[attr="class","silasreescroll"]Taiyo Vermillion, heir to House Vermillion and a member of the Crimson Lions Magic Knight Squad, sat in his room in the family estate. He was not alone though. His new companion, Cyra The Solar Celestial Phoenix Spirit, sat on his head, which she seemed to like to be. They hadn’t been journeying together for a very long time even so, they had a great bond. Cyra had once spoken to the boy about getting stronger so that he would be able to fuse with her. This became one of his next goals along with becoming an intermediate magic knight. He was still a junior but a Junior 2nd Class Knight. Hey Cyra, do you think that I am ready to try to become an Intermediate Knight? If I do become one, the road will be harder due to the harder missions Intermediate Magic Knights get but it would be very much worthwhile. After all, the only way to get stronger is to keep on facing stronger challenges and come on top, right? Of course the sun spirit thought he could do it which would have come to no surprise as the boy was a hard worker. “I’m sure that you will not only do it but you will be great. Though we weren’t together for very long, I have seen your enthusiasm and tenacity. You are ready for the responsibility of an Intermediate Magic Knight. I think you should take an intermediate level mission and see for yourself. I will be there with you the whole way.” The boy nodded as he stretched. Sounds great! Anyway, time for bed. If I am going to be taking a harder mission, I should get some rest. Good Night, Cyra. The spirit spread her wings and flew off of the boy’s head, landing on the bed side table. “Good Night, Taiyo.”

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As the morning came around, the young red-headed Crimson Lion cub woke up. The sun had yet to rise but he was awake. He usually woke up at the break of dawn to get extra training in. If Lucia happened to be awake, he’d train with her. Her spatial magic was amazing and great. She also had water magic which she could always use to heal him whenever he was injured so he could keep going. The boy stretched and got out of bed. It was time for him to get a light fruit snack before putting in some training before his day started. He left Cyra resting on the table where she covered herself in her wings. As he walked through the hallway outside of his room, he noticed that some of the servants were now on their way to their respective work areas. When he got to the kitchen area, one of the cooks already had his fruit snack ready for him as he anticipated the boy would come for it. “There you are sir. A nice healthy snack for you.” Taiyo smiled and took it. Thank you! Like I said many times, you can just call me Taiyo. With the snack in hand, he left the kitchen area, munching on it. As he got to the training grounds, he saw Lucia already there stretching a bit. “Good morning, Taiyo. I take it you’re ready for your morning workout.” The boy nodded as he started stretching. That’s right, I am here for a workout and a bit of training. The two eventually got into fighting stances. They were starting off with hand to hand combat training. She knew that Taiyo wasn’t a person who only casted spells and would occasionally fight with his fists and as such she helped him get into fighting shape. After the hand to hand combat training was sword training. Since his basics review with Lydia, he practiced every day with and without help. Occasionally, that help came in Lucia since she was pretty handy with a blade herself. Soon enough I will be at the level where I can finally catch up to her. Who knows, she’s probably terrifyingly strong now. Even so, I won’t give up! I must take her down! The woman he spoke of was his sister. The one person he felt he needed to prove himself to and until he achieved that, he had to work five times as hard. He had to catch her; he had to catch Leona Vermillion. Lucia understood his goals and understood his drive for wanting to win against his older sister. The older Vermillion grew up with them and played with them but she had a natural talent for showing how strong she was in combat. She was the one obstacle that always got to Taiyo. “You work hard every day. I’m sure you will beat her soon. That’s if she returns soon. She’s been gone for years.” He nodded as he stood feeling his sweat fall down his skin. She will be back one day. I need to be ready. Anyway, that is enough training for the morning. I have to start getting ready for my day at work. As he turned to leave, Cyra appeared before them. “Good morning, I thought I’d find you here.” The bird chirped as she hovered in front of Taiyo and Lucia. “Had a good workout?” Yes, I did. Was just about to go get ready for the day. She nodded as she flapped her wings. “Very well.”

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After the boy had gotten ready, he put on his Crimson Lion mantle and stretched one last time. Walking out of his room, Cyra landed on his head. Let’s go get us a mission. Lucia walked up to him and smiled. “I will open a portal for you.” She took a deep breath and opened the portal for him to go to the Crimson Lions Headquarters. Thank you, Lucia. Have a good day. With Cyra on his head, he walked through the portal and appeared at the entrance of the Crimson Lions HQ. When he walked in, he approached the mission board and browsed through the intermediate mission list until he landed on a mission that seemed like a cry for help. It was a mission from the common region. Looks like we found ourselves a mission. “Very good, let’s go.” Grabbing a broom, Taiyo hopped aboard and flew towards the common region. Cyra flew next to her companion happily. “Are you nervous?” Yeah. Even so, I have no time to let nerves set in. We have a mission to do and I’m sure everything will work out. When they landed, Taiyo walked through the village, looking for the man who had made the request. Cyra sat atop his head like she usually did, soaking in the sunlight. As a solar spirit, she enjoyed every single moment the sun shone on her. It was something both Taiyo and herself enjoyed. After a five minute walk, Taiyo found the man who had made the request, The Local chief. He was looking at the magic knight before him distraught. This was definitely the man. “You’re a magic knight! At last! My brother, he’s been taken by giants, by trolls! We were exploring a cave nearby. He was reckless in exploring the cave, I know, but his curiosity got the better of him. Bring him home to me, please! I don’t want them to kill my brother. I have heard tales of them putting humans in pots and eating them. He is all I have left, SO PLEASE GET MY BROTHER OUT OF THE POT!” Taiyo nodded and gave the chief a reassuring smile. Don’t worry, I will get your brother back. Both Cyra and I will. The man gave Taiyo one last look, hoping that he would do as promised. Leaving the house, Taiyo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The weight of the mission had finally dawned on him and he started to feel the pressure. If he messed up, a man could lose his life and Taiyo didn’t want that. Seeing her in his mind, he knew that she wouldn’t just be standing around when someone was in danger. She would just press forward and get the job done, what consequences came she would deal with later. If she could do it, so could he. He opened his eyes and nodded. Let’s go save this man. Time to figure out where they took him and the best place to start is the cave. The boy hopped on his broom and started to fly towards the cave. It wasn’t too far from where the village was. He arrived shortly after and took one final breath before stepping into the dark cave.

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As he walked in the dark cave, Cyra’s wings began glowing causing around her and him to be illuminated. It was worth it to have a solar spirit when it came to dark places as she naturally glowed. He walked forward, not seeing anything that would give him a clue about the man or the disappearance. “We will find something, I would imagine he went deep into the cave before being taken.” The boy nodded as he started walking as his thoughts began to flow out. This mission is important, Taiyo. Let’s not mess it up. The chief is expecting us to return with his brother so let’s do that. I just hope that I have what it takes. Maybe when I find something I can figure out what to do with I will have a full plan on how to save his brother. I never saw a troll… I wonder how tall they are. The chief described them as giants so I would imagine that they are pretty huge. Maybe even Mana beast level huge. That also means that they are probably very dangerous but I can’t really think of that now and let that stop me. People are counting on me. Let’s do this! Eventually the duo came across some evidence. It was the shoe of the victim. A brown sandal that was bigger than Taiyo’s feet. The boy knelt down by the shoe and examined it. Nothing really here but maybe we could try to figure out where they went if we can find the other shoe or some other piece of clothing. Maybe even an item that he could have dropped. The bird nodded as she hovered. “That’s a pretty smart idea. I will increase my light to give you more peripheral vision.” Thanks Cyra. As they continued to explore the cave, Taiyo came across a bag that clearly belonged to the victim. He examined it and was able to draw an idea of where to find the man. I got it! Judging by the sandal and this bag, I know which direction to go. With a direction in mind, he started to sprite towards where he figured the man would be with the trolls. Cyra flapped her wings as she flew next to her companion. When he got to the end of the area in the cave, he came out to a cavern that had a river streaming. On the other side of the river were two giant trolls preparing to cook a human. They had their ingredients prepared and all that was left was lighting the pot. HEY! Don’t light that pot. Startled, the trolls turned to Taiyo and grabbed their giant rocks in preparation to throw it but they waited to see if Taiyo would attack them. Let’s all calm down, shall we. Let’s talk it out. Why do you want to boil that man? The first troll dropped his rock and pointed at the pot. “Dis human Steal!” What did he steal? I’m sure we can come to a compromise. He walked closer to the troll, no longer afraid. “He steal charm.” Taiyo nodded. I’m sure he didn’t know that it was your charm. He’s an explorer and an adventurer and from experience we like to take things as mementos to remember the place by. We don’t exactly think that they belong to someone. Let him go and I’ll make sure that he leaves your charm. The troll shook his head. “He food. Hungry!” How about we find you a different meal and you let the man go. The trolls thought about the deal for a few moments before nodding, letting the man go. Now, apologize to the trolls for taking their charm and make sure to leave it. The man nodded and bowed. “I’m sorry! I will leave the charm.” After the man was freed, Taiyo kept good on his promise and helped the trolls find food before he focused on the man who was saved.

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After helping the trolls, Taiyo looked at the man and saw that he wasn’t harmed. Your brother was extremely worried about you. I think it’s time we get you back to him. He smiled as the man was now wearing both of his sandals and had his bag on. He had left the charm with the trolls and was quite thankful that Taiyo arrived when he did. “Thank you so much for saving me.” You’re welcomed! Walking back to the village, Cyra sat atop Taiyo’s head while observing the man who was captured before. He seemed so different from Taiyo even though both had a drive for adventure. Whatever it was, he was safe and that was what was important. When they finally got back to the village, Taiyo walked up to the house where the chief was and presented the brother. I brought back your brother. The man rushed to his brother and embraced him, tears streaming down his face. “Thank you so much! I will write a letter to your captain and let him know of the wonderful job you did. Can you tell me what your name is, Magic Knight?” Taiyo smiled. I am Taiyo Vermillion. Both the man and his brother bowed in respect. “We’re sorry for the trouble we caused you, Lord Vermillion.” Taiyo shook his head. No problem at all. My job as a Magic Knight is to keep the Kingdom and its inhabitants safe. Also, you can just call me Taiyo. Enjoy. I will leave you both now. After leaving Taiyo returned to the base and handed in the mission before heading back home to the Vermillion Estate.

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