In accordance with the tradition of the Nortvardians, Gaia's grandmother was laid to rest within three days of her demise.
A rainy day it was, when Gaia buried her grandmother. Everyone paid their respects to the deceased and went back to their respective homes whilst Gaia stayed back crying profusely. Her tears washed down by the rain. With time, she was the only one left there, at her grandmother's grave. Gaia fell to her knees and grabbed some of the soil that covered the grave as she screamed in anguish.
"Do not mourn a loss. Instead, remember the good times you shared and be thankful you had her. That of all the people in this world, you were the one who lived with her. That alone is worth being thankful for. That in itself, surely, is not a loss."
Gaia turned around to see who talked. She did not expected that someone stayed behind. In that instance, the rain that fell stopped beating her. She has heard that voice in the past. It was him. The scholar who saved her some days ago. There, he stood. His hand stretched out and holding an umbrella over her that warded off the rainfall.
"Y-you?" she mumbled, sobbing. "W-why are you here?"
Gaia was taken aback by this person's sudden appearance. Of all the people in the world, she never expected to see him.
"I'm here to support a friend. That is not such a bad thing, is it?"
Gaia was speechless for a few minutes with the two of them staring deep into each other's eyes until Gaia finally spoke.
"F-friend?" she said, confused. A rhetorical question to which the boy still nodded.
"Or are we not?" he asked, forcing Gaia to shake her head nervously.
The atmosphere became warmer with the gradual appearance of the sun and the feeling of its warmth. The rain eventually stopped with time.
"Do accept my condolences..." the boy said. Not knowing her name, he left his statement unfinished.
"Gaia. My name is Gaia," she said, wiping her eyes.
"Gaia," the boy repeated. "Do accept my condolences, Gaia," he said before leaving.
"Hey!" Gaia called.
The boy stopped and turned to her. "What's your name?" she asked.
He grinned. "Trys. Trys Lanead."
"Thank you, Trys."
Trys could feel the sincerity in her voice. He nodded and walked away.
Gaia felt comforted for the time she conversed with Trys. He was the first person, her age grade, to genuinely treat her nice. He was warm and gentle that it made her blush as she thought of it.
"Oi! You there!" a voice called.
There, in an lonely alley, Hegar called to Trys who went in that direction. Trys stopped and turned to see who it was. His expression showed disgust.
"Huh?" Trys asked, "What is it?"
"Apologize," Hegar demanded.
"Huh?" Trys was befuddled, "For what exactly?"
"For what you did to me and my friends."
Just behind him were Katus and the other two, bandaged on many parts of their bodies.
"And if I don't?" Trys asked.
"Tch!" Hegar gnashed his teeth, "You'll pay! You peasant!"
"Oh? Come then" Trys said, grinning.
Suddenly, other persons appeared and stood on the roofs of the houses that bordered the alley. There were about seven of them. All were scholars of the same year as Hegar and Trys.
-
Eight days later. Gaia returned to the guild's academy after she buried her grandmother. The scene that played out next, right before her eyes, was a shocking one.
"Forgive us!" they cried out, "We're sorry!"
Right there, at the gates, Hegar and his gang of ten knelt down before Gaia and bowed their heads to the ground. Evident on their bodies were bandages. Those that had before, had theirs increased. Trys did beat all of them days ago when they encountered him.
Gaia was shocked and nearly driven to tears as they repeated their words again. Looking ahead, she saw Trys standing afar off. Trys gave her a thumbs up and smiled while walking away. It was then that the tears truly flowed from her eyes.
Gaia and Trys, from then, became very good friends. Going on, each, to become certified sorcerers of, first, unranked level. The two young sorcerers grew stronger with each passing year of service and accomplished many missions on their own. Then an incident happened. The incident that would put them in favour with the higher ups.
Gaia, now twenty six and Trys, now twenty eight, were summoned by their unit leader. Amidst the chaos that was created by the rogue sorcerer, Kaiser, the unit leader thought it wise to send two of his strongest into the field to handle the situation. Kaiser, who was once a true blue Nortvardian sorcerer, had returned and was causing mayhem in the guild.
"To think they'd send small fries like you after me. Tch! They underestimate me that much," Kaiser scoffed.
"Wreak havoc, my children!" Kaiser commanded his mindless minions as they stormed into the towns to do his bidding.
"This is as far as you go, Kaiser!" Trys yelled from atop the roof he stood.
Kaiser looked up at him and showed no reaction what so far. The minions that remained with him leaped into the air and at Trys in an attack. Suddenly, a violently spinning wheel of water manifested out of nowhere, slicing these mindless creatures in two halves each.
"Water Magic: Spinning Wheel," Gaia's voice roared as she made her entrance. "This is the end for you!"
The two sorcerers were about to face off against Kaiser. It was a decisive battle that would determine the fate of this part of the continent of Nortvard.
"Foolish bunch!" Kaiser yelled.
Both parties clashed for a long time, destroying the buildings and the land that surrounded them. It was a fierce battle that drew more attention from the higher ups. Gaia and Trys, in the end, emerged victorious and with Kaiser defeated, his minions were easily dealt with. Kaiser was to be sent to the Cactus and branded with the highest level of sentence possible for a criminal bound in this prison.
"You think this is the end? Hahaha! Surely you all must be foolish and narrow-minded then. The world is about to take an unusual turn. It's coming, the darkness. The darkness that will cover this world and not even you all, self-proclaimed, enlightened sorcerers can stop it. You all just wait for it. Hahahaha!" Kaiser said, laughing hysterically.
These were Kaiser's last words to Trys as he was taken away. Trys watched on with the team of sorcerers sent to him from the Blancan Veir. He paid no heed to what the criminal said, neither did he think it worth reporting to his superiors.
"For their courageous efforts, I hereby call forth these two..." announced one of the highly ranked Nortvardian sorcerers.
"Trys Lanead!" announced this sorcerer.
Trys Lanead standing up was met with a round of applause by the many sorcerers that were present.
"Gaia Weithweld!" this sorcerer announced again.
Like Trys, Gaia stepped up to the stage where the higher ups sat.
"For their outstanding effort in absolving the recent incident and for the apprehension of the rogue sorcerer, Kaiser, the guild's council grants them - Trys Lanead and Gaia Weithweld - the rank of B amongst the sorcerers here in the Blancan Veir," he announced.
With the announcement came a resounding applause and a smile on Gaia and Trys' faces. They accepted their promotions with gratitude to the council for such recognition. To become a ranked sorcerer was not something that came easy.
A few others were recognized that day, but the most exceptional group of people on this day were the crowd that bore witness to the event. The crowd of sorcerers raged and let out shouts of joy into the air with each person called upon.
"Congratulations, Gaia" Trys leaned to her right ear and whispered.
"You too, Trys" Gaia replied.
"I have something to ask you" he said.
Trys spoke in very low tone, only to Gaia's hearing.
"What is it?" Gaia asked.
Trys smiled before eventually spoke.
"Will you be my bride?"
Gaia froze on the spot. Trys had posed a question that left her astonished and without words.