As Edith's laughter echoed, a tall, striking woman approached, her presence commanding attention.
Clad in sturdy armor with a sword strapped to her waist, she carried a towering 4-meter staff radiating an innate aura of authority, leaving onlookers in quiet awe.
Long leather boots hugged her legs, and a beast's fur draped her shoulders like a mantle of the wild.
She sized him up, her glossy lips curving into a smile as a calm yet confident voice slipped from them.
"Look who decided to go crazy today."
Startled by the words, Edith whipped his head to the right, scanning for the source of the playful mockery. There she stood, smiling warmly at him, her red hair tied back in a ponytail, her posture exuding a dominant, unyielding demeanor.
A spark ignited in Edith's eyes as he exclaimed with pure joy, "Big sis Rose!"
He dashed forward to embrace her tall frame, only to collide headfirst with her armor.
"Ouch!"
The sight broadened Rose's smile even further.
She patted his head gently and chuckled, "What's the rush for, little Ed? There's still some time till the competition."
Rubbing his sore head, Edith replied sheepishly, "I just felt happy to see you!"
"Did you finally fall for my charms, little Ed, huh? People do say that I'm pretty, after all."
Edith's eyes widened, his face flushing crimson. He stammered back, "Th-That's not what I meant!"
"Hehe! Yeah, yeah, I know, Ed. I was just teasing you. Always been fun doing that! Anyway, are you ready for the competition?"
"Hmph! Yes, big sis Rose! I only want to fight Horus! That's the only thing I'm looking forward to, and that's the only thing I've prepared for, hehe."
"You can finally fight him now. All that patience bore fruit, I guess. I'm sure Horus is looking forward to your duel too. Enjoy your fight to the fullest! Not just the one with Horus, but all the other ones as well, okay?"
"Yes, sis Rose, you've been telling me that for ages! I even dream sometimes of finding you next to the lake, only for you to tell me to enjoy my every fight!"
"Well, there you go! You already know what to do. Enjoy your fights and remember that these fights will help you breakthrough. You just need to be immersed in them. You already know the feeling, so you'll sense when you start getting into the flow."
"Thank you, big sis Rose. I'll definitely do as you say."
"Good. I'll see you later then. I need to get back to my patrol duty. Good luck!"
"Alright. Bye bye, sis Rose. See you later. Take care!"
"Wait! One more thing!"
"Yes?"
"Ren would definitely like that flower. Though I'm sad you didn't bring one for me. I'm heartbroken."
Edith blushed deeply, blurting out, "Aaa! Sis Rose, I'll give you one later! Bye bye!"
And with that, he bolted away.
Rose laughed heartily and turned to resume her patrol.
...
On the way home, Edith muttered to himself.
"Sis Rose is at Stage 3 and has been teaching us for quite a while. Thanks to her, we've learned the basics and managed to reach Stage 1. It's unfortunate that I can't use any weapons right now, but that'll change once I reach Stage 2! Yeah, let's look forward to that as well. In any case, fighting Horus comes first! Hehe!"
Horus was his best friend, orphaned and living at the village school with the elders. After school hours, Edith always lingered to chat and spar with him. That's how they' had come to become best friends and even become two of the top fighters in their class.
Everyone knew of their friendship and Edith's eagerness to face Horus in battle—especially since, after the competition, Horus would head to the city for further studies, while Edith dreamed of nothing more than staying with his family, playing with his sister, and becoming a village guard just like sis Rose.
As he neared home, Edith spotted his mother on the porch, carrying chopped wood inside like many women he had seen on his way.
He crept up stealthily and whispered in a ghostly voice, "Good morning, mother!"
She turned to face him, pausing for a beat. Then she smiled, cupped his cheeks, planted a kiss on his forehead, and replied in an equally eerie tone, "Good morning, Ed~"
Edith froze in surprise, then burst into laughter.
"I always fail to startle you, mother!"
"Hehe. You can try as many times as you like. Now go wake your sister up, she needs to get ready too."
"Yes, mother," giggling, Edith walked away.
He stepped inside the house and headed to his mother's bedroom. Knocking a few times, he called out, "Reeeennnn! Wake uuupppp!"
"It's getting late! We've got to go to the festival! Wake up, Ren!"
...
Inside, Irene slowly opened her eyes to the room bathed in morning sunlight. She lay on a mattress stuffed with animal wool inside a large cloth sack, her pillow much the same.
Sinking her head deeper into it, she rolled over, noticing her mother wasn't there. Still groggy, she walked to the door, yawning and stretching her arms, and opened it to find her brother holding a pretty flower.
The sight snapped her fully awake, her gaze shifting from the bloom to meet his eyes.
Edith read the unspoken question in her blue eyes and said, "Here, Ren. A pretty flower for my sweet sister!"
Ren snatched it eagerly, pressing it to her nose for a deep inhale.
"It has a nice smell, brother!"
"Hehe, I know. Do you like it?"
"Yup, I do. Thank you! Where did you get it from?"
"Hehe, that's a secret for now. I'll take you to the place tomorrow."
"Yayyy!"
"Now go wash up. We gotta get ready and head to Old Pal."
"Okayyyy!"
After that, Edith went to help his mother.
"Has Dad set off already?"
"Yes, he's gone to help with the preparations. He won't be coming back. You'll see him at Old Pal. You get dressed too; Ren and I will set off after you."
"Yes, mother!"