Who is it: Shana, Viren, or Athena?? Spoiler: Shana A mischievous grin that screams success flashes across the face of a violet eyed girl as she separates her palms from each other. She looks herself over for any mishaps and the first thing she notices is how her now oversized hawaiian shirt drapes down from her shoulders to her thighs like some sort of curtain. She takes a step towards the two onlookers when her baggy jeans and underwear, no longer able to cling to her slim waist, slide down her legs and cause her to stumble. She tries to catch herself, but her feet get caught in her fallen pants and she falls. Muscle memory takes over and she rolls, slipping out of her pants, underwear, and shoes in the process. Getting back up, she brushes the dirt and leaves from her shoulder and knees while saying, “This… might take some getting used to…” Geira’s short, pastel pink, hair flutters as she rushes up to the smaller, violet eyed girl. She grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her as she demands an explanation. “You… what!? How? You were… and now! What!?” The girl chuckles at Giera’s confusion as she peels her hands off of her shoulders. She then parts her curtain of wavy black hair away from her face and slides part of it behind an ear as she says, “Calm down, calm down. It’s exactly what it looks like.” Her eyes then narrow as she falls into thought. While touching her throat with her thin fingers, she says, “I sound a bit like Kairi…” That is when she notices the other girl trying to slink away. The girl seems to be trying to hide her face with her hood, but her cloak is so ragged and tattered, the cover falls away the moment it is released. Now that she has a better look, she realizes that girl greatly resembles an acquaintance of hers. As such, she unconsciously walks towards her with a quicker gait and friendlier smile than she would normally give to a random stranger on the road. With her fingers against her chest in a gesture to herself, she says, “You can call me Ai- no… Hold on… Shana! That works, call me Shana. S- H- A- N- A, but pronounced Sh-ah-nah.” Shana then glances at the dead cyclopes scattered around them. Her expression becomes serious as she adds, “More importantly, what was all that about? Where were they taking you?” “I’m Thea…” The other girl instinctively gives her name in response to Shana’s introduction, but everything else is drowned out upon seeing Shana’s face. It’s eerily similar to her own. One clear difference is that Shana has violet eyes whereas hers are black. The second much more shocking difference is Shana’s thick, wavy, black hair. Thea nervously keeps her straight hair short. She can’t even claim it reaches past her chin. Shana, however, proudly wears hers down past her shoulders. Geira, too, rubs her eyes upon seeing the two stand side by side. Now that the battle is over and she can get a proper look, she realizes Shana and Thea not only have similar facial features, they share a striking resemblance in build. Even the tan of their skin is the same shade. “Are you two sisters?” Shana is taken aback by the question. Pursing her lips, she thinks about how to answer. Then, with another glance at Thea, says, “I suppose you could say we’re “blood-sisters,” but genetically speaking, we’re probably closer to being distant cousins more than anything else.” She then turns back to Thea and says, “More importantly, what happened?” Geira cuts in between then and says, “No, more importantly, you’re half naked. Aren’t you going to cover yourself?” Shana tilts her head at the question. Truthfully, other than holding her now discarded jeans in place and make herself vulnerable to being attacked, she’s unable to improve her situation. She thus gives a thoughtless, “I can worry about that later.” Geira face palms. Even Thea is embarrassed at the response she just heard. Geira says, “That’s not the point here. Look, I get it. It hasn’t even been a day yet, but I’ve more than figured out you’re one of them crazed magical researchers. Still… have a sense of modesty.” Shana sighs in annoyance, “But nothing I have fits me anymore…” She then turns to her discarded jeans and underwear and after some thought, says, “I just need to make the waist smaller and legs shorter, right?” She then claps her hands together and the two articles of clothing are enveloped in neon amethyst light. Once the light fades, the results of her alchemy are revealed. Tears have appeared on her jeans, running from the waist down the legs. They create an image of a strange blooming flower. As for the underwear, part of the fabric seems to have weaved its way into the blooming jeans thing. Shana picks up her results for a better look and ash falls from it. As far as she can conclude, that is the rest of her missing underwear. Furthermore, parts of the insides have fused together making sticking a leg through impossible. “Well… this was my first time trying alchemy on something as complicated as clothes…” Now that she has calmed down, she notices there is a draft between her legs. While she is half naked at the moment, she never intended to remain that way for long. Her earlier comment about dealing with it later was more her trying to buy time to come up with a solution than anything else. She then looks at her oversized shirt. While part of the collar is sliding down her shoulder, it doesn’t seem like the whole thing will slip off any time soon. Regardless, she adjusts it by buttoning the remaining buttons. She then tugs at the hems of the shirt in hopes of stretching it even just a bit further down her thighs. The situation isn’t ideal, “but I suppose it’s better than nothing…” Geira shakes her head. “Forget it, you can borrow something of mine. We can buy you new clothes once we’re all back in Ostia.” Thea’s taken aback by the sudden decision. She takes a few steps back, saying, “No need. I’ll be just fine on my—” Geira cuts her off with a glare. “Absolutely not! You were captured by a group of cyclopes. There’s no way I’m ignoring this.” Shana gives Geira a blank stare, “From how you speak, a group of cyclopes is bad?” Geira suppresses her sigh at the ignorant interruption and says, “Cyclopes are solitary creatures. The only time they’ll unify to work in groups is when they’re being controlled.” Shana purses her lips and recalls how they easily parried her zweihander despite her ridiculous level of strength. Flat out bombarding them with magic wasn’t much better either. Only after strengthening herself with magic was she finally able to cut through them. Geira then gesture Lyra towards her pegasus. “Come on, Vor is more than strong enough to carry us all back.” Thea again tries to refuse. She says, “No, really. This is normal. There’s no poin—” Geira cuts her off by grabbing her arm and forcing her onto the front of her mount. She then digs through one of her bags and throws a bundled up skirt at Shana. Shana makes a face as she stares at the clothing. “Do you have anything else?” “Not anything that’ll fit.” Shana swallows her reluctance, turns around, and slips into the skirt without another complaint. Tightening it is a bit tricky, but she figures it out and looks herself over. Satisfied it reaches past her knees, even if also still bothered and making a face that it isn’t pants, she proceeds to collect the remains of her clothes which she then drops behind her back where it vanishes just like her sword did earlier. She then stares at the pegasus in doubt, making no move to approach. “Your stupid horse swatted me with his wings last time I tried touching him.” Geira looks Shana over and releases a helpless sigh. “I know, I know, but you should be fine now. Also, Vor is a pegasus.” Shana’s expression falls flat as she looks herself over. Realizing what has changed between now and then, she facepalms while saying, “You’ve got to be kidding me…” As Thea watches the exchange in confusion, Geira looks away in shame. Shana takes a breathe, walks up to Vor, and learns towards his face. Annoyance laces her words as she says, “So, you’re going to let me ride you, now?” Vor holds his head up high as he neighs in approval. He then lowers himself to make climbing up easier for Shana. Shana stares at Vor for a few seconds before turning to Geira. With a flat voice, she says, “Yeah, I think I’ll just walk.” Geira shakes her head upon seeing Shana actually begin walking back to the city. She trots Vor up behind her, and with the words, “You’ll hurt your feet like this,” scoops her up from underneath her arms. After seating her side saddle right behind herself, she grins with anticipation as she says, “Make sure to hold on tight so you don’t fall off. Oh, and you might want to keep your legs closed too.” Shana grumbles, but decides against jumping off Vor and accepts the instructions. She wraps one arm around Geira’s waist and uses the other to balance herself so she can readjust her skirt. While she was able to tighten it to fit her waist, she can’t get used to how the cloth slides around, underneath, and between her legs. Once settled, she again brushes her wavey hair away from her face and voices a major concern of hers. “I don’t have any identification.” Geira says, “I’m a Valkyrie. As long as I vouch for you two, no one will say anything about either of you.” Shana says, “Is being a Valkyrie really that amazing? Sure, your hair is an impossible color, but don’t you just go around giving funeral rites to fallen warriors?” Geira tosses a cold glare over her shoulder at Shana. Disgust laces her voice as she says, “You really don’t know about anything other than a few spells, do you?” “Where I come from, Valkyries had the role of guiding the souls of courageously departed to Valhalla.” Geira makes a face as she again sighs at Shana. “Okay, fine, yeah. Overseeing funerals is one of my duties, but that’s just a minor one. My true role is to serve as a protector. I travel around exterminating any who threaten the peace and defend those who can’t defend themselves.” After a moment of silence, she then adds, “Say, where is Ponamu, anyway? I honestly can’t place your accent. Were your clothes normal there?” “In the middle of the ocean. It’s a small island within a chain of volcanic islands. I’d honestly be more surprised if you had heard of it.” Geira then laughs. “You’re pretty relaxed abou—” “Why’d you do it?” Thea, with a voice full of doubt, is unable to hold back any longer and speaks up from in front of Geira. As far as she can tell, she and Shana are distant relatives from the same accursed bloodline. Somehow, Shana managed to disguise herself and maybe even suppress their curse, yet dispelled it without a second thought. The only explanation she can come up with on how Shana managed such a nearly impossible feat is that Shana’s blood must be weaker than her own. That would also explains why she has violet eyes instead of black ones like her. “I don’t understand. Why would you give your life up like that?” Thea recalls how Shana brushed a finger against her cheek to wipe away blood from a cut before then placing that blood covered finger in her own mouth. Afterwards, she clapped her hands together and in a blaze of electric blue light, destroyed her disguise. Countless magicians have tried to get a hold of Thea just for her blood. Its numerous magical properties make it a philosopher’s stone for them. The simplest way to use her blood is for a dispelling effect. It is so potent with magic that it can blow away any other spell or enchantment with a simple adjustment. “You were free…” Geira, not wanting to press Shana into answering, doesn’t turn her head to look at her. Still, she places her full attention into hearing what she’ll say. Shana is taken aback by the question. She isn’t sure know how to answer the question, and also gets the feeling she is misunderstanding what is being asked, but decides to answer with honesty. “I helped you because you were in danger. I don’t really need a reason to help others. If you mean my current appearance, don’t think so much about it. Not like it’s the first time I’ve done this.” Thea purses her lips as she sinks down in on herself. She can accept Geira’s desire to help her. Many people have reached out to her during her travels with offers of aid in one way or another. While most merely meant to trick her into lowering her guard, others were genuinely concerned. As a result, she is confident in her ability to judge the intentions of others. No one, however, has ever gone as far as Shana has. As far as she can tell, the other girl genuinely acted to help her. That she undid her disguise can only be taken as her way of being honest with her, to show her she isn’t alone. Shana too falls into thought. She realizes misunderstandings are being born among them, but decides against addressing them. In the future, she might clear things up if necessary. At that moment, not only are those misunderstandings useful to her, she is more curious about Thea. Regardless, she doesn’t ask for details. While her knowledge is lacking, she has no doubt she will be able to figure it out sooner or later. Thinking about it anymore, however, is pointless. As such, Shana decides to use the rest of the travel time to gather information on other matters. While gazing at the passing trees, she says to Geira, “So, I was asking you back when I thought you were trying to steal my organs, but about-” Spoiler: Viren Shana admires the vessels moored within the harbor created by Ostia’s walls. Even from a distance, she is given the impression of floating fortresses They are easily over 20 stories tall, well beyond the true height of the walls, and roughly around 500 meters in length, probably longer. “I really underestimated them. Ships like those could easily circle the planet.” None of the ships have masts either, making her wonder if they use magic to propel themselves forward or if they’ve developed some sort of propeller system. The thought then leads her to wonder if magic also keeps them together. As she walks closer, she notices that some of the smaller, private, vessels closer to the shore do have masts. More surprising, however, is that very few seem to be for military service. That said, there is a wall dividing the harbor far off in the distance. The few military vessels there may just be for keeping the peace. Shana stops bothering to think about it and instead bites off a roasted vegetable from the skewer in her hand. “Hey, Shana,” the man beside her taps her arm and says, “those guards are glaring at us pretty hard. Would you not agree that it’s time to leave?” Shana bites off a piece of meat from a different skewer. She continues to move closer to the harbor while saying, “Then leave. You’re the one following me.” “Oh, come on, Shana. Don’t be like that. We’ll definitely make a name for ourselves if team up.” Shana tosses the annoying mosquito a cold glare and continues walking. Refusing him again is more of a hassle than she cares to go through. Instead, she hold her head high and breathes in the sea breeze. She relishes the nostalgic ting of salt in the air and a pleasant sigh escapes her lips. “That’s a beautiful smile you’ve got there.” Shana glances at the pest again before once more looking forward. Now more relaxed, she inadvertently becomes more talkative. “I’ve spent that last few years of my life near the coast. Days like today are just perfect for walking across the scorching sand, cooling my feet with the waves, and testing new spells.” “So, why did we come to the harbor?” “What do you mean, ‘we?’ You have nothing to do with me.” “There is no need to be so cold, my name is Viren.” “You can repeat that as many times as you want, I still don’t care.” “You might want to change your mind about it really soon.” Shana disregards his words. Then, a firm voice says, “Halt, state your business here.” A guard with a spear appears before Shana, blocking her path. More stand ready at her sides, not far away. She twirls a finger in her wavy hair as question if that is only happening because of it. The thought is soon tossed aside and she says, “I’m looking for a ferry.” The guards become wary at her statement. Those at the sides ready themselves to fight if needed. “Shana, come again?” Even Viren is taken aback. Out of all the scenarios he had guessed based on her personality, he had assumed he’d be able to jump in and explain that they were seeing the ships together. Reality, however, proves much more difficult than he anticipated. The guard barks at Shana, dismissing her words as a lie. “I’ll only repeat myself once, you moecha putida. Why are you here you?” Shana doesn’t take her eyes off of the guard in front of her. At the same time, she takes note of the guards surrounding her and secretly prepares a spell within her internal magic circle, one that will help her escape. The guard then sneers and muses aloud as he looks Shana over. “Actually, no. You’re here to continue what you started, aren’t you?” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “No? Then let me remind you. Last night, there was a girl roaming around the upper districts. It’s suspected that she’s responsible for attempting to break into the pro-magistrate’s villa.” The guard then grabs for Shana’s hair while shouting, “Witnesses reported that she had filthy, black, hair just like like yours!” Shana grabs the guard’s forearm and swings him around, slamming him into two of the guards approaching from the side. Viren jumps to her other side before she can do anything. He blocks the foremost guard’s sword with his talwar sabre as he says, “Stop right there!” A swift kick then sends the guard tumbling into his partner behind him. “What is the meaning of this? No questioning, no investigation, you just met her and condemned her guilty!” Another guard blows a whistle while the reassemble themselves and surround the two. The guard Shana flung away readies his spear and glares at Shana’s accomplice with disgust. His face burns red as he shouts at the top of his lungs. “You’re vouching for this filth? Such depravity! Letting yourself sink that low. I’ll see you hanged—” Shana slips past the guard’s spear while he’s talking, grabs him by his collar, uses his body to bat away the two guards beside him, and flings him at newly arriving guards. Despite her effort to open an escape path, however, she and Viren are soon surrounded and cut off from each other. She then leaps up over everyone’s heads, kicks off air, and zips straight towards Viren. She scoops him up with her arms upon landing and prepares to leap away when, “Stop this at once!” A firm voice cries out from above. Everyone looks up to see a white pegasus neigh out as he lands beside Shana. Geira hops off Vor, looks around for the highest ranked officer, and marches up to the guard with the spear. Ice laces her words as she stares him down. “Explain this, now.” The guard’s back automatically straightens into a salute. “Ma’am, we’re currently apprehending a criminal. Her suspicious behavior leads us to conclude she is plotting some sort of terrorist attack on this port.” “Kutta!” Viren, enraged by the bold faced lie, storms towards the guard with his talwar ready to cut him down. “You surrounded and attacked her for no reason! None what so ever!” The guard says, “Restrain him.” Some guards move forward to comply, but Geira stops them with a turn of her head. Even Viren pauses at the pressure she’s emitting. That’s when the guard says, “Lady Valkyrja, this man has been enticed by that lupa. He’s clearly been enthralled by their nightly romps.” “How dare you insult—” Viren’s talwar is stopped mid-swing. He grits his teeth, yet despite whichever way he tries to pull or push his arm, it’s locked in place. That is when he notices Shana has grabbed him just past his elbow. He knew she was strong, but never did he think it was to the point he’d be made to feel as helpless as a child. Shana speaks with a collected tone, yet irritation laces her words. “Let her speak.” Viren exhales and relaxes his arm. Then, as Shana releases him, he sheathes his sword. Geira is amused by the exchange. Despite that, she keeps her curiosity to herself and says, “I’m quite interested in what this man has to say.” She then turns to him and says, “Tell me, what happened.” The guard again goes to complain, but flinches back at Viren’s piercing glare. Anger laces Viren’s words. He already put away his weapon, but from his attitude, he doesn’t need it. “Shana and I were walking, admiring the ships, when he interrupted. He accused Shana of having attacked the home of the pro-magistrate last night, and then tried to grab her hair.” Geira raises an eyebrow at the report and glances at the guard. “Really? How strange. Why haven’t I heard a single thing about that?” The guard’s face twitches. He makes no effort to hid his irritation as he says, “The report must have been lost on the transit to your current temple.” “Yet I head of this confrontation moments after it started?” “Regardless, that man can’t be trusted! There’s no knowing what that—” “I’m looking for a ferry.” Shana’s clear and firm voice cuts through the guard’s tirade. Viren tenses with fright. He omitted that suspicious detail to protect Shana, but now she freely confessed it herself. Afraid Geira will turn on them upon hearing such an unbelievable admission, turns to her. Her expression, however, leaves him baffled. Geira is blanching at the remark. Exasperated, she turns with the words, “Shana, what?” “There are many places I want to go, and traveling by ship will be a lot faster than walking.” Geira is taken aback, not just by the boldness with which Shana is claiming she is ready to part with her, but her utter ignorance. “Shana, these ships are for cargo. What you need is a sky ship.” Shana’s expression brightens at the information. The way a lock of her hair hooks around underneath her left eye adds to the charm. “Sky ships!?” Her excitement at learning of sky ships and complete disregard for her current situation makes Geira shake her head. Viren, on the other hand, has to fight to keep from laughing. He is completely taken in by her carefree nature. The guard, however, is shocked by the casual exchange between the two. Unable to control himself, he cries out for an answer. “Lady Valkyrja, are you acquainted with this witch?” Geira’s expression hardens into a frown. “Shana is my guest. She rode into the city with me just yesterday and spent the night with me.” Then, as the guard pales, she looks to the other guards and says, “Take him away. I’ll be back to finish with this later.” Once they leave, she turns to Viren. While she has never seen his face before, his features and brownish skin denotes his ethnicity as being from Bharat. More importantly, his blue angarkhi has saffron embroidery and is matched with a saffron cummerband. With a wry smile, she says, “That fool had no idea who you are, but I thank the All Father for the good fortune Shana must have had to wind up holding the Pramodan Lotus in her arms.” Viren’s expression turns bashful. His eyes glance at Shana as he says, “I, too, never expected that I would come to be carried in such a position.” “What, are you regretful?” Viren shakes his head. A silly grin crosses his face as he adds, “Nonsense, Shana could have escaped at any moment she wanted. That she returned for one such as myself flatters me to no end.” “You raised your sword to help me fight the guards. That…” Shana trails off. Now that she finally looks at him, she notices that his hair is a deep marine blue and that he has matching eyes. She takes a breath to clear her thoughts and says, “Either way, thanks, Viren.” Viren laughs upon finally hearing her say his name. “Of course, you clearly did nothing wrong. However, I suppose this is were we part. Until we meet again, Shana.” He then reaches for her head, intending to brush her hair away from her face, but Shana grabs his wrist before her can get too close. At Shana’s cold stare, he smirks and opens his palm to reveal a violet lotus, one that compliments her eyes. “A parting gift.” Shana’s face twists with disgust at what he was about to do, but she nonetheless accepts it with her fingers. Then as she looks back to him, her mouth moves on its own. “Perhaps we’ll meet again.” Viren’s face lights up with a smile. Excitement laces his words as he says, “We absolutely will! Phir milenge.” Then, with a nod to Geira, he walks away. Geira helps Shana onto Vor and climbs up on behind her. Once Vor is soaring above the roof tops, she stops holding back and asks, “What the heck happened?” Spoiler: Athena As they disembark onto the private landing field of pro-magistrate’s villa, a Bharat man waits for them. He wears a blue angarkhi decorated with saffron embroidery along with a matching saffron cummerband. At his waist are a talwar sabre and two chakram. A young girl in a simple white chiton stands beside him. She isn’t a child, but she is still noticeably younger than them. At first glance, very little stands out about her. A closer look, however, reveals her garment is made of silk. Lapis lazuli brooches keep the dress at her shoulders while the rope belt around her waist gives the impression of being liquid gold. She watches them with gleaming silver eyes and holds a bouquet of flowers within her arms. The man claps his hands together upon seeing them and bows his head while saying, “Namaste, you’ve had a safe travel, I hope.” Antoninus steps forward the great him with his sister close behind. As the two men clasp hands, he says, “Lord Viren, I see you have been well since we last met.” “Sebastos Antoninus, Sebaste Faustina, a pleasure to see you both again.” He then turns to Antoninus, “I look forward to riding again with you this year.” Antoninus smirks and turns his head back towards Zachary and Arial. “Might I introduce you to our Apostles? Sebastos Zachary Aurelius, he shall be having the honor of riding as your “brother” this year.” At those words, the young girl steps forward and passes him the bouquet. She then steps back, kneels as she lowers her head to him, and speaks with a solemn tone. “Exalted Savior, I welcome you to Aquileia. On behalf of our Pro-Magistrate Tatius Sabinus, I, Athena Tatia Sabinus, am here to serve you.” Arial, frustrated at once more being shunted aside, walks up to Athena. She stands over her with clear irritation on face. “Yeah, thank you for welcoming us. We’ll be sure to turn to you should anything turn up.” Athena is at a complete loss over how to respond. Her father never mentioned there would be another girl beside Sebaste Faustina. After a few moments of hesitation, she glances to Zachary and Antoninus in hopes of gleaming a clue to who that girl is. Neither of them seem all that bothered by her outburst, if anything they seem amused. Only Faustina shows any sign of exasperation. At the very least, the person glaring down on her is of similar stature as them. Athena clears her throat in an attempt to buy more time. It’s then that she recalls Antoninus saying, “Apostles,” plural. Except, her father never said anything about a second Apostle. She pales as she realizes just how big the offense she caused might be. Swallowing, she lowers her head even further. Her wavy wispy light brown drapes over her eyes as she says, “I offer my utmost and sincerest apologies for offending you. Please, strike my body until your fury subsides.” Arial is dumbfounded by Athena’s proposal. “What!? Are you insane!? Why would you even say something like that?” Athena flinches at the outburst and prepares for the worst. Then, as the words sink in, she hesitantly looks up to meet Arial’s azure eyes. “Di- did I not offend you?” “That doesn’t mean I’m going to smack you around! What do you take me for, some sort of barbarian?” Arial then clicks her tongue and forces Athena onto her feet by grabbing her arms. “And quit kneeling already. It’s ticking me off!” Viren, watching the spectacle unfold from the side, breathes out in relief. He was ready to jump to Athena’s defense had Arial decided to beat her, but is instead relieved to discover she isn’t some sort of monster in human skin. Antoninus, understand an error of communication has occurred, steps forward. While gesturing with his hands, he says, “Allow me to continue introducing our Apostles, Sebaste Arial Aurelius.” Athena goes to kneel, but is stopped by Arial. She once more grabs the younger girl by the arm and chides her. “Enough of that.” Zachary then says, “Still, your name is really Athena? Never thought I’d hear a Greek name.” Arial says, “That’s what surprises you? I would have thought a name like that would be considered blasphemous.” Antoninus finds interest in the comment. Curious to learn if the two outsiders could possibly know something about his culture that he doesn’t, he says, “What do you mean?” “Athena is Minerva’s Greek name.” Antoninus, Lucius, and Faustina all whip their heads towards the younger girl at Arial’s response. Their expressions are a mix of disbelief and anger. That anyone would violate their sacred deities in such a way is an insult they can’t overlook. Athena makes a light smile at the comment. She hides her shock at the confirmation that there are two Apostles by instead allowing herself to feel surprised someone knows the history of her name. While returning to her calm and composed tone, she says, “My father is well versed in the classics. I dare say he may even be more knowledgeable than the scholars of the Holy capital. For you to possess such knowledge is a true testament to your wisdom.” Zachary chuckles and dismissing her praise with a wave of his hand. “No, it’s nothing like that. Where we’re from, that is part of our general education. All children learn that.” He then side glances Arial and adds, “Although some people take it upon themselves to learn way more than everyone else.” Arial gives a sheepish smile and shrugs. Viren, having been watching everything with mild amusement, speaks up in an attempt to sooth the flaring anger. He takes note of Athena’s silver eyes as he says, “Still, for your father to give you such a name, were you meant to be an offering? Perhaps, he wished for you to receive Lord Minerva’s blessing by appealing to her rich history? Seeing how you stand before us, I can only assume the great goddess was pleased.” Athena smiles, but neither confirms nor denies his words. Instead, she turns to everyone and says, “Come, allow me to show you the villa. You must have much to prepare before the night ride. My father is busy with city affairs at the moment, but he will greet everyone before the banquet begins.” Zachary, feeling that Athena is speaking more to him than everyone else, gives a practiced smile. “You have our gratitude for hosting us on this historical event with deep cultural ties.” “This way, please.” Athena uses the break in conversation to escort everyone to the Pro-Magistrate’s villa. Thanks to the sky ship’s ability to preform vertical landings and lift offs, the pathway isn’t a long walk. Along the way, she positions herself at Zachary’s left and says, “My father tells me you were summoned from another world. Please, tell me, is that really true?” A wry smile spreads across Zachary’s face. Having already spent over a month in that world, he knows what questions she wants to ask him. “I do not know what you’ve been told, but yes. Arial and I are were summoned from another world.” Athena’s excitement only grows as she hurries to ask, “And it really didn’t have any magic?” Zachary looks down at his palm. It soon begins to glow as he invokes a simple spell. “To be honest, we wonder about that. Arial and I were brought to this world as your Apostles, but we weren’t the only ones summoned.” Athena gasps. At the same time she says, “There’s a third Apostle?” she glances to the others behind them. As if expecting for another person to appear out of thin air, she searches the group. Zachary chuckles. Despite his smile, his tone softens as he says, “No, Aiden was just a friend who got caught up in all of this.” Viren, having heard rumors of the mysterious third summon, notes the change in Zachary’s tone. Unlike Athena who is only starting to pick up the shift in mood, he is ready with a question. He speaks with a calm and respectful tone as he makes his inquiry. “Did something happen to your friend?” Zachary grows silent at the question. Arial says, “There was a bit of a dispute at the castle and he ran off. He escaped into the forest and has been missing ever since. He’s really strong, like crazy strong, so he’s probably safe… but we’re still worried.” Zachary then chuckles in an attempt to lightening the mood. “Yeah, he’s the type of guy who lives in his own world. Athena, feeling something off, looks around. Only Zachary and Arial are actually saddened by their friend’s disappearance. Their companions are being respectfully quiet, but their distinct lack of interest is painfully obvious to her. Lucius, himself, isn’t even trying to hid his boredom. She can only assume it’s because he isn’t an Apostle. “I shall let my father know at once. ‘Aiden,’ was it? We will find him and protect him.” Zachary looks at Athena. Her expression brims with determination to find his friend. Without him realizing it, he smiles at her as he says, “Thanks.” “You were saying something about magic earlier.” Lucius, ignoring everything that just happened, says, “What exactly were you trying to say before getting distracted?” Zachary sends him a cold glare, but then sighs upon seeing everyone is also curious. “Well, when Arial and I were brought here, we thought we were granted the ability to generate mana and use magic. Aiden… he disagreed. He said… well, he made some really convincing points, but what really got us thinking was how easily he picked up magic.” “Wait!” Lucius grabs Zachary’s shoulder and turns him around. His face flushes with anger and frustration laces his words. That poor excuse of a man could use magic? When were you going to tell us?” Zachary grabs Lucius’ hand flings it aside. “Aiden is my friend. Sure, he decked you, hard, get over it. Insult him like that again, and you won’t be getting up.” Viren physically steps between the two before anything more can be said. To Lucius, he says, “You went to far. Learn to respect your allies least you lose them.” He then turns to Zachary. “You loyalty to your friend is commendable, but you are too hard on yourself.” Zachary bites his lips and turns away. The rest of the walk is in silence. As they enter the villa, Athena tells everyone she will now show them to their rooms. Viren stops Zachary before for a moment and says, “Meet me in the courtyard once you are settled, and bring your sword. Let us have a match to deepen our “brotherly” ties.”
No kitsu chan, both of them are introduced enough, what you wrote are three chapters that focuses on three different chatacters or featuring them while putting them under the spotlight, when it comes to Zachary and Aiden however, they are the ones that are being introduced into the plot in wait for further character development XD
You misunderstand, those character have already been introduced earlier. It just hasn’t been posted here.
Kitsu chan those chapters aren't introducing those three characters except for Athena maybe a little (something is amiss, when it comes to her, rather than introduction, it feels more like she is a mob that suddenly found itself in the spotlight), but the Athena chapter does work as an introduction for both Zachary and Aiden XD
The introduction is when someone meets another for the first time. Those are introductions for the readers.
Yes also called creating impressions, brief and clear without delving too much into the character, which is what you did with Zachary and Aiden in the Athena chapter XD
I’m sorry, but those introductions are way too long. I mean for any introduction. It’s always first impressions. So it should only be maybe a few paragraphs at most. Like a greeting and their body language. Maybe even add on a self Introduction. Not chapters of dialogue
You could also read the first paragraph/s, middle paragraph's, and last paragraph's - usually what I do - there are many skimming techniques that give you the gist of it.