Hey everybody. Eternal here with the third chapter of Ike's story. So I just finished reading a book and was so incredibly happy with the ending and the story. I also realize that I didn't edit the previous chapter so it was a little clunky at times. Sorry about that. Anyway you are not here to listen to me talk about other books and past mistakes. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 3: Beacon
I was in a white room. My father was there with me but it wasn't for comfort. He cared for me and loved me as a son, but nothing more. If he wasn't training me in combat, my mother was teaching me the essentials of life. She taught me to cook, do choirs, and be a compassionate and loving human being. But right now I was doing neither.
I wore a pair of light hospital pants and was groggy from the sedatives that I had been given not ten minutes ago. I was lying on my stomach, waiting for sleep to take me. When I woke up again I was still on my stomach and completely out of it.
It took a few days for the pain in my back to be bearable without pain killers; and was immediately thrown back into training with my father. But it was to learn how to incorporate the wings into my minds capability more than combat. I was kept at the hospital for a long time, long enough for me to be able to sustain flight for a full minute.
After that my father let me design and craft my own weapon. I chose the throwing knives because they were light and I could throw them while flying. I was so happy to be home that I immediately ran over to my friend's house, only to find that in the month that I had been away, she had moved.
After that shock to my young mind I devoted myself to learning how to fly so I could find her. But it wasn't meant to be. It took me years of my life to manage to sustain flight the way I could now. Mainly because it was based on the amount of aura I had at my disposal. After years of draining my aura daily I had finally started to increase my capacity for aura and the rate at which I recovered.
I looked up at Velvet as she finished her meal. She listened to my recount of the major events of my life. I took my cup of Ginseng herbal tea and stirred it before taking a sip. The restaurant was filling now and the waiters and waitresses were trying to get people in and out as fast as possible. Shay didn't bother us and neither did anybody else. I was well known and came here so often that nobody dared bother us. Besides I had racked up my bill for today, it was hefty considering that me and Velvet both ordered and demolished the most expensive meal on the menu. I had since paid the bill, now we were just talking.
Velvet took a sip of her coffee before finally replying. "You were busy in your childhood. You have been training to fight monsters since you could hold a sword. You were given a pair of wings by your father to try to make the hunters and huntresses more efficient, and now here we are, old friends reuniting with each other after ten years, on our way to beacon."
She looked up at me and smiled at me kindly. "If it means anything now I'm truly sorry about leaving you at such a difficult time in your life." She didn't elaborate on the fact that at the time she didn't have a choice, which was fine. I knew and she knew it. She set her cup down and stood. "Common, let's get out of here and let other people in." I nodded and downed the rest of my tea before standing and waving to Shay to signal us leaving. She waved back and smiled at us before getting back to work. As we exited we past the host, who nodded to us wishing us a good day.
Once outside I headed to the pier. This time Velvet followed me and stood beside me as I leaned on the railing and looked out at the great blue. Ships docked and unloaded large cargos before loading back up with other goods and heading back out to sea, back to their own kingdoms.
We sat and watched for a while as the sun rose in the sky. Finally Velvet broke the silence. "Well I'm happy that I could see you again after so long, but I need to get home and start packing." I looked over at her and she explained. "I just finished at Signal academy. I'm heading to Beacon tomorrow. Ill see you on the air ship tomorrow."
I was slightly surprised, but it lasted only a moment. Well my Father does have some amount of say at admission to Beacon, so I guess he remembers her and just put her on the list for tomorrow. And didn't she say something about it while we were in the restaurant. I held my hand out for her before she left, but she wasn't having that.
She gave me a quick, friendly, hug before walking in the opposite direction. I watched her go until she was out of sight before turning back to the pier. The sun was high in the sky by now and I was just trying to find something to occupy my day.
"Hey, you were unconscious yesterday." I looked to my left and saw a pink haired girl wearing a white shirt with a heart at the bottom of her neck and pink skirt. But it was short lived as she disappeared. I sensed her on the other side of me; she was poking my arm. "You're not going to faint again are you?"
I turned quickly to my right to catch her again. "No, I'm o-"
"Nora!" came an unfamiliar voice.
She stopped poking me and froze before straightening up and smiling past me, "Coming Ren!"
She skipped behind me back to my left. I watched her go and saw a boy about my age approaching. He wore a green long sleeve shirt with a black strip that outlined his torso with a pair of white pants. His eyes were pink and he had a ponytail that ended half way down his back with a magenta streak on the left side of his hair.
He walked up to me and held up his hand. "Good to see your ok. My name is Lie Ren. This is Nora Valkyrie. We helped your friend last night get you to your home after you collapsed." I took his hand and nodded to Nora, who was smiling beside Ren.
"Call me Ike. Thanks for everything." I released his hand and looked back out over the pier. I was aware of the fact that they both had weapons on them. Ren's were up his sleeves. Strangely enough Nora wore hers on her back. It looked like it shot either ridiculously large bullets or some kind of explosive, as there was no dust except for inside the casings. "So are you guys heading up to Beacon tomorrow," I asked as Ren leaned against the railing beside me.
"Indeed, we are all packed up and just waiting at this point, so I figured we would have a look around before we left." He looked at Nora, who had perched herself on the railing and was making binoculars with her hands as she looked at the freighters. "What about you? Also going up to Beacon?"
I nodded, "Ya, I took the entrance exam and passed. I was homeschooled and never went to combat school. Thankfully my father knew what he was talking about when he was teaching me." There was a moment of silence before Ren stood up and placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Well then, perhaps we'll see you on the airship tomorrow. Otherwise we'll see you in class." I nodded and he took Nora and continued on their walk.
In the end I ended up running to the end of the pier and flying out over the ocean. Enjoying the cool breeze and look of the endless blue. Out there somewhere are the other three kingdoms. I wonder if I'll be able to fly that far one day. Without the added weight of Velvet, I was able to fly for quite a while. Almost 12 hours in total. I flew till it was dark before touching down again and folding my wings over my chest again. I was panting slightly but I still had plenty of energy.
That was when a loud crash came from down the street. Like lightning I drew a knife and spun to see what was happening. A Girl in a red hood stood and a large scythe unfolded over her shoulder. She spun it expertly before slamming it into the ground and clicking off her pair of headphones. I knew the store vaguely from living so close to it and having gone inside a few times for dust.
Men came out of the front door and started attacking her at the order of a man with a cigar in his mouth and white coat. I relaxed my stance but stayed alert, just in case. As I watched the girl move and defeat each of the thugs I was baffled; truly baffled, to see that someone could move like that and use the most dangerous weapon so flawlessly.
The man looked familiar as he put out his cigar and fired a dust bomb from his cane. The girl managed to dodge the attack but lost sight of the man momentarily before finding him climbing a latter. I followed the rest of the fight through my semblance and watched as a huntress finally intervened.
"So, I see your doing well." That snapped me back and I turned to find my father not 5 feet from me. What is he doing here?
I put away my knife and leaned back against the railing of the pier as I spoke. "Aside from last night after dealing with that pack of beowolves, ya, I'm fine." I looked over at him and grinned. "I've met a few of the students that will be first years starting tomorrow." I pointed at the rooftop where an airship was just departing. "That girl, to bad she is too young to have graduated Signal. Would have made for a very interesting few years I think."
My father looked interested for a second before turning and walking back the way he came. "Indeed. I would have accepted her immediately if she had applied after seeing this display of talent. But I guess that is up to the headmaster." He looked back at me for a moment before continuing away. "You should get some sleep; I don't suppose you'll be taking an airship as you can fly on your own."
He turned a corner and I lost sight of him. I didn't follow him with my senses as i headed back to my room. "He is defiantly right. I don't plan on taking an airship, they are far too cramped."
I walked into the apartment building and up the stairs. Coming to my door I fetched my key from my pocket and opened it. Carefully taking off my shit I lay on my bed, thinking. I wonder what that girl plans to do later in life. I hope she goes to Beacon; it would be interesting to see her fight monsters and not just thugs. I closed my eyes and remembered everything from her battle.
Her movements were fast, while a little flashy. She made good use of the high powered gun she had built in as a redirection for her great speed. Still so young and yet have that much skill and potential. I shook my head and rolled onto my side. No use in worrying about something that wasn't going to happen for a couple of years. Letting go of the tension in my body and slowing my breathing I started to fall asleep.
I woke up the next morning and immediately felt something wasn't right. Looking at my alarm clock I saw that it was 4 in the morning. Pushing the haze out of my mind as best I could I remembered that the airship for Beacon would be leaving at 10. I cursed my mind for waking me up this early and put my head back on the pillow. Rolling over to try to fall back to sleep. But after an hour I decided that it wasn't going to work. So instead I got up and took a shower and took care of the bathroom requirement before getting dressed and packing everything.
I didn't have much as it could all fit in a duffle bag. Throwing it over my shoulder I went downstairs and put my key on the desk and walking out the front door. I went to the pier and waited. Only a handful of workers were working at the pier tonight. Otherwise Vale slept soundly, some enjoying the reprieve from work, others from school. But there were those who were up, undoubtedly unable to sleep. I didn't think I would be among them. But here I was.
Four in the morning and counting down; waiting for the time that my Beacon career officially started.
Thought I would end on some familiar ground so that I could keep myself orientated. I'm in the middle of writing this and like 4 other stories for a class I'm taking starting next week. So it's easier for me to shift gears if I end at a part that I would normally keep writing at. Anyway let me know what you think. Likes, dislikes, concerns, phobias. I appreciate everything you have to say because it will encourage me to write more. Watch for the next chapter and I eagerly wait to see what you think.