Chapter 8: waterfall

The two boys walked out of the cathedral with the man in red and black armor walking behind them. When Morgan and the rest of the knights saw the two boys walking out of the cathedral with thoughtful expressions on their faces, they all started sneering and laughing, thinking that the two boys had been stripped of their newly appointed nobility.

"That's what you get for thinking you are better than the rest of us," Morgan sneered. But his words fell on deaf ears as the two boys left the cathedral quickly. The man in armor walked up to Saint Iver and whispered something in his ears. Saint Iver nodded his head in understanding, and then he looked at the batch of newly appointed knights.

"In three days time, I'm going to take you all to the capital. Tomorrow, come and get assigned to your teams and get your equipment. Then, bid your friends and family farewell because it might be some time before you see them again. You are all dismissed," with that, he turned around and left with the man in the red and black armor.

In a dark room, two figures stood there, one with his head down as he stood behind the other figure, just like how servants stood before their master.

"Why did you choose them, my Lord?" Saint Iver asked.

"It's none of your concern. All you need to focus on is your synchronization. It's been years, but there is still no improvement coming from you. I'm starting to question your potential, Iver," Iver immediately bowed with his head touching the cold floor.

"Forgive me, my Lord, for my lack of ability. I'll surely work hard to improve my strength," the man scoffed and turned to look at Iver.

"I have wasted so many resources on you, Iver. I better start seeing the results," he said as he left. Iver slowly got up and tidied his robes, then he left the room with a smile on his face.

After the two boys left the cathedral, they both went to the favorite spot deep in the mountain. None of them spoke along the way, taking detours when they met dangerous beasts they couldn't handle. But eventually, they arrived at their destination. The place was filled with many beautiful flowers, some that looked transplant with a mysterious glow to them, and the trees were beautiful casting a cool shade. In front of it all was a beautiful waterfall, and Jake took off his straw sandals, cape, and his shirt, then he dived into the plunge pool.

"Aren't you coming for a swim?" Jake asked.

"Today I will not," Timothy said, placing his sword down and sitting on the grass. Timothy watched his friend swim for a few minutes before getting out of the water and sitting down beside him.

"Are you afraid?" Jake suddenly asked.

"I am," Timothy answered truthfully. Jake smiled at his response as they both stared at the waterfall.

"Why did you want to be a knight, River Pal?" Jake asked. Timothy looked at the sky as he thought about the reason, but he couldn't find one. He had no reason at all, just the fact that he's always had a desire to grow strong, really strong, to break past his body's limits and achieve unparalleled strength. The only way he could do that was by fighting in battles and tempering his body in the midst of death.

"To find better opponents in the battlefield who can help me push my body and skill to the next level. I feel like I've reached a cap while training with father. Not that he doesn't have anything left to teach me, but because of the fact that I know despite how hard training with him is, my life isn't in any danger. Only by tempering ourselves in the borders of life and death shall we overcome our limits," Timothy responded seriously as he turned to look at Jake.

"Why did you want to be a knight?" Jake laughed a little before responding.

"Because... of you, Timothy. You - you forget it," he said with a complicated expression on his face. Timothy was surprised; Jake was a carefree guy but also super smart. So, him saying he only wanted to become a knight because of him was very shocking for him. He remained quiet, not saying anything.

As they were sitting in silence, they heard footsteps approaching. Jake quickly grabbed his daggers, and Timothy removed the scabbard of his sword. They both took a fighting stance while looking at the direction where the sound of footsteps was coming from. After a few seconds, they saw a girl wearing a blue fur-trimmed v-neck gown with a black kirtle and a chemise band visible with laced ankle boots aligned with fur. She wore her hair very long, braided, and twisted up into knots of various shapes with the ends hanging free. The hair was then covered with sheer veils, with sky blue eyes, a thin nose, and white skin. To call her pretty is an understatement; she's a beauty.

"Why do you have your weapons drawn out?" The girl asked with a tinge of amusement.

"Ver, it is you," Timothy said while they lowered their weapons.

"Who could it be, you two idiots? Are you alright?" She said, examining their faces.

The two boys nodded gently, backing away as they did, for they had just remembered that after the registration, they were supposed to go fetch Ver and come to this spot together. But to their luck, Ver didn't seem concerned about that matter.

"Morgan told me what happened. Are you guys okay?" She asked with a look of concern in her eyes, which confused the boys.

"Uh, what did Morgan tell you exactly?" Jake asked.

She told them what Morgan had told her, and the two boys started laughing.

"What, no, no, that's not what happened at all. In fact, we have been recruited to join a special unit, and we are supposed to give them the answer tomorrow morning. And if we decide to go with them, we'll leave immediately after," Timothy explained.

The girl looked at her two best friends, and she felt both joy and sadness. Tears escaped her eyes, and she wiped them away quickly, replacing the sad expression with a joyous one.

"I'm happy for you guys, I truly am. But I fear that I won't ever see the both of you again. After all, you are going to be great people, and I'm going to be forced to wed a young lord of some noble family. But I truly wish you guys the best of luck...make me proud," she said as more tears began falling down her face.

Both of the boys didn't know how to comfort her. What she said was true; even if they do see each other again, they would be people of different worlds. The Zebha kingdom is an ancient kingdom, meaning they followed the rule and laws where women were looked down upon, so it was practically impossible for a woman to make a name for herself in this kingdom unless Ver moved to another kingdom. Then there was not much hope for her future.

The two boys stood there with their heads down, not knowing how to comfort their friend. Ver moved forward and pulled them in for a hug.

"Don't feel sorry for me. In fact, if you want to do something for me, promise you will rise up through the ranks faster and change the stupid laws of this kingdom," she said as she let them go.

The two boys nodded, and they all sat down near the waterfall