Because You Are Faith Asterio

"What are you getting at? That situation was completely different--"

"No, it really wasn't Faith. You see, the difference between you and me might be a few years, but you know what else is different? My identity isn't shrouded by Sky. You live in his shadow, as you always have. It's the only thing you can do right. Watching over and being overshadowed. I've never seen you be your own person, live out your own will, and I still can't see it. Have you grown at all in the nine months that it's been since we last saw you?" I asked Faith again.

I wanted to scrape my tongue of the evil atrocities I was speaking at her. Unfortunately, it was what she needed, and Faith couldn't learn any other way.

"Of course, I've grown, just not in a way you could see, Dani. I have several lineages of powers stashed away in my bloodstream that I can't use. Sky doesn't have that problem, don't you see how we're different yet?! He's Sky Asterio! There's nothing that man can't do!" She reiterated. It seemed that Faith was under this false pretense that Sky never struggled... but little does she know, that's all he did at first. Ever since his first fight with Ullr, Sky never stopped moving, never stopped preparing for battle. He fearlessly fought a tyrant, two Deities, a wolf in sheep's clothing, an entire association dedicated to killing him, and so many more people who got in his way. 

To say 'There's nothing that man can't do' felt so ignorantly wrong to me that I couldn't help myself.

"He's struggled more than you, that's for sure. Do you know why? Because he put more thought into these things than 'I can't do it because this person is so much stronger', you know that? Your excuses are pleas of weakness, and I just want you to admit it before I start to help," I told Faith. She sneered at me, looking at Umbra next. Umbra wouldn't open her mouth, and instead crossed her arms and nodded.

The wind blew once more against Faith's hair, emptying itself from the bandages around her neck and flying out into the gust. She looked like she was finally reaching an answer.

"I can't... I'm afraid... Dani... Finlis has been hunting me for a while. He's been tracking me, and he's waiting to strike at any moment. If he beats me, that's it. He'll mutilate me and make it hurt so much. I just wanted to be as strong as Sky is..." Faith muttered. Tears began to fall from her eyes, but she was so good at hiding it that she made no noise.

"Luckily for you, Charlie and I are firsthand witnesses of how he did it. I'm telling you right now, Faith. The path to that level of strength is one of broken glass and barbed wire being slid against your skin. I can't imagine the amount of suffering Sky had gone through before he reached his current level. Strength isn't about just being there, it's about getting there," I told Faith as Charlie nodded. She looked between the two of us and then took a deep breath in and out. She closed her eyes and then looked toward Khalil.

"We can do this. Even if I have to learn it on the way, I'm confident. I have to beat Sky," Faith declared. Khalil seemed to smile at the thought, and I was relieved that it went in such a positive direction.

I had learned to trust Hikari and her methods over the past nine months I've spent getting to know her, but a simple gust of wind would be enough to knock the ragged plan over the tightrope it so desperately balances on. She stunned me every time she created one with how exactly it played out, and how exact the results were that she got. 

"Great, now that our oh-so-sappy reunion is over, we have thirteen people who sealed Sky on the horizon, and there's not thirteen of us here now," Mizu said. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked antsy. In response to her demeanor, I mimicked it.

"Count that as a minus one with you. You can't fight to the same extent as us. We need to get you to safety as the very first thing, and we can't overlook that," I said to Mizu.

"I'm bored of your talking," A strange voice replied.

I turned around at a speed I barely could perceive myself, listening to the older voice in my ear suddenly appear. It faded in and out from my ear, but nothing was anywhere near me.

"Khalil... something's coming. I can't see it, but I heard it," I told him. I could almost see Faith's hair stand up on its end as she looked around and then peered upward.

As I followed her eyeline, I noticed a man floating in the air, slowly gliding down with his arms crossed and feet straight.

"I heard my name once and couldn't help but eavesdrop a little. I'm glad you had your little moment, but I'm tired of waiting around for you guys to split up. So, how about a match of hide and go seek--" I cut off the orange-haired man, swinging a golden saber straight through his chest and backing up by pushing off the ground around me.

Using the gravity I was given, I forced the man to the ground. He sounded cocky but was worthless in the face of my power. It started to crack from underneath him, and he was put through vicious strain just to keep up with the output of gravity.

"You... are troublesome... you didn't even let me finish!" The man called out.

"Dani... this is Arthur! Be careful!" Faith shouted out to me. I nodded, refocusing on the man still struggling to stand in front of me.

"Dani... huh? You are one of the people I have to take care of... and the other is that small brown-haired girl... I can do both right now if you'd prefer," Arthur said, struggling on the ground.