The Shooting Star's Turn
While on vacation, Metera gets word of a problem in her hometown and rushes back, only to find it's a gifted but unruly guardian candidate named Schtel—whom she's asked to mentor.
Elder: Metera is absent again...
Elder: No matter. Today is not about Metera. Tell me, guardians of the future...
Elder: How has it come to this? In the latest practical exam, only a single candidate passed.
In a sleepy haze, Metera gazes up at the elder's looming shadow.
This is not reality. Rather, it is a memory from long ago, when Metera was still a child.
Metera: (Oh, this dream again...)
Metera: (A dream where I secretly watch from the shadows as the old geezer scolds kids my age.)
Elder: Yes, I'm referring to the very same irresponsible Metera who still fritters her days away.
Elder: Falling behind a problem child who scarcely attends training—do you not find that shameful for guardian candidates?
Metera: (I'm a prodigy. It's only natural they can't keep up.)
Metera: (And while I'm thinking that, one of the scolded kids looks right at me. It always happens.)
Metera: (Then that kid glares at me, like it's all my fault.)
Elder: Redouble your training so you do not fall behind Metera.
Metera: (Humph. If you can't keep up, that's on your ability. Me being a genius has—)
Metera: Nothing... to do with it...
Inside a resort hotel on the island of water, Auguste...
Metera: Mm... Yawn... Mng... That was a good nap.
Metera: Did I fall asleep mid-massage? Vacations really are the best.
Metera: Crummy dream though. Anyway—time to hit the beach.
Just then, a hotel staffer quietly offers a letter addressed to Metera.
Metera: A letter? From... Sutera?
Metera and Sutera are sisters who happen to be opposites in every way.
Their homeland once suffered under a primal beast known as the Forbidding One.
After countless battles, the seal on the primal grew strong enough to be maintained, earning the village lasting peace.
Ever since then, Metera's rocky ties to her home have slowly begun to mend.
Metera: (I've been letting them know where I am these days... so what does she want?)
Sutera's Letter: "Dearest Metera, it has been a while. I hope you are well."
Sutera's Letter: "Everyone in the village is doing fine. I wish I could say all is peaceful, but..."
Sutera's Letter: "A small problem has arisen. It is embarrassing to ask, but I would like your help—"
Metera: A problem? Don't tell me it's more backwater trouble.
Metera: Ugh, sending gloomy news while I'm on vacation? Give me a break...
As Metera moves to toss the letter, a scene from the past flashes through her mind.
Her sister stands, battered and bleeding, still trying to fulfill her duty.
Metera: Fine. It's a pain, but I'll go—just in case it involves the seal.
Metera: Argh, come on! I was nowhere near done enjoying this vacation!
Despite her words, Metera hurriedly packs her bags.
After riding several passenger airships, Metera finally arrives at her village.
Elder: Metera... You have come.
Metera: I came because you called. Where's Sutera? Don't tell me she's hurt again!
Elder: This way. Aster is with her.
Aster, though young, bears a guardian's duty and is like a little sister to Metera and Sutera.
Elder: In here. Please, enter.
Metera: Those two... Just what is going—
Sutera: And that concludes the survey of local flora. I'll be happy to take any questions you might have later.
Aster: For hazardous plants, please confirm on-site and submit a report!
Metera: Huh?
Guardian Instructor: Thank you both for your instruction today!
Guardian Instructor: Guidance from active guardians inspires the candidates like nothing else!
Aster: Ehehe, happy to help! Call on us anytime!
Metera: What? Why is the atmosphere so cozy?
Sutera: Ah... Metera! You came back!
Metera: Yeah, 'cause you said there was a problem! I thought—
Metera: I figured it was something about the seal—ugh, forget it. I'm leaving.
Elder: Wait. You read Sutera's letter, did you not?
Elder: There is, in fact, a "problem." It may be best if you see it yourself.
Guardian Instructor: This is Schtel, a guardian candidate. Go on, Schtel—greet Metera.
Schtel: Um...
Metera: (This little brat is the problem?)
Metera: So there's a problem child among the candidates?
Sutera: Yes. He's an excellent candidate, but... rather undisciplined.
Aster: Our training sessions keep falling behind, and lately the others have started picking up his bad habits.
Elder: That's why, Metera, we would like you to supervise him.
Metera: Wait, why me!
Metera: Seriously? Of all people, you want me to babysit the slacker?
Elder: I agree with the sentiment.
Metera: Somehow that annoys me even more...
Elder: However, this is Sutera's earnest wish. She believes you are the most suitable.
Elder: Given how closely she watches the children, I'm willing to go with her gut on this.
Metera: Humph...
Metera: I can keep an eye on him a bit. Just don't expect me to run boot camp.
Schtel: ...
Metera: You? A scaredy-cat like you is the problem child?
Schtel: U-um... This is for you.
The boy called Schtel shyly offers his cupped hands to Metera.
Metera: Hm? What is—
The moment Metera bends down to look...
Metera: Whoa!
A frog leaps from Schtel's hands, making Metera yelp and recoil.
Schtel: Pfft... Ahahaha! Lame!
Guardian Instructor: Schtel! Hey! Apologize!
Schtel: How about no!
Schtel slips past the instructor and nimbly bounds up a tree.
Schtel: Is this old lady really one of the heroes who saved the village? But she's such a klutz!
Metera: Old?
Aster: Schtel calls anyone older than himself "old"... Even me...
Metera: You little brat!
Schtel: Haha. You got pranked by a brat! See ya later!
Metera: ...
Sutera: He reminds me of you when you were little.
Metera: In what world!
Elder: Indeed. Sutera speaks true.
Metera: Excuse me?
Sutera: You had that same free spirit as a child... which is why I thought you might be the one to show him the way.
Metera: Honestly, I was just going to say hi, make small talk, and leave.
Metera: But that cheeky pest's got some nerve.
Sutera: Then...
Metera: Leave him to me. I'll make him regret underestimating me.
Cracking her knuckles, Metera looks more than ready.
And so, Metera—if only for a short while—takes on a disciple named Schtel.
Guardian Prodigy
Watching Schtel train, Metera sees his genius but also his isolation; when he runs away, she's reminded of her own past and can't ignore his struggle.
Sutera had asked Metera to look after a problem child among the guardian candidates.
And Metera has now taken on the task of training this boy, whose name is Schtel.
Metera: Go on, run for me! I could use a little exercise!
Schtel: Uwaaah! Flying is totally cheating!
Metera chases Schtel through the forest from above.
Metera: Each time I catch you, that's another seven days of training! And I'll make sure you attend every session!
Schtel: N-no way!
Metera: Then you'd better run for your life! Keep slacking, and I'll catch you in no time!
Schtel: This is such a drag!
Metera: No running in a straight line! Move up, down, side to side!
Metera: If I were a monster, you'd be caught already! Don't tell me you actually want to train?
Schtel: Shut up!
Metera: (I might be taking it easy on him, but I have to admit the kid sure is fast.)
Metera: (He's not even out of breath yet. For his age, he moves really well.)
Schtel: Hah! Think you can keep up with me, old lady?
Metera: (That smug upstart really needs to be taught some manners...)
Metera: (Guess I'll ask Sutera about him later.)
Even with her mind elsewhere, Metera catches Schtel as easily as breathing.
Metera: Gotcha, you little brat! That's seven more days of training!
Schtel: Noooooo!
That night...
Sutera: Yes, Schtel is a very talented guardian candidate.
Metera: Yet he's also a troublemaker, eh?
Sutera: Yes... though I suspect that's precisely because he's talented.
Metera: Hmm. So you say...
Metera: (Starting tomorrow, he'll have to attend training for seven full days straight...)
Metera: (Maybe I'll check on him a bit. Ugh, what a pain...)
Guardian Instructor: The results for the written examination earlier are in... Hmm. Once again, only Schtel scored full marks.
Schtel: Seriously? You'd have to try to not get a perfect score on that thing. Like, what are we even learning here?
Guardian Instructor: Everyone, make sure not to fall behind Schtel.
Guardian Candidates: ...
Schtel: Humph.
Metera: (He looks unamused... Heh, I kinda get it though.)
Metera: (Guardian candidate classes are more like local trivia quizzes than real study. Of course they're boring.)
Metera: Fwaah... They've got me yawning too.
Metera: Next is the mock battle, huh?
Wait a second...
Metera looks ahead to see Schtel standing off against the other candidates.
Metera: Wait, why is it everyone versus Schtel? That's not fair.
Guardian Instructor: Schtel is practically a genius in combat, so it wouldn't even be a match otherwise.
Metera: A "genius," huh...
Schtel: Exactly. I'm a genius.
Guardian Instructor: Schtel! Why are you here? We're in the middle of the mock battle!
Schtel: It's already over! Impressed yet?
Where Schtel points, the other candidates are tied up in ropes and rolling on the ground.
Metera: Huh, not bad for a smart-mouthed rascal. You've got some skills.
Guardian Instructor: Still, ending things this fast doesn't make for much training...
Guardian Instructor: Those defeated by Schtel: Untie your own ropes. You can begin your break time after that.
Hearing that, the tied-up candidates start struggling to get loose.
Metera: Well, look at that.
Metera notices a few of them glaring at Schtel with resentment.
Metera: (He's aware of it... Of course he is.)
Schtel: ...
Guardian Instructor: After this break, we'll be moving on to the next lesson: tactics for fighting on watery terrain.
Metera leisurely snacks on sweets while watching the candidates enjoy their break.
Metera: Mm, these are tasty. They're so simple that they'd probably be a hit in the city.
Schtel: Old lady, why are you slacking off? You're supposed to be watching me.
Metera: I was going to give you one, but potty-mouthed runts don't get any.
Schtel: Fine by me. My mom made those cookies anyway.
Metera: Oh, really? Nice. A mom who can bake, huh?
Schtel: It's whatever.
Metera: Hey, why the long face? Don't you want to hang out with your friends?
Schtel: Meh... Don't care.
Seeing him mutter while staring down, Metera recalls how Schtel barely talked to anyone and was always left alone.
Metera: Well, I can tell you're not exactly swimming in friends.
Schtel: Shut up. Whatever, this is a waste of time. I'm going home.
Metera: Go ahead. I'm not stopping you.
Schtel tries to slip away into the shadows, but...
Sutera: Schtel? Where are you going?
Schtel: Geh...
Before he can escape, Sutera grabs his arm.
Soon the instructors gather around, surrounding Schtel.
Guardian Instructor: You're overflowing with talent, so why are you always like this?
Sutera: If there's a reason, tell us. We're not here to scold you without cause.
Schtel: Then let me ask you something instead. What's the point of training seriously?
Guardian Instructor: For the guardian's mission, of course. Isn't that obvious?
Schtel: What mission? I thought there was barely any risk of the seal breaking anymore.
Sutera: The Forbidding One hasn't vanished completely.
Sutera: Even now, its immense power sometimes manifests as lingering remnants...
Sutera: For the day decades or perhaps centuries from now... When the seal breaks again—
Sutera: We must never abandon our duty as guardians.
Schtel: Why do we have to suffer now for something that might happen hundreds of years later?
Guardian Instructor: Schtel! How shortsighted of you!
Schtel: Shortsighted? So you admit the mission's basically just for show now?
Schtel: We don't have to chain ourselves to this tiny village. There's no reason to stay here!
Sutera: It's true that some have left the village. You could join them one day if you wish.
Sutera: But you are still young and so gifted. You should first build your foundation here—
Schtel: Why should I bother! Just because I'm talented doesn't mean I have to stay!
Schtel: Whether I become a guardian or not is my business. I'm not hurting anyone!
Sutera: Schtel, that's not what—
Breaking free from the guardians trying to stop him, Schtel runs off.
Guardian Instructor: What a troublesome boy. He has no grasp of what the mission truly means.
Sutera: He's still so young. I just wish we could talk things through with him instead of shutting him down.
Metera: That was quite dramatic, huh? You instructors sure have your hands full.
Sutera: Metera...
Metera: Yeah, yeah, sorry. Still...
Metera: (I get how the kid feels.)
Metera: (He's immature, naive... but painfully sincere.)
Sutera: Should we go after him?
Guardian Instructor: No. There are still the other candidates to consider. We'll leave him be for now.
Guardian Instructor: He's got so much potential, yet he's wasting it... What a shame.
Metera: (Not that these stiff adults would ever understand.)
Metera: (It was the same for me, after all...)
Elder: Metera, why are you like this?
Elder: With that talent, you could be the hero of the village. And yet...
Metera: When I was little, I never wanted to be a hero.
Metera: Whenever I achieved something, the other guardians just looked miserable.
Metera: It didn't feel good that I could do what the serious ones couldn't.
Metera: But I didn't want to be the villain either. I didn't want my family to hate me.
Metera: Back then, it felt like I only had two choices—to be the hero or the villain.
Sutera: Metera? What's wrong? You seem distracted...
Metera: Huh? Oh, nothing.
Metera: Just remembering the past. That kid Schtel...
Metera: He really is a lot like me.
Metera: (I always hated how this village worked—its rules, its traditions. That's why I ran away.)
Metera: (But still...)
Schtel: Just because I'm talented doesn't mean I have to stay!
Metera: (Being the genius here... I hated that more than anything.)
Metera lets out a long sigh and strides off to look for Schtel.
It grows more and more difficult for her to see the so-called genius boy as a complete stranger.
Guardian Prodigy: Scene 2
When Metera plans to return to the Grandcypher, Schtel insists on joining her despite his parents' refusal and secretly stows away on the ferry she boards.
Metera: By the way, I'm heading back soon.
Sutera: What!
Metera has been staying in her hometown to look after Schtel, the problem child among the guardian candidates.
Which is why her words come off as rather sudden and unexpected.
Metera: I'm thinking I'll pop back to the Grandcypher for a bit.
Metera: I came without packing a thing, thanks to that panic-inducing letter you sent...
Sutera: I see—understood! Though to think that letter unsettled your heart, Metera...
Sutera: I'm sorry. I'll choose my wording more carefully from now on.
Metera: No, it wasn't wrong or anything... Eh, whatever.
Metera: Anyway, brat... You're lurking around somewhere listening, aren't you?
Metera: I'll be back before you know it. So behave and train properly until then.
Schtel: No. I'm coming too.
Metera: Yeah, yeah, I know you don't wan—
Metera: Huh? Coming where? To the Grandcypher?
Schtel: It's not fair that only you get to leave the village! I'm going too!
Metera: Fix that cheeky attitude first, and maybe a guardian who's left the village will take you in.
Metera: Besides, sky travel isn't for kids barely ten.
Schtel: I'm not just any kid! I'm a genius!
Metera: You can't even fly! Don't blame me if you fall out of the sky!
Schtel: I won't mess up like that! I've never even fallen from a tree!
Metera: Why, you...
Their bickering continues for a while—
Metera: Ugh, fine! At least get permission from your parents!
Metera: If they say no, it's a hard no! Got it?
Schtel: Got it!
The next morning, as Metera is about to leave the village...
Metera: (He's nowhere to be found... His parents must've turned him down.)
Metera: (Even so, you could at least see your teacher off! Heartless little brat!)
Kindly Woman: Oh, Metera! Good morning!
Metera: Hm? Oh, you're the brat—
Ahem, I mean, you must be Schtel's mother?
Kindly Woman: Yes! Thank you for looking after my son.
Kindly Woman: And I'm sorry he didn't come to see you off. He's sulking something awful...
Metera: Ah, about him wanting to come along with me?
Kindly Woman: Yes... I refused firmly, and it turned into an argument.
Kindly Woman: Even earlier, he still refused to come out of his room.
Metera: Yikes, sorry. Looks like all I did was make more trouble for you...
Kindly Woman: Not at all! I think he understands, at least...
Kindly Woman: More importantly, since you came, he's been a little brighter!
Metera: Huh, really?
Kindly Woman: Yes! I know he can be a bit much sometimes, but I hope you'll continue to look after him.
Kindly Woman: Oh, and I baked cookies. Schtel said you liked them!
Kindly Woman: Please have them as a snack—on the airship, if you like.
Metera: Aww, how sweet! Haha, you're such a lovely mom, it makes me jealous.
Metera: (The lucky brat—he really is loved to pieces.)
Metera: (Just this once, listen to your sweet mom, okay?)
Shortly after the passenger airship takes off, Metera senses something amiss.
Metera: Huh?
Schtel: ...!
Metera: (Figures... My hunch was right.)
Metera: Hey. I know you're there.
Schtel: Ehehe... I, uh, came to see off my esteemed master...
Metera: Sigh... Thanks. I appreciate it, but you're taking the return flight home.
Schtel: Wait! I mean it. Please, take me with you.
Schtel: Just because I'm talented doesn't mean I have to stay!
Metera: If you just tag along without a word, the whole village will panic. And it'll look like I kidnapped you.
Schtel: It's fine—I left a note.
Metera: Pfft... Responsible in the weirdest ways, aren't you.
Metera: All right, fine. One time won't hurt—let's see the world outside the village.
Schtel: Really?
Metera: Just this once, I'll let it slide. When we get back, you apologize to your parents, okay?
Metera: And if you pull anything dangerous, you're going straight home. Plus you'll write to your parents every day. Deal?
Schtel: D-deal!
Guardian Prodigy: Scene 3
Metera brings Schtel to the Grandcypher, where he glimpses at the wider world beyond his village. Back home, he reveals his struggle as a gifted outcast, but their talk is cut short by a monster attack.
Metera returns to the crew with Schtel in tow.
The crew welcomes the boy as a temporary guest and makes him feel at home.
As for Metera herself—
Metera: Hey, kid! Hold this!
Schtel: Again? Come on, can't you carry it yourself for once!
Metera: Don't get smart with me! Who do you think brought you along in the first place?
At every stop, Metera drags Schtel along and makes him carry her bags.
Schtel: Hey, what's that over there? The thing with all the water spraying up!
Metera: That? It's a fountain... Oh, right, you don't have those in the village. Wanna see it up close?
Schtel: Yeah!
Lyria: Oh, Schtel! Did you borrow another book today?
Schtel: Yeah! This ship's got so many books we don't have back home—it's the best!
Vyrn: We've got scholars aboard, after all! If you like reading, go for it!
Lyria: Come to think of it, I heard you got some training from (Captain).
Schtel: Yeah. Your captain's really strong...
Schtel: I used to think the old lady—uh, I mean, Metera—was the strongest in the world.
Lyria: Hehe, well, Metera is super strong!
Vyrn: But (Captain)'s no slouch either!
Metera: Did you say something?
Vyrn: Whoa! Ms. Shameless!
Metera: I've been meaning to ask—can you not call me that?
Schtel: Heheh. Ahahaha!
Schtel spends more time with the crew, slowly learning about the wider world.
After several days pass...
Metera: Ah, there you are. Hey, kid! Dinner's ready!
Schtel: Okay...
Metera: What's with that face? Homesick already?
Schtel: No. The opposite.
Metera: I see... You don't wanna go back, huh.
Schtel: The world's just so big, you know? Makes everything back home feel kinda pointless.
Schtel: Why are people so hung up on that tiny island's problems anyway?
Metera: Hehe. I get where you're coming from.
Metera: But I'm still taking you back to the village. That hasn't changed.
Metera: Your mom's worried about you, isn't she?
Schtel: Yeah...
Schtel stays silent, staring up at the endless twilight sky.
Days later, Metera brings Schtel back to their homeland.
Metera: What's wrong? Why'd you stop walking?
Schtel: ...
Metera: Come on, chin up. You've made it all the way to the front gate.
Metera: Or are you saying you hate this tiny village after all?
Schtel: Well... that too, I guess.
Metera: Yeah...
Schtel: Hey, Metera. There's something else I hate.
Metera: What? Let's hear it.
Schtel: You won't laugh?
Metera: If you want me to laugh, I will.
Schtel: Don't laugh... I hate training.
Schtel: To be specific, I hate the training grounds. Everyone looks at me like I don't belong there.
Metera: Yeah...
Schtel: When I do well, someone always looks hurt. I hate that feeling.
Schtel: But if I do nothing, someone else ends up struggling. I hate that too.
Metera: Yeah, I know the feeling. We're always the bad guys, aren't we?
Metera: Even when they call us geniuses, people end up rooting for anyone but us.
Metera: Do too much, and they scold you. You have to hold back for everyone else's sake.
Metera: They treat you like you're lazy, even when you're really trying.
Metera: Because if you're already good at something, they assume you never had to work for it.
Schtel: Why do we have to stay in this village anyway?
Schtel: If my home were anywhere else—like the Grandcypher, for instance—no one would care if I'm a genius or not.
Schtel: After all, there are tons of people out there stronger than me! Isn't that right?
Metera: Yeah. If you really want to leave and join the crew, I won't stop you.
Schtel: Wait, really? I—I can?
Metera: Well, it's not like things are that dire right now. The seal's holding strong.
Metera: The guardian system should keep going, but not everyone has to stay in the village to uphold it.
Schtel: Y-yeah, that makes sense...
Metera: But—only if you really want to run away.
Schtel: Huh? Wh-what do you mean—
Just then, a bell echoes through the village, sounding the alarm.
Guardian Instructor: Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Monsters have breached the village!
Schtel: What!
As the village erupts into chaos, Schtel freezes in place.
Metera simply watches him quietly.
Guardian Prodigy: Scene 4
At the village gates, Schtel chooses to fight for his family rather than run from home, and Metera accepts both his resolve and her lingering ties to her own roots.
After several days away, Metera and the boy have returned to the village gates.
The village lies in turmoil, its people rushing chaotically to and fro as word spreads of monsters in their midst.
Schtel: Wh-why aren't we helping!
Metera: From what I'm hearing, it's only a handful of monsters.
Metera: There are guardians here. They can handle something like this.
Schtel: M-maybe... but still...
Metera: You can't take your mind off the village, can you? But...
Metera: If you head in and throw yourself into the crisis, you are a guardian—no question.
Metera: If, on the other hand, you turn back to the docks and go wherever your heart desires, there are other paths open to you.
Metera: Return to the village—or don't. What will you do, Schtel?
Schtel: I... I...
Schtel looks between the village and the road they just traveled.
Schtel: I don't want to be a guardian... but I don't want to abandon the village either.
Schtel: I want to study on the Grandcypher... but right now I'm worried about my family...
Schtel: Uugh!
On the verge of tears, Schtel darts through the gate and sprints into the village.
Schtel: (I want to be free. I don't want to stay here. I want to see the world!)
Schtel: (I want to be with my family always—to protect them. I don't want to regret not being there when they need me!)
Schtel: (If Mom got hurt because I wasn't here...)
Breathless, Schtel reaches his home for the first time in days.
And then he sees it—his mother facing down a monster.
Schtel: Mom!
Kindly Woman: Schtel! Where have you—
In that instant, the monster leaps.
The woman has her bow ready, but her son's sudden return distracts her, delaying her reaction.
Schtel: M-Mom—
Schtel dashes forward to shield her, but he fails to make it in time.
Schtel: Nooooo!
With eyes shut, what reaches Schtel's ears next is not a scream, but a monster's death rattle.
Metera: Phew, this one's pretty big... We'll have the guardians come collect it later.
Schtel: Mom! Are you okay? Are you hurt? I was so worried!
Kindly Woman: Oh my, listen to you. After making us worry sick about you...
Metera: I knew it. You can't abandon your family after all.
Metera: Being loved this much, there's no way you could really walk away for good.
Metera: Not that I'm one to talk. I always end up coming back because I worry.
Metera: Because when you're gifted at fighting, you can protect people.
Metera: And if you can protect them, how could you not? Especially the ones who love you most.
Schtel: If you have the power to protect the ones who love you... then you're supposed to?
Metera: Yep. Even if it isn't what you chose.
Metera: I still hate this village—it's so stuck in its ways, with way too many stubborn old folks around.
Metera: But... lately I've started to accept that I don't want to abandon completely.
Metera: Watching over you—who's so much like the old me—must've changed me, Schtel.
Schtel: Oh...
Schtel: Can't I have both? Go out into the world like you, and still protect my family?
Metera: That's what training is for. Train a lot, and get as strong as me.
Metera: Then you can always rush back when the village needs you.
Schtel: Guh... So it's down to training, after all?
Metera: Well, of course it's not mandatory.
Metera: But you are talented.
Metera: Maybe not quite on my level... though you could probably just about reach my heels.
Schtel: And people think I'm conceited.
Metera: You're happy I acknowledged you—admit it. Anyway, bottom line: Be ready.
Metera: If you have the power to protect and still fail to do so, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.
Schtel: Yeah. I think I would.
Thanks to the guardians' efforts, the day's monster incursion ends with no injuries.
Some days later, Metera is getting ready to head out again.
Metera: Oh, good—hard at work.
Sutera: Metera! I'm glad you stopped by.
Guardian Instructor: We can't thank you enough. Take a look at Schtel!
Where the instructor points, the boy sits through a lecture, looking bored.
Metera: He looks sleepy to me.
Guardian Instructor: Even so, he's sitting still and listening! That's real progress.
Metera: Huh. If you say so. Anyway, I should get going.
Sutera: Ah, Metera—please wait a moment.
Sutera slips into the back, then returns with a wrapped bundle.
Sutera: Please take this. It may not be quite right to call it a show of gratitude, but...
Metera: Ugh! Instructor robes—the stuffy ceremonial kind!
Sutera: They're prestigious, you know. They mark the highest rank of instructor.
Metera: No way am I wearing something that stiff! I'm not even an instructor!
Metera: Sure, things worked out this time... but that was Schtel's choice.
Metera: It's not like I drilled any lessons into him, so—
Sutera: No, Metera. Please accept it.
Sutera: Even with the village instructors guiding him, I don't think we'd have reached this point.
Metera: Sigh... Okay already, I'll take it.
Sutera: Great!
Metera: (Sheesh... I'm letting myself get swept along a lot lately.)
Metera: (This is just one more thing I can't abandon, I guess. Ugh, how annoying...)
Several days later, on a bustling island—
Tailor: My! It suits you perfectly!
Metera: Ooh... Can't believe you turned that into this design...
Tailor: Hehe. When you waltzed in with this ceremonial outfit, I didn't know what to think.
Tailor: You hand it over and say, "Make this stiff, formal robe suit me," of all things!
Metera: I said I was sorry! But yeah... I love what you've done with it!
Metera: This really is the best look for me—light and bold.
Metera: (That's right. I still hate the weight of responsibility and rigid rules. And the village which won't ever let that go.)
Metera: (But if word came that danger was closing in on the village again...)
Metera: (I'd go. Without thinking, and in a flash.)
Metera: It's like a curse...
Tailor: A curse?
Metera: Yep. A big, scary curse!
Metera: (But I guess it's a blessing too.)
Metera: (Being loved and loving back... a blessing that feels like a curse.)
Through her disciple, Metera faces her past and sorts out her feelings for home.
The road back home now feels a little less steep.
