The sun was setting over Eminence, casting the sky in brilliant shades of orange and red. The plaza surrounding the quest board remained crowded with merchants, travellers, and Shinras searching for their next missions.
At one of the nearby tables, Amanda and Lucy sat facing each other.
Amanda's hands were clenched into fists against the wooden surface. Her expression was troubled.
"I feel like we're wasting our time doing the wrong things," she muttered.
Lucy blinked, confused.
"Huh? What do you mean, Sis? We're here to hunt Darkside Spirits and stop them from feeding on humans. Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing? That's why we where heading to Eminence in the first place."
Amanda shook her head, a bitter smile forming on her lips.
"No, Lu. You're missing the point. That was never our original goal."
She leaned forward, fixing her eyes on her younger sister.
"Remember when we used to dream about joining the academy and living freely? That was what we wanted. But look at us now. We're wasting our time hunting weak Darkside Spirits and taking low-paying missions, as if that's all we're capable of."
"Amanda..."
"With the strength we've gained and Master Miyamoto's swordsmanship, we should be aiming higher. We could be hunting powerful Wizard Darkside Spirits instead of wasting our time on Betas and lesser creatures."
Amanda paused, her expression growing more serious.
"Don't you ever wonder why Master keeps holding us back? Don't you think he's hiding something from us?"
Lucy remained silent.
She couldn't deny that some of Miyamoto's actions had puzzled her. Now, hearing Amanda voice those suspicions only made her more uneasy.
Amanda lowered her voice.
"There's something else you need to understand, Lucy. Our parents were killed by Shinras from the Kingdom of Berserker. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"
Lucy's expression darkened.
"Of course I haven't..."
"Berserker is considered the second most powerful kingdom after Ashura. But I don't care how strong they are. I swore that one day, I'd make them pay for what they did to our parents."
Amanda leaned back and drew a deep breath.
"You used to ask me what my dream was. I never had an answer back then, but I finally figured it out a month ago."
She looked directly into Lucy's eyes.
"My dream is to destroy the Kingdom who took everything away from us. I want to wipe them off the map, and I can't do it alone. I'll need you by my side, little sis."
Lucy's eyes widened.
She shot to her feet, sending her chair scraping loudly across the floor.
"What the hell are you talking about, Amanda? You want to destroy an entire kingdom? Have you lost your mind?"
Several people at the nearby tables turned to look at them.
Amanda clicked her tongue.
"Sit down, you idiot. You're making a scene."
She glanced at the watching crowd before turning back to Lucy with a confident smirk.
"Besides, I'm not planning to do it alone. I've got you."
Lucy stared at her sister in disbelief. Then she reached out and grabbed Amanda by the shoulders.
"Amanda, listen to yourself. We can't let revenge control our lives. That's not what Papa and Mama would've wanted. I miss them too, every single day, but this isn't the answer."
Amanda's smile vanished.
"Why is that so hard for you to understand? If we let them get away with it, they'll keep hurting innocent people. Other kingdoms will suffer, and more families will lose the people they love."
Her fists tightened.
"You keep talking about being optimistic, but can't you understand why I want to do this? I'll never forgive them for what they did."
Her voice rose, drawing even more curious glances from the surrounding tables.
"I WILL NEVER LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT, LUCY."
Miyamoto had returned from the quest board some time ago. He stood nearby, watching the sisters without interrupting. His expression remained unreadable.
So this is what's eating away at Amanda... Hatred and anger.
His gaze settled on her clenched fists.
Is that why her Renshi reacted so violently? Is her hatred feeding the darkness within her?
Meanwhile, Lucy slowly released her sister's shoulders.
"Papa used to tell us stories about revenge," she said, her voice trembling. "He always said that revenge creates more hatred, and hatred leads to more wars."
Amanda turned her face away.
"Even if someone gets revenge, the people they hurt might seek revenge in return. Then their children might do the same, and the cycle continues for generations."
Lucy wiped her eyes, struggling to hold back her tears.
"Someone has to be willing to stop that cycle, Amanda. Why can't it be us? Why can't we be the ones who choose a different path?"
Amanda had no immediate answer.
She pressed her lips together, her gaze fixed on the table.
Lucy took a shaky breath.
"We don't have to spend our entire lives fighting. We could live normal lives, fall in love, get married, and raise children of our own. We could protect our families and give them the peaceful lives we never had."
Her voice softened.
"That's the future I want, Sis. I don't want to spend the rest of my life consumed by revenge."
Amanda let out a quiet, bitter laugh.
"Pathetic..."
Lucy flinched.
"You're still dreaming about a fairy tale, Lucy. You think doing the right thing will somehow make everything better? That people will stop hurting each other just because someone decides to forgive?"
Amanda shook her head.
"That's not how the world works. If I want to destroy Berserker, I'll need an army strong enough to fight an entire kingdom. I'll gather that strength, no matter how long it takes."
She leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Lucy.
"That's how big my dream is."
Before Lucy could respond, a familiar voice interrupted them.
"That's enough, both of you."
Miyamoto stepped out from the crowd and approached their table.
His arrival immediately silenced the sisters.
He looked at Amanda for a moment before turning toward Lucy.
"You both have your own beliefs, and shouting at each other won't change them. Eventually, you'll have to decide what kind of people you want to become."
He rested one hand on the table.
"But that decision can wait. We have a mission to complete."
Amanda frowned, still visibly upset.
"What mission?"
"I've selected the most important request currently available on the board."
Miyamoto's expression grew serious.
"There's a town called Green Pasture. According to the report, several children have been killed by Beta Darkside Spirits."
Lucy's eyes widened.
"Children?"
Miyamoto nodded.
"Most of the victims were too young or too weak to enter the Shinra academies. They had no proper training and very little means of defending themselves."
Lucy's hands slowly curled into fists.
"That's horrible..."
Amanda's expression hardened, though she remained silent.
Miyamoto looked between the two sisters.
"There's something else about this mission that caught my attention."
He paused briefly.
"The report doesn't explain why the Darkside Spirits are targeting these children in the first place."
He glanced back toward the quest board.
"I'll head back and read the full report. I've only looked at the primary concern so far."