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"What is to build a legacy, but to plant seeds on a garden you'll never get to see? Why struggle and suffer for the sake of something so fleeting and nonsensical?"
The man paused to contemplate on the ideas he himself had presented. His trembling hand was struggling to hold onto the hilt of his sword. Then, cutting through air and sound, he thrust his blade downwards, piercing the ground and causing a shockwave to rupture the surface in its wake. With defiance adorning his eyes and tone, he shouted, directing his speech at the heavens above: "SUCH IS THE MINDSET OF WEAK SOULS, BOUND TO OBLIVION!"
The echoes of his voice hadn't had the time to subside before the strength once again abandoned the man's body. Slouching over the handle of his weapon, he took one, two deep breaths. Though he barely had the willpower to remain standing, he forced his neck to straighten so that he could address the person most important to him for the last time:
"Glory. There's no treasure more worthwhile; no pursuit more valiant. Warriors are afforded no kindness against the passage of time. Their deeds become but stepping stones for civilizations that rise and crumble, as unpredictably as the tides of the ocean. Eventually, the bloodshed and sacrifice become a given. But through glory, we can attain what we desire most. We can attain the only thing worth dying for."
Letting out a barbaric yelp, the man painfully contracted the muscles of his arms and legs, provoking blood to flow down his skin and mouth and drip onto the floor below him. Practically pushing himself to a standing position, he smiled as his large figure casted a shadow onto the forsaken weapons and armor behind him. Drawing his last breath and holding it in to savor the bittersweet taste, the man spoke his final words:
"Become immortal, child. Master the art of combat. Dance for them. Let them sing for you. Your name will drift afloat, above the waves, I am sure of it. Carry on my legacy for me, would you, Pyrrha?"
xx
Yang was intrigued.
Although the girl could sometimes give off the impression of being a bit absent-minded, she did try to pay some level of attention to her sister's ramblings. Therefore, when Ruby had freaked out over a certain "Pyrrha Nikos" during their initiation exam, the name had sounded somewhat familiar to Yang. But, since nobody else had recognized her and the girl herself did not seem particularly comfortable with the whole situation, Yang had made the choice right then and there to ignore the matter altogether.
After all, if Pyrrha didn't want the attention, then Yang certainly wasn't going to go out of her way to try and pry too much into her life. As far as Yang was concerned, Pyrrha was a friendly acquaintance and, judging from the way she had handled herself in their fight against the Nevermore, a very competent warrior.
Yet, as they were being guided around the school by Oscar, Yang had seen it. It had also happened in the school auditorium, in the classroom and even on the way to the gymnasium. Many people had been shooting stray glances at Pyrrha, some even chatting amongst each other as soon as they saw her as if to confirm some silent suspicion. A couple of times, Yang had noticed some students directly approaching Pyrrha, at which point she would greet them in an awkward manner and then find some excuse to walk away. Again, Yang had decided the best course of action would have been to chalk it up to Pyrrha making some minor appearance on a TV show... or something along those lines. Holding on to the memory of Pyrrha's relief when her teammates had told her that they had no idea who she was, Yang was stubborn on not trying to find out anything about her. However, she couldn't deny the curiosity that was beginning to build up inside her.
