Fate's Decision

Since that day on the river Yami and Raia became as thick as thieves.

Although they were usually apart from one another given the disparity of their familial classes. Raia would attend a refined prep school in the Heart level  and Yami would attend classes in a rundown public school in the Edge level.

But during their days off, they always found themselves returning to their spot on the river, sharing stories and practicing magic together away from prying eyes.

One day, Yami was shocked to find Raia crying as he arrived on the river.

He was stunned, this was the first time he ever saw Raia so distraught.

“Raia! What’s the matter?” he asked as he rushed to her side.

“Are you hurt?” he asked again.

“No, it’s not that.” she sobbed as she grabbed on to him.

Yami was shocked and seemed unsure of how to respond. Instinctively, he placed his hand on her head and began to gently pat it. This was how his mother calmed him down when he was smaller, and it seemed like the appropriate action for him to take at this time.

“Then what’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s just that I learned in my etiquette session today that the Fates will not pair us up after all!” cried Raia.

“And I don’t know what I’d do when that happens!” she continued.

“Then we will just pair up anyway.” he replied.

“But if the Fates won’t declare it, then it can’t happen! That’s always how it’s been. We can't go against them! My instructor said that there has never been a case where two people from different familial classes were declared as compatible!” she cried frantically.

“Then we’ll just have to show the Fates that we are compatible!” he declared.

“My folks told me that the compatibility of a pair is based on how in-sync their magic is.”

“So there is still hope. We just have to train!” he concluded.

“Train?” she asked.

“Yeah! If we work on making sure our magic is in-sync as a household, then we’re bound to get a good enough compatibility score, right? he asked.

“Do you really think that would work?” she said with doubt in her voice.

In all honesty, Yami wasn’t completely sure of this plan. All he knew was he couldn’t bear to see Raia crying anymore. And if he would need to force the Fates to pair them up for her to be happy, "Then so be it", he thought.

“Yeah, we’ll just have to show the Fates that we can be the first pair from different familial classes!” he replied with all the confidence that he could muster at that moment.

“So, stop crying. Ok?” Yami pleaded with Raia.

“Ok! Let’s train then!” she replied.

From that moment on their meet ups by the river became more than just playing around and camping. It had turned into sessions for household compatibility training.

Yami used his steal magic to acquire various wood and leaves from the forest, and Raia used her element magic to refine the materials into workable items to build their cottage.

They turned their fishing spot into the site for their household. They had made the walls out of logs of wood and the roof with fine woven leaves. Yami was also able to acquire some stone materials that Raia had refined into a stove for their kitchen. It was a quaint cottage, but it was relatively bigger than Yami’s own house.

“See how compatible our magic is? And with my steal magic, we even cut the period for refining the materials to make this cottage in half!” Yami said proudly.

“Yeah, hard to argue with this result!” Raia responded with confidence.

“Now we need a trade so we can contribute magic to the council of fates. My etiquette instructor told me that that’s the most vital role of a partners” she explained.

Yami paused as he began to think hard.

“You’re right it should definitely be better than my parent’s crafting trade. Hardly anyone in the realm has a use of them, that’s why we contribute so little to the council” as Yami said this he took a bite of the new fish dish that they prepared that day.

“Man! We really outdid ourselves with this dish Raia. I’m beginning to enjoy our food here more than the food back at home.” he said with excitement.

Raia took a bite as well and happily nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, in unison, they said, “THAT’S IT!”

“We can set up a great fish restaurant! Even my family and their friends would pay fine magic to enjoy this kind of a meal!” she said with confidence.

“Awesome! So, it’s settled then! I can use my steal magic to get more and more variations of fish in the river and you can refine them into new delicious recipes!” Yami said to Raia.

“Yeah!” she agreed excitedly.

For the first time in months, since Raia brought up her worry about not being partners, both she and Yami felt an enormous weight lifted off their shoulders. They had a solid plan to become as in-sync as they could be for the pairing ritual, and they still had the time to improve their compatibility even further.

It seemed, to them, that everything was going to be alright. And all this training that they were doing was also the most fun either of them ever had.

The years passed and Raia and Yami grew to become fine young adults.

Raia became even more ladylike, growing her beautiful blonde hair out which now flows passed her shoulders.

While Yami, who had always been the same height as Raia, grew considerably he now stood almost one whole head taller than her. His teal hair still stood out with the two spikes of hair protruding like horns on his head.

“So, tomorrow’s the big day huh?” Yami asked Raia as they sat outside their cottage on the river.

“Yeah… I really hope the Fates pair us up!” Raia replied in a hushed voice.

“Whoa, are you nervous all of the sudden, Raia?”

“Well no. It’s just that it still bothers me that it has been unheard of for individuals of different familial classes to be paired up.” she replied nervously.

“Hey! Our magic is as in-sync as can be! There’s no way we wouldn’t be compatible. You’ll see.” Yami said confidently.

“Yeah. You’re right…”she replied quietly.

The next day, all the boys and girls who were of age gathered outside the grand office of the Council of Fates. Both Yami and Raia were waiting eagerly beside one another amidst the crowd.

As Yami looked around he couldn’t help but notice familiar faces among them.

Evi the silver-haired boy from before stood among them looking lankier and more devious than before. Beside him stood Sandra, the girl with long black hair who always followed him around. And behind them stood a large muscular boy with short brown hair, whose name escaped Yami for some reason.

“Devon, you oaf pay attention! The pairing is bound to start any minute!” Evi yelled.

“Ah so his name is Devon then” Yami said to himself.

A loud boom came from the grand structure as its massive walls began to part to reveal a massive front door.

“Enter. Young ones.” said three female voices in unison from the other end of the opening.

Everyone was in awe as they approached the inside of the building. The room that greeted them was a massive circular one with massive columns all around. The room also had a ridiculously high ceiling. In fact, Yami could not even see the tip of any of the columns at all, as if the room itself stretched infinitely toward the sky.

A massive bench stood in the middle of the room. It was here that the three members of the Council of Fates sat. In front of the bench were two platforms positioned beneath a massive balance scale.

“And now the attendant shall explain” said the Fates, once again in unison.

The crowd suddenly noticed a man in a dark brown hooded cloak holding out a scroll at the side of the bench.

“Let the pairing ritual commence!” shouted the man.

“As you all know this is a sacred ritual held to determine the eligibility of a compatible pair to participate in the binding ritual.” he explained.

“A pair must have a compatibility score of at least 75% in order to be considered eligible.”

“For your scores to be read, a pair must stand on each platform then your score will be declared by the scale of Fates. If the pair standing on the platforms is incompatible, the scale will select the best candidate within this room for both of the individuals on the platforms.”

“Now are there any volunteers?” he asked the room.

“Raia and I have this in the bag! We’ll go first!” shouted Yami with complete confidence.

“Proceed” replied the Council of Fates

Yami and Raia both took a deep breath as they stepped on their designated platforms.

The scale begins rumble as it declared.

“The Fates have decided, Yami Hitsu and Raia Zo compatibility score: -27%”

***