Celeste's breath escaped her in great, billowing waves.
Mist roiled every time she panted, a sheen of sweat coating her forehead and hands and causing her grip to slacken - the blade in her grasp almost slipping. The young woman wiped a stray lock of damp hair from her eyes, as she regarded her opponents, her lips pressed into a determined line.
Light snow fell from the heavens, blanketing her family's garden.
The figure standing on the left had a lithe frame, crimson hair tied into a braid, pale skin and a mole under her left eye. She was dressed simply, a white tunic peeking out beneath basic leather armour.
Beside her, Ivar stood with unassuming brown hair and brown eyes, a scar twisting the edge of his lips.
"You're making good progress, Princess."
Nara, one of her father's lieutenants and the woman with the braid, spoke up.
She held a similar blade to Celeste in her hands, keeping it aloft almost lazily.
However, the Chosen of the Divine Sovereign knew that underestimating her was a grave mistake. Celeste sensed Nara's gaze rove over her figure for a brief moment, before it retracted, and then shifted towards the garden, as if looking for something.
A loafing sigh escaped her lips.
Ivar, meanwhile, scratched his chin, and asked, curiosity lacing his tone:
"Are you feeling better, Princess? I know it's almost been two weeks since the incident with the lecher, so I'm wondering if you've been able to put it behind you or not."
Nara immediately snapped her neck towards Ivar.
"You fool, you can't just casually bring up such a topic with a woman!"
Ivar blinked, as if unable to comprehend the concept.
A sheepish and apologetic grin graced his face.
Celeste accepted his apology.
Then, he turned quiet, pensive.
"Say… has anything happened between you and Al? You guys seem distant lately."
The young woman instinctively winced.
"YOU IMBECILE! HOW MUCH OF AN IDIOT CAN YOU BE?! CAN YOU NOT READ BETWEEN THE LINES? DO YOU HAVE THE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OF A MULE??"
She dragged Ivar by the ear, who grimaced, before the two stopped some distance away, Nara hissing furiously in his ear. Once her father's lieutenant was done, Celeste saw Ivar display an expression of enlightenment, before he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
Nara, meanwhile, shook her head, a deep sigh escaping her lips. She pinched her brows, and suppressed her exasperation at Ivar's lack of tact and awareness of other people's feelings - which stemmed from more than just annoyance, but Celeste wasn't about to involve herself in the older woman's affairs.
Asterons knew her own love life was a mess.
Shaking her head, Celeste gripped her blade tighter and set her feet. She saw the two Sunbrawlers return, and without wasting any more time, launched herself at them again. The sound of clashing steel resounded within the garden as Ivar blocked her strike.
Celeste immediately shifted, flowing past his follow-up to attack Nara.
The redhead welcomed her advance, letting her in, before bursting in a flurry of lightning-fast strikes. Celeste strained herself to the limit, her gaze darting about as she gave it her all to block every attack. Unfortunately, Nara was too skilled, so a few blows softened at the last second inevitably bypassed her guard.
Celeste gritted her teeth, deflecting Nara's blade just as the female Sunbrawler went in for the 'kill'. Her instincts blared, alerting the young woman of Ivar stepping in from behind to strike her. She whirled, taking a half-step to the side as the weapon of her father's other lieutenant flashed past.
A few more exchanges followed, before Celeste's body eventually betrayed her.
Nara's blade flashed, mere centimeters from her neck.
"Well done, Princess. That was a good spar."
The Chosen of the Divine Sovereign wiped her sweat with a sleeve, too tired to respond.
Nara glanced at the garden again, and not finding what she was looking for, grew sullen.
"Ugh, Princess. You really need to tell your father to plant a big oak. Where am I supposed to nap?"
Aggrieved, the redhead wandered over to the base of a small tree, and sat down, leaning discontentedly against it. She yelled at Ivar to come and let her use his shoulder as a pillow. The man's brown eyes plead with Celeste, hoping she could save him.
Unfortunately, she shifted her gaze, pretending not to notice his crestfallen expression.
Through her Mana Sense, Celeste observed Ivar walking over to Nara, a sense of helplessness weighing down his steps.
Suddenly, a low hoot streamed into her ears. The sound of soft, flapping wings followed.
Celeste snapped her gaze upward to find a grey owl flecked with a white and gold underbelly, gliding elegantly towards her. The creature landed on her arm, staring at her with its sharp yellow-brown eyes, before the young woman noticed a scroll strapped to its leg.
Celeste stroked the messenger owl and loosened the fine parchment, unfurling it with one hand. Similar to other noble creatures, owls were rare - only the wealthy and elite could afford to rear one. The question then was, what did someone of such status want with her?
Celeste soon received her answer.
Her brows furrowed, a bemused and slightly resentful light in her eyes.
However, her expression soon eased, turning solemn. A quiet, determined air surrounded the Chosen of Divine Sovereign. Some time later, Celeste paused as she surveyed her surroundings, following the instructions which were written on the scroll.
She stood in an alley, veiled from view, only light snow as her witness.
Suddenly, the world around her blurred, and she found herself in the middle of a thick, oppressive mist. The fog swirled, almost clinging to her.
Celeste frowned and tentatively extended her Mana Sense outwards. To her dismay, though, the mist seemed to hamper her senses, both magical and physical - she could barely see the outline of her hands, shrouded in fog as they were.
It was then that a powerful, mysterious - almost warped - voice swept through her eerie surroundings, causing the hair on her arms to stand on end.
"Before we begin, my Sponsor would like to send their regards."
Confused, Celeste blinked.
A notification from the System suddenly flashed in the corner of her eye, distracting her.
[The Augur of Judgment warmly greets you.]