Broken But Rebuilding [ Solo | Training ]

He grunted punching the side of a building of the alley way they walked in. “I’ll kill them for what they did to you.” Amiz said cursing under his breath as Jumanah leaned against the wall her staff resting against the wall she was on. Jum crossed her arms with a shrug, one hand holding her mask.

“You can’t.” She said softly looking to her twin brother with her mask off now wishing to look away from him in case there were any reflective surfaces around. She having decided to keep it off while explaining things to him out of respect of him and knowing he fet leaird about not being able to see her face.

“Jum look I know you have a thing against-” He started looking at her as her face grew a little cold making him freeze and grow a tad pale at the look.

“You can’t because someone already killed them… And, I’ve learned killing and fighting tend to be necessary in this world.” She said softly looking off a bit before putting her mask back on. “I hate to see it.” Amiz’s face dropped a bit as he stood up straight. “But if it’s the death of someone like a bandit or a slaver.” She grabbed her staff as Amiz slowly realized his sister really had changed. “I found it’s surprisingly easy to move past it… after a while that is… I plan on going back to our tribe lands soon to say my final goodbye to everyone if you wish to join me.” She said softly. Amiz’s face turned more to that of frustrated concern.

“Jum you can’t go that way the people over there are too strong!” She growled out protectively.

“I know what’s over there… I have the scar and the missing years of my life to prove it. And they aren’t strong.” She said flatly to him.

“Yes they are!” He protested.

“No they aren’t!” She said with a louder pitch making him ease back a bit not used to hearing her with such a tone. “... We were weak. All of us… I’ve seen truly strong people now Amiz… Those bandits are laughable compared to them. And the only way to ensure you’re not going to die or be attacked by others at this point is to get stronger until you're just as strong if not stronger than the rest.” She said flatly. “Look meet with me outside the kingdom’s gates tomorrow. I’ll show you what I can do. And have you really understood that there are far stronger people out there and I’m still weak compared to them.” She said starting to walk off Amiz sighing, rubbing the back of his head, nodding.

“Fine.”

---

The next day Amiz watched stunned seeing the scaling magnitude of his sisters skills he tensing as she looked over to him. “I. am. weak. compared. to them.” She said slowly, making him growl and stomp over her.

“I get it okay! Our life has been a lie and our family never stood a chance okay?!” He shouted, making her look off, frowning.

“There’s no need to shout okay?” She said as he frowned his brows.

“There's a lot of reason to shout! My sister just proved that we are all worthless worms, and somehow she’s this strong despite only having like what 1? 2? Years max years of training? Maybe less? While my whole life I’ve tried to learn magic and failed! AND SHE IS STILL WEAKER THAN THE REST OF THE WORLD!” He shouted at her. “And she still can’t even look at herself as the grown ass woman she is because she can’t get over the fact she's not a child anymore and would rather wear a broken barely patched together mask then what? Look at her own damned face!?” He shouted, yanking the mask off her face to her shock and throwing it at a tree. All the cracks that had been in it and the poorly done patch job finally catching up to the mask and shattering it upon impact. Jum and Amiz looked at the shards falling down to the ground with stunned faces. Amiz slowly looked over to Jum who looked a bit broken from it emotionally and mentally. “Jum I-”

“You don’t have to lash out everytime you’re upset… that mask… is one of two of the last things I had left of our people… and now it’s gone.” She said as calmly as she could looking over to Amiz making him shrink back a bit.

“I’m… I'm sorry I…. I’ll go so we can meet up again soon…. I should go.” He said a bit sadly knowing he fucked up. Jum watched him run off sadly. She knew how long it had been since they last met but… he felt so foriegn anymore… it barely felt like he was still the boy she knew. She walked over to the shards of the mask and closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks gently caressing the shards in the grass. Who was she kidding… they were both so different…. Heck she likely was remembering him with rose tinted glasses from their past. They had gotten along a lot but… They had still been so different. She gently picked up all of the shards and rested them in her lap digging a small hole in the ground pushing them in and burying them gently placing a hand on it.

To those who had called this mask their own over the centuries… I say goodbye to all of our masks and thank it for it’s services to us all. She said softly feeling a bit more empty after stretching out the void in her heart more from where it was before. She gripped her staff more before looking at it. She should get back to further training. She needed to be ready. So the rest of that day that's just what she did, she stayed in the area of the forest and practiced her magic. The next day after covering her face with her hand on the way back to the kingdom to not see her own face on accident she made her way to a public magic book shop that let others read the books before purchase if they wished to buy it after and studied up on the other forms of Magic debating on what next two types she should attempt before deciding on Heat and Life magic next. She tried to gather as much info as she could on them before leaving the store for the day. The day after that she worked on unlocking her Heat magic as at least a base capability of it so she could use it to make spells for later. She after a while getting the hang of it. She got back to the local in this time quite easily since she was using spare wraps for her face this time to cover it. This way she didn’t have to worry about seeing her own face in the process.

---

The next day she would practice working on unlocking her Life magic, though when she arrived at her usual spot this time she saw Amiz who looked at her sadly. “Have you gone out to the tribe yet…?” He asked softly looking over the wraps on her face. Jum shook her head softly making him sigh and nod. “If it’s not too late can I tag along when you do go?” He asked softly. Jum walking over and gently caressing his shoulder.

“I’d like that a lot…” She said softly, making him smile softly. “I’m still training right now… care to join?” She offered to him.

He shook hi shead. “No I’d rather train alone… what are you working on now though?” He asked softly as she got set up explaining what she was working on. Amiz and she started talking though on his past training with life magic and how his teachers tried to train him. Even though he failed to understand it Jum used the tips and managed to get herself more accustomed to Life magic. Amiz was a bit annoyed she got it by the end of the day but also a bit proud of himself for having taught his sister something. The two afterwards leave to get some food and hang out with each other for the night trying to relax with each other rather than catching up further. At one point Amiz even got a bit drunk and Jum decided to play some of her music making a crowd clap along as Amiz drunkenly danced around with another drunk man making Jum laugh.

For the next day or so she more lightheartedly trained and practiced her existing spells while thinking of possible new ones using her new and old magic types. She wishfully hoped that after the two said their goodbyes they could both move on and maybe live a life knowing they had family in each other now again… maybe they could work together to get stronger and she could help get Amiz in better working condition with his own magic too. Less angry at the world possibly as well.

[ 1,537 / 1,000 Words ]