"Well well well, most of the day is gone, but you two finally made it back here…"
"Pa—We would have been back sooner if I didn't have to fish him out of the water."
"Fire and water don't mix, besides, if it wasn't for me we may as well have landed on stone."
"The geyser idea needed me too, don't forget that. It was your plan but I was the one with the fire." Torren
"How can I when you keep reminding me, Sujing."
"Hmm, I see, looks like you two still haven't learned your lesson. Well, we can always try again. "
"NOT AGAIN—"
By the time Nya stepped outside, they were gone, "Did you throw them again?"
"Yes, but only because they started arguing again."
"Oh dear, their lunch is getting cold—Hey!"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of that for them."
With the dusklight of the setting sun behind them, the boys finally reached the doorsteps of the Mansion.
This time both were too tired to argue, instead, they lay flat at the door, trying to catch their breath.
The door creaked open.
"Hmm, it took you longer this time." Stephen's grandfather stepped out with a glass of a chilled, bubbling drink. Stepping over the boys and sitting on the steps beside them.
"No boys, what did we learn?"
"I'm afraid if I say what I think, mom will kill me." Stephen answered without missing a beat.
"Hmm, and what about you, kicking Torren's leg while he lay splayed out, barely gasping for air."
"FOOD! WATER! ANYTHING!"
"ANYTHING?" The old man raised an eyebrow while trying to hide his wicked smile.
"An—Annie—Miss Annie!"
"What? Annie?" Stephen reeled himself up.
Finding Torren, sweat drenched and exhausted, leaning against the door, "Miss Annie."
"Just Annie is fine, sir."
"Just Annie, who knew that you could be just as stunning at dusk as you are at dawn."
"I'm aware."
"Bold and self-aware. You are truly one captivating woman."
"And you are still a child, this is more than likely the longest conversation you have had with a woman."
"You hear that, Sujing, a woman not a girl. So please stop." Stephen groaned as walked up to them, giving Annie a nod.
"I may have to take on your work for the next few days, at least until this one calms down." Stephen pulled up the sleeves of his shirt, "Allow me" then reached over to help Annie with the ornate chest that was set down beside.
"Did you leave this with her?" Stephen, now calling out to his grandfather though he tried his best to ignore him, taking a sip of his drink and enjoying the crisp evening breeze.
"It is quite alright, Stephen, your grandfather already brought them inside, I couldn't ask him to do anymore when it is my duty." Her blank expression adopted a gentle smile as they spoke.
"That doesn't mean he should take advantage of you, I'll deal with him." Torren, catching the sudden glow about her, Torren spoke without thinking,
"You think Miss Annie can't handle all of that on her own?" He tried to tease, but the response was cold.
"Ignore him, I'll bring this inside."
"Thank you, sir." Giving Torren a bow before walking away, following Stephen inside.
"Stephie still has that charm I see, I thought all that training made him stiff as a board." The sound of the porch echoing Julien's footsteps as we walked up to Torren.
"Come on now, you need food and a bath."
"I need to know how he does it."
"Well son, I can't help you with the third thing, only the first two, come on." Tapping his shoulder to call him inside.
Dinner was much quieter.
Julien and Nya had already eaten and were preparing for bed by the time the boys were eating, overlooked by the second aide of the Mansion, Jeanne.
Several minutes of failed flattery and Julien's threat of sending them to the Lake again for all the noise was enough to finally calm Torren's appetite.
By the time Stephen returned from the baths after dinner, Torren was fast asleep.
Throwing himself into his bed, he couldn't help but think on the passing day, and what should have been made from it.
'I'll figure it out' Turning over in his sheets and finally letting his body rest.
"Rise and shine, brother"
"Yu…what are you doing here?"
"Looking after you of course. Someone has to. Come on, we don't want to miss breakfast." The blonde haired child pulled the drapes open, allowing the morning sun into the room
A moment of blindness paralysed Stephen, before his senses and the world resolved itself.
"Stephen, are you ready?"
"Yu—Yuzen?"
"Oh yeah, very funny, come on we need to get going" Torren barely waited for him to respond before walking out the door.
Leaving Stephen behind, still struggling to make out what he witnessed.
Today, breakfast was a much quieter affair.
Nya had left with two of the aides into Deep City, leaving Annie behind. Julien was already outside and the boys sat in uncomfortable silence, both were occupied with matters known to them but none willing to express it.
"So are we getting thrown again, today?" Torren's words leaked their usual charm.
"Whatever he has in store for us will probably be worse than yesterday."
"Fantastic…really that's great" Picking up another slice of toast and leaving the table's side on his way to the door "And where do you think you're going?" Stephen asked.
"Anywhere but here. He's still out so he won't even notice." Waving off Stephen and scarfing down the bread, as Torren reached for the door, it swung open with relative ease.
"Torren, my boy. Already eager to get started"
"Shit!" He tried to jump back the moment his eyes and ears registered the figure standing in front of him, but the old man was much too quick.
With a firm grip, his large hand had reached over and grabbed a head from him, holding him in place.
"Come on Steph, we're waiting on you…hmm. Did you stay up all night?" Julien wondered after dragging Torren inside and placing him on an empty seat.
Passing the table on his way to the kitchen he noticed the curious air surrounding his grandson.
"...I didn't get much sleep." But his answer did little to satisfy the old man's eager gaze.
"Hmm, I see. Perhaps you need to warm up before we begin."
"Sorry, grandad, but we have to be at the restaurant today." "Yeah, what he said." Torren added, still soothing his temple from the vice grip that almost crushed him.
"That's fine, we'll have plenty of time to work you boys into shape…say is that your nana in the yard? Why don;t you boys go and help her out."
"All right, let's go, Sujing." The pair stepped out of the room as Annie came in to clean up when a sudden gust of wind kicked from the kitchen and shot past her.
"Huh, there's no one here" Torren turned to Stephen, whose face twisted into an expression of panic. "Sujing, we need to get out of here now–"
"Oh, your nana's not here. That;s alright, boys, you can be on your way." With his grip locked tight around their necks, his arms reeled back, lifting both of them off their feet.
"You cant throw up at the restaurant, there's mp where to land" Stephen hopped to shout some reason into his grandfather, but his wide grin was filled with malice, no mercy.
"You boys will figure it out, and try not to break anything, or your mother will kill me, after your father kills you." He let out a hearty laugh, one that was loud enough to drown out the boy's pleas.
Before they could catch their breath, they felt it leave their lungs when they took off.
His throw was not as fast as the first one, but they still could fight it.
Once the old man let go, in only a moment, he stood as a small mark within the courtyard of the manor.
A crippling boom followed after them, the quaking air too slow to keep up with the flight rattled the surrounding groove while shot overhead like streaking comets.
"Every single time with your family, Stephennnnn." He cried as they broke through the treeline and out of the barrier with a forceful boom.
"I'm sure they're flying the right way, yes no need to worry."
"Hey, weren't we expecting the delivery of Cor bread today?" Lisa was looking through their pantry and checking off their list before showing it to jade "Not Cor bread today, but Erythasia. But it should have been here, especially with how hot that fish tends to run. I'll call our supplier."
The foundations of the Open Table were rocked like a quake pulsing through earth, almost throwing them to the ground. Arlow rushed outside while June checked on Lisa "What was that?" He found a steaming creator.
With rising plumes of stream mist flowing out of its depths, Arlow could spot a series of oddly shaped shadows, but he remained frozen until the edge of the crater began breaking apart, sending pieces of the rim crumbling into it.
"We're getting better at this"
"Don't let him hear you say that, or he'll send us further next time. Ugh, we should fix this hole before the customers start flowing in."
"Hey! Who are you, and where did this hole come from—" Arlow , clenched this cleaning cloth tightly, swallowing the pit in his throat.
"Oh Arlow is that you?" Stephen climbed out of the pit, drenched from head to toe, confused by Arlow's aggressive posture, "Is everything all right?"
"Stephen? Damn it kid, you almost gave me a heart attack. Why are you wet—and why is he on fire?" Torren followed, with flickering flames still attached to the collar of his shirt.
Arlow managed to extinguish the flames with his cloth before walking them into the restaurant.
"Arlow, is everything okay? What was that explosion?" Lisa rushed towards the door to check on him, only to find the boys in distress.
"Express delivery from the Sword-Oak Mansion, two little helpers."
When the boys returned from the restaurant, they tried to sneak into the house from the backyard—but like a sleeping lion guarding his home, they found Julien lying there, basking in the afternoon sun, with his sunhat resting over his face.
The moment they saw him, they tried to turn back, when they felt a crushing grip over their shoulders
"I'm so glad you're both eager to get started." They heard the old man whispering in their ear, while Torren tried to swallow his tears, biting his lip.
"Why don't we step out into the open area, it will be a lot easier for us to move."
"You know what, before you decide to chuck us into the stratosphere, how about actually telling us what this about. Maybe this is some sick game you're used to playing with Stephen but I have no idea why you keep doing it."
"Oh you don't—well I'm sure Steph could tell you, it's quite simple—"
Stephen answered without missing a beat, before walking away, "I really don't. If you wanted us to train, I think our time would be better spent resting. We get plenty of training at school already."
"Well I'm convinced, you certainly have what it takes, otherwise why would you so easily be sent flying by an old man like me."
"Nice try but we both know that you're a monster."
"Hold on, Stephen, what exactly are you trying to say about us, mister?"
"I had been putting them through this ritual to force a change in you, but it seems my methods were far too subtle." He crossed his arms, letting out a sigh.
"Stephen needs to learn how to act in the moment, to believe in the choices he makes instead of planning everything out or working on the word of someone he thinks is better than him. You got great judgement but you cannot make use of it when the situation doesn't allow you the time to do so"
"And well Torren, my boy, from the moment we met I could you were riddled with self doubt. While you do look shockingly like Yuzen, your personalities are way too different. You, unlike the boy, actually have some talent, but you're never going to see it take shape if you don't start believing that you have what it takes.
"No matter what you could do, neither one of you could stop me from throwing you into oblivion. Now imagine you face an opponent far stronger than I, one who does not have as much tact or interest in treating you as children as I do."
"..."
"I saw how you performed during the Carnival, and safe to say I was disappointed. You're both warriors, anyone can see that, but you didn't stand as one."
"There's more to being a Guardian than just fighting" Torren shared the platitude as though it meant anything.
Without a word, Stephen had moved Torren out of the way with a hard push, sending him into the dirt.
At that moment, something else happened.
"What was that for?" Torren twisted in the dust, where he saw Julien's foot caught in Stephen's hand while he sat, kneeling on one leg, shaking as the old man leaned into the hit.
Pulling his foot back before landing a kick into his side, sending him rolling through the dirt.
"And if Steph hadn't fought, if he just watched or tried to warn you instead of act, would that have been enough to stop me, to save you" Between blinks, Julien again had his hands around Torren's neck, lifting him into the air, as he struggled.
"If you cannot protect what matters, you are no Guardian. If you cannot fight then you cannot protect, and if you lack resolve, you will not protect anything."
Swinging his writhing body into the air before throwing him to Stephen as he shrugged off the last hit.
Torren's body flew limp and crashed into him, sending them flying some distance.
The ground was carved open by their flight, and at the end of the scar, they sat, buried in the sand.
"Your talents are wasted without resolve, boys."
"Ahh, next time, I'm going to the beach." Torren cried as Stephen threw him off. Both exchanging a look while the soothed their bruises
"Papa you know why I wanted to be a Guardian, how could you think I lack resolve?" Stephen wobbled to his feet, this time taking on a defensive posture while Torren's gaze flickered between the two of them.
"I saw it." Julien looked at the ground in front of Stephen and then back at him, there was a shallow pit that looked to be done by hand.
"You saw someone in danger, Torren and you reacted, but the moment he was cleared of the threat, you stopped moving, and started planning" Julien walked up to them while he explained.
"You must learn to trust your instincts. They will not fail you, Steph."
"My instincts?" While he thought on those words, his guard began to falter.
"Yes, do you not remember during the Ryokin Race through High City, I saw it. You just seemed to know the way, even how to care for your wounded mount. Your classmates were in danger and acted, no hesitation, no forethought."
"You saw all of that from the sidelines?"
"I have decent eyesight and an okay memory, nothing special but enough to see all your flaws." Squatting down to ruffle through Torren's dust-filled hair.
"You both have it in you, you just need to learn how to tap into it. Taking your time to set up a big finish" Starring at Stephen, "or putting it all on the line for a win" then down at Torren, "are going to get you boys killed, I will not have that, do you hear me?" His fiendish grin was swallowed by his steely scowl.
"Instinct and Certainty. You will learn to trust yourself when the moment calls for it and you will see the kind of strength you can muster. So stand, the both of you." Straightening them and brushing the hair out of their eyes,
"We have a lot to do and not a lot of time."