Testament - Vol 1. RE:BiRTH

Mask

The warmth of the fire seemed to envelop the two, a sense of peace filling the void of cold between the two. Guisei closed his eyes despite knowing that such feelings never last in a world like this and like the glass vase near them, the peace was shattered.

Guisei and Nabi's eyes flashed to the corner of the room to see a glass with a rose broken on the floor, yet no one to be found. The flames of the fireplace roared louder, as if dancing with the presence.

A chime filled the air, followed by the harsh crackle of lightning. Guisei allowed reiju to flow in the air, sparking, as he let a black blade shoot towards the wall near the vase, embedding it deep into the stone wall.

"Aiiieeeee!"

A youthful voice cried from around the wall. Nabi's gaze locked onto the sight, only for it to dull.

"You might as well come out now; we already know you're here," Nabi returned to her same cold cadence as she watched a girl's violet eye peek out from around the wall.

At the sight of the violet, Guisei lazily sent another blade in the direction of the girl, bringing forth another scream despite the blade missing her. Guisei chuckled under his breath slightly at the reaction.

Slowly but surely, the person revealed themselves. A young girl with dark brown hair resting on her shoulders. She wore the same black uniforms that the other students wore with a purple tie carefully laced around her neck. Nabi let her gaze shift to the silver emblem on the edge of her skirt.

"H... hello, I'm E... Erena, Erena Xestis."

The flames of the fireplace let out a demonic roar as Nabi slid on her gloves. Pressure flooded the room. A murderous gaze rested upon her face beyond the cold apathetic eyes she had trained on the girl. Guisei calmly put a hand in front of Nabi, as he let his eyes carefully examine the girl before them. Erena, frightened by the sudden tension, hid back around the corner of the wall. Her violet eyes peeked out, stealing a glimpse at the two as if they were wildlife, only to hide back when their gazes met.

"You mind saying that again," Guisei asked, "A wannabe king bastard told me that if you get caught eavesdropping, you might as well own up to it instead of hiding behind a wall like a scared kitten."

Erena's ear twitched slightly upon hearing Guisei's voice. She peered at the two from beyond the wall with catlike eyes.

"I'm...not a cat," she mumbled quietly.

"Then if you aren't a cat, you got a name. What was it again, Serena or something?"

The girl swallowed her worry, allowing herself the jump from behind the corner; she seemed to glide with the sound of the flames as they shifted from roar to a quiet hum. She stumbled slightly, bringing her head down to a bow, keeping her hands behind her back. When she spoke, her voice was high.

"I'm Erena...of House Xestis, I've only been here for two years... please don't kill me..." Erena said shyly.

Guisei and Nabi looked at each other with disbelief, their minds in sync, as they knew there was no way this could be a second year. Erena continued, her speech rapid, causing her to stumble over more and more words as she spoke.

"I'm sorry... I can be a bit of an airhead at times and ended up wandering around when I get bored....and after that speech, I mean, who wouldn't be bored. So I went wandering around the school halfway through, then I got lost because I only showed up around the second semester of last year, so I found this room and I heard two people walking in, then I hid..."

The two looked at her as Guisei would try to put up a hand to get her to stop. Nabi slowly stopped his arm.

"I tend to ramble...... Sorry," Erena said, bringing both hands forward, pressing the tips of her fingers together, her anxiety building.

Perplexed at the idea that they let someone like her eavesdrop on them, Guisei analyzed Erena closely. The fire stabilized, and Guisei shook his head, annoyed that they allowed themselves to feel in danger from such an individual: a bubbly brunette who couldn't tell why she was somewhere without telling them her life story.

Nabi straightened up once she saw the girl's hands out front. She mirrored Guisei's annoyance and confusion. Her crimson gaze flickered to the silver emblem that hung from her skirt that only gave more questions than answers.

"How much did you hear?" Nabi asked.

The girl rested her finger on the bottom of her lips as she watched Guisei and Nabi. Her mind slowed from the frantic rambling that permeated her mind, growing more calculating as time went on.

"Well... I remember some stuff about you two wanted to make a plan, I guess," The presence of Guisei and Nabi grew like twin heads putting more pressure on the girl.

"I... Mean there's also the stuff with the trials, but I have pretty bad memory at least according to my mom...(please don't kill me) ... so I don't really remember much after that." Erena said, quickly waving her hand in front of her trying to dispel any worry.

The two looked at her and then at each other. Their eyes wavered between caution and confusion. Nabi shook her head as Guisei drew a line across his neck. The girl responded by making a gun with her fingers, and in response, Guisei put a finger to his lips.

"I can always help... If you want," Erena said, breaking the silence of the nonverbal communication between the two.

"No, this is satisfactory," Nabi said, voice trailed off into the distance as she thought of something.

"Erena?"

"Pyro," Nabi replied, finding a nickname quickly.

" Pyrrha might work better if you really want to give her a nickname, you know, Nabi," Guisei said.

"Not at all," Nabi replied as she walked back to her bed. She plopped onto the black fabric, allowing it to overtake her before remembering the other two who persisted in staying. "Also, could you both leave? Apparently, it will test both of us; and the people a year ahead tomorrow, so you need rest, Greed."

"Right, I guess I'll take a stroll around the academy or something, then find somewhere to rest."

Erena slipped out of the room, watching the two become occupied. Guisei allowed his eyes to watch the flames of the fireplace, allowing the girl to leave before he did as the door shut. The fire dimmed, and Guisei's mind thought towards the day ahead.

Tomorrow would be cold.