"As of tomorrow, the Mission Testing will begin." Ms. Bayora announced from the stage, "Three of you will be paired up with a teacher and will complete one of the many missions given to us."
"Is your hand finally healed?" Gareth whispered as Ms. Bayora went on.
Riba nodded and held out his right hand, no longer imprisoned by the bright white cast, "Perfect timing."
"Do you think we'll be paired up together?"
"I hope so." Riba smiled and nodded, examining his softly reddened hand by turning it over.
"You will be graded based on your actions. So act accordingly, and try not to die." Ms. Bayora finished with a devious grin.
Nervous muttering arose from the crowd, everyone startled by the word "die".
"Our first squad: Riba, Gareth, and Korra, paired up with Mr. Toruga.
'YES!" Riba cheered internally, gleefully pumping his fist, 'I'm with Gareth AND Mr. Toruga!'
Korra, who was seated two rows in front of him turned her head. Riba could barely see her, but he could feel the hatred of her eyes burning into him, almost unbearable. Gareth happily fist bumped him and continued to pay attention. The congregation concluded and everyone filed out. As Riba made his way, he noticed the blue of Korra's hair making it's way toward him.
'Uh oh...' He thought.
Korra squeezed through two people and walked beside him.
"Guess we're in the same group..." She muttered with a blank expression.
She was acting surprisingly neutral. Riba stared at her, trying to respond. Up ahead, a gap opened in the crowd and he took the opportunity to escape.
"Great." He said sarcastically and speed walked to the gap, which he squeezed through and dissapeared.
Korra was left to herself. She sighed and looked at the floor.
~o~
Riba no longer required training sessions with Mr. Toruga, and trekked to the forest alone once he had finished packing for his trip. Although Kara came with him and watched from her comfortable perch in a tree, he felt lonely. No Mr. Toruga, no Korra. No one. Training alone just didn't feel right. The eerie silence was suddenly broken like glass as a whooshing noise shook the area, whisping Riba's hair like leaves in the trees. Kara hissed as she sensed the imminent threat and hopped down onto Riba's shoulder.
"Watch my blind spots Kara." He nodded to her.
Kara nodded back and scouted around. Riba looked to where he heard the noise and slowly inched toward it. It appeared to be coming from behind a large tree directly in front of him, and he slowly reached for his sword as he approached. The moment his finger came in contact with the tip of the sword's handle, something behind the tree leaped out. It was one of the creatures he had seen in his kitchen. Ghostly and as dark as night. He wasn't afraid, not anymore. Instead of screaming or running, he charged with his sword brandished. He swung powerfully ten times, each one went right through it's body. It backed away and vanished into thin air, leaving him alone once again.
"Why do I keep seeing these...?" Riba said to himself, scratching his neck.
~o~
Riba's mother was bawling as she hugged Riba tightly, refusing to let him leave for his trip.
"Now I know where you get it from." Mr. Toruga smirked as they walked away from the direction of her cries.
"Hey!" Riba whined and punched him in the arm playfully.
"This mission is dangerous. You sure you're ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Riba smiled.