The Other Side/Rise Of The Crow

Ugh, what happened? Oh yeah, I lost… After all of that, I ended up losing anyway.

"Wake up sleepy head!" Kira says as she shakes me awake.

I open my eyes and notice that we're back at the hideout in Rose District.

"How did I get here?" I ask as Kira is chugging down on a drink.

"Jack and the others brought you here. Even after Celine healed you, you weren't waking up. We decided it was best to call it quits for the day and let you get some rest." Kira says, as she leans back casually in her chair.

"Where did they go?" I ask, as I slowly sit up in my bed.

"Mari and Layla went to the market to get us food for supper, while Sachi and Jack stayed at the school for some extra training." Kira says.

"I see." I reply.

"Are you okay? You really put your heart out during that battle, you and Mari." Kira says.

"I'm fine, if anything that battle helped me get back on track. I've felt lost for the longest time Kira, I felt like I was a fraud. Just a dumb kid who would be stuck in the slums forever, but that self-loathing led to me never giving myself credit." I say as Kira looks at me attentively.

"Your past life was rough, wasn't it? I didn't wanna invade your privacy, but that look in your eyes is one I know all too well. You've felt lonely for a long time haven't you?" Kira says, as she walks over to my bed and rubs my hair.

"Yeah… I was an orphan in my past life. Up until I got here, every day was just about surviving into the next one. Granted, it was my choice! I could've lived an easy life, just like Urmac! I could've been rich for the rest of my life, but then one fateful day when my foster parents showed their true colors, I no longer wanted to have anything to do with a life like that." I say as I start tearing up.

"It's okay. It's not your fault Crow, some people don't deserve to have children. You don't have to take that burden on your own anymore! I'll take on your pain with you, okay?" Kira says as we hug each other.

"Okay!" I say as I wipe my tears away.

"Time for supper!" Mari yells as she and Layla come into the hideout with bags of food.

"Mari slow down. Let me show you how to cook all of this properly!" Layla says as Mari lays all of the food down on the table.

"Ah, all of this looks so delicious! We're eating good tonight!" Mari says, her voice full of excitement.

"She's totally not listening to me… " Layla says, as she lets out a huge sigh.

"Crow! You're finally awake! You good?" Mari says as she walks over to my bed.

"Haha yeah, just needed a little nap. Are you feeling okay?" I ask, she flicks me on the head.

"Of course I'm okay! We're about to eat some good food!" Mari says, her voice full of cheer.

"That's right, our appetite as Frodians far exceeds humans. All of you need to eat well if you want to grow strong!" Kira says as she sits at the table.

"Alright Mari, if you wanna learn how to do this come on!" Layla commands as she motions Mari over.

"Coming!" Mari says with a warm smile on her fast.

"Well, it's certainly loud in here! What did I miss out on?" Jack says as he and Sachi walk into the hideout with their uniforms covered in dirt and grime.

"Crow! You're okay!" Sachi says as she runs over to me.

"He'd have to do better than that to take me out!" I say as I laugh.

"You almost had him too! The shadow attack of his is something else though." Jack says as he sits down at the dinner table.

For the next couple of hours, we all sit at the table bantering and enjoying each other's company while Layla and Mari finish making dinner.

"Supper is served!" Layla says as she and Mari hand us plates of delicious-looking food.

"Tell me how it tastes Kira!" Mari says as she waits in anticipation.

"Yuck! Layla, what are you teaching her?" Kira says as she puts down her spoon.

"Umm, I taught her how I do it?" Layla says nervously.

"Aww, I'm so sorry. I'll try to better next time!" Mari says, her voice full of disappointment.

"Also there's another thing!" Kira says.

"What is it?" Mari asks.

"I'm totally messing with you guys the food tastes great!" Kira says as all of us groan.

"Ugh, Kira! You almost made me think I lost my touch!" Layla says, her voice full of relief.

"Thank Adora! I was a really good cook in my past life, so I would've been really mad if I couldn't do it here!" Mari says, as she and Layla finally sit down.

"Seriously though, this is delicious!" Jack says as he devours his food.

"I agree, you guys did a good job! This hits the spot." I say as the delicious food is already quenching my hunger.

"Feels almost like my mom's cooking… " Sachi says, her voice full of nostalgia.

We all finish the well-prepared mood as it's obvious all of us are full now.

"I can't eat another bite… " Jack says, as he lays his head on the table.

"Me neither… " I say, as I drink some water.

"Glad you kids are all full! Now, let's talk about your battles from today." Kira says, as her tone turns more serious.

"Uh oh, another lecture incoming." Jack says as he lifts his head up.

"Overall, all of you did pretty well. To be honest, I'm actually proud of all of you for challenging some of the best at the academy! But with that being said there's a huge amount of room for improvement for every single one of you." Kira says as she puts her drink down.

Everyone gets quiet and looks attentively at Kira.

"First, Sachi! Out of everyone's performances, you were the most prepared. However, your problem was your overreliance on your Taqa rather than paying attention to your enemy's weaknesses. If you would've paid more attention you would've realized that Alida's biggest weakness was her speed. You were much faster than her at firing off your bow, but her spells were more methodical and effective." Kira says as Sachi nods her head.

"Understood, I'll be sure to keep that in mind moving forward." Sachi replies.

"Next is Jack! Your strength is literally your biggest strength. But your problem is you're way too reckless in battle! You broke your sword because you weren't thinking and just hoping that you could bully your way into a win. After you figured out his body was wrapped in armor you should've realized that it weighed him down and made him slower." Kira says bluntly.

"Ugh, your right." Jack says, his voice full of frustration.

"You put up a good fight until the very end, but his experience overwhelmed you. Your biggest area in need of improvement is to think thoroughly in the middle of battle." Kira says.

"Got it, I won't disappoint you." Jack says as he seems to be taking the criticism well.

"Mari! Your quick thinking on the fly is your biggest strength. It's a gift and you need to learn how to use it to the best of your ability if you hope to become a formidable warrior. However, your problem is your lack of following through. Verrona's biggest weakness is her very straightforward style, you could've used that against her and kept her on the defensive the whole match. But ultimately that battle became a war of attrition. Where instead of attacking her you were just trying to stop her attacks." Kira says as it's clear she paid close attention to this battle.

"Your right, I was trying so hard to show her I could fight back, that actually forgot to fight back." Mari says, as she's processing the criticism.

"Lastly, Crow. Your biggest strength is your durability and that's very rare for a Scavian to have. Our race is known for quick and concise battles, but you were able to extend that battle far beyond my expectations. Your reflexes are another strength, but in the case of this battle, you relied far too much on them rather than trying to find a better way to counter his teleportation technique. You almost beat Urmac, but it still wasn't enough. You have to use your cynicism to the best of your ability, use your god-given observational skills, and stay fluid like water during battle. Don't be stiff, learn to always change your strategy based on the situation." Kira says, as everything she's saying is very true.

"You're right about everything, living on the streets for this long has given me some bad habits." I say as Kira smiles lightly.

"Good, I'm glad you all aren't spoiled brats who can't take criticism. The last thing I wanna talk about before you head to bed is your special abilities. Layla vaguely told me about Sachi's last week, but I had no clue that all of you had some too! Starting this weekend, I'll be training you on your off days. Those special abilities of yours could be the key to all of you being dangerous in battle, we can't afford not to hone in on them." Kira says.

"Yes, Master Kira!" We all say in unison.

"Good, now all of try to get some rest. I have a little unfinished business to deal with back at the academy. Layla make sure none of them sneak out, I'll get crap for it if they do on a school night." Kira says, as she leaves the room.

"Of course!" Layla says.

"Sheesh, it's almost like she doesn't trust us." Jack says, his voice full of annoyance.

"Shut up Jack, you don't even know what you're talking about!" Layla says, her voice full of anger.

"Don't take it that way, she's only saying things like that way because she cares about us." Mari says confidently.

"Yeah, Kira hasn't lead us wrong yet. Her willingness to take care of us already proved that for me." Sachi says as she hops into her bed.

"Fair enough." Jack says as he falls into his bed.

"She's already been there for me way more than my own parents were, I don't doubt her sincerity." I say, as Jack looks embarassed.

"ALRIGHT! I get it, my bad." Jack says, as puts his head into his pillow.

"In any case, let's try to get some rest. I'll try to help you guys catch up on learning Frodian so that way you can pass your classes and get some extra training in. This is gonna be a tough week, but I'll help you guys every step of the way!" Layla says, as she starts cleaning up our plates.

I have a long way to go before I can really be strong in this world, but it doesn't matter. As long as improve over time that's more than enough for me.. My life span has been extended to thousands of years, I might as well take my time and don't rush things. Life sure is different of The Other Side…