Mirrors! [Hero/Private]

Rose Gardens! A regular would be traveling, no Ignite with him, but it was just him and a pouch of keys. And a sword. And a sticker that almost acted exactly like a tattoo. But other than that it was just him. And his knapsack. And the water pouches inside of the knapsack. But other than that, it was just him. Fortunately, he had not caught himself in something like close combat, where he'd end up pushing trees down by accident, and he'd prefer not to destroy the one place he practically lived in. There was a Safehouse that was purposely hidden in the Rose Gardens, no one has been able to find it, which was good since there were a few things he needed to keep hidden from other people. What was he doing here? The Wizard Saint of Fiore? Or the fifth rather. The Guild Ace of Leaves from Black Rose? Simply walking through the forest, it's a great day. He thought, a smile on his face, hands in his pockets as he continued to pace on the grass, the shadows hovering over him from how tall the trees were. And that's all he'd be doing. Walking.

Rose Garden. Just recently, Hero took on a task at a large estate. It was a wedding gone wrong, though luckily he was not the only one there to keep it from ending too badly. There at the ceremony he met two other knights: one of them named Isaac and the other named Cameron, who seemed to know one of the newlyweds. That was a pretty fun night. Nine goons against two Knights. Pretty fitting cliche. On his days off, Yamamoto often reminisced about past jobs that he enjoyed, which was not often due to his relatively low standing within the Rune Knights. Though he was intent on changing that. He kept a straight face externally but smiled internally while walking at an easy pace through this forest, where sunlight peered through the treetops and the scents in the wind were sweet. If only there were more days like this one, Hero would not have had to become the man he was now. Helplessly weak, all he could do was embrace and enjoy these quiet moments surrounded by nature.

The Sky Slayer would continue pacing through until a sudden sense of magic was on his radar, the magic presence being known. Muscles tensing up, he'd keep his guard high. This was a concealed magic, the amount of it on what he had sensed was so pitiful. An enemy with the ability to conceal their magic so much that they seemed to have a low amount of power was one to be aware of. Could it be as strong as Arianna and Diablos? The True Crystal Dragon? The Nightmare King? Even the freakin Hivelords? As he continued to walk, he'd feel the presence of the mage with the trickle of magic power near. Looking to the right side, he'd notice a reflection of himself a distance away. Weird, there was nothing to reflect his image, but it was right there. It was still odd though... I didn't wear those clothes today, did I? He'd think to himself. As he continued to stare, there were some more features he'd notice. The color of their hair was a bit different, but that could have just been the sunlight and angle. Still, his eyes would not glue off of what he thought to be a mirrored image of himself.

The large man continued to walk at a leisure pace until he felt an odd magic presence suddenly. It was odd for a couple of reasons. First, it was rather odd of him to sense one's magic presence at all since he was pretty bad at such things and secondly, it felt familiar. It felt as though he himself were nearby which was very strange because he knew where he was. Briefly, Hero moved his eyes around in front of him while walking and caught a glimpse of someone walking at a similar pace as him. For a moment, he paid no mind to it but when the person turned at the same exact time Hero did, he couldn't help but cock his head to the side. I know I am not crazy... but how am I over there? Was it a mirror? No that would not have made any sense. It was illogical to think that there would have been a random mirror in the middle of Rose Garden. However, since obviously that was not the case, his body moved on its own and almost gravitated toward the other person at a continuously casual pace. All the while, he had a puzzled look on his face as he slowly got a better look at the other person. He was still some distance away, but he could already tell. The person looked VERY similar, almost to the point of being scary. But they were... shorter than he was. Was there a distortion in ethernano in this particular area? He was probably going to find out once he stood face to face with the twin of himself.

And so there they were, standing face to face. Despite thinking of this to be an illusion, nothing was able to magnify past him. This could have been a very strong illusion, but that would make this scenario a lot harder to understand. One needed to be precise with details, and neither of their clothes looked exactly the same. If anything, they were rather far apart from each other. Only one thing can be used at this time. His right hand would instantly swipe a key from his Key pouch of Celestial Spirits. Once that had been done, he would open the gate. I open the gate of the Chronicle Wielder! Phoena! Elyx would chant, slicing the key down as he jumped back in case a hasty move were to be made. And there she would be, a maiden with a navy blue book in her hands. Gentle looking and elegant, she was an all in one type of person. Hey Elyx, what's new? What do you call me for? Phoena would ask with a gentle smile on her face. He'd reply by pointing over his finger over to the man/illusion. That thing over there, I need to know if it's an illusion. I can't see through it, but that may be due to the power of the spell. So, I need a confirmation.

Well it most certainly was not an illusion, and it was not a mirror of himself. The obvious indications were that he was significantly shorter, his clothing was very different from the giant's and more so than anything else, his magic power was barely comprehensible. It was almost as though Hero was floating through space, unable to move but allowed the right to breathe. Sure it was no surprise that there would be people of this caliber in the world, but the man never expected he would come face to face with one. Yamamoto met eyes with the young man for a few moments before the person began to reach for something in one of his pockets. His body tensed up immediately, though he took no immediate action until he saw what the person was grabbing despite knowing that someone of that strength could have ended his life instantly. When the giant noticed that the object taken out was something shiny, he jumped back oddly at the same time as the young person in front of him. The chant and sound of a bell ringing gave Hero the conclusion that the man was a Celestial Spirit wizard, which was something he rarely saw. What was summoned was an interesting-looking woman holding a blue book. The person acknowledged her as... Phoena and for a moment, the giant dropped his guard considering that if the person wanted to kill him in the first place, Yamamoto would have already been dead. Hero then learned something else: the person's name was Elyx. Elyx... where have I heard that name... After a moment of pondering it, he realized: there was only one person he knew with that name. What in the hell is a Wizard Saint doing here?! The giant started to look slightly pale, though he was slightly relieved that they were an ally. The shock ended rather suddenly however. Thing?

"Oi. I know you're a Wizard Saint, but calling someone a 'thing' isn't very kind, you know."

Chronicle Key, Immune! She'd exclaim, placing her palm out towards Elyx as a blue light glowed from her hands. A little gentle feeling of warmth would spread out through his body, so soothing that it almost let out a small relaxed sigh. Almost being the key word, and highlighted as well since his lips were moving. However, he was able to shut his mouth and place his palms into his pockets. Now he could see through illusions... And... The thing... Man was still there. This guy existed all right, but now he was clear as day once he knew this was not an illusion. The first way this man decided to address him was with a scold, in which he stretched his palms up in the air to stretch, a relaxed sigh emitting from that moment to show his carelessness. Sorry about that, I was pretty sure there was a mage around here playing games on me. The Sky Slayer would announce before then looking over to Phoena, a smile on his face, in which she returned a smile back at him. My name is Elyx, Elyx Reiaki. The lovely Celestial Spirit to my left here is Phoena. He'd explain before bowing formally, which looked like that of a performer after an orchestra concert. Phoena would place her hands in front of her, the book in her grip before she mimicked a smaller version of the bow. Once that had been done, the Wizard Saint would the place his right hand out, the pointer finger extended. Your turn, what might your name be?

The giant's suspicions were correct, though he was still curious as to someone of such high esteem would be out in Rose Garden of all places. Even more so, what exactly were the odds of someone low-ranking from the Rune Knights bumping into a Wizard Saint? Hero was very certain there had to be other forces at work in order to bring polar opposites together in this place surrounded by trees. On another note, despite them being polar opposites, the young Saint looked so much alike that he was mistaken for his own reflection. The man's gut was telling him that something was going on. Yamamoto's body relaxed then and he took a deep breath as he prepared to answer. "I am known as Hero Yamamoto, sir; I am a low-ranking member of the Rune Knights. It is an honor to meet both you and your ally Phoena in such an obscure place." Hero was in fact curious, but it was an unnecessary question. If it were to be answered, the Saint would have been likely to announce it on his own. It wasn't the giant's jurisdiction to interrogate someone of that stature without just cause.

Yamamoto, a simple name, but something about it was triggering him. Not in a negative way, but he felt like there was something missing when that was said. Nothing distrusting the man, naturally, but still. There was also his humble nature, which was just like that of the Sky God Slayer himself. And their looks, they were able to confuse each other for a little bit, in Elyx's case, an illusion attempt. But no, someone out there actually looked so much like him, it was insane to think that he was not as unique as one expected. And yet... This man could not possibly be a Lerale mage, they were never found without their instruments... Unless it was concealed. Wait, no, Elyx himself was a Lerale mage, and he did not have his Violin on him today. Nice to meet you too! Phoena would reply for the both of them. It was a pleasure for them surely. A Rune Knight did good service for Fiore. However... Yuni...Yuni...Yuni...Yuni... The Knight of Frostfire was whispering inside of his head to bring out Yuni. Yuni was another Celestial Spirit of his, mainly used for data gathering. Does he need to do recon on the man? Hero, was it? The Sky Slayer would flick a second key out from his pouch quickly, opening it without even a chant so he can hurry. And so Yuni's gate would open up, now a hooded Celestial Spirit with snowy white hair and red eyes would appear in front of them. Without even waiting for a hello, Elyx would ask Hero. Mind if she gathers some data on you? For some reason, a certain... Being... Sees something that I can't seem to see...

Data? Was the Saint some sort of scientist or something doing some sort of research? ... That was quite a stretch, even for Hero to come up with. Now the man was even more curious than before, though about something else entirely. The look on Elyx Reiaki's face was that of someone who had an epiphany, though it did not seem troubling. The giant looked over, with only his eyes, at the second spirit who appeared and he came to the conclusion that it was going to be some type of information magic that was going to be used. He saw no real reason to say no since Hero never really hid anything. It was more that nobody tried to ask face-to-face. Just as he was about to make an answer, he noticed something about the Saint's standing posture and just now recognized the bow from moments ago. "I have nothing to hide, so go ahead, sir. Also... if I may be so bold, may I ask you a slightly personal question? Your posture, and the way you bowed. You play an instrument, don't you?"

Which mode, Elyx? Scan, interrogate, or comparison? Well, Interrogate would mean she would put Hero down onto the ground with a punishing chokehold, probably not the best option out of the three. Scan was just for overall data on the guys power, which meant that it would only read him and that's it. It could access his memories, but this was a stranger, and he did not have permission to look into his past. Comparison was how similar the subject and himself were, it was useful when scanning the minds of other mages. It also can tell the origins of the subject. Comparison, please. Elyx would ask, and so Yuni would begin her work, placing her palms out towards Hero and closing her eyes. Meanwhile, Hero would ask him if he were a musician. His proper posture and his formal bowing, those two mixed would give him away. With a smile and the tilt of the head, he would reply happily. Very observant of you. Yes, I am a musician. I play the Violin. But you recognized it so well, am I wrong to assume you are familiar with music? Specifically, ones from Orchestras? The question was returned, surely, but musicians were so rare nowadays! Yuni's eyes glowed an even brighter shade of red before her palms were placed down. I have the results Elyx. Would you like to here them? The Sky Slayer would nod.

It seemed Hero's deductions were correct and that he was also a musician; more so that that, he even played the violin. It made the man wonder how they had so much in common and more importantly... why. The second spirit he had called began to retrieve data base on the command "comparison", which to Yamamoto meant that he was being compared to Elyx himself. So far, Hero's gut had lent him these correct answers. Did that mean there really was something bigger at play? Away from that though, he changed his train of thought to focus on answering the young Saint. "How interesting, sir. I too play the violin. I also fancy well the piano and have begun taking an interest in the cello." Despite having never met the person before, he felt as though he could immediately trust him. Was that merely the Saint's presence and simple-seeming nature? Hero naturally wasn't a gullible person or in general not the type to trust easily, but something about Elyx changed that. Coming to the conclusion that the second spirit was going to reveal this mystery herself, the giant remained quiet after answering Elyx. He wanted to know. Somehow.

I play the Violin only, as an actual hobby. I could play piano, but only for examinations and sight reading pieces. Or whenever a Full Orchestra really needs it. Elyx would reply. A Cellist, that was something new to him for sure, it placed a smile on his face to be around another musician who knew him so well. It was almost as if they were both re- Data. Hero Yamamoto, subject. Elyx Reiaki, summoner. Similarities, formal, long-term thinking, observant, fluent, caring, protective of the youth. Bloodline, 87% similar, almost as of a twin. Ancestor connection, they share the same exact grandfather. Elyx's mother and Hero's father were brother and sister. Meaning... Elyx would look back to the man, his light brown eyes wide now. The similarities in their tastes, their motives, they both... Wait a second. That means... His mother was not a Lerale mage? Then... If that were the cousin, this man was his cousin surely... And Elyx was only of Half-Lerale descendant...

"This boils down to one simple point: we are cousins. Correct?" His expression was calm but mentally, he was rolling around in circles. How could they have been related? Was it really possible for the giant to have had family this whole time, through everything he had gone through to get to this point? All the suffering he endured as a child; losing his parents so young. And only just now he learned that he had living kin. It truly was shocking to Hero, who had been alone for so long. He then became reminded of that girl... the promise he made to her that night at the festival before he left in search of truths about his family. There was nothing in the end, and for the longest time, he accepted that as the reality. This news sent him whirling on the inside. What was he supposed to do now? What could he do? Another thing is... what brought them to this point? There was no way it could have been a coincidence. The giant, though looking in Elyx's direction, was looking thousands of miles ahead trying to piece this together even though there were too few pieces to connect. For the time being... I shouldn't focus on this. What matters more in this moment is that I have kin. Yamamoto snapped back to reality after some moments and gathered some composure before saying something again. "The easiest thing to do right now would be to accept the reality that we are kin, regardless of having never met before now. Finding answers can come later, I'd like to say. I think a good place to start would be what happens from here."

I'm a Reiaki, so my mother originally went by the last name, Yamamoto. It would make sense to say that we are cousins. Elyx would explain, placing his hands on his hips. Well damn, what exactly was he supposed to make out of this? Well, his cousin was a Rune Knight, though self proclaimed low, he had good intentions and wanted to make Fiore better. Regardless if they were family members or not, they were probably the last two remaining of the bloodlines. Elyx was a Reiaki, and Hero was a Yamamoto, where they both originally started off. Well, the first thing they should probably know is their ages, get a little bit of information off of each other. So I think it is rather obvious, but lets see who is the oldest out of the two of us. I am 19 years old, and how old might you be exactly? He would ask. It was weird, such a young Wizard Saint. But he had to do a lot of hellish jobs, many of them on his own and/or Ignite.

Nineteen years old and already he was this strong? He must have been through a lot of crazy stuff to get pushed so far. The giant supposed that it was worth noting they were more than just physically similar and answered simply, "I am 28 years old, though I don't really look it." It was slightly embarrassing for Hero, knowing that his only family was both younger and far stronger than him. Perhaps the giant was a late bloomer. Knowing his age did not tell him much however, other than for formality and reference. What Yamamoto was interested in was the family. He never got to meet his parents, and all this time he never knew he had a relative who still lived. He wanted to know of the family he never got the chance to see or remember. What was Elyx thinking about this? Was he as shocked as Hero was? Sure, there were questions, but was it even right to talk about such things so soon? The man sighed then and leaned against a nearby tree. "I don't know what to ask or how to ask in this situation. All this time, I never knew I had family. How can I accept it so quickly? But just as important, is it right for us to simply play 20 Questions until we figure something out?"