Affinity Unbound

Elric ran past the corner and leaped on top of nearby crates onto the roof of the next building, gaining some extra height thanks to his earthen platform affinity. Once on the roof, he was almost at Yori’s eye level. There was only one guard patrolling the perimeter. Crouching behind a crate on the roof, Elric glanced over at Yori who gave him the same signal as before.

Elric crept slowly closer to the guard, whose back was turned to him. He stood up straight and grabbed the guard from behind, his arms hooked underneath the guard’s. In the confusion, the enemy dropped his gun and was completely defenseless. 

“That’s enough!” a booming voice echoed from the other side of the roof.

“Oh, crap.” Yori muttered, pointing her scope over. She took a second to adjust her vision until she saw... Nortia. General Nortia on the roof. 

Nortia approached Elric slowly, who let go of the man he subdued. She applauded him and gave a thumbs up to Yori in the distance. 

“Excellent work, you two. You managed not only to disarm the guard, but you did so without raising any alerts whatsoever. If only all of my recruits could pass the final segment here with such flying colors.” she congratulated them.

Yori took the opportunity to get up from her hillside position and run over as quick as she could, gun in hand and back half of ghillie suit in tow. She met Nortia and Elric on the rooftop, saluting with Elric.

“Thank you, General Nortia.” Elric glanced over at Yori, who met his gaze briefly.

“You’re quite welcome. Here, I brought you two something you might find useful. Think of it as... graduation gifts.” Nortia motioned for a nearby guard to bring her the first of the gifts.

"A quarterstaff?” Elric asked, eyeing the fine craftsmanship from a distance.

“Oh, yes. I can tell you’re quite the acrobat. Feat Feet, was it? Was that your designated code name? Forgive me, PFC Inocencio, I’m growing old. My memory just isn’t what it used to be.” Nortia smirked.

“Yes, that is my code name. Is this quarterstaff for me?” Elric almost wanted to grab it out of the guard’s hands.

Nortia instead turned to the guard and took it. Elric knelt down as if he were being granted knighthood and accepted the gift graciously. He stood back up and ran his hands along the length, feeling the quality work that went into this fine staff.

“I can tell you’re enjoying it already. It’s made from the highest quality wood and metals we could muster. The ends are sharpened so you can dig them into the ground or bark with little issue. It only makes sense, given your affinity, PFC Inocencio.” Nortia said.

Elric slammed the staff into the ground next to him, admiring its height. It was almost exactly as tall as he was, and he was 6 feet and 3 inches tall. This would hold his weight well, he thought. 

“And for you, Sergeant Bellevoir.” Nortia grabbed the second of the two gifts from the same guard. It didn’t take long for Yori to notice.

“Is... is that...?” Yori’s eyes went wide. Yori slung her rifle around her back and almost immediately began to flap her hands in response.

“Yes, it is. It’s a brand new sniper rifle, designed specifically for you. We took your suggestions from earlier and made personal modifications. It’s bolt action too, not flintlock. And--”

“I love it!!” Yori screamed, took it from Nortia and examined it up and down. She held it right up to her eyes and examined every little detail she could, finding no faults in it at all. 

Yori turned and pointed the gun at the hill she sat prior. Her hand rested just off the trigger and her other on the barrel. Her trigger hand grabbed the bolt and tugged it backwards: empty. She ran the bolt back to its original position and held her eye against the scope. 

“Is this scope custom made? It feels... accurate. And I think I can see further!” Yori exclaimed.

“Well, we certainly need our best sniper on the top of her game. You are a real prodigy, but any improvements we can make will only serve to help you.” Nortia rested her hand on Yori’s shoulder.

Yori turned back and held her gun in a resting position, pointing downward. 

“General Nortia... I can’t thank you enough. Permission to hug you, ma’am?”

“Permission...” Nortia sighed. “Granted.”

Yori rested her new gun on the ground as carefully as she would a glass sculpture. Her arms wrapped tightly around Nortia’s entire body, pulling her in for a warm embrace. Elric watched as Nortia gently returned the hug, her hands around Yori’s lower back. Yori pulled away, picking her gun back up and holding it carefully. 

“In any case,” Nortia regained her composure, “PFC Inocencio, Sergeant Bellevoir, you’ll be graduating soon. You two have performed admirably well, and both of you are ready to serve your country. In two weeks, you are to be transported to Sabine’s border where the incoming trains from Catol arrive. Your daily duty will be to ensure each train’s safe arrival. There will be rogues and ruffians attempting to intercept these trains, you are authorized to use lethal force on any unauthorized personnel interfering with this.” 

Nortia reached into one of her pockets and unfolded a labeled map she had prepared earlier.

“You will be situated here.”

“You see the light blue circle to the south west of Sabine? The one with the sole orange dotted line? That is where you will be stationed. That checkpoint does not have any other connections other than Catol. More details will be provided once you two graduate. Is that clear?”

“Yes, General Nortia.” Yori saluted.

“And you, PFC Inocencio?”

“Yes.” Elric saluted.

“Then I will be on my way. Feel free to say goodbye to some of your friends, before you leave. You have time, but I would suggest doing it sooner than later. You two are going to be the only two on guard duty for quite some time.” Nortia said.

Yori and Elric glanced at each other. Would they really be trusted with such an important duty by themselves? Being the sole guards for a border checkpoint?

“Understood.” both replied.

“Dismissed.” Nortia saluted and then walked away.

Elric waited for Nortia to leave the roof entirely before speaking to Yori.

“By ourselves? Is she asking just two people to act as guards?” Elric asked.

“Well, it looks like it should be relatively quiet. She did say it only goes to Catol, and trains usually come in, not out. That means the conductors and drivers will be around to help if something goes wrong, doesn’t it?” 

“But we’re the soldiers, Yori. We need to hope we are not overwhelmed.”

“I’m sure Nortia wouldn’t put us in danger like that. I mean, we’re pretty capable by ourselves, aren’t we? Look at how well we performed this infiltration drill!” Yori shouted.

“What do border guards need with infiltration training?” Elric said, confused.

“I think it’s just something every soldier does, Elric. We did plenty of standing-around-doing-nothing-and-waiting-for-something-to-happen training too.”

“Otherwise known as ‘being on standby’.” 

“It’s training too! Do you know how hard it is to just... wait for something to happen? I get too antsy.” Yori began playing with her fingers. 

“In any case, shall we go tell your friends of where we will be going?” Elric asked.

“Oh! Yes! I can’t wait to tell Sulven and Sumina. They’ll love it.” Yori smirked.

“Let’s go.” Elric began to lead the way off the roof.

.......

............

********************************************

"How close was the election five months ago?” 

"Not close at all. Calum won by a landslide.” 

“Again?” 

“Third term in a row. The final results were just published last week. The numbers don’t add up.” 

“It sounds like something’s going on, doesn’t it?” 

“Shall I look into it myself?” 

“Our current investigation is going as fast as it can without arousing suspicion. I respect your enthusiasm, but we can’t exactly be caught investigating another country’s election process. The citizens spoke.” 

“While that may be the case, Calum has to have done something to influence the results.”

“She’s very charismatic. She influences through her words.”

“Are we going to investigate or not?”

“Too dangerous. You can’t go.”

“Fine. I’ll figure something out.”

“Thank you, Specialist Charlie.”

Yori didn’t budge. Well, her barrel readjusted, and her tail wiggled just a little. 

“Yori!”

Yori poked her head out of the bush, standing up straight with rifle resting across her chest and pointing downward. Finger off the trigger, of course.

She, too, wore an outfit that was almost exactly identical to Elric’s. However, in place of a dragon insignia, Yori bore that of a butterfly. Custom design, much like her favorite shirt. 

“How’d you find me?” she asked like she had no idea how visible she was.

“I was always an expert in hide and seek, you know that.” he smirked, crossing his arms. “Anyway, a couple of things I thought I should mention: break ends soon, and more importantly, you really must work on your hiding skills.” he said bluntly.

“What do you meaaaaaan? I was, like, totally invisible. You couldn’t even see me in that bush, could you?”

“Your nose, ears, tail, and barrel of your gun stuck out like a sore thumb. Perhaps a little more practice is in order?” Elric suggested.

“Noooo.” Yori whined. “Alright, fine, I’ll figure something out. Should we get going?” she asked.

Elric nodded. He waited for Yori to follow him back inside and down the hallway.  It was class time. Sabine’s army required all new recruits to take a few courses: first aid, basic self defense, advanced combat training, affinity checks (if the recruit has an affinity), and more.

They had thought they were freed from the notion of classrooms, of raising their hands to speak, and worst of all...

Exams.

Elric and Yori sat on opposite sides of a wide classroom, which contained no less than forty desks for the forty recruits alongside them. 

If only our seats hadn’t been assigned alphabetically, Yori thought. She twirled a pencil between her fingers as her other hand rested on her cheek, elbow on desk. Elric sat with his arms crossed, leaning back somewhat. To him, this class was all familiar to him, but Yori did not have that luxury.

“Bellevoir.” the voice at the front of the class echoed.

Yori immediately stood out of her seat, prim and proper.

“Sir!” she shouted.

“Tell me what an affinity is.” 

“Sir! An affinity is a natural attraction to one of the eight basic elements of this world! Creaden and Simenti are the only species who get them! Creaden get space, earth, spirit, and air while Simenti get time, fire, energy, and water, sir!” Yori shouted back.

“Can I have more than one, Bellevoir?” the teacher asked pointedly.

“Sir, no, sir! One affinity, one person!”

Elric glanced back and forth between the teacher and Yori. The teacher had just begun to walk from in front of his desk at the front of the room towards Yori, who sat just to his left. 

“How do people get affinities, Bellevoir?”

“Sir! You are born with one or you are not!”

“But what about the legends, hmm? What do you think about the old stories of the gods bestowing these ‘gifts’ among true believers. What do you say about that, Bellevoir?” the teacher was now right in front of Yori’s face, leaning in closer.

Yori began sweating, visibly. So much so that Elric could feel it from across the room. He certainly didn’t need his eagle eyes to tell that at all.

“U-uhm... It’d be... nice if it were true...?” Yori smirked sheepishly.

“That it would! But such legends have no place in the army, recruit!” the teacher spun around and walked away.

Yori immediately slouched in her seat, letting out an almost audible sigh of relief. Elric gave her a silent clap of approval. 

“Now then,” the teacher sat at his desk, “For all of you recruits with no affinity, I suppose you’d like a demonstration, yes? What affinities can and can’t do? Well, good!” the teacher pulled out a mug of water from a drawer in his desk.

“Inocencio! Tell me what this is.” he pointed at Elric.

“A mug of water, sir.” 

“Correct! Now, what do you propose I’m going to do with it?”

“Well, you are a Creaden. You cannot alter the water directly. However, you could alter the ‘air’ inside the water.” Elric replied.

“Correct! Now, pay close attention, recruits. I’m going to separate the “air” from this water. More generally, I’m going to separate this water into its original elemental forms: hydrogen and oxygen.” he explained.

“Sir?” Yori raised her hand. “If your affinity is about manipulating water, how come it isn’t a water based affinity...?” 

“Bellevoir.” the teacher spoke. “I have fur, yes? Long ears? Tail? Not light blue skin? Do I look like a Simenti to you?”

“Well, no, b-”

“Then that’s it. It’s not a water affinity because I’m not a Simenti. Got it?”

“...Yes, sir.”

Yori lowered her hand slowly, mildly ashamed. However, she did learn some valuable information today.

Her teacher was an asshole.

“Speaking of those Simenti scum, or as I like to say, Scumenti...” the teacher paused for laughter, but only heard an awkward cough.

“The people of Catol recently reelected president Calum Agolin for another term. I never liked her. There’s been rumors that she wants to start up some kind of skirmish with us again. Pfft. What does she know?” the teacher leaned back in his desk, completely forgetting to demonstrate his experiment.

Elric and Yori shared a glance across the room, silently exchanging looks of boredom and frustration. Today would be a long day.

She turned back towards the suitcase and found a relatively clean miniskirt. Holding it in both hands about an arm’s length away, she examined it closely. It was short, but she could live with that. Black with a light gray line going across the bottom horizontally, yeah this could work!

“Hmm. Hope it’s my size.” she said, slipping it over her jeans. 

It didn’t take long for them to slide off of her body disappointingly. However, this wouldn’t stop her. Surely there was a belt somewhere in this sack of goodies. Diving back in, she found a belt that matched the accent on her miniskirt. She quickly wrapped it over the skirt and found that it worked perfectly well. It was unusual fashion for her, but she lived with what she could scavange.

After all, when you live by yourself in the woods, you live with what you can get your hands on. 

“Wish I had a mirror or somethin’. Suppose I could walk into a nearby town and ask what people think of my fashion sense.”

At that moment, she heard something. It sounded like shouting.

“Over there! Looks like someone stole our clothes! Get her!” the voice echoed in the distance.

Another voice joined in, “Isn’t that Calina the rogue? After her!” 

“Oh, crap.” she dropped the cane she just picked up.

Calina quickly spun around in the opposite direction and made haste as fast as she could. She was intimately familiar with these woods, so she had no issue dodging trees or fallen branches. On top of that, she had a little extra gift on her side.

“Bet you can’t catch me when I shift into maximum overdrive, suckers!” Calina taunted her pursuers.

Calina slowed her movements, but her speed only increased. Her feet skated across the ground as if she were, well, rollerblading across it. Her movements seemed effortless as she deftly danced around the foliage until she was out of the woods, literally and figuratively. 

Spending the next few moments catching her breath, Calina glanced around to make sure nobody was following her. It seemed that way, so she blew a raspberry at the woods, making a hissy face. 

“Love you, affinity of mine~. Skating is the BEST!” she said, wanting to kiss her own legs. 

As Calina turned around, she realized she wasn’t alone anymore. It turns out she hadn’t exactly lost her pursuers, at least not all of them. Standing in front of her now was a man who was easily taller and larger than her. 

“Calina, was it?” he asked, noticing she was wearing his clothes. 

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out. Anyway, guessing you want your clothes back?” she crossed her arms.

“Well, that is my favorite top hat, jacket, and bow tie. Look, I won’t hurt you or anything, just give them back, okay?” he held out his hands.

Calina sighed, taking off all of his favorite clothes and handing them over. All she had left was her short undershirt, green zippered jacket, pants, and the skirt and belt combo she also swiped.

“Can I at least keep the skirt?” she asked.

"Those too, actually. I almost forgot to mention it, thank you for reminding me.” he held out his hand again. 

“Fffffffffuck.” she muttered, undoing her belt and handing it and the skirt over.

“Was that so hard? Chin up, girl. Just contribute to society and maybe you’ll be able to afford nicer clothes than... whatever that is.” the man donned his top hat and planted his cane in the ground. 

“Hey! I’m no girl, I’m 18, thank you very much.” Calina huffed.

“Same difference. Anyway, I’ll be off. Don’t follow me, got it?” he pointed his cane at her chest. 

Calina eyed the cane, then the man in front of her. She quickly grabbed the cane and wrestled it out of his hands. With a quick whack at his wrist, she knocked the skirt out of his grip. Making a quick break for it, Calina quickly picked it off the ground along with the belt. Before the man could even react, she was already a dozen feet away, skating freely.

“So long, suckerrrrrrrr! Ahahaha!” Calina spun around and blew raspberries at him, skirt successfully acquired.

The man attempted to give chase, but realized it was no use. He had only managed to outpace her in the woods, but he had no hope out here. He kicked the dirt below and waddled away slowly. He could just buy another one, he thought. 

A half hour later, Calina was finally satisfied that she had lost his trail. She had long since cleared the open plains she ran from, and was now in her usual neck of the woods. Literally. She lived in the woods. 

“Home sweet...” she said, noticing her tent was covered in leaves.

Calina just let out a sigh. Her one little place in the world, covered in leaves. It was undignified. She knew she’d have to clean it up, but whatever. Stepping closer, she unzipped the front and climbed inside. 

It was hardly a mansion of a tent, but it was roomy enough for her. She could lay down comfortably along the length of the tent, and the width was nothing to scoff at either. Overall, it blended in well with the surrounding environment. No one has ever given her any problems here, so she just stays here. 

The entire outside surrounding the tent was covered in leaves, much like the top of it. She had thought the round top of the tent would ward off piles of leaves, but to her dismay it didn’t stack up so well. She just assumed it was because of whatever the hell was sticky coming out of the trees nearby that caused them to stick. 

Calina sprawled out in her tent as much as she could. She made sure not to hit her pair of butterfly swords next to her. They were her pride and joy, each one holding an embedded jewel in the handle. She risked a lot just to get a hold of these things for good. They were her preferred method of self defense, and still are to this day. 

“Well, today was productive. Got me a skirt and a belt, plus my house is still intact. Got that going for me. Ain’t that right, reddy and bluey?” she patted the handles of her swords.

As she began to close her eyes, she thought more about her future. Where she was going, what she wanted to do with her life. Could she ever live in a regular society? She hadn’t known anything like it for long, but...

“Crap! My stew!” Calina jerked forward, practically crawling out of her tent.

Behind her tent lay a relatively small crock pot. In it she had all the ingredients for a stew she had been simmering all day.

...Unfortunately, it simmered too long. What was supposed to look like a hearty combination of assorted meats and vegetables looked like a congealed concoction of mystery meat and disease ridden greens. Any semblance of edibility has flown out of the window so hard it not only broke the glass, but also the sound barrier.

“Nooooooo... I was really looking forward to that...” Calina muttered to herself, hanging her head in shame.

It seemed Calina would be stuck with apples for just a little while longer.

**********************************

Yesterday.

“Inocencio, stay here with me. We must talk.” General Nortia said.

Yori had already left the room, and now it was just Elric and Nortia. Elric sat back down in his seat, as did Nortia.

“Inocencio,” Nortia started, “I hope you don’t plan on enlisting to make a mockery of me.”

“I dare not dream of the possibility.” Elric responded.

“I should hope not. It wouldn’t do well to try and disobey your superior before you’re even recruited.”

“Yes, General Nortia.”

“We may not be in war right now, but there’s always the possibility.” Nortia stood up from her seat. Her hands wrapped behind her back as she began marching from one side of her desk to the other.

“I am well aware, General Nortia. I assure you I will do my part as a faithful soldier.” Elric insisted.

Nortia’s hand rubbed against her chin gently. 

“That’s the kind of answer I expect from all my new recruits.” she seemed doubtful, but accepted his answer nonetheless.

“I will submit myself to your rigorous examinations until you decide for yourself that I am a capable soldier for you.” Elric said. 

“I hope you can make good on your word, then. One last thing, however. Before I can reasonably accept your application and subject you to the entrance examinations, I need to ask you another question.”

“Yes, General Nortia?” Elric leaned forward in his seat.

Nortia stopped and leaned over her desk towards Elric, almost face to face with him.

“That brooch on your shoulder, the one holding your cape to your body. What is that symbol?”

Nortia gestured towards the dragon symbol on his brooch. It depicted a black dragon within a red stone, acting as a pin to keep his coat attached to his shirt.

“This? It was from my parents. This and most of my parents’ property was bequeathed to my aunt and uncle knowing that I would be staying with them. They chose to give me this brooch. My aunt remembers seeing my mother with this brooch in her room occasionally, but that would be all.” Elric replied, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms.

“I see.” Nortia stood up straight. “I take it your parents are no longer with you?”

“That would be correct, yes.”

“My apologies, then.”

“Is there anything else we need to discuss?”

“No, that will be all. You are dismissed.”

Elric rose from his seat. Nortia extended her hand, meeting his. The two shook their hands, exchanging a firm glance with each other. It didn’t take long for Elric to leave the office.

**********************************

“That was it?” Yori asked. 

“Indeed. She seemed concerned I would join the army just to cause problems for her. I assured her that would not be the case.” Elric’s eyes caught the base not far off from where they were now.

After a little more walking past some patrolling guards, Yori was the first to open the door, letting herself and Elric in. They were then directed to Nortia’s office, finding her door slightly ajar. Curious, Elric and Yori stood a few feet away and could hear someone talking.

“I admire your talents, what you did was no easy feat. However, I did lay your options bare for you: join or face jail.” a familiar voice said.

“It sounds like I have no choice then. When do I start?” an unfamiliar voice replied.

“Tomorrow. Meet me at my office at exactly zero five hundred hours for further instruction. Is that understood, Specialist Charlie?”

“Yes, General Nortia.”

The door soon opened and out came Nortia’s visitor.

Yori noticed they were relatively young, about her height, and wearing a black hooded jacket. Elric didn’t glance back at them and neither did they. Elric promptly entered Nortia’s office, as did Yori.

“Ah, you two came. Come, sit down, we have plenty to discuss.” Nortia welcomed. 

Elric and Yori took their respective seats much as they did yesterday.

“So, today marks the start of your testing and examinations. I see to it that you both came prepared, yes?” Nortia asked.

Elric and Yori glanced at each other, sharing a mildly confused look.

“Prepared...?” Yori asked.

“Oh yes, today is the physical examination. The both of you will need to run an obstacle course in under ten minutes. It involves a kilometer sprint, rock wall climb, monkey bars, rope climb, and then finally a balance beam. You will both need to pass to move on to the next segment.” Nortia explained, sitting in her chair.

“Yori, did you bring any... lighter clothes?” Elric was desperate.

“No...” Yori replied sheepishly.

“Hm? Oh, that will not be a problem.” Nortia responded. “We can issue you two a tee shirt and shorts. I ask that you keep in mind you both will also have to pass a test of strength immediately afterwards, so don’t overexert yourself on the obstacle course.”

“Is that all we have to do today, General Nortia?” Yori needed to hear a ‘yes’.

“That depends,” Nortia said, “I like to test you at your absolute limits. After all, I do need top notch border guards.”

“Border guards?” Yori asked.

“Oh, yes. You both signed up for this position, did you not? It says here on your application forms that you desired this post. You two would be on guard at Sabine’s border, watching for potential scoundrels attempting to raid inbound trains. You two would be stationed from a vantage point to examine the landscape.” 

Yori could see Nortia begin to smile somewhat. She glanced over at Elric and noticed he was sweating ever so slightly, but doing his best to retain his composure.

“I thought we were going to be, erm, soldiers...?” Elric said.

“Technically speaking, yes you will be. However, we are not at war. In times of peace, soldiers must adopt other tasks to maintain the peace. You two will be making sure inbound trains from other countries enter our borders safely. There has been a rise of raiders just outside of national borders as of late, and I’ve been needing some skilled guards to prevent this. Do you understand?” she asked, glancing at both of them.

“Yes, ma’am.” Yori replied.

“I do.” Elric said.

“Then we’re all on the same page. Now then, shall we head to the track? One of my lieutenants will guide you through the next stages of your examination. Good luck.”

Elric and Yori nodded before standing up from their seats. They quietly left the room, closing her door behind them. Almost immediately afterwards, Yori’s eyes were opened wide.

“When did she say we had to do a physical examination?!” Yori cried out.

“Yori, it will be alright. We are both clearly physically fit, yes? This should not be an issue. General Nortia believes in us.” Elric reassured her.

“That’s easy for you to say.” she slouched forward, dejected. 

“Yori, we’re going to be in training here for months if we pass. If you still want to back out, now is absolutely the time to do so.” 

She had to think about it briefly. It didn’t take her too long, but there was a definite pause before she gave her answer.

“I’m ready, Elric. We came this far, I’m not about to chicken out right now. All we gotta do is pass some tests, do some basic training, and then we’re basically done!” she began to smirk again.

“For about half a year, yes.” 

“Hey, it’ll probably be easier than school.” she joked. 

“Doubtful.” Elric replied seriously.

Yori chuckled and began walking outside. Elric followed behind her, realizing they had both made their decisions now. There would be no turning back for either of them.

“I’ll be home later today, mom. This isn’t goodbye.” she spun around and began walking away with one more wave. 

Her mom stood in the door frame, silently. She closed the door and that was that.

Yori walked along the same road she and Elric did just before when she realized Elric was nowhere to be found. It’s not like he promised to meet her as he did yesterday, but it did strike her as odd. She continued walking, wondering what happened with him and Nortia earlier. 

“Yori.” a familiar voice called her from the side.

“Elric?” Yori turned to her left and saw him. She walked towards him, off the path she was heading.

“I presume you are on your way to see General Nortia, yes?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, aren’t you?” 

“Of course. I just wanted to visit my parents before we did.” Elric glanced behind him.

About a mile behind him was a black, metal fence that covered a wide, square shaped area. The center of the fence held an open gate, and above the gate was a sign.

Propietra Memorial Cemetery.

Elric wordlessly began walking towards it, Yori following just as silently behind. Before long, the two walked through the gate, Elric taking Yori right to where they needed to go.

He stood with both arms crossed, facing downward at what remained of his immediate family. Yori rested her hand on his shoulder, glancing upward with a frown.

“I brought the flowers earlier today, before you arrived.” Elric responded, not looking at her.

“They’re lovely.” she replied.

“Thank you. I may not have known either of them very well, but my aunt tells me Aurora loved tulips. Any kind would do. My dad was never fussy, so a simple tulip bouquet suffices.” he knelt down and ran his hand along the front of the tombstone.

“I think they would be very proud of the person you’ve become, Elric.” 

Elric didn’t respond for what felt like hours. He stood up straight and stared down at the tombstone. All Yori could hear was the sound of the wind blowing against the leaves of nearby trees. 

“I was only five years old when they left.” he said, expression unchanging.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It is not your fault. I am not here to grieve. I am here to remind myself of who I am.” Elric responded.

The wind blew a little harder, making Elric’s cape flutter in the wind. 

“I had my doubts about following you, Yori. About joining the military. I see now that it is more important than ever that I do.” 

“What makes you say that?” she asked, almost confused by his words.

“I have no plans to kill anyone. I will never make more orphans in this world, or parents without children. Everyone has friends or family.” 

“You don’t want anyone to hurt as much as you do...” Yori glanced away from him and down at the tombstone.

“I had said I am not here to grieve. I am here to remind myself why I still choose to join alongside you.” Elric’s face turned to face her.

“Why...?” Yori needed an answer. She turned to face him as well.

“I cannot let you join alone. The reason is twofold: I would feel guilty should something happen to you, and I cannot allow you to take anyone’s life.” Elric said, in what sounded like the most serious he has ever been with Yori.

“Elric...”

“Why are you joining, Yori? I need a proper answer from you. You could have a bright future in anything you choose. Why do you want to risk throwing your life away to the army? How could you put yourself in harm’s way?” Elric leaned in closer, almost too close for Yori’s liking.

“I... I have to. I don’t know what else I’m going to do with my life. I don’t have any skills that are applicable outside of, well, this. I’m a sharpshooter with keen perception. I spent all my life in school and I...”

“You need someone to tell you what to do, is that it?” 

“...What?” Yori was confused.

“You spent your whole life having people tell you what to do. You feel as if you cannot handle yourself on your own. What better way to have people tell you what to do than joining the army? Nevermind the possibility that you could kill someone innocent. Nevermind the possibility that you could die at any point and not even know who did it. Nevermind your parents having to bury their only daughter. Nev-”

“That’s enough!” Yori stepped back and shouted. She stomped on the ground in front of him, chest heaving and eyes slightly teary.

“Yori...”

“Elric, that’s enough. Please. Just... just give me a minute.”

Elric nodded and let Yori recompose herself. It didn’t take long, but to them it felt like an eternity of awkward silence. 

“Alright... alright. Elric, I can explain. Why do I want to join the army, huh...? I guess I wanted to prove I can fight just as much as anyone else. Not having an affinity was never easy for me, growing up. Always comparing myself against others, wondering why I wasn’t special like they were..” Yori trailed off.

“Is it as if you felt others had greatness thrust upon them, while you were left with nothing?” Elric asked.

“You could say that, I guess. I worked hard to make myself special from everyone else. How exactly can I make myself stand out when everyone else can manipulate things like space, earth, spirit, air... All I had was my gun and wits. I spent hours studying, practicing, pushing myself to my limits. I was clinging to a hope that I might end up having an epiphany and discovering I may actually have an affinity. I mean, some people don’t realize they have them until later in life! Maybe I’m one of those people!” Yori shouted.

“Yori...” Elric looked a little concerned.

“Is it not understandable, then, that I would wanna join the army? Yeah, I’ll be a private for a while, but if the only thing I’m good at is sniping and taking orders, then I may as well make use of it! Nothing else makes me want to try as hard as any of this!”

Yori wanted to say more, but her words were caught in her throat. 

“I’m so sorry.” Yori managed to squeak out.

Elric walked closer and hugged her. 

“I should be the one to apologize. I believe the conversation General Nortia and I had yesterday left me on edge. I should not have taken that out on you.” Elric patted her back.

“And you still want to join with me...?” she asked.

“Yes. You are not a killer. I refuse to allow blood on your hands. If I can stay close to you, then maybe you will never forget what is important.” Elric stepped back, letting go.

Yori took a few moments to process what he said.

“I think they’d expect me to do my job, Elric. What if the person in my scope is really... really evil? What if stopping them was the only choice?” she wanted to hear his response.

“I still do not believe any murder is justified.” he said sternly.

“Maybe you’re right. Even still...” Yori thought about it.

“We can talk more as we head back to the military base. We should go.” Elric held her hand and turned away.

Yori looked down at Elric’s parents’ grave one last time as he guided her away. 

“Thanks... Elric.” 

“Thank you as well, Yori.” 

“General Nortia, honestly, your office is quite neat.” Yori complimented.

Nortia looked up at Yori, both she and Elric too awkward to take a seat across from her desk. Nortia motioned for both of them to sit in the less-than-elegant-but-still-comfy-looking chairs. They awkwardly scooted the seats forward towards the desk.

“I’m very particular about my choice of words. I suggest you two do the same. I don’t say the words ‘honestly’ or ‘to be honest’ or any variant thereof.” Nortia leaned forward, her elbows resting on the desk. Her hands folded together in front of her mouth.

“When you say ‘honestly’, it says to me that you’re dishonest anytime you don’t say it. Is that clear?” she glanced at Elric, then Yori.

“Yes, ma’am.” Elric and Yori replied.

“I’m glad we settled this.” Nortia sat back, keeping her hands folded as they were on her desk. She reached to her side and pulled out two sheets of papers--sign up forms. She passed one to both Elric and Yori as well as a fountain pen for each of them.

Yori took a pen and paper and glanced at the form. The usual information she expected: name, date of birth, parents/guardians...

Affinity.

She glanced over and saw Elric filling his form out without a second thought. He met her gaze and went back to writing all of his information down. Turning her eyes back to her form, she hesitantly wrote ‘Not Applicable’. 

Nortia observed Yori’s hesitance but said nothing about it. Instead, she asked a better question.

“All of this excitement and I haven’t even asked what your specialties are. I know you two work well as a team, but do you have any firearms experience?” she asked. 

Yori stopped writing and looked up at her. 

“Just me. I’ve spent the last, erm, six or seven years practicing my sharpshooting skills. I have this sniper rifle at home I use to practice with. I spend a lot of time with it, I find it especially interesting.”

“I could always employ more talented snipers. And you, Inocencio? What is your talent?” she turned her gaze to him.

“I have no plans to discharge a firearm in my life.” Elric said frankly.

“Oh? Is pacifism your talent?” Nortia asked, curious.

“Forgive me if this sounds arrogant, but I believe any conflict can be resolved non lethally. By using my affinity and my acrobatic skills, I feel any confrontation can be handled with grace.” he explained.

“Interesting.” Nortia paused to think. She looked as if she had more to say, but didn’t for some reason. “How did you two pick that one person apart from the rest of the crowd? They didn’t seem very suspicious to me until we saw the knife.”

“We both have excellent eyesight.” Elric responded. Yori was about to, but her voice was caught in her throat. 

“Yes, that much was obvious. But, Yori,” Nortia leaned in closer to her, almost sensing her nervousness, “What drew your attention to this person at all? Average all around, and yet you still felt something was wrong.” She stood up from her chair, hands on the desk as she leaned in closer to Yori. To Yori, this felt like an interrogation.

“She has a talent,” Elric butted in, “She’s always been good at spotting things even I can’t. We may both have near perfect vision, but her perception is top notch.”

Nortia sat back down in her chair after giving Elric a long stare in the eyes, his own gaze not budging or backing down. He would not, or could not, be intimidated so easily.

“Very well.” Nortia accepted. “Finished with the applications yet?” she asked.

Yori hesitantly slid hers forward, her gaze falling back down to hers as Elric saved her yet again. Elric handed his in almost immediately. Nortia’s eyes darted across Elric’s application quizzically.

“Lives with aunt and uncle, earthen based affinity, 21 years of age...” her eyes looked forward at Elric.

“Is something wrong?” Elric asked, leaning forward. 

Nortia didn’t answer, instead opting to read Yori’s application.

“Mother and father, 20 years of age, no affinity. I see.” 

Yori’s face went red as an apple. Elric’s hand rested on her shoulder.

“These are all in order. I’ll review these later tonight. You two can come back tomorrow morning and we’ll discuss this in further detail.” Nortia stood up and held out her hand. 

Yori and Elric rose out of their seats, Elric giving her a firm handshake while Yori mustered up the strength to match his for Nortia. 

“Thank you, ma’am.” Yori bowed. 

“General Nortia, it has been a pleasure.” Elric replied.

Yori was the first one to leave the room, opening the large wooden door. As she stepped out, she heard Nortia beckoning Elric. She stood just outside the doorway and listened.

“Inocencio, stay here with me. We must talk.” she heard Nortia say.

Yori didn’t want to eavesdrop, but she was curious. Before she could do anything, Nortia walked to the door and closed it, locking it as she did so. 

“Elric...” Yori ran her fingers down the door. She was concerned, but she couldn’t do anything more now. She was escorted out of the premises and was soon outside again. Immediately recognizing where she was, Yori found herself back where the line was. It seemed the line has died down significantly, there only being a few guards left and perhaps a few latecomers. 

Perhaps the fact it was raining had something to do with it. Yori covered her head with her jacket and began to run towards home, not wanting to get too wet.

“I worry about you, Elric.” Yori whispered under her breath. 

Yori was honestly surprised there were so many potential recruits this early in the morning. Was it going to be even worse later on in the day, she thought? Groaning in disapproval, she dragged Elric by the arm into the end of the line. Once there, she crossed her arms and pouted in disapproval, facing Elric.

“Pouting makes the line clear faster, Yori.” Elric said.

“What else am I gonna do? I’ve reached my sulking quota for the week.” Yori replied, not afraid to hide her snark.

“Tell me more about why you wanted to enlist in the first place. I know you’re a great listener, but I never expected you to take it this far.”

Yori paused to think about her answer briefly. To her, it seemed so clear and obvious. 

“I wanted to protect my country. I like it here and want to keep it peaceful. Is that wrong?” Yori turned away from Elric, arms still crossed.

“No, I would not say so. I was surprised, is all. You have a talented mind. Your grades were always impeccable, leading me to believe you had a career in the sciences.” Elric complimented.

“Science is nice, but I wouldn’t really know what kind of science I wanted to study, you know? I don’t think I could wear a lab coat and, like, mix vials all day.”

The line progressed slowly. Yori took one step forward, as did Elric. Yori let her arms down and rested them at her sides. She was turning to face Elric when she noticed a figure off to the side. Glancing around, she realized nobody else paid any mind to this person.

Yori thought this strange. Everyone should be on alert at a military base, the fact that no one was looking at this person rubbed her the wrong way. She focused her vision and noticed an unusual shape in their pocket: something relatively short, but... it couldn’t be.

A knife?

“Hey, Elric,” Yori grabbed his cape and tugged it, “Doesn’t that person look... strange to you?” she pointed.

“What about th-”

“Their pocket. Look.” Yori directed his attention closer and he saw what she meant.

The figure she pointed at was clearly a person. They looked as if they were intending to blend into their surroundings by not wearing anything too unique. Plain clothes all around, average build, all remarkably unremarkable. Elric and Yori noticed the mysterious person was beginning to run, perhaps they noticed Elric and Yori?

"I’m pretty sure I saw a knife in their pocket. Should we go after them?” Yori asked.

Elric glanced ahead, seeing the figure running towards a fence with no guards. He immediately broke out into a sprint, his large legs striding along the ground effortlessly. Yori immediately followed suit.

The figure reached into their pocket and validated Yori’s fears. Given their path, Elric and Yori realized they were attempting to climb the fence, possibly kill somebody along the way if need be. Or worse, maybe they had a target.

Elric was much faster than whoever this person was. He quickly caught up and Yori was not far behind. 

“Stop!” Elric shouted, causing the person to turn around.

An average height Creaden, not much taller than Yori. They wore a pair of nondescript pants and a large hooded jacket to help conceal their appearance. 

“Or what?” they asked, chuckling. They then turned around to continue running when Elric stomped on the ground.

Yori circled around Elric as he stomped, knowing what was coming next. His stomp reverberated in the ground beneath him, causing a reaction. The ground swelled in front of his feet, and in front of him, something amazing happened.

A small platform made of solid dirt and grass launched off of the ground in front of him. His stomp caused the top layer of dirt and grass to “jump” out of the earth, creating a temporary, floating platform, which would be sufficient to hold anyone’s weight for a short period of time.

Yori capitalized on this opportunity and hopped on top of the floating earth platform, using it as a boost. She quickly jumped off of it, using the added height to her advantage.

Yori’s target turned around just in time to witness her in the middle of her eight foot leap, followed by a swift kick to the chest. Yori landed gracefully, landing on her legs and bounced gracefully. The floating earth platform she once stood on collapsed behind her, and the person they were chasing was on the ground.

Elric and Yori slowly approached them on either side, kicking away their knife from their reach. They grabbed either of the knife-wielder’s arms and restrained them. By this point, a guard ran over to find out what all the commotion was. 

A large, imposing figure, clad in military fatigues marched over. He was tall, very tall. Almost as tall as Elric. His stature was intimidating, but what really made him scary was his muscles. Height wasn’t everything: this soldier was quite muscular. It was apparent even underneath the military uniform he wore proudly.

“What appears to be the problem here?” the soldier asked.

“Let go of me! You two, now! Come on!” the formerly knife-wielding person screamed out. The line of people were now directing their full attention at what was going on here.

“This criminal was running with a knife towards that fence over there.” Elric said, tightening his grip around the person’s wrist.

“Yes, sir. We caught them before anyone got injured, thankfully. What should we do now?” Yori felt their ‘prisoner’ struggle to break free.

“You two are civilians, yes? And you two thought it was smart to try and take them out? What the hell would we do with two bodies lying in front of a crowd?” the soldier criticized.

“But, sir, we--” Yori was cut off.

“Leave this to the professionals.” the soldier grabbed the figure and wrestled them out of Yori and Elric’s grips.

“Hey! Stop! Let me... let me go!” they screamed more.

“You two, stay here.” the soldier ordered. “You will be dealt with.”

Elric and Yori were about to protest, when--

“That won’t be necessary, Alessi.” 

From behind Elric and Yori came a woman who radiated authority. Her posture, her outfit, everything about her screamed powerful. Her blue jacket was interrupted only by a red waistband, bisecting her brilliantly colored uniform. A navy cape draped around her shoulders danced in the wind gracefully, complementing her dominant appearance. Her hat gave away her identity, the insignia of the standing army of Sabine belonged only to one person.

General Nortia, the unyielding. 

“Ma’am!” the soldier responded, attempting to salute her while also restraining the person.

“Alessi,” Nortia’s arms wrapped behind her back around her waist, “I’m curious as to what you meant. ‘They will be dealt with’, is that correct?”

“Y-yes ma’am!” the soldier was beginning to sweat visibly.

Elric and Yori had no idea how to react. They attempted to salute her, but her back was to both of them. Still, they weren’t quite sure how else to respond.

“And what is there to deal with, exactly?” she approached Alessi, examining the person he was restraining.

“This person is of no threat.” Nortia commented. She eyed them up and down.

“The hell do you mean ‘no threat’, you old hag?!” they spat in her face.

Nortia didn’t even flinch. Her hand reached up towards her face and wiped the spit away.

“Alessi, handle this ruffian. I’ll be handling these two... heroes. Dismissed.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Alessi quickly turned around, taking away the would be criminal.

Nortia quietly turned around to face Elric and Yori. Yori was practically sweating bullets at this point, while Elric was maintaining his composure somewhat more.

“What are your names?” Nortia asked, her voice booming.

“G-General Nortia!” Yori blurted out.

Nortia almost didn’t respond, but she did smirk ever so slightly.

“That’s my name.” she replied, appearing unimpressed.

“Ma’am,” Elric filled in, “This is Yori Bellevoir, and I am Elric Inocencio, ma’am!” 

“I have to say, I was most impressed by your teamwork and cooperation.” Nortia congratulated them. “You managed to subdue a potential criminal while completely unarmed. Not many people can do that, even with military training.”

“Ma’am, thank you, ma’am!” Yori shouted.

“General Nortia, thank you so very much.” Elric replied.

“It’s my pleasure, really.” Nortia’s hand rested on her chest. “We could use your combined talents. Were you here to sign up this morning? Oh, and you two can be at ease.” Nortia replied.

Elric and Yori almost immediately slouched over, panting and sweating. 

“Elric, we just subdued a criminal!” Yori cried out, what just happened hitting her suddenly.

The realization hadn’t really hit Elric either. His eyes went wide briefly before regaining his composure. He couldn’t even comment.

“I must ask,” Nortia said, turning her attention to Yori. “What drew your attention to this person anyway? They didn’t look troublesome to me.”

“Uhh, umm.” Yori was stuck, scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

“She was always quick to notice things that most others could not.” Elric added. “Yori has the talent to pick up on little details that would otherwise go unseen.”

“I see.” Nortia seemed impressed.

“Thanks, Elric.” Yori whispered.

Nortia extended her hand, in between Yori and Elric. “If you two wanted a position in my army, you’ve more than proven yourselves. Come with me.”

Yori’s eyes went wide. She glanced at Elric, whose eyes weren’t quite as wide. She nodded joyfully, and he returned with his own nod of approval.

“Ma’am, thank you, ma’am!” Yori shouted, taking Nortia’s hand. Elric did the same, holding Nortia’s hand. 

“I appreciate the enthusiasm,” Nortia sighed, “But I won’t be holding your hands to my office. You two can let go now.”

Yori and Elric quickly retracted their hands. Yori rubbed hers awkwardly, while Elric rubbed the back of his neck. Their first impression was already going incredibly well. 

“Come. We’ll talk.” Nortia began walking away from them. Yori and Elric quickly followed behind her.

She gently grabbed the door knob and stepped inside the house again, closing the door. This time, Yori opened the door with plenty of care and grace. Yori’s mom nodded silently in approval.

“I know you’re excited, but this is no time for carelessness.”

“Yeah, you’re right. How could I not be excited, though?” Yori asked. She adjusted her backpack. It contained only the essentials: a stuffed toy, gun polish, and a rag (for guns). 

If one didn’t know she were about to sign up for the military, it would be hard to guess. Her rebellious outfit betrayed her actual demeanor; she just fancies the cut off jackets, the ripped jeans, and anything with a butterfly logo on it.

Yori could hear loud footsteps approaching from behind. She knew it to be her dad, who has grown so old these last few years. He grabbed her shoulder.

“You were about to leave without giving your parents a hug?” he asked.

Her mom stood up from her chair and walked over. Yori glanced at the two of them and felt a little teary eyed.

“Mom, dad...” she said, “I’ll be okay! You said it yourself, didn’t you, mom? That I’m capable of handling myself. That I can do whatever I put my mind to?” 

“Yes, dear. We really do know you will be alright. But...” her mom paused.

“What she’s trying to say is,” her dad interrupted, “We’re always going to worry about you. No matter what, at least one of us will be anxious to see you home safe.” 

“’At least one of us’...? Yori, don’t listen to your father. We both always worry about you. It comes naturally with parenting.” her mom chuckled quietly. 

Yori wordlessly hugged the two of them, arms wrapped around either parent. Their arms wrapped around her and each other, embracing each other one more time.  It was Yori who pulled away first, stepping out of the door frame.

“I’ll be sure to write as much as I can. Try not to worry too much!” Yori began walking backwards, waving goodbye.

Yori’s parents held each other in their arms, watching their only daughter walk away. They weren’t quite sure how they felt. Anxious? Proud? A mix of the two? 

Yori’s backpedaling landed her right up against a taller male figure. She bumped into him with zero self awareness. Had she been even more careless, she would’ve knocked him over. She spun around, nearly hitting him again with her large backpack.

“Oh gods, I’m so sorr...” she paused and saw who it was. “Elric? What’re you doing here? At this time of day?”

In front of her stood Elric, her childhood friend. He was tall, taller than she was. His stance was always stiff and alert, unlike her more relaxed posture. As for him, he always preferred a more posh attire. His outfit today was a blue sweater with black pants, combined with a long and flowing white cape, adorned with a red gem and a symbol of a dragon on it. 

Elric always preferred the excessive look when it came to fashion. Then again, it would be inaccurate to say he had any sense of fashion at all. While Yori was at least good at dressing in one way (and one way only), Elric had no such luck. 

“Yori, please pay attention. You were lucky it was me and not someone else.” Elric scoffed.

“Oh, fine. In my defense, though, hardly anybody comes by here at this time of day. I mean, you’ve seen this neighborhood.” she said, pointing all around.

“It is certainly a rich area. Your houses are spaced apart enough to fit another house of equal size between them.” Elric added.

That was when Yori noticed Elric was also wearing a backpack. It was curious, she thought. What was he doing outside her house at this time of morning?

“Elric...” Yori said, “You didn’t answer my question earlier. Why’re you here?”

“I made up my mind.” Elric said, not elaborating further.

“You’re joining the military too?” 

“Reluctantly, but yes.” he crossed his arms.

Yori recalled all the arguments the two of them had over this exact topic. 

“Why?” she asked, genuinely surprised by his resolve.

“You need a spotter. Spotters should generally be someone familiar to you, yes?” Elric said.

“And you knew I was signing up to be a sniper?” Yori asked, cheekily.

“You hardly ever let go of that rifle of yours. Knowing that you’d never let go of that thing, I made an assumption. Your choice of careers where they allow rifles on the job are slim.”

Yori left her rifle at home. Ever since she was fifteen and showed interest in more adult hobbies, she was immediately drawn to the sniper rifle. To her, they were beautiful marvels of technology. Of course, she just had to get the top of the line model. Bolt action, five round capacity (six if a bullet is chambered), and a high performance scope for distances of up to 1,000 yards. 

“You didn’t bring it?” he asked, noticing the lack of rifle slung around her back.

“They provide one. I’ll be honest, it’s uncomfortable, trying to use someone else’s rifle. It’s just not mine, you know?” she said, as if he would know.

“You are just full of surprises. Of all the Creaden I know--”

“Which, compared to me, isn’t as much” Yori interrupted.

“...Of all the Creaden I know, you are by far the most baffling.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Yori smirked. “Ah! We’re gonna be late if we keep this up!”

“Lead the way, Yori.” Elric said reluctantly.

Yori turned and grabbed Elric by the hand, dragging him along as she marched forward. Her pace seemed to be just a bit faster than Elric would care for.

Filled with hope and filled with fear, the two marched onwards towards the future.

The man was halfway through the door frame, leaning in and holding onto the knob with one hand. He slowly entered, gently shutting the door behind him. Pulling up the only other chair in the room next to his daughter, he sat down casually. His right hand placed on her upper back and rubbing gently as if to encourage her. Yori’s dad was still much taller than her. She had some more growing to do, but it was safe to say he would always remain taller than her.

“Sweetie, you’ll do fine tomorrow. You need to rest. If you stay up all night studying, I guarantee you’ll end up sleeping through the entrance exam. You’re only sixteen, you need to sleep more than you think!”

Her dad stuck out a finger with his left hand and booped her snoot.

“I wasn’t planning on staying awake all night, just most of it.” she leaned forward again, shoving her nose past her father’s finger. Her nose then reset itself to its default position: in between pages.

“Must you lean so close? You and I both know your eyesight is impeccable. Gods know we wouldn’t encourage your hobby if we didn’t think you could handle it.” her dad smiled gently, putting his hands back at his side and leaning in closer to Yori.

“It’s just.. studying these affinities is so difficult when you don’t have one. It’s kind of like a rock trying to study how to breathe. How come I can’t memorize all the eight elements of this world? You’d think I could at least get that down no problem, but I guess not. Not only that, but I still don’t know how they manifest! Like, they just manifest differently? Everyone that could get an affinity just has one at random and it can take any sort of shape or form? Like, umm...” Yori paused to think, pulling her nose out of her book and looking upward. “Like, if I had an earth affinity, I can’t do anything with earth, only something specific.” Yori said.

“That’s true.” he replied.

“And, like, let’s say I could, uhh, make stairs out of mud that could hold my weight, or something. I couldn’t make a spear out of mud, could I?” Yori asked, glancing at her father.

“Probably not. Affinities are very specific. They tend only to have one use, you just have to be creative. Making stairs out of mud sounds lame, but if you can manipulate your environment in such a way that you’re always near mud, well you could do anything.” her dad explained.

“Okay... So let me make sure I remember all of the elements again. Fire, air, earth, water, space time, spirit... and then energy?

“Now you got it,” her dad said, sitting up straight. “Just do that tomorrow and you’ll be golden.”

“Is there really no other way of memorizing this easier? I mean, it’s a lot to take in, especially what you just told me. I remember it now, but what about later? What if I forget?” Yori asked, she turned to face her dad completely.

“Well, I had a similar problem when I was your age. I had a way of memorizing all of them. We Feasts! Water, earth, fire, energy, air, space, time, spirit! What do you think?”

“I think it’s silly, dad.” 

The two shared a laugh together.

“You should really go to bed, Yori. It’s late and you’re clearly tired.” he suggested.

“But... but...”

“Are you worried you’re going to fail?”

“No, it’s not that...” she trailed off, looking away.

“Are you upset you still don’t know what your affinity is supposed to be?”

Yori glanced upward, but not towards her dad. She stared straight ahead at the wall in front of her, swallowing uncomfortably.

“Everyone I know has one. Even you and mom! Both with space affinities! You two can do amazing things that I can never do!” Yori’s book dropped to the ground with a loud thud. 

“Yori...”

“It’s not fair. I’m supposed to have one too, aren’t I? I did everything I could, but I still don’t have anything. No ‘We Feasts’ for me...” her head fell between her hands, elbows resting on her thighs. 

Her dad reached over and moved the book aside. His arm dragged her closer to him.

“It’ll be alright. Listen, it takes some longer than others. You’re only 16. Your mother didn’t find hers until she was in her mid 20′s.”

“But what if,” Yori sniffed, “What if I don’t ever find it?”

“You’re not any lesser for that.” he added. “You’ll still be you. And you’ll always be every bit as extraordinary as you are to me now.” 

Yori let a tear trail down her cheek, quickly rubbing it away and hoping he didn’t notice.

“Thanks, dad.” she said, turning to hug him. He, of course, embraced her in return.

After a slightly longer than expected hug, her father stood up and began to leave. 

“Affinities are tricky,” he said, “I think you’ll have one. I think it’ll be really good, too. But more importantly...” he grabbed her unloaded rifle and tossed it across the room to her. She caught it easily.

“No matter what happens, you will still be exceptional. You are special, whether or not you have some weird power over one of those fundamental elements or not. You don’t have to be able to manipulate one of those We Feasts-”

“Can you not call it that?” she giggled.

“Alright. You may not be able to, say, command flame, or make mountains move, but you will still be able to overcome any obstacle thrown at you. Affinities are just means to an end. Are they nice? Of course. But they don’t define you. They are just an extension of your own capabilities.” 

Her dad swiped his hand, yanking the rifle out of Yori’s hands and into his own. 

“My space affinity is something else, alright. Being able to grab objects from across the room with a swipe of the hand...” he stared at his left hand.

“I hope I can do something that cool.” Yori said.

“I don’t have any doubts.” he put the rifle aside, where it belonged. “Now get some sleep, okay?” 

“Alright, dad. Good night.” 

“Good night, dear. And may the gods watch over you.” he opened and closed her door quietly.

Yori stood up and walked over to her bed, climbing inside and turning onto her side. Her hands curled in front of her, she glanced at both of them, wondering if there was some latent power inside of her. Something she didn’t know was there, just waiting to manifest. 

“Someday...” she whispered to herself. “Maybe if I hang around Elric long enough, his earth affinity will rub off on me and I’ll get something cool.”

She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep, inspired.