Yoko Belserion's Point of View
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"Nia?... Nia, wake up, it's daytime." I gently tapped her shoulder.
"Mm... Yoko?" she murmured, barely able to open her eyes. I offered her a comforting smile as she sat up on my bed.
"Where am I? What happened?" she asked, with clear signs of fatigue on her face.
"You're safe, at my place... You had a long, terrible night, Nia. I'm sorry about your grandmother." At those words, Nia's innocent eyes filled with tears, realizing that what she had experienced the previous day was not just a nightmare.
"Everything will be fine. Areyos and Kaiser are already looking for Marlow. They'll find him." I hugged her to offer some warmth and comfort.
"Yoko! You should be getting ready for school, what are you doing up there?" my mother shouted from downstairs.
"I'm coming, Mom!" I quickly replied.
"Is that your mother?"
"Yes, Nia. And she always pushes me to be early for class." I let out a light sigh.
"Does she know I'm here?"
"Of course not. Areyos flew in with you through the window at high speed. I guess he didn't want my parents to worry about seeing an unconscious girl covered in blood in his arms." I explained.
Nia looked down at her dress, indeed stained with blood from the night before. Her attackers hadn't missed her. Thankfully, Areyos had found her. He probably used his healing abilities to mend Nia's wounds.
"Okay, Nia, change your clothes, take whatever you want from my wardrobe. I'll go downstairs to make breakfast before my mom yells again."
"Okay, Yoko." She got up and headed to my bathroom while I rushed to prepare breakfast.
Once Nia was ready, she came down the stairs, and I knew I would have to introduce her to my parents.
"Well, who is this charming young lady?" asked my mother. "Is she your friend, Yoko?"
"Yes, yes, her name is Nia." I answered with a beaming smile.
"Hello, Mrs. Belserion, it's a pleasure to meet you." Nia bowed in greeting.
"Hello, Nia. The pleasure is mine." My mother smiled. "I didn't know you had a visitor; did she sleep here? I didn't see her come in." My mother seemed astonished.
"Ah--Ah, yes, I forgot to tell you. Her parents live far away, and she came here to study, so I said she could stay at my place." I lied as best I could.
"You didn't mention this to me, Yoko."
"I'm sorry, Mom, my mind was elsewhere."
"Yoko, how did you-- huh!? Who is this beautiful lady!! She's so cute!" My father came down the stairs, enthusiasm in his eyes.
"Dad, this is Nia, a friend of mine. I was wondering if she could stay here for a while."
"Of course, no problem, Yoko." My father seemed thrilled to see Nia. "Honey, she can stay, right?" he asked my mother.
"You've already agreed anyway." She gave a slight smile. "Nia, welcome to our home. I hope you like it here. I don't really know what kind of food Aegyls prefer, so feel free to let me know."
"Thank you, Mrs. Belserion, but don't worry, Metaryon cuisine suits me perfectly." Nia responded with a polite smile.
"Okay. But be careful with your wings, I wouldn't want you to break anything while moving around."
"Ah, about that..." She began, as her wings retracted into her back until they disappeared completely, leaving my mother astonished.
"Amazing, I didn't know Aegyls could do that." My mother was amazed.
"I think she's the only one who can do that, Mom." I added, amused.
"It's so fascinating. I told you we needed a third daughter." My father started dreaming aloud before my mother, embarrassed, lightly hit him on the head with a pan, causing Nia to giggle.
"Nia, meet my father," I said, feeling awkward.
"Your parents are so kind... Thank you for everything, Yoko." Nia had a tender, grateful look. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. I could already sense who it was.
"Rey? Kaiser? How are you already ready?" I said, surprised.
"What are you talking about? We're always early, Yoko!" they said as they entered my house, as if forgetting all the times they'd been late.
"Kaiser and Areyos, it's been a while since we've seen you!" my father exclaimed, visibly happy to see them.
"It has indeed been a long time, Mr. Belserion." They appeared like angels to my father.
"You've grown. I heard you trained with Yoko yesterday. Thank you for calling her." My mother expressed her gratitude.
"Our pleasure, Mrs. Belserion." They flashed angelic smiles, lighting up their faces. While Kaiser spoke with my parents, Rey went over to Nia and hugged her.
"I'm glad you're okay... And I'm sorry about your grandmother... It's my fault, I should never have gotten her into that hospital... I'm deeply sorry..." Areyos expressed his sorrow, a glint of regret in his eyes.
"No, don't say that. It's not your fault. If you hadn't done it, my grandmother would have died at home. Marlow's arrival was just an unfortunate coincidence; otherwise, my grandmother would still be alive. Don't feel guilty, Rey... I owe you my life. Thank you so much for saving me." Nia, with tears in her eyes, responded before Rey released his embrace. My heart ached, sympathizing with Nia's pain.
"I swear to you, Nia... I swear I'll kill Marlow with my own hands. He won't have a gentle death, I can promise you that. No matter how long it takes." Areyos had a look of determination in his eyes.
"Thank you, Areyos. But be careful... I don't want to lose you too."
"That won't happen, I promise." Rey spoke with conviction. He probably used his assassin skills to remain unnoticed by my parents to speak privately with Nia.
"Count on me to help you, Rey." I said determinedly.
"Thank you, Yoko."
"Have you had breakfast before coming?" I asked as Kaiser continued to chat with my parents.
"Yes, we've had breakfast."
"Hey Yoko, serve your friends some food then! Given their exploits in training yesterday, they must be hungry." my father suggested with a smile.
"They just told me they already—" I was saying when Kaiser interrupted.
"Yeah, that's true! We're super hungry, right Rey?"
"It's true, a little breakfast wouldn't hurt, Yoko." Areyos added, looking at me insistently.
"But you just told me that you—" I tried to protest when my mother intervened.
"Serve them food, Yoko, hurry up!" she ordered, while Kaiser and Rey showed big smiles on their faces.
"Ahh... okay, Mom." I shot Areyos a killer look, who only returned a broad smile.
"I'll help you prepare lunch, Yoko." Nia offered enthusiastically. They settled at the table, waiting to be served for the second time that day. Nia's culinary skills impressed my mother, who, while watching her, asked if she'd like to help with recipes. My father had taken his lunch to go so as not to be late for work.
"That was super good as always, thank you both for this breakfast, thank you to you too, Mrs. Belserion," Kaiser said with a smile.
"You're welcome, Kaiser, come by whenever you like," she responded warmly.
"Alright, it's time to leave, we'll be late for class. It's 8:44," I said, standing from the table.
"That's right, we shouldn't linger. Have a nice day, you three," my mother added with a smile.
"Thank you very much, you too," we chorused.
"I'll come with you," Nia proposed, clearly enthusiastic.
"If you want, Nia," I nodded. Areyos and Kaiser exchanged disapproving glances, clearly worried about Nia going out with us.
"Are you sure, Nia?" Rey asked, a bit hesitant.
"Yes, it feels good to fly," she answered, bubbling with energy. Rey hesitated for a moment but eventually relented.
"Okay, let's go," he sighed, and then we took off.
The sky was blue with scattered clouds, and the sun's rays bathed the city in a golden curtain, offering a magnificent view from the heights.
"It's beautiful! So this is flying," Nia marveled, her eyes shining.
"We're almost there," Kaiser announced, scanning the horizon.
"Yes, there are six minutes left before class starts," Areyos added. Checking the time on my ring, I realized there were indeed exactly six minutes left.
"Wow, you got it right, there really are six minutes left!" I said, astonished.
"It's weird, since this morning, you've been unusually precise with time, even without looking at your ring," Kaiser noted, equally puzzled.
"I feel like I always know exactly what time it is without even thinking about it. I think it's because of the Peacock King's beast core. The more I use my airbending, the more the core's power grows. Bits of its power are starting to reflect in me," Areyos explained, his look serious.
"And I guess your ability to know the time constantly must be a small part of the Peafowl King's temporal power," Kaiser added, an amused smile on his lips.
"Yes, I believe so," Areyos agreed.
"But wait, does that mean you'll be able to control time later?!" I asked, surprised.
"Ahah, I don't think so. Chi and ki don't allow for such power. Maybe chakra might allow for some time manipulation if one understands how it works, but actual time mastery is beyond the reach of mere beings like us. Don't dream," Areyos explained, laughing.
"That's true, I hadn't thought of that," I admitted, thoughtful.
Once we arrived at the academy, we landed in front of the gate. The diversity of races gathered in one place fascinated Nia. She probably had never had to attend such an academic environment given the troubles she faced. We entered the courtyard, a few meters from the building's entrance. As usual, the girls were eyeing Areyos and Kaiser, some even asking for autographs. They were surrounded by young women of all races. But an event suddenly chilled the atmosphere in the courtyard...
"Look at this, she's cute, this girl," said a Metaryon with a mischievous smile, his eyes on Nia.
"Move along, she's not a student here," I retorted aggressively.
"Calm down, beautiful. I just want to talk to your friend, I'm sure she'd love to go out with me," the Metaryon insisted as others approached, trying to pressure us.
"Move along, this is the last time I'll say it," I said, my blood boiling, lightning beginning to spark around my fist. I fixed him with such a threatening look that his friends became scared and backed off.
"Wow, you're really mad, my word. Come on, a hug and we'll leave," said the Metaryon, grabbing Nia by the arm. But as I was about to punch him in the face, an overwhelming pressure filled the courtyard, silencing the chatter of the students. No one could stand up under the pressure.
"I suggest you let her go," said Areyos as he approached, his gaze cold and with palpable murderous intent.
"Unless you prefer to serve as barbecue for the monsters," Kaiser completed, his fists aflame, advancing with a threatening aura. The murderous pressure was felt throughout the courtyard, and the Metaryon immediately let go of Nia, backing away as best he could from Areyos and Kaiser, joining his trembling friends.
Kaiser then displayed a rare power: he surrounded the Metaryon and his friends with a wall of blue flames. These flames, once mastered, had a multiplier of ten. Kaiser's normal flames could reach 3500 degrees Celsius, but with his blue flames, the temperature could rise to 35,000 degrees, far beyond the heat at the sun's surface. Thanks to his mastery of fire-type afflictions granted by his chakra, he could control the spread of heat; otherwise, he risked being vaporized by his own power.
This is why there are so few users of blue flames. Until they've learned plasma control, which allows them to concentrate all the heat into a plasma ball, preventing heat emission, firebenders avoid learning or using blue flames because their use is extremely dangerous.
"Apologize to these two ladies if you don't want to be instantly vaporized by the flames," Kaiser said in a frosty voice.
"We're sorry!! We were just joking! Please, Kaiser, let us go, we won't do it again, we promise!" the Metaryons panicked as the circle of fire shrank, forcing them closer to the center to avoid being reduced to ashes.
"Wasn't that hard in the end. Now, out of my sight," Kaiser added, withdrawing his flames. The oppressive pressure in the courtyard disappeared immediately, allowing the group to flee.
"You're so strong, it's incredible," said Nia, dazzled. "Thank you all for defending me."
"It's nothing, 'little sister'," said Areyos, a slight smile on his lips. Nia seemed touched by his words, her gaze fixed on him as he turned around.
"Alright, it's time for class. We can't be late," Kaiser said, turning as well. "Get home safely, Nia, and definitely avoid wandering around for now." He said, looking over his shoulder.
"Understood, Kaiser," she responded, with a serious look on her face.
"Great, see you later," Kaiser added, ruffling Nia's hair. She hugged him, then me, before flying towards home. We hurried to join Areyos, who had already moved on, while the students watched us, still shocked by what had just happened. Kaiser and Areyos were becoming more and more feared.
To be continued...