Value of Trust

"Damn, You're good Clyde." He said as he continued to grip the sword that was in the ground.

"Do not try to fight back from here Rein. It is over."

The announcer got up to announce the end of the match, with Clyde's victory but was stopped by the principal before they could. Clyde confused as to why the match hasn't ended, dropped his guard for a split second. Suddenly, a piece of metal sprung out of the ground under Clyde's tachi, colliding with it with immense power, swatting it out of Clyde's hand, making it land a ways away. The Crowd went wild at the sight of this reversal, as Clyde was now the one who was staring directly into Rein's swords.

Wallace, who had somewhat calmed down and was released from the guard's restraints, burst out into a fit of rage once again.

"Impossible! Metal too?! There hasn't been one since—, hey! Let go of me!" He exclaimed as he once again began to resist the guards.

Being unarmed and cornered, Clyde smiled and lifted both his hands up, indicating his surrender.

Rein put away his blades, followed by Clyde after he picked his up.

"And the winner is contestant eight! What a riveting fight! It really had me at the edge of my seat! And with that, the second round is now concluded. Make sure to come tomorrow to see contestants two and four battle it out for the fifth spot, and more importantly, contestants three and eight battle it out for the luxury room! There will be no third-place match, as contestant number one has already informed us to give it to the loser of this match."

"Once again, you have shattered my expectations Sir Rein. I never expected you to be able to also control metal. You planned this from the start, getting us to use unsheathed swords and creating soft spots in the ground where your sword could naturally go in. You used that to bypass my Spring, and I fell right into the palms of your hands. Truly remarkable." He gave Rein high praise, in a tone of true admiration.

"Drop the 'Sir' thing already, just call me Rein." He laughed.

"Though still… How did you use two different powers? The people in the crowd most likely didn't notice since I could only see the illusions… You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But to be frank, I'm quite curious," asked Clyde. Rein fell silent, then sighed out of his chest. He waved his hand to get Clyde to bring his head in closer. He placed his hand on Clyde's forehead and uttered the name.

"Versys."

Suddenly, Clyde's eyes widened and his pupils dilated. He felt a huge rush of adrenaline wash over him, and not a moment later, he was back to normal.

"You get it now? I don't really want to say it out loud."

"Yes… I figured that was your Spring... Except, that guy in your head was incredibly irritating. Do you have to deal with him constantly?"

"Oh, Versys is uhhh… a bit special. I have your word that you won't tell anybody? Can't have others finding out about my unique Spring," Rein asked, wanting to assure Clyde to secrecy.

"Of course. I am sworn to secrecy, I place that upon my honor as a Seeking Blade practitioner, Si—… no, Rein."

They exited through the west gate, and waiting outside for them was Chloe, with the two girls sitting on a bench about 3 meters away.

"Rein." She looked him directly in the eyes. Her golden hair flowing out from her hood, slightly obscuring her vision.

"You told me… That your Spring was storing things in an alternate space… Was that also a lie?" She didn't avert her eyes off of him. She continued looking at him dead in the eyes, her cold gaze piercing deep into his conscience. He stayed silent, turned around, and began to walk away. She ran up to him, grabbed him by the shoulder, and slapped him across the face.

"Stop ignoring me!" She cried. "Why was that your Spring?! Tell me?! Why did you have that Spring?!" She said holding Rein by the wrist, glistening tears beginning to flow from her large purple eyes. Rein took his other hand and placed it on the top of her head. He kept it there for a bit before he spoke.

"You're not gonna take my hand off? I could pull your hood down any time I want."

"..." She didn't say anything. The spectators, Clyde, Emria, and Saphrilla all watched silently.

"So you're saying you wouldn't mind if I pulled it down?" He asked her in a serious tone.

"... Do whatever you want. I at least trust you enough to let you keep your hand there." She looked back up at him, seeing a face etched with shock, which then turned into pain. He leaned in and whispered something to her, then removed his hand and walked away, followed by Clyde. He gave a glance to Emria and Saphrilla, who responded with a stern nod. Chloe felt the warmth on the top of her head fade away, as Emria and Saphrilla came to comfort her.

"Let's go eat something, Chloe! You got your round winnings, right! I demand to be served Hasbin trout for dinner!" Exclaimed Emria jokingly.

"Indeed. Oh, it would appear that I'm craving Stogue cattle Ice Cream. Whatever shall I do?" Followed Saphrilla, who was also trying her hardest to cheer Chloe up. Chloe giggled to herself and dried her tears. She glanced in the direction that Rein walked away in and then turned around to walk with the girls.

"It's gonna be okay Chloe. Really, everything always turns out fine," Emria proclaimed while they walked to the restaurant

"Indeed. Rein is what you might call a 'miracle worker'," Saphrilla followed up Emria's remark. Chloe chuckled.

"I'm not so sure about miracles, but he's definitely full of surprises. But, I've made my mind up now," Declared Chloe, looking up at the dimming lights of the cave rocks with a smile on her face.

"Made your mind up about what?" The two girls looked at her, confused.

"That's a secret!"

The girls pouted, and Emria continued to nag her to tell them until she was calmed down by the also curious Saphrilla.

*********************************************************************************************************

*6 hours later*

"I've arrived, master. The enemies have begun making preparations to make their moves." A tall, black-haired woman appeared on the roof of a building in the city under the Hasbin Gulf, bowing down while she addressed someone.

"Already? Well then, get units in disguise and place them all around the hospital. I want twenty-four-hour surveillance at all times. If you see any suspicious individuals, report to me immediately. Do not try and stop them." Said a short, blue-haired man.

"Understood." The woman disappeared into the shadows, leaving the man alone atop the roof. He wallowed in his own thoughts, as he stared into the dimly lit glow stones of the cavern. He took out a cigar, lit it, and began to smoke. He puffed out a large smoke, then tapped his cigar, releasing the dead bits that hang on the edge.

"The rest is up to you, Rein Alister."