Chapter 1 : Fena Alexandria!!

 1

Aww yeah! I've waited so long for this; let's kick some a*s!  Squealed the bubbly and boisterous young girl internally as she chomped down on a slice of toast which impromptu served as the barrier preventing her screeches of exhilaration from becoming audible. She slipped into her favourite purple and blue hakama that she'd left hung over the bottom end of her bedframe the night before.

The sun hadn't long since risen to its perch above the clouds, yet she was already wide awake and freshly showered. She carelessly bumbled about her messy bedroom, patterning the wooden floorboards with the droplets of water still falling from her slender, tanned figure and tousled bedhead. 

"Fena dear!" A warm, familiar voice called out from below, "We'll need to be leaving in about five minutes, so make sure you've got everything that you'll need!"

"I'll be right there Mom; just a sec!" Fena replied, the toast swirling about her mouth muffled her husky voice somewhat.

Bumping and bashing herself on every piece of furniture within her bedroom that she possibly could whilst hopping over clothes haphazardly strewn about the floor, clothes that she'd neglected to put away after she turned her bedroom upside down just before she went to bed the night prior to locate the hakama that she now wore, Fena stumbled upon her reflection in the large, purple mirror affixed to her wardrobe.

"I've worked so hard for this chance to earn my place at the academy... mom's supported me so much... Today; I will succeed."

As she confided within her own reflection, an avalanche of memories flashed right before her eyes. Slowly, the reflection of herself that she withheld began to dissipate; innumerable pieces of her crumbled and drifted away like sands being swept away by the winds kiss and in its place a smaller, darker and more ominous visage surfaced. Fena grimaced at the sight, "I'm not like you anymore" she scorned, shaking her head feverishly, refusing to allow the person she once was hinder the person whom she desperately wanted to become. Her chest swelled right up, like a balloon crammed to the brim with fear and anxiety ready to burst upon the prick of a needle. Contemplatively, Fena exhaled a long, drawn out breath, then plunged her dainty hands into her messy purple hair, grasping it tight as she tied it up, she leaned in toward the mirror, locking eyes with the unwelcome intruder trying to escape from her memories, "I will become a Shinobi... I have to become the strongest. I won't let them take mom away from us- from me ever again." Dauntless, despite not having the slightest inclination of whatever or whoever may stand before her and her dream, two blazing hot supernovas burned with the will of a hundred- no, surely a thousand Shinobi, disintegrating the spectre that skulked behind the glass.


"I'll make sure everyone across 'The Four Continents' knows how strong I am. If they still want to make mom work away from home... then I guess they'll have to take her from me!" Grinning from ear to ear, Fena fist-bumped her defiant reflection in the mirror and then struck a pose reminiscent of a heroic knuckle-headed Shinobi from her favourite book, thus bringing her motivational soliloquy to a close. She skipped out of her bedroom, humming a tune as she did and then proceeded to rendezvous with her mother downstairs.


She spotted her mother; Melina, waiting patiently by the front door.

The house that the pair would call home wasn't terribly ornate, though it wasn't for a lack of funds or other reasons of the like; Fena simply preferred a cosy living space. The walls were painted a warm, idyllic shade of brown (aside from in Fena's bedroom where she insisted on purple) and the harsh creak in some of the floorboards were indicative of their indefatigable service towards keeping the pairs feet dry... or at least that was the argument Fena had fiercely lobbied against her mother's recent proposal to have them replaced. Hung upon the walls, sat comfortably atop drawers and placed just about anywhere else you could find, were photos of the pair.

As was the case more often than not these days, Melina was dressed for a day's work. She sported a smart, white lab coat and tied up her refulgent brown curls into a messy bun, the picture of a mature and professional woman. She stood slightly shorter than her rapidly growing daughter, making her about five-foot-six. Though her work wear and modest stature hid it well from any who were none-the-wiser, Melina was also a Shinobi in her youth, a Shinobi of the highest calibre in fact and she'd personally trained Fena in preparation for this very day.

Today, however, was the start of her daughter's journey. Tales of Melina's exploits in her youth were sure to find their way to Fena's ears sooner or later...

Traipsing down the creaky wooden steps and smiling as she passed by precious memories pressed onto paper, one in particular capturing the moment of sheer shock on her face upon laying eyes on a special gift she'd received for her fourteenth birthday; a beautiful katana made specially by her mother that Fena had named "Bolt", Fena noticed that her mother was preoccupied with something. An otherworldly, faint blue light emitted from the tip of her index finger; a light that Fena knew very well, given her complicated relationship with it, "Essence". Her mother intricately traced what looked to be the sheathe of a blade with her index finger.
Fena's skip instantly ground to a halt. She was certain that she'd recognized the blade her mother held but batted the thought away in an instant.
Is she mumbling something to herself? She really was behaving quite oddly...

"...Mom?" Fena tentatively called out.

"O-oh! S-sorry dear; spaced out for a moment there." Nearly jumping out of her skin, Melina skittishly turned her back to Fena.

"You look exhausted. What time did you get back last night?" Her mother's eyes were awfully bloodshot.

"Well... works been really busy lately, ha-ha..." Melina meekly laughed.

Fena scrunched her fists up tight. This wasn't the first time she'd heard such a flippant remark in response to her expressing concerns over her mother's work schedule; they'd locked horns plenty of times over this issue and on any other day, the pair would've surely got into a spat over it. 

Not today though. It was certainly true that Melina's words had wounded Fena, deeply so, but the magnitude of this day was enough to kick this can of problems a little further down the road for now. In just a few hours from now, Fena would no doubt have her hand raised victorious, she'd take one more step toward liberating her mother from the implacable clutches of her work and most importantly, Melina would be right there watching, seeing the dream that Fena could so vividly envision begin to take shape before her eyes. 

Fena refused to allow anything get in the way of that.

She dashed down the remainder of the steps and leapt toward her mother, the pair of them crashed into a set of old, brown drawers sending a myriad of photo frames and trinkets tumbling to the ground, shattered glass scattered across the floorboards...

"Fena calm down!-"

...Fena buried her head into her mother's chest. Many a time, when things got too much for her, she'd jump into her mother's arms and focus solely on the fuzzy, pillow-patting thudding of her heartbeat, its assured tempo would always gradually soothe the rapid thumping and blasting of her own, "I'll figure everything out... Nothing will ever come between us ever again; we'll have all the time in the world to spend together, I promised you remember?"

Thin, glistening rivulets flowed from her cloudy red eyes and onto Melina's lab coat, creating small, dark puddles that swelled as more tears fell into them. Fena quivered as she spoke almost breathlessly, "I-... I'm terrified. I'm terrified that my resolve might break. I'm terrified of people seeing me as a freak because I'm not blessed by the Goddess. I'm terrified that no matter how strong I become, it won't be enough to keep my promise to you-"

-Fena's voice caught the instant she felt her mother's soft embrace tighten up.
"Oh Fena, my sweet little girl. I'm already the proudest mother in the village- No, the entire world..."Melina cupped her daughter's puffy, flushed cheeks into her palms. The sunlight peeking through the window frame on the front door made Fena's tears sparkle like tiny crystals, Melina carefully wiped them away, as though she took care not to break them and then planted a tender kiss on her forehead, "...You're special, my dearest. Essence is the life force of this world; it is the reason why we can live and grow and survive. It is said that the Goddess 'Origin', even in all her divinity, wasn't perfect and people unfortunate enough to not receive her blessing are, as you know, unable to infuse Essence naturally into their bodies. Most of those people live short and awfully painful lives. We cried until we fell asleep that night Doctor Seitz told us that you'd be lucky to make it to your eleventh birthday... but look at you now, by some sheer miracle, you've not only survived, but are standing on your own two feet and chasing your dreams..."

Melina wiped tears from her own eyes, sniffling as she spoke, "The Shinobi world is built entirely upon strength; nothing else truly matters. So, if you want to achieve your dream, I guess you're going to have to keep getting stronger for me. I'll be waiting." With a cheeky wink, she spurred her pride and joy on.

Fena received those words loud and clear, grasping them tight in the depths of her heart, "I'll try not to keep you waiting too long, mom." Fena leaned into her mother's arms for another hug; today, she'd be needing all the energy she could get.
"Oh, look at me... I'm supposed to be the adult here; I'm all over the place! Today is your big day, but look at me... can you blame me for wishing that you could remain my sweet little girl for just a bit longer?"

"I can't, but my heart is set."

Cherishing each other's embrace, the pair took themselves a moment to have a good cry.

After the waterworks finally had subsided, Fena noticed her mother's demeanour change somewhat. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but it was as though she'd grown impatient of something suddenly, or even frustrated. Contemplatively, her mother revealed the object that she'd had hidden behind her back.

The dwindling flames in Fena's eyes dulled by her tears instantly sharpened up. She was certain that she saw it when she was stood at the top of the stairs, but second guessed herself; she'd only ever been allowed to lay eyes on this blade, let alone use it, when she and her mother trained together.

The pitch-black carbonized sheathe hadn't so much as a spec of dust on it. From its midpoint and extending to the bottom, small, pulsing circles of blue light danced, full of vigour, as though the blade itself had come alive. The hilt was lovingly adorned by a plethora of tassels, their colours varying between shades of red, purple and pink, alongside a small, cute fishcake keychain. (It was merchandise that originated from her favourite book) Its mere presence was enough to draw sweat from Fena's palms, "B-Bolt?! You... want me to take him?"

Less a gift and more the solidification of her promise to her mother, it was a one-of-a-kind weapon Melina had herself created to match her daughter's determination. It was the blade she'd received for her birthday nearly two years prior; a katana that she'd nicknamed "Bolt".

Melina glared intently at the weapon, her hazel eyes as sharp as the steel encased within, "Fena, as a former Shinobi myself and more importantly as your mother, it is time that I acknowledge all of your hard work."

Fena tentatively raised her hands in anticipation of receiving the katana. Her palms now sweating profusely. Fena gazed into the utter blackness of the sheathe, almost losing herself as its total darkness seemed to expand beyond its visage and swallow everything around her. A swathe of ambivalence assaulted her stomach. Bolt was right in front of her, yet it felt as though her hands were passing through a limitless void, slowing her reach the closer she came to making contact.

Finally, it began to descend. When it sunk into her palms, she embraced its weight and the slight chill that it dispersed into her. Her hands were shaking. Or were they? Were her mother's hands shaking too?

They certainly were. Her frail, white fingertips flushed red; she gripped the blade tight, reluctant to let go, "However, earning one's trust can in and of itself be a burden. As I've taught you, it is the duty of a Shinobi to endure the weight of those burdens." Suddenly, her words felt distant, almost cold. The look in her eyes, beautiful hazel eyes that usually shone with such intelligence and compassion, were now dimmed and fraught with fear, a fear Fena had never seen before.

"Fena, never unsheathe this sword, do you understand? We've talked about this..."

Melina pushed the blade toward Fena's chest, "...There is no other sword like this in the entire world. It binds us together; I placed a special seal on it that you mustn't ever tell anyone about. Whether you're near or far, as long as I'm still infusing it with my Essence, you'll be able to draw from some of that energy when you fight without any Essence entering your body and hurting you. Keep it on your person at all times. You told me you wanted to be strong so that you could protect me right? Well, I've done everything I possibly can now to help, so the rest is up to you. I need you to promise me, just one more time, that you won't ever unsheathe that sword."

The age-old saying "it was as if time had stood still" is something you can never really understand until you experience it firsthand. When she first heard the phrase, Fena had wondered, "Why the heck would time stop for some random person?" She felt the sentiment conveyed a creepy undertone of narcissism.

In spite of that, no other moment in Fena's life so far fit the description of that phrase so perfectly.

Fena perused her minds library, reminiscing on all the events that had made her who she was today; never knowing her father, not receiving The Goddess's blessing, which left her bed-ridden for most of her youth and begging on her hands and knees for her mother to help her achieve her dream of becoming a Shinobi. The memories jumped out from the pages of each book she pulled from the shelves.

The words she so desperately wanted to say just weren't coming out, as though the raging tides of ambivalence crashing about in her heart had swallowed them up, and she was slowly sinking with them...

...Alas, time doesn't really stop for anybody, and a mere few moments were all that passed before the cinders of poise within the budding Shinobi's fiery red eyes would spark anew and incinerate her fears.

Fena reinforced her grip on the blade, "I won't let you down, I promise."

After a few moments of stillness, hesitantly, Melina released her grip on the blade and exhaled a long, drawn out breath. A familiar and welcome warm smile surfaced once again. The picture of an elegant woman and loving mother, she lightly rustled Fena's hair, gliding her fingers over the shaved sides of her head, "You know, you're going to be meeting a lot of new people today and maybe even making some friends... I'm sure there'll be a few other girls there too... Why not wear your hair down for a change?"

Fena's wide-eyed expression painted her as the nail and her mother's words as the hammer. "Saw right through me... hehe."

-If I make any friends, I'll give it a try, if it'll make you happy.

"All right, it's about time for us to leave. You ready to set off?"

"I'm ready; I've got everything I need. Let's kick some butt today Mom!"

On this day, like countless others throughout history, a fierce and fiery young girl was about to take her first step toward becoming a Shinobi.
Her dream : to become a Shinobi that would be strong enough to protect the person she treasured more than life itself.

Today, though neither the pair of them, nor a soul across the four continents could've ever possibly foreseen it, the era of Shinobi, an era that had existed since time immemorial, was entering its final act.

Today, the story of "Fena : The Final Shinobi" had begun.

2

Not even a single cloud loomed in the skies above as the scorching sun shone gloriously over the village Fena called home; the mountainous village known as "Origin's Peak".

"It seems 'Lady Origin' is looking forward to today as well." Melina sniggered, pointing upwards toward the clear blue sky.

On the first day of each new year, a massive celebration dubbed as "Origin's Ritual" would be thrown across the entire village and spearheading the festivities was the "Origin's Peak Shinobi Academy's" enrolment ceremony. Shinobi and civilians alike from across The Four Continents made the journey each year to partake in the festivities; some came to trade, some others to network and establish connections between families and many more just for the vacation.

Origins Peak was unique in that way; no other village across The Four Continents held a festival that matched it in terms of scale. Though that was befitting of the largest village in the nation known as "Ramus" which was also the largest nation on the "Genesis" continent.

Fena and Melina briskly walked hand in hand past the many stalls and entertainment acts hustling and bustling about the village streets and chatted away about which tasty treats they'd love to sample later on. Men, women and children clad in festival attire sung and danced in unison, groups mixed with sparkling red, deep red, bright red, scarlet red and auburn red and all waving around huge red feathers bathed in sparkling glitter joyously celebrated all around them.

Whilst she found herself puzzled at the dress code; Fena failed to notice that one of the dancers had snuck a small red feather into the waist strap of her hakama Melina pointed it out. Fena decided to gift it to her, "It'll look cool if you put it in your pocket, your work stuff is too plain and smart, so this'll give it some much needed colour."

Melina gladly accepted, her daughter's sharp tongue drawing out a smirk, "Maybe they'll fire me for breaking dress-code and lacking professionalism... which is exactly what you're angling for!" They both blurted out a hearty laugh.

They were running short on time, but providing any major detours didn't suddenly present themselves, Fena would safely avoid disqualification by tardiness. She deemed that by far the lamest way to go out.

-Finally! Some fun time with mom! Feels like forever since the last time we were able to just walk and talk together...

...When with her mother, even the simplest, most mundane pastimes filled her heart with joy.


"Hey mom! Now that I can walk like this, we really gotta go out more often. Just you and me spending time together, outside of the house. I really wanna see the rest of the village! I wanna see some of the things that I read about in the books at the hospital like 'Origin's Wake' up there! Is it really true that it 'pierces the clouds'? How is that even possible? Oh, and I gotta go outside the village gates so I can see all the wildlife out there an-"

"Hold on now dear, you're getting way too ahead of yourself..." Her mother gripped her hand a little tighter, caressing it with her thumb, "...Let's save this discussion for after you've won and earned your placed in the academy, alright?"

Fena shrugged her shoulders and groaned, she knew her mother was right, she needed to be a patient for just a little longer.

Meanwhile, Melina seemed to sink into thought, her index finger pressed lightly on her soft lips as she ponderously gazed straight ahead. After a short silence, she found her words, "I'm almost certain you'll end up having one of the higher seeded opponents today... you didn't attend a recognized pre-school either..." Melina paused once again, then let out a deep sigh, "...I just hope you don't have to fight Elira's boy."

"Elira's boy? Who's that? And who's Elira?"

"A friend. Her son is... troubled..." It seemed for a few moments that Melina was carefully thinking of how to expand upon that statement, "...Never mind, don't worry about who it is you'll face today. Just do your best." Deciding otherwise for whatever reason, she smiled and brushed it off.

Though puzzled at her mother's hesitance to speak, Fena was greatly intrigued at the inference that whoever "Elira's boy" was would be someone that her mother suspected to be a higher-seeded opponent and that Fena would be likely to face him. She had to know more, "Is he stro-"

"By Lady Origin's grace, it's Lady Melina! The cultivator of modern Shinobi combat technology!" One man shouted aloud, barging into the pair's conversation.

"It's 'Origin's Guardian Angel'! My daughter absolutely adores you and wishes to learn all about the modern medical sciences!" Another person; an elderly woman, tearfully lauded.

"Lady Melina! Pardon my impatience, but it's been a whole week since I've heard from anyone at the council about assistance for the sewage leak in the river outside of my farm; I simply cannot harvest anything with filthy water!"

Suddenly the pair were ambushed by an avalanche of people, burying Fena's question underneath a bombardment of adulation and requests. 

In recent months, Melina had been regularly coming home well into the night. Her job, at least as Fena understood it, involved experimenting in ways to even further expand upon the capabilities of the rapidly improving technology that she herself had cultivated and help the people of Origin's Peak with the resources at her disposal.

Being bed-ridden most of her youth, Fena rarely ever stepped outside of her home, and never once had she done it whilst not being accompanied by her mother, who'd be taking her to the medical ward located practically a stone's throw away from their home whenever Fena's health became significantly worse.

Fena was somewhat aware of her mother's reputation insofar as she was revered for her excellence in the field's she conducted herself in; being able to recall a handful of occasions where similar scenes like the one she was watching unfold now happened whilst the pair were on the way to or even inside of the hospital, though they were far more subdued in their nature.

-Makes sense I guess, definitely not the type of place to be causing an uproar, Fena concluded.

Compared to the muted celebrations that she'd witnessed prior; today's events were truly unprecedented to Fena. Tethered to salvation only by the warm clutches her mother's hand, she squeezed it tighter and tighter, lest she slip away from her grasp and end up stranded amongst a sea of unfamiliar faces. Faces who'd not a care in the world for whether their cascading waves of adulation and worship would drown Fena beneath them.

It's like they're worshipping her, like she's their Goddess. Biting her lip and clenching her fists, Fena was fast having about enough with the abundance of obtuseness on display.

As for her Melina, without missing a beat, she dutifully engaged each and every person who bombarded her with care and courtesy, doing her utmost to swiftly quell their woes and provide them a word of encouragement, which left many in the crowd swooning. To them, every word was worth its weight in gold, and she shone twice as bright.

The title "Origin's Guardian Angel" that Fena had heard shouted out numerous times now quickly made sense to her. Though it didn't stop Fena from thinking it sounded stupid.

What started as an already uncomfortably large group had now rapidly ballooned into a stampede of fans rowdily celebrating merely being in the presence of Origin's Guardian Angel. Ecstatic followers desperately clawed through the crowds, bumping shoulders with Fena and one callous woman in particular, whose shrieks of joy were as harsh as the sound of whetstone sharpening steel, even stepped on Fena's foot and when she jolted from the sudden pain, the woman just looked at her, puzzled, as though it were absurd of Fena to have left her foot there.

Fena winced in discomfort, an awful feeling, one that she'd tried countless times to forget, swirled about her stomach, an all too familiar feeling that was enough to make her entire world feel as though it were falling apart.

"Ugh... I'm sick of this!" Fena tore her hand away from Melina's.

"Fena dear, I understand this is a lot but please just calm down. I promise we'll make it there on time."

Fena saw right through her. Melina's empty words infuriated Fena and she'd have it be known, "Just like you promised to stop coming home so late!?" She snapped venomously.

The loud gasp that reverberated around her made it sound as though the surrounding people had spontaneously formed a choir and gasped in unison. Everybody stopped dead in their tracks as the familial spat unfolded before them, patiently awaiting instruction from whomever was orchestrating them.

Fena wanted to say something, anything that would make her mother understand.

That was until she saw the looks on everyone's faces.

Everywhere her scarlet eyes went, faces stained with disgust, anger, hatred and shock reflected her gaze; like the expressions of a believer witnessing a blasphemer insult their Goddess.

Fena's knees shook violently; her hands clammed up. Was everyone just dead silent? Or had her hearing suddenly failed her? Why did she feel so light?

-Am I about to pass out?

A light weight thudded against her shoulders, pulling her back to her senses as if it had grasped her wayward soul and returned it to her body. Melina's concerned, hazel eyes met hers, "Fena, can you hear me? Are you feeling alright?"

"This awful feeling... again and again... how many times do I have to feel this way before you understand?" Fena collapsed to her knees; she remembered now. That sickening feeling gnawing away at her stomach, clouding her heart with darkness and fear: it was abandonment.

She shoved her mother away and immediately took to the rooftops, sparing not another word and fast putting distance between them. She heard her mother call out to her and though it pained her to ignore her, ignore her she did as Fena made her own way towards the academy.

"How is it that you're right in front of me, yet I feel so, so far away... what happens if one day, I'm so far away that I can't even see you?"

Everything Fena had been through up to this point in her life, everything she'd resolved herself to facing head on once she'd earned her place in the academy, she'd done all of it for one simple reason: so that she could obtain the strength to protect her mother.

If so many things came between the pair that if she reached out, Fena could no longer touch her, or no matter whether she peered over or under even around the wall of obstacles between them that she couldn't see her... what was she even doing all of this for?

3

Deeply despondent as her internal struggles ate away at her, Fena neglected to consider the fact that she actually hadn't the slightest idea of where she was even headed. Well, that wasn't entirely true.

Many a time during her extended trips to the hospital, Fena would kill time by reading whatever she could get her hands on. Admittedly, Fena would exclusively request fictional books; her best attempt to combat the boredom that being bed-ridden resigned her to, but every now and then she'd receive some literature about the village's history and one time in particular she'd happened to stumble across a brochure advertising a holiday experience to "The Sacred Mountainous Village Amongst The Clouds: Origin's Peak."

Of course, one of the most popular tourist attractions was the Shinobi Academy and the venue where Fena's spar would be taking place today was right next-door to it, both of which were located in the north-western corner of Origin's Peak... if she'd accurately been able to recall the brochure.

On the surface of it, that was simple enough... providing the person making their way towards the academy was at least somewhat familiar with the layout of the village streets. For Fena, someone whose only point of reference were some pictures that she could vaguely recall from that brochure a few years back and the vague directional information... it was far more arduous a task. Doubly so considering she'd dashed off in the direction she'd assumed was the correct one and belatedly realised she had absolutely no idea where she currently was. Neither did she have a compass or any other way of finding her bearings.

For a brief moment, the thought of dropping back down to the streets and asking someone for directions flashed across her mind, "No way, I'll never rely on them... ungrateful losers." The thought alone was enough to make her blood boil. She clutched that same thought and burned it until nothing remained. "Although, I really don't even know where to start, and I could already be late right now!"

Fena surveyed the sights before her, searching for something, anything, that would give her some semblance of an understanding as to her current whereabouts. She could see the gigantic, black tower Origin's Wake clear as day ominously lingering near the clouds, but buildings and other, taller mountains obscured its base and Fena couldn't really tell how long it'd take her to get there. If she darted all the way over there only for the academy to not even be there, she'd most certainly be late, so that was out of the question.

Buildings, buildings and more buildings, that was the only thought that the surrounding area elicited from Fena's mind; nothing quite resembled the photos that she vaguely recalled, "I can't afford to keep wasting ti-!"

"All commoners take heed; you must clear a path for the procession! His excellency Lord Ember and His Grace Young Lord Fenrir are in a hurry!"

A tenor, posh-sounding voice resounded loudly from somewhere nearby, "Procession? What the heck does that mean? Lord Ember? Is he a Shinobi? That name sounds awesome! I bet he's suuuper cool and strong too!" Compelled by her own imagination, Fena sprung up onto her feet and continued toward the sound of the voice.

"You can't just push people around like that! We're trying to prepare for Origin's Ritual here!" A woman shouted; her voice sounding shaken up.

"Silence, common filth! You should know your place!" A man shouted back. By the sound of his voice, Fena discerned that it was likely the same man whom she'd heard shouting moments prior. Well, he sounds like a real jerk...

"!" A loud cry abruptly rang out, then silence fell immediately after.

Coming upon the scene, Fena observed a hulking, bald, brown-skinned and broad-shouldered man towering over a woman not even half his size who lay on the ground. He squeezed into a plain, black tunic marked with an insignia Fena couldn't quite make out, complimented with plain black pants and boots and strapped menacingly to his back, a huge black battle-axe.

Rather whimsically she thought, wow, he sounds awfully girly for such a big lump, but that silly thought as an aside, Fena was violently perturbed, "Oh... you sick pig. I wonder which finger on that filthy hand of yours I should break first?" Grinning from ear to ear, she began calculating her plan of attack.

Dangling a foot over the edge of the rooftop, Fena basked in the light breeze, its chilly, tickly kiss nuzzled at the nape of her neck and as it passed her by, she flared her nostrils at the sumptuous aroma of cooked meat amongst other flavourful fragrances of foods being prepared for Origin's Ritual. Suddenly the hustle and bustle about the village streets evaded Fena's hearing... her mind was fixated on the one and only thing her heart desperately desired right this moment... to attack.

I can't wait to see it... the look on your face when you're as helpless as that woman; Fena craved the ecstasy that she'd surely feel witnessing in the flesh the imagery that the cinema in her mind's eye displayed to her.

She took hold of her blade and held it before herself, "I know we don't have this one down yet Bolt... but practicing it on a pig like him means that we don't need to worry about form..." Readying herself, she gripped Bolt tightly and cocked it back, "...Alright Bolt, you're up!"

"...Huh?" Seemingly not at all worried about the object approaching him, the large man promptly raised his strong, burly hand.

"You're mine now..." Fena deviously grinned, relishing the tantalising offer that he had unknowingly offered her, "...Here goes nothing... 'Wind Release, Sheathe Step'!" 

Upon forming a singular hand-sign, Fena vanished from her perch above the streets in an instant, as if she'd never even been standing there in the first place.

"What the-!" Leaving him no chance to retract his outstretched arm, Fena appeared right before he could so much as blink, crashing into him at full speed and sending the pair of them careening through a multitude of wooden stands, banners and other décor made for the day's festivities.

Severely dazed from the impact, the large man's pitiful attempt at struggling seemed only in vain, for Fena rose to her feet the quickest, only suffering minimal damage, she stomped the foot of her boot right into his sternum and his puffy, muscle-bound body sank into itself like a dried-up carcass as she forced the air out of his lungs to weaken him further. She slithered down toward one of his tree-trunk arms and clutched it, coiling her own arm around it to constrict it. She surgically observed the sizeable hand that sat limp underneath her gaze and spitefully took hold of one its helpless branches, "That look on your face... oh, I LOVE IT-!"

CLANG!!
SHING!!
KRRING!!

Before she'd any time to react, standing before her and by the sounds of it behind her also, Fena was surrounded by steel. The cold nip of at least two weapons pinched the back of her neck. They shook violently like two rabid silver wolves desperate to feast on her skin.

"Move another inch... I beg you, compel 'His Grace' to order me to plunge my spear into your neck... indulge me boy." A tall, dark-skinned, slender woman with a scar over her nose and blonde hair eerily pleaded as she stood before Fena. She was dressed similarly to her prey, clad in black, but noticeably, she'd no issue displaying her maroon skin, salaciously parading her curves and plentiful bust as her emerald-green eyes followed her spear all the way to Fena's neck. Her deep, raspy voice shook as she spoke and a solemn tear escaped from her eye, the twisted smile on her face as she licked her lips accentuated her flourishing desire to draw Fena's blood.

"I don't know what your problem is. This boar was stronger than that pitiful woman and that's why she's laying on the ground, right? Well, I wanted to the see the look on his face if someone stronger than him-"

"Hold that tongue, lest you lose it commoner!" A shrieking voice from behind abruptly whelped, "Release that man's arm right this instant! You have just assaulted one of the four pillars of the 'Ashen Covenant', a group tasked with the honour of serving and protecting the illustrious Ember clan, a clan that Her Grace Lady Origin created at the dawn of the Shinobi Era and..."

-Your voice is super irritating, Fena chided internally, tuning out from their ear-splitting rambling and focusing on her next course of action after slowly letting go of her prey's lifeless limb.

I need to create some space. Did they see me use Sheathe Step? Maybe I could convince them that I'm surrendering and let them take Bolt, then escape when the chance comes? Ugh, mom's gonna kill me if she finds out about this...

"Please let me through! I beg of you; you must let me through!" An enchanting voice sang out, ringing louder and louder as its owner drew nearer. It sounded like a girl; her voice was soothing and reassuring like the gentle, muted patting of rainfall against a window in the middle of a serene night.

"!" The tiny, frail voice that everyone else heard straining itself to reach the ears of her attackers threw Fena completely off guard, making her forget where she was for just a split second.

"Your naive!" Intuiting this, the woman's eyes lit up as she flipped her spear and rammed the wooden pommel into Fena's stomach, causing her to collapse onto the ground in pain.

-Crap!

The situation was rapidly becoming worse.

Spewing out saliva with traces of blood as she reeled from the impact of the blow and unable to make out anything through the profuse ringing of her eardrums, Fena was now at the mercy of her attackers. Though she couldn't summon the strength to drag her gaze from off of the ground, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the large man she had attacked at some point had moved from beneath her foot and was now getting back to his feet; it went without saying that he wasn't going to let her off the hook.

Bolt... Mom... help me, I'm sca-

"No! No more, you must stop this at once! No more violence, please Salacia!" That same enchanting, magical voice chimed in Fena's ears once again.

Desperately, she plead with Fena's assailant, whose name appeared to be "Salacia", after barging between her and Fena. "Just leave this foolish boy and the civilians here be... they have agreed to move their concession stands and decorations, so I beg you, please show them mercy!"

Desperate to learn more, Fena mustered just enough energy to lift her head from the ground and catch a glimpse of the person so earnestly beseeching her attackers to stand down. Meeting her gaze was a tall, sparkling wall of black embroidered with elegant patterns of white and red, forming what looked like some sort of bird. An inexplicable feeling of warmth and reassurance began ebbing away all the tension and panic that was crashing around her body, even the crushing pain in her chest turned into an afterthought and what had replaced it was rapidly burgeoning enthrallment and fascination at the wonderful individual who stood so elegantly before her.

"No way... you're a real-life princess right!?" Fena weakly gasped, her voice seemingly falling on deaf ears.

Did she hear me? Or is she just ignoring me?

"Surely you jest, child?" The large man snarked, approaching menacingly with blood pouring profusely from his nose, "That filthy runt must repent... and he can do it FROM UNDERNEATH THE DIRT!" He ferociously roared, swinging down his humungous battle-axe without so much as flinching at its weight.

"Cease Gale!" A hefty, baritone voiced demanded from somewhere behind. Fena couldn't ascertain to whom it belonged, but what was blatant was that her impending fate that would've seen her head tumbling away a few feet ahead of her been abruptly postponed, just as immediately as the voice had commanded.

Instantaneously, Salacia turned her back to Fena, the exposed part of her toned back glistened with sweat. She lowered her spear and bowed toward the direction of the voice, "Your Grace; our orders?"

-They've all... stopped? It was as cut and dry as it looked; her assailants truly had stood down.

An awkward silence ensued after Salacia's question. Puzzled and unable to quell her swelling curiosity, Fena dared to shift her posture just a little more so that she may see the large man, whose name she'd now understood to be "Gale", more clearly, doing her utmost to not alert her attackers.

The look on his face was palpable; ghoulishly pale, as if all his vitality had been sucked right out of him, starkly contrasting the warm, deep red paste dripping from it. His teeth chattered his huge, black battle-axe shook rattled feverishly like chattering teeth.

Who in the world could possibly reduce such a hulking, beast of a man to a fawn trembling at the sight of its own shadow?

Who the heck is this person? Surely, they had to possess power beyond belief.

The robust voice boomed out once again, seemingly not deigning to acknowledge the thick tension in the air, "Foolish daughter of mine, pray tell, what in the world is it that you are playing at?"

The "Princess Girl" as Fena had decided to call her within her mind, jolted upon receiving the words imparted unto her from the man that proclaimed to be her father, uttering not a single word in response, only trembling where she stood. Was she even breathing?

"What is it that someone like you could even hope to accomplish...!?" A spiteful, callous voice that sounded like it belonged to a boy about Fena's age jeered, "...You... you've nothing to your name. No aura, no skill and certainly not any physical strength either, yet once again you shame the Ember name. And for what? Some crestless peasants and some runt in way over their head? You stand there, defiant, in spite of that empty look in your cowering eyes telling me that a measly yawn from 'The Tempestuous Tyrant Sylphiette' would be enough to topple you right now. So why...!?"

In the face of such awful, nasty words, the Princess Girl still remained silent, though she did not move a muscle.

Just as Fena had started to believe that the situation was beginning to resolve itself, it now seemed that the Princess Girl had no sway at all with the ruffians that were causing her grief. They were belittling her. For all her courage, she'd have no chance of protecting Fena from harm if they all decided to attack.

How dare you speak to such a wonderful girl like that! It sounds like they're family, or at least he's known her for a while... but who cares! There's no way that family should ever speak to each other like that! Fena gritted her teeth and clenched her fist up tight, desperately wanting to plunge it into the face of the horrible boy who'd said those awful things.

That horrible boy grew impatient at the lack of response to his tongue lashing, "Speak d****t! I don't recall our mother being so uncourt that she-"

"Silence Fenrir!" The older sounding man suddenly yelled, hastily interrupting him. A loud thud rung out; it seemed the man had struck the boy and he'd collapsed to the ground, though Fena wasn't quite sure. He continued, his confident and regal voice now seething, "Never speak of that crestless w***e again. This is your final warning. Need I remind you once again boy? Though your sister most certainly seems to be a lost cause, she's a female; she isn't entirely worthless and neither is her mother. You, on the other hand, are wearing my patience thin... do not force my hand."
The Princess Girls supposed father exhaled a deep breath, then noticeably changed his tone back to how it sounded moments prior, "Ruby, imprudent child, do as you please with this scoundrel, but do not be late to the arena. I expect you to arrive at the Academy on time, is that clear?"

Though she didn't respond, it seemed that her silence was intuited as comprehension, "Koria...! By the Pheonix's grace, just where is that darned maid when you need her. Koria!"

Shortly following his call, a womanly voice spoke up, "My sincerest apologies, Lord Ember, I'd only just finished seeing to the civilians you'd instructed me to pacify."

"Is there anyone around here who I can truly depend on? Never mind, as we discussed the other night, the girl just doesn't seem to learn and she sure as hell doesn't listen to me. You will serve as her final warning; I'm here by appointing you as the girl's personal maid; you're not to leave her side under any circumstances. Find a way to get the child to understand her responsibilities as an Ember, lest I resort to my own methods."

"Understood, Your Grace." She tersely remarked. Fena felt her suddenly appear close to her; she covered the distance in a flash.

"My Lord," Gale tentatively spoke his lords name; it seemed he'd cleaned up his face somewhat, "I beg that you'll pardon me for interrupting you, but the 'Chief's Summit' begins shortly, we must make haste."

"Indeed, we must, though I've one more warning I must impart before we leave... Young lad, stand beside my daughter and face me, so that you may see me clearly."

The Shinobi around Fena took a few steps away from her.

Seemingly taking heed of the man's request, Fena, still somewhat feeling the pain from the blow she received earlier, carefully rose to her feet, though instead of looking towards whoever "Lord Ember" was, a far more pressing opportunity presented itself and some stupid Shinobi with an ego problem wasn't going to deter her from taking it.

Her heart thumped and throbbed, it had been pounding away inside of her chest ever since she laid eyes on that girl and it was becoming unbearable. Fena cautiously poked her head into the girl's line of sight.

She shone brighter than any sunrise Fena had ever seen before. Deeply enraptured by her glimmering ocean blue eyes, Fena wondered just how in the world someone so remarkable could even exist. Standing right beside her was someone whom simply laying eyes upon incited feelings of wonder and inexplicable enchantment, just like some of the characters from her favourite stories would inspire in her.
But this girl wasn't a fantasy nor a dream, she was truly real.
She was regally adorned in a long, glittery black dress with small compliments of red and white around the chest area. Though the dress covered most of her skin, Fena spied glimpses of her sun-kissed pigmentation between flocks of her perfectly straight black hair, that flowed all the way down to her shapely waist.

Fena could've sworn that the lordly man had called her name, but amongst her finding herself stranded in the sea of her twinkling ocean-blue eyes and repeatedly rubbing her own scarlet eyes to confirm that their flames weren't conjuring images before her that she wasn't even truly seeing, Fena had already forgotten it.

Ruby, however, continued looking in the direction of her father, showing no sign at all of noticing Fena's extreme fascination with her.

"Ahem... you've a lot of nerve little lad. Pay no mind to my foolish daughter... Though ogling her in the presence of her own father is more than enough to justify me having your head..."

His pompous, snarky voice dragging Fena out from her daydream, she reflexively turned towards where it came from, belatedly realising that she'd been caught in the act and annoyed that she was interrupted.

Atop a ginormous red and white coloured carriage that was barely wide enough to pass through the village streets, one with a figurehead that seemingly had been delineated in the image of a Phoenix and was encircled by many Shinobi, stood a rotund and stubby little man. It seemed that he'd been sat on the grand, opulent chair behind him that shared the same phoenix design as the carriage. He was slovenly draped in pure white, which weirdly matched his pasty white skin, and shimmering gold robes that did little to offset his protruding stomach, and was coated in a smattering of jewellery, which Fena thought made him look like an extremely large, jewel embedded Genie Lamp. His black hair, noticeably thinning and greying out, was drowned in gel and slicked back, puffy red tomatoes sticking out of either side of his mouth matched the roundness of his stomach. His black eyes withheld Fena with contempt, though he'd a weird smirk on his face, as though he were enjoying scrutinizing her or something... Fena didn't quite get it, but it was quite odd.

Next to him, a young boy, who like everyone else bar Fena and the Princess Girl, were kneeling. Despite all the apparent physical contrasts and his skin being more tanned, he was his father's spitting image. His jet-black hair burned with streaks of red and a scar over his closed left eye gave the impression that he himself must also be a Shinobi, or at the very least had been in a fight or two. He ground his teeth together as his black eyes, just as harsh and piercing as his fathers, scorched holes into Ruby.

The fat dude is Lord Ember? Why's everyone so scared of that? It was apparent that Fena was missing something that everyone else knew, that's surely what the issue was... right?

"Her Grace's providence on this sacred day is the sole reason why her Essence shall continue flowing through your veins another day. Commit it to memory that if there is a next time, you shall receive no pardon and my subjects shall show no mercy. Am I clear?"

Fena took a long, hard look at the man known as Lord Ember as well as his son, burning their visages into her eyes. Biting her tongue, she reluctantly responded, 

"Yeah, you got it."

"Hmph... Wonderful..." Lord Ember grinned, "...Koria, see to it that my daughter deals with this lout swiftly and arrives at the academy on time."

"As you've ordered, Your Grace." With that, Koria grasped both Ruby and Fena by their hands and began exiting the scene, snaking through a few alleyways. "Let's find somewhere quieter, my lady." She curtly suggested.

Fena looked back toward the carriage, watching Fenrir, as he reached his boiling point, punching a hole into the wooden platform.

Underneath his breath, the boy swore to himself a solemn oath, forged in fire "On the dying ember's of the everlasting Phoenix, Ramus, I swear it on my life that on this day, my foolish sister, I will draw the curtain on your hopeless charade... this my burden... mine alone."


4


"You! How is it that you know this girl? Tell me everything; I will not hesitate to cut you!"

Pinned up against a wall with a kitchen knife being shakily held up to her neck, Fena's tumultuous journey to the Shinobi Academy had quickly taken another turn for the worse right after it seemed as though things had finally started to calm down.

"Miss Koria I've already told you; I've never met this boy in my life! I just panicked and acted rashly; I promise I won't do it again!"

A fistful of Fena's hakama, the maid pressed Fena further, "Your eyes have been glued to my mistress all the way here... even now, with steel to your neck, you gawk at her and ignore my presence! Who sent you? Was it that fat oath Horace himself? Or are you working for whoever's leading those Shinobi hunting lunatics!"

Reluctantly pulling her eyes away from the Princess Girl and back to the steely narrowed, brown eyes before her, Fena meagrely muttered, "I was... angry."

"Even if it were by surprise, you, a child bearing no crest, somehow brought the man known across the four continents as "Gale-Force", a Master Rank Shinobi said to be able to command the winds as effortlessly as The Tempestous Tyrant, to his knees and if it weren't for outside interference, you likely would've killed him! Yet you simply claim that his behaviour perturbed you? I urge you not to take me for a fool any longer... I won't ask again, what business do you have with my mistress!"

Leaving her no room at all to get a word in and rapidly running out of patience, it seemed as though no possible answer would suffice in assuaging the maid's scepticism. In spite of the very real danger that she found herself in, Fena didn't reciprocate the maid's aggression at all.

Fena had already subconsciously noted that she'd likely be comfortably stronger than her; escaping or even engaging the maid in combat and defeating her posed her no problem at all.

Yet thoughts of the like lingered out on the periphery of her mind.

The true cause of her passivity at this moment was the same as what it had been before that huge crowd a few minutes ago. That beautiful Princess Girl.
Sparkling gemstones left trails that twinkled beneath her eyes and onto her flushed, rosy cheeks. She gripped the maid woman's arm tight, fighting tooth and nail to wrest the weapon away from Fena's neck, yet try as she might, it just wouldn't budge. Nevertheless, she persevered, maintaining such elegance as she did; Fena's heart yearned for her.

-Wait, what the heck is wrong with me?

Whatever was swelling within her chest was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She felt as though it ached, desperately so, but that pain wasn't something that she was sure she wanted to go away.

"Miss Koria, please just listen to me!" The Princess Girl wailed, "If this boy really were that strong and he was after my life, now would be the perfect opportunity to strike, yet despite that he's remained passive."

"What has gotten into you, my lady? Why are you so passionate about protecting this... boy?" Koria retorted, quickly readjusting Fena's clothing after yanking at it. She glanced back and forth between her mistress and Fena, fixing her a very surprised look; she seemed to handle Fena less roughly now and the severe look in her eyes softened somewhat, though she didn't even slightly relinquish her grip.

As small rivers leaked from Ruby's ocean-blue eyes, she loosened her grip on her maid's arm and collapsed into her, "I just couldn't take it anymore..." she meekly cried.

"I-... I understand." Sighing deeply, the maid lowered her weapon, lifted up her long, black skirt and slotted it back into a small pouch of which the handles of multiple other knives poked out. She then embraced her sobbing mistress into her arms, tenderly patting her head.

She looked toward Fena, "Do you have a name, child?"

Fena gingerly nodded her head; she just couldn't bring herself to say it. Or say anything for that matter.

"Never mind... Fret not, you are safe now; we're not like the other's back there..." The maid, who stood far taller than Fena, left the side of her mistress and crouched down, sitting just below Fena's eye level. She had beautiful auburn hair that was cut fairly short that brought out the length of her long and beautiful auburn eyelashes, her demeanour was also far warmer now her fury had been quelled, "...Please, allow me to introduce myself and my mistress properly. My name is Koria, you may address my mistress as Lady Ember."

For some reason, Lady Ember seemed quite irritated upon hearing her maid's words, noticeably frowning as she wiped tears from her face.

"I sincerely apologise for my harsh questioning, and particularly for being so rough with you... I didn't realise you were-"

"N-NO!" Fena yelped; she didn't want her secret to be revealed.
Visibly perplexed, Koria paused for a moment. Patiently, she observed Fena, then carefully continued, "I hope you'll forgive me if I'd touched you anywhere that made you feel uncomfortable. Though I must express that I've no shame acting in the best interests of my mistress; I ask that you please understand this."

She tended to her lady's dishevelled dress, quizzing Fena periodically as she did, "Do you have a home to return to? Or a parent nearby?"

For a moment, Fena considered that attempting to explain who her mother was may help her out, but she brushed the idea off pretty quickly, fearing that word of today's exploits making it back to her would only end up causing her trouble in the end. Plus, she was still mad at her, really mad; talking to her mother right now was not an option.

"I'm lost." She tersely confessed, fiddling with Bolt as she shrunk against the wall behind her.

Koria glanced furtively at Bolt, then back at Fena, "You're lost, you say? You've no familiarity at all with this area? Did you even know you'd strayed onto the 'Ember Estate'?"

"A-academy." Fena mumbled, ignoring Koria's questions and trying her best to get to the point.

"What? You were headed to the Shinobi Academy too?" Ruby chimed in; her blue eyes seemed to light up somewhat.

Furrowing her brow, Koria looked Fena up and down, then did so once again, "You have business at the Shinobi Academy?" It seemed she couldn't hide her scepticism.

Whilst Fena struggled to summon her words, she spied Ruby mumbling something in Koria's ear, which she didn't seem to appreciate at all, "Lady Ember, have you lost the plot? If your father spots you with this child once more he'll-"

"Enough! I've made up my mind..." She abruptly proclaimed, stomping her foot onto the ground repeatedly and then folding her arms, "...And father isn't here right now is he? So, for the hundredth time, it's Ruby, not Lady Ember; I hate that stupid name. You're my friend, not my slave."

"I-... you truly are incorrigible. I shall relent." Smiling earnestly as she sighed in resignation, Koria switched gears, embracing the responsibility her mistress had thrust upon her, "You are in luck child, my mis- pardon me, my friend Ruby wishes for you to join us, I assume you'll accept her offer, yes?"

Completely awestruck at Ruby's sudden outburst, Fena once again found it impossible to fish the words from her throat and speak them aloud. Fena's face blushed beet red. Concealing it with her hands before anyone could notice, she peeked through the gaps between her fingers at Ruby, whom she couldn't stop thinking of as The Princess Girl.

In a matter of seconds, she'd thrown a little tantrum, stomping on the ground and turning her back to her elder looking all the image of a spoilt noble brat, but then treated someone clearly below her station with such benevolent warmth and kindness. Her expression was serious, yet solemn; she truly saw her maid as her friend.

-I have to see more... I wonder what she loves? Or what she hates? What about friends? Would she still be friends with me if she knew I was a girl?

Almost bursting with both excitement and nervousness at the many scenarios playing through her head, Fena continued to daydream. Even just hearing The Princess Girls name made her heart flutter.

Unintentionally bursting her fantasy filled bubble, Koria extended her hand toward Fena, she noticed weird looking bumps on the tips of her fingers, "I must insist that we make haste, lest we are late and suffer disqualification; I'm sure that's the last thing you'd want, right? May I take hold of your hand, child? If that is too intrusive, may I instead take hold of your sleeve?"

Though it'd been a short time since she'd met her and they'd not exactly gotten off on the right foot, Fena gradually began to see visages of her own mother in Koria; the warmth of their calming voices, the tranquil stillness of their gaze whenever they would patiently await a response, Koria's eyes were even brown, slightly darker but still similar to Melina's hazel tint.

Fena wanted to trust her, at least for now.

She lifted her arm up closer to the open palm earnestly awaiting a response and muttered, "Fe-... na..."

It reciprocated the gesture, lightly grasping the loose material underneath Fena's arm, "Fena? Is that your name child?"

Fena nodded whilst looking toward the ground, too nervous to look Koria in the eye.
"A lovely name indeed. Right, shall we be off then? Ruby, may I take your hand as well?"

A stoic expression on her face, Ruby replied, "I think... I think that I would quite like that."

And so, the newly acquainted trio stepped back out onto the main streets, which Fena felt were somehow even more rammed than they were earlier when she was with her mother, which made sense, as unbeknownst to her, about less than half an hour remained until the Academy's notorious spars showcasing the next generation of talent in the Shinobi world officially kicked off the day's celebrations.

Also remaining the same was the sweltering heat. Now that she'd finally escaped the trouble she was in, Fena was really feeling the effects of it. This was the first time she'd ever ventured this far from home and without her mother's supervision no less; the heat was beginning to make her feel queasy.

"Fena, are you alright? I would offer you a moment of respite, but I must stress we are really running short on time here." Koria asked, quickly intuiting Fena's growing discomfort.

"I don't usually get to spend this much time outside, and I've never been this far away from home... I had no idea it could be this hot."

Belatedly realising she may have spoken a bit too much, Fena shied away, covering her mouth; the words just seemed to slip out.

But was that really so bad?

Further pondering upon her mishap, Fena asked herself if there was really any problem with opening up a little to Koria at all. She'd been violent with her in the beginning yes, but she was protecting Ruby, a real life Princess Girl.

I'd have definitely done the same for her; Fena staunchly agreed.

"Oh, I see..." Pausing for a moment and fixing Fena a wide-eyed stare, as did Ruby also, Koria pulled something from her pocket; a flannel by the looks of it, "...I believe I have something that'll help somewhat, may I?"

"U-um... Yes please."

She handed the flannel to Fena. It was a black flannel embroidered with a red and white phoenix. Fena peered closely at its design, the same one of the back of Ruby's elegant black dress.

"That insignia seems to have sparked your interest child; do you know of it?"

"That big carriage kinda had a thing on it that looked like this. I think that loudmouth boy and his big fat father wore it on their clothes too."

"You'd be right, indeed they did." Koria affirmed, chuckling like a schoolgirl who'd been told a naughty joke. "That symbol is the insignia for the Ember clan, the blood of which runs through Ruby's veins. Legends in this village have it that when Lady Origin began our existence as we now know it, she birthed four children, whom all inherited fractions of her divinity and entrusted them with the responsibility to be humanities custodians. On that flannel, 'Ramus, The Eternal Flame', colloquially known as 'The Phoenix', is depicted. He is said to be responsible for forming the Ember clan... there, all done; hold this flannel against your forehead."

Too busy sinking deeper and deeper into her fascination for Koria's stories, Fena hadn't at all noticed that the flannel she held in her hand was now pleasantly cool and somewhat damp, "But what about Origin's other children?"

Koria leaned in close to Fena's ear, "You'd want to ensure you only invoke the name of Her Grace in public appropriately. Though non-believers and sceptics are not officially prosecuted by the police force, public prosecution is often ignored." She whispered.

After pulling away and glancing towards Ruby, she smiled and said, "If there's a next time, Young Fena, I'd love to indulge your curiosity further; you seem to be one who enjoys stories, much like my mistress here who refuses to go to bed without me reading her one first."

Ruby, who'd been mostly quiet thus far during the trio's journey, shot up at Koria's playful jab, "Ah- Excuse me Koria! Was that information really necessary to share? It's embarrassing!" It seems her friend knew exactly which buttons to press.

Feeling something swell up inside of her, Fena blurted out, "D-don't worry, Miss Ruby... my mom reads me a bedtime story every night too; I don't like sleeping alone; I get nightmares."

"Miss Ruby?" Ruby slowly repeated back; she raised a quizzical eyebrow toward Fena.

Wishing she could snatch up the words that had broken free from her stupid mouth and shove them back down her own throat, Fena froze up underneath Ruby's placid sapphire stare, unsure if she'd just stepped on a landmine.

TOO-CLOSE-TOO-CLOSE-TOO-CLOSE; her soft breaths danced upon Fena's cheeks; her delightful smell was sending her heart into overdrive.

"Come on now, the pair of you; the 'East Bridge' is just up ahead, let us make haste." Lightly pulling on Ruby's hand and Fena's arm, Koria led the way.

Before following on, Ruby withheld Fena contemplatively, "You... are very... different, Fena." She bluntly stated, with the usual placid stare.

Fena didn't dare inquire as to what that could've possibly meant.

Just ahead of them, a gargantuan bridge upwardly inclined leading to various higher up mountains appeared as if summoned upon the blink of an eye. Multiple thoughts rattled Fena's mind; how the heck would they traverse this huge bridge in time for the ceremony? Which mountaintop was their desired destination? Even if they could get up there in time, wouldn't she be exhausted once she got to the top? There's no way she could fight right after that; there's no way anyone could, surely? And most pressing of all... how the heck didn't I notice this thing myself?

"You needn't worry Fena; my mistress will handle this part."

Taking the lead and now pulling Koria and Fena along, Ruby headed towards what looked to be a service desk, manned by an elderly man and an elderly woman, who both smiled as they greeted her.

"Passage for my maid and my acquaintance please, Victor."

"Of course, Lady Ember, right this way, if you would." He wearily requested, beckoning Ruby inside of the small building.

The rest of the group followed. Inside, it was plain and minimalistic; the building seemed to simply serve as a roof over the heads of whoever these old people were and whatever business they were handling. A brochure, much like the one Fena had read in the hospital from a glance, pinned by itself in the dead centre of a large wooden bulletin board served as the only distinguishable décor.

"I assume you've the payment ready, Young Miss?"

"Yes, as always Victor..." Reaching into the breast pocket of her dress, Ruby pulled out a variety of sparkling trinkets and held them before the old man, "...Take your pick."

"Ohh, you never disappoint, Lady Ember. Let me see..." Taking a long, hard look at the opulent wares on display, the shrewd-looking old man seemed to keenly eye one in particular, a silver necklace of some sort.

Fena couldn't quite make out what it looked like but guessed that it vaguely resembled something like a fairy, like the one's she'd read about.

"I must stress that our time is limited, I ask that you make your choice soon, Victor."

"Ah yes, I understand young Miss... this one shall do; it'll fetch a fine price from the noble fools in Historia, the 'Fairy Of The Wind' is quite the catch over there... or maybe I'll try and swindle your old man for some coin eh?" Smirking mischievously, he coiled the chain around his finger, satisfied greatly with his payment.

"Over here." The old woman now curtly instructed. Whilst Ruby dealt with the old man, it seemed she had been preparing whatever travel idea that was to be the substitute for traversing the huge bridge. "Step into the lift. Stand within the markings. Infuse no essence."

Utterly confused, Fena did as she was instructed, though it'd be a bit more accurate to say that Fena was following Koria's lead. Neither she nor Ruby looked in the least bit surprised; Fena wasn't sure whether that helped to make her feel more comfortable or more nervous, though it was likely a bit of both.

The old lady stepped into the lift. The old man stood outside and gave her a signal, prompting her to weave a few hand signs. Shortly after, sounds of static became audible, which caused Fena to jump, thinking she'd been shocked.

"Remain still!" The old woman abruptly yelled, swiping a hand at Fena's wrist, then repeating her process once again. After a few moments of silence, the lift began to move.

-Wait, move?! What the heck is happening?

Darting her gaze in every direction whilst trying her utmost to remain as still as she could, Fena quickly began to understand where she was and what was happening.

"Ah! I know what this is now! This is one of the 'Grand Lifts'!"

Ruby turned around from looking outside the opposite window; it seemed she was observing the scenery.

"You've knowledge of this contraption, Fena?" Koria asked, visibly surprised.

Hours and hours of her mother's ramblings flooding into her head all at once, Fena sighted her innovations and how they'd been implemented into the final product; most notably the usage of Essence being pumped into a small machine to stabilise the cart and move it respectively.

Pointing to that small device, Fena explained, "That's called an 'Essence Compartmentaliser'; it stores the Wind and Lightning Essence that gets infused into it by the operator of the lift and this small thingy on the end is called an 'Essence Distributor'; it pushes that Essence wherever it needs to go."

"Wow... well, it would seem as though you've no end of surprises, Fena. Is your father an engineer? With Melina Alexandria's ingenuity, I feel as though I hear rumours of another innovative contraption every week. It's truly quite fascinating."

"I... don't have a dad."

Following a few moments of awkward silence, Fena scrambled to throw some words out to fill up the stagnant air, waving her hands all over the place as she spoke, "Oh but you don't have to be sorry at all though! My mom never tells me anything about him and I can't really remember him, so..."

"I think it best we stray from discussion pertaining to personal matters henceforth. Today, you compete for the official title of a Shinobi, correct? I shan't occupy your mind any further with needless discussion."

Koria was right, today was a massive day. It wasn't a day for re-opening closed wounds or causing unnecessary trouble like Fena already had done. Belatedly, Fena realised that ever since she ran off from her mother, she'd completely lost sight of what had mattered most to her, the reason why she was even doing this in the first place.

Was the outside world truly that terrifying? Was it truly so vast and unpredictable that it could so easily sway her from the dream she'd desired for as long as she could remember?

No. For Fena, the answer to that question wouldn't even be relevant, for the life she dreamed of spending with her mother, one where she'd never again miss a birthday, or be away from home when Fena had awoken from an awful nightmare, a life where she'd never again come home at the crack of dawn and collapse of exhaustion in the hallway, Fena would have to be stronger than whatever the world could possibly throw at her.

Like her mother had hammered into her during her training, "The Shinobi world is built on power, nothing else matters." and if she could become the ultimate power in the Shinobi World, nobody would be able to take her mother away from her ever again.

Firmly clenching her fists, Fena waged war on the world she'd only seen but a fraction of, "I will not fail, I will protect my mother. I will be the strongest." Her supernova's scorched blindingly bright, Fena looked waywardly out of the window towards the scenery below but focusing on nothing in particular... only envisioning her hand being raised victorious.   

 

Author's Note

Any feedback appreciated! Also, sorry if there's any formatting issues, pulling the writing from word is way more annoying a process than it ought to be.