Drea dreamt herself next to the waterfall at her home. She missed that place so much it made her heart ache, but that wasn’t the reason she wanted to be there. She wanted to sort through her mind to try and figure out more about what she needed to be doing.
As she looked through her memories the three men gave her, Drea was beginning to see a lot of symbols that were unfamiliar to her. She recognized them from somewhere, but she couldn’t remember what they meant. What are these? She whispered in her mind.
A voice that she recognized as Kaien’s spoke back: These are the hidden symbols. Only those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice know they exist.
Then why do I know about them? I haven’t made any ultimate sacrifices.
Kaien didn’t respond. Instead she felt a rush of energy blow through her, forcing her dream to change.
Drea found herself standing in the house she remembered from her childhood as the house she was in the night Kevin died. The moonlight shone through the windows the way they had so many years ago, masking the rest of the house in shadows.
Drea stood alone in her Kaienshi uniform, illuminated by the moonlight. There were no signs of what had happened and no one was around. She thought this’d be like the recurring nightmare she had sometimes, but instead she heard soft footsteps coming towards her.
She formed a knife in her hand and stood ready to fight. She was beginning to question if this was a dream. After another minute, Drea could see the outline of a person. He was a little taller than her, with dark, short hair. Drea was about to question him when she saw his face.
She lowered her knife as her face unsure of what to think. She couldn’t even speak, but just looked on. He stepped towards her into the moonlight where she could see his entire face exactly the way she remembered it. “Kevin,” she spoke softly, her tears threatening to spill over.
He stepped towards her until they were just a few feet apart. He smiled one of his warm smiles that she remembered seeing so many times before he passed. It was as if nothing had changed after so many years.
“Andrea… it’s been so long since I’ve seen you.” Drea felt like she was being constricted with each moment. Kevin sounded just like she remembered.
“I-is it really you Kevin?” she whispered cautiously. She wanted to believe it so badly, but she didn’t know if she could.
He knitted his eyebrows in confusion. “Why wouldn’t it be me?”
Drea hesitated. Kevin spoke before she had the chance to answer, “You don’t need to answer that.” He smiled. “I know you’ve been hurting for such a long time. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t let you die that night. And now,” he gestured to her uniform, “you’ve grown up to nicely and you’ve learned to fight for yourself.”
Her breath caught in her chest. She was barely breathing. Kevin continued, “I knew you had a fighting spirit, but I never imagined you’d become so strong. You’re a hero Drea.”
She sighed as her weapon dissolved into ash. “I certainly don’t feel like a hero. I can never manage to do anything right.”
He looked straight into her eyes and said, “You’ve had a rough time, but you will make a great Weaponsmaster because of your pain. You know what others feel and will never allow them to feel the way you do. That makes you strong and now you have to believe that. You mess up sometimes, but you always find a way to fix it. That’s what a true hero is.”
Drea looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you.”
He stepped forward, a more serious look forming on his face. “There are troubles ahead of you Drea, worse than anything you’ve faced before. I know you’re strong, but you’re still young and inexperienced.”
Kevin held up a small box the size of his palm. It was black with the “sealed” symbol etched into the top. “This box holds a special type of power in it. Use it in your most dire moment. It’ll give you some strength, but as soon as it wears off, it’ll steal your energy. Be careful when you choose to use it, or it may be the cause of your death.” He looked sad when he said the last line. “I don’t want to see you where I am Drea.”
She took the little box and cradled it in her palms, feeling the energy pulsating through her. She looked up at him, tears spilling down her cheeks. It had been so long since she’d seen Kevin, and she’d never thought she’d see him again. He brought with him all those memories of her past, of the past she tried so desperately to forget.
Kevin reached up and touched her cheek, just like he did the night she watched him die. He wiped her tears, staring into her still, fragile eyes. Drea just stood and let the moment last as long as she could. She didn’t want it to end, but she knew none of it could be anything more than a dream.
He lowered his hand and looked at her. She couldn’t help but to remember him the way she saw him as he died. It tore her heart in two. “I’ll try to visit you again Drea, but I make no promises. I can’t come often, so remember me. Keep that box close to you. No one can open it except for you.”
Drea looked up at him, fresh tears streaming in her eyes. “I never forgot, Kevin.” In that moment her vision blurred and she lost track of where she was. She saw darkness before she became aware of someone shaking her, yelling her name.
Drea woke with a start, sitting up halfway in the red couch they had in the little sitting room. She’d been offered a bed and a room, but she preferred the red couch.
Danny was on the floor, staring at her with that concerned look in his eyes. She almost smiled in seeing it again after so long. Instead, a look of confusion appeared on her face as she wiped her tired eyes, the sleepiness stuck on her face. She felt something wet on her face, realizing it was tears.
Drea wiped them away quickly, suddenly feeling embarrassed in front of Danny. He was still looking at her with those kind eyes full of sympathy and concern, but she couldn’t help but to feel like a child in front of him, helpless and crying.
In her lap she felt the small black box, the energy still vibrating through it. At that moment she knew the dream was real, which meant that Kevin had been real as well. He really did come to me, she thought, the hole in her heart widening.
The tears threatened to come again, but Drea pushed them away; she couldn’t let Danny see her cry again. “Andrea? Are you alright?” He reached up almost timidly and brushed the tears off her face with his thumb, just like Kevin used to do.
It made her heart ache to see that same movement, but it was his touch that made her heart skip a beat. His hands were warm and soft, and as he slid his finger over her cheek, the warmth spread throughout her body, making her heart beat and her breath stop. He removed his fingers quickly, as if he was embarrassed. The touch was fleeting, but Drea had a hard time forgetting it. It made her blush, though she didn’t know if it was from his touch or from her crying.
“I-I’m fine…” Drea stuttered, sniffling. She reached down to touch the little black box under the covers, but as soon as she touched it, it turned into ashes and curved up her wrist. It hardened into a black bracelet, hanging loosely on her arm. It looked like living flames curling around her wrist, the black dull, yet beautiful.
Danny hadn’t seen it, but he noticed the brief loss of Drea’s attention. That seemed to concern him even more. “You were crying in your sleep. I woke you up. Is everything alright?”
He continued to stare in her eyes. He obviously wasn’t convinced by her previous answer. Drea smiled and said, “Of course, just a bad dream.” She was momentarily distracted by the piercing green in his eyes, staring at him for just another second longer before she rose and walked to the door, leaving Danny crouched on the floor next to the couch. He stared at her, maybe a bit sadly, but remained there.
“Shouldn’t we get back to our training?” she asked, trying to change the subject. She couldn’t let her mind wander with everything she had to do; she had to keep training if she was to be ready to fight Alka. It pained her to think she couldn’t think about anything else though. The dream about Kevin had been so real, and she missed him so much, then Danny with his concern, but she had to be ready if the time came. She sighed, wishing she didn’t have to feel so pressured.
Danny’s face went back to seriousness as he stood up. “Of course.” He stood and walked past her, waiting for her to follow. She changed her clothing quickly and followed. Danny was already dressed.
He led her down the hallways. All the while she was thinking about Kevin and Danny. They were actually pretty similar, with the same caring eyes and strong personalities. Danny was much more guarded though; he kept to himself.
Drea just couldn’t get his green eyes or his look of compassion to leave her head. It was like a virus that had already infected her, a virus that she just couldn’t get rid of.
They walked down to the training room, but this time Shena, John, and Toni weren’t there. Drea looked around as Danny stood on the other end of the room. “Are we training alone today?” Drea asked as she turned to face him.
“Yes,” he said slowly, as if he didn’t even know the words that were coming out of his mouth. “I wanted to test all of my skill against yours. I am by no means the strongest Kaienshi here, but I think I can show you a real fight.”
He smiled, forcing Drea to smile back. “Sounds good. Are you ready to lose?”
“You know this’ll be a real fight right?” He snickered back, a playful tone creeping into his voice.
Drea smiled back, her heart lifting with delight, all her stress and worries melting away, even if only for a little while. “I know.” She drew her scythe and glove as he drew his sword. “Let’s go.”
The two of them clashed in the middle, smiles still spreading on their faces. Until that point, Drea hadn’t realized how happy it made her to battle with him, to just be with him. It made her heart beat faster and her mind go numb with laughter.
She didn’t have too much time to think about that however, after all, she couldn’t let Danny win.