Freon quickly forgot about the encounter and unleashed his Magic Perception to find his sister. Technically, it was rude to use a Magic Perception to spy on people; however, given that only Condensed Drop Arcanists could do it, people were forced to tolerate it. That was the advantage of power! Whoosh! A spherical space, the size of a city block, blossomed forth from him. This was his current range of Magic Perception. The more he developed his Core Level, the further it would grow. In his mind, he could sense 'flames' in every direction, the size of which corresponded to the individual's strength. Of course, being a Magic Perception, only Arcanists were visible. Gaseous Fog Arcanists resembled dying embers, while Condensed Drop Arcanists resembled single lonely flames. There were three flames from Kel, Vivian, and Nassandra. Ignoring the two 'flames' behind him, he located the third.
A small brook cut through the city, serving as the district border. The stream water was crisp and clear, since it came straight from the waterfall. Schools of fish danced, and frogs sang. There was a short grassy field, decorated with flowers, that split the brook from the rest of the city. It was simple, yet serene. Freon found Nassandra sitting there in the grass, knees to her chest. He was relieved she did not get into any trouble. Although she was a mighty Ten Dawn, he could not stop himself from worrying. He opened his mouth and stopped. What could he say? An apology would sound hollow, because he believed that he was correct. The world was getting more dangerous by the day. Look no further than the Featherwind Sect. They singlehandedly overturned the power balance in the human world! In this world, the greatest assurance was one's own strength. If he wanted to protect the people he cherished, then he would need to become stronger! Power was everything. However, Nassandra clearly thought otherwise. Who was right? Who was wrong? Freon sighed.
He walked over and sat down next to her without saying a word. Nassandra flinched but ultimately did not leave. The two remained in silence for a long while, watching the water as curious people passed by. The suns gradually shrunk below the horizon and doused the world in a bright red. Freon and Nassandra's shadows stretched out in front of them, separated by an invisible barrier, as though it represented their current 'distance'. He tightened his fists. He was afraid that they grew apart. Unbeknownst to him, Nassandra was watching him closely, and noticed his anxiety. She could almost read his thoughts. The girl released her knees and plopped into the soft grass, exhaling loudly.
"Ahh… I can't believe everyone saw me crying. How embarrassing!" she complained. Her lighthearted tone lifted the heavy mood.
Freon accepted the shift in topic. He replied, "I doubt you'll see them again."
"But what if they tell everyone that I was covered in snot and tears? My reputation would go down the drain!"
"You care that much about your reputation?" He was humored.
"Of course, I do! I'm a young lady, after all!" She had a straight face.
They laughed. That gave Freon the courage to ask, "…Are you feeling better now?"
She averted her gaze. "Well, I'm still not happy about what you said."
"Sorry."
"Are you sorry because you made me sad? Or are you sorry because you think you're wrong?"
"…"
"It looks like I hit the mark." Nassandra smiled sadly.
"…I don't think I'm wrong. We need more strength."
"But why does it have to be you? Why can't it be someone else?"
"You mean like our uncle?"
"Uncle Avin is a Blue Depth Core, and the strongest Arcanist in history. He can protect us and everything we care about. We can leave it up to him."
Freon snorted. "I doubt it. Of course, I'm grateful that he saved my life twice, and trained me to awaken my Bloodline. I wouldn't have gotten this far without his help. However, he has his own ideas and plans that he is willing to force on us. If we want freedom, then we need our own power."
"You're being paranoid," Nassandra retorted. "Our uncle might be obsessed about reviving the Arcellius Family, but I don't believe he would harm us. We should trust him."
"Perhaps."
Her eyes lit up. "Then-"
"The problem is our uncle isn't even that strong. Don't misunderstand though. I know that he and the Sword King are the two strongest people in the world, except the world is much larger than we know it. The Featherwind Sect came from beyond the wilderness, and where there's one, there's bound to be more. It's only a matter of time before others arrive."
The girl found it hard to deny.
"According to Elizabeth, our uncle and Sword King Sin are Early Rank 3 Kings. Above them are Mid, Late, and Grand Rank 3 Kings. And I didn't even mention Rank 4 Emperors or Rank 5 Gods yet. Their powers must be beyond imagination."
"I understand, but that still doesn't answer my question. Why does it have to be you? Why do you need to put yourself in harm's way?" she half-pleaded.
Freon faced her. "Because I want to protect our lives here. I'm… not trying to become a hero. I know I'm not. However, the fact is… in this world, the only person you can truly depend on is yourself. Everything else is fake."
Nassandra stared at him quietly before letting out a long sigh. "I guess you've made up your mind. Still, you should care about yourself more. People will worry about you too."
"I know."
"I'm one thing, but how are you going to explain this to Yuna?"
"Yuna?" He was confused why she brought her up suddenly.
"She should know."
"Why?"
"Very funny, brother. You're a real riot." She rolled her eyes.
"…"
"You… Are you serious? You never noticed?" Her eyes widened in disbelief. Her brother could not possibly be that dense. Nobody could! She refused to believe it!
"Huh?"
She facepalmed. "I can't believe it. I'm related to an idiot!"
"What are you talking about?" Freon was getting upset.
"Nothing. You should ask Yuna yourself. I won't say it."
Freon remained silent.
"What do you think about Her Highness and Shirley, by the way?" she randomly switched topics.
"Why do you ask?"
"I want to hear your answer."
He pondered. "Well, Elizabeth is a bit weird, and Shirley is a bit rude, but they're good people. I can trust them with my back."
"That's not what I'm asking about. I'm asking how you feel… Never mind, forget I said anything. Either way, promise me you'll talk to Yuna."
"I guess I can." He scratched his head, confused why she seemed so adamant.
"Good."
"Should we head back then?"
"Wait, I…" She wavered, struggling to come to a decision. Freon waited patiently until she finally looked up, her eyes firm with resolve. "I want to get stronger too!"
"What? No! Absolutely not!" Freon was horrified.
"But why? You're motivated to protect me, because in your eyes, I'm weak and in need of your protection. So, that means if I become stronger, then you won't feel the need to protect me. It took me a year to become a Condensed Drop Arcanist without my Bloodline. Our uncle said that with my Bloodline fully awakened, my future achievements would certainly eclipse his own. I could become a Blue Depth Arcanist faster than him. Maybe I could go even further… to what you call a Rank 4 Emperor!"
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm your older brother, which means I'll be the one to take the risks. You don't need to worry about anything."
"No, brother, you're wrong. You don't get to decide that for me. I'll decide that for myself."
"Nassandra," he called, his tone sharp and serious. She flinched in response. She had never seen this side of him before. It scared her. He continued, "Letting you become a Ten Dawn was my mistake, and I apologize for that. However, you're still just a child. You should be going to school, making friends, and enjoying life. Leave the hard work to adults like me. We can talk when you're older."
She gulped and gathered her courage. "No, you won't persuade me that easily. I don't want to see you hurt, as much as you don't want to see me hurt. As long as you keep being stubborn, I'll keep being stubborn too! Let's find out who's more stubborn!"
"I won't let you."
"Try and stop me," she snapped back. "Your friends might decline to train me, but our uncle will surely agree. You can't stop me, brother."
"…Damn it," he cursed.