After the orphans at Black Swan Bay spent all of Christmas Eve decorating the tree and getting ready for all the festivities, everyone was ecstatic. Christmas was finally here, and children could be heard miles away from Siberia Harbor, singing and laughing to their favorite songs.
Once the night came, Dr. Herzog would gather all the children around the tree to light it up, shining brighter than the lighthouse. The older kids would set up fun activities for the younger ones, to make Christmas even more enjoyable than just the tree lighting and gift exchanging.
Today was also the day of the evaluation. As far as Y/N knew, only she and Anton were participating this year. The other 18-year-olds either didn't meet Dr. Herzog's requirements for the training or in Z's case, just weren't interested in going to the capital.
Y/N woke up early, the training would begin soon and she wanted to get some time to practice before showing Dr. Herzog what she was capable of. As if on cue, just as Y/N was about to walk out her bedroom door into the cold, Renata was just about to knock.
When the door opened they both smiled at each other knowingly. "Good morning," they each said, "Merry Christmas,"
Renata leaned forward and grabbed onto Y/N's wrists. "I was going to ask if you wanted to help me gather flowers as a gift for the director,"
Y/N gently pulled her wrists out of Renata's grasp and instead interlocked fingers with her best friend. "I'd love to," she said, "I'm sure that would make him happy, he's done a lot for us after all,"
The girls smiled at each other before Renata tugged on Y/N's arms and brought her outside in search of flowers for their director. As they search high and low, unfortunately, neither one of the girls found a flower. During this time of year, they would usually be able to find little budding snowdrops, but to their disappointment, they found nothing.
The children playing around the orphanage suddenly came to a halt and rushed to the entrance of Black Swan Bay, where Dr. Herzog made his way in.
Y/N and Renata exchanged glances. Y/N shrugged at her friend who sighed in defeat. Perhaps they'll just have to find something else to gift him.
The girls walked side-by-side to Dr. Herzog, who was busy greeting the children surrounding him. They bombarded him with question after question, mostly about their gifts.
When the director sees the two friends approach him, he smiles. The other children notice as well, and while they don't necessarily leave the director alone, they linger around, playing as close to Dr. Herzog as they could without interrupting.
As the director himself said, it's rude to interrupt while the big kids are talking to him.
"Y/N, Renata, how have you two been? You're both looking so pretty today. What are you two up to?" Dr. Herzog asked. The girls giggled but not without noticing him look around the orphanage as if looking for someone in particular. "Is Z not with you two?"
Y/N and Renata looked at each other cautiously, careful not to make any expression that would suggest Dr. Herzog worry. As if speaking telepathically, the girls smiled at the older man, trying to distract him from searching for the absent boy any longer.
"We were just looking for some flowers to give to you as a present," Renata said.
"Yep. It's Christmas after all, everyone deserves a gift," Y/N continued.
Dr. Herzog shook his head, "I'm afraid the flowering season has already passed, my dears," but then he smiled softly at the girls. "But you two seem to always have luck on your side. Keep looking,"
As he finished his sentence, he began to walk away, down to the training area. Before he left, he made sure to put in a few more words for the girls. "Make sure you don't neglect your training, Renata. And Y/N," he turned back to smile at her, "I'll see you shortly,"
They waved him off and watched a few children follow Dr. Herzog down the hill. The two of them glanced at each other and sighed in unison.
"That was close," Y/N said.
"If Dr. Herzog found out Z was sleeping in again, he'd get in trouble," Renata replied. "I told him to wake up. I'll just have to go and tell him again,"
Renata groaned irritably at their friend's behavior. It wasn't the first time Z's slept in late. Everyone around the orphanage knew about this, not that it affected him in any way. No one knew why he slept so much, most of the orphans assumed he was just incredibly lazy. Y/N wouldn't doubt it, though. She hadn't seen him do much besides help out with certain things every now and then.
A tug at her sleeve caught her attention from watching Renata go inside to wake Z up again. When Y/N looked down, she met Vera's bright green eyes. They smiled at each other.
"Hi, Vera," Y/N knelt down a little to get closer to the younger girl. "Merry Christmas,"
Vera shyly smiled and twiddled her fingers. "M-Merry Christmas," she said, "A-are you-you going to the capital?"
"I sure hope I am," Y/N answered. "You know, I heard that the people in the capital live and super tall buildings, they use these things called cars to travel, and I even heard they eat chocolate with every meal!"
That last bit may have been an exaggeration, but the smile that curled up on Vera's lips made it all worth it. "R-really? That s-sounds amazing!"
Every year before Christmas, a supply ship would come and drop off presents and supplies for the orphanage that would last them a year. If anyone had a special request, they had to take it up with Dr. Herzog. Otherwise, they'd have to settle for a gift from Siberia. Y/N knew Vera loved sweets and chocolate, so she made a special request with the director and asked him to order chocolate when he was ready to get supplies.
They heard the snow behind them crunching as someone approached the two of them. When Y/N turned around to look, she saw a smiling Ivan. The girls waved at him. As he waved back, his ashy brown hair swayed along with his movements and the slight breeze.
"Hey guys," Ivan greeted, "I was watching the sea, but the supply ship still hasn't come, I wonder if it's running late,"
"Speaking of running late, where's Z, Y/N?"
Another voice joins the trio, and this time it's Khorkina, following behind her is none other than Anton.
"What do you two want?" Y/N asked, her voice turning sour.
"Let me guess, he's still lying in bed, huh?" Khorkina folded her arms across her large chest. Y/N couldn't help but force her eyes away from them. Y/N wasn't sure if she requested her winter outfit to be made with a low cut, purposely showing off her cleavage, or if Khorkina did it herself. Whatever the reason, everyone knew it was to get attention. From who? No one knew. She had a major crush on Anton, but he hardly cared. The two of them were always together, but Anton was always focused on being the strongest and beating Z.
Anton scoffed, "What a waste of nutrients. I heard his sessions with Dr. Herzog have him sleeping like a baby. If I had those nutrients, I would've met the requirements to go to the capital long ago,"
Y/N rolled her eyes at Anton, who adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. She hadn't realized it yet, but Ivan had dragged Vera away from them, as to not get in the middle of their argument.
"If you had the same doses Z has been getting, you'd be sleeping for way longer than he is," Y/N argued.
Anton and Khorkina both scoffed in unison. "Oh yeah?" Anton mocked, "Z is just a lazy bum. All that power going to waste. Who truly is the strongest one here? If I had those nutrients, they'd make me stronger, not weaker as they do to Z,"
"Oh, that reminds me," Khorkina turned to Anton, "you had a session with Dr. Herzog yesterday, didn't you? How do you feel?"
Her sudden change in demeanor didn't surprise Y/N. Khorkina always played the nice girl when it came to Anton, but to everyone else—Y/N would say calling her snotty would be putting it lightly.
"You'll see with your own eyes. I feel more energized than ever today," Anton boasted. "And you," he pointed an accusing finger at Y/N. "Don't get in my way. I'm going to the capital, you're staying here. Weakling,"
Y/N didn't have a chance to angrily say anything back as Anton and Khorkina were already leaving the orphanage, heading to the training area.
She heard the crunching of snow behind her, and Ivan put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't let them get to you, you know how they are, especially Anton," he smiled at her. "You'll do great,"
Despite Anton's insults making her feel worthless, Ivan's words cheered her up slightly.
Y/N and Ivan heard doors creaking and when they turned around, they found Renata walking out, with a tired Z behind her tail. Y/N looked up at Ivan, reaching up and patting his freckle-covered cheek. "Thanks, I'll see you later, okay?" he nodded in response, and Y/N made her way over to Renata and Z.
When she approached, Z was still mid-yawn and Renata looked at him like an annoyed and stern mother.
"Let me guess, you woke me up because you two either want me to participate in the training, or you want me to watch you all play your stupid game," Z folded his arms across his chest, looking down at the two shorter girls, unamused.
"You can at least come to watch me," Y/N argued, biting the inside of her cheek.
"You mean watch you all do tricks like a dog for the owner's entertainment?" Z scoffed, rolling his eyes as if he were already bored of the conversation. "Why don't you leave Anton to do that?"
"But today is the day training matters! Dr. Herzog will choose who will get to go to the capital!" Renata also tried to sway him, but nothing seemed to work. For some reason, Z always had an excuse out of everything.
He shook his head. "If I wanted to leave the orphanage, nobody could stop me,"
The girls exchanged glances, knowing they weren't getting anywhere with him. "If you say so," Renata said dejectedly.
Z looked at Y/N, his red eyes scanning over her entire frame. "And you really want to go to the capital?" he asked.
Y/N looked up at him, her brow raised. As if she hadn't been talking about it for the last year. "Of course I do," she said.
Z shook his head for the umpteenth time that morning. "Well, go on then," he turned his back to go back inside. "If this is all you woke me up for, you wasted your time. I'm going back to sleep, and this time, don't wake me."
He slammed the door shut behind him like a child throwing a tantrum.
-
There was a crowd of children on the other side of the bridge. All there to watch the training sessions and to see who Dr. Herzog was going to choose to go to the capital.
As Renata and Y/N made their way over the icy bridge, Y/N couldn't help but groan internally, as Anton and Khorkina were right at the end of it. The girls glanced at each other, knowing that a conversation with either of the two would lead to trouble.
But it couldn't be helped because as Renata and Y/N made their way off the bridge, Anton and Khorkina were there to greet them.
"So you're still gonna go through with the training? Even though you know you'll lose?" Anton looked down at Y/N with a smug look on his face. There were days where Y/N wanted to grab Anton by his bright blonde hair and toss him into the ocean with the whales. Today was one of those days.
"Don't bother with these dummies Anton, they'll just distract you," Khorkina nudged his arm. There were days Y/N wanted to do the same to Khorkina as well. Today was also one of those days.
Y/N wanted to argue with Anton and Khorkina, but Renata nudged her arm to refrain her from doing so. She was right, it would only distract her in the end, and then Anton really would be the one going to the capital.
"You two wouldn't make it a day out there. Just go back to your rooms. You'll both be staying here the rest of your lives anyway," Anton said confidently and Khorkina snickered, both of them giving Y/N and Renata dirty glances before walking away.
Y/N sighed, "What if I accidentally hit Anton during my training?"
"Then you wouldn't be going to the capital—but I wouldn't mind it if you did," Renata replied.
On the sidelines, the girls spotted Dr. Herzog, waiting patiently for the training preparations to finish. They made their way to the director, and when he saw them coming, he gave them a confused stare.
"Oh, just the two of you? Where's Z?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, Z isn't feeling well," Renata answered.
He cocked up a brow, fixing his monocle as if in thought. "But he was just fine yesterday. Has something gone wrong with his dosage?"
Renata tried to reassure the director. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be just fine in no time,"
"Very well," Dr. Herzog said. He turned to Y/N and smiled, "Today is a big day, are you prepared?"
Y/N nodded, looking to her side, "We sure are,"
As if on cue, dust appeared out of thin air and formed itself into an exact copy of Y/N. The white spiritual twin nodded along with Y/N.
They called her a Gemini. All Soul Dancers had one. Soul Dancers were powerful magicians, with the incredible ability to bend time at their own will. They also have the power to heal, which makes Soul Dancers excellent support on the battlefield. But with their Gemini, they become a nightmare to battle.
A Soul Dancer's Gemini never leaves their side, residing inside of them as a spirit who can guide them and increase one's attack power. As stated by Dr. Herzog, the ability to learn soul dancing takes a powerful soul and a powerful mind, and they were rather uncommon compared to that of Blade Masters and Gunslingers.
Another bit that Dr. Herzog always told Y/N was that since Soul Dancers weren't so common, it made her powers just twice as strong. As far as she knew, she was the only Soul Dancer at Black Swan Bay. Plus, with the nutrients Dr. Herzog was giving her, he told her he was going to multiply her potential and turn her into a force that wasn't to be reckoned with.
"In that case," Dr. Herzog said, "get in the training zone. We will begin now,"
Y/N and her Gemini exchanged glances and nodded. They entered the training area, surrounded by Dr. Herzog's training machines. The orphans on the sidelines cheered for her victory while Anton and Khorkina watched with sour faces.
And with the click of a button, the machines turned on.
Renata watched her best friend fight off the machines with her Gemini. Powerful and lethal, all at the same time. She watched as Y/N warped through space and time, sent shards of her magic down to land devastating attacks on the machines, and how in sync and powerful she and her Gemini worked together.
Renata smiled. Surely if she had no idea who Y/N was, then Y/N would definitely be someone she wouldn't want on her bad side.
-
"You did absolutely amazing, my dear!"
After Y/N's training session, Dr. Herzog clapped his gloved hands in applaud for her. The children of the orphanage did the same. Renata, Ivan, and Vera all stood up to cheer for her. There was no doubt that she wouldn't be going to the capital—right?
"Here," Dr. Herzog approached Y/N first, reaching into his inside coat pocket. "I know you wanted one as a gift for someone, but this is my treat for you. Your prize, as one would say. You did wonderfully,"
He handed her a chocolate bar, wrapped in red plastic with a gold bow on top. She looked over and saw her friends running to her, and when she saw Vera, she decided to give it to the younger girl. Even though Dr. Herzog said it was her treat, there was no harm in letting Vera get extra sweets.
When Renata, Ivan, and Vera made their way to Y/N, she knelt down to give the chocolate to Vera. "An early gift from me,"
Her green eyes widened with glee. "R-really? Y-you m-mean it?" she asked.
Y/N nodded, placing the chocolate in Vera's hand as the younger girl held out her palms to receive it.
Her friends congratulated her. It seemed everyone was busy talking about Y/N, and how they were expecting her to get chosen to go to the capital now. Upon hearing this, Anton clenched his fists. He scowled and shouted at everyone to pay attention to him, as it was his turn now.
Y/N and her friends looked at Anton, a frown on his face, mixed with his cockiness and ego. "How pathetic. It took her so long, watch and see how it's really done," he said.
Y/N was expecting Anton to use his basic skills to take down the machines. He always kept to the same tactics, and even though they were efficient, they weren't all that powerful. But this time, what they saw coming from Anton, was completely different.
He shouted, and a golden wind surrounded him. It was almost magical, and nothing like any of them have seen before.
Is this what he was talking about earlier? Y/N thought to herself.
It looked like golden flames flying past and through his body. His eyes, which were once blue, were now the same gold that surrounded him.
What was going on?
The machines began to lift up into the air, all due to Anton's will. Like an explosion, when Anton released his unknown power, the machines that were in the air went flying. Everyone dodged the machines as to not get hit by one. As one of the machines came flying toward Y/N and her friends, Renata stopped one with her powers, sending it flying to the side.
Renata fell to the ground, Y/N knelt down to catch her friend, and they all returned their eyes to Anton. He fell to the ground as well, holding his head as if he were in immense pain.
Khorkina rushed to his side, Dr. Herzog stood behind him. "Khorkina, send him to his room so he can heal,"
After that, he rushed over to Y/N and the others, checking up on everyone. "Are you all alright?" he asked frantically.
Y/N hoisted Renata back up on her feet. Vera hid behind Ivan, afraid that something else might get sent flying their way.
"We're okay," Renata answered.
Dr. Herzog sighed with relief. "That's good to hear. You are all precious to me. I'm glad no one got hurt,"
Y/N looked up at the director, confusion written all over her face. And everyone else's. "Dr. Herzog, what happened to Anton?"
He looked at Y/N, and she wasn't sure if she saw right, but thought she could see a hint of mischief in his eyes.
"Oh, Anton?" Dr. Herzog chuckled, "Such great power, he must've received a gift from the gods!"
Hearing this made her stomach drop. If the director had this much of a positive reaction to Anton's training session, then it seemed like it was already decided who was going to the capital. The director didn't pay any mind to her unhappiness, instead deep in his own thoughts, smiling to himself.
She wondered what he was thinking about.
Just as everything had seemed to have died down, the roar of a helicopter came landing down on the snow of the Siberia Harbor.
Dr. Herzog gestured for the kids to stay put, as he went to go greet the blonde man that stepped out of the helicopter, a large scar underneath his left eye.
She couldn't quite hear well from the distance they were at, and the helicopter still spinning its wings. But she could make out the first few sentences.
"Dr. Herzog," the man said, "If you continue to refuse to share the results of your research, we're going to have to stop all funding that is being put towards your orphanage,"
Dr. Herzog chuckled, "My warmest welcome, Major Bondarev,"
-
Renata left the training area before Y/N did. The other orphans were asking for her help in preparing for the Christmas Banquet and festivities.
Y/N had barely just left training, Dr. Herzog going off to talk to the mysterious man alone. She smiled at the children running around, ecstatic about the upcoming festivities. As she crossed over the bridge and into the central plaza, where the Christmas tree stood tall, she saw Renata standing at the edge of the icy cliff, staring into the distance.
Y/N smiled to herself and made her way over to her friend.
Gulls squawked in the air as they flew over Siberia Harbor, but the two girls paid them no mind. When Y/N approached Renata, she caught her friend staring out with a familiar gaze. One that she only showed when strangers would come to Black Swan Bay.
"What do you think it's like on the other side of the ocean?" Renata asked. "I'm sure the people on the other side wonder the same thing about us,"
The waves of the sea crashed against the side of the ice. Though Renata's voice was barely above a whisper, Y/N could hear everything. Despite the sound of the waves and the songs of the whales.
They looked into the horizon, catching the sight of a giant whale jumping out of the water. "Do you remember when you first saw it?" Renata asked, referencing the whale as it splashed back in the water. "You said you wanted to swim freely in the ocean, just like it,"
Y/N smiled, "Silly of me,"
Renata nudged her friend's shoulder. "Not at all. One day, we'll leave this place and be free to explore the other side of the sea,"
Y/N and Renata looked at each other, gentle smiles on both of their faces. Y/N held her hand up and stuck out her pinky finger.
"Promise me that if I go, you come with me. And if you go, I come with you,"
Renata took Y/N's pinky into hers, intertwining them into a sacred promise. The two of them looked at each other with love and devotion. Years and years of trust and friendship tied in a single promise.
"I promise," said Renata, "I hope that we'll stay at each other's sides, forever,"
-
Y/N walked back up the hill to the orphanage. Renata tasked her to go and fetch Z so he wouldn't miss out on the celebrations, even though Y/N told her she doubted he cared.
Nonetheless, Y/N knocked on Z's bedroom door, expecting to hear his muffled voice tell her to go away and leave him alone. But she was surprised to see him open the door for her as if he were expecting her.
"Let me guess," he started, "you want me to come and watch the Christmas celebrations, and it'd be rude of me not to,"
He also added a mumbled, "Not that I care," but Y/N chose to ignore it.
"You know today is a special day for us. Can't you just come down for a few minutes?" Y/N asked.
The two of them stood there in Z's doorway, Y/N looking up irritably at him while he simply looked down at her with uninterested ruby eyes.
"Are you going to the capital?" he suddenly asked.
The questions caught her off guard. She hadn't thought about it since Anton had gone berserk, more like she didn't want to. She had trained her whole life for this moment, just for Anton to have a breakthrough. It was unexpected, but he did have an advantage. Power-ups were usually prone to happen after sessions with Dr. Herzog, and Y/N hadn't had one with him in a while.
"No," Y/N said, feeling dejected. "Anton had a breakthrough. The director said he's leaving tomorrow morning,"
Z chuckles, but Y/N couldn't find it in herself to scold him for his rude behavior. She wasn't sure if he was laughing at her failure or—no wait, what else was there to laugh at.
"It was probably a good thing you aren't going to the capital anyway," Z reassured, "means I can play around with you for longer,"
Y/N looked up at him as he shoved past her, walking down the hall and making his way outside. She shook her head, "Is this your way of cheering me up?"
She followed him, easy to catch up to since his pace was rather slow. He looked back at her with mischievous eyes.
"Don't assume you're special to me. I just can't stand the thought of my plaything looking defeated. You know I hate weaklings," Z said.
For whatever reason, though Z was never good with words or expressing his feelings, she felt comforted. Z always liked to say she was weak, but Y/N liked to tell herself that he only called her that so that she would get stronger. Maybe he had a soft spot for her and just expressed it in a way where he made it seem like he only used her as an object to his liking.
Or maybe he really was just an asshole.
-
"the only place i truly feel at home is by your side,"