Vario

A new sun rose over the world.

The sky was blue and clear, almost completely free of clouds, while sunlight slipped between the branches of the trees, illuminating their leaves as they swayed gently in the morning breeze.

The world seemed peaceful.

But inside Gaia's headquarters, peace was something rare.

Standing before the headquarters' main gate was a young man no one had ever seen before.

His brown hair reached his shoulders, and his purple eyes gleamed behind his glasses. His clothes were unlike those worn by the trainees everyone was accustomed to seeing in Gaia, and he carried a small bag in his hand.

He stood before the gate for a few moments.

He raised his head and looked at the building before him.

A wide smile appeared on his face.

"So... this is Gaia's headquarters."

He looked at the gate with admiration.

He had heard a lot about this place.

The headquarters of one of the most powerful organizations.

The place where warriors trained to reach levels ordinary people could not even imagine.

For Vario, arriving here felt like stepping into a completely new world.

He took a deep breath.

"Alright..."

He reached for the door.

"Let's begin."

He pushed the door open and entered.

The main courtyard was directly in front of him.

His eyes widened.

"Wow..."

There were dozens of trainees scattered throughout the courtyard.

Some were practicing with swords.

Others were training in hand-to-hand combat.

The sounds of swords clashing echoed everywhere.

The sound of footsteps.

The shouts of instructors.

And the noise of the trainees.

Vario remained standing at the entrance for a few moments, looking around as if he were a child entering a city for the first time.

"It's bigger than I expected."

He then took a step forward.

Suddenly—

He stopped.

He felt something cold near his neck.

His eyes widened.

There was a sword near his throat.

His bag fell from his hand.

"Oh my God!"

He quickly raised his hands.

"What are you doing?!"

A cold voice came from behind him.

"Who are you?"

Vario swallowed nervously.

Then he slowly turned around.

The person standing behind him was a young man with green eyes. He wore a black cloak, with a black belt around his waist.

His short white hair moved slightly in the wind.

Vario looked at him fearfully.

"I-I..."

He paused for a moment.

"I'm a new trainee."

Then he added with difficulty:

"M-My name is Vario."

The young man continued staring at him without saying anything.

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Several seconds passed.

Vario could still feel the sword near his neck the entire time.

Then finally—

The young man lowered his sword.

Vario breathed heavily and placed a hand over his chest.

"Phew..."

He looked at the young man.

"I was really scared."

The young man said:

"Sorry about that. I didn't know you were a new trainee."

He returned the sword to its sheath.

"My name is Levi."

Vario looked at him for a few moments.

Then he smiled.

"Oh, nice to meet you!"

He didn't seem angry with him at all.

This made Levi look at him with slight surprise.

Most people would get angry when a sword was placed against their neck.

But this person...

Had gone back to smiling only a few seconds later.

Levi asked:

"How did you hear about this place?"

"Oh, yes, yes."

Vario adjusted his glasses slightly.

"I'm from the Assassins' family."

He paused for a moment.

"They sent me here."

Silence fell.

Levi's smile disappeared for a moment.

"The Assassins?"

"Yes."

Vario looked at him.

"Do you know them?"

Levi didn't answer immediately.

He was thinking.

The Assassins...

But they're not on good terms with Gaia.

So why would they send someone here?

It didn't make sense.

Before he could ask anything else—

"Levi."

A voice came from behind them.

Levi's expression immediately changed.

He quickly turned around and bowed.

"Yes, Chief Tsukiro."

Tsukiro approached them.

He first looked at Levi, then at the unfamiliar young man standing beside him.

"Is he a friend of yours?"

"Is he..."

Levi didn't finish his sentence.

Vario stepped forward.

"Hello, Chief!"

He smiled enthusiastically.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!"

He raised his hand excitedly as if he were meeting someone he had known for years.

"I've always wanted to meet you, the great Chief Tsukiro, Lord of Gaia!"

Tsukiro raised an eyebrow.

Then he laughed.

"Really? Hahaha!"

Levi said:

"He's a new trainee, Chief."

Tsukiro stopped laughing for a moment.

"A new trainee?"

He looked at Vario.

He observed him calmly.

He wasn't only looking at his clothes.

He was looking at his stance.

His eyes.

The way he spoke.

Then he said:

"Welcome to Gaia, um...?"

Vario quickly answered:

"Oh, Vario, Chief."

"Yes, Vario."

Tsukiro smiled.

"Then welcome to Gaia."

He turned toward Levi.

"Take him inside, Levi, and find him a place to stay."

Levi bowed.

"Yes, Chief."

Tsukiro looked at Vario once more.

"And now, farewell. I have an appointment I must not be late for."

"Of course, Chief!"

Vario smiled.

Tsukiro walked forward and left through the main gate.

Vario continued looking at him until he disappeared from sight.

Then he said admiringly:

"I really met Chief Tsukiro..."

Levi looked at him.

"Come on."

He began walking.

"Follow me, Vario."

"Oh, yes, yes!"

Vario quickly followed him.

---

Levi walked ahead of Vario through the corridors of Gaia's headquarters.

Vario looked around with obvious curiosity.

The place was larger than he had imagined.

The walls bore the marks of old battles.

Several swords hung in different places.

The sounds of training came from the nearby courtyards.

Every time Vario heard a loud sound, he immediately turned toward it.

Then suddenly—

He stopped.

He looked at one of the trainees.

The man was lifting a massive rock above his head.

Vario's mouth fell open in amazement.

"Wow..."

He stepped closer, as if he wanted to make sure he was really seeing what was happening.

"Is everyone here this strong?"

Levi looked at him.

"Not everyone."

Vario pointed at the trainee.

"But he's really strong."

Then he looked at Levi.

"Then you're really strong too?"

"Sort of."

Vario smiled.

"That means you're strong."

Levi didn't answer.

He continued walking.

Vario caught up with him.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"No."

"Oh."

Vario was silent for a few seconds.

Then he smiled.

"Alright."

He continued walking.

After a few moments, he said:

"But that's not a bad thing."

Levi glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"What?"

"The silence."

Vario smiled.

"Sometimes it's better than talking."

Levi didn't respond.

But this time, he looked at him for a little longer.

---

They continued walking until they reached a large area surrounded by several rooms.

Levi pointed toward them.

"This is where the trainees sleep."

Vario looked around.

"All these rooms?"

"Yes."

"And I can choose any one?"

"Any empty room."

Vario looked at the rooms for a few seconds.

Then he suddenly ran.

"This one!"

He opened the door to one of the rooms.

He went inside.

Then came back out a few moments later.

"It's good!"

Levi looked at him in surprise.

"You chose quickly."

Vario laughed.

"Why should I think too much about something like this?"

He entered the room again and looked at the bed.

"I have a bed."

He looked at the window.

"And I have a window."

Then he pointed toward the room.

"And I have a roof."

He smiled.

"What more could I want?"

A small smile appeared on Levi's face.

"True."

Vario placed his bag inside the room.

Then he returned to the hallway.

"What now?"

"You can rest until tomorrow."

Vario's expression immediately changed.

"Training starts tomorrow?"

"Yes."

His eyes lit up.

"Great!"

Levi looked at him.

"Don't get too excited."

"Why?"

"Because the training is exhausting."

Vario raised his fist.

"No problem!"

He smiled confidently.

"I'm ready!"

Levi continued staring at him for several seconds.

Then he said:

"We'll see."

He turned around and left.

Vario remained standing there for a few moments.

He looked at Levi's back as he walked away.

He smiled.

Then he looked around.

Gaia's headquarters was filled with movement.

The sounds of swords.

The voices of trainees.

The laughter of some of them.

The instructors' commands.

And the voices of people talking in the courtyard.

Everything was new to him.

And yet...

He felt something strange.

Something resembling a sense of belonging.

As if he had finally arrived at the place he had been searching for all this time.

He left the room.

And followed Levi, who was walking through the hallway.

---

As they crossed the courtyard, Vario noticed two people sitting near one of the trees.

He stopped.

It was Kenji and Yuna.

They were sitting beneath the shade of the tree, talking and laughing together.

The two of them looked relaxed.

As if nothing else in the world mattered.

Vario continued staring at them.

At first, a small smile appeared on his face.

It was a calm smile.

But something changed.

Slowly...

The smile disappeared.

His eyes no longer shone with the same excitement.

Instead, they became calm.

Strangely calm.

Levi noticed that he had stopped.

So he stopped as well.

"What is it?"

Vario didn't answer.

He continued staring at Kenji and Yuna.

Levi stepped a little closer.

Then he said:

"They're friends of mine."

He pointed toward them.

"Do you want me to introduce you to them?"

Vario didn't answer.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three.

He remained silent.

Then he said:

"No."

Levi raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

Vario slightly turned his face away.

"I don't want to."

His voice was different.

It wasn't the cheerful voice he had been using moments ago.

It was calm.

Cold.

Even his expression had changed.

Levi looked at him in confusion.

What happened?

Only moments ago, this person had been talking nonstop.

He had been laughing.

He had been excited.

He had been acting as if he had known everyone for years.

But now...

He had become a completely different person.

Levi continued watching him.

Vario didn't move.

His eyes remained fixed on Kenji and Yuna.

Then something strange happened.

A small smile appeared on his face.

He raised his head.

His voice returned to normal.

"I mean... not now!"

He laughed.

"I just arrived."

Then he scratched the back of his head.

"It would be weird to suddenly walk up to them."

Levi remained silent.

He knew something was strange.

But he didn't know what it was.

Finally, he said:

"Maybe."

Vario smiled.

"Come on, let's go."

He started walking.

Levi followed behind him.

But this time...

He wasn't only looking at the path.

He was looking at Vario.

At his back.

At his footsteps.

At that smile that had returned as if nothing had happened.

Who is this person?

Levi thought.

Then he looked away.

He had no reason to judge him.

Not yet.

They continued walking through Gaia's headquarters.

Behind them, Kenji and Yuna remained sitting beneath the tree.

Laughing and talking.

They hadn't noticed anything.

They didn't know who the young man was who had passed near them.

And they didn't know that simply seeing them had been enough to completely change his expression.

As for Vario...

He continued walking with a smile on his face.

As if nothing had happened.

But somewhere behind that smile...

There was something else.

Something Levi didn't know about yet.

And something Vario wasn't ready to reveal.