'Scarlet Strings Of Destiny.'
Night Seventeen...
'Do your best to train and try as hard as you can. I don't think there is any other way... If you're serious about joining this school, even if its for a selfish reason, then let that guide you.'
Those had been Whites words before she left and Brave seemed to have done her best to take it to heart.
Be a hero. Save the day. Kill Mares. Become famous.
There were many reasons one could attempt to become a Wake.
Hers was as selfish as it came though.
She didn't care about saving the world. She didn't care about helping everyone out. She didn't care about being a hero. She just wanted to keep those she cared about safe and also finally speak to that strange man that was her father.
As if that would bring some sort of closure to her.
It was as selfish as you could.
And yet... It's the selfish people that seem to succeed. After all the Decent ones die first... Selfish people are more confident and less likely to give up on goals, selfish people have a drive to succeed, selfish people are the ones who will kill the decent people.
And the training for her to be selfish was...
Hard to say the least.
Mind and Spirit felt weak. Wrists, legs, and feet, felt like they could snap off. Heart and lungs were at a bursting point.
Everyday Black would challenge her to a battle and always seemed to beat her into the ground again and again. She didn't seem to catch up to him no matter how hard she tried. After she was done getting beat White would help ease her into more aura practice.
Learning how to turn it off and on it had been difficult at first. In some ways it still was. Learning how to add more heat, learning how to make it produce more light, learning how to see something on a cellular level, learning how to increase her speed, durability, or attack power, those had been harder. And learning to do more than one at a time... That seemed impossible.
When she wasn't training physically with Black, or training spiritually using aura, with White, Brave found herself running from the Mares in the middle of the night. She had gotten stronger. Not only had her body been pushed to new found limits, she had broken those limits with aura. In terms of sheer power she was above and beyond that first version of herself.
That said she still didn't kill a single Mare.
As if something had been holding her back.
Not one Mare was on her record.
Instead she would simply run until they stopped chasing after. It had been hard at first but now... Now she was strong enough that avoiding the fight was easy. She could simply wait them all out until the sun rose up and then get a few hours of sleep before Black challenged her to a match. His fights were far tougher than running from the Mares.
Days turned to weeks...
And that week soon became a month.
"Seriously." Black announced pulling his sword out of the ground and pointing it at Brave. "It's like you haven't improved at all." He yelled.
Brave didn't say anything reaching to her belt for her knife. This was the last day she had to attempt to win. Tomorrow would be the day that she would take the Heaven Entrance exam. An exam ran by the closest thing to a leader the Wakes had Venefectus. That test would decide if she could even get into the school. And if she failed and died...
Flashes of her family went through her mind followed by the image of Tik. The month had changed her quiet a bit despite not being that long all things considered. For one her hair was wild and unclean. It was down and wild now. Her skin was covered in bruises and dirt and her outfit was heavily torn. She likely smelled awful not having a chance to take a bath for a full month out here.
Brave took an intake of air. "Hey Black."
"What?" The boy asked frowning. "Hey you better not get cocky. After all this is the last day. If you can't beat me you have no right to take on the Entrance exam!"
"Thats just the thing I wanted to talk to you about." Brave said twirling her knife through her fingers. She had gotten better with it and could at least use it. That said she preferred her fists still. "I've made up my mind."
"Huh?"
"Even if you beat me. I'm going to take the Entrance exam still!"
"W... What? Are you an idiot."
"I am."
"S... Seriously you admit to it."
"I don't care about this test." Brave said shaking her head. "I'm going to get strong enough to keep my family safe from... That 'thing' and I'll also be strong enough to get my father to tell me whatever I want. I don't care if I end up losing a hundred times either. I'll keep trying. If you don't want me to go to Heaven then I guess you'll have to kill me."
"Idiot girl. I'll remove both your legs maybe that will show you how pointless this has all been." Black hissed a white aura exploding around him. One also formed around Brave lighting them both up in its glow as the two met head on.
Off to the side White rested on a little stump propping her head on her knees. "Hmm... Black..." She said to herself to quietly for the two fighters to hear. "It's not like Brave hasn't improved. Actually she's gotten really far. However... We've been training the entire month as well... Brave is far stronger then she had been when she stepped foot on this mountain. I bet she could even beat the version of yourself that first fought her... That said even though she's been getting stronger so have we... It was kind of unfair to make her have to beat you... She really does remind you of Brown doesn't she... Do you not want her to become a Wake... Is that why you gave her an impossible task?"
Black allowed a loud yell to escape him as the white aura around him grew brighter, and brighter, flaring around his blade like white flames and melting the snow around him as he swung out with his katana not holding anything back and swinging with so much force each strike was slicing through the trees as if they were made out of solid butter as he moved closer and closer to Brave fighting her with skills she had no idea he had.
Brave gritted her teeth using her little knife to block the many sword strikes that were launched at her. 'Focus on Defense...' She thought as the image of thousands of strings weaving together entered her mind forming a cushion of them that would block physical attacks. Her aura flared up greater as it gained more durability with her image. 'Not just on the knife... On my hands to. He's hitting my blade so hard he could just knock the weapon out of my fingers if I'm not careful... One slip up and he'll... I can't remain on the defensive either...'
Black swung his sword out as hard as he could twirling his body. Brave twirled the knife in her hands so it was pointing towards the ground as she raised it up blocking the sword strike at the last moment with her knife. As she did that her defense dropped as she focused all her effort to pushing his sword back. She could only use one mode at a time unlike Black who could use three, and even four if he pushed himself.
Blacks feet stepped back as he braced himself for her hit Brave sending his sword up as she stepped forward and swung out with her knife. Black raised his other arm up his aura switching its max into defense as her knife slammed into it. There was a loud crack and the blade of her knife shattered down into a fine dust but Brave didn't stop there as she didn't use her aura on her knife. Rather she kept driving her arm forward dropping the knife as she slammed her fist into his mask as hard as she could.
Black was pushed back his hand reaching for his mask as a large crack appeared on it. "You... Broke my mask-"
Brave slammed her leg out her aura wrapping around it as she delivered a powerful kick to his side making him gasp out as he slipped and began to fall. 'Alright.' Brave thought a slight smug smile appearing on her lips. She jumped at him flipping through the air and raising her leg up above her head as she began to slam it down preparing a powerful kick. 'I might actually win this-'
"Uriel..."
And at those words being muttered from Black, Brave, for a split second swore she saw a long blue wing?
In a flash Black was behind her in the air his back pressed to hers. "I guess... You did get some better." He sighed sheaving his blade. "Try not to be unconscious for to long okay? It'll be night soon."
Several large gashes suddenly appeared all along Braves body from her shoulder to her stomach as blood sprayed out and her eyes rolled to the back of her head her body smacking down in the ice and snow face first.
She lost once more...
"You had to use your Affinity you made this month?" White asked raising an eyebrow.
"She's not to bad I suppose." Black sighed reaching into his pocket and pouring out a flash of healing liquid all over Brave. "I... Think I'd like to fight her again some day when shes even better."
"So you'll let her-"
"I can't stop her. I got my own test just like you for our school. We're leaving. Idiot girl. She better be suborn enough to pass I guess." Black hummed sheathing his sword. "Until then..."
And with that...
The two siblings left.
Braves eyes slowly opened as she stared up at the dark blue sky. It would be night soon she thought. She set up and was shocked to find she wasn't as injured as she thought she would be. "Black must have healed me... Damn I lost again! But what was that awesome thing he did! Gah they were keeping secrets from me!"
Brave thrashed around and felt her hand hit something metal like. She looked down raising her eyebrow only for her eyes to widen.
"T... This is..."
A few tears dripped down her face when she saw it.
In the snow was Blacks katana. A letter was attached to it.
'I'll suppose you'll have to give me this back when we're both Wakes. Until then why don't you hold onto it. This way you can't lose the entrance exam otherwise you'll let me down.'
"Black... White... Thank you both..."
The trip down the mountain hadn't been that hard.
Not anymore anyways.
She was shocked that she didn't see any Mares either.
"There she is." A familiar voice said. "Wait... Is that her... Brav- Ms. Larison?"
Brave looked up finding Cliff Williams, and Fate Williams, were both standing at the base of the mountain a car behind them. Fate ran over to her when she saw her.
"Are you okay?" Fate asked. Then she plugged her nose. "Ew... You smell sort of gross... Also is that a katana?"
"Yeah." Brave said sheepishly scratching her head sheepishly with her free hand as she placed the sword at her side. "Its sort of a long story..."
"Well..." Williams hummed. "We came to get you Ms. Larison. School exams will start tomorrow. Your home is to far from here so why don't I take you back to our place and you get clean up and get clothes that aren't torn." He said humming.
"Thanks sir." Brave nodded giving a smile of appreciation. She really needed a bath.
They moved towards the car Fate getting into the shot gun seat while Williams got into the drivers. Brave was a little surprised when she opened the passenger door and there was already someone sitting in the back. He had messy black hair and coal black eyes.
"Oh hey." They said.
"Uh... Hello." Brave said sitting down next to him. She hoped the smell didn't bother him as Fate and Williams seemed to get green in the face when the car was filled with her stench. "I'm Brave."
"I'm Kale."
And just like that.
Brave Larison met Kale Pluto...
Meanwhile...
"Hmm..." Laws rested in a chair facing his door. "I guess she died on the mountain and wasn't strong enough to get here. Pity. I thought she had some potential in her."