Counterpart

Chapter Three

Rin hiked upstairs on shaking legs, only to find his mother sitting on his bed. Her knees were bumping against his drawers as she flung them open, spilling out his clothes beside her. "Go on, pick whatever you wish to bring along."

"Mom-"

"If you don't want to be part of this community, then fine. Go on your little adventure." She got up to leave before Rin blocked her way. "Don't you want me to help Avelyn?!"

"That man was lying to you, Rin! They're nicknamed 'walking corpses' for a reason, your sister is gone!"

"There's still a chance. And like he said, I'll only be attracting more akuma here if I stay!" Maia wiped her eyes as she pushed past him. "I'll get you your father's old backpack to bring with. Looks like you're growing up to be just like him."

The stairs creaked as Rin wondered whether this would be the last time he ever walks down them. Even if I do survive all the training and battles...I'll never be the same. Maia was sitting by Avelyn's bed, her head heavy on her shoulders. Even if this is the last time he's here, that wouldn't be entirely for the worse. Now that his sister is gone, and half the people here now think of Rin as a threat...what little may have been left for Rin in this town feels to have disappeared entirely.

Rin took a deep breath before pacing up to his mother. "...I should go soon."

Maia grabbed his shoulders before standing up to bring him into a hug. "If this really is what you wish to do, then I wish you good luck on your journey. And don't forget I'll always love you."

"I love you too." They let go of each other after a few moments. Maia was still wiping tears from her eyes as Rin waved goodbye, stepping out into the night.

A breeze sent shivers up his spine, prompting him to button up his jacket. It was fairly thin; the once vibrant red color it bore has long since dulled, but it was the best thing Rin could think of for a journey of this magnitude. He could make out a face or two peeking out from behind their windows before swiftly pulling away. Despite the town's constant smell of fish, and mud sticking to his boots with every step, he really did start resent having to leave. To think all these small details-even annoyances-could very well be gone from his life for good. Come on. Rin threw his hood up over his head. I haven't even left Bakshir yet. I can't let my resolve slip away just like that.

It wasn't hard to find the boat Magnus was talking about. It rivaled the size of their biggest fishing boats, and relied on massive sails for propulsion. Magnus was on board, preparing the sails along with a much larger man.

Rin stood at the edge of the dock for a moment before finally stepping in to the swaying boat. The man gave a grimace as he glanced down at Rin's muddy boots.

"Just in time, Rin!" Magnus pulled on one of the hanging ropes, spreading out one of the massive white sails. "This here is Brutus: the most reliable ferryman you can find that won't charge a fortune every trip." The man just grunted in response as he hobbled back to the rudder. Magnus sat by the edge of the ship, where Rin sat across from him.

The boat was slow to move at first. But sure enough, the sails stretched from a decent gust of wind, forcing the craft into motion. "How long will this trip take?"

"Depends what the wind's like tonight." The two glanced at Brutus.

"...Should be there by morning."

They sat in silence as Magnus reached inside an oil lamp. The flame flickered to life a moment later. "I understand these changes have uprooted your life for the worse; none of them were exactly predictable, either. Why don't we go over some details?"

"Alright." Rin leaned in. "So, I'll be training to use labia with you?"

"Not just with me. Given that everything goes according to plan, you'll be learning alongside some of the most skilled students of your age. And you won't just be training with labia, either."

A surge of excitement flickered through Rin. "I'll be going to..."

Magnus grinned. "Karlysia. That's an institution I'd have dreamed of going to when I was your age."

It was something his sister could have managed, had she really put all her time and effort into practicing. "I don't know if I'm good enough for a place like that."

Magnus laughed. "Not by a long shot. But given your potential, we can't stick with anything less than the best." The weight of his words finally started to settle on Rin. What if I can't adapt? Will I be kicked out? "One more thing I should mention: I can tell you're not corrupted, that much is obvious. But you use aibal. We've yet to see how everyone else will react to this."

Damn. "Worst case scenario?"

Magnus kept his eyes on the ground. "...They may consider you an enemy of the nation." The night grew dead silent as Rin tried to process his words. Of course those higher up will. Even the very town he grew up in was split on whether he was even human. "But that won't happen. At least not when we show them you're clearly not corrupted."

Rin sighed. Those within the government may not be too accepting of him, given that his own sister turned just days before he'll be trying to convince them he's not siding with the akuma. "And Avelyn...you said there's a chance I could help her?"

After a moment of silence, he glanced at Brutus. The man just stared back with an unreadable expression. "...There is no way to know for sure until you get a full grasp of your powers. For now, we have reason to be cautiously optimistic."

"So you believe I will find a way?"

"I do. We don't know much of those corrupted, after all." Brutus grumbled at Magnus' response. "That being said," The soldier jumped to his feet. "That gives us all the more reason to begin training."

Brutus quickly raised his hand to them. "Not on my ship you aren't."

"It's alright, we're not at magic yet." Good, Rin thought. Wielding either labia or aibal can be very volatile, especially for the first time. Magnus unsheathed his blade as he ruffled through a bag for a second. "How much do you know about sword fighting?"

Rin gulped. "What?" Magnus threw the sword into his hands. "W-well, there were a couple other people my age back at the village. We practiced every now and then."

"Nice. Let's see how much you've learned." Magnus rose his sword to Rin's. "Ready?"

Rin immediately stepped up as he aimed his sword at the soldier. In one swift motion, Rin's blade was pushed to the side as Magnus lunged forward, nearly cutting his throat before stopping.

"...You didn't practice too intensely, I take it?" Magnus smiled.

"Apparently not." They both lowered their swords. "I always thought I was good compared to the others."

"It shouldn't matter too much, anyways. You'll be fighting beasts most of the time, very rarely other people." Magnus chuckled. "Hell, that's why you see so many of us walking around with ridiculous weapons. As long as you can fight off animals, you'll be fine."

"Good." Rin handed back the sword. Even with so little skill, it felt nice to hold a weapon like that.

Magnus yawned. "You should do your best to get some sleep; we prepared an extra cot for you."

Rin crawled into the bed, pulling up the thin covers as he prayed his own body heat would be enough to keep himself warm for the night. The mattress was stiff, but it was clear the day's exhaustion would win over his discomfort. He drifted to sleep at the sound of waves sloshing against their boat's hull.