Pick Your Path: Book 1

29

" B-big sister/brother?" Theodore's voice roused you from your sleep. You open your eyes to see him standing, his mismatched eyes shone as you stared at him groggily.

" Wha... What time if it..?" you rub your eyes and peer at the clock on the desk near the bed, " It's eight in the morning... Just let me sleep for five more minutes.." you turn over and snuggle in your blanket.

" W-we need to go to t-training, (Y/n)..." he shook you shoulder again. You eventually get up, grumbling. Training was always soo early in the morning.

You kick again at another training dummy. Today's training involved hand to hand combat, your specialty.. The instructor was giving a lesson on the correct blocking technique, which you knew already. So during it, you mostly let your thoughts wander around.

" Alright, everyone partner up. We will be putting today's lesson to practice." the instructor's voice snapped you out of your daydream. Find a partner... Theodore was nowhere in sight. He was on the opposite side of the training grounds. He already had a partner...

" Hey," a hand taps your shoulder, " mind if I partner up with you?" a girl with black and red hair stood behind you. The white steaks in her hair tinted a faint gold due to the sunlight.

" Um... Sure." you hesitantly respond. " I-I don't believe we've meet before. I'm (Y/n)." This was the girl who stood at the edge of the crowd the other day. Best to keep your guard up, even though she probably has no intention of hurting you...

" I'm Hinata, you can call me Hina. So... Do you know what do to with the blocking technique?"

" Yeah." you watch the girl in front of you shift nervously, " Why?"

" Because... Uh, I didn't get it entirely.." she mutters. " I'm wondering if you could show me?"

" Sure." you get into a defensive position, " Try and attack." she glanced at you for a brief heartbeat before throwing a punch. You block, " You can do better than that.." you call. She comes again with a series punches, which you block. She didn't seem too comfortable with kicks or anything other than punches...

" Everyone, we will be having a demonstration." you and Hina finish another one of your practice matches. Hina was getting better at blocking, but she still wasn't comfortable with it.

" (Y/n), would you like to demonstrate the technique we learned today with your partner?" you step forward with the girl trailing quietly behind you.

" Just remember the tips I told you." you whisper Hina who was next to you. She doesn't respond, just looks away. She was still avoiding eye contact as you two walk up to the center, the students forming a ring around you two. You nod quietly, signaling that you were ready. For a while Hina doesn't respond. But she wasn't nervous, she just stood there. " Hina, the demonstration?" as you speak, she looks up, " Don't hold back."

" Uh, okay..." her eyes held a hint of surprise as she looks at you, " I won't then..." you run forward and attack first. You didn't put full force into the punch, since Hina didn't know much about blocking. Your attack is abruptly stopped as Hina raises her arm to block. 

" Huh?"

" I thought you said not to hold back.." she says, her reddish brown gleamed with a sudden confidence. She brings her knee up and it connects to your midsection. You yelp in pain and back off. " If I don't hold back, then you shouldn't either." she follows the attack with a punch that you block.

" So much for holding back..." you mutter, " She's hiding her strength..." you kick, hoping to catch her off guard. She calmly steps back, out of range, and catches your leg. Then she yanks backwards, causing you to fall onto your back with a yelp.

" And that's the end of the match, I guess." Hina walks over to you and offers you a hand. You feel something press against you palm. " Nice try, (Y/n)." she turns and leaves once you were standing upright. You watch in confusion as she walks away.

" (Y-(Y/n)!" Therdore runs up to you once Hina had left. " Y-you alright?"

" I'm fine, Theo..." you mutter, " Do you mind if I call you that?" Theo shakes his head. That was one odd sparing match.. Hina sure caught onto things pretty quickly. And her reaction time was unrivaled by most students. Who was she? What was her intention of coming here? She might be hiding something..?

" (Y-(Y/n)?" you feel Theo tug your sleeve, " W-what's wrong?"

" Nothing, Theo. Nothing's wrong. " you smile and ruffle his hair. " I'm fine."

You and Theo walk back to your room. Since the sparing match, you haven't seen Hina. She just disappeared without a trace. She wasn't at dinner or at lunch.. Maybe she got called to go somewhere? 

" Theo, you can go ahead of me. I'll catch up with you." you wave to him and watch him scurry down the hallway to the room. You quietly slip outside of the house. You make sure no one was around before taking the piece of paper Hina had given to you. 

Come to the White and Red border tonight, (Y/n) if you want to leave this all behind. 

If you want the greater good, this is what you must do.

Half-breeds and humans may live in peace among one another.

" The greater good?" the general said something similar. Something about using your ability for the greater good. " What is the greater good? Is it to serve the White Kingdom in its quest to reunite the entire kingdom? Or is it something else?" you make your way away from the training area. Maybe Hina's got a point... But half-breeds are  vicious and sporadic creatures. They are no better than the pure breed animals..

Maybe Hina's right..? Maybe half-breeds and humans can coexist... Proceed to page 46

Serving the White Kingdom is the greater good? Proceed to page 66

I d-don't understand why you could do such a thing... G-giving a White Soldier a message..?! That's crossing a line, even if it is a student... He/she could tell their instructor and it could blow your cover in the White Kingdom..! ~R

Alright the message was given. We meet (Y/n) at the border tonight, Raven. Maybe he/she will change his/her mind about half-breeds. ~M