"I hope you're ready," Reine says as we stand a good distance away from the other two pairs.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I breathe out, "okay, so how do I start?"

"An Iegashyia automatically has a designated weapon that belongs to them. Typically, Iegashyias have multiple weapons. You will find that you have an aptitude for one specific weapon though. In order to summon your weapon, focus yourself. Make sure that you feel balanced and centered. It is crucial not to be in a panicked or anxious state. Your mind must be calm and your intentions pure to your heart. Meaning your will must be aligned with what you truly want, whether it be moral or immoral in the eyes of others," Reine explains, "if it is not what you truly want, then it will not happen. Understand?"

"Yeah," I nod, "anything else I should know?"

"All Iegashyias have two types of abilities that come with their gifts. All Iegashyias will have a designated power, but they will also have a power that all Iegashyias share. Iegashyias are able to create power and energy from their inner selves. Do you remember seeing me and Kione both using silver energy? That was energy all Iegashyias can use from themselves. If it isn't silver, it comes from their gift."

"Got it," I nod, closing my eyes and focusing on trying to summon a weapon.

My eyes flutter open when I start to feel as if my palms are humming with energy and warming up slightly. When I open my eyes, I start to see a katana similar to Reine's forming in my hands. However, my katana has jagged edges to it running alongside the sharp part of the blade, unlike Reine's smooth katana.

"Very good," Reine smiles, nodding in approval, "now, try to use basic energy not specific to your gift."

I close my eyes once more and run my index and middle finger along the top of the blade, feeling more energy coming to life from my hand as I focus.

"Open your eyes, Gabriel," Reine instructs and I immediately follow her command.

My hazel eyes focus on glowing silver energy that ignites up the blade in a thin line of flames as my fingers go over it, occasional bursts of controlled energy coming off of it and glowing around it.

"It's beautiful," I breathe out and Reine smiles softly.

"I'm glad you think so," Reine says before she summons her katana and swirls it around once before holding her arm out and pointing it at me, "now, prepare to fight. I'll go easy on you to start with."

"Who said I liked it easy?" I smirk back at her.

"Nobody, but I might kill you if I don't," Reine smirks in return.

With that, Reine swirls around on her heel, pulling in her katana and holding it so that it's facing the sky as she holds her left hand against the edge of the blade while her right holds the handle. In one swift motion, silver and lavender energy swirl around her with heavy winds and she stops spinning when she's facing me again, holding out her katana once more to have it light up with silver and lavender energy, her eyes fierce. All at once, multiple thin hanging pieces of paper with runes on them appear in the air and blow gently with the wind. My eyes scan them in anticipation as one of the black runes on a piece of paper lights up bright blue and a blue rune forms under my feet on the ground, the circle with runes written in it spinning while a blue glowing star shines bright energy from the center of the circle. My eyes widen and I leap to the right as a star appears in the air, swirling around in a circle before exploding.

I narrow my eyes as another piece of paper lights up and a spiritual lion lunges out of thin air like it did to Kione. I run forwards with a shout and slash my blade through the lion, meeting it halfway. The lion disperses into energy on either side of me as I cut it down the center from the front. A third piece of paper lights up and a field of fog surrounds us, multiple blades that are stuck in the ground appearing as well. Suddenly, the blades begin to explode with bright energy one by one, almost like a mine field. I stumble around through the field and do my best to dodge each blast, lunging from side to side and spinning around multiple explosions.

After a few moments, Reine lifts her chin and her eyes seem to hold an emotion I can't place as the rest of the floating papers disappear with white smoke all at once. I take the opportunity to run towards Reine, unsure of what she's doing. I make sure to be cautious of my surroundings as I do so and I become alarmed when I keep getting closer and closer to her and she makes no move. As soon as I'm within inches of her, she sheathes her katana and my eyes widen as she swipes me to the side with a flick of her hand, sending me flying several feet and rolling on the ground.

"That's enough for today," Reine says as I cough and look up at her from my position on my hands and knees, my katana still tight in my grip, "I simply wanted to test your basic ability to adapt and survive. You did well, for now."

With that, Reine turns around and walks back to the house without another word. Ayette watches the scene quietly, her eyebrows raised as she steps aside from the door to let Reine go inside. My eyes flicker over to Ayette, who simply shrugs in return. I sigh and climb up from the ground and brush myself off, my katana disappearing into thin air in the process. I glance over to look at the others to find Melantha swinging around a chain and jumping from side to side as she dodges Ciana while Nathan has brass knuckles around his hands and is using two pistols against Aislinn and her longsword, who gracefully and quickly slashes through each bullet fired towards her.

"Well, guess I'll go inside then," I sigh to myself as I head over towards the house in the dusk.

"You did well, I think?" Ayette says in unsure encouragement as I reach her and I laugh dryly.

"Thanks," is all I find myself able to say as I slide the front door open and walk inside.

Upon entering the house, I begin to smell curry and rice cooking and find myself walking to the kitchen.

The kitchen has a silver sink in front of a window with curtains that are pinned back and a wind-chime that hangs over the sink, as well as two grey-brown stone counters that sit on the left side of the sink and one counter on the right side of the sink with a silver stove that sits on the other side of the counter on the right. The stove has another counter on the other side of it that sits next to the archway for the room. Then, a small, dark, wooden, circular table with wooden chairs that seats four sits across from the sink. And a small, dark green, rectangular rug with yellow and red trim sits on the floor in front of the sink.

"Took you long enough," Renee snorts as she stirs a pot of curry that's resting on the small silver stove.

"Hey, I'm new at this," I frown and Renji chuckles.

"No need to be so hard on him," Renji says.

Renee simply sighs as she continues stirring the hot curry and adds more spices to it while Renji cooks rice.

"Do you know where Reine went?" I ask curiously.

"She came through the kitchen a few moments ago to see what we were doing," Renee explains, "but then she left the room. I don't know where she went."

"Huh," I remark, "okay. Thanks anyways."

"Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes, by the way," Renee says and glances at me from over her shoulder as I go to leave the kitchen, "don't be late."

I silently pick up on the implication that she also wants me to make sure the others come inside for dinner and I make a mental note to go tell them after I find Reine. I make my way throughout the house, deciding to go down the right hallway since I've never been down it, and hope that Reine is somewhere here. After passing a few rooms, I begin to hear shuffling around from the room at the end of the hall. I approach the wooden door before twisting the knob, gently pushing it open. Upon pushing it open, I find Reine standing with her back to me as she pushes her hands under her hair and lets it fall onto her back. I take note that she's changed into a pink silk shirt with long bell sleeves and small white and lavender colored patterns on it, as well as a pair of blue jean shorts and pink flats. She glances over her shoulder at me and smiles before turning back to looking in front of her.

"You can come in, you know," Reine says as I stand in the doorway quietly.

"Right, sorry," I say, clearing my throat and walking further into what must be her room.

Reine's room consists of a dresser facing directly across from the door and a wooden sliding closet that's on the left wall directly beside the dresser, dark wooden floors, lavender colored walls with cream trim, a bookshelf beside the door, a lavender fur rug in the middle of the room that rests under a hanging crystal chandelier, and a circular bed that sits at the end of the room with cream and lavender sheets and black pillows, two end tables on either side of the bed that are littered with items, and a lamp that sits on the right end table.

"Look, Reine, can I talk to you about something?" I ask tentatively.

"What is it?" Reine asks, turning to look at me.

"I'm not quite sure how to explain it," I frown as I pace slowly around her room, her eyes on me the entire time, "but things are...weird. I don't...I keep seeing and feeling things that I've never went through, but yet, I feel like I have. It doesn't make any sense to me. And I know that you know something from your reactions whenever it happens. And I keep having these dreams of this girl who's so familiar to me, but I can't place her. And I...I don't...I don't get it. I don't get it, Reine. Am I going crazy?"

"You're..." Reine pauses and purses her lips, glancing at the floor in the process as a storm of emotions swirls in her eyes before she lifts her head once more to meet my eyes, "you're not going crazy, Gabriel. And I think it's something you need to figure out for yourself."

"Wh-- Reine?" my eyes widen in surprise, "by myself? If you know, then why can't you just tell me?"

"Because," Reine's voice becomes quiet as she raises a hand to clutch at her left arm, "if you truly don't know what's going on, then me telling you wouldn't be the same as you remembering it for yourself. I really do want to tell you, and I believe that it's best to tell someone regarding this situation, because nobody should ever be left in the dark to their memories. But, I can't bring myself to do it. It wouldn't be the same. I'm sorry."

"Wait, memories? So, they are memories?" I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

"I'm sorry, Gabriel," Reine says, her voiced strained, and walks briskly out of the room.

"Reine--" I start, but stop when my eye catches on a photo that's resting on her dresser.

I walk over to her dresser and gingerly pick up the photo to see a brown haired girl with lavender eyes standing next to a younger girl with brown hair and red eyes and a slightly older boy with lavender hair and blue eyes is standing behind them. The three of them look happy together and I furrow my eyebrows as I realize that all of them look strangely familiar. In fact, I think the girl with lavender eyes is Reine, but she's not a brunette anymore. I thought she even went to say that it was naturally lavender when Ayette questioned her a few days ago. I frown and shake my head, sighing.

And as I walk out of Reine's bedroom, something in the back of my mind tells me that the brunette with lavender eyes is the brunette from my dreams. And that just might mean that she's Reine.