Into the Darkness: Devotion

[Astrea Vandal]

Artoria leaned against my shoulder as I stepped off the boat.

The docks were alive with movement, brokers shouting, merchants haggling, and children weaving through the crowd, their laughter ringing through the salty air. 

The scent of the sea mingled with the aroma of freshly baked bread from nearby stalls.

This was the coastal city of Novastia, Lare.

Tall buildings loomed over the streets, ropes connecting them like makeshift bridges.

Windows were lined with armor, and the people here carried swords and axes as casually as one might carry a satchel.

Boats were lined up along the shore, their sails swaying gently with the tide.

As we walked through the city, I felt an odd sense of peace.

We weren't staying long. The train would take us out soon, but before that, we needed to get her some medicine.

Her sickness was getting worse.

"Art, where do you get your meds from?" I asked.

She looked up at me but didn't answer right away.

Her expression was distant like she was trying to recall something just beyond her grasp. "Not here," she finally muttered.

I frowned. "Is there any substitute for it?"

She hesitated, thinking for a moment, but in the end, she shook her head. "Nothing I know."

I sighed. "Do you want to eat before we leave?"

She gave a small nod.

I led Artoria to a food stall, the smell of grilled fish and spices hanging in the air. 

The vendor, a broad-shouldered man with a thick beard, glanced up as we approached.

"Fresh catch of the morning. Best in Novastia," he said, flipping a fillet over sizzling metal. "What'll it be?"

I looked at Artoria. "Anything you want?"

She eyed the options and pointed at a bowl of seafood stew. "That."

I handed over a few coins, and he passed us the bowl.

We stepped aside to eat, leaning against a stone railing. Artoria took slow, careful bites.

"Think the train will be crowded?" she asked.

"Probably," I said. "But we won't be on it for long."

She nodded. "Good."

We finished eating without much talk.

Once she was done, I stood. "We should get going."

She wiped her hands and got up beside me. I shifted the bags I was carrying, and we made our way to the station. 

The station was noisy, filled with travelers and the distant clatter of arriving trains. 

We found seats in the back, away from the crowd. Artoria settled beside me, her breathing faintly strained. 

I turned to her. "Are you going to be okay?" 

Her eyes flickered with uncertainty, and she seemed to second-guess every word before finally speaking.

"How do you even know about my sickness?"

Huh? Did she really think I couldn't tell? Wait, this whole time was she trying to hide it from me? 

No, that seemed illogical; she had to have known I knew. 

I couldn't even tell she was hiding it, given that she had gone off alone and returned with bags. 

I'd seen her coughing while we were camping, and I'd even witnessed the worst of it. 

She also coughed in her sleep sometimes; hiding it was completely useless.

"Art, are you serious?" 

She shifted in her seat and made a completely serious face. This girl really thought she was hiding it from me. 

"Artoria, Norvasta, please tell me that you haven't been trying to hide it the whole time." 

She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. "So, you've been tailing me whenever I go to get medicine?" 

"No, I just saw you return with it. Art, you really are terrible at lying." 

She gave me an annoyed glare. "Creep."

Oh my, she's actually serious. She really thinks lowly of me, doesn't she?

The train made a large screeching sound, and just before it moved, I saw a young man looking around in a hurry. 

All the other seats were filled, so I waved him over, and he clasped his hands together and hurried to sit beside me.

He had short brown hair that was scruffy on top and cut on the sides. He had green eyes and wore a white shirt with black pants. 

"Thank you," he said, placing his bag on the floor. 

"No problem. Are you heading to the empire as well?" 

Artoria looked at me, confused for some reason as he spoke. "Yep, straight to the academy." 

"Really? You look so young!" Granted, both Artoria and I were going too, and we were both younger. 

"I always get that; I'm actually eighteen."

Artoria spoke right after. "We are also going to the academy." 

The young man looked between us and then put on a surprised expression. "Really? You two don't look too old." 

Artoria chuckled. "Well, we were recommended by Castor himself. We are currently the youngest students ever to enter the academy." 

She looked at me as if to confirm I planned to be a student. 

I decided that if she really wanted me to enter, I might as well.

I was stronger than her overall, so they had to accept me anyway. In all truth, we might be the strongest people our age. 

There's a reason why they only allow those eighteen and up; when you turn eighteen, you receive a Gift from the world, one that adds on to the regular Gift you were given at birth. 

Artoria and I have only six full moons until we turn eighteen. 

We both want to improve as much as we can so that when we receive our next Gift, it can greatly enhance our current ones.

Secondary Gifts are usually just something that makes your current gifts more versatile, so people only count them as one ability.

So him being surprised isn't a surprise. Once a person gains their second Gift, they become way stronger.

The man put on a calm smile. "Well why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm Vincent."

I reached out my hand. "I'm Astrea."

Artoria looked at me before speaking. "Im, Artoria, nice to meet you, Vincent."

"So how did you come to meet Castor?" Vincent said after shaking my hand.

I sat back and let Artoria answer that. "I fought a demon with him, even gained an Aspect in the process."

"Really a demon. Even I admit I would likely lose if I didn't have my special weapon." 

I looked at Vincent for a while and studied him; I couldn't see a weapon in his possession.

He only carried a small bag, he took a glance at me while I was inspecting him.

He smiled in response. "Oh, you probably haven't learned this yet but…"

He reached out his hand and a sword dropped onto the table, this must be what I heard about.

The sword was silver with weird black lines running up the blade making it look cracked.

The hilt was green, with black lines wrapped around it as well, the guard was black matching the markings and curved up.

I could tell just from the aura it was emitting that the sword was enchanted.

Enchanted weapons are usually done by mages, once one is enchanted breaking it would require enough power to break said mage.

"It was made by my late sister, she poured all her power into it, it's my most prized possession."

Vincent looked almost sad saying those words, but that's just the reality of this damned world.

Monsters laying waste to the lands, corrupt nobles, and god's damnation.

"It's a beautiful crafted sword." Artoria said, smiling at him.

He picked it up and smiled intently. "Yes, yes it is."