Siya:

All the pain and anger were gone. I felt at peace. The animosity I felt towards Mara and Bhaltair seemed no more than that of the anger I felt towards a character in a video game. As I looked down I saw I was once again wearing my old comfortable clothes. 'My hoodie… I wonder if I'll ever be able to find something like this in the real world… The real world…'

There was no point in wondering where I was. I remembered it clearly. A grassy field surrounded by glaciers, and a white marble Gazebo overlooking the cliff's edge.

This time the boy with golden hair was sitting inside, sipping his tea peacefully. I approached him and poured some into the cup set out for me, making myself at home. I could still see the two gates at the top of the staircase. The same two, each one leading to a different life.

"Have you changed your mind?" he asked solemnly, noticing me glancing at the gates.

"No, not yet… Although, I'm starting to wonder if revenge is a good enough reason to stay." I slowly looked up at his slightly shocked face, making me smile softly. "That was a joke…"

He smirked, but it didn't change the sad expression that his eyes held onto. "If I'm not going to influence your choice, I can hardly try to change your reasons… I never expected you to stay the same person you were… But I do hope you can at least find peace."

'Peace? Peace… Have I ever truly felt that?' My solemn eyes dropped for a moment before I stopped myself from thinking about it for too long. 'Self-pity is a slippery slope, if I start to fall I don't think I'll be strong enough to pull myself out of it… Let's just focus on something else…'

I lifted my eyes back towards Agis. "When I came here last time, it was so that you could convince me to keep going and offer me a choice. Why–"

"Why are you back?" He raised an eyebrow, finishing my sentence.

I nodded.

He finished sipping his tea and leaned forward, looking at his empty cup. "I felt bad I guess. You could also say I'm giving you a break, of course, I have my excuses for doing so, but ultimately that's why. You kept crying out, saying you just wanted to be alone. Even if I'm here too, I thought it was the next best thing at least."

He sighed. "Just how many times have you gotten knocked unconscious now anyway, is that 8? That's just in recent history too. And with how much pain you're in it's impressive it's not more. Although, this time it was because you drained all of your mana"

I was listening intently, but the questions I had only increased as he continued to speak. "One thing at a time," I said, trying to give the conversation an actual focus. "You feel bad, I ran out of manna, your excuses. Let's just start with why I blacked out." Having a frantic and quick scatterbrained train of thought myself, I was used to it, and it was easy for me to direct him.

"Right right. You ran out of manna from using your unique spell. I'll explain that first. You probably don't remember the first time we met all that clearly. That's because during that time you technically didn't have a brain to store those memories in, so it would make sense for this to be new information for you."

He paused thinking about how best to explain everything. "In your past life, you were the best at a specific kind of game dubbed grand strategy games. The unique skill that you were born with gives you the power to effectively view real life as you would one of these games. For instance, you can stop time in order to calculate and make decisions properly, you can also clearly see large-scale concepts like trade routes, and the supply and demand of certain goods. The list goes on, although those abilities aren't exactly useful to you yet."

"I see... So when I stopped time, it was just a reflex, activating my skill, that's what drained my manna and caused me to black out. That's what also caused the nose bleeds, right? You brought me here to explain that?"

"Well, to be honest, I had a feeling you would figure most of that out on your own anyway, I brought you here because I felt bad for you. That was a bit of a rough strike. I wanted to give you a break… Sorry… Bad choice of words."

I shuddered, chuckling nervously as I looked down at my arm. "It doesn't even feel real right now…" 'I'm sure when I go back it will be a little too real though…' I softly gripped it over the break, wiggling my fingers. "If nothing else it's good to know that you care enough to feel bad for me..."

His expressions were easy to read. When he was worried about me, I could tell, when he was sad because I was in pain, I could see that too. He was the exact opposite of Mara in that way. I was always left doubting how she really felt, or… If she felt anything at all.

"I had a feeling you would say something like that… You might think you only put on a brave face, but you know that in itself takes a certain strength… Stay here as long as you need, your body will be resting awhile anyway."

His soft smile warmed my heart, and seeing him worry about me only further warmed my soul. It was almost enough just seeing him and hearing his calming voice… Even if he realistically helped me practically not at all…

"Agis…" I muttered his name just so I could hear it out loud. His golden hair blew in the gentle warm breeze as he turned to look at me.

'If not revenge then… Is it worth going back… Just because I don't want to let him down?' I felt the warmth I was feeling in my heart rise through my body to my face. "If you're not careful, I might just end up falling in love with you," I said jokingly.

He smiled shyly and turned away. "Would that really be so bad?"

I shook my head. 'That's… Not the response I was expecting.'

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"If you're worried about age, that is a matter of perspective. Besides, once you finish your quest you'll be far older than you are now. If we're talking about the age of your soul, it's actually 30 counting your past life, while the age of your spirit is even older. In truth, you've experienced enough pain for several lifetimes making your spirit even older than mine. It's not like I don't admire you either. I hand-picked you from everyone in your world after all."

As he continued speaking, before I knew it, I was the one looking away shyly. 'Picked me… Out of everyone in my world… Seriously… That line… Is awful…' "It was uh… It was… I mean… That was supposed to be… a joke…" I muttered.

He smiled wryly. "Yes, and I do believe it was quite funny. However, I was the one that got you in the end. Your expression really is quite cute."

I gritted my teeth, trying not to let it show how embarrassed I was at hearing those words.

I let out a sharp breath of air. "You… got me…?" His semi-childlike nature was one of the things that made me feel so calm and at ease around him. It was a feeling not even my old parents could truly give me… Like nothing I could ever do would make him regret choosing me… Even if I gave up together… "It was still nice too here… Even if you didn't mean it…"

Agis looked at me with a soft smile. "I can say it again if you want."

I felt a gentle heat rise up in my face. "Th-that's fine!"

"I may have been teasing you, but that didn't mean I was lying, you know. I would never do something deceitful like that."

Before I realised it I was covering my mouth with a hand, failing to hold back a small laugh. 'Who talks like that?'

When it came to jokes, games, or even school, I rarely lost. So, when he said he got me, making a bold statement as if he had defeated me somehow, it made me feel an entire host of emotions I thought I had forgotten. It sparked my competitive side for certain, but it also filled me with a silly sense of joy, feeling like I was a little girl again, playing with an old friend.

The marble bench turned into a luxurious sofa, complete with the softest cushions. I almost melted, my whole body curling up like a cat as I lay down. "This is amazing…"

He cleared his throat, looking to the side for a moment. "As I said last time, I can bring you any book you want. I can also do virtually anything here, so if you want anything just name it. I can give your mind a rest at least.

I couldn't help but giggle as he tugged on his hair, still shyly looking away with a shade of pink on his otherwise pale face as I hugged one of the cushions close to my chest. 'I guess… I got you too.' I grinned, closing my eyes for a moment.

"Getting your smile back already? My, you do bounce back fast."

I covered my mouth with my hands, my face only seeming to get hotter. 'I should… change the subject…'

Without time to think I just blurted out whatever random thing popped into my head. "T-there's something I wanted to ask! You said I was a Bear with golden fur last time I was here. What exactly did you mean by that?"

He jumped out of his seat with a mischievous laugh. "Come with me!" he yelled, running around the table to my side and grabbing my hand.

'How did we get here all of a sudden!' We rushed out into the field before he slowed down. As we walked, the grass slowly turned to flowers of all colors until we were completely surrounded.

"What is this all of the sudden?"

"Girls like flowers, don't they? When I found you it was the greatest moment of my life. Your existence, even the thought that you might help me, that was the first hope I have had in hundreds of years. When I felt that flicker of hope I couldn't take my eyes off you. Of course, I wasn't lying when I said you were cute, but what I really admire about you is your mind."

I suddenly became conscious of his hand in my own, starting to feel shy and uncomfortable. "Can you get to the point please…"

He snapped his fingers, and like magic a great giant bear with golden fur appeared, shaking out its long beautiful hair like a dog.

"Legend has it that long ago, even before my time, there was a bear with golden fur. It was stronger than any creature on the planet, but it refused to use that power. Unlike other bears that were dangerous and ferocious, this bear held the power to heal."

I was in awe of the beast, but no matter how interesting his story, my mind kept being drawn back to his hand. It wasn't anything like my father's hands. It was smaller, fitting perfectly in my own, and it was soft and smooth. Somehow though, I could still feel immense power lurking within his fingers.

He paused, taking his hand away before continuing, "It… eh… Could even bring back the dead!" He cleared his throat, slightly shaken by the realization that he hadn't let go sooner.

I gently laid my other hand over it, resting them both in front of me as I continued to listen. As uncomfortable as it was, a part of me was somehow sad he let go. "The dead, really?"

He made a fist with the hand that had been holding mine, placing it behind his back as he continued. "I adopted it as my tribe's symbol, but over the years the people forgot the important pieces of the story, so now it only represents strength…"

'Of course, that's how it turned out…'

"You are like this bear. You brought my spirit back to life, giving me hope. You're incredibly strong, but instead of aiming to destroy this land, you're trying to heal it. Even if it might not really deserve that."

I stepped closer. The bear looked at me with almost familiar eyes. "Do I… know you?" It closed its eyes and pushed its long nose against my hand. After a moment it pulled back and stepped closer, rubbing against me like a cat.

The bear's Fur was the softest thing I had ever touched. It felt like just by being near it I was healing, even though I wasn't hurt since I wasn't in my physical body. After a short moment of rubbing my hand through its fur, it knelt down and gestured for me to get on. 'This feels familiar somehow.'

With one big leap, I climbed onto its back. "What is his name?" I asked, looking down at Agis

"She is called Flicker. The bear god-beast and she has never acted like this before though... I wonder what's gotten into her?"

I couldn't stop myself from smiling. "Jealous?"

"Yes, but I'm trying to be happy for you since your smile has gotten so big now."

I rolled my eyes. "These lines of yours are starting to sound kind of cheesy, Agis, get on already." I reached down my hand and he hesitantly took it. Getting on behind me. "Can she fly too?"

He leaned to the side, staring at me. "Was that… A serious question, or…"

"Uh… Well I mean…" I slowly looked down, my words muttering together. "You said it could bring back the dead… Is it really so crazy if it could fly too?"

"Siya, she doesn't have wings…"

"Well just give her some?"

"I feel like I may have raised your expectations too much…"

I sighed, rolling my eyes and leaned forward, laying on top of her. "Well whatever… I don't have anywhere I want to go anywhere… Maybe Kasesh? That's the academy city I'd be going to if I don't die right?"

"Ok, scoot up so I can grab her scruff." He pushed me forward and reached around me. Even though I was effectively in my old 16-year-old body, he was still tall enough to see right over my head, making me feel small.

I always hated how tiny I felt around my brothers and my father, it only further exaggerated how weak I was compared to them. When it came to him though I somehow didn't mind. 'He looks so young… But he's still this tall?'

"First, let's go back in time a bit, back to when I was king."

"When you were King?" I mumbled slowly, trying not to sound surprised.

The bear took off in a full sprint, causing me to lean back against him. In the blink of an eye, we were in the middle of a giant city. "Siya, welcome to Kasesh, before the war with the 3rd demon lord."

"You say that like it's a good measurement of time for me…"

"Right… Sorry… This is what it looked like 600 years ago. In this time it was known not as a training ground, but as a place of learning."

"So it was originally more for classical education?"

"Yes, everything from learning the finest smithing techniques to the most powerful magic. This was the center of all education on the northern half of the continent. I should know, I helped design and build it."

'Magic…'

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