Last time they teleported into a place with Knights, it didn't go well for Phoenix Flight. Things were different this time, though.
After Captain Laerton gave Olivia the permission she needed, the captain sent a message to someone, and a few moments later, she received the go-ahead, allowing teleportation. Pock created his zipper gate, and the four of them, Pock, Laerton, Olivia, and Ken, all stepped through. Unlike the last time Olivia traveled with Pock, she knew she wouldn't be stepping out into a city.
Instead, she'd be arriving straight to the base of the Shining Sentinels.
As a kid, it had always been a dream to see them. She always wanted to be a Shining Sentinel. Of course, as she grew up, she knew that such a thing wasn't possible and instead shifted her goal to being any Arcane Knight. She was unable to stop the slightly giddy feeling that appeared in her stomach as the gate finished transporting her.
She was about to see the guild base of her dreams.
Ken was the first to react. "S-Seriously?"
"It's as gaudy as I remember." Laerton sighed.
"It's so cool!" Olivia and Pock both had stars in their eyes.
Every guild had its own base, but the three top guilds, Mourning Stars, Umbra Mortis, and the Shining Sentinels, had the three biggest and greatest bases. Pantheon's guild base had been a mighty skyscraper in the middle of the city. Phoenix Flight's guild base was a train residing in a junkyard.
It went without saying, but the Shining Sentinels guild base put both Phoenix Flight and Pantheon to shame.
The base itself resided over Rose City. Rose City was the capital and home to the king's castle. The city lay below, surrounded by a massive dome that shielded it from all danger. Far, far above it, lived the Shining Sentinels guild base.
Millions of clouds gathered, swirling and combining, forming a massive platform that stretched as far as the eye could see. Somehow, the clouds were solid, able to stay connected and pieced together. On top of the clouds was the base itself.
There was an entire forest, vast and expansive, with trees that rose like skyscrapers and twisting branches that formed roads and bridges. The wooden structures all came together into the shape of a massive wooden castle, still covered in leaves and sap that formed into dozens of ponds scattered across the land. It was all one big elven forest, up in the skies.
It was said that this castle, forged from trees, once belonged to elven royalty, but it has since been claimed by the Shining Sentinels, who now own it and use it as their home.
The base was almost as big as the city it floated above, and there were dozens of other buildings, all created out of trees as well, looking like a mini town or village. Everywhere Olivia looked, she saw Arcane Knights, all wearing the golden symbol of their guild. She was amazed while they only looked at her and the others with disgust. Shining Sentinels didn't seem happy to have some members of Phoenix Flight here.
Olivia barely noticed, as she was still busy gazing at the sights. So many castles, trees, and towers all stood before her. Some areas looked to be farmlands where a few people were tending to crops. They lacked the guild symbols and were likely ordinary workers. It amazed her that there was soil and grass as well as dirt all up in the clouds.
Just as she was finally starting to get used to the sights, a voice called down to her from high above.
"Greetings, Phoenix Flight!"
Olivia glanced up, and her eyes widened when she saw Pretty Face, the woman who had been in charge of the exams, floating down toward her.
The snow-haired beauty was just as she remembered, with long white hair and a pair of angelic wings that grew out of her back. She wore a gown made of feathers and was holding onto a microphone. She didn't touch the ground and instead stayed floating in the air, hovering in front of them.
"What brings you here!" She announced, her voice booming out as she spoke into the microphone.
Laerton's eye twitched as the wave of sound pierced into her ears, and she nearly slapped the object out of the other woman's hand but held back. "Cut the crap, Face. I sent a teleport request in; you already know why I'm here."
Pretty Face clicked her tongue and casually flipped her hair. "Right. You wanted to speak to the captain. You're lucky he is in a good mood. Normally, he wouldn't agree to let your kind here, but he recently got some good news, so I guess he's a little more bubbly than usual."
"Meeting with your captain isn't the only reason we came." Laerton glanced at Olivia and nodded. "Go on. Tell her."
Olivia took a nervous step forward, and she collected her scattered nerves. "I wanted to speak to a friend of mine. His name is Bruno. He joined your guild recently."
Pretty Face's lips thinned into a line. She didn't frown, but her smile was gone, and her eyes turned critical. "Sorry, but our recruits are busy-"
"She won't disturb them for long." Laerton cut the other woman off, and some of Laerton's mana began to seep out. It was intense and heavy, and Pretty Face entirely dropped from the sky and landed on the balls of her feet, her wings unable to keep her afloat. "I'd appreciate it if you did us this favor."
"S-Scary." Pretty Face chuckled. "No need to throw your mana around…" Even if Phoenix Flight was the weakest guild, Laerton was still a captain, and that meant she was far stronger than most. Strong enough to bring even Pretty Face down with just her aura. "Sure, sure, alright, I'll do what you want, but just know, if anyone gets mad, it's you guys who have to pay for it."
"Don't we always?" Laerton eased up, her aura no longer seeping out. "In that case, be a dear and take my juniors to go see the recruits. I know my way to the captain's office; I can smell his expensive perfume from here, so I'll head that way."
Pretty Face gave a nervous nod and lifted into the air once again. "Alright. If you insist." She then turned to look toward Olivia, Ken, and Pock. "Alright, you three follow me."
Laerton separated from the group and began to walk toward the direction of the biggest castle. She used various Mana Steps and vanished in a flickering afterimage. As soon as she was gone, Pretty Face scowled and let out a deep sigh. The woman began to fly slowly and folded her arms, huffing.
Olivia glanced back at Ken and Pock, and the two just shrugged, and then they began to follow the woman. Pretty Face didn't hide her displeasure, muttering about them under her breath, but she still did as Laerton requested of her and took them in the direction of the forest.
The trees twisted and creaked as a wall of them opened up on their own, allowing the four of them through. Past the wall of trees was an open field. The grass was a deep red, and near the center of the field was a lake of bubbling orange liquid. Steam was rising rapidly from the liquid, and the closer they got, the more Olivia felt her skin start to burn. It reminded her of the lava lake, only slightly less intense. Even Ken seemed put off by the heat.
Pretty Face led them closer to the lake, and as Olivia peered into it, she realized that it was actually made of tree sap. Dozens of roots ran along the ground and jutted out, opening like facets, and their orange sap spilled out and dropped into the lake, hissing and growing hotter. Various runes were written in the ground around the body of liquid, all humming with mana, and they seemed to be what was fueling so much heat into the sap, all being comprised of fire runes.
"What is that thing?" Ken asked, staring down at the sap-filled lake.
Pretty Face also looked down at the liquid and hummed. "This here is a way of training exclusive to my guild. Unlike yours, our guild takes training very seriously. What you see is the best way to unlock resistances."
Pock let out a whistle. "I think I get it. That sap heals, right?" He chuckled. "And those runes heat it up. So you throw people in there and have them be burned alive, but the sap then heals and mends them, fixing them right up. You've basically trapped them in a cycle where their body is broken down and mended until they can withstand it."
Olivia's face paled as she heard that. It seemed even more barbaric than Ragna's way of doing things. Such a method of training must have been awful.
Pretty Face ignored him, and she brought her microphone up to her lips. "Alright! Come on out, Bruno Moore!"
Suddenly, the heat that was present cut out. It was instantly replaced with a creeping chill, and Olivia gasped, her breath becoming visible. The surface of the sap grew still and then started to freeze, ice creeping out. A hand rose out of the surface, and someone pulled themselves out of the sap.
Olivia's eyes widened when she saw Bruno. Her friend had changed a lot. Just like Ash, he now had this new look in his eyes.
Sap dripped down his hair, which was neat and combed back. He was cleanly shaved, and the usual smile he always had present on his face was completely gone. His eyes were sunken in, and he had obvious bags under them. He seemed a little taller, as well as a lot more filled out with muscles. Expensive-looking platemail armor covered his form, and his wand had been replaced with a long, jagged staff that was made out of wood.
Despite how different he looked, the faintest hint of a familiar light filled his eyes when they landed on Olivia.
"Olivia."
"Bruno."
Olivia stepped forward, as did Bruno, and the two embraced one another. He hugged her like his life depended on it, his hands tangling in the fabric of her clothing, and it took everything for her not to break down and cry.
Ken seemed to sense that she and Bruno needed a moment because the red-haired woman nudged Pretty Face. "Take me back to where I was; this sap is making my nose burn."
"What about your friend-"
"She'll find her own way back. Besides, I get the feeling she'd like to speak to her friend in private." Pretty Face frowned at the response but eventually shrugged and began to lead Ken and a confused Pock back to the area they arrived at.
Olivia remained in Bruno's arms for several minutes. The two of them simply embraced one another. Eventually, she did manage to separate herself from him, and she quietly gazed up at him. Bruno also stayed silent and studied her appearance.
"Bruno-"
"Olivia-"
They both cut each other off.
"You first-"
"Go ahead-"
Again, they spoke at the same time, and both let out a soft laugh. Olivia spoke up next before he could open his mouth.
"I'm glad I got to see you. You've, uh… You've sure grown, huh?"
Bruno snorted and placed a hand on top of her head. "Jealous?"
"A little."
He chuckled again. "Yeah, I've gotten bigger. It was some training method they gave me. Made me take a bunch of pills and do a lot of physical workouts. At first, I don't think the guild liked me very much. I get the sense they weren't happy a commoner was part of their ranks, and they sort of mistreated me and made me do all sorts of dangerous stuff, or would go hard on me during the training."
"That sounds awful!"
"Nah." Bruno shook his head. "It wasn't that bad. Anytime I was struggling, I would just think to myself, 'Olivia wouldn't complain if she were doing this; she's been through way worse,' and then I'd try twice as hard." She blushed a little at his response, and that goofy smile he used to always wear returned for a moment. "After that, I managed to beat some big shot they had in their guild and showed off my skills. They finally respected me and even gave me this staff." Bruno ran his fingers along the wooden object. "It works great when I create my ice sword. I can fight just like-"
'Just like Dad taught me to.'
A silence filled the air as his sentence went unsaid.
"B-Bruno-"
"So, how have you been?" Bruno announced, a little too loudly. "I mean, you're in your own get-up now; I bet you got stronger, right?"
"Bruno…"
"Do you think you can fight Ash now? I wonder how Ash is doing? I haven't checked up on him. I guess I haven't checked up on you either, have I?"
"Bruno, please…"
"I've just been so busy, you know! T-The guild has really been putting me through a lot of training; I haven't had any time to stop and think. I just gotta get stronger, right? Keep on growing and advancing-"
Olivia placed her hands on either side of his head and forced him to look her in the eyes. Tears were streaming down his face as he struggled to keep his cool and act like nothing was wrong.
"It's okay. You don't need to hold yourself together. You're my brother. You can stop pretending." Her own tears were starting to fall now. "Please. I don't want to pretend like everything is okay."
That finally broke the floodgate, and once again, she was pulled into a hug from Bruno; this time, though, they both began to cry. Bruno cried, and she cried. Together they both cried. The rest of the world didn't matter. Nothing was important in this moment. All they had was each other.
When the tears did finally start to dry up, Bruno took a seat on the ground, and she joined him. He'd start talking about the good old days and all the things the two of them did with Rosco, and that would cause them to laugh and cry some more. They both kept talking about the past. Again and again, they'd cry and laugh and cry and laugh in some cycle that neither wanted to end.
"A-And then, Dad had to claw you off me, because you kept smacking me over and over again." Bruno let out a mixed gasp between a laugh and a sob. "So, after that, I knew I shouldn't mess with your books, or you'd kick my ass."
"I did so many chores and was saving up all the Bells Rosco would give me for that book." Olivia giggled and struggled to wipe her eyes. "I-I I'm sorry…"
"What are you sorry for?"
"For not checking on him sooner." Another choked gasp escaped her.
Bruno shook his head. "No. You're not to blame. If you are, then I'm just as bad. I didn't come to check on him either, despite getting such a bad feeling. I was so scared of the guild refusing to let me go or getting angry at me that I allowed that fear to override my gut feeling. Worse, I haven't even checked on you or Ash yet. I should check on Trent also. He wasn't in the village when it got destroyed either."
Olivia gripped his hand, holding it until both their knuckles turned white. "I-I haven't checked on them either. I was also focused on my own training. I threw myself into it headfirst. The other day, though, I was talking to a mage, and they used this memory magic on me, and it let me relive some of the good old days, and I got to see Rosco again, even if it was just a version of him created from my memories. He ended up telling me some of the stuff I needed to hear."
She did her best to repeat what Rosco had told her. All the stuff about how he wasn't truly gone and he'd live on through their memories. Like her, Bruno didn't seem quite satisfied with that answer, but he did nod his head and listen.
"After that, I realized I needed to come see you. I wanted to make sure you're okay. You're not okay, are you?"
"No." Bruno shook his head and wiped his eyes, but more tears flowed. "Of course, I'm not okay. I don't think I'm ever going to be okay. I'm going to manage, though. Maybe not as well as I used to, but my life isn't over. I still have things I have to do and things I will do. I-I know that Dad would yell at me if I spent the rest of my life living in grief. Still…"
Olivia laid her head on his shoulder and finished his sentence. "It's hard to move on."
"Yeah." Bruno nodded and ran his fingers through her hair. "I threw myself into even harder training because I felt like I needed to do something, but also because it felt like I could preserve the memory, or rather pretend like it didn't happen. I know that's stupid, but some part of me kept hoping that I'd wake up and have a new call from Rosco. Sometimes I text him or call his number, but I know that he isn't going to answer."
"I did the same," Olivia admitted. "I trained and trained, even doing it when I slept." Her mind briefly went back to Maya. The little blue box had been strangely quiet ever since the mission with Miranda. "I just wanted to feel like I did something or reached something." She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and stared down at her reflection in the lake of sap. "Before Fri was… I saw Rosco and talked to him. He told me how proud he was. How proud of you he was. He was so happy you became not just a Knight but a member of one of the best guilds ever."
Bruno let out a weak laugh. "Well, I had to show the world how cool my father's son was."
"You're doing a good job. Even without a proper ability to sense mana, I can tell you've grown so much."
"It wasn't easy." Bruno sighed. "I-I still want more power."
"So do I."
"You want to kill the thing that destroyed Fri as well?"
"Of course."
Bruno nodded. "I bet Ash will as well. Trent also. I know he isn't a Knight, but the four of us should get together. We should all do it. Oh, do you know what caused it?"
Olivia shook her head and sat up, growing more serious as Bruno finally stopped crying and his look steeled. "Do you?" She asked.
"Yeah." Bruno nodded. "I heard about it after I spoke with one of the higher-ups in the guild. She told me that Sera, the Pantheon member who was caught up in the attack, finally woke up from her coma and reported that it was a mutant that looked like some sort of horse-like monster. He had a form of liquid-controlling magic and was also adept at using curses. The fire that ate Lotus and Fri was created naturally, but it was coated and filled to the brim with curses. The curses didn't last long, but they stuck around just enough to ensure even a powerful Knight would struggle to withstand the onslaught of flames."
"A mutant that looks like a horse?" Olivia muttered quietly. She finally had an idea of a target. Now, if only more information on the group that caused these attacks could surface.
"Thanks for coming out here." Bruno tore her away from her thoughts. His fingers grew tight around his staff, and he looked up at the sky above. The sun was starting to set, and night began to rain down upon them. "I know we didn't talk about a lot, but it has helped me. I'm serious when I say we should get Ash and Trent, also. I want all four of us to be the ones who kill that mutant."
"Of course." Olivia gave another nod and managed a weak smile. "We'll get our revenge. I'm sure of it. I'm glad to see you again, too. I understand we've all been going through a lot, but in the future I think we should all make an effort to talk a bit more."
Bruno nodded. "Oh, yeah, that reminds me. I have something I'd like to tell you."
"Yes?"
"It's a bit personal and kind of embarrassing."
Olivia snorted and flicked him on the nose. "You can tell me anything. Go right ahead."
Bruno took a deep breath. "I'm getting married."
Olivia opened her mouth and then shut it. Her brain short-circuited.
"Huh?"