Goal: Hero

"Oh my god... I'm dying!!"

The cool earth pressed against Raishun's back, and his breath came out in short quick gasps. His arms and legs felt burned from numerous fresh welts, and he had lost feeling in his fingers minutes prior. With trembling fingers, he clumsily wiped the sweat from his brow. His unfocused gaze drifted over the various straw dummies that dotted the edges of Castor's backyard. To his right, a wooden sword lay caked in dirt.

"Fwaaahhhh! That worked up a good sweat, even if it was super one-sided!" Castor stretched his arms above his head and cast a serious glance at the younger Legion. "Your movements are too big and showy, so your opponent'll have an easy time guessin yer attack." He nodded in approval, "Other than that, i'd say you're pretty good. You've got a little bit of muscle and flab but some more sessions'll fix that up. Oh, and some of those moves of yours were pretty unique too, I don't see people drop their weapon mid fight too often."

"Th-... Thanks. But did you r-...really have to almost kill me." He gasped out weakly. "I was part of the... the drama club in school, so I didn't really h-have time for sports."

"Drama eh? Never saw that one coming." Castor casually walked over the fallen Legion, before crouching down beside him.

"Why's that?"

"You don't seem like a drama kid. You guys are usually so peppy and upbeat, but you always seem... I dunno, scared? Throughout our fight you kept flinching, and Carmila told me you looked really worried when she brought you food in the morning."

"..." Raishun closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. [Yeah, it's cause I'm stuck in a world that's out to kill me. Even my own teammates wanted me dead.]

"O-oh uhh, yeah! The battlefields kinda like a stage, only we play ourselves in a life or death show for the gods. I can see how it would help you somewhat..." He trailed off when Raishun didn't respond to his comment.

"Why did you choose to become a Huntsman?" Castor asked in a serious tone, deciding to change the topic. "If ya wanted to be an actor, why choose to be a warrior?"

Raishun slowly opened his eyes. Becoming a Huntsman had never been a choice, it was forced upon him the moment he arrived. [No, I made a choice to follow Alisa into Beacon.] His previous conversation with Ruby replayed through his head, and with it came an answer that he didn't expect.

"I want to be special... to be good at something while helping those that can't help themselves... A hero." He flushed red, and quickly averted his gaze, "I-I know that sounds kinda dumb and childish, but that's how I feel."

To his surprise, Castor chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Nothin' wrong with wanting to be a hero. I was like that too at first, but now I got someone to protect. Funny the things that love can make you do."

Castor scratched his cheek nervously, and Raishun could see his cheeks turn a deep shade of red.

"A-anyways, that's enough for today! If I rough you up anymore then Carmila's gonna have her work cut out for her." With a groan of effort, he rose to his feet with a mischievous smirk and winked at Raishun. "Now if you'll excuse me, Yona and I have some bedroom training of our own to get to. If ya know what I mean."

The younger boy let out a disgusted groan, equal parts agitation, and disgust, before turning himself over, so his stomach was flat against the ground. "That's disgusting, I don't wanna hear it." He grumbled.

The red-haired man chuckled, and Raishun could hear his heavy footsteps slowly fade away.

He lay on the ground in comfortable silence, then let out a confused grunt. [I feel... calm.] It wasn't something he hadn't felt before, but since he had arrived, his life had nearly been cut short so often that he hadn't had a moment to relax. For a moment, he could have believed he was back in his world, surrounded by his friends.

Leo had always been the glue of the group. He was usually quiet, but if a topic he was passionate about popped up in conversation, he would passionately talk for hours. The two had never seen eye to eye, but they were still fast friends despite their conflicts.

On the other hand, Mia was incredibly hostile to strangers, a trait that was enhanced by her quick wit and sharp tongue. But once you got past her prickly exterior, she would spoil you rotten. He had lost count of the number of times he had received a free meal, rides, or tutoring from her.

As he thought on happier times, tears began to well up in his eyes. Painfully he pushed the dangerous thoughts away to keep himself from breaking down. Just as he drew in a shaky breath, the sound of footsteps quickly approaching him resounded from his right. He rotated his body away from the sound and steadied his voice as much as he could.

"You're back early, what did you forget to brag about you and Yona some more?"

"U-um..." A feminine voice squeaked out. It was a few levels higher than Yona's voice.

"C-Carmilla?!" He flipped himself over and saw the meek purple-haired girl staring at him with a heavy blush on her face. "Y-you misheard me!! What I meant to say was um..."

Carmila's blush only grew brighter. Slowly she extended a slender hand towards him, which he took. "I-I'm here to check up on you. Yona wanted me out of the house for some reason, I t-think I know why now." She murmured while struggling to help him up.

Raishun felt his own cheeks heat up. The moment he was firmly upright, she backed up a few steps and nervously played with the ends of her bangs. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"H-hey I've got a question." He cleared his throat. "If you uh, don't mind me asking."

"I-I'll answer the best I can."

"Was there ever anyone in this village named Serah? She would've have lived here around ten, maybe fifteen years ago. I'm only asking because she looked a lot like you and Yona, purple hair and crimson eyes I mean, so I thought thought that maybe this was her home."

Her fingers let go of her hair as she pondered his question for a moment. "I don't know anyone with that name. Though if what you're saying is true then it's likely she's from here. The women in our village are always born with those features, it's been that way for decades."

"I see..."

"OH! But I know someone who might be able to answer your question! I'll take you to her!" Before he could react, she had grasped his hand in hers and was pulling him along. He could feel his cheeks grow hot and quietly followed behind her. "She's been around for years, so no one knows her name. But she's really kind, so everybody calls her Grandmother. Don't worry, her memories still really sharp despite her age."

Several minutes of the pair walking together led them to a building larger than any other in the village. It was made of the same materials, polished white stone walls and a wooden roof, but it had intricately woven banners hung on each side of a large set of double doors. He wanted to stop for a moment and admire the symbol on the banners. Still, Carmila nonchalantly threw open the doors and pulled him inside.

The inside of the building was far more impressive than it's exterior. Burning pyres lined a pristinely maintained red rug that ran along the length of the building. The pair walked forward towards a hunched over elderly woman at the other end of the rug. Her wispy white hair was tied in a long braid the ran down her shoulder onto the floor below and was interwoven with rare strands of violet. Her crimson eyes still shone vibrantly despite her age, and Raishun could see her gaze soften as the two approached.

"Ahh... Carmila my dear, it's been too long!" The wrinkles on her face deepened as she smiled at the girl. "It's good to see you again dear. Oh? And who is this boy? Your boyfriend?"

"Grandma!!!" Carmila turned the color of a ripe tomato as she let go of Raishun's hand. "I-It's not like that!! I w-was just guiding him!"

"I know dearie, I know." She let out a hearty laugh and stared at the girl lovingly. "Castor already informed me of our new helper. Although..." Her gaze drifted to the blue-haired boy, and she frowned. "He forgot to mention that he has blue hair and amber eyes. I've always disliked those features together. It brings back some rather unsavory memories."

Sensing her displeasure, Raishun simply bowed his head and muttered an apology, causing the old woman to huff. "Out with it, what could possibly be so important that my granddaughter deemed fit to bring you here?"

"I was wondering if you've heard of a girl named Serah Conces. She would have lived here around fifteen years ago." He asked in the most formal tone he could muster, "I'm only asking because she had similar features to a lot of the woman here, er, purple hair and red eyes that is..."

He trailed off as the elders' face went pale. Raising a shaky wrinkled hand to her lips, the two attendants at her sides rushed to aid her, only to stop when she briskly waved them away. Her one crimson eye stared at the Legion incredulously. "No one with that name has lived in this village for over a century. The last person to hold that name was a teenager who left the village when I was but a child."

Raishun felt as if the world itself had fallen away from below his feet. [A century!?! But Serah doesn't look that old, and it doesn't match up with what I learned at school. Imperial arms have only been around for fifteen years.]

"A-are you certain-"

"Yes I am quite certain!" She snarled, "Tell me Legion, how do you know of that name?-" Her eyes landed on the Caligula, and all the anger in her body seemed to disappear in an instant, leaving behind only a tired shell. Covering her eyes with a shaky hand, she hung her head. "I see... I don't know why fate brought you here, but I grow weary. Please come back another time and I'll tell you all I can Legion."

With a curt nod, the assistants at her side stepped forward and ushered the two out into the crisp evening air.

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Returning to the room he had woken up in, Raishun sat silently on his bed, polishing the Caligula to a shine. While the blade would never need to be sharpened due to being an Imperial Arm, he felt that it was his duty as Serah's Dyad to keep her blade looking presentable.

"She knew about you Serah." He murmured under his breath, "Even though she said you're a hundred years old, she said she knew you. But you don't look like an old lady, and it doesn't add up with what I've learned."

The amber gem in the center of the sword let out two bright flashes of light, and Raishun smiled. "Right, things aren't adding up. Someone's telling a lie, and it's up to the both of us to figure this out partner."

Suddenly he heard a knock at the door, causing him to jump and nearly drop his sword onto the wooden floor beneath him. Grasping it tightly to his chest, he turned his head to face the still door. [Must be Castor.] "Come in!"

To his surprise, it was Carmila who walked into the room. Instead of her usual outfit, she was dressed in a cropped white-colored shirt and moss-colored shorts that reached below her knees. The moment the two made eye contact, the demure girl hugged the blanket in her arms tighter to her body.

"S-sorry for bothering you so late in the night." She spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "I live with Castor and Yona, a-and... well..." She blushed and hid her face in the blanket.

Raishun let out a tired sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I get it. Looks like Castor meant what he said earlier in the training grounds." Turning himself to face the purple-haired girl, he winced in pain as he the numerous bruises body ached, "You can take the bed if you want, I'll sleep on the couch downstairs after a bit more training."

"N-no, this is your room now. It wouldn't be right of me to take the bed from you, b-besides the couch is more than enough for-"

"Nah, you take it. I used to sleep on the couch all the time back home, so I'm pretty much used to it." He cut her off with a kind smile, "You and the others saved me from the Beowolf, and gave me a place to stay. Letting you have my bed is the least I can do for you."

"But-"

"I won't take no for an answer Carmila, my minds made up." Awkwardly rising to his feet, Raishun walked past her towards the open doorway and stopped in the door frame. "But if it bothers you that much, then we can trade. I'll let you have the bed, and you can cook me some of that delicious food of yours. It was way better than anything the kitchens at Beacon could serve up!"

"I see..." Hiding the lower half of her face in her blanket, she nodded at him. "A-alright. Thank you Raishun, I really mean it."

"It's nothing, good night Carmila."

"Good night Raishun."

He snapped the door shut behind him, and walked out into the backyard of the house. The frigid air nipped at his fingers and cheeks, but powered through and adopted a stance he'd seen Castor use. First, he worked his tired muscles through a few simple swings and tried to do one of the complex combos Castor used on him.

First, he stabbed his sword forward, followed by an uppercut with his free hand before spinning his away with his sword out of his attacker's range. The last step was to extend his hand to shoot out a red burst of energy... then stopped himself when he remembered that his Imperial Arm was different than Castors.

"Yikes. I'm lucky no one was around to see that." He laughed at himself, then stopped abruptly. [When was the last time I laughed for real?] Casting a glance back at the house, he saw Carmila peering at him through the bedroom window. She flushed red, then moved out of view.

"Gahhhh. Someone saw that." Cheeks aflame with embarrassment, he focused on the ground. "I must've looked like such a nerd." Smiling, he began to practice again, making sure not to copy Castor's combo. "Now this is what I imagined being in another world would be like. This is the start of my journey..."

Finishing a long combo, he took a moment to stare up at the remnants of the broken moon above. "To become a hero!"