Keeping the Faith

Eren

Srae walked barefoot and cloakless through the school. Her fists clenched at her sides, she stalked down the hall with a sneer. Everyone stared because they had never seen her without her cloak. No one knew that she had crimson and flaming red hair. Barely anyone had ever seen her face, let alone her eyes. Now that they were bright yellow, no one could look away.

Srae's black markings on her hands and feet burned, she glanced down at the fragile swirls on her hand. They were producing a light smoke. She faltered, staring at her hand.

"Srae?" A gentle voice questioned. The voice was unfamiliar to her, it was smooth and confident.

She turned to face a tall, handsome boy. "Eren?" She whispered. Eren had changed. His once lanky and awkward physic was now lean and firm. Unlike Koryn who was broad and built for strength, Eren was built for speed.

Eren walked up to Srae. "Srae, you changed." He held her eyes with his.

"S-so did you." She stuttered.

He glanced down at her hands. "Let's get you out of here." He whispered, taking her burning hands in his.

"Wait! I don't want to hurt you." She yanked her hands back.

Eren chuckled, "Fireproof, remember?" He gave her a lopsided smile.

She gave a small smile back and slowly put her hand in his. "Eren," she asked as they walked out into the gardens, "what happened to you?"

He pulled her over to a stone bench where he started pulling at plant leaves and wrapping them around her hands. "Well, do you remember how Koryn was before he got his wings?" Srae remembered the cocky boy who tripped over everything, but was still built like an athlete. Srae nodded. "Then he got his wings and became more responsible and mature?" Again, Srae nodded. "That is basically what happened to me. It's like puberty for my kind. It can happen by coming of age, proving yourself by becoming a Protector, or, the hardest and most rare, acting courageously in a dangerous situation." Eren used his breath to turn the leaves into gloves.

"What did you do?" Srae asked him.

"I used my heat breath to melt the leaves and make them burn-proof from your magic. A little trick I picked up in Nullam Draco, Dragon Magic class." He looked up at Srae and smiled.

"I meant how did you...change?" She laughed lightly.

"Oh! Uh...I changed from an act of courage." He looked down and started to make another glove.

"Really? How did you do it?" Srae beamed. "And why is it the most difficult?" She frowned.

"I...you really don't remember?" Eren looked up at Srae with sad eyes.

"Me? Why?" She felt confused.

"Because when you let your power take control, I was there. I told you to let go. I told you everything would be fine. I stayed with you." Srae's face dropped. Eren looked at her eagerly. "It the most difficult because it's not something where you can hunt down an animal on your own and kill it. It's something where you are prepared to sacrifice yourself for someone you love. I am the second of my kind to successfully change after a sacrifice. You know why? Because sacrifice means you actually die, and if your intentions of the sacrifice are pure, you are reborn as your new self." Eren melted the second glove onto Srae's hand. "I died for you...and you don't even remember." Srae sat in absolute befuddlement at everything she had just been told.

"Eren...I...I killed you?" She whispered.

He looked her in the eyes. "That's not the point. I was prepared to die so that you could live. I didn't even know about the third reason because they don't tell us because after the first, so many young died trying to change by sacrifice. So, after awhile the Elders buried the third reason. I thought I was going to die. I thought..." Eren looked down again. He put his face in his hands. "Say something." He whispered.

Srae reached out to comfort him, but stopped herself. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't. She didn't know what to say. She looked at the magical glove covering her hands. Then she looked down at her bare feet. "Do you think you can make me some fireproof boots too?"

Eren straightened up. He turned to look at Srae who was looking at her feet. He stared at her in confused disbelief. After a moment he sighed. "That and a new cloak. You burned up everything when you went psycho." Their eyes met, and after a moment they both started laughing.