Prologue

I always followed in my Mother's footsteps, choosing the life of a Mage than that of a simpler profession. She always supported me in this decision with an unwavering smile, and kind words; she always pushed me to be my best, and taught me to respect my magic.

She was a kind, loving, person … the type that would never hurt anyone. Maybe this is why it was so hard for me to understand all of it that day…

Do you remember? The sun was setting, and it had begun to rain when we met. … I'll never forget that day.

"You b*****d! Why? Why would you do something like that?"

The words came from a girl, barely 21 years old, and were aimed to the back of a man attempting to take his leave. She was lovely, porcelain skin stained with the slowly pouring rain and salty tears flowing from her aching Moss Green eyes. Her hair was a mass of black, uneven, layers that were beginning to curl in the falling precipitation whilst her cropped bangs had already began to dampen and stick to her forehead; it hung like a curtain, attempting to mask the sadness overflowing her core and block the world away from her exposed, broken, heart. Her clothing was being soaked, the streaks of blood that had been plastered across them minutes before slowly running from a deep crimson to a light pink in the thickening downpour.

"Don't turn your back on me you piece of s**t! Answer me, or I'll rip the reason out of you!"

It was impossible, despite her best efforts, she'd been unable to hide the tears pouring over to partially mask the anger lacing with her words. Her voice wasn't conveying the emotions she wanted to at the moment, and despite the fury burning within her core she couldn't find the strength to rise from her crouched position on the dampening ground. Her mind was still trying to make sense of it, trying to sort out the images that were laid out in plain sight before her. It was still stuck on the ones it had been flooded with before all of this.

"Don't make me laugh kid, you'll be in the same state as your Mother …"

The man had finally stopped, turned his head and was paying her a bit of attention. His interest had been peaked by the threat, almost enough to draw a laugh from his gut. He tossed a set of five keys into the air before catching them, shaking his head at the pathetic sight he was leaving behind. "She died because she was less powerful than I, it's simple. Quit whining and accept the fact; she knew what she was getting into when she challenged me."

That pissed her off even more, pulling her eyes upwards to drill holes into the snide man, "She beat your a*s a week ago! You attacked her without warning, unfairly, and planted a damn bomb in her home! You murdered her because of your hurt pride; you have no right to call yourself a Mage, much less a powerful one!" Fury was building, causing her limbs to shake … so why? Why could she still not find the strength to stand and attack this man? Infuriating …

"Tch, you're starting to piss me off kid …" He scoffed, attention finally completely turned on the girl who was poking at his patched pride. "Had she been half the Mage you're claiming her to be she wouldn't have gone down so easily … much less been taken out by something such as that …" He'd began advancing, sick of the stone gaze he was receiving from the girl, and extended his hand. It began to glow a dull red, more of a pink than an crimson as it closed in on the drenched woman's throat …

The man jerked, jumping back a few feet as a blast of flames closed the distance between his fingers and the crouched female. They sparked, seeming to jump towards him in an attempt to engulf his arm before disappearing when he'd put a few feet between himself and the body of the green-eyed girl. "The hell kind of trick was that you b***h!"

"Oi … making a girl cry is a crime you know."

The man's eyes were drawn upwards by a slightly annoyed, accented, male voice. "The hell …"

"Attacking one is a crime as well … and murder … don't even get me started on murder." The words were flowing from the lips of a 23 year old man, Chocolate Brown gaze cold as it stared down the other masculine figure. He was standing a mere two feet away beneath the comfort of a clear umbrella protecting his attractive tanned features from the falling rain. His hair was messy, cut in medium Dark Brown layers that appeared partially damp despite the protection above his head. "You should apologize and return those keys you stole from her Mother's corpse … otherwise you might piss me off." His voice was already growing more annoyed.

"Great another brat with a cocky attitude." The attacking man growled, past the point of patience as he pulled his hand back and sent a pale red burst of flames in the direction of the speaking 23 year old.

"Pathetic I can kick your a*s with one hand, old man." The Brown head had blocked the burst of magical energy with his empty right hand; it had suddenly grown a dancing aura of red and orange that resembled sparking embers and knocked the approaching strike with a mere flick of it's wrist. "You call yourself a Mage? Your magic has no spirit … it's a dulled blade wielded by an incompetent master." Chocolate gaze narrowing it gained a cold edge, the state of annoyance that had once been present finally breaking to allow his anger to spill through.

"You little prick; do you know who the hell you're talking too?" The Blonde who'd attacked was nearly spitting in a furious, offended, rage. His arm flailed, sending another burst of energy, followed by another, until he'd unleashed a good eight bolts from his empty hand. "I am Giovanni of Poison Dart, and like hell my Flames will lose to the - !" His boast was cut short, voice vanishing behind a mask of pained shock.

"You call those Flames? They aren't even worth being called smoldering Embers." Speaking slowly, the man bearing the umbrella's gaze was unwavering, locked on the set of large Moss Green eyes watching the scene. He'd advanced, plunged his engulfed fist into the opposing man's gut and unleashed a burst of energy that had terrorized the blonde's form for a matter of seconds before vanishing into a burst of crackling smoke. "I'll be taking these keys back …"

She hadn't been sure of what she'd witnessed honestly, it had happened rather fast for her still dragging mental state. One minute this man with an umbrella appeared, and the next he was standing beside the fallen form of a knocked out blonde whom she'd been spewing death threats towards. The course of the short battle filled itself in, in short - almost movie clip like bursts. This guy … something about the Magic he controlled … It was different than her own.

Something about his Magic was wild, was real … he appeared to control the element of Fire in it's entirety rather than drawing upon it like most Flame Mages. … It seemed to serve him.

Dropping his eyes for a moment the 23 year old collected the set of silver keys, sighing at the sharp gaze coming from the fallen blonde. "Giovanni of Poison Dart … I hope you sleep well knowing Rin of Phoenix Tear tucked you in." Without another word he turned his attention back to the shaking woman, crossing the small space to crouch and place the set of Zodiac keys in one of her shaking hands. Gaze adverting momentarily he spotted the bloodied corpse she was kneeling beside, a split second of sadness floating over his Chocolate eyes.

The black headed female hadn't been able to register more than the cold silver pressing into her palm, eyes locked on the familiar set of hardware that was always at her Mother's side. … Her Mother's Zodiac keys, they had been returned to her … she need to thank this man, but … all she could manage to do was clasp the familiar objects in her palms and stare at them as if they held the answers to everything locked somewhere in their delicate details.

"Holding back your emotions isn't a good thing, you know …" Rin's voice had changed once more, Irish accent soft as it attempted to console the girl who looked near a breaking point. He reached out, positioning the large umbrella over both of their heads, to wipe at the raindrops that had engulfed her hair and right cheek. "You'll never heal that way …"

Everything seemed to return to it's natural speed, her mind finally catching up with the rest of her reality and finding itself in a cold, damp, body finally. Green gaze rising to lock with the set of Chocolate orbs she found herself staring, taking in their sympathetic warmth that mixed with the soft touch of this stranger's palm. The sharp, hysterical groan that broke free from her vocal chords in that moment would have shocked her in any other setting, however seemed fitting as the ocean of tears that had been dammed within her eyes overflowed. All she could manage to do was clench her screaming eyes, and lean her head back to allow the howls of pain to escape her shaking form.

What was she doing, crying in such a way in front of this strange man she'd never met … He simply remain silent, allowing her to cry and curse the heavens until her throat was sore. It was an action that she wasn't able to thank, for no words could do the act of kindness justice. Finally finding her voice the 21 year old dropped her gaze once more to the silver keys clenched within her shaking hands, "Thank you … for returning them …" It was the least she could do, to thank him for that much … "They're … very important to … or they were …"

Rin sighed, a soft smile tugging at the edges of his pursed lips; his fingers wiped at the trail of salt water that had taken the place of the raindrops from minutes before. "Of course they are." He manage to catch the set of fleeing Green orbs and hold them for a moment, long enough to pass a small smile over before losing them to the ground once more. Head tilting to the left he decided to risk asking her a question, "Your name … would you mind me asking for it?"

Head shaking in an attempt to push the dull ache that had developed from her fit away, she agreed, "My name …" Voice trailing off, the girl seemed to have to think a moment, possibly trying to remember or perhaps simply form the words, "Luka Lotus … that's my name."

"I see, so your Mother was Serah … she was a Stellar Mage, right?" Rin finally dropped his hand, fingers trailing to lift the female's chin so he could properly look at her. "I've heard great things about her, Luka … she was very popular with the locals in this village."

Luka nodded, side glancing to the corpse lying just to her left, "She was a very kind person, she would help anyone in any way she could … she was a very talented Mage. She respected her Magic, and the Zodiac signs that she could call upon … she loved them very much."

"I can tell from the way those keys felt … her signs are in pain now too, you know. Can you feel them? They're all crying very deeply for you, and your Mother" He was probing her a bit more, trying to put a lock on the feeling he was getting from this girl. Something seemed … very different about her than what one would expect a typical girl of her age.

Luka let a small, empty, laugh escape. "No, I never could speak with them; I didn't have a talent for Stellar Magic like my Mother …" She'd figured out what he was looking for, and sighed, eyes locking on the curious set of brown. "I'm a Wind Mage to answer your question."

"I see." She'd caught him, and it was something that was amusing to the 23 year old. Rin chuckled, nodding silently to himself at the confirmation of at least some type of magical ability. "Well then, Luka, where are you planning to go?"

Luka froze, unsure of how to answer that particular question. "I … I don't …"

That was all he needed. Rin smiled, standing to still hold the umbrella above the both of their heads; his eyes focused on the set of confused Green, and with a confident shrug he extended his hand to help her up. "So … why don't you come with me, and join Phoenix Tear?"

She wasn't sure if it was the way he'd said the words, or the look of the setting sun slowly disappearing behind him that gave him such a warm, and inviting, glow. Luka paused, hand hesitantly reaching out to take the open palm up on it's offer; what was she doing? She'd never seen this man before in her life … and yet, she found herself calmed by his presence.

"We'll leave after we've given your Mother a proper burial, alright?"

… You know, Rin …

I honestly think that if you hadn't come to save me, I'd still be crouched beside a pile of bones, crying like a lost child. I would have lost myself that day in the rain …

I would have let my Mother, and everything she taught me, down.

I've still never thanked you for what you did to pull me out of that sinking hole; I don't think I ever will, either … I still simply can't think of words enough to convey my gratitude.