Comes Night | Follows Dawn

Chapter One

I don't own anything but my own Original Character(s).

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Focus. Her deep brown eyes narrowed as she rested her glare on the back of her slender hands. She slowly pressed them forward, rolling her wrists so that both of her palms now faced towards her.

Conceal. Eyes began to close as her breath steadily flowed in and out. She stayed like this for a moment, quiet and still. A translucent red cloud formed against her palms, the warmth of her hands starting to burn.

Burst. Eyes shot open as she twisted her hands around. A funnel of red and yellow flared from her palms, illuminating the vast plains situated outside of the Crown City. The young woman's eyes began to turn crimson as the flames continued on, channeling from her hands outward to the open air.

"You certainly are gifted."

She twisted her head and turned towards the direction of the deep voice, her hands following suit. The blast missed Captain Drautos by inches. "... But you still have a lot to learn," he shook his head.

The woman sighed as she ran her hand gently through her long, raven hair. The color of her eyes turned back to their normal brown hue as she addressed the captain of the Kingsglaive. "I'm sorry, sir. You startled me."

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings. Always be alert, Aurora," Titus Drautos replied as he stood tall in front of her. "I could've struck and ended you without even releasing a breath. Thankfully, this is only a training exercise."

Aurora nodded. "Noted. Are we done here, sir?"

"Not yet. I'm volunteering you to show your fellow glaives that special spell that you and Crowe have been practicing."

"Sir, that's a pretty high energy magic. We haven't completely mastered the art of fully controlling it yet..." Aurora's eyes widened. "It's destructive."

"I need everyone to be on the same page here, Aurora. The glaives have yet to see what you can do at your full capacity," Drautos replied, looking over to the soldiers who were several feet away from where they stood. "Besides, don't you want to show them what you can really do?"

Aurora's stare shifted into the same direction, only her eyes fell upon one glaive. "I suppose," she whispered. She followed his every movement, noticing how his hands glided with every thrust and twist of his twin blades. He warped from the middle of the grassy plain to the end of a jagged rock. The purple ribbons of his glaive uniform swirled around his lean and muscular build as he slashed his way to the top.

Captain Drautos turned back to Aurora, noticing her entranced stare. "Considering how close you and Nyx are, I'm surprised you haven't showed him yet."

"That would be reckless, sir. I don't want to hurt him. Like I said, a spell like that will destroy everything if not properly contained," Aurora sighed, her gaze never shifting from where Nyx trained.

Drautos placed a hand on the glaive's shoulder. "I think you don't give yourself enough credit, Aurora."

She turned her eyes back to her captain. "You're a very gifted young woman. Not all of the glaives can wield and control magic like you can. Crowe is the only one that comes close, but even her ability can be limited. Don't underestimate yourself."

Aurora slowly nodded. Drautos smiled as he called out to his team. "Everyone! Gather! There is something that all of you need to see. Niflheim may have their magitek..." Drautos turned and gestured towards Aurora, who stood sheepishly beside him. "... but we have our magic."

The glaives gathered and all turned to Aurora Selene, the second of the only two female soldiers in the Kingsglaive. Great. Way to hype this up, Captain.