"Take this!" wielding an ordinary, no-aura longsword, Freyja attacked Kirin with her best speed and strength. Though commendable, she is still no match for the lightning fast Kirin. She soon found herself cornered, with the tip of his sword on her neck. Freyja cursed, Kirin laughed and ruffled her hair. "It"s okay. Your speed needs work, but your strength and stamina improved. Good job." He a.s.sessed, sheathing his sword.

"These past few years I haven"t had much exercise. I hate this." Freyja pouted. She spent the past few years more on studying and less training. But should she use her celestial aura and get serious, Kirin knows that it"d be a completely different story. Nevertheless, he wanted Freyja to use as less white aura as possible, since it is known that powerful and excessive use of aura harms an untrained body. Freyja challenged Kirin another time, which he gladly obliged. "Bring it on, Freyja." He taunted with a smirk, unsheathing his sword out to receive another attack.

A few more minutes of sparring, and the outcome remained unchanged. Alaric clapped his hands, watching Freyja tire herself out while Kirin didn"t even break a single sweat. Frustrated Freyja wanted to go for another round, but even before she could get up, she felt mucous run through her nose and then she sneezed. "ACHOOO!" Freyja felt dizzy, and her nose runny again. Her body tells her that she needs to stop and rest, and so she did.

Freyja kept sneezing here and there, her cheeks and nose red. In matter of hours, her head began to feel light and her body temperature increased.

~ o 0 o ~

It has been months since they left the kingdom of Haia and briefly returned to Runerich, before setting out to find the remaining two celestial guardians sealed somewhere in that world. This time, Alaric eagerly joined.

Now, they are staying at a small, yet very prosperous harbor town in the Cloovern Republic, far north of Lunchian continent. The town is bustling with action, ships dock here and there, the traders are everywhere. While Freyja watched the people from her room"s window, she could only sigh in disappointment. "And I wanted to see the dresses and weapons they"re selling." She mumbled, with an ice pack on her head. "How are you feeling?" Alaric came inside her room, with a tray of hot soup and some bread. "Here, I brought you food. I cooked them for you." The fever couldn"t take her appet.i.te away. She quickly finished the entire tray Alaric prepared for her, and they were absolutely delicious!

Night came, and there"s little improvement on Freyja"s fever. All alone, she stared at the ceiling while lying on her bed. This made her remember the times she would get sick many years ago, in the middle of training, and Kirin would take care of her despite his non-stop scolding. And then she suddenly remembered Kirin"s little brother, Keon.

"Keon." His name rolled out of her lips. She could still remember exactly how he looked like. Black hair and black eyes, a boy around her height with fair skin. She can still remember the many different faces he made in front of her, and how he risked his life to help them, to help her. Guilt started overwhelming her feelings, tears formed at the corner of her eyes.

In the middle of the night, Kirin gently knocked at her door, and let himself in when no one answered. He felt her forehead and smiled, feeling her temperature gone down. But he noticed something strange. Freyja was sweating and looking uncomfortable. And what"s even stranger is that something is glowing on her chest. Worried, he unb.u.t.toned the first two b.u.t.tons of her shirt. Kirin was taken aback as soon as he saw a familiar birthmark shaped like a crescent wing on her upper chest. The mark was glowing with white aura, he could almost see it throbbing. When he tried to touch it with his fingers, a splitting headache came to him.

Squeezing his head tight, blurred images streamed inside his mind. He knew very well what they are. They were memories trying to break out of its seal— memories of his past self, the person he used to be many, many, centuries ago. But, as soon as the mark on Freyja"s chest stopped glowing, the headache and the memories too, stopped.

"Come to think of it, this mark wasn"t here when she first came into this world…" Kirin thought. "Is this really her original celestial body?"

Kirin turned his back and walked out of the room, as quietly as possible.

~ o 0 o ~

"GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!" Freyja was back to her loud and cheerful self. Since they still have a couple more days in the harbor town, they took the chance to go and see the wares before they leave for the next city.

Alaric bought a new belt, boots for Kirin and a long coat for Freyja. They also stocked up on medicine and weapons. Everything was peaceful, until the town"s bells started ringing so loud, everyone stated panicking, collecting their wares back to its boxes, and running around.

"The pirates are here! Run!" The people shouted, grabbing their goods and dashing away in panic. No one left a single merchandise. All ran, except for a few soldiers and Freyja"s group. Not for long, a huge, shabby ship docked, and about ten pirates armed with guns and blades jumped off and rushed to the town. "Get everything!" The leader, a middle-aged man with a long, braided beard, ordered with a smirk.

Freyja unsheathed her sword and rushed towards one of the pirates, stopping him from taking one crate from a trader.

"Leave that crate, or I"ll kill you."

Freyja ordered fiercely, with the tip of her sword on the pirate"s neck.

~ o 0 o ~