My Mentor

Following her visit with Yui, Stella spent the weeks following her visit with Yui at the Hazy Moon alternating between training, and exorcising the dread she felt about returning to the battlefield.

Neither task was easy.

Stella never had the best reputation when it came to thinking of her synergy with her team during missions. She clung stubbornly to her charge-first, hopefully-don’t-die-later mentality, and it was something Rift had often scolded her for. If she had been more like the other members of the Force—many of which had joined after a successful stint in the army or law enforcement—maybe Stella would have understood the value in coordinating with her team more.

Sadly, Stella was a slow learner.

It was only because she lost her comrades that she’d learned such a painful lesson—and it was all the more reason she couldn’t waste it. No matter how inexperienced she was, she would develop a library’s worth of strategies if it meant holding the number of casualties to a minimum.

And while Stella had lost a mentor that could’ve ushered her into her new role as a leader, when the key to the captain’s office landed in her hand, she felt Rift gently nudging her forward.

For a place Stella had hardly given a second glance during briefings, Rift’s office was a treasure trove of information. Physical fitness, magical abilities, personality, individual training regimens—Rift had detailed it all. For everyone.

Stella was grateful.

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“A rifle…?”

Stella smiled excitedly. “Yeah, isn’t it awesome? I commissioned it from the engineering division. I already have my sword to help supplement and channel my magic, so I thought a weapon like this would help you do the same.”

Stella handed Yui the assault rifle, and she slid her finger down the barrel thoughtfully. “I specialized in large scale magic up until now, you know,” Yui said with a probing glance.

“I know! But after reading Captain Rift’s files, I realized that it might be better for you to adopt a combat style more focused on your agility.”

“Why?”

Yui’s skepticism was clear. She’d rarely been corrected by Rift for the way she moved in combat, so she’d never even considered making a change like this. Stella had to do her best to convince her that her strategy was credible.

“Well, for one thing, you’re kind of fearless, you know? I don’t know anyone who handles pressure better than you. It’d be a waste for you to just be making ice shields in the back while I fight.”

“Seems kind of risky. What if I’m no good at shooting?”

Stella frowned. “I don’t think it’s a risk. It’s a calculated decision to take advantage of your strengths.” She gestured for Yui to hand her back the rifle, and she obliged silently.

Stella raised the rifle until it was tucked under her chin, just about 3 centimeters under her ear, and aimed at a training dummy about a football field’s length away.

“With this thing, you’ll be way faster. You’ll also be able to actually get hits in. Getting hit with a regular bullet for the Aria is the equivalent of getting hit with a packing peanut to us. But with an ice bullet condensed with high quality magic, rapid frostbite becomes a possibility. And then—“

“Their limbs could fall off,” Yui finished.

Stella raised the gun so that it was parallel to her body and handed it back to Yui with a smile. “Exactly. And even if that doesn’t happen, it will definitely affect their mobility.”

“So you want me to cripple the Aria so you can swoop in and skewer them on your sword?”

Stella fiddled with one of her earrings nervously. “…That okay with you?”

Yui nodded her assent, and Stella sighed in relief. “Great! Then let’s start practicing straight away.”

“Wait,” Yui said, causing Stella to halt mid-step.

“Something wrong?”

“No. I just wanted to hear what you’re planning to work on, too.”

Stella gripped the hilt of her sword in its scabbard tightly. “It might be easier to ask what I’m not going to be working on,” she said, “but definitely my form, precision, power—and um, maybe I could learn how to control oxygen?”

Stella created a small flame in her hand. “Since it’s an element essential to creating fire, and I create fire with my magic, I should be able to manipulate that too, probably? Possibly?”

Yui raised a brow. Even with how subtle her expressions normally were, Stella could tell she was amused. “Are you saying you want to learn how to suffocate our enemies? Brutal.”

“Well,” Stella started as she extinguished the flame in her palm with a sly smirk, “I give as good as I get.”

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Weeks of training flew by after Stella gave Yui the rifle, and yet the progress felt arthritic.

Sometimes Yui would hit her targets with pin-point accuracy. Others she would miss nine times out of ten. Sometimes Stella would be able to increase the intensity of her flame ten-fold for several minutes at a time. Others her sword was about as hot as freshly toasted bread.

And yet, despite the way the failures of the day settled in Stella’s mind like a group of entitled tourists during a destination vacation, there was also always a hard-earned win at the end of every training session. Small as the wins were—even if her success just amounted to being able to swing her sword a little faster—she’d become addicted to her modest victories regardless.

It felt like gambling at the casino, except even if Stella put in all her winnings and lost the jackpot, the little gains she made along the way would still be there.

It was rewarding. It was frustrating. It was progress.

But when Stella and Yui finally got the wailing phone notification signaling a new mission, they immediately abandoned the grind and geared up.

Still half-asleep, Stella tugged her uniform on as Yui looked at her messages for details. “It says they have a potential nesting in the old warehouse district they want us to check out.”

“Ugh, again? You’d seriously think they’d just tear all those buildings down by now. It just gives the Aria another place to hide.”

“I’m sure there aren’t a lot of demolition experts willing to go out there and test their luck. Besides, I like the warehouse district better than the forest area. I can still feel the itch from the poison ivy even now…”

“I guess you have a point,” Stella said. “Are they dropping us off?”

“Looks like it,” Yui said.

Stella heaved a sigh. “Okay. Good.” She patted herself down. “I’m not missing anything, am I? Communications, clothes, sword…”

Yui evaluated Stella for a moment. “I think you’re missing your hair clip.” She wordlessly moved to Stella’s vanity and handed it to her.

“Thanks.” The steadiness of Stella’s hand as she slipped the clip into her hair surprised her, but she didn’t allow herself to dwell on it. Now wasn’t the time to question if she should feel guilty for recovering from Rift’s death this much.

Stella put her hands on her hips. “Okay, all done. Are you ready?”

Yui nodded, and Stella smiled. “Perfect. Then that just leaves one more thing.” Stella grabbed Yui by the sleeve and pulled her into a hug. “Please be safe,” she whispered.

Yui patted Stella on the back comfortingly. “I know you’re worried, but please don’t throw such an obvious death flag.”

Stella laughed and pulled away. “Sorry. Ready to go?”

Yui adjusted her hat and flicked the tail of her scarf over her shoulder. “Ready.”