See You Tomorrow

The fresh air flooded his lungs as Valentine opened his eyes to the clear morning sky.

A tall double-door opened up before him as the all familiar training ground appeared before his eyes, filled with clanking of wooden swords and all sorts of knights.

It’s been a few hours since his day had begun, and yet the clouds still passed by the murky sky, the icy-blue color that it carried along with it, made him think of how high they really were.

The cradle was, after all, built across an enormous mountain range which in his eyes was the biggest thing he’s ever seen. Large enough to fit multiple cities across it.

He looked behind him, at his group slowly making their way upwards and greeting the colorful beauty of nature that could not reach the depths of the Preceptory.

“Finally…” Martin said with a small grin as he pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Noah stepped in front of him, taking the old man's hand before he could even open it and taste the nicotine.

“Maybe later?” He said with a smile while looking down at Carina, her face already pouting.

“Tsk.” He didn’t question it, perhaps already annoyed from not being able to smoke for a long while.

Vesper only smiled from the side as he consoled the heart-broken veteran with his kind yet simple words.

Matthew and Livia came out last, barely able to stand as the blond fell on the fresh grass, panting for breath.

Valentine stared at him for a long second before looking away, his interest disappearing after noticing a band-aid over his nose.

Everyone seemed quite exhausted after the lessons had finished, and so was Valentine who was already showing his visible struggle to walk.

Even with a strong body, he was still himself. Not adjusted to physical exercises or anything involving movement at all.

I should have rested instead.

He grumbled under his nose as Lillith stepped forward with Carina letting go of her hand, looking at everyone present with a tired but satisfied grin she spoke loud for everyone to hear.

“That’s all regarding today’s lessons, they will be held again at the same time tomorrow but for now… you can return to your lodging and try studying on your own.” She glanced in Valentine’s direction, his eyes instantly drifting to the side. “You should all practice what we taught you as much as you can, of course, don’t overexert yourself. Your safety is of the highest priority here so try staying within your limits.”

Thank god.

Valentine let out a short breath, holding onto his chest as if his heart was about to fall out.

Others seemed to share his relief as they became visibly relaxed.

Dropping on the ground, Valentine could finally take a moment to clear out his thoughts, feeling the grass shift beneath his fingers.

Pyra is Life.

The ultimate conclusion of his one on one lesson with Lillith and the one thing he understood with ease.

The meaning of it was simple.

To live, one has to possess pyra. If something does not have an ounce of it, then it's not truly alive.

He looked down to the side, ripping out a short blade of grass.

He held it up to his eyes, watching it shaking weakly under the breeze.

In his eyes, he didn’t see much difference between the regular world and the world of sparks. It was still just a blade of grass, nothing more.

I wonder what it really means, Life, that is.

He blew on the lone blade of grass, letting it sink into its brethren before disappearing from his sight completely.

All he could do was wait. And time is all he had.

This world, the world of the Goddess Victoria, the Kingdom named Siccitas, and the Cradle.

If time was all he could offer, then this world is what his time would be sacrificed for.

He didn’t care that much for his life before, rather, he found it quite boring.

But here…

“Are you alright?”

He could do anything he wanted.

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“I’m fine.” Valentine held Noah’s hand as the knight helped him up, his grip firm and cold with the armour encasing it.

“Do you really have to wear it all the time?” The boy scoffed at the sight of a long half-cape flowing down Noah’s left arm.

“Only when I’m on duty.”

“Hah.”

He shook his head, watching others leaving from the training grounds.

Valentine turned to Noah, asking.

“Where are they going anyways?”

Noah raised his brow, looking at the boy in confusion before gasping in realisation.

“Ah! You mean your group?”

“Who else?”

“Right…” His face reddened slightly.

I’m going to puke.

“They’re heading back to their designated quarters.” Noah answered after some thought, pointing somewhere into the long corridors of the Preceptory. “While some people like you have connections around these parts and can stay with their family or close-ones, others stay here, in the preceptory.”

“And why is that?”

Noah’s face fell as he, slightly disheartened, answered.

“Because… they have nowhere to go. Everyone was brought here in the same way you were, taken forcibly to undergo the selection and get chosen by the church. They don't have anywhere to go, and the Knights can't simply let them go since they’ve become believers. I hope you understand.”

Ah…

Valentine looked back at the group, their colors already fading into steel and stone.

Perhaps for the first time, he felt some sort of pity for them.

He didn’t know them well, to the point that at this very moment, he was forgetting how they looked. Only their names were ringing vividly inside his head thanks to his ‘curse’ that forced him to remember things.

So I was just lucky…

He looked down at his clothes, the long white coat given to him by Sunday still looked brand-new, its special properties forever unknown.

“Don’t take it to heart, it’s not your fault they ended up that way.”

Noah suddenly added.

Valentine’s face twisted as if he’d tasted something sour.

“Why would I ever think that?”

“I… just thought.”

Again, this strange way of speaking.

Valentine couldn’t help but think it was Lillith’s doing that made Noah act so weirdly towards him.

While he did step out of the line, he didn't understand why the knight would act like this with him, he was at fault and yet Noah was the one feeling guilty?

Something was off.

He looked over the knight’s shoulder at the girl in a white shirt, while she, noticing his gaze, shamelessly grinned before raising a thumb up and running away without giving him a chance to catch her.

You’re second on the list.

“So then, aren’t you going to go as well?”

Noah scratched the back of his head awkwardly as the two of them stood there alone on the grass.

Valentine looked to the side. Near the wall stood a large, wood carved weapon rack holding countless types of practice swords, ranging from smallest daggers on one side and slow, giant greatswords on the other.

It was here that he chose his wooden messer for the spar with Lillith, though it was most likely already in the trash.

“Maybe a spar?” Valentine shrugged.

It was the first thought that came to his mind as they stepped out of the basement, and in all honesty, he thought of it as fun and entertaining.

Despite not being a physical type, he found it quite exhilarating to use swords for the first time in his life, it brought him a certain thrill that could never compare to simple games or competitions.

“Not in your current condition,” Noah laughed quietly to himself. “Lillith really didn't care about holding back…”

Can’t deny that.

Valentine flashed a cracked smile as he held his chest, his fingers pressing tight.

It stung with static, to the point that he couldn’t even lean forward without letting out a pained grunt.

Though she took a part of the pain, he still carried the injuries. It seemed that her Ignis could only work mentally, sharing the pain of another temporarily. While indeed bringing him some sense of comfort, he was still injured and could barely move on his own, it was a miracle he even made it up the stairs on his own.

“Go home, I guess.”

Shrugging, Valentine shoved his hands into his pockets, turning in the direction they had come from.

“I see…” Noah mumbled under his nose, the tone of his voice dropping.

His eyes fell slightly along with his entire posture which slouched down to the side just enough to notice.

What’s wrong with him?

Valentine thought to himself as he left the Preceptory.

***

The sharp road split into two directions, one leading down the street while the other was now blocked, with multiple barriers and signs that said not to cross them.

The buildings around looked worse, barely counting as houses with how their walls were slowly collapsing from rot and the roof tiles were losing their color, becoming a duller shade of red.

Not many people were around, just a couple passerbys that didnt look each others way.

But contrary to what one would expect, it was especially noisy.

So noisy in fact, that people were covering their ears while walking past.

I wonder if those beasts are still there.

The sight of the construction site didn’t surprise Valentine much, it was a lot similar to what he’d see in his hometown when new houses would be built or remodeled.

Countless steel beams, wooden beams, bricks and workers that worked all day on making the neighbours suffer from insomnia.

While standing in the middle of the street, some workers actually looked his way and waved their hands with oil-stained smiles. Their dusty shirts and yellowish overalls that were too big to fit.

But they seemed quite good at their jobs, with one man shouting commands from below and everyone following them to the dot.

After watching them for a while longer, the sound of a bell ringing echoed across the street as every one of them began to slowly stop their work.

Valentine heaved a sigh and went back to the Chapel which wasn't that much far from here.

I hope they’re not too loud at night.

He shook his head.

Though I doubt I’d be sleeping much today.

Smiling to himself, he quickened his step, holding onto something large inside his pockets.