-Roxy-

  The trip to Sharia was thankfully uneventful. The weather remained relatively calm. No monsters wandered from the forests. Our horses remained in good health. Even the few bandits that were interested in our carriage were easily dispatched. However, no matter how lucky we got, the trip across the continent took several months.

  Aisha grew impatient very quickly. She took to buying books when we found cities large enough to justify selling such a luxury. Even then, she'd finish them quickly, only to grow bored again. After a few weeks, she began copying the contents to fill the time, selling both the original and the copies to be replaced with another set of tomes. It got to be such a profitable venture that I needed to limit the amount of books, both filled and empty, she brought along. Otherwise, we would have started to overburden our carriage.

  Between her reading and transcribing, she'd demand lessons in mixing swordplay with magic. She had always preferred learning from Sylphie, since they shared the same fighting style. However, after Sylphie defeated Paul, it was like the young woman had become Aisha's idol. Ironically enough, being instructed to do the same basic practice that she had neglected for years suddenly became gospel coming from a North Saint.

  Norn, on the other hand, had no time for boredom. After failing to cast Cumulonimbus before our departure, she spent every waking moment studying through the same textbooks we spent years reviewing. While no new information could be gathered, solidifying her understanding of the basics of magic proved to aid her greatly.

  As you'd expect, she relied on both myself and Sylphie to help her when she was still struggling on her own. What came as a surprise was her newfound reliance on Aisha. It didn't happen at once, but as Aisha's boredom grew, her tolerance of Norn's difficulties began to increase. When she had the patience, Aisha would instruct Norn directly. When that ran dry, she'd rewrite sections of the well-worn text, hoping to explain it in a manner that made more sense to her sister. By the time we reached the Red Dragon's Upper Jaw, which separated the Asura and Ranoa kingdoms, they were closer than I'd ever seen them in Buena Village.

  Part of that mutual respect was likely forged in Norn's continued dedication to the blade. Without Paul there, the sisters had to share Sylphie. Lacking the second teacher or comforts of their home, they both had nothing better to do but watch the other train while waiting for their turn. In Norn, Aisha was able to see a swordswoman of greater strength than anyone else in her life. Likewise, Norn began to see Aisha as a stubborn spell caster who was neglecting her potential with a sword. That renewed understanding of each other gave them the perspective to accept help from the other, no longer feeling a need to constantly bicker as they had in the past.

  As for Sylphie, she had regained her usual energy once she joined us on our trip.

  The night before our departure, Paul had asked for one final drink together. While I had been hesitant to let down my guard around Paul when we first met, by the time my employment was coming to an end, I had come to accept he had no interest in me. It seemed the Notos Greyrats, the branch from which Paul descended, had an affinity for large breasted woman. Between this and the beastfolk obsession the Boreas Greyrats held, I was determined to avoid the other two branches, lest one have a familial affliction for small woman such as myself.

  At any rate, that was when Paul explained Sylphie's depressive state. It seems she had been holding back the desire to journey with us since its planning, worried she'd be overstepping bounds she'd set in her mind. If she had simply asked, I would have gladly accepted the additional help, especially given the length of our travel. However, she held back. Paul told me she had always been that way: fearful of rejection when those around her were more than willing to help.

  Despite this explanation, I had the sense that Paul was hiding something from me. However, no matter how I poked and prodded him, he resiliently insisted it was Sylphie's secret to share. Now I understand that she wanted me join her when she became an adventurer. A rare moment of her taking the initiative would have been lost if Paul had simply given me the answer. Despite his gruff nature, it seemed he put much thought into giving her one final lesson.

  Once we were on the road, Sylphie never allowed herself a moment's rest. Norn and Aisha requested lessons. She helped with setting up our camps for the night and preparing food. When we ran low on supplies between towns, she was quick to be the one hunting and gathering food. Even I was guilty of relying on her, as I taught her how to handle the horses so I might have some reprieve from driving the carriage. Yet, she was happy all the same. Once I had assured her we would adventure together, a fire within her had burst to life, never once dimming as we traveled to the snow-covered city of Sharia.

  After getting Norn and Aisha's enrollment settled, Sylphie and I spent a few months going over our alternative casting research with Jenius. Aisha would join us when possible, but that wasn't often, given her new school life. Since we had last met, Jenius had become the Vice Principle of the university, so we had to work around his busy schedule as well. We took no issue with this, as it gave me time to help Sylphie take her first steps as an adventurer.

  I helped Sylphie through the process of applying at Sharia's local guild. We went over the benefits and responsibilities of being an adventurer. The part I most worried going over with her was the ranking system. Everyone started out at F rank, which usually involved menial tasks within city limits. Unlike the grandeur of heroic adventures, Sylphie would need to start out helping the citizens of Sharia gather common herbs and find lost pets. For someone of her skill level, she could easily handle requests of a much higher rank, but there was no getting around the systems in place.

  Thankfully, Sylphie had no issue working through the prerequisite tasks. The simple favors she did for those in town was met with a level of gratitude that shocked her. We had dealt with a good bit of discrimination on our travels, having to pay inflated rates or denied service entirely in smaller towns, to the point we ended up having Aisha handled most of our transactions. Sylphie had expected similar mistreatment here, but Sharia was different. The university was attended by all manner of people, from beastfolk to demons. Few gave her appearance any thought, only concerned with being grateful for her assistance. This was the perfect place for her to grow, unhindered by the prejudice she suffered in her youth. I was proud to see my student blossom in the environment I had taken for granted.

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  By the time we had gone over all of our research, experimenting with some theories that Jenius came up with in between our debriefings, Sylphie was already C Rank. That meant she was a high enough rank to start accept monster hunting jobs. It was the perfect time to depart Sharia. Jenius tried to dissuade me, offering a teaching position at the college, but I couldn't let my student- no, my partner down. I would be resuming my life as an adventurer with Sylphie. We planned to head for the east, where monsters were more plentiful and adventurers prospered. However, there was one more person standing in our way.

  “Roxy! I've been waiting for you!”

  The day we were scheduled to depart, Norn stood in the middle of the main road, blocking our way. She wore a dark leather jacket with a white fur collar, the symbol of a Sword Saint. She held herself with the type of self-assurance and determination that reminded me of her second cousin. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought she'd learned that crossed arms pose from Eris herself. I never would have thought a demure girl like Norn would present herself in such a manner.

  What was more impressive was the crowd that surrounded her. A few dozen boys and girls, similar in age to Norn, surrounded her. They were cheering and wishing her good luck. A few were even trying to get out love confessions, but the infighting that broke out over those attempts caused their intended recipient to turn on them. “Guys! You said you'd be quiet! I knew I should have come alone!”

  “What is going on here?” I looked to Sylphie, who simply shrugged, just as lost as I was. Then, from the crowd came a familiar face. “Aisha?”

  The other Greyrat daughter came over to us. The way Aisha snickered made me believe she may have been behind this group of onlookers, or at least their rambunctious nature. “Hello, Roxy, Sylphiette. Norn didn't want you two leaving when there was unfinished business. I gathered her fans to help block the road.”

  Sylphie put on her serious sister face, looking down at the nefarious girl. “You just wanted to tease Norn, didn't you?”

  “No. I helped her study all this time. I didn't want to miss out. I even invited her fan club to support her.” Aisha seemed to be telling the truth, but after a few seconds, a smirk spread across her face. “It's not my fault if a little push made them this rowdy.”

  “I knew it was you!” Norn stomped up, grabbing and shaking her sister. “You know how important this is to me!”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Shaking off the furious Norn, Aisha turned back to the crowd. “Okay, everyone! Mission accomplished! For your own safety, don't follow us! Things are about to get stormy!” The crowd erupted in disappointed grumbles, but slowly, the gaggle of Norn's admirers scattered. The few that tried to linger were shooed off by Aisha.

  I didn't need to ask what Norn had in mind. It was her fixation ever since her failure in Buena Village. “So, are you ready?”

  Norn recovered her determined air, standing tall before me. “Yes!”

  The four of us went to the outskirts of town. It was nostalgic, not only because of our test in Buena Village, but because we followed the same path I took with Jenius many years ago to first cast Cumulonimbus. It hadn't ended well, with his criticism of my technique being the spark that eventually lead to us falling out, but we had both grown since then. I wished he could have joined us on that outing, but he was far too busy to be able to take the afternoon off with no notice.

  When we reached the cliff side, we were overlooking a valley. This was the ideal testing grounds for such a far reaching spell. It allowed us to cast into the distance, directing the storm away from ourselves, without losing sight of the magical tempest. I had tried to find such an overlook near Buena Village, but it was fields as far as the eye could see. Stuck casting the spell within its range, we were lucky nothing had gotten beyond our control.

  “Just like before, you have one hour. Cast Cumulonimbus and maintain it for as long as possible.”

  As I explained the test to Norn, she started to look nervous. She rolled her wand in her palm, afraid to look up. Much to my surprise, it was Aisha who reached out, patting her on the shoulder. “You got this.”

  I hadn't realized how close the two had gotten since leaving Buena Village. The old Aisha would have degraded her, but now she was supportive. Norn nodded, forcing an unstable smile as she turned to face the valley. “I'm ready.”

  Norn was far more confident in her casting this time around. She recited the incantation, only hesitating to take deep breaths. Her wand pointed skyward, the clouds began to gather. As the rain began to pour, thunder echoed in the distance. Any nerves or doubts were gone. As Norn guided the spell through to its crescendo, lightning began striking throughout the valley. She had already surpassed her previous failure, but she didn't rest. Her control was impeccable, keeping the storm in a state of steady chaos. When the hour passed, she had more than earned her title.

  “Excellent work. I expected it to take much longer for you to master. You've done well, Water Saint Norn.”

  Exhausted after such an intense spell, it took Norn a moment to realize what my words had meant. A smile crept onto her face, but before she could reply, Aisha tackled her. Holding her close, she praised her sister. “That was amazing! I knew you could do it!”

  “Thanks.” Norn looked embarrassed, but hugged her sister back. Even after growing so close, it seemed this was beyond the level of affection Aisha had shown her. After a few moments, the pair was engulfed by a new shadow. Both looked up in surprise. “Sylphiette?”

  “I'm so proud of you two.” Sylphie threw her arms around both of them, squeezing them tight. “Norn, you did so well. I know you'll grow up to do great things. Aisha, you've matured so much so quickly. Thank you for being there for your sister.” As she pulled back to look at the pair, her tears began to fall. “I'll miss you two so much.”

  The two sisters tried to avoid crying, but it was a helpless struggle. All too soon, they threw themselves into Sylphie's arms, balling as hard as they could.

  Norn was the first to break from her fit, looking up at Sylphie. “I'm going to become an adventurer, just like you. I'll catch up to you some day!”

  “I'll keep practicing too.” Aisha smiled through the tears, trying to stay strong. “And some day, I'll be a North Saint too.”

  The three broke down again, crying in each other's arms. I felt a little jealous. This was the farewell I had always desired. People I cared for laying bare their emotions as we parted ways. But, I wouldn't dare interrupt the three sisters. For the first time in their lives, Aisha and Norn would be separated from Sylphie. It wasn't my place to interfere.

  As the crying subsided, Sylphie spoke up. “Don't you two have something to say to Teacher?”

  Aisha and Norn parted from their big sister, coming over to me. ““Thank you, Roxy!”” In unison, they shouted their gratitude and hugged me.

  I could feel them starting to sob again. A little at a loss, I simply rubbed their backs. “It was a pleasure being your teacher.”