*
"Haa~ haa~" (Lastia)
Her bangs hung loosely in the air as she caught her breath. Great sword in hand, her eyes scanned her surroundings for the opponent. Her other hand is raised to chest level above her sword, pointing nearly parallel to the ground.
Her approach edges towards methodical engagements, sweeping area after are and eliminating spaces where her enemy could hide. She twists her hips and swings at her back before utilising her wrist to swing back forward. Just as she thought, she was getting acclimatised to her opponent's style.
"{Sorrows of a beloved maiden}." (Sariel)
"{Envy}!" (Lastia)
She swings her sword without looking back, catching Sariel's blade in the nick of time. After all, they were having a sparring session together. Her arm struggles at the angle, twitching but holding firm. Lifting her other foot, she pivots and spins to face her enemy, then using that same momentum she takes a backwards jump while pulling her sword in closer for a defensive posture.
It's hard to really say training matters when battles were largely decided by how much magic or what skill one has, but it would help her save more energy in high intensity situations. Being able to persevere perfectly... Is something Giselle could do to fight on indefinitely. She needed to surpass that even if her computational speed couldn't match up to Giselle's.
Giselle was her creation, but also the envoy that picked up her place where she left off, ensuring Lastia never disappeared from everyone's memory. She could so easily integrate into daily life now, solely because Giselle did such an amazing job impersonating her while she was gone. She had much to owe her, much to say to her. That's why she can't stop now, she needed to grow stronger, perhaps draw on some ancient secrets from those dreams. Hope, hope there was a future to be found in those dreams, and eventually catch up. For all matters and purposes, Giselle was like a superior version of her.
She achieved what Lastia would ordinarily take a hundred times the amount of time to achieve. Her base specs, and her rate of growth, everything was superior except for her skill. That still bore a smidgen of uniqueness for each individual. Thus, they evolved into separate skills.
*Pat*
"Alright, fight's over." (Arin)
Arin squeezes in a couple claps. Lastia flinched, she couldn't get used to it, no matter how many times Arin sneaks up on her she couldn't sense Arin. As if Arin knew her body better than she did. Her blind spots, her habits, Arin was effectively the instructor of their group.
"How many years? How many centuries do you think it would take to reach Giselle's level?" (Lastia)
Envoy of the world tree, a being that represents the will of the proof of existence. The tree contains every world, along with other divine concepts that contain every world, it's like the universes lit up the night sky and formed different constellations at different angles. Those constellations are the different divine concepts that propagate into existence. The universe are brought into life as the world tree's branches grow and new fruit are borne, just as the new fruits develop because new universes spring into existence. There isn't a strict cause and effect to how these worlds are form, they simply do and the entire tree represents that proof of existence by merely being.
"... Who knows, it might be never~" (Arin)
Dubious as always, did she want to get in Lastia's way again? Or was she actually helping this time? By taking control of Lastia's training, she can not only watch out for her personal safety but she can also manage the pace and slow down her growth. It was never really possible for Lastia to tell, though she had a feeling Arin didn't know either. She must be just as lost as she was.
"Impossible. I will find a way, even if everything looks pointless now." (Lastia)
She points to the sky, a tiny speckle, an insignificant star hangs above. Entirely tiny and almost forgettable compared to the rest of the universe, yet it happened to shine in Arin's eyes.
" It's not impossible yet, they reside at the edge of the universe. We were all given a second chance because of her, we could only ressurect from the afterlife because she was the catalyst for our memories." (Lastia)
Hence we received her love, her devotion, her hope. Oh new born deity, the taste of home lingers in the world tree's will, shaping her, shaping the future. We exists in bought time, time that must be returned. That's why any notion of giving up, will never follow through. Accept her labour and live in peace?
"That's impossible, I wouldn't be able to live in any other way." (Lastia)
"... I know. If that is your desire, then I'll help." (Arin)
"Don't forget about me! If you fail, I'll always be around to pick up where you left off." (Sariel)
Smiles fresh on their faces, they conveyed their resolves with conviction. A vow to the future, a promise to oneself. Before they knew it, someone reliable had entered their lives. The world meant for two had grown space for one more, they practically pounced at Sariel with joy. How did it feel? What were they thinking? When they realised their origins in the era of mystery.
A bygone time, a lost civilisation. A tragedy that could never be walked back, unlike they who had Giselle to cheat death, the others from that era would never come back. The present is already a future that has been arrived at, there was no going back, no finding answers and fixing problems. How lonely did it feel, to be the last left behind?
Why had they never seen their families in this era? With the exception of Sariel who was meant to be in this era, with the exception of breaking her genetic limit and resembling the magical girls of other eras, possessing more than one skill. Resembling them moreso than Lastia and Arin did. Lastia and Arin were always receiving money from someone for their expenses, presumably their families working in the commercial zone, it wasn't exactly an uncommon circumstance.
Who took care of them and fed them when they were children? Were they always at a daycare? Surely not. Even reincarnation requires a set of parents to bring them into this world. When the others had returned home, Lastia picked up the cheques and ledgers she kept in a drawer. Her finances weren't difficult to manage, as far as she remembered there was always someone there to take care of her as a child, but why can't she remember?
Picking up the most recent envelope, the name of a corporation is listed as the sendee.