“Oi oi Yuuji! What was that back there?”

“I didn’t even know it was possible to have multiple spirits!”

Only seconds after slumping back into the sanctuary of his seat in class, Mitra and Hema pounced on him. He groaned and looked up to see excited looks on their faces, and some glimpses of others in the class that were not so subtly eavesdropping.

“It’s a long story.”
“No way we’re letting you off with just that!”

Hema pointed sternly at him as he sighed.

“...Ever since I can remember, I’ve been travelling the world, being exposed to various cultures and religions. My grandfather - the Director, made sure I was absorbing anything that could be used to fight demons.”

He smiled wryly as he remembered the harsh days he endured as a child.

“Not everything stuck, of course. Some things resonated more than others, but the stories and tales I kept with me were gradually honed into sharp weapons, and though they all have different origins they are my strength nonetheless.”
“...Not a childhood I’d wish on anyone, but it certainly explains your power.”

At some point, Mr Pierce entered the room, but instead of cutting the discussion short and beginning class, he listened along attentively.

Yuuji shrugged helplessly as he shook his head.

“It wasn’t glamorous, but because of that I have the ability to save lives.”
“Your grandfather is a great man that I admire, but it seems there are things we will never see eye to eye on. I hope your experiences here give some insight into your own future.”

Across the room, the two of them shared a moment of understanding and gratitude.

“But wait, I still don’t understand. Does that mean you can use more than one spirit simultaneously?”

Hema, still eying Yuuji as if he were a lab experiment, returned to the topic at hand. Yuuji paused for a moment, before shaking his head with disappointment. Moving to the front of the room, Mr Pierce chimed in once more.

“Even in cases where a single spirit is multi-faceted such as our talented Elis’ Blessing from the Old Norse pantheon, it’s rare to be able to use multiple aspects simultaneously. To try to combine spirits rooted in wholly different cultures wouldn’t be possible for a single person...”

He trailed off slightly at the end as he looked over at Yuuji, before taking a breath and rapping his knuckle on the desk.

“But that’s enough small talk. Back to regular studies.”

Mr Pierce guided the attention of the class towards the blackboard as he began his next lecture to close out the busy day.

******

“That’ll be all for today. Stay out of trouble over the weekend!”

The bell rang to mark the end of the day as the students were dismissed, and began gathering their things to leave.

Yuuji stretched as he looked over at Hibiki, only to see she was slumped over in her chair, looking despondent.

“You feeling alright? What’s wrong?”
“...Today’s my next checkup with Dr Natsumi.”
“...Hang in there.”

He threw a quick prayer her way before he continued towards Ji-Hye, who had made a rare visit to class today after finishing lunch.

“Ji-Hye, are you busy tonight? Want to hang out for a bit?”
“Ah, Yuu~! Sorry sorry, I’m raiding with Claire and our online party tonight. If you were level 90 you could join us~!”
“I have no clue what that means so I’ll have to pass, but thanks for the offer, I guess?”

He smiled wryly as she waved him off, finding himself completely free for the evening.

‘Not that it bothers me. Not one bit! Maybe Ayumi is free, it’d be nice to chat-’

“Sorry, Yuuji-nii. I’m going shopping with some of the girls from your class today.”
“...”

This would be his first night spent alone since joining the academy. He wasn’t unaccustomed to killing time, as many of his days growing up would be in solitude or remote areas without much to do, but he had to admit he was getting used to the hustle and bustle of social life and found himself at a loss.

“Maybe I could pick up a hobby? But… what would I do?”

He muttered to himself thoughtfully as he wandered without a destination. He didn’t have any chores left to do back at his dorm, as he always made sure to keep on top of everything from when he would be responsible for cleaning shrines and sweeping chapel floors.

He didn’t have much in the way of personal entertainment, either. He rarely had the free time to pick up games outside of Ji-Hye’s influence, and though he enjoyed reading every once in a while it was mainly for study instead of for pleasure.

“Should I see what Mitra’s up to? Would it be strange to send a message out of the blue?”

His ponderings had led him to a bench within a beautiful green park. His surroundings were serene and calmed the heart, with flora from all over the world blossoming joyfully in a landscape fit for even the greatest of art pieces.

In front of him was a small lake holding shimmering blue water, with fish of shiny colours dancing beneath the waterfowl. Insects skimmed along the surface like skiers, as falling leaves swirled around them in pretty collages.

In the distance he could see workers tending to even some of the giant trees, delicately trimming them with love and care, so it wasn’t too surprising that their diligent work had created such wonderful scenery.

He felt at ease here as his mind gently drifted from thought to thought, letting the time pass freely as he absorbed all that nature had to offer; the birds chirping, the breeze humming, and the wolf beside him panting softly.

“...”
“...”

He blinked twice.

The creature looked at him calmly as it blinked back, soaking up the pleasant sunlight that filtered through the treetops.

“What…?”
“-Ah! Lanlan, stay there! Don’t worry, he’s friendly!”

Bursting through the brushes beside it came an out-of-breath girl, red-faced and covered in twigs. She stepped toward him with an apologetic look, before stopping in her tracks as she and Yuuji locked eyes.

“Hmm?”
“You are…”

Her vibrant bubblegum pink hair stuck lightly to her face from her faint misting of sweat. It was long and full, and twisted into a single thick braid behind her back that swayed with the wind.

Her downturned eyes were baby blue with long lashes that fluttered when she blinked. She had a single beauty spot under her left eye that sat on her rosy cheek, and now that he saw her up close he noticed a slight plumpness to her curves that only magnified her gentle allure.

“Yuuji… Ishitake?”
“A-Ah, yes.”

He caught his gaze and quickly nodded with a faint blush.

“You are Elis, right? I’m sorry, I’m not sure I know your family name.”
“Ah! Elis Öberg. It’s nice to finally meet you properly.”
“...Likewise.”

Her wide smile was charming, but the two of them quickly fell into an awkward silence, unsure of what to say next. He had been caught off guard, in more ways than one, and was struggling to regain control of the situation.

“...”

It was at that point he remembered exactly what caused it, as the large grey wolf beside him yawned peacefully in the sunshine. Despite his initial alarm, it was clearly not aggressive, and he even thought for a moment that it fit the tranquil surroundings quite well - possibly even better had he not been within arms reach.

“Is this… your wolf?”
“Oh, no! This is Faolán, Sid’s spirit.”
“Sid is Sidheag right? The person who sits in front of you.”
“That’s right! I help her walk Lanlan most days.”

Elis gave a cheerful beam that shined like the morning sun. She still had a few stray twigs and leaves in her hair, but her upbeat attitude made them seem endearing.

“Walk? Do spirits need exercise?”
“No… but Faolán enjoys it, and it’s nice to get out!”
“That makes sense, I suppose.”

The grey wolf Faolán was now rolling around in the soft grass gleefully, as if unaware that the conversation was focused on him. He had a large stature; easily over 2 metres from nose to tail, and had a thick shaggy coat of beautiful silver with a puffy white underbelly.

As the surroundings quietened, he turned to face them and his ears perked up with curiosity. Elis giggled at the sight as he was still on his back, and his rapidly wagging tail brushed away the nearby leaves when it swung.

Even within his playful demeanour, when Yuuji glanced into his emerald green eyes he saw an intelligence unfit for a wild animal and began to understand why he hadn’t felt threatened at all. Just like Pajeon, it looked like any other animal, but it had the warm presence of a friendly spirit, which came from its owner.

“I’m sorry we disturbed you! Come on Lanlan, we should get going!”
“Not at all. In fact, I was actually hoping to get a proper chance to meet you two at some point. Is it alright if I join you both?”
“That’s fine by me, but you should know - Sid can sometimes be a little… unusual?”

Faolán sprang to his feet and brushed up against Yuuji’s leg, licking his hand.

“Haha, there’s nothing wrong with being a little different.”