"Thalia! Thalia!" I scream as I look back through the portal. I turn to go back to get my sister but Alec is holding me back.
"Ember! She's dead! We have to go or else they're going to get us too! Come on Mereolona's waiting!" He screams at me over the raging winds. I refuse to budge, instead wanting to face my sister's murders. Alec rejects the idea to let me face my death and instead throws me over his shoulder and continues after Mereolona.
"NO! THALIA! WE HAVE TO GET HER I CAN SAVE HER!" I scream banging my fists on Alec's back, but it's no use. The portal's energy is whipping around us so much it blurs our entry point and I can no longer see my sister's body as it lays motionless on the ground, covered in blood. Her blood. Those bastards! She's just a kid! Please I can save her. Helia please, save her! I'll do anything! I plead to my god as we make our way through the portal. Anything? Anything! I give myself to you Helia please just let her live! As you wish but remember this comes at a cost. I hear Helia reply as her energy courses through me. It's dark, cold energy, raw and untamed. It's something that I haven't felt in years and it's overwhelming. Feelings of grief, anger and loneliness consume me and eat at the edge of my consciousness. My mind starts to disconnect from my reality as I feel the hard ground beneath my hands and feet. I must have thrashed around so much Alec dropped me.
"Ember? EMBER!" I can barely hear him over the chaotic mix of energy and mana. It's tearing into our skin and ripping our flesh down to the bone.
"Alec! Look at her skin, her veins are turning black!"
"Mereolona! This is bad, it's Helia, she's destabilizing the portal! We got to stop her!"
"Alright! Calidus Brachium!"
A sharp pain fills my side and my eyes snap open. I'm on the floor of my new quarters at the Crimson Lion's base. I'm gasping for breath and my heart is trying to escape from my chest. I stare at the celling as I try to calm myself down. I'm covered in sweat and I've somehow ripped the neckline of my sleepwear clawing at the seal in my sleep. Feeling my collarbone for any scratches, I'm relieved to feel that my key necklace is still secure around my neck. It was the last thing I had of Thalia's.
Alec, you should have left me. It should be you here, not me. I think as my racing heart calms down. Sitting up I notice it's still late at night but re-living my first night in Clover prevents me from going back to bed. Deciding to give up on sleep for the night I decide to change into my daytime attire and roam the halls barefooted. This will be fun. It's like being a ghost. I think as I let my legs take me where ever my heart desires while my mind proceeds to make a variety of ghost noises for fun.
It's pretty quiet except for the occasional snore from a bedroom. I go through the kitchens where some of the rolls from dinner are left out on the counter tops. Grabbing one to munch on I press onwards, curious to see what other rooms this base holds. Passing through the great hall I see that each chair is neatly tucked under the table waiting for the breakfast crowd to arrive. I also notice a piano in the far corner of the hall. I must not have seen it when everyone was here. It's dusty, like no one here has played it in a while. My mind is starting to drift to a time when I would regularly play for Alec and Thalia. However life's been so busy I haven't gotten a chance to release my feelings upon the keys. I really shouldn't. It's late at night and I could wake someone up. I think but the emotions from my dream are still raw and I don't think working out will be enough to convey what I'm feeling. Grabbing the edge of my sleeve I wipe off the seat and keys then I proceed to place my butt in the middle of the bench. Taking a deep breath in I lay my fingers across the keys in line with one of Thalia's favorite songs. The more I play the more unclouded my mind becomes and it's just me, the music and my memories.
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It was pretty early when Fuegoleon Vermillion was woken from his slumber by a muted thud. At first he paid it no mind, accustomed to the various night time activities some of the elite mages partook in. Just as he was about to turn over and resume his dreaming he felt a peculiar disturbance in the flow of his own mana. Must be Ember he thought. Over the last few hours after her awakening from her 9 day slumber he's noticed quite a few disturbances with his mana. When she was first transferred, the Magic King did forewarn him that Ember's guardian powers were heavily linked with her emotional state. So it may not be a stretch to say that the guardian's seal and mana flow may also be affected by her emotions.
Everything was fine when she was unconscious. Besides feeling more fatigued at the end of the day than usual, Fuegoleon rarely noticed the seal draining his mana. The instant she woke up it was like he knew within seconds. The minor, steady drain quickly became in a state of flux and made it hard to ignore at some points. Julius did suggest that should it become a problem to personally train with Ember so that she could properly control her emotions and the mana linked with them. At the moment however, Fuegoleon sighed and buried his face deeper into his pillow hoping she would just go back to sleep and the nagging flux of mana would go away so he could resume his dreaming. The sound of her door said otherwise. What is she doing roaming around at 3 in the morning? He sleepily thought to himself. As she moved further away from him, he could tell the intensity of the mana drain lessened allowing him to go back to sleep if he so wished. But by now he was wide awake. Getting out of bed, Fuegoleon got ready for the day and headed down to the kitchen to grab some breakfast prior to starting his private morning training.
As he approached the hall he heard a sound unaccustomed to the Crimson Lion's dinning hall: A piano and female voice.
/When I'm worried
I can't find my way to dreaming
I don't wanna fight
I just wanna sleep at night
'Cause there's times I don't know what to do
And I want you near
When the Nightmares are too much to bear alone
I'm waiting patiently for you
Of all the good you're partial to
There's one thing that you just can't do
You're never angry, you're never tired
You never judge or stoke the fire
But you don't come to me
I go to you
I can hear it in your voice over the phone
Bad anxieties
You know you wear it on your sleeve
Your heart
Is bleeding all over my sofa
And I don't even mind
I'll clean it up some other time
'Cause why look for me when I'll find you
Of all the good you're partial to
There's one thing you just can't do
You're never angry, you're never tired
You never judge or stoke the fire
But you don't come to me
I go to you
Oh, in the night
Oh, in the light
I don't wanna call your name
I just wanna feel your face close to mine
You're never angry, you're never tired
You never judge or stoke the fire
But you don't come to me
I go to you/
Walking into the dinning hall he isn't quite so surprised to see Ember is the source of the music. She was the one that woke him up in the first place. But this makes her seem much more poised than her usual rough and juvenile antics. He stands in the middle of the hall listening to her. He doesn't want to say anything and have her stop the calming song. It seems to have also stabilize the mana flow to the point he wonders if she's not unconscious again. As the song ends, Fuegoleon is pulled from his daze. He starts clapping at the rendition which causing Ember to jump 5 feet in the air and start swearing like a sailor.
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"Fuck!" I yell as I'm startled by the unexpected audience behind me. Turning around I see none other than Fuegoleon Vermillion. He's already dressed and ready for the day despite the early hour. I clamp my hand over my mouth in realization that I just swore at my captain. "Sir! I'm sorry I couldn't sleep and I wasn't expecting anyone to hear me at this hour. And you startled me, so I swore and –" He chuckles at my embarrassment which causes my face to turn a deep shade of red.
"It's alright. I didn't know you knew how to play. I never saw you touch a piano at the main house." He says sitting on the bench next to me. He's so close to me in this wide empty room, that our arms brush against one another. Why is he so close? There's literally an entire empty dinning hall and he's sitting right next to me. I mentally slap myself and answer his question.
"Mmmm I taught myself. My little sister, Thalia, used to have a hard time sleeping and our caretakers weren't the best in helping her go to bed. So I figured out if I played her something like the piano or guitar then she'd fall asleep no problem. Eventually Alec and her took it too far and started requesting the most difficult songs for me to play. It was really getting out of hand for a while. Did you know they once asked for Freebird six times in a row? Six times! They're crazy. But anyways I think eventually it just helped me refocus and ground myself, so I don't really play for other people much."
"Freebird?" He looks at me confused.
"I swear it's the world's longest song known to man. Anyways, what are you doing up this early? The kitchen staff isn't even in to start breakfast yet." I ask him. He chuckles at my question.
"Actually you woke me up."
"Wahhhh?" I turn fully around on the bench and swing my leg over so I'm now straddling the bench facing him straight on. "Me wake you up? How could quiet little old me wake up the great Fuegoleon? If I remember correctly Leo once exploded his bedroom doors down at the main house cause the lock got stuck and you slept through it all!"
"Mmmm but that's Leopold for you. He's always been like that. I've gotten used to the ruckus he makes. However the commotion you make with the seal is something I don't think I could sleep through even if I was dead." He jokes, poking me in the forehead to push me back a bit. I puff my cheeks out in disapproval. What is he talking about. I haven't done anything to put a strain on the seal and I've stayed nearby as to not significantly weaken the mana flow.... Apparently my confusion shows through my green eyes and he elaborates. "The Magic King said your guardian powers were linked with your emotions." I nod in agreement. "So I'm assuming this extends to the seal and the flow of mana supporting it." Wait is he saying my emotions are causing his mana flow to flux and that's what woke him up? Oh no, Oh no.... My face becomes pale as a ghost as I realize that he's been able to tell every mood change I've had in the last 24 hours because I can't get a grip on my emotions or the mana I've been draining.
"Well that's embarrassing...." I admit out loud. I look away from his face and up at the celling trying to distract myself. "It's bad enough my thoughts keep me up and now I've gone and kept the captain of one of the top magic knights squads awake." I run a hand through my brown wavy hair, trying to dissipate my embarrassment even more. It doesn't work
"Ember, can you even detect my magic?" He asks in all seriousness. I look back down at him.
"Nope! Not one bit!" I say rubbing the back of my head. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh. Grabbing my arm he yanks me off of the bench. "Hey! I don't know what kind of lady you think I am but –" He stops and looks back at with a look of disbelief.
"We're going to go train before breakfast. If you've got a source of mana you should be able to detect magic now. What do you think we were doing?" I laugh awkwardly.
"Well you were pulling me away to an unknown location. Early in the morning with no one around. You know, a man and a woman..." I laugh even harder as he lets me go and becomes as red as his cape. "Ah come on. I know you'd never do something like that. It's against your nature." I say walking past him through the doorway. He recomposes himself and starts to follow me.
"Do you even know where you're going?" He asks, but I'm already down the hall and around the corner.
"Not at all! But it's an adventure!" I yell behind me as my bare feet continue to carry me to parts unknown.
Eventually I end up waiting for Fuegoleon to show me where he has in mind. It's a training hall in the elite wing. Located near the gardens our rooms overlook. There's a pond nearby and plenty of mature trees giving us shade from the early sun. Despite the slight breeze, the summer heat is already ramping up for the day. We're standing on cobblestone that looks like it's been charred from time to time. I guess either him or his brother come here often I think looking around me.
"This is the training hall for the higher ranking mages only. We'll be training here until you've properly demonstrated you can detect mana and prevent fluxions within the mana stream." He tells me as we enter the open spans of land. I pause to take in the scene as he continues forward.
"And get back your shut eye I suppose." I say absent mindedly as I look at all the trees around me.
"That would also be preferable." He chuckles. I look away from the nearby tree and turn my attention to his back. The wind picks up his cape and causes it to flow gently in the breeze. He turns around and notices me staring at him. I quickly look back at the tree. "I presume you went through at least some sort of energy detection training as part of being a guardian right?" he asks, fully turning around to face me.
"Yeah, but if you're suggesting we do it my way, I'd rather not. It has the unfortunate side effect of death for some." I notice he scrunches his nose at me at the thought of such of an atrocious training method. "They pretty much blindfolded us and chained us up then threw us into another guardian's wake. Those who could detect the incoming attacks quickly enough to move out of the way lived and the rest of us died."
"Why would they-"
"Traditions are hard to kill when the old still cling to them. They probably could have gotten the same results with light fighting or meditation. But hey it's over with now, so what will be the Lion King's wish?" I say giving him a slight bow of mockery. He snorts at my jester, knowing my mocking is a weird show of respect and affection.
"We'll go with sparing."
"All righty then." I say getting up from my bow and proceed to start tying my hair up into a messy bun. I stretch upwards, hearing several joints pop in protest. I look over at Fuegoleon to see if he's preparing but all he's doing is staring at me waiting for me to get started. "Uh aren't you going to do anything to prepare?" I ask suspiciously.
"As a knight we must always be ready for battle. An enemy is not going to give you time to prepare." He says waiting expectantly.
"Yeah but I'm not an enemy. Plus isn't the whole cape thing kinda hard to fight in? I mean wouldn't it get in the way or catch on fire? It seems like a fire hazard to me if you ask." An image of his clothes burning off every time he uses his magic pop into my head. Now that would be really awkward in battle. He smirks and chuckles at me like I'm a 5 year old who just asked a question with an obvious answer.
"My clothes are imbued with magic resistant properties to prevent such mishaps. As are yours." He says pointing at me. I look down at what I'm wearing: yesterday's clothing. Ah that make sense why I was given an entirely new outfit when joining.
"Fabulous" I say pulling my corset's hem away from my stomach to get a better look at the fabric. I wonder if it's a natural material that's woven into the fabric or a spell cast upon it. If it's a natural material then I maybe able to adapt it to one of my – Ack! A burst of heat pasts my right side catching my sleeve. My arm is unbearably warm but not enough for even a minor burn and the fabric is still fully intact. "Did you just-" another fireball comes flying directly at me this time. Alright, alright I get it. Be prepared for an unexpected battle. I sidestep out of the way just enough that the blast pasts right by me. Although I wouldn't be surprised if a few loose hairs got singed in the process. "IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY? CAUSE DEATH SEEMS LIKE A REAL POSSIBLITY HERE!" I yell as I dive roll out of the way of another incoming attack.
"As knights we are expected to defend at any time. And if you can detect mana you can easily anticipate these attacks." He says aiming another blast at me. I know from fighting with Mereolona that for Fuegoleon these attacks are on the same level as lighting a candle. He doesn't even have his grimoire open! My frustration grows as I feel like I'm being taunted right now. Being on the defensive means I can't get close enough to land a hit, leaving my only options to be either use my guardian powers which we've sealed or learn how to detect mana quickly enough so that not all my hair is burnt off by the end of this drill.
Jumping out of the way of another incoming attack I quickly think back to when I was 5 and they threw me in front of another guardian's wake. I remember being in the dark thinking that this was the end for me. I had already been hit with several attacks with no clue as to where they came from. That is until I felt not the pain of the attacks on my 5 year old body, but the wave of minor energy that came just before the attack. Surely mana would have to have similar properties.
Closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath I try to focus on the air around me. It's quite except for the exciting hum resonating within me. Exhaling I extend my focus outwards. There's nothing. I get hit from behind causing me to stumble slightly forward. But I stay on my feet. I feel like an idiot standing in the middle of the training field waiting to be fried alive. I get hit again from the left this time. This time the heat is more than I'd care to deal with. Just wait- Another hit from the back right this time. Now the energy within me is more than an exciting hum, it's a swarm of bees ready to be let loose. I can tell it's the self-preservation guardian energy gifted by Helia but I refuse to acknowledge it. Another deep breath in and just as I'm about to let it out I feel it. The pressure that comes before the blast. It's coming at me straight on. Moving my left leg back, I pivot on my right foot. In a sweeping motion I move my arms with my turn. I instinctively use this block to use my opponent's momentum to spin them and throw them back in the direction they came from. However mana isn't a human body so it shouldn't work. Shouldn't being the keyword.
My eyes snap open as soon as I hear an explosion in front of me. Fuegoleon's opened his gold and crimson grimoire and has erected a wall of fire just as I've accidentally sent his attack right back in his face. As the wall and smoke dissipate I notice the shock on his face matches the shock on my face. I break out into a grin, proud of my achievement. That is until he falls to his knees.