EPISODE 5; DAUGHTER OF THE CAPTAIN

A weekend had passed since Reis' initiation into the Ranger's Guild. It was the first day of the week, Dragnarok's day, and supposedly Reis' first day of school. Reis had woken up earlier than usual. It was still dawn. He finished clothing himself and woke Shin up. Shin took his bath and got dressed as well. They began to set the table for breakfast. Reis looked lost in thought.

"Reis, is everything okay?" Shin asked.

"I'm just nervous is all" Reis said quietly.

He was thinking of what Captain Hiru had told him of his family. He could not understand why but he had a bad feeling. Soon, Master Jin and Kyla were up as well. Kyla was shocked to see Shin and Reis up already and Shin nearly started an argument with Kyla but Reis saved the situation as usual. They ate breakfast while talking about their hopes and expectations for the day, but the more they talked, the more uneasy Reis felt. It was morning soon enough and Master Jin left for the Rangers' Headquarters. Kyla, Shin and Reis began to walk towards Dragon High.

"So it's going to be your first day at school right?" Shin asked.

"Right" Reis replied.

"You kept your promise and caught up to us in an instant" Kyla said.

"Yeah, I didn't even think about that" Reis said.

"But you kept it anyway" Shin said.

"I guess" Reis replied.

"Come on Reis. Don't be so modest all the time. School can be really unfair to modest guys" Kyla said.

"So what are your plans for the day?" Kyla asked.

"Well…I plan to study" Reis said plainly.

"Haha! Always the bookworm aren't ya?" Shin said, half depressed, half disappointed by Reis' answer.

"Don't you want to make new friends?" Kyla asked.

"I do…but no one wants me here except for you guys of course" Reis said sadly.

"Don't let it get to you" Shin encouraged.

As they walked on, they noticed an old lady trying to lift a heavy load. She seemed tired. Reis felt sorry for her.

"Hey, you guys go ahead without me. I'll catch up" Reis said as he approached the old lady.

Shin and Kyla walked away. Soon, they were out of sight.

"Excuse me ma'am but do you need any help with your load?" Reis asked nervously.

"I haven't seen you around here young boy, what's your name?" the old lady asked.

"My name's Reis Dragonhaӓrt ma'am" Reis said.

"Ah, so you're the infamous Reis Dragonhaӓrt everyone is talking about" the old lady said.

"So I'm infamous already huh?" Reis said sadly.

"But you don't seem like a bad person. I suppose this is your first day at school?" the old lady asked.

"Yes, it is" Reis said.

"Then you can't afford to be late. I hear the masters are strict" the old lady said.

"I wish I could just walk away but I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt because I refused to help" Reis said with determination.

"You really are a weird one, you know that?" the old lady asked rhetorically.

Reis nodded with a smile.

"But I like kids like you. If you insist on helping me, I'll accept your offer but don't strain yourself" the old lady said.

Reis tried to carry the load but it was too heavy. He dropped it, focused his mind and tried again. Now, it was as light as a feather. The old lady stared at him and smiled.

"So where are you headed ma'am?" Reis asked.

"Kamikaze Restaurant's the destination. The load you're carrying is full of supplies" the old lady said.

"I was at Kamikaze Restaurant on the Day Of Sum-Kebi" Reis said.

"I heard that you were the boy that performed that reckless trick" the old lady said.

Reis laughed, "Yep! That was me!" he said happily.

It took them quite a while to reach Kamikaze Restaurant. Reis entered with the old lady.

"Now, I will tell you a secret Reis. I am Old Lady Kamikaze, the owner of this restaurant" the old lady said.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What?!" Reis stammered.

"Don't be so nervous, you helped me. I will consider you a friend from now on. Don't hesitate to see me if you have any problems. And to show my appreciation, here, I'll give you six 'all you can eat' tickets. You and five friends of your choice can come here and eat for free for one whole day" Old Lady Kamikaze said.

"Wow! Shin will really love this! Thanks a lot Old Lady Kamikaze!" Reis said with a slight bow.

Waitress Diane came to help him with the load.

"I don't think you can carry this Miss Diane, let me" Reis said.

"Thank you Master Reis" Diane said.

"Just call me Reis, I hate formal titles" Reis said.

Reis carried the load to the restaurant's storeroom.

"Now hurry off to school before you are late" Old Lady Kamikaze told Reis.

"I nearly forgot! I'm really late!" Reis said as he took to his heels.

Soon, he was on the road that led to the outer forest. As he reached the turn that led to Dragon High, he heard the yelping of a distressed puppy. He stopped in his tracks and looked around. He couldn't see anything but felt a light tug on his trousers. He looked down. A small white puppy was pulling desperately on his trousers.

"I'm sorry boy but I can't play with you. I'll be late for…" Reis was saying when he noticed a dark red spot on the puppy's fur.

"Is that…blood?" Reis wondered as he touched the spot.

The red fluid came on his hand and he smelt it.

"Oh no! This is human blood!" Reis exclaimed as he hurriedly followed the puppy into the forest.

He ran through the forest, ignoring the thorny branches that pricked and scratched his skin. Soon, he could see someone on the ground ahead of him. He rushed into the clearing and came to the body. He turned the body so he could see who it was.

"It's…a girl" Reis said in surprise, then he noticed something else, "she's a Dragon Ranger!" Reis exclaimed as he lifted her unto his back. He then thought of something else. "If she loses too much blood, she might not make it back to the township" Reis thought as he put her back on the ground. It was then that Reis noticed that there was a stump of wood protruding from her back.

"She was shot by an arrow!" Reis exclaimed.

He began to hear a faint cracking sound. Reis knew what it was and knew that it was bad news.

"I have got to do something fast!" Reis exclaimed as he grabbed the arrow stump.

He tugged at it as gently as possible. The girl was groaning in pain.

"Just bear with me" Reis said as he pulled a bit harder.

The arrow began to come out slowly, then the arrow-head finally came out. But now, the girl was bleeding profusely.

"Oh no! What do I do?! I promised Master Jin not to use my powers!" Reis thought frantically.

More cracking sounds were heard.

"H-Help me, p-please" the girl struggled to say.

"No choice!" Reis said as he removed the bandana that covered his scar and tied it around his forehead. "I'm going to heal her!" Reis declared as he stretched his hands over her wound.

A faint green light began to ebb from his hands. Reis concentrated harder and the light grew stronger. At that moment, the girl opened her eyes. The light was so bright that Reis looked more like an angel than a man. She couldn't see his face but she did see the dragon scar on his right shoulder.

"I knew Guardian Angels were real" she said as she lost consciousness.

Her wound closed a moment later. The cracking sound stopped.

"Phew, I'm glad I did it" Reis said as he tied the bandanna around his scar again and carried the girl unto his back.

He took her to the township but he didn't know where the hospital was. He decided to go to Old Lady Kamikaze's but no one was at the restaurant so he searched around town. Soon, he found the hospital at the North Westernmost point of the town. He rushed into the hospital. A doctor was just on his way out and saw Reis.

"Please help this girl!" Reis pleaded.

He was worn out and panting very tiredly.

"What is wrong with…wait a minute, I know this girl" the doctor said in surprise.

"Doctor! You have to help her! She was wounded by an arrow but I pulled it out! I don't…" Reis was saying.

"You did what?! Then she must be bleeding severely. I need a stretcher over here!" the doctor called.

In less than a moment, two nurses ran out with a stretcher. Reis placed the girl gently on the stretcher and the nurses were off.

"Doctor, there is something else. That girl's dragon ring is cracking" Reis told the doctor.

"That's serious! That girl is on the brink of death. You did well boy" the doctor said.

"And one more thing doctor, I don't want anyone, not even her to know that, I was the one that brought her here" Reis said.

"That is…if she survives" the doctor said as he rushed into the hospital.

Reis smiled slightly, "you don't need to worry about that" Reis said silently as he walked away.

"Now to get to school! Oh man! I am so late!" Reis said worriedly as he took to his heels.

He looked around but nothing seemed familiar.

"Sheesh! I'm lost. I was so worried about that girl that I didn't take note of the directions" Reis sighed.

"Well, there is no one around so I guess I can use my hunting instincts" Reis said with a sly smile.

"Okay! Here I go! AFTER-IMAGE TECHNIQUE!" Reis called as his pupils became slits. He began to see images of events that had occurred on that road. He saw many Dragon Students walking to school.

"Now all I have to do is follow them" Reis said as he followed the images.

He was soon on the road to Dragon High.

Meanwhile, some interesting developments were taking place in Dragon High.

"Why is Reis so late?" Kyla asked worriedly

"Something must be delaying him" Shin said.

While Shin and Kyla were worried about Reis, others were plotting against him. Darak did not seem very interested in plotting against 'an amateur'. To him, Reis was just a silly, reckless amateur who only liked getting in his way.

"Sheesh that damn Reis Dragonwarts, I'll be sure to teach him a lesson" a boy called Dossou muttered angrily.

"Can you imagine the nerve he had to blame Novatians for the misfortunes of Saggeese?! What a Saggesian jerk!" Aurora muttered angrily.

"You're right Dossou! We'll teach that jerk a lesson!" a boy called Cudjoe agreed.

As they were talking, a very fearful looking boy approached them. He was tall and well-built and the look on his face could simply be described with two words, "utter destruction!" He had dark hair and wore a dark uniform with a skull and two crossbones imprinted on its chest and back.

"Just leave it to me!" the boy said as he cracked his knuckles and grinned wickedly.

"I-I-Its…" Dossou stammered.

"Evil Eghan!" Aurora exclaimed in shock.

Evil Eghan was the school's most feared bully. He was always ready to pick on anyone for the littlest excuses possible. He in turn feared Darak since Darak was the most powerful Dragon Student in the entire guild.

"I'd also like to punish him but…he's not worth my time" Darak said coolly.

As they sat plotting, Reis walked in through the gate. Just at that moment, the bell rang for break over. The students began to return to class. Kyla and Shin saw Reis and caught up to him.

"You're late Reis. What took you so long?" Shin asked.

"Our form mistress was really angry. You're in a tight spot now and honestly, I don't know how you're getting out of this one" Kyla said.

Soon, they were at the door that led to their classroom.

"Are you ready for trouble?" Kyla asked.

"I guess" Reis said worriedly.

Kyla opened the doors to the classroom and they walked inside.

Most of the students were already in the classroom and Mistress Kira sat patiently on her table.

"Sh-She's…Aurora and Darak's Dragon Master" Reis gulped.

"Kyla, Shin, take your seats. I need to have a word with Reis here" Mistress Kira said solemnly.

Reis felt a chill run up and down his spine.

"Good luck, Reis" Shin whispered as he and Kyla went to their seats.

"Now Reis Dragonhaӓrt, will you care to explain why you were late?" Mistress Kira asked.

"If I tell her about the girl I helped this morning, I'll draw unnecessary attention to myself" Reis thought silently.

"I'm waiting" Mistress Kira said impatiently.

"Ah-uh-well, I-uh-um-uh-I overslept" Reis lied.

It was the only excuse he could think of though he knew it would get him into trouble. Mistress Kira seemed angered by Reis' confession.

"One thing I will not tolerate in my class is lateness! Another is sloth! Since you have partaken in both, I have no other choice than to give you detention! After classes today, you will dust all the windows in this school, do you hear me?!" Mistress Kira said quite angrily.

"Yes ma'am. Thank you" Reis said with a respectful bow.

Mistress Kira was surprised and impressed by Reis' reaction.

"Class, as you already know, this is Reis Dragonhaӓrt, our newest ranger. He'll be taking part in class activities from now on. Reis, take a seat" Mistress Kira said in a more gentle tone.

Reis looked around for a seat. The students sat in rows of three. He looked around for Kyla and Shin but all the seats were taken. The only empty seat was beside Aurora and Darak's desk. Reis' heart sank. He knew his troubles had only begun. He walked towards Aurora and Darak's desk. Soon he stood beside them.

"Um…Aurora, Darak, can I sit here?" Reis asked nervously.

In the next instant, Aurora's hands were on the empty seat.

"Don't you dare! This seat is for Jared and only Jared! Don't think you can replace him so easily you Saggeesian jerk!" Aurora yelled angrily.

In the next instant, the entire class was jeering and booing at Reis.

Kyla and Shin were getting angry with the class.

"Silence everybody!" Mistress Kira ordered and the noise died down.

Reis walked sadly to Mistress Kira.

"Mistress, can I please take a desk from another class?" Reis said sadly.

"Go ahead Reis" Mistress Kira said sympathetically. "And I think you have already received your punishment so I revoke your detention" Mistress Kira said.

There were murmurs of dissatisfaction from the other students.

Meanwhile, Captain Hiru had received the message that his daughter had returned to the guild and was on the brink of death. He rushed to the hospital and met the nurses talking about his daughter's condition.

"Where is my daughter?! How is she?!" Captain Hiru asked hysterically.

Just at that moment, the doctor came down the stairs with a grim look on his face.

"Doctor! How is my daughter?!" Captain Hiru asked fearfully.

"Her dragon ring cracked" the doctor said.

"Don't tell me…?!" Captain Hiru exclaimed in fear.

"Relax Hiru, it was simply a crack. That means, she was supposed to die but somehow, she miraculously survived, and without a scratch too but her clothes indicate that she bled heavily" the doctor said.

Captain Hiru sighed in relief.

"I'm so glad" he said happily.

"You can see her now" the doctor said as he led Captain Hiru to the room where his daughter was being treated.

Captain Hiru opened the door and went in. His daughter was fast asleep. She was breathing calmly and looked peaceful.

"I'm so glad you're alright, Erasa" Captain Hiru said happily as tears of joy streamed down his face.

In Dragon High, classes were over and the students began to walk home except for the scheming ones. They waited patiently for Reis to come out so that they could teach him a lesson. Soon, Reis came out with Kyla and Shin.

"There he is" Dossou whispered to Evil Eghan.

Evil Eghan cracked his knuckles and smiled evilly.

"I'm going wild!" he said with a hideous laugh.

"Sheesh, that damn Aurora is beginning to get on my nerves! I feel like punching her in the gut!" Kyla growled angrily.

"Darak doesn't seem to agree with her actions but he doesn't oppose her either" Shin deduced.

"Doesn't it bother you, Reis? You also never oppose her and you endure it silently" Kyla said.

"It does bother me but I try to think that Aurora's pain is greater than mine, yet something keeps telling me that it isn't so" Reis said sadly.

"Going somewhere Reis Dragonjerk?!" a rude voice suddenly interrupted them.

"Th-that voice…it's…" Kyla stammered fearfully.

"Evil Eghan!" Shin completed her sentence.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Reis asked.

"Yes, you can take the hits I'm about to give you like a sissy!" Evil Eghan said with a sinister grin.

"TCH! The expression on this guy's face is a hundred percent fight" Reis thought to himself. "Kyla, Shin, go home, I'll catch up to you later on" Reis said seriously.

"Are you sure you can handle this guy?" Shin asked.

Reis remained silent.

"Stupid question, you single-handedly defeated a Kaiser-wolf" Shin said with a smile.

Kyla was still shocked by Evil Eghan's sudden appearance.

"Kyla, let's go, Reis can handle this" Shin said.

Kyla nodded and they left. Reis watched them till they were past the gate.

"If it's a fight you're looking for, then I'm sorry to disappoint you but I can't give you one" Reis said seriously.

Aurora and the other plotters were watching from a distance.

"What a wimp, he's even afraid to fight Evil Eghan" Aurora mocked.

"It's understandable, I wouldn't like to go up against Evil Eghan if I were in his shoes" Dossou said.

Reis noticed them and everything suddenly made sense. Aurora was the one that had stirred up this confrontation. Reis was saddened but he maintained his composure.

"Are you afraid to fight me?" Evil Eghan asked.

"No, but when I took up my father's sword, I promised to follow in his way of the sword. Firstly, I would never fight anyone weaker than myself and secondly, I would only fight to protect my beliefs and those I love" Reis declared.

Aurora gasped as a memory filled her mind.

"Princess Aurora, today, I will teach you my way of the sword. Never fight anyone weaker than yourself and fight only to protect your beliefs and those you love. Do this and you will be an honourable Swordswoman" a man with silver hair and blue eyes said to her.

"I will, Sir Jinrai" a younger Aurora responded.

Aurora's mind returned to the present.

"Are you saying I'm weaker than you?!" Evil Eghan roared angrily.

"Your body may be strong but your heart is weak" Reis said calmly.

"You'll pay for that!" Evil Eghan roared as he charged towards Reis.

Darak watched the battle with the other conspirators.

"Who do you think will win Darak?" Cudjoe asked.

"Reis is obviously stronger than Evil Eghan but…" Darak paused as Evil Eghan landed the first blow to Reis' face!

"He got him!" everyone exclaimed.

"The pride of an honourable swordsman can never be broken, not even by violence" Darak declared.

Reis got hit again. He didn't even make an effort to avoid the blows. Another memory flashed in Aurora's mind. The man from her memories was protecting her from an evil swordsman.

"Aurora, the Ranger's Guild is just over that mountain. You'll be safe if you can make it there. Run as fast as you can!" the man ordered.

"Sir Jinrai, what about you?" Aurora asked.

"You can't help me, young Aurora but…" the man spoke but Aurora could not recall his words.

Aurora snapped back to reality.

"Why am I remembering Sir Jinrai now? Why is Reis reminding me of him?" Aurora wondered.

At that moment, a kick from Evil Eghan sent Reis sprawling to the ground. Evil Eghan was still as relentless as ever, he continued to kick Reis in the side.

"Darak…why is Reis letting himself get beat up like this?" Aurora asked.

"I don't understand it myself. He could choose not to fight but that doesn't mean he can't evade Evil Eghan's attacks" Darak said.

Evil Eghan continued to kick Reis. He paused for a while and removed Reis' father's sword.

"You are getting beat up just because of this foolish sword and your foolish swordsman pride?" Evil Eghan laughed as he threw Reis' father's sword away.

Then he prepared to kick Reis again.

"Oh no! This is getting out of hand. I don't think Reis can take much more! All this…because of my stupid plot? I've got to help him!" Aurora thought to herself.

Darak sensed her thoughts and stopped her.

"There is nothing you can do now but to watch" Darak cautioned her.

"But Reis…!" Aurora tried to protest but Darak shook his head stubbornly.

Evil Eghan attempted to kick Reis again but Reis caught his foot easily.

"I don't mind being beat up…BUT…if you dared to disrespect my father's sword…then…THERE'S NO WAY I'LL FORGIVE YOU!" Reis roared angrily as a new energy filled his eyes.

He tripped Evil Eghan and kicked him away before he could fall down sending Evil Eghan falling a distance away from him. He then stood up and walked to his father's sword. He picked it up and sheathed it.

"I may be a swordsman but…I'm also a human being and just like any human being, my patience has limits. However, you Evil Eghan, have just fallen over the precipice of that infinite pool called my patience!" Reis roared angrily.

"P-please…no more Reis…I give up" Evil Eghan pleaded.

The look in Reis' eyes scared him like never before.

"I see. So you are the type that can dish out pain but can't take some huh?! You know what?" Reis said with an evil smile.

His eyes seemed to be flaring.

"AAAHHH!!! HELP ME! HE'S GONNA KILL ME!!!" Evil Eghan screamed in terror.

"I honestly hate your type however…I will not lower myself to your level" Reis said as he spat on the ground and wiped his bleeding lip.

Then, he turned and walked away. He only managed to take five steps when the pain overwhelmed him and he collapsed to the ground. Aurora looked at Darak with pleading eyes. Darak nodded and she ran quickly to Reis' side.

"Reis, are you okay?" she asked.

"You got what you wanted. You should be happy" Reis said angrily as he stood up and walked away.

Aurora watched Reis as he struggled to walk home. She still didn't like Reis very much but there was something about his actions that made her feel guilty. Reis walked home, wounded. But strangely enough, every step he took made him feel more cheerful.

"I guess I landed myself in another double win situation. One, I defeated Evil Eghan without actually fighting and two…Aurora was worried about me" Reis said with an encouraging smile.

"I hope I wasn't too hard on her" Reis said worriedly.

Soon, he was outside the door of the Ayenhayze residence.

"I wonder what Shin and Kyla will say when they see me all beaten up" Reis sighed and knocked on the door.

"It's probably Reis coming back with another victory" Reis heard Shin say, and in the next instant, the door flew open.

Shin expected to see a cool looking Reis but boy was he surprised.

"R-Reis…why the hell do you look so beaten up?! You know I made a bet with Kyla that you'd win the fight! I bet two Novatian G's! Do you know how precious they are?!" Shin roared.

Kyla rushed to the door. "Pay up Shin!" she ordered.

Shin took out two Novatian Gs from his pocket and stared as them as though he was saying goodbye to his life.

Reis stared at them with a bored look on his face. "Hmmph! Some caring siblings you turned out to be!" he scoffed.

"You'd better have a good excuse for losing!" Shin roared.

"Hmmph! Nothing in particular. I just felt like losing for entirely selfish reasons" Reis said with a dastardly smile.

"Don't you dare tell me it's a phrase beginning with a 'd!'" Shin glared angrily at Reis.

"So what if it is?" Reis said nonchalantly.

"'So what if it is?!' You just cost me two freaking Novatian Gs! Do you know how much work I had to do to get them?! I had to clean Kyla's room! Do you know how much torture that is?! And you lost simply because of a thing called 'a double win situation!' That's not only wicked, but pathetic!" Shin scolded Reis.

"First of all Shin, you didn't clean my room, you only cleaned a shoe rack! And secondly, I don't understand what you mean by 'double win situation!" Kyla roared.

"Plus it's really pathetic that you cleaned a girl's room for only two Novatian Gs" Reis added.

"Shut up Reis! Kyla, I'll tell you what a double win situation is. It is an invented term in Reis' vocabulary for an entirely stupid thing boys like Reis do to impress girls. It is a ridiculously twisted two plot victory which involves stupidly getting hurt to impress a girl!" Shin roared.

"Shin, you're useless. That's what girls call romantic!" Kyla said bluntly.

"Then I say, girls are the weirdest creatures to ever walk this world!" Shin roared.

"Well, I think this time, I actually ended up being a jerk to Aurora" Reis said.

"Finally, you stood up to her" Kyla said with a satisfied smile.

"I guess…" Reis murmured. "But don't worry about my wounds, they heal pretty fast" Reis said.

He noticed the surprised expressions on Kyla and Shin's faces.

"Why are you guys staring at me like that?" he asked.

"Your wounds have healed already" Kyla said in amazement.

"So why were you really late for class? You took so long that Mistress Kira nearly fried her brains in anger" Shin asked.

At that moment, Master Jin walked in with a very grim look on his face.

"Master Jin! You're home!" Kyla exclaimed happily.

"Uh…is something wrong?" Shin asked worriedly.

"Something really bad has happened. You know Erasa Senshiiro, the daughter of Captain Hiru? She was brought to the village almost dead. Her dragon ring cracked" Master Jin said seriously.

"Don't tell me she's…?!" Shin exclaimed worriedly.

"She is still alive. It's strange but she miraculously survived" Master Jin said with a reassuring smile.

"That girl was Captain Hiru's daughter?" Reis murmured in surprise.

"Did you say something Reis?" Kyla asked.

"N-na-na-nuh-uh!" Reis shook his head.

"Then why are you so nervous?" Kyla asked with a suspicious look on her face.

"Y-you don't suspect I had anything to do with this, do you? Look…the girl was on a mission in who-knows-where?! Do you actually think I could hurt her or somehow through some unknown means save her?" Reis defended himself strongly.

"I guess not" Kyla said after scrutinizing Reis' face for a while.

"If you teens are done arguing, let's go see how Erasa's doing" Master Jin said.

"Yeah, let's go now!" Shin said with a determined look on his face.

"I honestly don't get why Shin's showing off so much spirit after calling girls weird creatures" Reis said.

"Just drop it! I already lost two Novatian Gs because of you!" Shin growled threateningly.

It didn't take them long to reach the hospital.

"Jeez, we're here so soon? I don't get why…" Reis stopped himself from saying more and eventually giving himself away.

"You don't get what?" Kyla asked suspiciously.

"Aiieee! Kyla's giving Reis the evil eye!" Shin said in fright.

"Hmmph! Two can play that game!" Reis said as he gave Kyla an evil glare in return.

"Aiieee! It's an evil eye lollapalooza!" Shin said with a scared look on his face.

"Okay, I guess you're clean Reis" Kyla said.

"Defeated her…like always" Reis thought with a mischievous sparkle in his eye.

Master Jin led them into the hospital. They climbed a flight of stairs and saw Captain Hiru talking to Mistress Kira. Aurora and Darak were there as well. Master Jin walked to Captain Hiru and they began to talk.

"So do you have any idea how she survived?" Master Jin asked.

"She keeps talking of a Guardian Angel who glowed with a strong, yet soft green light, and had a dragon-shaped scar on his shoulder" Captain Hiru said.

"Did she see the face of this…Guardian Angel?" Master Jin asked.

"No, the light hid his face but she says, his piercing eyes will remain in her heart for eternity and his eyes were as green as the light surrounding him" Captain Hiru said.

"Hmm, it seems your daughter has fallen in love with this so-called Guardian Angel" Mistress Kira teased.

"F-Falla-Fallo-Fallen in love? Now that's too much" Reis stammered nervously.

"I smell a rat named…uh-um…Rhys Drakanheart" Shin teased.

"What'cha talking about?!" Reis defended himself.

"Exactly, Reis may have green eyes but he has no Dragon powers to pull off a stunt like that" Aurora said arrogantly.

"She's already back to her usual snobbishness" Reis laughed nervously.

"You're right about that but he's got his secret art, am I right Reis?" Kyla asked with a smile.

"Hey, are you guys trying to blow my cover or something?!" Reis whispered harshly.

"Sorry about that. We just got a little carried away" Kyla apologized.

"Sorry for keeping you kids waiting. You can see Erasa now" Captain Hiru said.

"Thanks" Kyla said as she opened the door and walked in.

Aurora followed her, then Darak, Shin and Reis. Erasa was sleeping peacefully.

"She looks so peaceful now. It makes me feel happy" Reis said with a faraway smile.

Shin nudged him on the shoulder.

"Don't tell me you're changing your sights from Aurora to Erasa" Shin whispered with a sarcastic look on his face.

"Stop getting strange ideas!" Reis yelled angrily.

"Ssshhh!!!" the others silenced him.

Erasa began to stir, then she opened her eyes.

She had light brown eyes that went well with her dark brown hair.

"Hi there Erasa" Kyla greeted.

"You all came here to see me?" Erasa said excitedly.

Reis hid behind Shin and Darak. He didn't want Erasa to recognize him.

"Did a Guardian Angel really save your life Erasa?" Aurora asked, a little intrigued by the subject.

"Yes, you should have seen him. He was so handsome with the most beautiful piercing green eyes I've ever seen" Erasa said with a very loving look on her face.

Reis bent down a little so that he was totally concealed.

Erasa noticed his hands around Shin and Darak's necks.

"And who is that behind Darak and Shin?" Erasa asked with a laugh.

"Darak and Shin stepped aside and Reis was exposed squatting halfway.

He quickly shut his eyes to prevent Erasa from recognizing him.

"He is a weird one, isn't he?" Erasa said with a giggle.

"He is just a Saggesian jerk" Aurora muttered angrily.

"Sheesh, Aurora's attitude hasn't changed one bit since this afternoon" Reis said sadly.

He didn't notice that he had opened his eyes.

"Tell us more about this Guardian Angel" Aurora asked.

"I didn't see much except that he had a dragon-shaped scar on his right shoulder" Erasa said with a sad sigh.

"I wonder if I will ever see him again. He…He saved my life and I never even got the chance to thank him" Erasa said with a sad look on her face.

"Erasa, since he is your Guardian Angel, he's close to you right? So if you say thanks to the wind, I'm sure he will hear you" Reis said.

"You really think so?" Erasa asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"I know so" Reis said with a certain smile.

"Thank you…uh…what's your name?" Erasa asked politely.

"I'm Reis Dragonhaart" Reis introduced himself.

"Thank you Reis Dragonhaart" Erasa said with a grateful smile.

"Well, we will let you get some rest Erasa" Kyla said thoughtfully.

"I'll see you in school tomorrow" Erasa said.

"Don't stress yourself Erasa. You need some rest" Aurora said.

"I'm strong enough. I will even be discharged today, so see you tomorrow" Erasa insisted.

"Fine then, tomorrow" Darak said coolly.

That night, in the bedroom, Shin once again questioned Reis about Erasa's miraculous recovery and Reis succumbed to Shin's questions.

"But don't tell anyone, not even Erasa" Reis pleaded with Shin to keep the secret.

"I don't get you at all. Erasa owes you her life and you don't even want a simple thank you?" Shin argued.

"It's not that. What I don't want is the attention and endless gratitude everyone will give me" Reis said.

"Goodnight Reis" Shin said as he covered himself with his blanket.

"Goodnight Shin" Reis said as he dozed into a deep slumber.