Role

Chapter 2

It did not. The two of them continued to be close as they grew older,
but while his aura remained unchanged hers grew even more radiant.
Strangely, though, both of them seemed to idolize the Fortress of Light
and its Holy Brigade of the Phoenix. Maybe it was the Imperial threat
that always loomed to the north? Maybe he was just following her lead?

In any case, the two of them would soon be too old to remain at the
orphanage and he had to figure out what to do with them. Since they had
both expressed an interest in enlisting, he wrote to an old friend of
his in Voralian City. Kavan had been in the Brigade his two young
wards sought. He seemed uniquely suited to training them, and,
hopefully, to putting the boy on a better path.

They were both naturals and took to the martial arts with great gusto.
As the only two felar in the orphanage Ahinu and Ashana had always been
very close, but even as children they often found themselves in
competition. Training in the same dojo dialed this up to a whole other
level. Whereas in the orphanage it was just children's games, under
Kavan they would spar with each other directly.

To Ahinu's great shame Ashana almost always got the best of him. From
her perspective their competition was entirely good natured, but to him
every defeat stung like lashes across his back. As they grew into young
adults and advanced in their training, Ahinu found himself regarding his
oldest friend with an odd mixture of affection and resentment.

She was his only link to his past and one person he had known longer
than any other, but she was also the one opponent he could never beat.
This ate at him. He never let it show, though. If there was one area
where he excelled far beyond Ashana it was in masking his emotions and
hiding his thoughts. In this, at least, he was without equal.

Their rivalry would not continue much longer, though, as the day had
finally arrived for them to pledge themselves to the Fortress.