hidden behind her book. Eyes were locked intently on the same passage, constantly rereading it as a distraction. She held so still, it was almost as if she were a creature trying to camouflage itself to avoid becoming dinner. She had a huntsman, in her living room, next to her, talking to her, about something specifically revolving around her. It was very intimidating on its own.
"You can relax, kid. You're not in trouble." He tried to assure her. The man pulled up a chair and sat beside the couch.
The huntsman sat patiently waiting for the girl to speak or look in his direction. But she was paralyzed.
The tall man leaned over out of curiosity and looked over at her page. He tried to think of something to say. He noticed that she hadn't turned the page since he walked in.
"I think you have the page memorized by now." He joked.
The girl pursed her lips slightly in response, the corners of her mouth ever so slightly pointed up. A sign that it amused her slightly. It didn't remove her anxiety, but it gave him an opening. The huntsman decided to take advantage.
"What are you reading?" He capitalized.
"...A-a story." Mari muttered.
"I can tell that much." He chuckled. "Does it have a name?"
He made sure his voice came off as curious rather than purely interrogative.
"It's called… uhm…" She caught herself being forgetful due to her anxiety spiking. She turned over the cover to peek. "It's called 'The Last Generation: The End of History'."
"I have a niece that loves stories."
"Really?"
"Uh huh. She's seven though." He chuckled again. "So she doesn't read books like these yet. How old are you, Mari?"
"Thirteen." She answered sheepishly. "I turn fourteen on the twentieth."
The man's eyes widened slightly hearing that. He wasn't necessarily surprised by her age. She looked thirteen after all. But it appeared as if he was astounded by the confirmation of being face-to-face with the reality of a situation only he was currently aware of. Like he was seeing something regarding this child that hit him. There was a sense of pity in his expression for a second before continuing.
"Mari, I have to ask. Aside from your mother, there's no one else in this house is there? No one that could be listening in on us?"
"No, sir." She said quickly.
"You can just call me Qrow." He kindly corrected her.
"No, Mr. Qrow." She tried again.
"Just Qrow." Qrow corrected the girl again.
"Sorry, Qrow." Mari lowered her head in apology.
"Don't worry about it." He casually waved it off. "So, just you and your parents?"
"Parent." This time it was Mari to correct the man.
"So just you and your mother, then."
"Yes, si- I mean, Qrow!" The girl caught herself. She clasped her hands tightly as she felt her anxiety momentarily spike again.
"You're very formal, huh kid?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Qr- I mean, Qrow."
"Like I said, don't worry about it." Qrow wore a reassuring smile to try and placed a gentle hand on her back to make her more comfortable. "You're doing fine, kid. Just try to take a deep breath."
Taking the huntsman's advice, Mari closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. For a moment, she only focused on the feeling and sound of air entering her nose and being let out her lungs through her mouth. The girl then turned toward Qrow, signifying she was ready to continue.
"Mari, I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not. But the reason I'm here today is because I was appointed to investigate the cause of the fire at your school. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about it?"
"...Okay…" The girl said shyly, not fully meeting Qrow's gaze.
"The fire started in your classroom. Is that correct?" Qrow started.
"Yes." Mari answered definitively.
"Do you think you could tell me exactly what happened that day?"
Mari then proceeded to recall the moment her bag caught fire as well as the moments preceding.
"So your backpack was the first thing to catch fire?"
"Yes, Qrow."
"And I take it, this is your backpack, right?" He said as he pulled out a scorched backpack that he had concealed with him. It was small and still slightly purple in parts. But for the most part, it was just a charred piece of fabric.
"...Yes…" Mari looked down.
"When investigators were tracing the source of the fire, the general consensus was that it must have come from your backpack. But there was no evidence of anything in there that could have reasonably started it there. Do you, by any chance, have an idea of how it started, Mari?"
Mari kept her head lowered with her eyes fixed to her clasping hands resting in her lap.
"I-I didn't do it on purpose." She uttered quietly. "I didn't mean-"
"I know you didn't." Qrow said as if he already understood what happened, but could now confirm it. Mari's eyes widened a bit. She was shocked that this man seemingly already understood the situation.
"The flames… They- they came from my hand. I don't know why it happened, but I caused that fire. And I don't mean I had something on me that caused it. I mean I- my own body- was literally the cause of the fire."
"So it just burst into flames in your hand, and you firmly believe you were the source of this fire?"
"I know I was…" She said shamefully.
Qrow leaned in as Mari explained to him her small experiment the previous night.
"Are- are you going to arrest me, Qrow?" Mari looked up at the looming man. There was much anticipation and fear in her eyes.
"Mari, if I were here to arrest you, I wouldn't have come alone. But I'll still need you to come with me."
"Oh my gods, you are going to arrest me!" Mari convinced herself as the child's eyes grew misty. The girl was almost on the verge of panic.
"Mari, hey. Mari, no one's going to arrest you. I promise." The man sat next to her and gently grabbed her shoulder to try and calm her down. "No one is going to arrest you. I meant it when I said you're not in trouble."
"I just… don't know what's happening to me…" She struggled to say.
Qrow looked on at the child with pity. But regardless, this was the reality. There was no choice in the matter. The best he could do was try to offer some form of comfort and carry on. He didn't know how exactly, but he believed providing the girl some answers could help alleviate things for a bit. Either that, or make her panic even more. Either way, she deserved answers.
"Mari," Qrow spoke up. "I'm going to tell you something very important. And you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even your mother. Can you do that for me?"
"Okay…" She agreed, wiping her eye.
"Mari…" Qrow hesitated a moment. He wondered how exactly he would start. "There are many strange things in this world that we are used to. Monsters of darkness bent on destroying humanity. People who can project their souls out their body to take hits without taking damage. And even superhuman abilities that are beyond what regular people are capable of. But then, there are other things in this world that only a select few people are allowed to know about. I am one of those select few. There are things that we know about like semblances, aura, and grimm. But then there is the… lesser known stuff… Like Maidens."
"Maidens?" Mari asked him inquisitively, cocking her head.
"Maidens are essentially walking forces of nature to put it simply. There's four of them. And when one dies, whoever is in their final thoughts inherits those abilities, so long as that person is a young woman. Or I guess barely a teenager also qualifies in your case. But in the case the person in mind is a guy or someone too old, it goes to someone random. The job of the people I'm with are meant to track and protect the identity of these maidens to… basically keep them safe and hidden. Recently, one of the Maidens we were in charge of looking after, she uh… passed away. The Spring Maiden. We've been trying to find the inheritor of her powers. And from the looks of it, it seems to be you."
"So you're saying because someone died and didn't think of anybody, I'm now a random vessel of these… elemental powers?" She asked as if she were trying to put it together in her head.
"I mean, that's basically it. But no one can know about that."
"Why?" Mari asked.
"There's more for you to know, but we'll let you in on that when we get to Haven." Qrow stood up as he ignored her question. "Right now, the important thing is that we get you to Haven and train you to at least control your powers better. In the meantime, I'm going to have to talk to your mother. That's… going to be interesting… She already seems pretty protective of you." He said sarcastically with an anxious sigh.
"Why do you need to keep them hidden?" Mari repeated her question, stopping him before he left.
"Mari, we can talk about it later-"
"How did the previous Maiden die?"
Qrow hesitated.
"...If you won the lottery," He opted to answer the first question. "...you wouldn't exactly want your name and face on the news, would you?"
Qrow then turned and entered the room Mari's mother waited in.
"I don't feel like I won anything…" She mumbled to herself.
. . .
"She's a child!" Mari could hear her mother's dampened voice from the other room.
"She's much more than that now." Qrow responded diffusingly. "Look, we need her. If there were any other way, I'd opt for it. But we have no choice. The longer she is not under our care and supervision, the more dangerous this situation is. Dangerous for her. Dangerous for you. And potentially for everyone, both involved and uninvolved. If you-..." Qrow cut himself off. "I wish I could tell you, ma'am. But all you need to know is that she needs to come with us. And if you care about her wellbeing, you'll see that this is the better of two options."
"I do care!" Her mother snapped at him.
"Then please, just trust me and let me take her to Haven." He almost pleaded. "She's not in trouble. But the longer she is not with us, there is a disaster waiting to happen. I'm not trying to 'steal your daughter from you'. I just want to help. But I can't unless you allow me."
There was a small period of silence. There was pacing on the other side before suddenly stopping.
"Why does this have to happen? Why my daughter?" Her voice sounded defeated and almost desperate.
"I don't have that answer. But I can at least provide a solution. And that involves your cooperation and putting your faith and trust in me. Look, I get it. To you, I'm just some guy who showed up to your house and is now trying to leave with your only daughter without even a proper explanation. I get why you're apprehensive. But I wouldn't have done it without a good reason. I can't tell you exactly what it is, but your daughter is now a very, very special person of interest in the eyes of Haven. Please. I know this isn't easy for you. But your daughter's life is in danger. You want to protect your daughter and I understand that. Because I'm trying to protect her too. But this situation is out of your depth. She needs to be taken to Haven under our custody and supervision. So, please, let me do my job and allow me to protect your daughter."
There was another interval of silence from the room. Mari's mother was speechless. She needed to accept the reality.
"If anything, anything, happens to her…" She uttered chillingly. "...You better pray I don't find out."
"I promise… Nothing will happen to her." Qrow spoke after being taken slightly.
After some time, the two would eventually emerge from the room. Mari's mother had a look of concealed distress with Qrow looking somewhat remorseful. Her mother would painfully have to say her goodbyes with her daughter and reluctantly place her in the hands of the huntsman.
Mari was given some time to gather any belongings she might want to take with her. The girl was very hesitant and unsure. But she went and followed without question. Along the way, Qrow gifted her a new backpack to put her belongings in and the two would eventually arrive at Haven. It was there that Mari would eventually learn the full weight of her situation.
Maidens were more than just mere selected individuals who can command elements. They also have a tremendous responsibility to protect and serve the world and its people as part of a much greater battle fought in the shadows. And the reason their identities are kept secret is primarily to prevent anyone of malicious intent from killing them to gain their power as these powers paint a target on the Maiden's back. And in turn, this meant she would likely never see or hear from her friends or family again. In short, Mari was now involuntarily directly part of a secret war for humanity and the world as they knew it. Whatever of her old life she once knew, it was now effectively gone. The child was now essentially a draftee.
Mari had found her answers. And she regretted it. But what exactly was she regretting? Knowing? Becoming a maiden? Being born? Living? She couldn't regret something she had no control over or choice in. But regret was the only thing she knew at that moment.
But regardless of how she felt, Mari needed to be trained. She needed to learn control so any incidents like what happened at her school wouldn't happen. Learning how to keep them under control in this sense was easy. However, being able to actively utilize the Maiden powers for combat would be difficult as that is more easy for battle-hardened individuals as they have more control with a sound mind, especially in times of stress. So, if Mari were to learn to at least have control of her powers, she would need a sound mind. But more than that, to fight with them, she would need the mind and heart of a warrior. She wouldn't just need to know how to use them, but to also be capable for when the time comes where she would need to use them.
For the most part, Mari's training was going well in regards to controlling her powers. Within two weeks, she was able to gain a grasp of them. But once things started to segue into combat, Mari began to stall. She was very apprehensive and fearful of the idea of using these powers in combat, regardless of the reason. She didn't have the heart for it, nor could she get into the mindset. With these powers, she wasn't just afraid of hurting another person, she was afraid of the high likelihood of possibly even killing someone.
She couldn't live with that thought. And if it ever came to it, she would not be able to live with that reality. She tried to voice her apprehensions and concerns, but they were not taken much into consideration. Qrow, the only person who she felt she could talk to, wasn't around much and the only ones who would hear her out practically dismissed her. As fas anyone else was concerned, she was the Maiden and she needed to be trained for her responsibility and that was all there was to it. What she wanted did not matter. And all she wanted was out.
The girl felt trapped. She felt alone. And she was getting desperate. If this is what her life was simply going to be from now on, she didn't want it anymore.
Many ideas went through Mari's head. Some, regretful. The one thing that prevented her from going with the latter option was the realization the powers would be thrust onto someone malicious or someone else like her.
Eventually, there was one she would favor over the others that she would land on. Mari was going to run away. On June 24th, on her 14th birthday, Mari would do just that.
The girl was able to slip out in the middle of the night under everyone's noses. It didn't take long until her disappearance would become known. The first places Mari thought of going were her home, or one of her friend's houses, or even their usual meetup spot at the park. But she knew that that would be the first place they would look for her. On top of that, she didn't want to bring trouble upon her friends or family. So instead, as extreme as it was, she believed her least worst option was to flee the kingdom. The child didn't know where she wanted to go. But so long as she was out, she felt safe.
In a few days, from being constantly on the move, she was able to make it out of the outskirts of Mistral. But on the 30th of June, she would be found. But it wasn't by Mistral authorities, nor was it Qrow. Instead, it was a bandit woman. Raven Branwen.
The woman had stalked the girl the moment she was far enough from the kingdom. When she made her presence known, Mari was cornered with nowhere to go.
"Young, teenage girl. Long, purple hair. Green eyes." Raven listed to herself out loud. "You fit the description. I take it you're Mari?"
The woman crossed her arms, her mask covering her face.
"Who are you?" The girl shuddered.
"Your way back."
"I don't- I don't know what you're talking about!" Mari panically lied.
"Oh, you don't?" Raven said challengingly.
"I'm just… I'm lost."
"Well in that case, I guess that means I can just rob and kill you then?" The bandit proceeded to draw her sword.
"Wait, wha-?"
Before Mari could even finish her words, Raven then hurled her sword directly at Mari. In a panic, the girl let out a squeak as she put her hands up, instinctively stopping the sword mere centimeters from her chest with an ice sheet she conjured up. In the process, Mari also stumbled back and nearly tripped on herself in the panic.
Raven was not alarmed in the slightest by this.
"I'm taking you back to Mistral… Spring Maiden…"
"D-don't call me that!" Mari raised her voice as she stepped back. She was now found out. "Don't take me back. Please?"
Raven ignored the girl's pleas and began to approach her.
"Get away from me!" She frantically put her hands up again when Raven was at arm's length and tried to reach out. A strong gust was summoned and blew the woman back into a tree. Mari did not mean to do this. Regardless, the very fact she used her powers on another person struck her.
"I-I'm sorry." Mari instinctively walked up to the woman to check if she was okay.
Raven was still on the ground, a little winded from the blow. But nothing compared to most of her encounters. However, when she noticed the girl stepping forward, she stayed down to lure her in.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean-" The girl naively stepped too close.
Taking advantage of Mari's nature, Raven landed a stiff uppercut to the girl's stomach. Mari immediately fell over, hunched and clutching her solar plexus.
Before Mari could even breathe in, Raven seized her by the throat.
"You are incredibly lucky you're wanted alive." She said before tossing the stunned child to the ground.
Before she could get up, Raven pinned the girl to the ground by planting her foot on her clavicle. She then drew her sword and held it above Mari's arm.
"Like I said," She spoke coldly. "I'm taking you back. Try anything, and I can't guarantee it'll be in one piece."
Raven had no intentions on harming the child, at least not any more than she needed to if need be. But she figured a simple scare tactic should be enough to subdue her.
Feeling desperation set in, she created an ice barrier around her body that trapped Raven's leg and arm in place. Mari would then heat a hole big enough for her to crawl through.
By the time Mari crawled out, she didn't bother looking back as she tried to run. But unfortunately for her, Raven had already escaped her attempted imprisonment. A small clump of feathers was the only evidence of her escape. Before the girl could even get back on her feet fully, Raven took her sword and stabbed through one of Mari's pant legs.
Mari fell flat on her stomach. With her other leg now pinned down, Raven walked up to Mari and retrieved her sword and planted her foot on the other girl's ankle threateningly.
"Maybe I wasn't being clear enough." Raven said firmly. "You are going back, whether you like it or not. And I am in no way obligated to take into consideration your well-being and health when delivering you so long as you are taken back alive. So make this easier on yourself and stop fighting it."
Mari frantically tried to wrestle herself free. Her first method, as basic as it was, didn't work and she desperately wanted to avoid fighting or hurting the woman in any way. But it seemed no matter what, whether she capitulated or continued with her desertion, she would always be fighting something from now on.
Once that thought entered her head, Mari seemed to quietly break down. She stopped struggling and began to emotionally fall apart. All she wanted was her life back. Her autonomy. But it seemed like that was taken from her by chance. And she hated it.
"NO!" The Maiden screamed as she began to slip.
A strong, but short, wild gust blew in all directions and knocked Raven off the girl. At the same time, the surrounding environment began to freeze over with Mari being the epicenter.
Raven could not get close. If she took a step forward, she would freeze over too. At this moment, Raven's thoughts weren't about bringing the girl alive, but more on the risk the girl was posing to her life. Instinctively, Raven brought her hand to the hilt of her sword. She reluctantly took her hand off when she remembered her task and t.
With a reluctant breath, Raven realized what she needed to do. In the next moment, Raven morphed her body into a corvid and flew over to Mari to avoid the freezing ground. There was a little bit of space surrounding Mari that was unfrozen. Raven touched down once she was close and returned to her human form.
Raven brought up her fist and was prepared to knock the girl unconscious. But for a moment, Raven saw the girl's face. Mari was in absolute despair. Her face was contorted in both anguish and hopelessness. To Raven, it was pitiful. But she couldn't help but feel some sort of sympathy for her.
Slowly, Raven would crouch to Mari's level and softly place her hand on her back. It was awkward for her as she was not the comforting type, but she did her best. The moment Mari felt Raven's hand, she sprang up and wrapped her arms around the woman, tearfully repeating the words, "I don't wanna go back." muffled by her body.
Raven almost threw Mari off her out of instinct. She caught herself and decided to be patient until the girl eventually calmed down.
"Are you done?" Raven asked as Mari released her. Her voice had that of tested patience.
Mari nodded her head. "I… I think so. Why did you-?"
"Shut up." She coldly interrupted. "Don't ever make me have to do that again."
"I'm sorry-"
"What did I just say?" Raven interrupted again.
Mari stayed quiet.
"I don't want to hear another word or any kind of sound from you. I need to think right now."
Raven paced around with an intense look strewn about her. It was as if she were having a heated debate in her head. Suddenly she stopped. She picked up her weapon and cut a tree down in one motion. Loud, thunderous cracks sounded from the wood as it crashed down. A few minutes later, a few more bandits began to arrive.
"I'll be right back." Raven told the group. "In the meantime, I want you to watch her and make sure she doesn't go anywhere. And none of you had better lay a single hand on her when I'm gone. She's mine. Am I understood?"
There was a sense of urgency in her voice. The bandits nodded in response after exchanging a few nervous glances.
"And as for you," Raven turned to Mari. "If I come back and I see that you are gone, I will personally track you down and send you back to Mistral without a second thought. And if you even consider the possibility that I won't find you again, just know that our encounter was not by chance."
In a moment's notice, Raven took her sword and sliced open a rift into space, stepping in as it vanished behind her. Soon she would return and sent the other bandits off so she could speak to the girl in private.
"So here's the deal." The crimson-eyed woman spoke up. "After some negotiating, I was able to come to an agreement."
"With who?" Mari spoke curiously.
"That is none of your concern." She sternly dismissed.
Raven would then pace to a nearby tree and lean on it.
"Seeing as you are adamant on not going back to Mistral to continue your duties, I will not send you back."
"Really?" Mari asked hopefully. Her head jolted slightly once hearing that.
"Yes, really."
"Thank-"
"Don't thank me." Raven stopped her as if there was more. "However, I can't just let you go. You are far too important for me to do that. So what's going to happen is that I'm taking you with me. You'll be hidden and have a place to stay. And on top of that, I will personally train you."
"If that's the case you may as well just send me back to Mistral!" She whined with disappointment.
"Kid-!" Raven pinched the bridge of her nose as if she were holding herself back. "You don't understand. Mistral is out of the question, girl." She leaned off the tree and approached the Maiden. "You think I'm choosing not to bring you back to Mistral out of the goodness of my heart?"
"What do you mean?" Mari stands up.
"You have two choices." Raven informed. "The first choice, which was my proposal, is you can come with me and be under my care in secret. No one will find you or bother you. But you will be my responsibility, live on my grounds, follow my rules, do what I tell you, all while I train you. Your second choice, you go to Vale and you get put in the hands of my superior."
The way she presented the second option was with an undesirable tone.
"The latter was my superior's proposal." She added.
There was something more Raven was withholding from the girl. But Mari wasn't aware.
With some turmoil, Mari thought deeply. Judging from Raven's tone, Mari seemed apprehensive when weighing the latter option. There was something about the tone Raven gave it that put her off. After some thought, Mari would go with the option that made her less uncomfortable. She went with Raven while keeping her powers secret from the rest of the camp and was trained in private.
She never saw Mistral again.
. . .
As Mari finishes her story, Simin was at a loss for words.
"This is the life I live now…" She says sullenly.
Mari holds out her hand as if to give a demonstration. A small ball of flame began to manifest a mere centimeter from her palm. She then began to maneuver the flame around as it danced around her body. It moved like a curious firefly before returning to her palm and vanishing. Accompanying this was a casual, unenthusiastic flick of her wrist, which conjured a moderate breeze, carrying a handful of dying leaves from its branches. Some of the leaves catch onto Simin's hair to which Mari pulls them off.
"If you ask me…" Mari breathes an exasperated sigh. "These powers are nothing more than a curse!" She says dejectedly as she looks down at her open palms.
"Why me?" Her voice grows frustrated. "Why not someone who was actually willing? I'm just a kid who wanted a normal life! It's just- It's just…"
"Unfair?" Simin finishes her sentence for her.
"...Yeah… Unfair…" Mari gazes into the pond. "I want to give up so badly, Simin."
"I get what you mean." Simin leaned back.
"You do?" Mari turns to the boy.
"Well… in a way." Simin took a deep breath.
Simin then proceeded to tell Mari about his own experiences up to the point of joining Raven. All of it. From the moments of despair, to the moments where there was a glimmer of hope before being snuffed out. The loss of his mother, his father, and Dorado. His journey to Oniyuri. And even the loss of Bruno.
"It was like every time I tried to get back some semblance of my old life, I was just met with a reminder that it wasn't coming back no matter how hard I tried."
It was Mari who was unable to respond. She instead opts to put an arm around Simin and pull him into an embrace. It was secure and comforting. The boy was slightly caught off-guard. But he unquestionably returned the gesture. Her jacket felt very soft and made it difficult for the boy to let go. It was no wonder that she wore it all the time. Eventually she released him.
The two sat in silence again, silently returning to feeding the fish as they swam around their ankles.
"Mari?" Simin spoke up.
She turned to acknowledge him.
"Can I ask you something?" He seemed a little hesitant.
"What is it?"
"Why haven't you given up?"
Mari removes the white lily from her hair. She twirled the delicate plant in her fingers, fiddling with the soft, feather-like petals as the moonlight bounced off of each individual one.
"Maybe it's because I hope for too much." She answered, her eyes fixed on the white lily that sat in her delicate hand. "That I just hope for things to go back to normal. That maybe one day, I'll finally wake up from this."
"It won't fall in your lap, Mari." Simin says bluntly. "Why keep letting yourself get dragged by this? Why not take action and push for what you want?"
"Because, I don't want-" Mari lets out a heavy breath as she gets up and walks to the base of the willow tree. "I'm not- …Simin…" She gave up trying to find her words as she said the boy's name almost pleadingly.
"Mari, conflict is unfortunately inevitable if you want control of your life again. Don't let the current make this your destination. Make it your detour. Your powers are yours, Mari. So own them. Use them as you see fit. Not how others want you to. And apply it to whatever you want to do later in your life. You do still have some control Mari. You still have the ability to choose. You just need the heart."
The Maiden crossed her arms and turned her head away as if in thought.
"But, I don't know if I can…" She said regretfully.
"Well what do you know?"
"I know I want to be able to choose my own path again. I want to be able to live my life the way I want." She says confidently, turning her gaze back to the boy. "I want to be free."
"Mari," Simin continues. "I want you to make a promise."
Mari looks back to Simin and uncrosses her arms as if inviting him to continue.
"Promise that when the time comes, you start pushing back. That you stand up for yourself and take your life back. That you'll fight for your life."
"Simin…" She sighed.
"Can you do that, Mari?" He looked her in the eyes.
For the past two and a half years, she has let herself get dragged around. Rather than take back control, she succumbed, hoping one day it would be returned to her. But she's hoping for something that will never happen… not unless she makes it happen. For once, Mari knew what she wanted. And it's being taken from her. And she can't allow that anymore.
Mari marched her way back to where Simin was seated and rejoined him.
"Alright, Simin." She conceded. "I promise you I will-"
"No. Not to me." He interjected. "Promise yourself."
"Okay." Mari said after a slight pause. "I promise."
. . .
Raven:
She couldn't sleep. The woman sat there on her cot, her hand cupped over her mouth. She was deep in thought as if she were grappling with a reality or contemplating something crucial. There was worry and stress in her eyes. She was wracked with a cruel realization. She was out of time.
Raven stared deeply at her mask that was in her hands. Her eyes were longing, as if she were pleading for guidance. But she knew there would be no response. Or maybe, she was looking for an escape. A way out of this situation. But, there was no escape. The only way out for Raven is to go through her.
"I never wanted it to come to this…" She thought as she shook her head. "Why couldn't she have just shaped up? I can't get out of this, now."
She briefly turned her gaze to her weapon.
"Fuck!" Raven shouted in frustration. She hurled her mask at the wall of the tent. The cloth catches it as it hits the ground with a thud.
"This is my fault. I should have never agreed to take her in. I should have just dragged her back to Mistral kicking and screaming. And now…"
Vernal had pleaded earlier with Raven to change her mind and think it over more. But Raven dismissed her and implored her not to bother her about it again. Her mind was already made up. Raven had thought it over many hours, many times throughout the day. And everytime, she came to the same conclusion.
"By the end of tomorrow, I have to kill Mari."
**CHAPTER END**
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Hey everyone!
I'm so sorry it's been so long. The holidays, traveling, family, and job hunting (which I'm still working on) were all making it extremely difficult for me to find the time to get back to my writing. So for the past few months, I've just been chipping away at this chapter. And I have been working extremely hard on it. It ended up going through about three revisions with some scenes being added in, some taken out, some altered, etc. But it's finally done! And now we only have two left (not including the planned epilogue and the set up for chapter 19). But anyway, let's talk about this chapter.
To start, if you want an idea of the tone these next chapters will be setting, listen to the song "The Miner" by Epica.
So in this chapter, we finally learn about Mari's story and how she became the Spring Maiden. She was just a normal kid living a normal life trying to figure out what it was she wanted from her life. At the very least, she just wanted a normal life and to be able to choose where she went in life. And when she had the powers thrust upon her, she felt she got both of these things robbed from her in one fell swoop. She was taken from her home, her family, her friends, her life as she knew it, and was to become a key part of a conflict. At the end of the day, Mari was just a scared kid who got sucked into a war she wanted no part of. On one hand, it can be seen as pretty selfish considering her responsibility and her outright rejection of it, especially due to her reasons. But on the other hand, I feel it can be understandable where she's coming from and why she rejects it, which is what my goal was with this chapter. She rejects her responsibility not just because it isn't something she wanted, but also because she had absolutely no choice in the matter and what she lost because of it. And because she was a kid with her life ahead of her and was completely robbed of that.
Mari tried to run away because it was the only thing in her mind that she could do and we all saw how that turned out. So at that point, when she meets Raven and was given her ultimatum, Mari practically succumbs. She'd mostly given up by that point. Mostly. The closest she was to giving up fully was in Chapter 16 where she blurts out, "I guess I'll die." to Raven. But in reality, she hasn't fully given up yet as there is still a part of her deep down that refuses to let her accept or admit defeat as she still refuses to fully comply with her new situation. She's still resisting in her own way. And now we know why she hasn't fully capitulated and that's because she's been hoping for her life to come back to her one way or another. And if not that, then at least a reason to keep resisting and push back harder as she is mentally and emotionally exhausted at this point. And her bond with Simin I would say greatly contributes to that reason since he is trying to help her as she helped him. There is still a part of Mari that says, "This isn't me. This isn't what I want nor what I will be."
With that being said, in the next two chapters, we have two fights left and we probably already know what those matchups will be. The fight for the next chapter is Raven vs Mari. If there is one thing Mari and Raven have in common, it's that they are both extremely stubborn. And we are finally going to see these two clash. Raven's hand is being forced as she now has to kill Mari. But in doing so, Mari's hand will be forced too as she will have to fight for her life.
So that means the next two chapters will be mostly two big fight scenes. So I will hope to finish strong with this volume. So with that being said, I will start getting to work on the next chapter and hope to get it out sooner.
So until then, here is fun fact #30:
Fun fact #30: When first writing the scene where Mari discovers her powers at school, it was originally supposed to be because of a dust allergy. The room would have been dusty and she was going to sneeze that would have caused the strong gust of wind. But reading it over, it felt weird to me because she has never been shown or alluded to having a dust allergy at all throughout this volume and it felt way too convenient. So I changed it to her watching a storm and getting startled by the thunder that caused her to accidentally discover her powers.
