"How is your tea today?" Alise asked, her voice so quiet that it was almost impossible to hear over the sound of my heart pounding in my chest. She sat at a table nearby her cottage, a tea cup in her left hand while she sipped at it gingerly. The outfit she had chosen was a light pink dress that started at the neck and went all the way down to her ankles. 

The dress itself was loose, and had a bit of a frilly nature to it. If someone had told me that one of the most infamous legends of the past, the greatest of warriors to ever exist, would wear a pink dress I would've laughed at them. Over the last six months Alise continually demonstrated to me that she did not ever live up to her legendary status. 

"It's fine!" I yelled to her in response, staggering back away from a powerful swing of Skara's left fist at my face. The cup in my left hand contained a nice tea, it had a soft flavor which allegedly went well with all sorts of crackers and treats. My teeth gritted, jaw clenched while I stepped forward and delivered a powerful punch toward Skara's stomach. 

The tall man took the blow and shuddered, then laughed as though it had tickled. "Not bad, but you're still holding back!" Skara told me while he shifted his stance, right elbow dropped toward my skull at a horrifying speed. 

Overcalculated is the easiest way to put what I did next, as my body surged so far back that the distance between us grew to more than twenty feet. My feet slid on the slick grass, spring had come and decided to drown us on an almost daily basis as of late. The sheer momentum of my backward leap skidded me another two feet before coming to a full stop. 

"Oh come on," I muttered while carefully holding the tea cup in my left hand. On the plus side I hadn't broken a cup in a few weeks, a sign according to Alise that I had improved considerably. 

"You coming back or do I have to come get you?" Skara called out to me, while he laughed. He wore no shirt, his muscles slick with sweat and bulging from the exertion of the workout. The weapon he so favored had been left near Alise, mostly so he wouldn't try to cut my head off. 

Alise continued to sip at her tea, while she casually looked at a pile of papers on her table. Even if there was a strong breeze the papers tended to stay there, as if some magical force compressed them down against it. The small things were what made me realize how strong Alise was, the way she could step into a room and fires would light. The way the leaves never fell on her during fall, or how she left no footprints in snow or mud. 

A deep breath inward, then a slow exhalation came next. My mind focused on what was needed and the surge of power slowly slipped throughout my muscles, the way the world ran started to slow. Without seeing I already knew that my left eye had turned a crimson color, a warning sign to the others that my power was boosted. Right leg muscles bunched up beneath the baggy pants I wore, then with a shove my body hurtled through the air back toward Skara. 

Alise stopped me at that moment. One second she had been seated while casually reading her papers, and the next she was in front of Skara catching my right fist with her left hand. The cup she had been holding was on the table, the tea within so still that it seemed impossible she had placed it down a split second before. 

"Bad!" Alise said, as she smacked me with a rolled up paper in her right hand. Skara who stood behind her had backed up in surprise when Alise popped up, though he maintained a cool look on his face. 

"Ow!" I cried as I lifted up my right hand to try and ward off the paper. While it was only paper Alise had enough power to break my bones with it if she wanted, so each smack felt like a hammer. 

"You would've killed Skara with that attack," Alise chided me, while she glanced backward at the tall man. "Even if he's all muscles and no brain you can't use your full power against him, you know that." 

During the scolding she had not stopped smacking me, and it reached the point where I began to use my left hand to ward off the blows as well. The cup that contained tea became a potential victim of her attacks, yet somehow she avoided striking it no matter where it was moved to. The tea inside, however, had spilled all over the ground. 

"And don't waste your tea! You know we don't have a lot of money!" Alise said, her normally airy voice loud enough to sound regular. Money was a sore subject for her, as she disliked looking for charity from anyone in her past. 

"Can we get back to the spar?" Skara asked, while he wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. He grinned that foolish wide grin of his at Alise, the woman he had continually strived to reach for the last six months. Foolishly since she mostly ignored him, treated him like a slave and considered him a weakling. 

Alise paused at that question, her paper lowered and the strikes came to an end. When my eyes blinked automatically she was already gone, seated at her table again. "No, go clean up and then get ready to teach the kids," Alise ordered him from her chair. "Taryn and Shorty should be back soon." 

A twinge of a smile showed on my face, one that Alise noticed though Skara did not. He only had eyes for the warrior woman, and without a moments hesitation he turned and walked away toward the dormitory. The weapon remained near Alise, she had not returned it to him in months, though her reason for banning it was never explained. 

For a while I simply breathed in, my blood pumped too strongly and the world still felt a bit too slow. Mental concentration was the only way to control my power, if the concentration wavered during the heat of battle than I was likely to murder someone on accident. "When do you think I'll be able to master this?" I asked of Alise, my eyes closed. 

"Perhaps never, perhaps tomorrow," came the mysterious reply. It was not what I had sought, and she knew it. 

With a dejected expression on my face I could only open my eyes and walk to the table Alise sat at, before unceremoniously slumping into the chair across from her. "How long did it take to teach Taryn?" 

"Whatever my idiot child has told you he is still learning," Alise informed me. She shook her head a little which caused my attention to wander toward her hair. The odd way that the colors came together, mixed and seemingly shifted. Red and white, sometimes there would be a hint of pink that matched flawlessly with her dress, at times there was the color of blood. 

A soft chime sounded that was so unnoticeable that for the first few months I had never been aware of it. Alise did not stiffen, though I couldn't help myself from doing so at the alert of someone incoming. My head turned toward the main gate of the orphanage, an easily defensible location which required passing through a wooden tunnel. 

On top of the tunnel were two children who were not too far off from my own age, one of which was a girl named Saris. She was perhaps one of the best with the crossbow, a fact she wasn't afraid to boast about whenever the discussion of skill came up amongst the kids. When she noticed that I was looking she smiled and waved, to which I responded with a wave of my own. 

The fact that she looked back at me meant they already knew who was coming, and the alert was merely to let Alise know someone was here. A few moments later two people walked through the tunnel, each lugged along a large sack which contained food which had been purchased at the nearby city. 

The man on the left was a shorty fellow, he was not altogether impressive and his face had started to show signs of aging. Grey hair had begun to sneak onto his scalp, though he still acted as spry as the day I met him. Shorty paused, pulled out a small rock from one of his pockets and threw it at what seemed to be a random direction. 

The little kid he hit jumped out from the grass, to me they had been impossible to detect thanks to their suit and training. The outfit was designed to emulate the surrounding foliage, something that required time and patience to make. The little boy who was perhaps nine or so visibly looked depressed after being tagged by Shorty, and turned to walk toward the dormitory. 

"Looks like he's taking Shorty's class again," I commented to Alise, who merely chuckled in a quiet and almost dainty way. 

To say we had all taken well to living at the orphanage would be an understatement. Skara had found that he thoroughly enjoyed training children how to handle a sword, as well as coordinating their physical education with some of the senior kids. Shorty in turn ended up working on training the ones who wanted to be operatives, lookouts and scouts. While Skara was a bit gentle with the kids Shorty was brutal, he knew firsthand what would happen if you were spotted on the battlefield. 

Whereas I had not really helped in the slightest. Instead all that happened was that people gave to me, Alise gave me training in how to control my abilities while Skara gave me a willing partner to fight against who couldn't handle my maximum strength. Requiring me to tone down my strength, to manipulate it to the right level during the heat of a battle became all the more easier to pull off with his help. 

Then there was Taryn. The man who walked with Shorty had his hood up, hiding away his face from the others around. Whenever I had asked about why he did that he never told me, and Alise asked me to leave the matter alone. However I knew quite well how he looked beneath that hood, the silver hair which was cut short which rippled gently in the breeze. The green eyes that always looked serious, sometimes dangerous and could send a chill down my spine. The fact that he was not altogether handsome, a common looking fellow who could blend in well with others. 

Alise coughed lightly, a cough which reminded me to stop staring at Taryn. I sighed, before turning toward Alise and placing the cup of tea on the table. It was filled with tea even though I had not requested it, and yet still the tea cup went to my lip and I drank from it. "Thank you." 

Light footsteps alerted me to the arrival of Taryn, a quick glance to the side and I realized he had come quite close to the table already. He threw the sack that was on his shoulder off to the side, at one of the oldest kids who had come up to welcome him back. "Mind taking care of that, Phil?" 

"How was the city?" Alise asked of her son, while she calmly read her papers. 

Taryn lifted up his hands and pulled back the hood, revealing all his features to everybody. Why? Why did he hide away under the hood? "The city is in a bit of an uproar, apparently someone important had stopped at a local inn and was asking for directions to somewhere." 

"Oh?" Alise responded, though she didn't really seem to care either way. 

"Do you know where to?" I asked, while I sipped at my tea. The warmth of it was as always a reassuring presence, and the smell made me want to smile. 

Taryn unhooked the scabbard on his left hip, the sword being placed gently down on the table next to the tea set. In most circles putting the weapon on the table would be rude, though I already knew he was merely returning what he had borrowed to his mother again. "No, I didn't really care either way. There was some talk about trouble to the south-west as well, mysterious happenings. When I pressed for details the most I got out of it was the word vanishings." 

Alise put her cup down on the table and looked at Taryn. "Vanishings? Mmm, we might need to look into that. Did you and Shorty do a good job completing your task though?" 

Taryn smiled at her, then pulled out a small leather pouch. He placed it on the table, the jingle of money sounded from within. "Shorty managed to net us eight coins, apparently he's becoming a legendary. I think training the kids is sharpening his skill." 

The pouch vanished, though to where I wasn't quite certain. Alise openly smiled, though, while she looked up at Taryn. "That's wonderful, it's always great when friends get ahead in life." 

The chime sounded, an alert that caused all three of us to look toward the gate. A second chime carried across the breeze, a noise that made my body tense up. A third chime occurred, a noise that caused Taryn to reach for the sword and put the scabbard back onto his belt. Even I had begun to rise up from the chair at that, it was not a good sign. If a fourth sounded... 

There was only silence, though the tension had not stopped. Four chimes was the sound used for an attack, three meant the person coming carried weapons. Two meant the person coming was a complete stranger, while one meant there was someone coming. Five chimes, according to Alise, meant everyone needed to run away. It had never been used, and according to Alise so long as she lived it never would. 

A carriage slowly rolled up along the pathway through the tunnel, the carriage was lead by two horses that looked almost extravagant. The driver was hunched over, he had a large battle axe that rested on the seat next to him while his face was scarred horrifically. The way the scar ran from his lower lip all the up to his left eye made his whole features distorted, and permanently angry looking. 

When the carriage came to a stop Taryn started to walk over toward the vehicle, while Alise asked me to sit back down. My mind raced though, the carriage was in no way cheap looking, in truth it reminded me of many from my youth. While Taryn approached it the door opened and a single man stepped out, his clothes were black and white. 

He was a butler and his name was Vargos, he had long dark green hair which was permanently pulled back into a ponytail that went down to his waist. With the slightest bit of a bow he offered up one hand toward the carriage door, toward a person who sent a chill through my body. 

A thin hand came out from the darkness of the vehicle, a dark purple glove that covered all the hand plus a bit of the arm. It lightly touched upon Varos's own, then out of the carriage came a woman who wore a dark violet dress. Her dress was in no way designed for showing off, as it modestly covered her body and only slightly showed off her features. The shoes she wore were the same color violet, heels that probably proved hard to use on the moist grass. 

"This is going to be fun," Alise murmured from where she sat, while she smiled toward me. "Don't interfere!" 

The woman who had emerged from the carriage had black hair that was cut short, it was stylized in such a way as to frame her beautiful face. The features of her face were sharp, while her skin color was a refreshingly warm hue. Makeup had been applied in minute quantities, enough to accentuate without over-exaggerating. About her neck was a necklace with a silver chain, the jewel that hung from it was an amethyst that was easily the size of an eyeball. 

She had no weapons, she had not spoken a single word, she had not done anything except get out of the carriage. All of that and yet still my body stiffened in fright, I had the urge to scream out to Taryn to run yet the words didn't come. Alise wished for me to stay out of it, and that meant if I tried to speak she'd probably knock me unconscious before a single word emerged. 

Taryn walked up to the noblewoman and placed his left hand openly on the handle of the sword at his hip. He looked at the woman, noted how she looked and nodded his head toward her. "Good day," he told her, though he did not bow. "I believe you have come to the wrong place?" 

"Vargos, did this little cur just talk to me without first offering a proper introduction?" the woman asked of her servant, while she stared down her nose at Taryn. 

"Yes, my lady," the butler told her, he had straightened up after the noblewoman stepped from the carriage, and then taken up a place to her left and behind her. 

The noblewoman sighed, it as not a happy sound and she tsked loud enough that it was audible at the table. It was a noise that made me wince, a noise that reminded me of many mistakes of the past. "Dear me, child perhaps you should start with your name, then explain why you are being so rude to me?" she asked in a steady tone. 

"I'm Taryn, and I am not a child, so perhaps you can explain why you are here before I boot you out of this place?" Taryn asked, his distaste for the woman so obvious that even the children who watched were shocked. 

"Why is he always like this?" I asked of Alise, while I shook my head. Every time a stranger showed up at the orphanage Taryn scared them away, sometimes by punching them until they sobbed and took off. 

"Because he loves everyone, Liliana," Alise informed me. "How would you feel if some random people stepped into your home without warning?" 

To be fair that was not a good question to ask me, I was accustomed to random people showing up at my house. Prior to training with the Legion I had spent a good deal of time entertaining guests for my parents who often didn't want to talk to them, yet still had to in the end. Such was the horrid life of the politically important. 

"I've come to take a child with me," said the noblewoman. 

The worst possible choice of words had been picked, most likely on purpose. Taryn in regards to fighting was probably one of the strongest warriors that I had ever encountered. In a straight up fight against Skara he would obliterate the man with minimal effort, and even if I pulled out everything at my disposal he could still best me. He had been trained by a Disciple of the God of War for most of his life, and was also part God himself due to his heritage. 

That man heard those words and there was no kindness nor mercy anymore, he stepped forward and sent out a punch with such shocking power and speed that the air itself quivered. The ground beneath his foot broke, an imprint left by his boot in the soft dirt and grass. Every child who saw that punch screamed out in horror, because it was a punch capable of disintegrating a skull. 

The punch was stopped by a single finger, the right index finger, of the woman. She looked past Taryn and toward Alise, head tilted to the side quizzically. "Go right ahead, but don't damage the property!" Alise called out in the loudest voice I had ever heard her use. Even when Skara had been caught peeking on her naked she hadn't yelled that loud. 

Taryn's eyes showed his confusion, not only from what his mother had said but how the woman had stopped his attack. She lifted her left hand and slapped it out at Taryn's face in a slow swing. So slow that he had ample time to lift up his arm to ward off the seemingly weak attack that was incoming. 

Taryn's body spun around while his arm nearly cracked in half, his mouth opened as a squeak of pain emitted. "What the," was all he could muster up before the noblewoman gripped the back of his neck with her thin fingers. Up into the air he was lifted, and then a moment later his entire head was smashed hard into the ground. 

It didn't take Taryn long to recover, he had faced nasty opponents before and so when he surged up from the ground via pushing off of it with his hands nobody was shocked. What made it a bit shocking was that he easily used too much strength and sent himself aerial for a few seconds, then landed on the ground five feet from the noblewoman. 

Taryn started to pull out the sword that was at his hip, his eyes continued to show the confusion he had felt initially. The blade never cleared, a right index finger pressed against the end of the handle. The left hand came up and slapped Taryn hard across the face, hard enough that his body lifted from the ground. 

He hit the grass and soil rolling, his body tossed easily ten feet to the side from a mere slap. The noblewoman watched him as he tumbled, there was no laughter in her eyes but a mere hint of sympathy. The butler still stood near the carriage without any surprise on his face, while the driver of the carriage had opted to start eating a cheese and cracker meal. 

Taryn stood up, though he obviously swayed due to a lack of balance. His face was bruised and he looked altogether completely overwhelmed by what had happened to him. The idea of even pulling out the sword had not crossed his mind again, instead it seemed he wanted to simply stand up straight. 

The noblewoman casually started to walk away from Taryn and over toward Alise and I. Her movements were graceful, steady and offered no belief that she was in any type of hurry. Her hands came together in front of her, left hand grasped by the right gently. When she reached the table she smiled down at the both of us, while she inclined ever so little. It was not a bow, but it was a sign of respect to at least one of us. 

Alise smiled at the woman, she had no issue with showing that she enjoyed what had happened. Taryn had as of late been acting arrogant due to his extreme capabilities in a fight, so it didn't take much thinking to understand that Alise was happy someone had put him in his place. I, on the other hand, did not smile but rather was forced to say something I didn't want to say. 

Everyone in the entire orphanage had started to gather, Skara had even walked over to support Taryn while Shorty stared at the entire event without concern. It was probably due to the fact that he knew firsthand how capable Alise was, and since she had not made a move the stranger was therefore not a threat. 

With all of the orphanage's eyes on us I was forced to stand up from the table, and then casually pull out one of the chairs for the noblewoman. With a quick step back there was then a bow, deep and respectful toward the woman before me. When I straightened back up I smiled, in truth I was happy to see her but at the same time I knew it meant the fun times were over. 

"Hello mother."