War of Dawn

Chapter 3: Welcome, Novitiate

Hilda feels a mix of dizziness and pain, her senses still readjusting after the ritual finished. There's a small mirror stuck on the wall by the entrance to the room of the Nexus Crystal, so she stumbles over to it and lifts the bangs in her hair. A small circle with a diamond at the center is now engraved in her forehead and she can only stare at it with horror in her eyes.

"No...no, no, no... This can't..." Hilda tries backing away but can't keep her bearings and slips, though Ryouma catches her.

"Easy. Your body needs a few moments to adjust to it," he says.

Ryouma quickly orients Hilda to sit on a padded chair besides the mirror. As she does so, he places his hand on her head. Waves of red energy begin wafting around it from his hand, like a wind current that orbits Hilda.

"What're you doing?" she asks with a pained voice.

"This is the first time in your entire life that your body has interacted with the flow of Prana. I'm simply easing the process, controlling how much is passing through until you've stabilized."

Hilda can see that he's trying to explain things but he might as well be speaking that crazy language of his. Still, she is far too concerned with the Altr's decision to care.

"Ryouma, I—" she tries to speak up but he interrupts her.

"I know this is a frightening situation, especially for an untrained person, but it is what it is. Don't worry, though. There are plenty of folks here to help you get used to it, as they've done for countless others before."

No, Hilda thinks to herself, I know what fear is actually like and this isn't it.

Indeed, what she's feeling is more like a mix of shock, outrage and frustration. She figured she'd come here, the Altr would see that she's the last person who deserves to be a Scion and she'd be back at the bar by dinnertime. Hilda has half a mind to punch Ryouma for putting her in this situation but knows that doing so would only backfire terribly.

So, she just sits there, mulling with her eyes closed, as he continues with his magic. After about a minute, the pain and dizziness subside.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asks.

She is, though having her thoughts back together only serves to boost the anguish she's feeling. However, Hilda notices something that draws her attention.

"Yeah but... what happened to your accent? It's gone."

Now that she paid attention to it, she realizes that, after the ritual ended, Ryouma started speaking English as though he'd done it his entire life. Hilda entertains the idea that he'd been toying with her but he doesn't seem like one for practical jokes.

Ryouma answers her question with a faint chuckle. "That's usually the first thing they ask... Come with me. I'll explain along the way."

After a quick knock, the guards outside open the large doors to the room.

"Congratulations, Novitiate. Welcome to the Corps," they say, having also started speaking English despite Hilda being unable to understand them mere moments ago. Before she can question them, Ryouma gestures for her to follow.

"Tell me, Hilda, do you know what 'Prana' is?" he asks.

"Your legend says it's the life force of everything in the world, right?"

"Very good," Ryouma smiles. "I suppose those who live in the Northern Reaches wouldn't have forgotten the story."

"Hm," Hilda mumbles. "Everyone in Litnir hears it when they're kids."