Many Years Ago
Far to the west of Ishgar, across the oceans and raging storms, the large land continent of Alakitasia lay. Their people spread out and were well-populated, and the empire that controlled this vast region was seen as a bright symbol of strength and prosperity. Bringing innovations in magic and military might, they gained their people's love through boldness and strength.
All knew the empire that ruled over most of Alakitasia as Alvarez.
And their emperor was Spriggan.
No one had seen his face, believed to be a divine right only the Shields of Spriggan could claim, but he was beloved. Believed to have brought prosperity to his people for centuries, he was revered as the gods of Ishgar were—possibly even more so. He was a deity.
And today was his birthday.
"Remind me why we have to do this again, brother?" Ishan, a man in his early 30s, asked, standing in the hazy sun with light brown skin, a bulky body, a chiseled jaw, a head of black hair, and a well-kept beard. The muscles on his back glistened with every box of ale he had to move towards the town square, where festivities were already being set up.
"Because the little ones are busy," Kiran, a man in his older thirties with light brown skin, replied. Sitting down his own box of ale and whiskey, he was recognizable by his leaner appearance. He had shorter black hair of the same tone, stubble on his face, and a thin wooden leg hiding beneath his right pants leg.
He stood up and clasped his brother's shoulder as he went to get another box from the storage unit.
"And if we don't move the ale, how will we drink?"
"Why didn't you say this earlier, Kiran." The younger brother jested, and the two laughed before returning to work. It was quick, the two being the strongest in a village known for strength, but the sun didn't want to relent.
"You think Lord Spriggan would choose a cooler day to come into this world." The younger brother placed the last crate on the ground and wiped the sweat off his brow. Glancing over as his older brother laughed, "Maybe he likes the summer haze over the winter chill."
"Maybe there's a cooling lacrima in his palace."
"Well, if what you say is true, you might find out soon, no?" The older brother grinned. The two left the town square and headed towards their family home. The older brother's wooden leg left a perfect set of footprints in the dirt as he spoke proudly: "Thanks to you, the war to the north is dwindling. That's enough of a reason for a promotion."
"If only it were that easy."
"Ah, yes. The bureaucracy of the military. I don't miss it." The older chuckled, patting his younger brother on the back as the two walked the bustling streets of their village. Everyone was preparing for the festival. Maybe that's why the older brother didn't notice the forlorn look his younger brother sent his way. His gaze went unnoticed.
The older brother was too busy thinking about the festival, which would start at sunset and go well into the night. His sister-in-law wanted the family to get together, drink, dance, and take the girls through the local games while they waited for the midnight fireworks. Kiran was looking forward to it. The only way this day would have been better was if his nephew had been able to get leave, but with the war waning, the chances of more days like this in the future were high.
I wonder if Sue and Aadhya are readying themselves yet...
Alvarez was nearing a peaceful era.
Although with how long they like to spar, I doubt it.
He found that far more worthy of celebration than a god they'd never even met.
In the field behind a village house, two girls danced barefoot. They crept with their left hands tied together by a long red rope. Facing one another, the girl with dark green hair cut at her shoulders made the first move. Lunging forward with her body upright and stomach muscles tightened, her weathered shin shot out. Angling towards her partner's side but swiftly curving downward, she aimed towards the exposed calf she stood on.
Sue's sparring partner jumped back, yanking on the cord connecting them as the green-haired girl stumbled forward. Gritting her teeth, she planted her heel and aimed an opposing kick toward her cousin's midsection. This time, she was fully intent on going through the motion.
Sue cursed as her cousin slid into the splits, ducking the kick before sweeping Sue's planted leg. Dragging her to the ground where the thin ribbon connecting their fists was wrapped around her neck and pulled, Sue held on for a few moments before she tapped, "I yield! Aahdya!"
"That's what I thought," Her cousin, Aahdya, with light brown skin, brown eyes, and a red bindi, said. Releasing the noose around her neck, Sue gasped and caught her breath. She groaned, "Come on, I thought I had it. What'd I do wrong?"
"You got impatient." Aahdya smirked, standing up and twirling around the red ribbon in victory, "And maybe a little cocky too. Just because you beat me last week. What a shame."
"Big words when you were covering your calves the whole time."
"A warrior learns from defeat so they may not repeat it." Her cousin said, citing one of the many lessons their fathers had imparted to them over the years. Sue huffed from her place on the ground and looked up. Sue scowled as she bore witness to Aahdya's shit-eating grin.
"In other words, that shit will never work on me again." Aadhya stuck her tongue out. "Tough luck, cousin. Better luck-" The yelp Aadhya released when Sue kicked her legs out from under her was almost perfect. "SUE!"
Sue grinned as she tried to dash away, but the rope they were using to keep their fists tied together—a way to make sparring more fun—was yanked back, and she fell. The two sprawled in an impromptu wrestling match, covering themselves in dirt and mud, before Mejar, Aadhya's mom and Sue's aunt, came out into the yard and called for them.
"Alright, girls, that's enough." she said, wiping the blood off her hands from the chicken she'd just slaughtered for the village festival offerings. "We have to prepare for the festival before your fathers return. Now hurry. The dresses are already waiting."
The two girls mumbled their agreements, heading into the house, showering, and finding the dresses waiting in their shared room.
It was a simple room with two beds, one hugging the left wall and one hugging the right. A shut window was left on the back wall between them, and an old lacquer full-body mirror stood by the doorway.
They changed quickly, Aahdya getting a red dress and Sue getting a green. The two assisted each other with their accessories before standing in front of the mirror to check. Today was the one day of the year that they were expected to look presentable.
They wore traditional dresses, sleek, silk, and flowing. Sashes were across their shoulders, and a few family heirlooms, jewelry of cheap gold, jangled off their necks and ears. Aahdya looked beautiful, her black hair and brown eyes contrasting with the light red dress she flaunted effortlessly.
Aahdya was considered the best fighter in the village now that her brother was off in the military. She had a fierce and strong personality. They had grown up together. Sue wouldn't trade her cousin for the world.
But she would be lying if she said she didn't feel jealous of Aahdya's normal black hair and how smooth and pretty it was—not like hers.
Sue's mother was an immigrant, so Sue was the only one with green hair. The other kids teased her for it, calling her a foreigner's baby with a foreigner's name.
It was easy to ignore them when her mother was here, when someone else had her green hair. But she got sick, and now it was just Sue.
Sue and her green hair.
Maybe she could dye it somehow?
"Sue?" Her cousin asked as Sue fiddled with her hair. Sue jolted, not realizing she had just been standing in front of the mirror. Wordlessly rubbing the tips of her frayed green hair and blocking Aahdya from using it to brush her hair. "Earthland to Sue?"
"Sorry," Sue turned to apologize, before Aahdya's brush spitefully found her hair and started combing painfully through her tangled green locks.
"Finally." Aadhya snorted, brushing Sue's hair despite her protests."Done daydreaming?"
"I was not daydreaming."
"It looked like you were." Sue's cousin frowned, brushing through her hair with more force, "Is this about what those idiots called you yesterday? Just ignore them. They're just jealous because no one can beat you in a fight. They're losers."
"And here I thought I was the reason why we can't make any friends."
"Who needs friends? We're family. You, me, Jayek, Uncle Kiran, and my parents. All of us." Her cousin straightened Sue's hair, before leaning over her shoulder and smiling confidently at the mirror, "And that's a thousand times better. Right?"
She looked in the mirror, seeing herself dolled up and ready to celebrate the birth of their country's emperor. She didn't understand why they had to do this every year or why it was so important. She usually dreaded this day.
It was the day she would have to go out in a dress that was always green and wade through a village that shared her skin tone but not her hair color.
Every year, especially since her mom died, she hard this day more and more as it approached.
"Yeah... I guess it is."
And her cousin's joyous laughter made the whole thing a thousand times better every year.
After the dancing and fireworks had ended, and Aahdya and Sue had eaten themselves into a coma, they had been put to bed. They were alone in their shared room as the nightlife celebrations roared in the town center. Eventually, they fell asleep despite the noise.
Sue woke up later that night, needing to go to the restroom. She snuck out of her shared room, careful not to make any noises so as not to wake Auntie.
It was on the way to the restroom, at the far end of the house, Sue noticed muffled voices coming from the kitchen. Hushed and reaching a boiling point.
"You're overreacting, brother." She heard her uncle say, his hushed voice fading softly as she snuck to the end of the hallway. Hiding in the shadows of the door, she thought about peeking to see who was there but ended up sitting in place—hiding.
She didn't want to give away her position.
Especially once she heard the other person.
"Overreacting?" She heard her father's words, quiet and strained. Different from their gentleness. "I'm overreacting? After what you've told me."
"That's why I told you, " her uncle said, "because I trusted you would understand my son's position. He is being given an honor neither of us could have ever achieved. Why are you like this?"
"Because you know what it means!" Her father snarled, "You think the Sheilds would hand that out to any genius they could find? Out of the goodness of their hearts? No, they wouldn't do this unless they weren't satisfied. Why else would they be implanting such a blatant recruitment campaign in the future."
"It's a simple procedure." Her uncle argued flatly, "To recover the numbers we lost in the north. Those they select won't have to serve long. You should consider it an honor. It's what this village was built for. To produce warriors such as Aahdya and Sue."
"It is an excuse." Her father hissed, "To give you and Jayek more soldiers to fight. To die. Since the bloody lands in the north aren't enough for them."
"Many countries have done it."
"When they are at war!" Her father snapped, "Not when they are just getting out of one! Do you know what that means, Ishan? For Sue. For Aadhya. What will they do when they see things we didn't have to until adulthood? What will they say?"
"I don't know!" Her uncle snapped, his voice rising for the first time in years. She flinched, accidentally hitting her toe against the wooden frame.
Oh no!
The sound was quiet, barely above a mouse's squeak, but she slammed her hands against her open mouth. Trying not to breathe as the noise outside quieted.
"We will continue this conversation later." She heard her uncle's heavy footsteps, halted by her father's thin voice. "No... no, we will not."
Sue gulped, slowly releasing her hands as she heard tension fill the air. Her hands shook as she listened, and she tried to move so she could get away.
"What?" Her uncle asked, a hint of anger in his voice. "Come again, bother?"
"I will not have my daughter see what I saw," her father said heavily, his breath trembling. "I will not live in a nation that does not even offer a choice."
"Then you will be wasting her talents," her uncle said harshly. "You'll be wasting the way of our village, our father, and the honor of his teachings."
"It's better than abusing them." Her father said with finality. The cold silence settled as Sue remembered how to breathe. She made a silent escape, barely catching the fading words of her uncle.
"Where will you go?" Her uncle whispered.
"To the east," her father said, and Sue didn't understand. What were they talking about? What did they mean? She could only keep moving and try to forget about it.
"Amelie lived in a place called Ishgar, a place that hasn't seen war in recent years. I will go there," her father said, and Sue froze. She couldn't...
"And I want to take Aadhya with me."
She didn't want to listen anymore.
"Please, brother," her father said, desperation in his voice, "At least until she's older. Then, she can return and make her own choice. Please."
Sue heard the quiet begging, the honest please, and the cries that she was too young to fully understand the reason for. She continued her journey silently, listening to the faded sounds of her uncle and father's conversation in the distant past.
"I will tell Sir August your wife's family called for you." Her uncle said, ignoring her father's question as the silence became sickening.
"I suggest you and Sue hurry as to avoid questions."
She couldn't understand it, but it didn't take long.
"Ishan," her father said as she returned to her room, afraid. She fell asleep tired that night, and early enough in the morning that the sun hadn't touched the horizon yet. Her father would wake her, waiting for her with their few meager belongings in hand. She would be confused.
"Thank you."
When she said goodbye to her cousin and her family, she didn't understand it would be the last.
On the high waves of the ocean, on a rickety ship taking merchandise and a few standard passengers towards a peninsula nation called Fiore, Sue stood on the top of the deck. Her feet were shoulder-width apart, and her face was taut with concentration. She hated the waves and how they made everything difficult and sloshy.
"Again!"
She did her best to get used to them. She threw a kick at her father's midsection. He blocked her shin, a shin she'd already trained to the point of breaking bamboo, as effortlessly as a breeze. He then quickly nudged her standing knee to the side, and like a pack of upright logs, she collapsed. Falling with a yelp as the boat sloshed some more water on her for fun.
"You need to keep your balance." Her father told her. Helping her up as she scowled at the ocean like it did something wrong. Which it did. It messed up her kick. She'd done that kick a thousand times back home... or not home. She guessed. Not anymore.
I wonder what Aahdya's doing right now...
Probably kicking the other villager's butts now that she wasn't there to keep her company. Or maybe Jayek finally came back from the front lines.
Sue... Sue didn't get to say goodbye to him actually.
She wondered if she'd ever see him again.
"Sue," her father shook her shoulder lightly. Sue's eyes snapped open as she realized she missed her father's lesson. She panicked, "Sorry!"
"It's okay," her father sighed, "You don't need to apologize. I can tell when you're not paying attention and when you just have something on your mind."
"Is one better than the other?"
"Very," her father snorted, walking over to one of the boxes he'd helped carry on the ship. His wooed leg clacked against the deck as he patted the seat beside him. "Come. Tell me what troubles you."
"Nothing troubles me."
"Everything's troubling you," her father smirked knowingly, watching as she huffed and walked over. Sitting on the crate beside him, she crossed her arms, listened to the waves, and wondered aloud, "Did you ever have to do this? Ship training."
"No, my father was more fond of river rocks." Her father chuckled, "I used to fall so often that the fish knew me by name. It was when he decided to teach me Muy Thai instead of Kalari. Since my two left feet were better suited towards straightforwardness rather than flexibility and smoothness."
"So it's your fault I can't keep upright."
"In the grand scheme of things, maybe." Her father shook his head fondly. "Although my initial offer still stands, if you ever want to learn Kalari, just tell me. I may be a horrible practitioner, but I remember the training. You will be able to learn it better than I."
"I'm okay, dad." Sue shook her head, not for the first time. "I like your martial art. I like Muy Thai."
"Is there a reason for that?" her father asked, and Sue didn't really know what to say. How could she say that back in the village, it made her feel better? When people looked at her strange green hair, she could pretend it was her strange fighting style that made her different. She couldn't say that.
"It feels honest."
So she said something else. Another reason she liked Muy Thai. There was honesty in it. When she fought the others in the village, she always had to look at them in the eyes and stand straight in front of them. She couldn't duck her head or look away. She had to take their hits when she could and give it back tenfold.
Muy Thai didn't allow cowardice, in the mind or body. It was beaten out of you during the hellish training and the pain it entailed. All the constant hours of split knuckles, cut elbows, and cracked shins wrung out any fear one had of being hurt.
Muy Thai toughened everything a person had.
Her father knew that better than anyone.
"That it is." He smiled warmly, "But I feel your love for the art isn't what's clouding your mind, little one. So tell me. What is it?"
Sue flinched, messing with the fighting tape Aadhya gifted her as her father asked softly, "Do you hate me for taking us away from home?"
No," Sue said a tad too quickly. Cringing, she glanced away guiltily; "I just don't understand why we had to leave. Everyone we knew was there."
"I know."
"And we were doing fine." Sue muttered, "I could kick just fine there."
"I don't think," her father started, before wilting under the weight of her tiny glare, "I understand."
"Then why did you make us leave?" Sue asked, finally unable to hold the weight of her voice, "Why did we have to go? We were happy there!"
"I know we were," her father consoled, resting a comforting hand on her head as she fought back tears. She sniffled as he murmured, "But Alvarez is changing. The Shields were getting restless now that the war to the north was reaching its end. My brother informed me they were planning mass recruitments in the future."
"Like what they did when Jayek joined," Sue asked—tilting her head confusedly. "I don't understand. Why was that a big deal? It's nothing new."
The war with Drachmae, their northern neighbors, had been going on since she was born. And when soldiers were tired, mass recruitments became common. It had only happened once in her lifetime, and even then, it was just a promise of more jewels and prestige for those willing to join.
She didn't understand why it would make her father talk to her and flee. She was too young to join anyway. The military in her county had an age limit of 18.
She didn't understand...
Her father didn't take long to spell it out for her.
"They wanted to include... exceptional prospects this time. Undeveloped mages to learn under one of the Shields and get an early taste of what war is really like. They would've implemented it within the next few years." Her father said, eyes downcast.
"I have no doubt you would've been chosen, Sue." Her father said, like he was apologetic for training her as the village required. She blinked, fighting down the trembling of her arms as she muttered stubbornly, "I—I could've handled it."
"Of that, there was never any doubt." Her father smiled softly, shaking his head lightly as he stroked her hair and whispered, "But you shouldn't have to."
Sue blinked away the tears as the skies started to roll. A drizzle fell over the deck as she whispered, "So that's it... we just... never see them again?"
"I'm sure we will see them again." Her father stroked her hair gently, "Hopefully, when the world is a bit quieter and our nation a bit content."
"How long will that take."
"As long as it needs to, " her father said, pulling her into a warm embrace as he let her quietly collect herself. The rain hid her pitiful sniffles and cries until she had recovered enough to pull away and see her father smile comfortingly. "Feel better?"
"No."
"Would calling an early end to today's training make you feel better?"
"Yes." Sue nodded, a shaky smile on her face as her father laughed. Standing up and beckoning her to follow, "Very well. Come. We can rest till the storm passes. I wouldn't want you getting sick."
"Okay," Sue said, standing up and following behind her father. Their footsteps quieted by the growing wind and rain, until they made it to the quarter deck where many of the ship's sailers were tying together the cargo. They worked quickly and expertly through the sloshing waves and rumbling skies as the captain, an old man with a gray beard and sea legs to last a lifetime, spotted their approach.
"Oi! There you are, Kiran!" he shouted through the wind. "When your brat's finally done flopping around deck like a dead fish, give us a hand, would you?"
"Aye, aye, sir." Her father smiled jokingly. Sue knew he had agreed to help out around the ship over the weeks at sea. She'd seen him conversing with the other sailors and a few mages they had on board.
They seemed to get along well.
Even if the captain calling her practice as 'graceful as a dying seal' rubbed her the wrong way.
"You can wait below deck, Sue." Her father said, noticing her giving the captain the stink eye. He chuckled slightly, "Go. I'll be only a minute."
"Fine," Sue grumbled, turning towards the interior as she moved to walk downstairs. Her eyes flickered thoughtlessly to the edge of the deck as she stopped. Seeing something over the sloshing waves, and the salty wind, she blinked. Unsure if what she saw was real. "Father! They're fighting! The monsters!"
"What?" Her father answered quickly, abandoning his work along with the captain as they followed her to the ship's railing. She clutched into the side carefully, she had been well informed that overboard was synonymous with death here, and gawked.
Just over the waves in the distance, two sea monsters battled. A hard-shelled, staggering clam with vine-like tentacles from its mouth struggled to stay afloat. It let out a roaring scream as it was strangled to death by a large, snake-like beast. Its head was a skeleton-like construct with glowing purple energy wafting off it. Even from here, Sue felt it.
"What is that thing?"
Even from here, she could tell it was bad news.
"I don't know." The captain said in honest wonder. His eyes wide as he lowered his hat and wiped the water from his brow. He refused to blink, "I've seen the clam before, an Edulis. Nasty buggers if they latch onto the hull. Hard to shake."
"And the other one?" Sue asked as the snake, skeleton thing, finally finished strangling the other beast. Crushing the hard shell beneath its weight, it opened its rackety jaw, and grotesquely devoured the remains. Eating the bones, shell, and flesh like it was starving for more.
"I have no clue, lass." The captain shook his head, "But I don't want to find out. Hoist the sails! We're leaving this sector even if we have to paddle!"
Sue heard a chorus of roars, the sailors diving into their instruction as she pried herself from the side of the deck. She took one last look at the creature before turning, intending to go below deck, before her father caught her arm. She turned back, surprised to see his gaze no longer on the ocean but instead up to the sky, his face stony and paler than usual.
"Sue," her father said gravely, in a voice she'd never heard before. She watched, eyes wide, as he shifted her to his side, slightly behind him. "No matter what happens, do not speak out of line."
Sue wanted to follow his gaze, unaware that the creature from before had already faded from the ocean's surface. But she noticed the sweat dripping down her father's throat and how his hands seemed to quiver. He stood tall, like a wall, but he didn't turn back to comfort her like she expected. His eyes were glued to the sky and the man descending from it.
"Even if something happens to me," her father said as she finally turned to the darkening, windy, and rainy sky and saw a man floating above their ship. His dark silhouette flashed against the lightning above like a threatening omen. She instinctively pulled back, nearly falling off the boat if it wasn't for her father's firm grip on her wrist and his iron words.
"Do not say a word."
Sue felt her mouth glued shut at that moment. Breathing in short, quick breaths through her nose, she tried to keep herself calm. Her training held her hand as she stood stock still in the downpour, and her father held her arm as the man descended swiftly and easily, as if it was common practice.
"Greetings captain." The man told the old captain, "I was in the area so I thought I'd check the cargo. Hope you don't mind."
The man ignored the seaman's sputters as he floated. She had never seen someone float before. He floated an inch off the ground, gliding past the stunned crew and stopping directly before her father. His neon purple eyes flashed curiously through the rain.
"And who might you be?" he asked, eyebrow raised. His words were arrogant and rude. To anyone else, Sue would've responded in kind, but she was having trouble getting used to it—this tension. Her body had adjusted, but it felt like her mind was behind.
She felt like she was standing in front of something inhuman.
It was only when her father gripped her wrist firmly, reminding her of his warm presence, that she was able to think straight. She blinked, stunned, as her father bowed his head, placing a gentle yet firm hand on her head and forcing her to do the same.
She bit her tongue but kept quiet.
"My name is Kiran Sinha." She heard her father say, "This is my daughter Sue Sinha. We come to Ishgar from Minaj, Alvarez. We're hoping to migrate."
"More refugees, huh?" the man scoffed, and childish anger flashed through her head. Her father squeezed the back of her head, seemingly desperate to remind her not to do anything out of order, and that anger died as quickly and suddenly as the clam had.
"Raise your heads," the man said, his voice eerily calm, "I don't enjoy useless pleasantries."
Sue gulped, and raised her head once her father's grip loosened.
That was when Sue finally got a good look at the man—his blue uniform and maroon hair. His eyes flickered over her like ghosts, and she shivered involuntarily. Rubbing her arms in confusion as the rain poured, the man's words echoed through the silent air and tense silence.
"Why have you come to Ishgar?" He asked.
"I tire of the war my nation drags on," her father answered instantly. His eyes were firm and hard, and he kept a hand on her shoulder, as if ready to move her away at a moment's notice. "I wish a better life for her."
"I'm surprised someone like you thinks war isn't a good life." The man said mockingly. Looking at her father's lost leg very pointedly as he sneered. "You must've fought a long time. What happened? Was it your leg or stomach that was the first to go?"
"It was my leg." Her father said, voice strangely terse as he gripped her shoulder, "But I am not ashamed to admit my stomach left me soon after."
"Too much blood for your tastes?"
"Too many things I can never unsee," her father said, glancing at the broach on the man's chest. "I'm sure someone like you understands."
"Funny." The man smirked, floating close enough that Sue started to tremble. Her mind started to blank as she felt him put a single finger on the top of her head. Moving her head around like a bobblehead as she finally realized why her father was so nervous. She could feel it now. The magic he let leak into the air, like a noxious reminder of what he was.
"Is this the part where we compare old war stories over a cup of wine?"
A monster.
"Because I assure you that won't get you into Ishgar."
A monster even her dad couldn't stand up to.
"It takes more than sympathy to earn entry." The man said, flicking her on the head as she stumbled back. Her skin crawled as she stumbled and fell to her butt, looking up terrified at the man and the amused grin he shot her way. She looked away.
Then, she noticed her father's quiet, surprised look. His eyes lingered on the chilling man for a long time before he seemed to realize something.
"No... I don't think we can compare stories."
And suddenly, the tension left his shoulders just like that. He looked relieved.
"I don't think the hell I experienced is comparable to yours." Her father said, and her eyes widened as she saw the man blink. His eyes froze imperceptibly before narrowing. His earlier confidence quieted to a bitter scoff, "How humble." Before the icky feeling, Sue had all over her body quickly vanished.
"Her name is Sue, correct?" The man said, shifting the conversation abruptly.
"That is correct." Her father answered casually and politely for some reason she couldn't understand. Her bones still didn't want to move, and her nerves were still on edge. So she watched nervously from her place on the ground as the man noted, "Odd name for her."
"Her mother chose it." Her father said, "She was an immigrant from Ishgar. Her name was Amelie Beaumont. We're hoping to find her family."
"You would've had to look a while." The man said, floating up slightly as he sat in an invisible chair. Crossing his legs and taking out a newspaper, a group of creepy-shaped beings sprouted from his back and hovered over his head like a shelter. Shielding him from the rainy skies.
"Ishgar might seem united to others, but that is only on the magical level. The council has the final say over all nations' mages and magical affairs." The man flipped the page. "But on a political scope, Ishgar comprises many nations and governments. A coalition of sorts. Finding your wife's national registry would've been difficult, to say the least."
"Would've?" Her father asked cautiously.
"Yes. Would've. However, luckily for you and your spawn, I have a solution to your dilemma." The man said, smirking confidently as he floated above their heads, "I will allow you to enter Ishgar, and I will personally guarantee to locate any in-laws should they still be alive. I will even give you a loan to smooth the initial migration process."
Sue nearly gasped at the gracious offer, her eyes wide as saucers. She turned to her dad and saw him frown.
"And in return..." her father asked.
"I want two things." The man smirked, holding up two fingers cockily, "One: you and your spawn will settle in Oak Town. Regardless of where your wife's family might be. Visits will be allowed, but your permanent residence must be Oak Town."
Sue watched as her father furrowed his brows. Oddly unfazed by an actual confinement order, he nodded, "Very well. And the second thing you require."
"Oh, that's the fun part." The man grinned, Sue shivering as his eyes flashed violet, and he leaned forward. Whispering something into her father's ear that she could barely catch over the growing storm. She strained her ears.
"When the time comes that I must ask you for information regarding the growing... ambitions of your country." The man grinned evilly. "I expect my generosity to be repaid in full. Do you find the terms acceptable?"
She watched in bated breath as the man leaned back and floated out of reach, his confident eyes watching her father's conflicted features.
"I do..." her father eventually said, holding out a hand and saying orderly, "Thank you for accepting us."
Sue watched, quiet as a mouse, as her father signed the deal to get them into Ishgar. It was the first of her new life, but one thing was sure. When she watched the man return the gesture, she knew.
"Thank you for not wasting my time."
The first warrior she'd seen from the foreign lands of Ishgar, was one she'd never forget.
Under the summer heat of Oak Town, in a musty apartment complex across a bakery, a girl with light brown skin and shoulder-length, dark green hair lay atop her bed. Looking up at the dusty ceiling fan spinning in circles, she tried to get used to the smell. The sound. The air. It was all different than her village. She wasn't sure how to feel about it.
"Sue, have you returned yet?"
So far, she felt mildly disappointed.
"I'm here, father," Sue answered her father's call. She had just come back from morning training, having found a spot by the edge of town where she wouldn't be bothered. The trees here were old and weary; they helped to strengthen her shins, although she had already trained them enough back in Alvarez to make them stronger than most. They were heavy.
And it felt like everyone else's weren't.
She had lived here for a while and couldn't find anyone who seemed to train like she did. Like was common back in the village. They read books, wore strange marks, and said they were part of the greatest guild in the world, but their hands were soft. Their knuckles were clean—their shins light.
She bet if she raised the shirts of the other girls her age they wouldn't have abs as she did. And if she kicked the shins of the boys they wouldn't bear it like she could. If she asked then when they woke up it wouldn't be at Dawn. And if she asked what martial arts they practiced the answer would be nothing.
If they had to punch bark until their knuckles split, or run until their lungs gave out, it felt like they wouldn't be able to do it. If they had to kick metal until their shins stopped bleeding, it felt like they couldn't bring themselves to do it. Even though most of the children in her old village could.
She didn't get it. Jose was someone she respected. A mage so powerful that her dad admitted he couldn't have beaten him, even in his prime.
Jose Porla was a true warrior of Ishgar.
So why were so many of his followers like this? Why did they learn magic and believe it was the stopping point? Why don't they train their bodies?
She couldn't understand how this country considered people like that warriors.
Sometimes, it felt like she couldn't understand anyone in this country at all.
Well, except the older boy by the bakery. She understood him. She could tell by how he snuck magic books behind Mrs Kane's back or caved far too quickly to her pestering about at least picking up boxing. He wanted strength and would put in the work. She understood that. She appreciated that.
Maybe he was paying a visit. And that's why her father was calling her, even though he was usually busy at his construction job around this time.
"Do you need anything?" she asked as he entered her room. He said, "Nothing much, dear. There's just someone in the living room I want you to meet."
"Okay," she said, jumping off her bed and walking behind her father. Her fighting tape dangled off her forearms as she stuffed her hands in her pocket. Her father guided her to their tiny living room, where he introduced her to a tall, thin, strange-looking man.
"This is Sol Beaumont." Her father introduced the man, directing her attention to a gangly, lanky white man with spiky green hair and a green mustache. He wore a gold monocle, a brown business suit, and a red tie. Every movement he made was at the waist, strange, but somehow he made it work.
He reminded her of a walking scarecrow, honestly.
"Bonjour, Madam Sue." The scarecrow greeted her in a strange accent, bowing his head before walking up to her and shaking her hand. "I heard a distant relative of mine migrated here, and wanted to come see for myself. I'm glad to see the family resemblance."
"Relative?" Sue asked, hesitantly shaking the man's hand before glancing at her father.
"He's related to us?"
"He's related to you." Her father sighed, directing them to a shoddy living room table beside his gear. "He's your mother's younger brother. Your uncle."
"Like Uncle Ishan?" she asked, wishing she hadn't noticed how her father's face had fallen slightly.
"Yes," he replied, "Like your uncle Ishan."
"Except far more handsome, je suis sur," Sol said and seemed to ignore the blatant disbelieving looks he received. Instead, he directed his attention back to Sue and gave a sincere smile: "However, if I may be serious for a moment, I am happy to see you, Sue."
"Oh, uh... thanks." Sue blushed, scratching the back of her neck, "Why... Why did you want to see me?"
"I was curious." Her new uncle shrugged. "The guild master informed me that a relative of mine may have settled here. My parents died years ago, and I don't have any other family, so I knew it had something to do with my late sister. I suppose I wanted to check."
"Check what?"
"If she left anything behind," he said with a hint of sadness before smiling softly, "And it seems she did. Amelie left when I was very young—younger than you are now. I barely remember her face. But even then, I can tell you resemble her greatly."
Sue froze as she watched the scarecrow, her uncle, look at her almost admiringly. His voice was so soft that the words she'd heard back in the village almost didn't register. They were too warm.
"You have her hair..."
She blinked and hoped her eyes weren't as wet as they felt.
"So for that, I'm glad I stopped by." Sol laughed happily, his dainty little laughs filling the room as Sue looked away. Hiding her eyes and muttering an embarrassed "thanks" under her breath. It was strange to have a family again—a new uncle.
"A tout moment, niece. Any time."
She didn't hate it.
"Still, I must say, it is nice to know I have relatives so close by," Sol said, and she believed him. He was strange. He didn't move or talk like a normal person, but his words were warm and honest—even if he was a tad too playful at times. He was growing on her.
And her father, by the looks of it.
"It's the same for us. We are truly grateful to have family in Ishgar." Her father smiled politely, "If there is ever anything you need feel free to ask."
"Merci." Sol nodded, before turning to Sue, "And if you need to ask any questions about your mother, let me know. Although, considering the time apart, it's likely you already know her better than I do."
"Did she really leave Ishgar that long ago?" Sue asked.
"She did." Her uncle answered.
"Why did she leave?" Sue asked. Her eyes flicked between her suddenly quiet uncle and her father. Her father furrowed his brows slightly.
"I am actually curious about that, too." Her father turned to her uncle. "Amelie didn't talk much of her life before Alvarez or why she immigrated. If you could tell us more about her, we'd be grateful. Assuming you remember why she left."
"I don't. I was too young." Sol shrugged, "But I know why she left."
"What do you mean?" Sue asked, tilting her head curiously as her father's eyes widened slightly. Sue heard her father try to dismiss her question, perhaps connecting the dots before she could, but Sol had already answered with the simplest sighs.
"Nos parents n'étaient pas les gens les plus gentils." He smiled, and Sue blinked. She didn't understand that funny language and knew her father didn't either. But he didn't seem to mind. He simply moved her attention elsewhere and said, "I think Sol and I might need to discuss this between ourselves first, dear. It seems to be more a topic of adults."
"That's unfair." Sue pouted. "I want to learn about mom."
"No, your father is quite right. Such depressing topics have no place in children's ears." Sol said, outvoting her two to one. He turned his attention to her father, "Apologies. I have grown used to talking more openly since children joined our guild. They have the world view to hear such things."
"That's alright." Her father shook his head. "We can discuss it privately sometime. Would this weekend work? I have work until Friday."
"I have no missions lined up, so I'll oblige." Sol shrugged, perking up as he asked, "How about we discuss these matters at the local casino? I have a lifetime membership. Ce sera amusant."
"I'm afraid I don't have the jewels."
"Then you can watch me play."
"How about a drink." Her father chuckled in good conscience, "I heard there's a bar at your guild."
"There is." Sol nodded a tad glumly. "I suppose we can go there. But you'll have to find a babysitter for la petite Sue. The guild is no place for children. Believe it or not, it's the guild master's most strict policy.
"No, I definitely believe it. I'll ask Ms. Kane if she'll have any interest." Her father smiled softly. His eyes were relieved, but his brow grew curious, and he asked. "Although I recall you saying that children joined your guild? Was that a mistake?"
"Oh, no. What I said is correct." Sol sipped his tea, "The guild master doesn't allow children into the guild. He has a strict age limit of 16 and a stricter one at 14, but trust me. If you ever see them, you'll understand. They're not like ordinary children."
She didn't have any friends in this country. She had family, more of it now than yesterday, but friends were still scarce—the same as back in her hometown.
Funny, different continents, and she still couldn't fit in anywhere.
Thankfully, she considered Boze a friend. Because she could understand his effort and drive. She could understand his desire to make something of himself, despite his eyesight and his late start. She liked his spirit.
And she had listened to enough of his wistful rants to know that Phantom Lord didn't take children. It never had, but if two kids managed to defy that rule. Become so eye-catching that even a man her father recognized was willing to let them in early.
"I promise, those two are quite exceptional."
Sue wondered if they would be able to understand her, too.
Present Day
In the growing tension of Central Oak Town, Sue thought back to the first time she caught a glimpse of those two exceptions. When she first found herself watching one of their many fights over the years.
For Vera, her first glimpse of his violence was when he nearly killed Boze. Her partner. She joked about it, but she wouldn't forget that bout anytime soon. The blade. The lightning. The look of unhinged anger overflowing. She understood him then.
He was insane.
She wasn't sure how much, but a part of him wasn't right—twisted maybe. Broken probably. She was sure of it.
But even then...
She could at least understand that he put in effort. She saw how he fought barehanded and knew it was a sign of some talent. She saw callouses on his hands and knew it was practiced. She saw his confidence and knew it wasn't arrogance.
The first time she saw Vera, she recognized him as a warrior.
An unstable one, but a warrior nonetheless.
And when she met another exception. A girl with demonic powers who joined early. The first since those two claimed the moniker of gifted. She was ecstatic. Because when they fought, she felt practiced and confident. Sue felt the conviction in every punch Mira threw. The weight was so heavy that she barely lasted a few solid hits, even after years of training.
When Sue lost to Mira, she was ecstatic.
Because Mira was a warrior, and she knew they could understand each other.
So that's how it went when she met the exceptions of Oak Town. In one, she found an adversary, one she didn't particularly try to get close to but respected nonetheless. And in another, she found a friend.
But when she saw the supposed exception among exceptions. The blue-haired genius that even Mira admitted she couldn't beat. When she got lucky enough to see a match he had against Aria early in the morning. One of many they had over the years.
All she felt was disappointment.
And at first, she didn't know why.
He moved so perfectly that it was textbook. He fought so precisely that it would have taken a regular person a lifetime to accomplish. His skill was so obviously ingrained into him that she should've been swept off her feet.
She thought maybe she was disappointed because his genius in magic made all her hard work seem pointless. He learned spells from books like he wrote them. He applied them so effortlessly it was debilitating.
She thought she hated his genius and his gifts.
But then she recalled Jayek, her older cousin's talents, and realized it was something else. Not how he gained strength but how he approached it.
He used magic he didn't seem to care about. And fought without any sense of desire. He moved like he was programmed to and never seemed to care if he won or lost any of his spars. When he fought, the very concept of fighting looked cold and lifeless.
All the hours she spent splitting her knuckles and breaking her shins, he would've done the same without a single ounce of passion or spark.
It disappointed her to no end.
Warriors were supposed to give their all to the pursuit of strength. It was what her village was built on. It was what her father and uncle taught her. They were supposed to devote themselves to the lonely road and one day be rewarded with the strength to stand up for themselves.
It was a code she'd been taught since childhood.
It was an oath he directly contradicted. Standing for nothing but somehow standing above all else. It annoyed her more than she wanted to admit.
And now was no different.
"You're a bad matchup for me." He said with zero change in inflection, watching her closely as blue electricity danced at his fingertips.
"Consider this my apology." He said, condensing the blue electricity into a point at the tip of his index and middle finger—the amount of control he had over magic was astounding. Any regular person would probably blow their fingers off just by attempting such a spell, but he did it like second nature.
"Lightning Magic"
She wasn't an idiot. She could understand why people thought he was a genius. Or a prodigy.
"Kaminari"
She just couldn't understand why they thought that alone was something to praise.
"Bring it!" She roared as blue lightning arced through the air. Less than a second was all it took to reach her nose. Staring down the end of a lightning bolt, she moved her body as she always had. Her hours of practice and persistence paid off as a clear magic circle quickly spun under her feet.
Part of her recognized that he was probably testing her magic, trying to find its limits and capabilities. Right now, he was probably testing its speed.
She'd make sure he regretted it.
"Mirror Magic," she grinned as an old oval mirror with lacquer framing appeared before her. The force of the lightning struck its surface with a sharp bang, her mirror shining as the lighting was sucked into the mirror's reflective surface. Sue took a calming, deep breath, watching as her opponent dashed to the side, another lightning spell already in his hand.
She watched as he leveled it towards her, and fired.
At the same moment, her mirror spat back out his previous attack.
"Reflection." She dashed forward as the two spells collided. Exploding in a flash of lightning, dust, and smoke smothered the area. Her mirror floating at her side, she jumped through the debris, landing on the other end of the cloud as her opponent tried to retreat to gain distance. She kicked at his shin.
And was surprised to find it empty.
Annoying. She clicked her tongue as the illusion faded. Her mirror circled towards her back as a blast of fire split on either side of her. The hazy heat sucked into the reflective glass as she turned and saw her opponent floating above a nearby rooftop. His eyes narrowed, and his hand outstretched.
"You're right," he said plainly. A brown magic circle flashed across his hand as spires of earth rose out of the ground and shot toward her. Snapping through the air like serpents, her mirror released his fire back at it, the spells colliding once again.
"Vera would've mauled you."
Sue couldn't understand it. How he fought with such a dull look on his face. How he moved his body like a puppet with no strings. How he used magic he didn't even seem to like. She could tell that the movements he did, despite their genius, were practiced for years on end, yet he made them seem so cold and impersonal. She couldn't understand it.
"Oh, yeah, pretty boy," She grinned challengingly, her eyes twitching in anger, "What about you?"
How could someone like him be considered the best in Phantom Lord? Why was he considered the best in their age group? She couldn't understand it.
"Why don't you try to 'maul' me too." Sue taunted. She didn't understand what so many saw in him, but she pushed that aside and raised her fist. One of the things her father taught her was that when people clashed, they connected. Even strangers on the battlefield could become the closest of friends.
"You talk too much." Her opponent said with a quiet distaste, and she wondered if they'd ever be friends. If she'd ever understand what went in that brain of his, which seemed to be on eternal autopilot.
"Funny..."
It would make hanging out with Mira easier.
"I was about to say the same thing about you."
Maybe she'd finally understand him after she won.
North Oak Town
Lightning crackled in the distance as Lisanna's eyes blinked open. Her head rang as she pulled herself out of the rubble of another destroyed living room. She winced, realizing her transformation had been canceled, and cursed, "Takeover Magic."
She moved her weary bones.
"Cat Soul"
Her eyes narrowed into slits, and her damaged dress colored itself in white and black fur patterns. She moved her feline legs and whipped her tail as she bolted after the scent of her sister. Ignoring the thin line of blood dripping from her head, she rushed to get back to the fight. She had to hurry.
How long was I asleep? Did I faint for long? Why didn't Mira finish me off? Did she get bored? Did she give up on me? I can't let her leave!
Lisanna dashed through the row of shattered houses she left behind. Her eyes frantic and wild as she ran as fast as she could. She didn't want this to end yet. She didn't want to lose before she could catch up.
I still have more to prove!
She didn't want the distance between her and Mira to be this wide.
"Mira!" She roared as she crossed the threshold of the last house. She stopped as she found her older sister standing quietly in the tattered living room, barely moving from where Lisanna had left her. She stood there, a small crack lining her demonic fist as a hint of blood trickled down her knuckles.
"I'm really proud of you guys you know..."
Lisanna barely noticed it. Her eyes flicked instantly towards the boy, falling at her sister's feet. Their face was heavily bruised, and their clothes tattered as he collapsed in an unconscious heap. Lisanna blinked and watched as her sister turned back to her with a silent, bittersweet smile, "Hey Lisanna..."
On the second day of the trials.
"When'd you two grow up so much."
Elfman Strauss was eliminated.