Not Quite There

Wrathful Shout's effect had kicked in. Victor suddenly felt this uncontrollable desire to attack Rokas. It was overbearing, and felt as if it would consume his mind. 

"Do not hold back, Victor. I can handle it." Rokas reassured. 

"Heh! Then I guess I won't."

Donning his thunder-wind clad armor, Victor blazed past the entire length of the courtyard and met Rokas' blade with his katana. 

The electricity and wind coursing through his own blade was somewhat adding to the overall durability of his katana, making a sword usually only used for slicing be able to compete with a bulky armament like Rokas'.

Sparks from the clash scattered around the courtyard as both Victor and Rokas met each other's gazes. 

It just so happened that Rokas' affinity, Earth, was exceedingly effective against the dual affinities Victor possessed. Lightning and Wind weren't known for being able to get past the durable defense Earth held, even with their destructiveness. 

And this was probably one of the very few things that was keeping Rokas from being completely overwhelmed by the flurry of attacks his sibling was sending towards him.

"Put more force into it, Victor!" Rokas exclaimed as he pushed him back with his shield. 

Even with the added properties of his katana, Victor seemed to forget: Rokas held two weapons. Shields weren't just useful for defending; they also were for countering. 

Once again, Rokas slammed down his shield and began charging across the earth. The bottom half of his shield slid through the earth, creating marks as he passed by. 

Victor's reaction to this stampede was to dodge with his own quick lightning-augmented dashes. Wrathful Shout was still very much trying to get him to just focus on attacking, but he could still hold it off for now. 

Once Rokas' back was turned due to the charge, Victor emerged behind him, unleashing a multitude of brutal cuts, slashes, and thrusts. 

His blows seemed to connect, creating small breaks in Rokas' armor. 

Both of them stopped and stared each other down. It was about time to finish this. 

Muttering a chant, Rokas began imbuing his sword with his mana. "Hassan Family Style: Earthbreaker."

The ground around Rokas' suddenly flowed downwards, as if his sheer weight was bringing the earth down. Sand particles emerged at the front of his shield.  

Matching his rhythm with Rokas', Victor raised his blade to the sky. Waves of lightning and wind energy encircled his blade, enshrouding it in a deadly coating. 

"Hassan Family Style: Vajra."

With their final cards now in play, both Victor and Rokas grinned, before bracing themselves for one final clash. 

For the next few seconds, there was almost a serene silence in the courtyard. The cheers from the crowd had stopped, and the only thing left was the bzzt coming from Victor's blade and the almost silent rumbling of the earth as it struggled to carry Rokas. 

Taking one final breath, both of them charged. Victor swung his blade at a devastating ninety-degree angle, bringing down the full force of his strength. 

Lightning amplified the already increasingly high power output of his blade. But if that wasn't enough, the wind led his blade forward, pulling away the sand from Rokas' shield. It was like a second sword made from wind was in front of his katana.

Rokas met the full force of Victor's attack with his shield. The sand and dirt helped to divert some of the wind away from blowing against his shield, but it still had to deal with the lightning. 

Bringing his sword behind him, Rokas sent his sword-arm flying towards his sibling, revealing the fastest and strongest slash he had ever done yet. 

However, just as Victor was going to dodge sideways, Rokas suddenly stopped. His arm halted, and his sword stayed unmoving. 

That was when he let loose all of the energy he was carrying. Rokas rammed the entirety of his body weight onto his shield, knocking into the unsuspecting Victor, who was unable to react in time. 

"Ugaahk!"

Just then, Jesse raised his hands, shouting, "Alright, that's enough! Brother Rokas wins.

Sheathing his blade and picking up his shield, Rokas went over to Victor. 

"Good try, brother Victor. But it seems that I have won this time, again. You lost the same way you did in our last spar, as well." He grinned, offering his hand, to which Victor took. 

"Gah… I'm not quite there yet, but I know I'll catch up to you soon. Good fight9 back home, Rokas. Isn't it still the middle of the school year?" 

Jesse finally asked the question. 

Once everyone had had their fill of dynamic fights for the day, they all went back inside to rest. The more energetic siblings had gone outside to take on another contract, while the other stayed to help out in cleaning. 

There were more than a hundred siblings, and there was no way two or three of them would be able to handle the housekeeping. 

Now that Jesse and Rokas were alone in one of the many living rooms, the former asked the question he had been wanting to ask ever since they returned home. 

"I do not believe I can hide it from you or the others any longer. To tell you the truth, Jesse, I was sent here by Leader to obtain an artifact."

"Who is this "Leader?" 

"He is someone me and my party members all admire. Although we have barely known each other for more than a month, we have been through a life or death situation, managing to escape without much problems."

"So the Hero Academy attack we saw on the news wasn't fake… I'm glad you're safe."

"It would not be so if he wasn't there." Rokas said. 

"Then, I'll be sure to thank him if I get the chance to. But say, what artifact are you trying to get? All of us will be glad to help, no matter how difficult. It's the least we can do to repay you."

"I think it is best if I say it when everyone is present. If you don't mind, will you call everyone out to the courtyard tomorrow? I will tell them there." 

"I see. I understand." Jesse stood up. "If that's all, I will be taking my leave now. You haven't had a moment to rest ever since you returned."

Once Jesse had left the living room, Rokas was alone. He laid his head against the comfy sofa, and took a deep breath. 

"Normally I would have chastised you for getting sidetracked from the mission, but I can understand that you met your family, and that it's normal to get lost in time. But I must ask that this never happen again. We have a strict schedule to follow."

Andrea's voice suddenly came up on the earpiece. During the time Rokas had spent with his family, not once did she speak up. She allowed him to do what he wanted. 

"Navigator. My apologies, I will get back with the mission tomorrow." 

***

"So, you all are probably wondering why I have gathered you here today."

"Indeed we are, Brother Rokas. You promised me you would tell us today." Jesse said. 

"What's this all about? Is Rokas leaving?" Victor asked curiously. 

Even before everyone had arrived, whispers and rumors were already beginning to circulate around. They all ranged from simply unbelieavable stories, or somewhat possible ones. There were some that somewhat hit the mark, too. 

Either way, everyone was anxious. No one wanted to see Rokas leave, and seeing his unsure expression did not help to remedy their problems. 

"I will start it off with this, my brothers and sisters. I did not came to Fihndreik to look for you all."

"I have come here on a mission, and that mission is to retrieve an artifact. After that, I will he heading back to the Hero Academy."

One of the siblings raised their hand. This was Phil, one of the smarter ones in the family.

"Yes, Phil?"

"I thought the Hero Academy didn't allow its students to leave the premises? If that's the case, how were you able to leave?"

"Indeed, that's true. Normally, no students would be able to leave the Academy District. However, thanks to our leader establishing a club, we have been allowed to go out on operations."

More whispers came from the crowd. "Leader" was never a word they thought Rokas would use. In their eyes, he was always the one on top. 

Rokas wasn't aware of this though. He thought they were focused on the other aspect, the club. 

"It's called The Global Studies Club. On the surface, we are students who are given special permission to head outside school ground and obtain information on the world outside. I believe the knowledge we put in is given to the Library, which funds our missions."

"But that's not what I want to talk about. I was sent to Fihndreik to obtain the Hymerian Shield."

"...that Hymerian Shield?" Jesse questioned. 

"Indeed. The B+ rank artifact currently on display in the Fihndreik Museum."