...
Scias went out of the village. He calmly walks beneath the shining daylight. He has walked for an hour straight passing through the forest and now he finds himself near a cliff. It is so high that he can see a wide view of the blue ocean.
He stares without a noise, gazing upon the dancing waves splashing each other while letting the wind glide past him.
"..."
He lifts his hand, staring at his bruised palm, proving his diligence in swordsmanship.
Scias Trophe, a 25-year-old man who follows a young explorer as his fellow friend. He reminisces a bit of his journey with the explorer thus far. But amidst of his reimagining, he suddenly remembers a memory, a memory that he had buried in the past but always surfaced over and over and kept storming his memory.
"I see..." he said with a soft voice. "Every time I saw the ocean... I—"
Suddenly, he hears a footstep behind him. Almost instantly, he turned around and gives a sharp and scary stare upon anyone in his sight. His hands already prepared to pull his katana whenever ready. There, he saw his fellow companion, Nina.
"Whoa! Calm down, Scias, it's me, Nina," the girl said with her hands gesturing that she's not a threat.
"How did you find me?" Scias asked while reverting back to his calm pose.
"I'm sorry, I followed you here," Nina said with an apology.
"Followed me? All the way here?" Scias asked.
"Uh-huh," Nina nodded.
"If y-you came here, then I believe you're with Aily."
"Not now, though. She's taking a nap. I followed you here all by myself."
"H-Huh..." Scias turned his attention towards the open ocean. Soon, Nina walks to his side, joining his gaze upon the blue sea. Her long hair flows almost in one with the wind. The light of the sun reflects on her blonde hair.
"It's so peaceful, don't you think?" Nina asked with a soft voice.
Scias only nods. But his expression did not share such state. Nina notices it a few seconds later as she takes a glimpse to his face. Her attitude of a caring person makes her naturally ask him.
"Scias, does this view remind you of something?"
Scias closes his eyes. He takes a slight breath that stuttered a bit, reflecting a grief that still clings to him. He lets out his breath slowly, before finally giving his words.
"...Yeah. A long time ago, but it does not matter now."
"I see."
For several seconds they continue on watching the sea where rays of light reflected in the waters. But before long, Scias realizes if there's only the two of them above the cliff, then it might be the perfect time for him to ask her something that still disturbs his mind.
"Hey, Nina... if I may, I w-want to ask you something,"
"What is it?"
"...What do you think of Pio?"
"Eh? Pio?"
Scias nods slightly. He looks towards Nina and continues his word.
"You are the closest one to her. I wanted to know how you feel towards her."
Nina gets a bit confused with his words. Despite the confusion that wraps her mind, she still speaks with a calm and composed voice.
"Why bringing this up all of sudden? Did something happen?"
"...Not in particular, though. She is just... w-weird."
"Tee-hee, I agree with you. She is one unique girl."
"You know, Nina... I question her morality as of now. Her m-mentality reflects her looks. But whenever she fights her opponent... she acted differently. As if she has turned into a completely different person. I might b-be wrong about this... but I think you noticed it, too. How her speed and reflexes matches mine."
Nina listened through his speech while staring high at him. As Scias finishes, she turned her head down, looking down at the edge of the cliff.
"I understand what you're trying to tell me, Scias. You're suspecting Pio being two-faced, right?"
"..." Scias remained silent. But his silence affirms what Nina thought of Scias. Scias looks downwards as well and suddenly gives an apology to her. His apology hits the last nail on the coffin.
"I'm sorry."
"Why would you apologize to me?" Nina wondered with a forced smile.
"I might not know her well. But I think you do. What I said m-might be wrong. But still... I want to convey it. These days ever since we took off from Alidia with her, I realize there's something not right with her. I knew there was... something out of place since we met her."
"If you suspect her that much since the beginning, then why did you not deny?" Nina asked.
"...I've no right to determine someone's fate, Nina," he said with a bold voice. His words shocked Nina.
"Marco... and of course, you are the ones that could give the best option for what's to come," Scias added with a resigned voice. "I am just a miserable man..."
"That is not true."
Scias reflectively looked at her face.
"Nobody in this world can determine anyone's fate. Not even me. Not even Marco," Nina stated gracefully. "Sometimes, I ask myself whether what I've done is the right thing. To be honest with you, I don't know at all. I just want to be kind to everyone and be helpful to those in need."
"You... truly felt that way?" Scias asked with a held back voice.
Nina nods, "Hhm. If you think you've no right to determine something, then you are not honest with yourself."
Nina looks away into the sea, blinking several times as the wind meets her eye.
"To be honest with you, I don't know whether embarking on this journey is the correct choice. To be honest with you, I don't know if I can save people, preventing their death with my magic. I don't know if my choice to pick up Pio and let her join our journey is the rightest one or not. But even so, I don't want to regret my decisions in life. If I've decided something, then I want to make sure that it will go that way. That way, I will not regret what I've chosen afterwards."
"..." Scias could not counter her words at all. He is silenced completely.
"I agree with you, Scias. She is odd. She is strange. She is strong. She is fierce. As time passes, I also realized it. She slowly changed, from not understanding common sense to suddenly understand certain words that I've yet to teach her."
"Then, why would you keep her with us?"
"Because you know, Scias, in the end, Pio is still a little girl that needs someone to look after her. She might be scary sometimes. She might be murmuring strange things that we do not understand. But in the end, she never showed any bad intentions. Her feeling is sincere to us. That's why I kept her, though my life might be on the line because of it."
Scias silently looks again at the sea. His lips twitch slightly, thinking of how miserable he is compared to his own companions.
"You're really... brave, Nina. If it was me... I would've d-dumped her somewhere and forget all about her. Miserable, isn't it? Only a heartless monster would so something like that..."
"That is not true. You are not a miserable person. I believe you'd do that to make sure we're all safe, right?" she said soothingly. Her words are as if an angel speaking to the tall swordsman.
Scias barely able to give his reply, but when he voices out, he speaks stutteringly, as if holding his tears. "...Yeah. That's... t-t-true."
"You know, Scias, I never thought of you being miserable even once. Aily never pictured you that way, even Marco himself didn't think that way. That's why, please stop calling yourself miserable."
Scias squinted and altogether clenching his teeth, "I... I don't know, Nina. If I decide something, I fear something bad may happen. I fear... that my decision and my words will kill people."
Nina's eyelids rose in realization. In her heart hums out, "I understand now."
She gives out a bright smile to Scias, "You know, Scias?"
"Hm?"
"You just lacked positivity in yourself," Nina smiled adorably.
"Positivity...?" Scias wondered.
"Yup. Every time you speak, it felt so gloomy, you know?" she said in a childish manner. "For starters, try to smile more often. That may relax your muscles a bit, tee-hee."
"I'm sorry I... I don't know if I can..."
"Oh, come on! I know you can do it. Everyone can, I believe you can!"
"...Fine. I-I'll give it a try."
"Oh, about your suspicion towards Pio..."
"No, don't worry, Nina. I will forget it."
"—Instead of simply forgetting it..."
"Eh?"
"Let's see... if she is slowly acting more mature as time passes, then we can suggest ourselves that she might have amnesia."
"Amnesia...?"
"Yeah, amnesia! She might forget who she was before, but as time passes, she remembers who she is supposedly and slowly returns to her former self!"
"I'm impressed with you. You can be so... 'positive'..." Scias' eyelids lift up as he spoke the word 'positive'.
"Yeap. That's why I told you. Try to think more like that. If you feel something was off, try to picture something good about that 'something'. Oh! But that doesn't mean you should stop suspecting strange people, too."
"...I s-see, I... I will give it a shot."
Nina now thinks about Scias differently.
"Finally, I understand the mystery of his strange attitude. He speaks well to Marco but everyone. Who could've thought that he feared saying something wrong? He just lacked positivity in himself. If he can love himself more, I believe he can be a better person."
With a sincere expression, she speaks once more to Scias.
"Don't worry about giving out your opinions later on, okay? I understand that you're trying hardly to be careful with what you're saying. I understand that."
"That's why, let us change together, you would be a better man, and I will understand you more, okay?" Nina reaches out her hand to rub Scias' head, but she's too short for Scias' height.
"Oww... why you're so... tall...! I can't... reach..."
"P-Pff..." Scias silently giggles.
"I'm serious here!" Nina pouted.
"I get it, I get it," Scias crouches down before Nina, letting her palm reach his hair.
"There, there..."
"Nina..." Scias called her.
"Hng?"
"Thank you, for everything."
In the end of his words, he finally gave a warm smile. Nina notices it and feels happy for him. With her kindly grabbing his hands, she compliments him afterwards.
"You're welcome. You've done a good work thus far."
For the last time, Nina thinks to herself.
"Seeing Scias reminds me of a tale back home. A knight who failed to protect his beloved lady, then he turned into a man who could not forgive himself and finally gave in to the god he believed in. But for Scias' case, I stepped in to stop that process. To be honest, I still wonder whether what I've done here is right or not. But whatever happens, I will not let my friends fell into a dreaded hole. Still, though... I wonder what drove Scias to act in such a way. What can I think of is that there's something to do with his 'past'."
After several minutes later, Scias and Nina returned back into the village together.
Scias' new start is about to begin.