The Endless Hourglass

Chapter One

The rising sun reflected off of silver armor, sending small beams of light around the city streets. The sound of chatter quickly ceased once the tap of the Holy Knight's boots against the stone could be heard. People stepped out of the way to watch in both curiosity and fear. This was one of the strongest Knights Britannia has ever known and yet, the girl didn't even appear to be in her twenties. Her blonde hair fell gracefully around her, ending at her waist. But one look into her emerald eyes and it all made sense. There was no light residing in them. As if the girl was simply a ghost of the person she once was, not that anyone had ever met that version of the girl.

She continued walking, not sparing anyone in the gathered audience a glance. She had grown accustomed to the stares and comments. They would judge no matter what came from her mouth. Not only was she a woman in a "man's job", but she also outranked countless people of the opposite sex. People were going to talk about how it was possible, and the comments weren't always positive. Once she was away from the countless shocked faces and hushed whispers, it felt like she could breathe again. Like she wasn't a walking exhibit everyone wanted to see really existed.

Now, she stood in a mostly empty field, the only exception being the four younger Holy Knights she had agreed to train. After living in Liones for six years, the girl could say she watched them all grow up, and she deeply cared for each of them, even if she didn't always say it.

"Shall we get started?" The girl asked while the others scrambled to their feet from their spots on the ground. "Who's up first?" The pink-haired man cracked his knuckles and took a few steps forward.

"I think that would be me. And I'm going to win this time, Pandora."

"I'm sure you will Gil, I'm sure you will." She said in a mocking tone with a smile on her face. She held great joy in the fact that she could say they had become friends over the years. Even so, there was absolutely no way she was going to let him win. She effortlessly pulled her sword for the sheath, the large emerald in the handle sparkling in the sunlight. "Let's just practice sword fighting today. Try and keep your magic in check."

"Oh come on! I've been practicing Thunderbolt and I've gotten pretty good at it!"

"Perfect, more of a reason to focus on the things that need a little bit more work." Pandora swung her sword in a circular motion.

"When can we move on from sword fighting?" Gilthunder asked, walking into the small ring in the field.

"When you can beat me." Without another word, their blades clashed. Pandora had attempted an attack, but Gilthunder quickly parried it. The girl's blonde hair flew around her while she fought, but she didn't care. She didn't like putting her hair up. Her hair flying loosely in the breeze made her feel free. The world stilled when Gilthunder landed on his back with two swords beside his neck, Pandora's and his own. His blue eyes widened in disbelief while she smirked down at him. She put her blade away and offered him a hand up, handing him his blade. He panted for a moment, trying to catch his breath, before meeting her eye again.

"Let's go again, I was distracted." Her smirk widened.

"Well I could have told you that." She cleared her throat. "Hello Princess Margaret. How are you today?" Even with her back to the girl, she knew she was there. Both due to sensing her presence and how Gilthunder let such a simple attack take him down.

"I-I'm well, thank you." His face paled slightly while Pandora laughed.

"Are you sure you don't want to go catch up with your little girlfriend? I could train Howzer, Guila, or Jericho if you would prefer?" His eyes flashed dark for a moment before shaking his head at her sarcasm. She knew him. She knew something was wrong. It was just for the briefest of seconds, but she could see the pain that resided within him. She gave him a questioning look. He nodded once before getting into a fighting stance. This time, he initiated an attack that she easily blocked. This continued, the two attacking and blocking each other with ease for quite some time. After a few minutes of it, both had sweat dripping down their faces and were gasping for air. Gilthunder started to slow down, but Pandora didn't let up. She pushed through the pain her body was feeling, wanting to get stronger. Needing to get stronger.