50

Tenka guides Sion to the rest of the group, the students and teachers both exhausted, the bound bodies of Hyrtan’s men littering the field around them. They find Scima quickly. Rebello seems to have found large wooden poles, similar in appearance to a tree trunk without its bark, but far more uniform. Most likely, he obtained them through somebody’s magic. On either pole a person is tied. Valere is on one, a resigned look on his face. On the other is Scima, still fighting ineffectually against his bindings. At the foot of the pole is Eva, watching over Scima calmly. Sion is baffled by the odd scene.

“I thought Scima was barely conscious?” Tenka responds, just as confused.

“He recovered quickly.”

Sion walks over to the group. Rebello calls out to Sion, not a single glance to the two poles.

“Oh, so you’re finally back! I was worried for a second that you might not be stupider than the other one!”

“What… is going on?” Rebello looks back exaggeratedly towards the poles, pretending as though he had forgotten they were there.

“Oh, you mean this? It’s not important. Don’t worry about it.” Scima interjects quickly.

“Sion! Untie me and hand me that arm over there and I think we’ll be able to take him!”

“Don’t untie him, you brat, or I’ll tie you both up there.”

“Scima, what did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“And what do you mean ‘arm?’”

“My sword broke! I had to improvise! Keep up!”

“Eva, what did he do?”

“After Tenka was sent to find you, he returned to me, then tried to go out and find you. He was tied up just as he was about to get away.”

“Why would that get him tied up?” Tenka answers.

“He was told to stay here when I was sent out.”

Sion walks up to Scima’s pole and begins to untie the ropes. Rebello does not stop him. Soon enough, Scima is free once more. Sion then turns his attention to the still silent Valere.

“Why is Valere tied up?”

“Why do you think I tied up that coward?”

“But I came back fine?” Rebello dashes forward and pushes on Sion’s chest. Sion falls onto the grass.

“You’re this weak and half your ribs are broken, you stupid brat.” Rebello then tears through the ropes, letting Valere go. Sion turns back to Scima and Eva.

“Anyway, where’s Anima?” Eva answers.

“I’m not sure. She’s off somewhere else.” Scima continues.

“Yeah. Should be back near the center. She didn’t want to come with us when I tried to go get you, for some reason.”

“Got it.” Sion starts walking off. Surprised, Eva reacts a second later.

“Hold on, Sion, you need somebody to heal you.” Eva starts after him.

“Lady Eva, I need to protect you.” Scima starts after her. Rebello sighs.

“Tenka, go make sure those brats don’t hurt themselves.”

“Hurt themselves?”

“You never know with idiots like them.” Tenka sighs and starts after them.

Sion finds Anima quickly. She sits on the grass, resting. Sion approaches her cheerily.

“Anima, you’re okay?” She looks up at him and smiles.

“Yeah. Just a little hurt. You’re fine too?”

“Yeah. We’re all safe. But if you got hurt, should we get somebody to heal you?”

“Maybe. I think I’m fine though.” Eva and Scima reach the two of them. Eva starts to chastise Sion.

“Sion! Stay still and let me heal you!” Anima is surprised.

“Huh?! Sion, I thought you were fine?”

“I am. Just a little hurt.” Scima interjects.

“Sorry, Anima, but you gotta realize that all men are liars. Even yours.” Scima shoves Sion over, causing him to fall onto the grass beside Anima. Anima turns her head to look at him.

“Sion, what happened?” Eva begins to mend his ribs as he begins to tell his story as he looks at the sky.

“First, I saw a vision and ended up by that fence. Don’t worry, I think it was nothing. Or rather, I think it was fate. After that, Valere found me. Then we met a man named Kreteo. Then Kreteo started attacking us, and Valere realized that there was a fight here, so I sent him away. Then I beat Kreteo. Then I undid the spell cast on him. Then he told me his story and told me to stop Hyrtan. Then we saw Hyrtan flying to the top of the spire, so I ran after him.” Tenka reaches the group and interjects.

“So that’s what you were hiding.” At that, Anima realizes how strange this story is.

“Actually, we were told that there was some kind of monster guarding the entrance, and that the spire was closed anyway. How did you get past that?” Scima interjects.

“Well, Hyrtan said that himself, so it might just be a lie.” Sion smiles gently.

“I don’t think it was a lie. I was just lucky.” Sion returns to the story. “Then I got inside the spire and got to the top. Then I fought Hyrtan’s bird, beat it, and watched Hyrtan jump off the side of the spire.” Scima laughs sharply. “Then I jumped after him.” Before anyone else can react, Scima starts laughing even harder. “Then he exploded.” The story’s end moved too quickly, leaving everyone unsure of how to react, or what to react to first. Before anyone can, the spirits burst into multi-colored lights.

“Sion, why did you skip us!”

“Don’t skip us!” Sion smiles as the lights shine on everyone.

“Sorry. These are my new friends. I met them in the spire. They decided to come with me.” The spirits fly around rapidly, introducing themselves as they pass by each person around Sion.

“We love Cenit the most!”

“Now we love Sion the second most!”

Sion laughs as he watches his friends’ baffled expressions. Scima is the first one to recollect himself.

“Sure. Anyway. Sion, you said that Hyrtan exploded. What’s that about?”

“He rigged himself with the same spell that Gitsung used, I think.”

“Is that it? Well, did he spill anything important?”

“‘The weak obey the strong.’ He didn’t care about anybody but himself and their leader. All he wanted was to destroy everything for that man. And it seems that they’re really going to war with Dracabana from this point on.” Scima looks serious, his eyes barely noting the lights flying around him.

“I see. We should send a letter to the general. The Harvest Festival is starting soon, isn’t it…?” Scima trails off, his hand cradling his chin, as he loses himself in thought. He suddenly snaps out of it and smiles wide. “Well, we’ll handle it when we handle it! Let’s just go back for now.”

Sion sits up on the grass and looks around at his friends. He knows they’ll all keep getting stronger. Yet all he can do is hope they’ll have gotten strong enough when the time comes. Again, Sion looks up towards the unbroken sky and smiles.