Atlas helped Elidi back to her feet. "What the hell was that!" She yelled, making a lackluster attempt to dust herself off. She laid a hand on her chest, sore from being pushed into the ground. "I-I don't know, this man started talking to me about my magic power and then-" Atlas stopped, realizing he had run out of breath. A sudden wave of exhaustion spread through his body. He leaned to the side, searching for something he could balance on. Soleil reached out to aid him, but as soon as his hand made contact, he was struck with an intense wave of absolute dread. His hand retracted, clenched into a fist as the sky above him became doused in a fierce red. His breath quickened, and his mind began to go blank as only raw, unfiltered emotion took over.

'Kill him'

With a blink, Soleil was brought back to reality, a reality in which Elidi and Atlas stood before him, both bearing a concerned stare. 'What was that?' He thought to himself. "So...." Elidi eyed the concerned townsfolk. The overly friendly vibe seemed to have dissipated as civilians whispered and walked past the bunch. Not a soul bothered to check up on them. "He was talking about a school or something. He said I had a lot of power." Atlas stared at his hand. "That can't be right. I mean, you don't have any magic or anything, so why would he go to you and not me or Soleil?" Elidi questioned, putting a hand on her chin. Atlas shrugged.

"He's a renowned general from the kingdom of Elmaris, and Atlas here caught his eye. After he retired from the military, he became a teacher at Aurelia Academy." Soleil spoke, but refused to make eye contact with Atlas. "A school for people like me? I wanna go!" Elidi points to herself.

"No," Soleil states blankly.

"But why?" She retorts.

"Because I said, No." He affirms.

"But wouldn't it be good for me? A place to develop my powers and become even stronger than I am. I'm sure Atlas would be fine staying here; the people here are just like him. But what about me? A place with people as strong as me sounds awesome!" She pumped her fist in excitement.

"Elidi, what is it that you aren't understanding. I said NO." Soleil was clearly losing his patience, his tone becoming increasingly uninterested in the conversation. Atlas kept his comments and thoughts to himself, fearful he'd only be adding fuel to the flame. But he was undeniably curious about how Soleil knew so much about Darian. "Let's head back home. I got what I needed." Soleil says. He makes his way to the mountainside and scales it in record time. The two had barely even realized he had left by the time he got to the top.

"What's his deal?" Elidi huffs, resting her hand on Atlas's shoulder. "I'm not sure.... Maybe something to do with that Darian guy. They didn't seem to get along." Atlas responds. "Oh, you got his name? Perfect, I think I'll try and find him tomorrow. Hopefully, Soleil didn't scare him off." Elidi grins. She places her foot in a groove of the mountainside, then shoots herself up to a ledge she could hold onto. She hangs there for a moment before looking down. Atlas stares at her, realizing his one way up had long left him. "Oh.... I'll go get Soleil," Elidi says, jumping to a standing position.

Atlas stares at his hand, realizing that his lack of strength is becoming burdensome, and being acknowledged by someone strong makes Atlas wonder if he truly has some unknown power within him. "N-No need," Atlas spoke softly. "I'll do it myself." He said, beginning his own ascent. His hands struggled to grasp the steep edges, his feet fighting to find their grip. His chest heaved as his arm moved. What felt like an eternity was, in fact, but a mere moment. It was truly a pathetic sight to witness. "I can help you," Elidi said, sliding down the wall. 

"No," Atlas spoke with confidence, albeit through his breathlessness. Elidi stopped. It was the first time she had heard such a tone from him. "Fine, if you say so." She turned and continued to scale the mountain, quickly becoming a blur to Atlas. He continued on his own, his arms and legs screaming out in pain with each movement. But he was determined; he would get back by himself no matter what it took.