“Fine! You win, you bastard! I will take you to the inn but put me down!” The girl was yelling while trying to free herself without results.

“Do you promise you will not run?” The boy said while putting her on the floor. “I’m really tired and just want to get some sleep.”

“You have something that belongs to me, I will not leave until you give it back.” She fixed her ragged dress, brown by the dirt of the streets.

“The chain?” He asked, but she looked at him with anger. “Oh! You mean the dagger! Do you realize is…”

“Rusty? No shit… Just give it back and you won’t see me again.” The girl said with a very tired face.

“Not yet, take me to the inn first, then I will give it to you.” The dagger disappeared in a golden flash, the particles of what the dagger was vanished in a few seconds. The girl got surprised for a moment, the abilities of the guy in front of her made her forget that he was a Forger.

“Damn blacksmiths… The point is… I don’t know an in where you can stay so… can you give me back my...”

“I guess we will need to go back to the same place we were before.” He turned and started to walk, and she was getting furious once again.

“Are you going to ignore me?” She walked next to him.

“No, but you will take me to the place, I’m not from here, and I don’t want to get lost, again.” And so, they both walked in silence to the same place they were before. The big guy that attended them before saw them enter and smiled.

“I thought you would get him a good place.” He asked without looking at them.

“Shut it, we had an… well… an inconvenience… I just needed to take him back so I can leave.” She was clearly embarrassed, but was trying to hide it. “In any case, do you have a room for him?”

“Sorry little girl, we are still full.” The looked at the boy that was almost asleep while standing and the girl about to burst in rage. “Well, you can sleep in my room, it will cost you as a normal one, but it only has one bed, so you won’t…”

“Nice joke bastard, but I won’t be staying here.” She said while entering the kitchen.

“Hey! The kitchen is closed!” One of the waitress yelled, following the girl.

“We’ll take it; I just want to sleep.” The guy took the keys and went directly to the room, he threw the bag and jumped on the bed. When the girl with the silver hair entered the room, he was already asleep, she sat in front of him, eating part of the stew she got from the kitchen. She dreamed about giant snakes made of wind and eyes with the color of the sky, she was running next to thousands of people made of wind.

Next morning, she woke up thanks to a loud sound, the breakfast was already on the table next to her, the boy was in front of a floating chest and the sounds, strangely, was coming out of it. He took her chain from it, she recognized it thanks to how damaged and used it was, then he took a with rope and an aquamarine colored stone.

“Can you hear her?” He said while golden lights came out of the chest and wrapping around his arms as they were tattoos. He grabbed the chain and it started to change the color. “Hear the calling or I won’t be able to do this, these materials… you did not get them.” She wasn’t understanding what he was saying until he started to hit the chain, then, she was able to hear something beyond the loud noises of the strikes, even when he was using just his fists, the sounds were like that of a hammer against an anvil. A moment later, the dagger came out of the chest behind the boy and he started to hit it, making her shiver with every hit.

The noises made the other guests to ask what was all that about and the inn keeper entered the room to see how the chain and the dagger were shinning bright white. Minutes later, the roar of the forge was done and the girl with the silver hair snapped out of her trance to see a fully new chain, the main end had two aquamarine gems as they were eyes and two spikes as they were fangs, this end of the chain looked like a snake head. The dagger looked like a huge fang with a curved edge and an aquamarine jewel on the handle.

“These are yours, as a thank you for guiding me here.” His hands started to glow and he handed her the two weapons, the same thing when she received the chain for the first time, it was the linking ceremony.

“I tried to steal from you… why?” She accepted the ceremony and felt how the weapons were part of her once again.

“Who knows, destiny, perhaps.” He said with a smile and was trying to remove the chest when a girl entered the room, she was around fifteen years old and the girl with the silver hair recognized her and decided to leave quietly. “You leaving?” Asked him without looking at her.

“Yes, I remember that I need to do something.” She turned to talk to him, but a golden coin was flying towards her and she was able to catch it at the last second.

“That is for you, I assume you wanted my money for something, and, even if I cannot give it entirely, you can have that.” He calmly told her while she just walked away.

“Are you a blacksmith?” The girl asked with an innocent look in her eyes, he could see that she was young, but was oddly taller than one could expect of someone her age.

“Yes, I am.” He sat to eat his breakfast.

“Will you take the exam?”

“Correct again… emm…”

“Oh! My name Is Sharynn Withenord.” She answered with a bright smile.

“Withenord… I think I know that name. I am Sivir, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you. That is the name of my village, we all share the name to show where we are from.” She sat in the bed without taking the eyes from him.

“I will go there one day, I want to know the whole world, but for now… the school.” He stood and was preparing to leave.

“Are you leaving?” She stood almost at the same time.

“Yes, there is a forest nearby and I want to get some materials… do you want to come? It is a good training.” The chest appeared in front of him and even when she tried to look inside it was just a dark spot, as it was filled with nothing but a dark water.

“I’d like to… but I don’t have a way to collect materials, or have a chest like this one.” Sivir saw how her face turned really sad. “I lost my collector tool yesterday.

“Collector tool?” It was the first time he heard about it.

“It is used to get materials, it was all sparkly and could change its form, it was sooo pretty! But I don’t have it anymore… I my daddy just bought it for me.

“Hmmm… I did not know that there was something for that, usually I just get it with my hands… well, I should buy a blueprint...” He walked outside and returned, the girl was still sad. “I will make one for you, so, let’s go!”

“Yes!” They both went to the parents and explained the plan for that day, and, not without hesitation, both agreed to give their permission and the two soon to be students left the inn.

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The girl with the silver hair was still confused on why the boy gave her the golden coin, one that she has never seen before, but, as she has never left the city before, she assumed it was form his country or town, still, why giving her something so expensive? And what were those voices she heard when he was smiting her chain and dagger? He was a very mysterious person and she did not want to be related to him, so the plan was still going.

She arrived to her hideout, and as a normal thing in that city, it was already attacked by raiders, so she just went directly to the secret spot in the main bedroom where the dagger she took from the family was, wondering if the gangs already took it, but no, it was still there so she took it and left the place immediately. She has two new weapons, but she doesn’t want to worn herself out fighting.

Following the same path she walked hundreds of times, she arrived to the same store the family purchased the dagger the previous day, entering from the secret path and making sure no one could see her getting there.

“Hey, old man.” She greeted him without showing herself.

“What are you doing here? I thought the guards got you yesterday.” He walked to the back room where the girl with silver hair was waiting for him.

“I am not slow, you know me.” She answered while pulling the dagger. “I got it for you.”

“Of course I know you.” He was the one that lend her a hand when she needed, when no one would even look at a mixed race dying on the streets of the academy city, he took the dagger and she walked to the mirror, as she always does in that same room, moving her hair to look at her ears and he could see the sadness in her face. “But I cannot take this, it doesn’t belong to me.”

“She haven’t completed the linking ceremony. You can still sell it.”

“So you can steal it again? When I didn’t ask you to do so?” She was grumpier than usual. “You need to stop this, otherwise, you could get killed.”

“Fine, I will just sell it myself” She attempted to take the dagger back, but he moved it away.

“You need to change your way of living. Why don’t you try to go to the academy? Take the exam, you are a good Vanguard.” He walked again to the front desk to wait for new customers, and she followed him for the first time in many years.

“It’s not easy, and I don’t have the money.”

“You could work to get it. I could hire you here.” He said with a smile.

“Sure, how much should I work to get… one… gold coin…?” She realized what happened less than an hour ago and touched the gold coin in her leather coin bag, then two familiar faces appeared through the entrance. “Him!? Again?”

“You know them?” The merchant asked the girl that started to walk and scape.

“Excuse me, do you sell…”

“Hey! That is my dagger!” Sharynn ran towards the merchant that was holding the dagger.

“Yes, Emlya here found it and returned. You are lucky she is an honest person.” The merchant looked at the girl with the silver hair that stopped immediately.

“Thank you! I thought I lost it!” Emlya was still confused to see the boy there, but decided to play along.

“N-no worries, I just found it on the street. I’d take it to you if I’d know it was yours.” She looked at the old man with killing intentions.

“How can I repay you?” Sharynn asked taking her hands.

“Don’t mind it, take it as a favor.” She said, and started to walk to leave the store.

“I know! Why don’t you come with us to the forest? We will practice for the exam. Also, mister, can you sell me a blueprint for a collector tool?” Said the boy with a smile.

“Sure, just be sure to take this stubborn girl with you and make her do the exam, I know she would be a good Templar.” The merchant created a piece of paper that formed in his hand, particles appeared from nowhere and fused to create the blueprint Sivir was looking for. “Here, but you would need a forger to create it.”

“I got that part covered.” He put the paper on the chest that appeared in front of him and paid with a copper coin that the merchant has never seen before. “So, let’s go. I am Sivir, by the way.”

“And I am Sharynn, a pleasure to meet you.” Emlya was sucked to the group against her will but something was telling her there was nothing wrong with them, so she decided to play along, she would be leaving the town soon in any case.

After getting supplies for the training, the three went to the south gate, the main entrance to the city, where the guards were looking suspiciously to the girl with the silver hair, but at the end, they did nothing to her, as she was just leaving the city normally, then, they arrived to the entrance to the forest, or, at least the one known by the people on the city.

“Well… here we are. The black forest.” Emlya said a little nervous, the stories told by the raiders and the orphan kids on the city were grim, and the threats told by the guards were no help.

“Are you sure we can go?” Sharynn was hesitating now that they were about to enter. “Isn’t this place too close to the city?”

“It works for training, so… let’s go!” Sivir went ahead, while the two girls stood for a few seconds watching the old signal next to the road to the black forest.

‘Danger – Enter at your own risk’

“You see… there is a signal for a reason, the beasts’ floods are the worst thing we… are you listening?” Emlya was visible scared.

“It may look a little dangerous but we will make a little training… and get some materials in the process, that is why…” Sivir pointed to the place they arrived, a clear spot that looked too god to be just a simple place, there were gems around the pond in the middle of the place and a sweet smell that was filling the air.

“What is this?” Emlya asked, they both were impressed by the beauty of the place.

“It is a nest, not sure which beast, but we will find it soon.” There were bone pieces all around the place, Emlya thought that perhaps the rumors told by the kids were true. They started to hear a clicking sound and steps that were running to them. “Prepare yourself!” With a flash, Emlya’s chain was ready and moving like a snake, while Sharynn pulled a big shield and a spear, Sivir had the same lines on his arms Emlya saw when he was fixing her chain.

“Kyiiiii!” A gigantic insect with the size of a kid appeared from the trees, clicking its mouth while looking directly at the three preys in front of it. The insect opened the cover of the wings and started to make them move, the sound made was too loud, to the point Emlya was stunned for a moment and forcing her to attack in panic, but the end of the chain just bounced on the hard shell of the insect.

“Be carefull attack the joints or…” Sivir was interrupted by the tackle of the big beast.

“Ky Kiyiiiiiii!” A liquid was spit from its mouth, but it just hit a tree that fell a few seconds later.

“Eh… guys! What the fuck!?” Even when the city is used to be attacked by monsters from time to time, it was the first time she actually fought with a beast.

“This seems fun!” Sharynn jumped to the insect with her stone and wood shield up, hitting the head and making it stumble, stabbing its eye with the spear almost immediately, she was clearly used to fighting big monsters like that one. “Like in my hometown!” Sharynn said while laughing. The insect started to fly and leave the place.

“What the fuck did I got into!” Emlya tangled her chain to the insect’s legs to prevent it to scape.

“Thank you!” Sivir jumped over the silver haired girl and ran on her chain to be at the same height of the insect. “Secret Art One: Melt!” Both arms where covered in a golden fire, and he hit the side of the insect with his right hand.

“Yiiiiii!” The shriek was caused by the piercing attack of Sivir, after it, the right hand lost its glow, but before the second attack was performed, the beast attacked with its horn, opening a long wound in Sivir’s left arm.

“Gagh!” He fell loudly to the grass and the insect landed near the pond.

“Sivir! You bastard!” Emlya jumped with the dagger in her hand, suddenly, the insect started to change the color of its exoskeleton but a tentacle appeared from inside the pond, severing the insect’s head with no effort and taking it back to the water.

“We need to leave, now!” Sharynn yelled, she was truly scared.

“Wait!” Sivir ran to the dead body of the insect and stored the entire of it inside the chest, at the same time Emlya used her chain to take some of the jewels near the pond.

“What was that?” She asked when they finally got out of the forest, Sharynn was wrapping a bandage in Sivir’s arm.

“A Hydra, a very young one.” Sivir answered, looking at the gems they got from the pond. “We can call it a day… where are you going?”

“Far from you two! You can keep those, I’ll take these, and I hope we don’t see again.” Emlya just walked with three of the gems they got from the pond, Sivir and Sharynn saw her really shocked from what just happened and during the fight.

“Hey, wait! Are you not going to take the exam!?” Sharynn yelled, but she was too far to hear the question.