Tales of the First World

A nightmarish orchestra of solemn wails and cries were growing louder and louder, the collective sounds shook what little rest he managed as the painful tones rattled him from the unconscious. Waking frightened and gasping, the sight of the cloudless night sky brought a steady calm over his panic before he took notice of Meira sitting beside him.

She urged him to sit still, refusing to let go.

When she first woke, she wandered about the desolate space until eventually finding where he was locked away, she found him encased entirely in stone though lucky for him enough of it had begun crumbling away to get him out before resting alongside him near the support structure beneath the skeletal remains as she tried to treat his wounds.

Though he was awake, she still feared for him taking to look over him as she wasn't entirely convinced he was out of the woods yet.

Lying beside him with her cloak, Erai caught a glimpse of a smile similar to Konnor's earlier if not more endearing...seeing him awake and her relieved did well to quell the remnant of sudden terror, responding with a warm albeit weakened tone, mentioning how she was calling him Erai and reminding her that she really doesn't have to worry...

Causing her to jump in on his annoying comment:

"Idiot, when we're a team we help each other. There's no need to do everything on your own." A sentiment that fell on deaf ears as she turned to him, seeing that he faded once more into the unconscious.

That morning, the port town played host to a myriad of Guardian forces. Once Jaret had arrived, he immediately raced for the smoking crater surrounded by bystanders that were later identified as the missing persons who had disappeared not too long ago...

Being the first responder to the scene, and with the anecdotes, he received from the onlookers that quickly moved back into the city when the dust settled enough for them to make the trip with the light of the sun-rising morning peering through to offer them a way home.

Pushing past the rubble piles of scorched stone and charred beams, with crumbling pillars and ash-filled air growing denser the closer he got to the center, before descending downwards into the opening.

The wound dealt into the earth struck a strange chord with him, as Jaret remarked how the mouth of the opening seemed to be crumbling, as if it were cast in stone...a strange thought as most of the stone and rubble laid scorched, not chalk, the observation carried true the further he descended before finally reaching the bottom.

'What happened here? Something like this shouldn't have happened under our–'

"Cough cough...Erai! You need to drink up...it's not as good as what I made before but it should stop the petrification....just hold on!"

"Hey! Is someone down here?"

"We're over here...look for the giant skeleton, you can't miss it. Are you from the Academy?"

"Giant skeleton? What does that even–"

"J...Jaret Reider. You sure took your time." In front of her stood of the Academy's most capable and private Third-year students. Wearing his medium length dark hair with wild bangs against his sharp features and past his almond shaped eyes that seemed to hold the light of the very sun.

With the stature and build of someone that was hardly distressed yet constantly vigilant, Meira could recall how looking upon him always gave her a sense of unease, one she learned to always pay attention to for her own sake.

"Oh don't mind me, I just spent the past half-hour breaking into restricted Teleportation offices not to mention jumping through what in my opinion has to be the worst-formulated Transportation Seal ever constructed." 

"And this coming from a regular of the school's Teleportation Seals...we all know how much of a headache they can be. Anyways, it looks like you guys handled everything–" As he squatted to get a closer look at them, the finer details of his appearance were easier to make out through the dark.

Most shocking was how he wasn't wearing his Combat Uniform, only dressed in his Standard Uniform with his signature quirks, such as the Combat Gloves and Boots, Utility Pouches, Strapped Back Brace and his Standard Blazer with its sleeves rolled up to accommodate the out of place pieces.

"Are you serious? Look around....we barely made it out alive." 

"Yeah, but you're alive. The both of you, which is the only thing that matters to me."

"..."

"Look...Ki-Ki probably has a better grasp of everything that happened here than me, but when we get back, the two of you are going to have a lot to answer for." He said as he threw Erai's worn and unconscious body over his shoulder before asking Meira she could walk, who kept quiet, using her previously discarded cloak to cover her arms and legs.

"...I get you. Once I get him topside, I'll come back for you." She nodded 

"As if I'd listen to you in your condition. Just sit tight, all right." Jaret lifted her in his arms, making sure the cloak remained between his arms and chest and her being.

"Don't worry, Mi-Mi, I'll put you down soon" Noting how much her breathing had quickened as her knuckles whitened from her intense grip of the cloak's edge.

In a single effortless motion, he launched himself straight through the mouth of the cavity with the Chapel skyward, before crashing down near the hill before he made off, moving to the opening and returning to the point of his arrival in a vivid blur that frightened those that were treating the wounded.

"All right, Ki-Ki said something about a third so he should be somewhere around here if he's still alive–Eh Mi-Mi?" 

Feeling the burning edge of a blade pressed against his cheek, he knew what he needed to do, placing Meira down on one of the empty beds the Medical Reinforcements had placed all around the Temporary Medical Camp.

"You mean Konnor. He should be fine, and very upset once he sees that you've knocked his vehicle over."

Annoyed at the ear full he would receive after remembering how he blew off the doors to the G.A.V when he arrived through the Seal...he excised the thoughts, believing that he wasn't at fault that the vehicle was overturned when he arrived.

So with a miffed grunt, he held onto Erai as he flipped the technical back onto its side...landing in a loud thud.

"Hey. Be careful with her! Poor girl, do you know how long it's going to take to get that dent out?" Konnor hobbled as fast as he could towards Jaret with leg splint, unable to accept the sight of the damage to his entrusted G.A.V.

"Oh that, for a second I thought you were talking about the door I tore off–"

"The d-door? FAE help me! Why is it that every time I see you something of mine is ruined beyond repair?"

"Nice to see you, Konnor, like does no one actually care that I slogged through most of Falsetti to get here?"

The banter continued until Konnor spotted Erai's limp body being hauled by Jaret, moving quickly to aid his friend, Jaret left him in care while he went on to help Meira out of the pit.

It wasn't long after that the other Guardian forces from the Academy arrived, followed by those from the Rylev kingdom and Amber Faltarien from the south.

Come nightfall, Konnor, Meira and Shynerai were sent on their way, accompanied by Jaret to Aria, for them to receive proper treatment from the school, with all three remaining overnight under Dr. Arturion's supervision as per his instruction.

The first to wake among them was Konnor, who was joined by Meira soon after, both having suffered a few severe but treatable wounds though Arturion commented that the burns on Meira would take a few days before she was good to go while the petrification of her limbs had slowly broken down, freeing them from its stone coffin.

The two of them thanked the doctor, who merely embraced the pair with a great sense of relief, endearing the old man as he continued to watch over Erai.

Konnor stayed in Aria to brief the school on the events while Meira completed her report with the Questing Committee, unbeknownst to those around her, she periodically snuck off after class to visit Erai. 

The young Daumier woke up for the first time in three days, waking up so suddenly that he almost threw Meira off as she rested beside him.

"You're awake?" Her words were spoken with a whisper but their weight was all there for him to bear. Saying nothing as she scolded him, wondering why he would put himself through such danger, leaving her to explain to his classmates what happened to him.

"That's quite all right, dear. He has just woken up, he still needs to take it one step at a time" Dr. Arturion joined them by his bed, as he comforted her.

"Mr. Astrapordt, as you can see, your regular visits to my Ward have begun to even upset one of my children. What would you do were you in my position"

"..."

"I would be thankful to see both my children safe. Isn't there something you want to say to her?" The doctor eased the intensity of his statement as he turned to Meira.

"Ms. Euryale. I'm glad you're safe." Watching her expression soften with the rise of a flush of warmth to her face at the sound of his sincerity.

"Idiot. I told you before…just call me Meira. Okay?"

"Okay–" With what little strength, he willed himself to smile at her concern.

'I'm just glad…I didn't lose them.'

Within a late Tuesday afternoon, Shynerai managed to draw enough strength to get himself out of bed and slowly get dressed. The doctor was already occupied with his other diagnoses to notice him sneak out and head down the corridors towards the Questing Committee Room, hoping to catch one of them.

Finding the last of the members of the Questing Committee finishing up for the day, Lotarim and Luciana were paid a visit by the wandering young Daumier knocking on the door.

"Come in...How can we help–Oh that mane, Astrapordt was it? It's good to see you up and about."

Nodding towards the Student General as he closed the door behind himself

"You idiot, what were you and Meira thinking...If I knew you were going to be this reckless, I would have joined you instead." Luciana berated him, almost beating him over the head with a broom though she eventually took some pity on his weakened frame.

"I'm glad you're both safe though." Ruffling his bed head to straighten the snow-white mess before embracing him tightly.

"So why are you here? You should be in bed? As in you will return to bed, unless you have a very good reason for being here." Her gaze easily turned cruel as she awaited.

"Well he's here we could at least say congratulations. You did well to complete your last Quest and your reward has already been sent to your account."

"That's to say you only managed to complete your Quest, as a whole your performance could only be recorded as a failure." The Questing Committee President's presence completely slipped Shynerai's awareness, only taking notice of her the moment she spoke. 

"Kiara, I don't think that's..."

"Does that mean…the prisoners, were they caught up in the fight?" Shynerai stumbled closer to Aurelia, with a distraught look about him.

"Oh no, they managed to get to safety. But...while you were out of it, Konnor and Meira informed us of everything that happened. Something that had us working with Whitewater Port and the rest of the Kingdom, this was way more serious than you were led to believe"

"...I don't follow."

"The Quest was originally A-rank, but due to the delay in the information gathered and proper communication actually being established between Mayor Ludleef and us, the real scale of what you faced was an S-rank Quest, far beyond the acceptable purview of two students let alone a freshman."

"That along with the number of lives that were lost, the danger you were put through and how close you came to failing to stop Alistair Khartsphere...we have deemed the S-rank Quest a failure."

"However, with regards to your A-rank Quest, you performed pretty well. Sadly that also means you'll remain with your A-rank, forbidding any excursions on S-rank Quests and above."

"Lady Aurelia." Lotarim called out to the President, nodding as if to ask her to restrain her words.

"Sigh...you should take this time to get some rest, it'll do you some good–" Aurelia's words were interrupted.

"I failed, didn't I? I–I would like to take on a new Quest..." Responding with a hollowed cheeked face and monotonous tone.

Two days after Shynerai first awoke.

And after Shynerai went against Arturion's request for him to remain bedridden, by going on another Quest, he managed to return in quite the battered state though once again he arrived with success. Jaret happened to find him as he returned from the Questing Committee when making his way to the Medical Ward. 

Instead of finding the good doctor, he bumped into the Student General in the hallway.

"You know it's one thing saving you're a–it's another when I have to babysit. Old man Arturion wanted me to talk to you." Uninterested in the lecture, Shynerai ignored him and turned around, going home though not before stopping by the Medical Ward. 

Managing to receive enough basic treatment to go home before he could leave, the nurse attending him was firm in reminding him that he was to not go on other Quests until he completely recovered.

A sentiment that was echoed in what little of Jaret's words he managed to hear. Prompting him to engage with the doctor who himself was unmoving as refused to offer any advanced treatment until he got ample rest.

He continued going to class, whilst hiding his condition from his curious classmates by spending lunch mostly by himself. With his concern having peaked due to Erai's recent disappearance after the weekend only to reappear so differently, Torren along with Tersia took it upon themselves to find out what happened to him.

The pair sought out the Students Generals after heading to their Council Room though finding the dismissive duo of Creivolt and Malleus only for their encounter to barely get them anywhere. 

Leaving with no other leads to pursue aside from the Questing Committee that Erai had taken such a firm interest in, he went with Tersia and the suddenly appearing Vaceris to see Luciana in the hopes of finding out what had happened.

As they encountered the Questing Committee they found Jaret leaving the room though managing to catch the mention of Shynerai as he left, Jaret turned back, curious of what interest in him was.

Somewhat shocked by his interest, they spoke clearly with the SGs, with Jaret noticing Torren as he spoke. His gaze moved across the rest of their solemn expressions of his companions, Torren stumbled over his words, unsure as to how he may help his friend.

Jaret, approaching the trio of First-years, placed his arm over the boy's shoulder and spoke with certainty.

"It won't matter what Ki-Ki has to say if you don't hear it from him."

"And what makes you so certain, if I may ask?" Tersia, standing unbothered by Jaret's return to the discussion, raised her question.

"Because he's convinced himself that he is weak, at least in the sense of pursuing his goal. His weakness has driven to relentlessly chase every opportunity to prove to himself that he is still capable. Only problem is that he can't register the kind of toll that way of thinking has put on his mind."

"..." They listened.

"Your friend needs you more than even he knows because something tells me he's not the type to do so."

"Need…us?" Torren added.

"Friends aid each other in times of need, he needs you, all you have to do is assure him that you're here." Ruffling Torren's hair to his amusement before he took his leave. 

Before stepping out once again, Kiara asked him what he's planning, but he merely waved to her as he made his way out of the classroom.

Jaret found himself grabbing a drink from one of the nearby vending machines before heading out into the Central courtyard of the Educational Buildings. While walking towards a bench, and stepping into the sunlight his eyes caught a glimpse of someone beside him.

Turning to the sitting figure, the braided snow-white hair was the calling card of the person he was looking for. Calling to the sitting figure, he asked the boy why he wasn't eating in the cafeteria, assuming that his friends were probably eating there. 

Shynerai at the mention of them chose not to speak.

"Woo...today is a scorcher, guess a little shade wouldn't hurt. Or I could force it rain…but the Headmistress would probably be on my ass again." Jaret mumbled to himself as he sat beside the young Daumier.

"Why are you here? Or am I in trouble with the–"

"Listen to me, Shynerai!"

'He knows my name...he got it right too?' Shynerai's thoughts peeked at Jaret spoke.

"Whatever you're chasing, you won't get it. Not if you keep going the way you do."

"..."

"I don't know what's got you so heated but I can promise you one thing, graveyards are filled with the dead who were buried along with the dreams."

"I'm not worried about dying, not if I can save–" A slap over the back of his head threw the remainder of Shynerai's meal out of his hands into the dirt below.

"Of course you aren't worried, but what about those you leave behind, you're not worried about them. They'll be the ones you leave to more you." Jaret's words forced him to swallow deeply. His hands began to shake as he clasped them intensely, with a quivering lip and an avoidant gaze.

"Right now you have people who care for you, classmates, friends and even something more. You owe it to them to stay alive, and you owe it to yourself to make sure you are never the reason for their tears." Finishing his words as he raised his chin, wanting to see was truly parsed for his thoughts.

"As long as you breathe, you must try, so try Shynerai, eventually you'll catch what you're chasing."

"That…sounds familiar."

"If it does, I'm certainly surprised. It's known to be an old expression shared amongst Guardians." He turned towards Shynerai before pulling him closer with a slight chuckle.

"I don't know what you even want me to do."

"Well for starters you can call me Jaret, I'm your senior, not your boss...after that, you can give yourself enough time to recover, heal your wounds, kid. I think you'll be able to take it from there." Getting up from his seat and finishing off his drink before leaving Shynerai for his lunch as recess was to end soon.

Wiping the tears that had not begun to stream, Shynerai saw him off before turning to his lunch and remembering Jaret's heresy against his meal...though the abrupt sounding of the bell's toll left him unable to do much as returned to class..

It was time for his Conventional and Integrated Combat Training class, and he would rather not be late for Dr. Colt's class. Shynerai was well acquainted with his ruthlessness.

By the end of the last of his classes, the final bell rang for the end of the day. The students filled the corridors as they all found their ways home, leaving the schoolyard quickly emptying as others filled the various fields of the round beginning their club activities.

Shynerai was standing near the Tram station, awaiting Torren with a feeling that refused to subside within his stomach.

He spent quite some time awaiting him, after eventually checking his Notebook and finding no messages, he decided to get on the tram with a look of disappointment now accompanying the discomfort of his turning innards.

Shynerai took a slow march through the courtyard of Cross Gardens and up the stairs of the residency building, coming up to his room, he was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard murmurs emanating from his room, unsure of what was happening or how anyone could've gotten into his room, he took on a stern expression and slowly approached the room.

Still unable to discern the identity of the intruders as he pressed himself against the door, Torren called out to him in the corridor, asking him what he was doing. Startled, he jumped away from the approaching Torren:

"What were you doing? Seriously we all got a little worried when you were taking your time getting back."

"We...what are you talking about?"

Torren opened up the door of Shynerai's room, shocking him as the inaudible murmurs flared up into the distinct tones of his classmates. Looking into the room, the sight of a few of them moving about from the small kitchen area to the dining area beside his desk.

Seated on the floor, Torren asked Vaceris how the cooking was coming along to which she responded that they were still waiting for ingredients. Just as she spoke, a figure called to Shynerai to move out of the doorway, he looked above him and there stood Stephen, with various bags in hand.

Shynerai stepped in and Stephen followed in making his way to the kitchen, quickly removing the items from their packaging as he requested aid in the kitchen. Torren lazily suggested Tersia and Vaceris as he paged through his Notebook by the table.

"Thank you for volunteering, Sujing, now wash your hands and grab that knife."

"What! Seriously? Whatever, and I told you to call me Torren already." He reluctantly takes up the reigns as Vaceris steps out of the kitchen and walked over to the seated Tersia:

"Why are you all here...?" He wondered.

"When you know what happened when you went to Whitewater Port, that and you haven't quite recovered from it." Vaceris said as she moved to sit onto the bed.

"I…just the one, but it's not–"

"Not that bad huh? Then you won't mind us making sure. If you're barely hurt, then this will only be for today, if not then don't be surprised to see us again."

"You don't have to do any of this, neither one of you does...I'll be fine, really."

"Of course we don't have to but you're our friend that's why, and that should be enough" Torren assured his uncertain companion

He couldn't help but let slip a smile as the sense of relief filled his previous despaired expression: "Guess I'll be owing you several lunches after this."

"You know it, now sit down, there's still some time before we'll have dinner ready"

Shynerai made his way to the dining area, but a sudden cough from Vaceris caught his attention. Witnessing her patting the bed beside he asked her what she was doing.

Hesitantly, she asks him to sit beside her, she has to check his condition, revealing that she knows his arms took serious damage during his encounter with Creivolt, with a quest soon after, she knows that it couldn't have been enough time for all the injuries to have healed...especially since she knows he hasn't been at the Dr. Arturion's infirmary

"Ah…you know about that too?" He said with a look of surprise.

The memory of his encounter with the Student General in the courtyard left him silent, holding onto the left arm as he tried to hide it from her gaze. But he still moved towards him and sat beside her.

She placed her hand where his Aggressor scar resides, Shynerai reacted quite surprisingly as though touched by a sudden chilling breeze. She asked if she had hurt him, doing well to disguise her grin at his flustered reaction as it eased her a bit of worry. 

He responded that he was a little surprised. All the while trying his best to quiet the tempestuous sounds of his heart before Vaceris repeating her request that he pull back his sleeves managed to capture his attention.

"Everyone, consider this meal as my goodbye gift." Stephen declared as he added the chopped ingredients into the pan.

"What....what are you talking about..." the group boomed with a laugh spreading amongst them.

"Hmmm, don't worry about it, just enjoy what my culinary skills have created today." With a satisfied grin, he brushed aside their question as he prepared to serve them dinner.