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Both Viola and Kurama descended down the steps from Blue's tower. Viola was still staring down at the crystal in her sword. Kurama spoke to break the silence.
"Well, I guess congratulations are in order."
Viola didn't look up from her crystal.
"For what? I didn't do anything."
"True, but you have a unique power. Both a passive and an active one. Too bad we couldn't find out more about it though."
Viola nodded. Before they could get any more out of Blue, he had said that Mordokai had called him and then vanished into thin air.
It feels weird though, being unique like this. Normally it's someone else that has the spotlight. Now I find myself somewhere within the top three."
"Well, you should enjoy it. I wish mine had two abilities."
Viola finally looked up from her crystal to look at Kurama.
"But don't you have a passive ability? You can produce a frigid aura around your sword when you have your crystal in it, right?"
Kurama shook his head.
"The truth is, I'm actually concentrating on producing that aura. It just makes it a lot easier to maintain when the crystal is in my sword."
Viola looked back down at her sword.
"So, I can sense sound around me like... what did Blue call it before he disappeared?"
"I think he said 'Sonar'. I wished he could have told us what that meant at least."
Viola nodded.
"Yeah. Anyways, I can sense sound and also produce high frequency sound that can disable a person by exchanging blows."
"That we know of. I don't think the sound is just limited to your sword. Sound doesn't work that way."
Viola chuckled weakly, putting her hand to her face.
"Of course. I have to have another ability, right? Be better then everyone else even more."
Kurama shrugged at her.
"You say that like it's bad thing."
"Sorry. Like I said, I'm not use to having so much spotlight on me."
"Yeah, alright. So what should we do to get your mind off it?"
"Maybe go tell Penny about it. We're all technically in a group together."
*************
But if either of them thought that Penny wouldn't make a big deal of it, they were sadly mistaken. Penny unexpectedly jumped onto Viola and was yelling happily about how Viola was 'Unique'. Viola only just barely managed to get Penny off of her.
"This is so great! We'll be the best team around! No one will ever be able to stand up to us!"
Penny continued on ranting that way until Viola was starting to get a headache. She saw Kurama roll his eyes. Fortunately, someone called out to them.
"Hey! Viola!"
They turned to see that it was Lix calling out to them. She hurried over to greet them.
"Hey there, Viola. I've just been sent by Mordokai to come and get you."
Viola looked at Kurama and Penny confused. They looked back at her with equal confusion.
"Uh... Why?"
Lix shrugged.
"I don't know. He said it was important though."
Penny spoke out suddenly.
"Viola didn't do anything wrong, did she?"
Lix shook her head.
"No... I don't think so. Just go and see him."
Viola turned back to Kurama and Penny.
"Well, see you at dinner then."
Kurama waved a hand at her departure.
"Okay. Good luck."
*************
Viola paused outside the double doors of Mordokai's office. She took a steadying breath before softly pushing the doors open. Mordokai was at his desk, waiting for her.
"Ah, Viola! Please come in."
Viola stepped inside and allowed the door to close behind her.
"You... wanted to see me?"
Mordokai nodded.
"Yes I did. Please, have a seat."
Viola nervously sat down into a chair in front of Mordokai's desk.
"So, what's this about?"
"Well I have a question for you. Have you ever met your parents?"
Viola blinked in surprise. She had always grown up in an orphanage. They didn't tell her anything about her parents. She didn't even know their names. She shook her head no.
"Sorry, no. I don't know anything about them."
Mordokai frowned, though it seemed to be at something that was troubling him.
"I see. Yet you have an active and a passive ability."
Viola nodded.
"Yes. But... how do you know?"
"Blue told me. I called him to check the status of the antidote mix and he mentioned that you had two abilities. He's making great progress on the antidote by the way, but it isn't finished yet."
Viola nodded.
"But what does having two abilities have to do with me knowing my parents or not?"
Mordokai leaned back into his chair, pondering a bit.
"I trust Blue told you that the only other people to have two abilities are me and Grim. Is that correct?"
Viola nodded.
"Well, it's because both Grim and I both knew our parents before they died."
"Your... parents died?"
"Viola, every paladin here has been orphaned at one age or another. Its another one of those things that makes us all alike."
Viola's mouth dropped open at this.
"Everyone?"
"Everyone."
"Even Kurama?... And Penny?"
Mordokai nodded.
"Yes, everyone. And out of all of them, only Grim and I have actually spoken to our parents and remember them."
"What happened to your parents? Er... I mean... sorry. That was rude of me."
Mordokai waved her apology aside.
"Think nothing of it. I lost my parents to a great plague that was sweeping the land. I caught the same plague to, but was cured by a wonderful person."
Viola lowered her head.
"I'm sorry."
"It happened a long time ago. So no need to dwell on it."
Viola nodded, but then looked up at him
"Who was it who cured you?"
Mordokai smiled
"Blue. That was how we met."
Viola raised her eyebrows with surprise.
"Anyways, Grim's past however was a little more tragic."
Viola leaned in closer.
"Grim grew up on an outskirts village that often got attacked by raiding tribes from the forest nearby. He grew up learning how to defend himself from day one. Both his mother and father were well trained militia against the raiders. However, one day a raiding group larger than normal attacked. His dad was slain by sheer numbers while his mother barricaded both them into their house."
Viola could see everything happen in her mind's eye.
"The raiders managed to get through the blockade. His mother managed to slay all but one of them. The last one managed to get a lethal blow in and caused her to collapse. Grim jumped out and killed the remaining raider with one of their kitchen knives."
Mordokai took a breath and continued.
"Grim didn't know that the wound was absolutely fatal. Technically, she was dead almost instantly. However, he preformed chest compressions on her anyways. He manage to force some blood into her brain. What happened was the brain responded to the last thing it was trying to do and that was holding off the bandit. So his own mother had slashed him deeply across the chest with the knife in her hand as he was trying to save her. He still has the scar where his mother had cut him."
Viola was quite still, horrified that anything like that had happened. Mordokai continued.
"I had arrived just a moment later to see him curled up on the wall. I had taken him here and helped train him as a paladin personally. Grim and I were so much alike, so I had taken him under my wing. As you know, my ability has to do with light. His however, has to do with darkness. He can manipulate it and even turn it solid at will, just like me and my ability to manipulate light. He was a really good student, but his sudden disappearance has me worried."
"So you still haven't found him?"
Mordokai shook his head.
"No. We haven't. I think his past is what caused him to leave. That deep down, he thought that the people closest to you would be the ones to betray and harm you like that."
Viola was thinking this over.
"What everyone says about him was that he likes to show off and claim he's the best at everything."
Mordokai chuckles.
"Yeah, he can be a bit arrogant at times. Anyways, I'll send Nil out to search for him again once he gets back, which should be by late tomorrow."
He looks at Viola for a moment.
"Anyways, you should head down for dinner. And make sure you're well rested for tomorrow as well. The rumor about you having two abilities will certainly spread. So everyone will be watching you closely."
Viola sighed and nodded. That was one of the reasons she didn't like being in the spotlight.
Re: Paladin Academy: A Playground Inspired Story
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