Legends of the Halcyon Era – The Avion Adventure: The Enigmatic Lesson of Sophie

—–

Legends of the Halcyon Era

The Avion Adventure: The Enigmatic Lesson of Sophie

by

David Oxford/LBD “Nytetrayn”

*****

Previously, in Legends of the Halcyon Era…

After arriving on Avion, Commander Black Draco offered those suffering from memory loss access to a special treatment that could restore what they’d lost. While Celeste would ultimately turn down the process and had to work to mend things between the Commander and Nytetrayn, Steel went through with it, only to discover that he’d previously died.

Since then, Nytetrayn has been hanging out with Black Draco to better understand his heritage and his new skills, while Celeste would visit a museum and discover an exhibit that told her all about the woman she’d been confused for previously – Celeste McTreggor – which inspired her to want to contribute more to the group.

During this time, Steel had been training intensely with the likes of the Dragon Knight, SunFlame, and another Avion warrior, Katrina, to build up his nanite healing factor with but one thing on his mind: Revenge.

Steel stirred again, as the same dreams continued to deny him the rest he so desperately sought after stepping into those damnable chambers. Then came a knock at his door. Roused from his attempted slumber, he sat up and threw on one of his many black shirts as he pulled himself from his bed and answered the door.

“Hey, Cel,” he said. “What brings you by?”

“Hi,” the young woman in the doorway said. “Just wanted to see how you were doing, after the other day. I tried stopping by earlier, but I guess you were away.”

“I’m fine,” Steel said, maybe a little happier than he would have liked to let on that someone was bothering with him. “Thanks for checking up on me, though.”

“That’s good,” she said, as he noticed the knife-covered, blood-spattered lounge he left off to the right. Thankfully, the door was blocking her view of it.

“I just wanted to be sure,” she continued, looking down a little guiltily. “To be honest, I couldn’t even watch the whole thing.”

“You didn’t miss a whole lot,” he told her, a little embarrassed. “Wasn’t my finest hour.”

She nodded.

Steel cleared his throat. “Anything I can help you with? Want something to eat, drink?”

“No, just… you know. Making sure you’re alright.”

“I appreciate the concern. How’re you feeling today?”

“Oh, about the same,” she said.

“Any word from Nyte?”

“Actually, no. I didn’t see him come in – or go out – again.”

Steel chuckled. “You and I are in the same boat, then. I haven’t seen Jan in days.” After a brief pause, he added “It, uh, wasn’t her that brought me home that day, was it?”

Celeste shook her head. “No, Katrina and Adam sort of both did that.”

“Dammit,” he said. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be bothering you with this. You’ve got your own problems.”

“It’s okay,” she told him. “So, you haven’t seen her at all lately?”

Now it was Steel’s turn to shake his head. “Not lately, no. And I haven’t been able to reach her, because she left her wrist-thingy here.”

Celeste looked worried. “Wait, you haven’t seen her in all this time? I don’t think any of us have, either, but we thought she was with you.” She paused, slightly reddening. “We didn’t want to… uh, intrude.”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Steel said. “I know better than anyone that she can take care of herself. Still…” he sighed. “Can I do anything to help with, uh, your situation?”

“Nah, it’ll pass, I guess.”

“That’s good to know. I can’t imagine things between you and Nyte any other way than wonderful. He loves you a lot, y’know. I’m sure this whole ordeal with his father is pretty time demanding, though. Things’ll be just fine.”

Celeste just nodded, a little embarrassed by the words. “Still…” she said.

“Hmm?”

“I dunno.”

“I think you do. What’s bothering you, Cel?”

“I just wish… you know. He was around more.”

“Believe me,” Steel said, “I know exactly what you mean. He probably doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. After a whole life of not knowing anything about his past, he’s probably in the mind that he has years to catch up with. He’ll realize his mistake. And if he doesn’t, you should outright tell him.”

Celeste nodded again. “So, this whole trip has been kinda overwhelming, huh?”

Steel chuckled. “Trust me, I understand your sentiments. Consider it a quick way to build character… or something lame like that.”

Celeste chuckled in turn at that.

“So,” he said, “what are you planning for the day?”

“Honestly? I dunno.”

“I’m about to head out and train some more. You’re welcome to join me, if you want.” After sensing Celeste’s hesitation, he added “I’m going out to the plains today.”

“The plains?”

“A little grass field I found surrounded by hills and forest,” he told her. “There’s a lot of flowers, so it smells nice out there. Helps clear my mind. And it’ll be good for you to get some fresh air, anyways.”

“Yeah,” Celeste said. “That sounds nice.”

“Come on, the sooner we get out, the better we’ll both feel,” he said. “Oh, just one sec.” He went over to his bedside, and picked up something. As he approached the door again, Celeste could see it was a bokken – a wooden practice sword.

“What’s that?” Celeste asked.

Steel chuckled once more. “Gift from a friend. You’ll meet her out there.”

“Ah, cool,” Celeste said with a smile.

As Steel finished getting his footwear on, he said “Alright, all set,” and they headed out, with Steel closing the door behind him while making a note to clean up those knives later.

***

As Steel and Celeste entered the lobby of the hotel, they spotted Adam and Katrina, who were having drinks over what seemed to be an interesting conversation. Adam was drinking cappuccino and could be seen occasionally gesturing to his sword. Katrina listened as she occasionally took a sip from her cola, resting her chin in her hand on the table and commenting every now and then.

Adam smiled during a break in the conversation, with Katrina busting out laughing at what seemed to be a funny story. He laughed in turn after she told him something.

The pair noticed Steel and Celeste approaching and waved to them, and they waved back. Adam said something to Katrina before they got up and went to meet the pair. They noticed that Steel’s eyes were no longer red around the rims, though a noticeable bit of darkness had gathered beneath them. Even so, he seemed quite chipper.

“So, what are you two up to today?” Adam asked.

“I’m heading out for more training, of course,” Steel replied. “You two?”

“Oh, you know. We’re just hanging out, shooting the breeze,” Katrina said.

“I’m just tagging along,” Celeste said.

“It alright if we join you?” Adam asked.

Steel pondered this. “I guess she wouldn’t mind.”

“She?” Katrina asked.

Steel chuckled. “Someone I met recently, after I started training.”

“Does Janine know about this?” Adam wondered aloud.

“How could she?” Steel answered. “I haven’t talked to her in days.”

“You two have a falling-out or something?”

Steel paused. “I don’t know… I just assumed she’s busy. Or…” Steel shook his head. “Not important. What is important is that I’m going to be late.”

After flashing a look of concern, Adam said “Guess we’d best be going, then.”

***

Steel led the trio well away from Avion City, walking until it was virtually little more than a memory. The day was clear, and the weather was so nice that no one really minded. That is, save for Katrina, who floated above the group and occasionally performed a twist or turn in mid-air. The group all enjoyed both the weather and the change of scenery.

Finally, Steel came to a halt after treading down a long series of steep hills. Greeting them at the bottom was a wondrous bed of strange, semi-bulbous flowers. Sitting in the middle of those flowers was a young lady garbed in white with long, golden hair.

The young woman looked up as the others approached, diverting her attention from the flowers she was admiring.

“Hey, Soph,” Steel said to her. “I, uh, brought some friends.”

“So I see,” she responded with a voice that managed to feel soft-spoken, yet firm. “That’s fine; you know you’re always welcome to bring others.”

As Katrina landed next to Adam, Sophie looked Steel over. “Judging from your stance, I’m guessing that you have been training some more in your own fashion. You know I don’t appreciate your form of ‘training’. It’s too… reckless.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Steel said, as he glanced at Katrina with a wry smile. “I’ve heard that a few times already.”

Katrina smiled a bit, though it’s anyone’s guess whether it was from Steel’s glance or simply the nice weather and the breeze blowing through her long, raven-colored hair.

Sophie sighed and stood, her white dress swirling about her as she rose, looking like the echo of some lost goddess. “You are ready, then, for more?”

Steel raised his bokken. “Always,” he said with a dark smile.

Sophie sighed. “Must you always be so sadistic with your responses?”

He lowered his stance. “I thought it was intimidating…?”

“Yes, just keep believing that.”

Celeste and Katrina snickered a little at that, while Adam just gave a silent “Ohhh” while trying to keep the smile from spreading too far across his face.

After the wallop of Sophie’s words quickly passed, Steel took up a formal swordsman’s stance. It was such an unusual sight for him that it almost looked foreign to the others.

“Oh, yeah,” Steel said. “Uh, could you guys move back?”

The trio complied, with Adam drawing his sword and laying it on the ground next to them as they took a seat on the grass and looked on with interest.

“Thanks,” Steel told them before returning his focus to Sophie. “Alright, let’s see…”

“Pace yourself this time. Don’t rush in blindly.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Steel kicked off the ground and darted at her headfirst, pulling the “blade” from an imaginary sheath and throwing everything he had into his first strike, as he hoped that the speed of his attack would lead to success.

Sophie casually raised her own bokken to block the strike with virtually no effort, disrupting his attack. The jolt of the striking wooden swords sent Steel back a few paces, but he quickly recovered and brought his sword down with control learned from repeating the same form countless times. Once again, Sophie turned the blow aside with the hilt of her own.

Steel stepped back and set himself, clearing his mind and focusing on the scent of flowers – just as Sophie had taught him. Then he came forward again with a renewed vigor and an ensuing flurry of blows. Blows which Sophie blocked effortlessly, down to the last.

Meanwhile, the others watched on with varying degrees of interest. Katrina stretched her legs out and leaned back a bit, supporting herself with both arms. While it was obvious to her who was the more skilled of the two swordspeople, she was enjoying the fresh air and the flowers more than the fight, anyway.

Adam’s interest, on the other hand, seemed keener. Every now and then, one finger would twitch, almost as if in reaction to certain actions he was witnessing, as though he wanted to be a part of it.

Celeste fell somewhere between the two, fascinated by Sophie’s effortless skill, but not so much as to neglect the beauty of the setting around her. She found it uniquely calming, kind of relaxing in a way she hadn’t experienced often, like nothing else mattered but the moment.

Finally, Sophie ended it. Turning aside one final blow, she sent Steel off-balance before inverting her bokken and planting it in the ground. The action resulted in a shockwave, sending a force like wind exploding outwards from the tip of its blade. The force was enough to send Steel flying through the air, depositing him on the ground many feet away, all while only pushing the flowers down as it passed, allowing them to rise once more afterward.

“Still no control,” she said.

Steel picked himself up indignantly. “I don’t get it,” he said, a tinge of frustration in his voice. “I’ve practiced all the forms, I’ve learned to clear my mind. What am I missing?”

Sophie drifted over to Steel, seeming to float among the flowers, rather than walk. She stopped before him, at which point it became evident to the onlookers that she actually towered over him by nearly a foot. Looking down at him, she said “Your problem is here,” putting a finger on his chest, where his heart would be.

“Are you saying my heart isn’t in this?”

“I’m saying your heart is in this, and that is the barrier. You’re fighting out of a need to win. Running on pure passion and adrenaline. That isn’t always enough. Especially when your opponent is fighting with this,” she said, as she gestured to her head.

“I don’t know any other way to fight.”

“Then you must learn. Or you will die again.”

Steel gritted his teeth as he looked away. “I won’t…”

Sophie turned from Steel, and drifted back across the field. “If this person you seek to kill is as strong as you say, do you not believe its control will be at least a match for my own? How will you combat such control?”

As Steel searched for a reply, she added “Your lesson is over for today, Steel.”

Steel’s eyes snapped wide open. “But I just got here!”

“Then I advise you to spend the evening here with your friends.”

“But, my training–”

“Has gone nowhere. Unless you let go of the rage that drives you, then you will not exceed what you are now. Go now, enjoy this day. Learn what it is to enjoy without anger, for it is moments like these that will help you find the tranquility you truly desire. Understand that while vengeance may be noble in your case, if you forsake your chance at peace where you have it, your life becomes nothing but a method for darkness to manifest in the world.”

As Sophie imparted her lesson to Steel, Katrina flopped backwards and looked up into the sky, watching the clouds go by. She let out a happy sigh.

“You don’t get out of the city very often, do you?” Adam asked her.

“Not as much as I should,” she replied. “This is like heaven.”

Sophie turned to the others. “It was nice to meet you all. I am sorry I cannot stay longer. Perhaps next time, I will be able to stay for an extended period.”

She turned her attention to the others. “It was nice to see you all. I am sorry I cannot stay longer. Perhaps next time, I will be able to stay for an extended period.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Sophie,” said Adam. “Yeah,” agreed Celeste, who nodded until Sophie turned her attention to her specifically.

“Such a beautiful young example of a woman. Had I your looks, there would be no need for me to have wielded the blade as I do. Your husband should count himself proud.”

“H-husb–?” Celeste stammered, while Adam chuckled. She didn’t know what Sophie meant, and was both stunned and maybe a little flattered by the comment. Particularly the “husband” part.

Katrina quietly waved at Sophie without bothering to sit up.

Sophie smiled before her hair fell over her face, and with no more words, she drifted toward the forest, almost seeming to disappear as she faded from sight.

Meanwhile, Steel was fumbling for words, angry at and unable to comprehend his constant failures. He pondered what she had said, but couldn’t heed them through his dissatisfaction at himself.

Noting this, Adam told Katrina, “You should probably say something to him.”

Katrina sat up and looked over at the Digger. “Hey, Steel. Come over here.”

After blinking out of his self-loathing, Steel wandered over to her and the group, his own footsteps feeling distant to him.

“Do you know what she just told you to do?” she asked.

“The same thing she’s been saying since we met. ‘Inner peace,’ and all.”

“But do you understand? What she wants you to do, and what you need to practice?”

“Enjoying life, it sounds like.”

“Yeah, that’s part of it. But that’s not all. She’s saying that while fighting with your heart and rage might give you power, failing to control it will blind and bind you, and keep you from ever being truly happy, from ever finding real inner peace.”

Steel chuckled. “I guess you’re right.”

“‘Course I am. C’mon, sit down, enjoy the day. Just forget about training for a bit, and enjoy yourself.”

Steel chuckled again. “Alright,” he said, as he turned to do just that.

Katrina flopped backwards again, and basked in the sun, with Adam and Celeste joining her as they partook in cloud gazing, talking and just enjoying the day.

Steel took a spot among the flowers and settled in the center, breathing in the fragrance. It reminded him of Terra. He turned his back to the others, though, to hide the look in his eyes. He knew only one thing awaited him in this life, and it wasn’t inner peace.

He eventually began to push that thought out of his head as he turned his mind towards other matters. Like where had Janine been lately?

***

Sometime later, after returning to the city and the hotel the Terrans were staying at, Celeste entered her room to find a surprise awaiting her.

“Hiya,” said Nytetrayn, who had been sitting on the sofa and watching television as he waited for her arrival.

“Oh, hi…” Celeste said, actually a little surprised to see her boyfriend there. “How are things?”

“Alright, I guess,” Nytetrayn replied. After an awkward pause involving him rubbing the back of his head, he continued. “Let me just come right out and say it: I’m sorry.”

Celeste gave a curious look, and he went on. “Sorry I haven’t really been around. I’ve just been so caught up in stuff lately, and I didn’t realize how… absent, I’ve been.”

She walked over to him as he stood up, looking at her with some mix of guilt and embarrassment. “What brought this on?” she asked him.

Nyte winced. “Well, I was with the Commander and Shuri, and… well, they asked about you. About how you were doing.”

“And?”

“And that’s when I realized,” Nyte said, lowering his head. “I didn’t know.”

He looked up at her again, and asked “How are you doing?”

Celeste smiled a little bit. “I’m good. Better, now.”

Nyte smiled a little. “Do you want to do something later?”

She smiled more as she sat down with Nytetrayn on the sofa. “I’d like that,” she said, giving him a kiss to punctuate.

To be continued…

Next time: “Make Love, Not War”

—–

Legends of the Halcyon Era is a work of fan fiction set in the world of Mega Man Legends. It is largely adapted from a series of freeform RPG sessions, combining ideas from several contributors, and further fleshed out here in a prose format.

David Oxford, also known as LBD “Nytetrayn,” is a lifelong Mega Man fan who, along with his wife Nadia, has co-written the Mega Man Robot Master Field Guide and Mega Man X Maverick Hunter’s Field Guide from UDON Entertainment, and runs The Mega Man Network (themmnetwork dot com). You can also find him on Twitter @LBD_Nytetrayn, Bluesky @LBDNytetrayn, and @themmnetwork on both, and on Twitch and YouTube under the name “Nyteworks.”

You can also find Legends of the Halcyon Era as it updates at Archive of Our Own, and on Mega Man Legends Station!

Character art and cover arrangement by LBD “Nytetrayn”. Logos by Tabby Ramsey.

Thanks for reading!