[Hrozun 16, 0100 A.R]
[Atherion Magic Academy ]

Current in-game time 4:58 PM

Curled up and hugging her knees tight against her body, Sylvia made do with what little space she had in her small nook, fitting snug as a bug. In front of her, the fires danced and sputtered while providing them both some form of warmth as it was very cold out that night. Ever so often they would hear the rustling of leaves outside and at some rare occasions, hoots and squawks of the creatures of the night.

To pass the time, they told some stories by the fire, hoping to keep their mind off of their current situation. Jurn shifted his posture and leaned against the wall, letting a relaxed sigh part from his lips before starting, "Hmmm, where should I start?" He turned to the girl whilst tapping his chin.

"How about your family? I don't really know anything about you aside from being a noble, to be frank," she confessed without hesitation, even when she's in a timid state she still retains her upfront attitude, something that Jurn found rather interesting about her.

"That's a rather bold thing to ask," he chuckles jokingly before calming down. Facing the fire, the young man recollected his memories about his household.

Meanwhile, Sylvia chuckled and showed a toothy grin, "Well if we're gonna be stuck here together, we might as get to know each other," she told him in a slightly cheery tone after recollecting herself.

To be honest, Jurn wanted to avoid talking about the topic since it brought up sour memories, however, since it was only the two of them, what's the worse that could happen? Plus she was right about one thing if they were going to cooperate to survive, they at least need to have a level of knowledge about one another.

"Alright then, for starters, I am from a Duke family which serves directly under the royal family as one of their vassals. My father, Regian Voux Fern, is a knight captain of Atherion's army." Then Jurn proceeded to explain other details to the girl while Sylvia nodded her head in understanding and awe.

While Jurn's household was noble, it didn't start that way however as before his father became a knight, he was first a mere common footsoldier who fought war after war. And it was thanks to his father's mastery of the blade that he was recognized by one of the previous knight captains. Taken in as a squire, Jurn's father was thrown into the battlefield and achieved many great things. One of his achievements involved fending off a platoon of a hundred men by himself while carrying one of his injured allies on his back.

As his father went from battlefield to battlefield, he, in turn, racked up many more achievements before eventually gaining his current ranking of Duke. While it was uncommon for a mere commoner to attain nobility, it was not impossible, but to earn the title of Duke? Now that was something that Sylvia found interesting. While Jurn continued to tell tales about his father, Sylvia eventually came to respect Jurn's father who she now wishes to meet in person.

As Jurn finished talking about his father, he then introduced his mother who Sylvia came to know as Vivyan Xerci Fern, who is the original bearer of the name Fern. Technically Jurn's father was a commoner which meant he had no last names while his mother was a noblewoman. "Our father met our mother on the battlefield when he was on one of his campaigns." He said.

"So they fought alongside one another? Smells like a love story to me," she chuckled lightly as she rested her head on her shoulder, facing Jurn while listening. Sylvia already knew of this trope concerning Jurn's parents. Something about a noblewoman trying to go to war only to be saved by a commoner knight, she saw from a mile away after hearing Jurn talk about his mother being of noble blood.

She looked at Jurn's face expecting him to agree with her but instead of doing that, Jurn then awkwardly scratched his cheek as he looked away. Weakly responding to her question with; "Well, you're not entirely wrong but you're not correct either."

Hearing his soft reply, Sylvia began to raise an eyebrow in question, "Simply put, they didn't fight alongside one another but instead, they fought against each other." He explains to Sylvia who in turn, was slightly shocked to hear this piece of information.

"Vivyan, my mother, used to be on the opposing side and fought against my father. You see before there was Atherion, there were two states who waged war against each other." As Jurn continued to explain the story, Sylvia slowly began to understand how wrong she was for assuming she knew.

Before Atherion was as it is today, it used to be a land that only knew of conflict as small kingdoms rose and fell, in the end, only two states remained, namely Rictell, the state of Jurn's father, and Lewardus for his mother. For two hundred years these two states fought to conquer one another, countless wars were waged and blood was spilled. But when peace seemed impossible, the two nations, for a moment, stopped their war as two representatives were sent out to foster peace between the two states.

As expected, Jurn's parents were chosen as mediators between the two states, creating a pact between the two states. It did not take long for the two states who used to be on each other's throats to throw differences aside and merge into one single nation, strong as they may be separated, they were stronger united. And to seal the deal, Regian Voux Fern and Vivyan Xerci Fern ended up marrying each other as a symbol of unity and as a bridge to all the people of Atherion.

"Kromozo 17, 0073 A.R: Regian Voux Fern and Vivyan Xerci Fern were married in the village of Cesro and ended up retiring in the same village. They had five children, two girls, and three boys." As Jurn finished his story he exhaled deeply, feeling the weight in his heart lighten. Without noticing, a had smile formed on his lips as he remembered his family. "So, how wa-" before he could even finish asking, he was forcefully grabbed and pulled by the collar.

"Bro your parents are awesome, they're like the John and Abigail Adams of this world!" Surprised, Jurn blinked twice as he was stunned by Sylvia's reaction and some of the words she said he could not understand. The girl pumped her fist above her breast as a show of heart and respect but instead, it only served to further his confusion. "Shit, if Viola was here she would say the exact same thing as me, well, that is to be expected of my beloved sister. But you have to admit, your parents are either John and Abigail or Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, maybe even Cleopatra and Mark Antony but they didn't lose this time."

She loosened her grasp around his collar setting Jurn free as she continued monologuing about words and things that Jurn could not comprehend. Sylvia would only notice his confusion when she asks him if he agrees with her, in turn, the girl flinched and then froze as she realized what she had done. Covering her mouth she could feel the heat on her cheeks as she turned her face away.

One could only imagine how embarrassed she felt when she realized that she broke out of roleplaying, making this the first time she ever spoke normally. It was thanks to Jurn's story that a part of her felt such respect and awe, she ended up forgetting that she was inside a game.

Sylvia stole a glance beside her and saw Jurn doing the same thing as they locked eyes for a fraction of a moment. An awkward tension clung to the air around them as both students were speechless. A minute of silence passed by and Sylvia took initiative and coughed to clear her throat.

"Can I ask you a favor and just forget about what I said earlier?" She asked while side-glancing at Jurn who gulped at her intense stare.

"That...doesn't seem like a problem," he replies while the girl sighs.

"Well, it's only the two of us here so it doesn't matter either way. Apologies for acting like a weirdo," she apologized while staring into the fire and hugging her knees at the same time. Under her breath, she whispered to herself, "I'm such an idiot...of course he wouldn't understand, he's an inhabitant." Unaware that Jurn heard her the first time.

"Hey now it's only a mistake, not everyone is perfect, no need to beat yourself because of it," said Jurn trying to lift her spirit, and interestingly enough, Sylvia did feel a little bit better after hearing him say that. "To be honest, I don't understand why you being a Marked One and me an Inhabitant is something to be worked up about. We get along, don't we?" He questions her.

Sheepishly scratching her cheek, Sylvia looked away from Jurn. "It's not as simple as getting along. We both come from different worlds with different sets of rules that we believe, I'm sorry but I can't explain it to you since you won't understand even if I tell you." She said before biting her lip.

Meanwhile, Jurn, who was taken aback by the sudden change of demeanor, gazed at Sylvia who remained quiet. This was the second time he saw a new side to Sylvia today, and instead of getting disheartened by her cold words, Jurn found an opportunity and took advantage of it. Leaning his head against the wall as he relaxed, Jurn sighed then started laughing earning the girl's attention, "Pfft, you Marked Ones are all quite the character. All of you can fight off monsters and don't fear death unlike us Inhabitants, you're all free to do whatever you want with a carefree attitude."

As he continued speaking, he noticed Sylvia twitch for a brief moment. "For someone who holds so much freedom and doesn't fear death, what's stopping you from talking to me? Is it because I'm an inhabitant? Is it because I'm not smart enough to understand? Well, I'm just an Inhabitant, after all, I won't understand." While he went on and on, he noticed Sylvia tighten her grip around her shoulder, a sign that he was getting through her just as he planned.

"Maybe I was just getting too full of myself. Me, an Inhabitant, being friends with a Marked One? It might've been a pipe dream, a delusion of mine of being able to stand on equal footing with the people I admire." He continued to press on Sylvia's buttons, knowing that she'll crack. And as expected, he saw Sylvia trembling as she held back herself. All that's left for him to do was seal the deal by pushing Sylvia a bit further. "While I might not know what it is that's holding you back or whether I'm even allowed to hear about it, I at least want to learn more about you even if you need to lie ab–"

"It's not that I'm not allowed to or that some divine being is stopping me or anything, it's just that...I just don't want you to feel alienated." She interrupts him as she turned and faced him, she held a pained expression as if she forced herself to just say all of those words begrudgingly. Jurn was aware that he did well with his little act but for it to affect her this much, he felt terrible for doing such a thing.

"I–" once again Jurn tried to open his mouth, and this time it was to apologize, only for Sylvia to interject.

"Jurn...I know you've been watching over me and my sister ever since we came into the academy. You've been covering for us, apologizing for my mistakes, and even allowing us to experience what it is like to study magic." She glared at him intensely, she sincerely meant all of the words she said with a serious face and no hesitation. "I know I can't repay you for all you've done, not right now at least. But I will tell you one thing that you should know, me and my sister, for the time we've spent studying in the library and the time we spent learning new spells, we know that it's because of you that we can do such things. So don't go telling me that we don't see you as our equal or that we can't be friends, we don't think that way, we don't see you as an Inhabitant only--but as our friend."

Jurn swallowed hard and went for a reply, "I-uhm-I'm glad to hear that but I just want to hear your story though..." He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck while Sylvia paused.

*Snap*

A tick mark appeared on her temple as she glared at Jurn, badly regretting what she said, "You could've just said so, you dumb idiot!" She yelled in irritation as Jurn chuckled in response. Crossing her arms above her chest, Sylvia grunted as she continued, "Forget what I said, it never happened."

Looking at Sylvia's face, it would seem that she was back to her usual self, the bold and outgoing Sylvia that Jurn knew. He smiled and surrendered himself to her demands, "Alright alright, but it's your turn to talk, I already told you mine so it's only fair if I get to hear yours," said Jurn with a coy grin.

"Fine, I get it but don't blame me if my story is better than yours," grinned the girl as she mischievously glanced back at Jurn. And so, the two of them lent their ears to one another, the invisible gap between them that had plagued their friendship slowly faded as Sylvia and Jurn got to know each other more.

Sylvia would retell her experiences to Jurn before they eventually ended up getting blasted into the Academy. She told him about how it used to be only her and Viola at first until they got into a bit of trouble due to money.

"What happens next? How did you two manage to escape?" Jurn curiously chimed in while Sylvia rested her chin on her palm, smiling as she looked at him.

"They tried sending people to hunt us down but thanks to a couple of blockheads we met along the way," she was referring to Surgiu and Aldyn who they met by chance while trying to escape. "It was when we were sneaking through the town gates using a merchant caravan as our ride that we met the two of them. Thanks to them we were able to sneak past the enemy going unnoticed, at the time they were on a job as a convoy to protect the goods."

"These two you're talking, they sound like good people," Jurn said, earning a sneer from the girl's part. Confused by her reaction, he asks, "What's the matter?"

Sylvia merely turns and faces the fire while placing her chin over her palms. "You know, my sister also said the same thing about the two of them," she squints her eyes into an annoyed glare directed at the fire, "But to be honest, aside from our Vanguard who was the one who let us ride, our Assassin is a self-centered, selfish, jerk, and a big idiotic piece of shit!" She ended up shouting the last part which surprised Jurn who was listening beside her.

"Gee, sounds like you really hate the guy," as soon as he said that, Sylvia sends a glare his way as nerves showed on her head.

"No shit! That guy tried to murder someone who saved us and he even had the gall to not apologize for it!" She said with visible anger in her eyes as if she was gonna murder someone. "I'm telling you if we do manage to find a way to get the gang back together, I'm gonna punch his face so hard I'd tear him a new one." She formed a fist with her hand, clenching it tight till her knuckles turned white.

Jurn could feel his presence shrink as Sylvia's determination to punch someone overlapped with him. The young man attempted to calm her down and raised his hands in front of him, "I get your point, please calm down or you'll attract some predators outside." After hearing him out, she sighed and reverted to being calm.

"Point is, everyone, is nice except for our Assassin, got it?" Jurn nodded in agreement not wanting to end up on her bad side. He made sure to make a mental note to never piss Sylvia off no matter what as he didn't want to get punched in the face. With him being cooperative and agreeable, Sylvia couldn't help but smile at this and chuckle, "Anyways we're getting sidetracked, where was I?"

"Oh, you were talking about when you two escape," Jurn reminded her as Sylvia thanked him and cleared her throat.

"Right, so after we escaped town we joined the caravan for a bit and even served as part of the security as payment for letting us stick around. After reaching the end of our journey, we were invited by our Vanguard and asked if we were interested in forming a party," Sylvia went on and on talking about various things but to keep things nice and simple, they accepted the offer since with enemies on their tracks they had no other choice but to accept.

For a while, the four of them would go dungeon crawling to make money so that they could reach Angistone to get away from their enemies. And as things went on, they eventually met up with Yuna and Tamaki who saved them from getting exterminated. After recovering the two joined their party as official members of the dysfunctional family. They would end up facing some obstacles here and there until they met Muzui, Yuna's friend or as Sylvia likes to call him, Yuna's romantic punching bag.

Jurn can only raise a brow while hearing all of this as he found Yuna and Muzui's relationship rather...interesting. After defeating Muzui, they were taken into their camp where they were given sufficient treatment. However, things went from smooth sailing to dire because the camp was infiltrated by an enemy organization called the Shepherds who plotted to destroy the camp along with all the Marked Ones in the area.

It started from a hostage situation to a brawl as Yuna and Muzui came to stop the invasion but as if to make matters worse, they had to fight a wyvern which let loose destruction upon the camp. Burning all of the people both Inhabitant and Marked One, it did not discriminate in its relentless rampage which prompted a retreat for the Shepherds who had completed their ritual. Things that were already going south, went even further to the max as, aside from the wyvern breathing destruction, everyone who was caught in the following events was randomly transported across Zerundus. Hence how Sylvia and Viola ended up in the academy in the first place.

"And that's how we ended up stuck here," she nonchalantly said, glancing at Jurn to see his reaction. Hearing all of this was like learning that there are numbers bigger than a hundred at the age of five, which meant that Jurn had a difficult time trying to understand everything. Sylvia couldn't blame him if he had doubts about her story, she also finds all of it way too cliché to be true. "You don't need to believe what I said, I also find it way too convenient," she simply says.

"No, I believe you but to think that you've been through so much," Jurn faced her with newfound respect in his eyes, looking at her as a soldier who had just come back from a long war. Sighing once again, Jurn responds, "It's just that I'm stunned. I mean, you look like and act like a child but you've already been through so much."

"So you're calling me a child?" She glared at him with her wand at hand, ready to blast Jurn with an explosion.

"N-no! Don't get me wrong, it was a compliment, I meant it as a compliment!" He waved his hands in front of him trying to dismiss her misconception. He meant it as a compliment from the bottom of his heart. Sylvia leaned close to his face, staring bluntly in his eyes for what felt like an eternity before letting out a mischievous smile. Flicking his forehead, Sylvia stuck out her tongue.

"Hehehe, no need to get so worked up, it was just a joke," she giggles it off and pulls away, leaving a stunned young man. Jurn blinked a few times as he saw Sylvia lying down with her back against him. "Night~" she bids him goodnight before falling to sleep entirely, leaving an astonished Jurn.

[To be continued]