The Eternal Dance of Light and Dark

by The King of Ravens

Having just survived a nine year long civil war, those of Lucael would be forgiven for entertaining the notion of peace. However, new threats are rising, and as the son of the king, it is Caiellis's job to combat them, despite his youth. But as the leaders of a rival nation declare war and mysterious figures pull strings in the shadows, Cai will be drawn into the fate of the world.

7. The Scholaria Magnus

Please review! Also thank you for reading the story up to this point. The action has been somewhat lacking so far, but I promise that such a state of affairs will soon change!

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Kaled sat up in the bed, stretching his limbs out and emitting a loud yawn, Caiellis twisting and murmuring: "Just five more minutes..." as the boy's slumbering mind detected the movements but dismissed them as he snuggled back down - part of him thinking that it was Alex moving restlessly in the bed on the other side of the room in preparation for getting up ridiculously early and beginning the rigorous training regime that had defined most of his life until the civil war ended.

The Welkalite hadn't slept well at all, his mind constantly thinking about what the introduction day would bring, how his new life would properly start out, and of course the memory of his ma. Kaled hoped for her sake that she was dead now and had entered the paradise of the sky even if it pained him to do so, but what he couldn't bear was the thought of the compassionate woman being subjected to torture and pain that the boy couldn't even image. He walked over to the other boy's desk and, as he currently didn't possess his own means of timekeeping, checked his watch – 07:04 – plenty of time for them to get ready and go to have breakfast before the assembly introducing the state of affairs in the academy.

He gently shook the Lucaelian, who tiredly mumbled something indecipherable and glared up at him, pulling away from the sudden touch and remembering that for once he was sharing a room with another individual other than Alexander, epitomising his ambivalence towards the Scholaria Magnus.

"Rise and shine, beauty queen. Your kingdom awaits," Kaled grinned at the sleepy youngster, and Cai narrowed his already half slitted eyes.

"One day it may well do. But not right now," he replied seriously, and his roommate chuckled and flung the curtains open, early-morning golden sunlight cascading over the room and illuminating everything in a yellow glow. The island wasn't as hot as Kaled was used to, with medium-range temperatures – the Lucaelians wouldn't find it unbearably hot, whilst the Welkalites and Yentarians that took up residence in the cities close to the border of the New Empire of Passion would be satisfied with the mild heat.

The instant the beams of light washed over him, Caiellis gave an involuntary shriek of pain that he couldn't hope to stifle as a burning stimulus tore through his nerves and set his body alight. He couldn't see anything, the light blinding in its intensity, and as Kaled shot to his side he buried himself under the covers, whimpering slightly. He desperately tried to keep quiet and hide away from the oppressive radiance of the island's dawn, muffling his own pathetic sobbing in the pillows of his bed and in too much pain to care that tears were rolling down his cheeks - but not enough that the self-judging part of his mind insisted that he was a weakling for giving into the sudden and unexpected agony so easily and not fighting it like any other Lucerna - or indeed, Lucaelian - would.

"Cai! What's wrong?" he shouted as the boy huddled further under his sheets, shuddering and scared of exposing himself further. An irritated yell of "Could you please shut up?" echoed throughout the corridor, and Kaled heard the door open; the frightened noise and loud shouting must have attracted someone. He wasn't surprised in the slightest when a tired looking Annia appeared at his side, the girl wearing a silver dressing gown that shone and scintillated in the sunlight.

"What is wrong with him?" Kaled asked desperately, somehow hoping that the Yentarian who seemed familiar with the nationality of his roommate would know what to do, and Annia gave him an exasperated look which all but confirmed that notion. Caiellis could feel the older boy's grip on his shoulder covered by the quilt that he had taken refuge under; he recoiled from it and buried himself further away - the Welkalite's touch, even with a layer of plump fabric between them, sent ripples of pain across what he logically knew wasn't burnt skin but was subsumed by the sensation of it anyway. He was hot, boiling in his own skin, and something was happening to him that he was certain he could have recalled the cause and identity of if spikes of white-hot agony weren't piercing every nerve ending in the front half of his body.

The thirteen year old could hear the distant voices of a boy and a girl, the latter' scathing tones a cause for him to wince in sympathy at the recipient had he not felt like he was being burnt at the stake like the heretics of the past. Despite that, the strictures of control and resolution to wade through the torment that had been imprinted into his mind by both Uncle Tristram's relentless physical training (at least in the times of the civil war) and the battles with agents of shadow that they had fought were beginning to be imposed, and Cai clamped his mouth shut and placed a stifling hand between it and the pillow to further block out the whimpers that he couldn't stop making.

"You really do know nothing about anything, don't you?" she snapped caustically, striding to the curtains and dragging them shut, plunging the shared bedroom into gloom. "Lucael is a kingdom perpetually shrouded in darkness - they barely ever have sunlight, and when they do it is a cause for celebration, as the intervals can go into years. Caiellis might not have ever seen the sun before, and here you are exposing him unexpectedly to it - actually, now that I remember, the Lucaelian sun apparently has special properties that somehow make it different from the light we are accustomed to - which explains the adverse reaction he had to it when you exposed him to sunlight. Caiellis, it's ok now, you can come out," Annia encouraged, slowly peeling off the quilt when it became clear the prince wasn't going to do it himself.

"Sorry," Kaled muttered ashamedly (and slightly petulantly), but how was he supposed to have known that? Neither Alex nor Caiellis himself mentioned it (and no one else had forewarned him about the prince's condition (also, judging by the lack of noise from the rest of the dormitory, it was just Cai that had been affected, suggesting that the others had already experienced the luminescence of the sun before)), so Kaled couldn't really be blamed for it, although Annia seemed set upon doing exactly that.

"It's ok Kaled. How could you have known? I completely forgot about it myself to be honest," Caiellis stated quietly, as if reading his roommate's mind, emerging from his cocoon and rubbing his eyes sleepily - or at least, that was what it seemed, whereas in reality he was erasing all evidence of the shameful tears he had shed before he appeared even weaker and dishonoured the Lucerna bloodline to an even greater extent in front of the representatives of two separate civilisations. He was glad that the room was still shaded, otherwise Kaled and Annia would have been able to plainly see how beet red his face had become in his abject embarrassment, and, downplaying his pain, continued: "I just felt a burning sensation and couldn't see anything. You can open the curtains again now. And thanks, Annia."

The Yentarian flushed and turned away before either of the boys would notice, as Kaled pulled the drapes apart and sunlight once again cast its glow upon the room. Caiellis didn't react this time apart from a sharp intake of breath as he adjusted to the feeling of being illuminated by something other than a magical source or flickering flames. Annia swiflty said her goodbyes and stepped out of the room, bumping into another student, a larger boy that was also Lucaelian who glared down at her.

"What was that racket?" he demanded, and Annia sighed, hoping that she wouldn't have to explain it to more people and exacerbate Caiellis's discomfiture.

"Caiellis was just ... adapting to the light," she told him, and the boy widened his eyes in surprise.

"Prince Caiellis is here?" the taller student asked, his amazement at being so close to royalty visibly eclipsing his almost instinctive need to censure Annia for her disrespect - or at least that was how it appeared to the Yentarian, who hadn't failed to notice how the boy's eyes had lit up in automatic annoyance at her using the prince's forename without his proper title.

"Yes, in the room I exited only moments earlier (before I was blocked by you)," Annia replied somewhat haughtily, irritated at the Lucaelian's originally unnecessarily caustic tone. Pre-empting the teenager's next question, she explained with a vaguely superior note: "The instructions on how to use the data-sheet are located on the back."

He barged impatiently past her and she rolled her eyes, returning to her own room where Freya had finished getting ready. The mysterious Erian had been picked for the enrolment to the Scholaria Magnus by the shamans of her nation, and had lived in the deep forest before coming here. Beyond that, Annia hadn't been able to glean anything else about the reserved girl, apart from the fact that she obviously had a strong connection to natural Green mana.

Kaled was about to go into the bathroom for a shower when he heard the door open for the second time, and a pale Lucaelian boy who was about his size (though perhaps a little stouter, indicating that he had not been in want of food as much as the Welkalite) and seemingly unaffected by the sunlight strode in. The instant he caught sight of the prince propped up in his bed, he fell to his knees in a gesture of supplication. Caiellis hid the scowl that had formed on his young features as the boy's eyes met his, and awkwardly got out of his bed, uneasy with not affording even the slightest of respect to someone kneeling in front of him. Kaled hung in the doorway of the bathroom, eager to see the exchange between heir and subject.

"My prince. I hadn't expected to have a room so close to yours – opposite in fact," the older student said proudly, his eyes not lowered deferentially to the floor as Caiellis hadn't indicated that he wished for that - as indeed he did not.

Cai shut his eyes, scouring through the depths of his memory. He recognized the fifteen year old from somewhere, maybe from his journey throughout Lucael in the years of the civil war. He and his brother had needed to keep moving to prevent Johnias's demons from pinpointing their location, as the king's brother knew Marik's main weakness well – his young family.

The death of the king's wife taught him that much, and he knew that his twin brother wouldn't be able to mount a defence should his children be slaughtered as well. Emili's assassination combined with numerous instances of shrouded agents and demons to capture or kill the princes even when they though they were secure had made certain that mundane defences could not hope to protect them, and as the two boys were primary targets within the brutal conflict they had constantly been forced to travel between the cities using the "safe" passageways throughout the darkness, never remaining in one location for longer than a month - a fact that both youngsters but especially the junior brother (as he had only ever had fleeting memories of stability and normality) despised. Caiellis smiled as he located the somewhat blurry memory, and reopened his green eyes.

"Mysos, son of Xathan, Slayer of the Wicked and Guardian of Cassida Principia," the prince grinned slightly, remembering staying at the City of Swords and meeting the Guardian's young son (in-between his and Alexander's age) before Johnias's general, Garod Morr, Guardian of the former City of Commerce, laid siege to the metropolis with an army borne of treachery and unholy magic. It had been a brief respite from wandering the darkness, as the monorail transport systems that were so useful now had only just started construction a few months before the onset of betrayal. Cai vaguely recalled Alexander beating up Mysos after he pushed the eldest prince's little brother into a table, but Mysos had obviously matured in the seven years afterwards and he doubted that the senior Lucaelian would be able to remember it.

Stunned at the prince's remembrance of his name, Mysos blinked twice and Caiellis pressed on with something that he had been considering since the onset of his journey, "Well then Mysos, everyone starts equal at the Scholaria Magnus, so please don't kneel to me. Or call me anything but Caiellis or Cai for that matter."

Mysos got to his feet, a wide grin plastering itself on his face as he stared down at the youngest Lucerna (yet still managed to make it appear extremely respectful), amazed that the prince remembered him despite being only six years old at the time of their meeting, and Kaled chose that moment to ask the question that had been burning in his mind: "So you're Lucaelian as well, but not affected by the sunlight?"

The son of Xathan (who seemed to have quite an ostentatious title in Kaled's mind) regarded him haughtily, as if he hadn't even noticed that the Welkalite was in the room due to him being so focussed on the young prince, and Kaled smiled sarcastically back at him.

"All Lucaelians have a moment in their lives when they are exposed to the sunlight for the first time, reacting in a somewhat scared way that is only amplified if one encounters the sunlight of the outside first. However, mine, and every other student from the Kingdom of Light's first time was a year before the young prince was born," Mysos explained, his tone partially condescending in a way that made Caiellis wince at the impression he must have been having on his Welkalite roommate.

"Why don't you just move out of the darkness, and into a normal location with plenty of sunlight?" Kaled suggested, and Mysos looked at him like he had just taken a fecal dump on his favourite possession. Cai kept his gaze flicking between the two, unsure about whether to intervene and answer Kaled's question in a less virulent manner than the other Lucaelian would be sure to, but deciding to remain silent for now and just let the conversation play out.

"Don't be ridiculous. The light here, and anywhere else in the world, is nothing compared to the light the angels bless us with, no matter how brief it may shine upon our kingdom," Mysos described as if the point he was making was as simple to grasp as why fire burned things. The boy turned away from Kaled, the derisive curl of his lips twisting into respectful reverence that the youngest occupant of the room was certain that he didn't deserve, and his voice was respectful and deeply deferential (although slightly fearful - probably a combination of him being wary of my Summoning and birthmark and his concern for ensuring that he doesn't act in any way that I, an "exalted" Lucerna, might perceive as rude) "Well, Caiellis, would you wish to join me and the others of the Kingdom of Light for morning prayers?."

"Thank you for the offer, but I will pass. I prefer to say my prayers alone," the youngest boy replied solemnly, and Mysos departed with a nod of acquiescence, not even acknowledging the Welkalite as Kaled swore with his fingers at the student's back, muttering discontentedly to himself, "What the hell was his problem?"

He had no idea about what Mysos had just said, and he turned to Caiellis, who looked like he was in deep thought. Although a part of him wished for clarification on the strange nature of Lucael that seemed to be simply accepted by anyone else who knew of it from his young roommate, the last thing that the thirteen year old had mentioned lingered in his mind.

"Do you want me to leave if you're going to pray?" he asked, and the boy grinned back at him, though it did not dispel the contemplative tinge to his green eyes.

"Don't you dare mention it to anyone apart from Alexander, who already knows, but I don't pray. I don't worship the angels as messiahs, and I don't feel the need to pray to a man who is my distant ancestor," Cai confessed, resisting the urge to direct a furtive glance over his shoulder to ensure that no one else was in earshot.

"I won't. That must be hard for you," Kaled offered, and the Lucaelian glanced strangely at him. The older of the two boys couldn't really empathise with his roommate at all, as while superstitious traditions were very present in Welkas and the citizens of the Empire believed in an amalgamation of different gods and goddesses, after the dissolution of the Old Empire most if not all of the traditional worship of the pantheon (of which every Emperor was said to be the divine incarnation of, a huge factor in the New Empire of Passion throwing off the yoke of oppression and false gods) and the honouring of specific deities had faded into obscurity (as had any of their remote temples), even though some of the names prevailed within expressions.

Besides, without the dominating influence of the structure of the tyrants of the past's sovereignty it was unlikely that the Welkalite people who were notorious for their fickle and spontaneous nature would continue to pay dividends to any religious organisation that would try to shackle them in their pursuit of passion.

"Not really. I am pretty much treated like some sort of messenger from the angels and the Goddess anyway," he responded enigmatically, and Kaled shrugged his shoulders and went to get ready for his shower.

.*.*.*.

There were approximately one hundred students located in the medium sized hall, but knowing the Yentarians and their love for precise mathematics and knowledge Caiellis guessed that there would be one hundred and twenty pupils in total – thirty from each nation, and forty in each of the three years. Kaled, Annia and the Erian girl who had shyly introduced herself as Freya stood next to him, the former two excitedly chattering about the welcoming speech to come whilst the latter stayed silent, much like himself. Caiellis saw his older brother at the far east of the room, who noticed his little brother absently staring at him and pointed out his position to a couple of other teenagers. Cai waved nervously back at the older students, and Alexander laughed at him, before grinning and turning back into his conversation.

The boy's attention started to drift as Kaled and Annia began childishly bickering about something, and observed the wide hall. There was a raised area at the far end, probably where the person(s) addressing them would situate themselves, with the flags of each nation hung behind and the personal crest of the Scholaria Magnus in the centre, its motto embroidered in golden thread that glistened in the illumination from mana-powered lights hanging down from the ceiling.

He focussed his gaze on a doorway at the far side of the elevated stage that creaked open, revealing a middle-aged man wearing grey/blue robes who slowly paced towards the middle of the platform dais, halting when he reached a plinth of glossy deep brown wood. The man had medium-length, greying hair and a large beard of the same colour – if Caiellis could choose one word to describe him from this initial impression, it would definitely be wise. He reminded the youngest prince slightly of Uncle Tybalt, but whilst the Hierarch was more dignified and strict (at least externally, as Cai had definitely seen his softer and more affectionate side directed against both himself and his older brother) this man seemed more understanding and affable.

The chatter in the hall slowly died down as more and more students realised that one of the teachers was among them, and when he reached the middle of the stage and gave a quiet cough that somehow projected across the whole room, despite the fact that the youngest Lucerna detected no magic currently emanating from the man. When the last pupil awkwardly ceased talking, the man nodded as if satisfied and looked down at his audience of adolescents ranging from all across Magnus-Primae.

"Students of the Scholaria Magnus, as the headmaster of the school, I bid you welcome. I am Mr Colae, headmaster of the Scholaria Magnus, but please feel free to call me Hadan," the headmaster announced, his voice captivating and genial. He was clearly a very good public speaker, Caiellis's mind for a moment going back to the humiliating incident in Capitalia Lux that his brother had been forced to rescue him from, his cheeks almost reddening with embarrassment in spite of the reality that it was unlikely anyone but Alexander in the room was aware of it.

Headmaster Colae smiled, a warm expression that seemed utterly genuine, before continuing, "It is truly a wonderful sight that my eyes are laid upon - youngsters from all different civilisations and cultures brought up in many differing ways all brought together in the pursuit of learning and peace. It is my hope that you - the future of the world - will be able to use this time to meet other young adults that you would have never dreamed of talking to before, make friends with those whose homes are located thousands of miles away from your own, and advanced your knowledge of the nations of Magnus-Primae. The Scholaria Magnus is a truly great opportunity, and I have faith that you will make the most of it, my students."

The way his gentle voice pierced the silent air of the assembly hall was captivating, his friendly and knowing eyes drifting between the individual girls and boys within his quiet audience and his amiable gaze meeting that of each and every adolescent located in the room. It seemed like he was holding a separate conversation with each distinct student that had a simultaneously different but identical effect upon each one - Cai had experienced the same from the more charismatic generals and (especially) high ranking members of the holy church in the past, the enrapturing sensation that one was unique and that one was being spoken to by the orator individually, that the words were meant for them alone.

Just because he knew what it was, was familiar with the verbal technique due to it being taught to him and Alexander within their speaking lessons (which were mainly the focus of Hierarch Tybalt, although Tristram often intervened to add his own opinions on the matters at hand), didn't mean that it failed to have an impact on him, and Caiellis would be lying if he said that he did not feel a small fire of inspiration kindling within his chest - even if that fire was quickly smothered with the suffocating weight of his expectation as a Lucerna prince. It stung knowing that Alex was able to address the people of Lucael in this manner, that Alex was so much more confident and had the ability to be so much more genial towards the inhabitants of Lucael than he himself could ever be, though he didn't hold it against his older brother and only blamed himself for the problem.

Hadan's grey blue eyes locked with his own emerald-centred spheres, the corner's of the man's lips twisted into a cordial smile as they stared at one another. Although rationally Cai was aware that the headmaster spent no more time gazing at him than he did with any of the other students of the hall, it felt to the prince as if the man's portals lingered on himself for much longer than anyone else - as was the intended effect. It was supposed to make him feel special, wanted, even, but Caiellis knew (or was convinced) that he was only unique as a role, a position and title, not as a person.

He kept his eyes, which had always been the doorways into his emotion even when attempting to make them blank and apathetic, bereft of any of his inner turmoil. And then the gaze was gone, grey orbs shifted to meet with the eyes of another new academy student, and Caiellis had to force himself to keep his sigh of both relief and sadness inaudible.

"Many of you I'm sure will be wondering what sort of lessons will take place at the academy, thus I shall now introduce the teachers that will cater to the multifarious general subjects present before specialization is a possibility,"just as he was finishing his sentence, a selection of other adults walked up onto the stage, and Mr Colae beckoned them forwards with a calloused hand.

A hard-faced, stern Lucaelian woman that the youngest Lucerna didn't recognise and a large and gruff-looking man with the tanned skin most reminiscent of the Welkalites Cai had seen so far stepped forwards first, standing straight and surveying the students in front of them as if they were a bunch on new recruits on the first day of a brutal military training regime.

"This is Miss Gloria and Sergeant Tarkos, the both covering combat training – the former catering to fighting exclusively without one's Summoning, while the latter includes the powerful denizens of Sancturia you are all gifted with. Although we at the Scholaria Magnus advocate for peace in all of its forms, we are not so short-sighted as to not realise that threats to the stability the academy hopes to create can originate from anywhere - and that to combat this brave fighters and magi who know how to control their powers and use them for good are needed," Hadan declared, as another two mentors replaced the military teachers, who filed back into the line.

"Doctor Argyle, Shaman Trostani and myself will teach you about both wielding magic and what we have been able to glean about essence of Sancturia itself, with the first also educating in mathematics and the second and myself on the effects of overlaps between our own world and the mystical plane." A Yentarian male swathed in heavy robes glanced down impassively and analytically at the pupils like they were test subjects, his piercing mottled green eyes roving over the ranks of adolescents, and Cai shuddered slightly when he saw the glint of metal from underneath each of the man's large sleeves.

He had heard of the League of Uveria, those that believed in the purity of the machine and replaced "weak" biological limbs with artificial replicas, but had never actually encountered one before. The boy wasn't sure whether to be disgusted or intrigued in regards to the man's bodily modifications. The Shaman was a dishevelled Erian that had a mysterious air about her, and the Lucaelian knew of their strong link with the land itself - although in reality that was all that he did know of the reclusive residents of the Deep Forest. The headmaster himself didn't directly show any allegiance to any nation, but Caiellis would guess he was Yentarian also, probably from the League of Isak.

"Finally, Mr Fram will teach you about culture," an unassuming man bowed slightly at the words, his spectacles wobbling on his long nose. It was somewhat refreshing to see a relatively normal looking teacher among the wildly varying members of the academy staff, but in spite of his innocuous appearance the prince could perceive a magical aura around him that matched that of the other educational professionals in its potency.

"These are the mentors that will aid you in achieving your full potential at the Scholaria Magnus, and each grade will have a revolving timetable, spending time with every teacher on almost every day. However, the year system based on age is a purely temporary methodology of organising you in the first few weeks, where we will be individually and group testing you so that we can analyse your aptitude for different subjects. After that, the individual classes will be based upon assessed skill alone, which may mean that every class is yours is different when we have sufficient data to factor in your skill level for each unique lesson," Mr Colae proclaimed, and Caiellis nodded – age was no indication of strength as far as he was concerned, and if the strictures imposed upon age had been upheld as utterly unbreakable then he wouldn't be here.

That fact was tarnished by the reality that the youngest Lucerna had been exempted from the equal treatment not because of any merit belonging to him, but because he was the son of a king who had clearly pushed for his entry to get the boy out of his mind. He just hoped that he would be able to avoid any form of bullying or discrimination because of his status as the youngest - and smallest, he had embarrassingly noticed - member of the Scholaria Magnus.

"The assembly is now concluded – first year will be taken by Miss Gloria and Sergeant Tarkos, second year will join myself and Mr Fram, and finally third year shall have its beginning lesson taught by Doctor Argyle and Shaman Trostani. You will receive your timetables in attendance of these lessons. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to bring them to my attention. I will be observing some of the lessons, but otherwise I will most likely be situated within my office in the main building," the man finished, smiling once more as he stepped backwards in conjunction with the teachers moving towards the pupils.

The students dispersed, walking towards their respective teachers, and Kaled clapped Cai on the back of his shoulders. He glared at the older boy for a moment, his irritation dissipating slightly when he looked upon how excited his roommate appeared.

"How cool is that? We get to see the combat teachers first!" he grinned, evidently happy about the arrangement of the first lessons, while Annia sighed despairingly. "Urrgh, why couldn't we have done magic class instead?" she moaned, and Kaled shook his head in bemusement. Caiellis himself wasn't too concerned about the schedule of lessons – all he cared about was when he would be able to attempt the Summoning trial again. The academy was a nice distraction, but at the moment that was all it meant to the thirteen year old, and he wouldn't let it get in the way of his duty.

.*.*.*.

The training room was connected to a large armoury filled with all sorts of weaponry, and was comprised of several spacious fighting cages, the metal enchanted with a strange, shimmering glow that Caiellis assumed would prevent damage. The forty students of the first year, the youngest of the academy, sat on the floor in a central location adjacent to the individual rinks while Miss Gloria introduced them to the area, explaining that there were also arenas farther out that could be used in testing students against captured Unbound creatures of various strengths and mana alignments, as the Scholaria was located on a uniquely placed island where all five colours of magic were present in equal force.

As his fellow trainer briefed the pupils, Tarkos observed each one of them intently, as if assessing their combat aptitude merely from physicality alone. When his gaze brushed over Caiellis, the young prince couldn't help but stare back into the man's judging and harsh eyes, the sergeant glaring at him with more intensity than he had done with the others at the show of defiance (even though the boy was still paying attention to the other professional in the room).

The boy sensed a great amount of resentment directed specifically towards him – however, judging by the Welkalite's age, he would probably have fought in the rebellion against their corrupt tyrants as a teenager, so his hatred of royalty would most likely stem from there. It didn't help that Cai was the only one who was armed – he had taken the Sword of Glass with him in case weaponry training would be taking place, doubting that he would be able to use his father's gift. But no other weapon that he had ever wielded reacted as with him as the crystalline relic blade had, and the fact that it was mostly weightless was a great benefit to the small youngster.

He lowered his vision, reluctant to meet the piercing eyes any longer because he didn't want to be the cause of any trouble nor land himself in it, fidgeting nervously in a parallel of Kaled's restless movements next to him. The Welkalite was clearly anticipating the fighting that was sure to come, that was for certain. Cai hoped beyond hope that it wouldn't be any form of weaponless sparring, as he had endured enough negative experiences in being forced to train in hand to hand combat against Alex, and had built up a burning hatred of it because of his older brother's ability to completely put his meagre ability and strength to shame even when the seventeen year old reduced the force of most of his strikes and went easy on his little sibling.

"Before we start, I would like everyone who hasn't Summoned yet to come forward for a few seconds – just so we can calculate the amount of Summoning Bays we will need in your next lesson," Gloria ordered, and Caiellis stood up ashamedly along with a few other teenagers, mostly Welkalites for some reason (and no other Lucaelians), shuffling glumly towards the teacher.

He felt surprised eyes at his back, and bowed his head in shame, knowing that he deserved the humiliation for not passing the test. His cheeks burned as he approached the teacher; although it would be known that the dreaded Angel of the Black Sun had not yet been unlocked by her incompetent Summoner, it was still disgraceful for a Lucerna prince to have such little success in their endeavour to Summon their First Sisterhood angel. Gloria took their names on a sheet of paper, her eyes flashing with recognition and veneration at the prince but otherwise making no comment.

The youngest Lucerna returned to his place next to Kaled and Annia, refusing to meet the eyes of either of the two and adopting the blank mask that he had perfected in the recent month, apathy warring with sadness and a grim determination to succeed. He could see out of the peripherals of his sight that Sergeant Tarkos was relatively amused at Caiellis's predicament, but refused to let it externally perturb him.

"Right then. We shall begin with simple and unrestricted duels – just so we can obtain a measure of your relative skill and strength in this area. Magic and Summonings are permitted, although those without should fight each other," Gloria pronounced, and Caiellis was about to object, wanting to quietly assert that he was perfectly capable of training against those with Summonings (though he would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage) when the sergeant cut in: "Hold your tongue, boy."

He couldn't resist glowering at the man, who returned it with a sarcastic and condescending smile. Caiellis turned away once more, refusing to rise to the bait or incite anything that would detriment him in the future. He knew that it was not condoned for a Lucerna prince to act in such a petty way, and only hoped that the more rigorously devoted of the other Lucaelians would not take offence for him or act out because of any perceived insults. At any rate, non currently seemed concerned by the fact that Cai was here, which was how the thirteen year old would prefer to maintain things.

Each teacher began announcing names as to who would fight, the students called up taking their places next to specific cages. Tarkos grinned when he realised that all the other pupils without Summonings had already been called, leaving Caiellis as the only one with three other students.

"Meri and Joeseph, you two duel," he commanded, and the named - respectively a small Yentarian youth and a slender Lucaelian boy that, if the youngest Lucerna remembered correctly, hailed from Capitalia Lux like himself - excitedly ran off to their assigned arena. "Now then, that leaves Kaled and Caiellis. Sorry Kaled, but you will have to fight someone without a Summoning. Try to go easy on him." Tarkos smiled, as if revelling in demeaning the prince.

"How is that fair? He doesn't have a Summoning! I might hurt him!" Kaled protested emphatically, and Cai snarled, flicking his eyes to the tall Sergeant as they walked to their assigned battle station, "Shut up. Sir, may I used the Sword of Glass?"

"Why not? Not like it will help you much," the man replied. Cai raised an eyebrow for a moment, sourly wondering whether it was customary of Tarkos to automatically underestimate enchanted armaments or if he was just doing it in an attempt to belittle the thirteen year old's capabilities with or without the weapon.

They took up positions on the opposite sides of the cage, Kaled rolling his shoulders and stretching whilst his opponent practised swinging his sword, both removing the tension from their muscles in different ways, the sergeant's eyes watching him intently. Caiellis considered, for a moment, as to why the teacher thought it was necessary to solely observe them, but resolved to refuse to let it distract him from his combatant.

The boy allowed his mana to flow into his weapon, the comforting incandescence of his White mana illuminating the crystal blade in a luminous glow with a hint of shadowy edges that belied the dark power which rested inside of him. He had never willingly drawn upon Black mana before - he didn't particularly know how - always restricting his magic to that of the light. But sometimes, even when casting spells that he was intimately familiar with, he felt the lure of something more sinister dangling at the edges of his consciousness. And it scared him, that possibility for evil, the fact that he could wield power that had brought the Kingdom of Light to its knees if he just let himself.

"Kaled, begin your Summoning," the Sergeant instructed, and Kaled felt a rush of fiery heat course through his veins and blasting out of him as he manipulated the heat within his chest, coalescing to form the feline shape of Regata. The fire-cat snarled, molten spittle dripping to the floor, and he gave it a little tickle behind the ears, the owner impervious to the flames pulsing off the elemental.

"Who is our opponent? A child?" it snarled in incredulity, flecks of magma hissing as they touched the mat of the cage, the magic nullified immediately as it touched the shield surrounding the living metal.

"Yeah, but it is only a practise session. No ripping him apart," Kaled warned, Regata shaking his head disappointedly. Caiellis stood impassively, watching the exchange intently (and also with a pang of envy that he quickly subdued) and gauging the strength of his foes. He pushed irrelevant thoughts out of his mind, focussing fully on the combat as Tristram had taught him – there was no room for remorse when fighting traitors, and though Kaled was hardly that, the same principles applied.

His mind was liable to wander and be wrapped up in tangential contemplation, but instead of completely crushing any and all thought, his Uncles had helped him in honing that ability to think and strategise and devise solutions to the problems caused by his opponent's manoeuvres into a battlefield context. Sometimes his thoughts betrayed him, and too often he had been knocked off his feet by a blow from his brother that he should have dodged, but right now he was concentration clarified into a single body.

"Are you ready?" Tarkos asked, and both boys nodded, Kaled's face lit up enthusiastically while the prince's was blank and fixed on his opposite.

"Then go!" the Sergeant shouted, and Caiellis blurred forwards, instantly hacking apart Regata in a blinding explosion of fire and light. He reversed his grip on the Sword of Glass and pointed the tip directly at Kaled's throat, who was still reeling from the sudden elimination of the elemental creature. All this had taken place in less than a single second. He gasped, looking down at the younger boy with a form of awe at his speed, as such was supposed to be Kaled's strongest point and yet the prince had defeated him in the time it took for him to blink. Perhaps the royalty of Lucael deserved the admiration shown to them by their subjects after all...

"You need to concentrate more on the battle, rather than if you will hurt me or not," Cai chastised, his voice harsh and brilliant luminescence surrounding his fragile body. His weapon was also suffused with such a glow, the edges tinted in a barely perceptible darkness, and Kaled gulped at how fast he had been defeated. What his friend had said was true – he was thinking about the fact that he had a Summoning created an imbalance in power and not paying full attention to the duel, but he hadn't expected to be punished for it so swiftly.

The younger adolescent had clearly taken full advantage of his momentary weakness, and Kaled resolved not to let it occur again, to both better prove himself and to give his roommate more of a challenge. He should not have been defeated so easily, even if he was distracted and hesitant to harm Caiellis. He pulled away from the boy's sword, the shining blade gently lowered in response, and nodded towards the other boy, tanned brow furrowed in consternation.

"I think that's enough of your "relic blade"," Tarkos scowled, annoyed that the insolent thirteen year old had bested Kaled so fast even without a Summoning whereas the older boy had been primed and ready with one. He had wanted to teach the boy about respect, but might have only succeeded in heightening his ego further. It was the reality that Caiellis was so innocent, so seemingly perfect on the exterior that really pissed him off the most - that he couldn't noticeably find obvious faults with him apart from his lack of physical size. The fact that he was the only person that was an exception to the age range just because he was the son of a king didn't help either, and would serve to instill the prince with a sense of superiority over his peers.

He yanked the weapon off the boy, the sword instantaneously deactivating the instant it left Cai's grip. The man swung the sword a few times, testing its balance in his own hands, before placing the enchanted blade so that it leaned against the outside wall of the cage, ordering: "Have a rematch now it is more even."

Had he been annoyed at the sergeant's clear discrimination towards him, Kaled's opponent didn't show it, silently pacing back to his side and taking up a ready position, the concentration never leaving his green eyes. Grunting with the effort of conjuring his Red mana, Kaled re-summoned Regata, easy enough to do with such a low-mana creature but slightly harder due to feeling no particular anger or passion directed against his opponent. He was resentful of the other Welkalite clearly displaying his distaste for royalty and using that as an excuse to make his new friend's life harder, so used that to empower his magic - as whilst there was a veritable wellspring of rage locked up within his young form at the injustice done to his mother - or indeed, any of the residents of the horrible Usnaan slums - he didn't want to focus that fury on someone who had done nothing to cause it.

"I underestimated you, little boy," the fire-cat hissed, directing the comment at Caiellis, "Not this time. This time, my jaws will feast on your young flesh. Metaphorically speaking, of course," he added as he sensed his Summoner's irritation. Kaled noticed the sergeant walking away, the Sword of Glass (as Cai had called it) gone from his calloused hands, glad that the man was going to observe other students instead of focusing solely on them and distracting both of the adolescents.

Caiellis knew that there was no way he was going to get close to Kaled or his flame-beast without a weapon, mentally preparing himself for using offensive spells, silently wishing that he had access to his own Summoning. He would not have the element of surprise on his side this time, he could see Kaled was significantly more aware and wary now that he knew how powerful his young opponent was even bereft of a creature from the other world at his service. Kaled was older, easily stronger than him and most likely faster now that he was concentrated (Caiellis knew first hand how much speed Red mana could confer onto a wielder, and if the senior boy had even a fraction of the alacrity which his sibling was blessed with by Aurelia then he had to be prepared) on the fight.

The Welkalite still had a grin on his face – what could be so enjoyable about violence? Caiellis had often pondered the question, but it seemed like a lot of men and teenagers, including his older brother, liked to fight with each other. He could partially empathise in it being a boisterous release of tension, as he had often play fought with his sibling in the past, and he couldn't pretend that he hadn't initiated the mock battles himself. It was the derivement of satisfaction and merriment from the more serious sparring that perturbed him. Alexander had often wanted to wrestle with his younger brother outside of the bounds of their mandatory training against one another, which Cai couldn't understand: Alex already knew that he was going to emerge triumphant, so why bother?

Focus on the fight! He admonished himself harshly, ashamed that he had disregarded his own advice so quickly. He glared at the taller boy, before coldly removing the emotion from his gaze, unwilling to let himself become annoyed at the state of events.

"You ready?" Kaled inquired, and Caiellis nodded. The fire-cat would attack first, so he already had binding spells expertly taught by Uncle Tybalt in mind to nullify the first strike. Kaled would probably go in afterwards, possibly utilising Red mana to enhance his strikes in a similar way to his older brother, so physical defences would be the key - he didn't quite think that the Welkalite would be one for bombarding him with an inferno of unnatural fire from a distance, but it wouldn't hurt to expend some of his mana in creating enchantments of magical protection. Then he would switch to the offensive, powerful light magic hopefully proving enough to win once he had weathered the initial assault.

Just as he predicted, Regata leapt forwards, the elemental roaring like an angry volcano itching to drown all interlopers in its molten rage, and the prince uttered the words of power to halt it...

.*.*.*.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Kaled teased Annia as the loose group of all four of the pupils from adjacent rooms walked to their next lesson through the corridors of this section of the academy, Caiellis and the addressed periodically checking their navigation maps to ensure that they were heading in the right direction. It was mostly a needless endeavour, as everyone in the grade was moving towards the same location, but it would be easy enough to confuse students from different years and end up following them to the incorrect area - which could in itself be passed off as an easy mistake, though neither the Yentarian nor the Lucaelian would prefer to appear incapable of reading a map.

The girl scowled at the Welkalite, smoothing back her hair for the umpteenth time as she glanced at her map again. Before he and Kaled had been selected to exhibit their powers against one another, Caiellis had noticed Annia taking her stance against a Lucaelian girl called Charlotte (if he recalled it correctly, as the two had not spoken) with an analytical glint in her eye. Cai's attention had been too taken up by his own combat and Sergeant Tarkos's actions to see who had claimed the upper hand.

"I suppose," she replied, unenthusiastically, though her tone was drastically more excited than it had been before the first lesson now that they would be participating in something more academic. The Erian Freya walked alongside them, trailing behind Kaled and Annia whilst stood next to the youngest Lucerna (who had initially been at the front of the group but had let the Yentarian overtake him), staying silent and reclusive as seemed customary of her. Cai had a slight urge to start a conversation with her, but had no clue as to what would be a suitable phrase to initiate with, so stayed silent and let their mutual shyness be the only thing that passed between them.

As a contrast it seemed that Kaled and Annia were having no trouble chattering to one another about the events of the day, even if the latter was far more concerned in trying to breach the topic of explaining the multiple wondrous facets of the Republic's technology. Kaled flicked the occasional glance back to him, grinning slightly conspiratorially as if the two boys were sharing a private joke that Caiellis wasn't privy to, though he could hazard a guess as to what he was thinking.

Caiellis ached, not as much as he had done after Tristram's brutal training exercises that were designed to emulate the merciless pace of battle, but he was still tired and his body had picked up numerous bruises from when Kaled's flame-wreathed fists had crashed into him. His luminescent shields had nullified the flames and reduced the impacts of the punches that did hit, but they still hurt, especially the ones that had touched the more recent cuts on his abdomen. Cai would have preferred to have dodged them, but in a choice between the flaming elemental's jaws or his roommate's attacks that most likely weren't at full power the selection was a simple one.

Trotting behind the two older students, the youngest Lucerna let himself lapse into contemplation, but instead of his casual musing that had been a constant companion throughout his life where he could let his thoughts drift but still pay close attention to them he felt his mind being pulled back into the issue of the Summoning that he had failed to do, a dark, festering mass of melancholy and expectation that made the evidence of stress on his chest sting empathetically and would have - had already - consumed him had he not been forced into this new environment and pushed away from all that he had ever known.

Caiellis didn't understand quite how he had been incapable of succeeding so far, but simultaneously he failed to comprehend how it was possible for him to succeed at all - in his more recent attempts over the past month since seeing his father again and having his dreams shattered by the man's scorn, he had disregarded Uncle Tybalt's past advice in leaving when death - which would be permanently carried over into reality as his body seized and gave out - was a certainty, straining against his failure with all of his might.

What am I doing wrong? I followed Tybalt's, Tristram's and Alexander's council to the letter, employed techniques that had been written down by past Lucerna monarchs so that the new generations would have something to follow in accessing their angels, but still nothing has worked!

I know it is like dad said - I know the problem is with me, and the excuses that I make for not being able to complete the Angel of the Black Sun's test are worth nothing, but I've tried everything! I know that I'm too weak, that I'm not brave enough nor worthy of an angel's blessing, but I don't know how to become stronger. I don't kno-

Something yanked him back by the collar, pulling him out of balance and off of his feet, instantly and violently dislodging the boy from his train of thought. Cai instinctively cried out as the world was knocked out of focus, flailing his arms and legs in surprise before forcing himself to stiffen and become more composed, preparing to unleash a defensive assault against the person that had attacked him from behind.

Just before he kicked back hard, a gentle but also boisterously rough arm plied around his neck, pulling him close against another body in an all too familiar headlock that served to reduce the intensity of his struggles. Caiellis's breathing wasn't restricted, and heard a voice that was clearly amused by the shock he had displayed greeting him with: "Hey little man! How was your first lesson?"

The youngest Lucerna could practically picture the stupid grin that would be plastered on Alexander's face now at being caught out so easily by his older brother, and tugged on the muscular limb that was wrapped loosely enough around his throat that he wasn't being strangled but with enough force to both make the position uncomfortable and to prevent him from getting away easily. The thirteen year old slowed down the rate of his breathing, consciously making the adrenaline that had surged through his veins begin to dissipate and relaxing ever so slightly now that the nature of his ambush had been ascertained.

The surprise and a little fear that had bloomed as he was jerked off of his feet was substituted for hefty amounts of embarrassment when he noticed that the other three in their party had turned to gaze back at the two princes, Annia's eyebrows raised in a mixture of curiosity and empathy that could only be shared by younger siblings whilst Kaled smiled at seeing the older student who had come to his aid the day previous. Caiellis tried to make his voice as intimidating and coldly frustrated as possible when he growled, "Get off me, Alexander."

The older boy simply laughed at the irritated snarl, and, sensing his little brother's embarrassment at having his friends/classmates (Alex was optimistic, but not unrealistic, as it did seem that his sibling had been trailing them without engaging in conversation) watching him being tormented by his big brother, the seventeen year old roughly tousled Cai's mop of brown hair, prompting the youngest Lucerna's face going even more red as he did so. He struggled slightly harder, reaching up to shove Alexander's offending hand away and squirming uncomfortably, so the eldest prince released his brother from the head lock, placing him fully back on the ground but keeping an arm draped around his shoulders.

To anyone else, the contact would look relaxed and brotherly - which it was, Cai concluded - but despite how loose the arm around his thin shoulders was Alex's grip was tight and protective. He smirked teasingly down at his younger brother, playfully taunting him at his inability to free himself through facial expression alone, in spite of the reality that he knew neither of them had tried as hard as they could have done. He glanced over at the other three younger students, before smiling and introducing himself, "By the way, I'm Alexander, Cai's big brother. But call me Alex. So yeah - how did you kids find the combat training?"

Kaled was the first to respond, meeting the Lucaelian's blue gaze with his own brown eyes and replying effusively, "It was awesome. Though I did have to spar against Cai, which was sure as hell one of the hardest fights I've ever been in." The Welkalite didn't miss how the older Lucaelian's eyes narrowed slightly before returning to their original size, the grin never leaving his face.

"Why are you here?" Caiellis muttered discontentedly, his face still a shade of red that was gradually receding from his usually pale cheeks as he crossed his arms in annoyance, knowing full well that in spite of the arm dangled around his bony shoulders currently in a slack state if he made a move to push away then there was a strong possibility that his brother, in the teasing yet friendly mood that shone through him, would restrain him so that they could retain the casual connection. The prince flicked an amused smile in his direction before answering, "No need to sound so annoyed, squirt. If you had paid attention to the class timetable you would have known that my year had the lesson that you have just done after your grade. So I just saw you on the way and decided to find out what it was going to be like, alright? Plus it never hurts to interact with the kiddos of the academy."

"Hmph," the younger boy scowled, turning to stare at the other side of the corridor, though he made no moves to get away from his brother in spite of the knowledge that they might be late. True to Alexander's words, the students walking in the opposite direction were taller and older, and while a few nodded in Alex's direction most ignored him. He swiveled his gaze and glanced up into his brother's face, Alexander sticking out his tongue petulantly back at him for a moment. Along with the amused glint to his blue portals, the seventeen year old's eyes were filled with more than a hint of affection and fondness for his little brother.

Cai lowered his eyes once more. He knew that in his own strange, bizarre manner that he himself would probably never understand that his sibling was, through these rough actions, expressing his love for Caiellis and ensuring that the youngest student of the Scholaria Magnus would be ok in a year of pupils two to three years his senior.

He could tell that Alex was still concerned for him - as his big brother idolised their father, and so he must have been extremely angry and worried to catalyse a confrontation between them. The older prince clearly still didn't feel comfortable knowing that Cai had cut himself and hadn't come to him for aid (because of numerous factors, not least the frequency of their sometimes violent arguments before they got back to the palace at the end of the war and Alex had basically stopped talking and wanting to spend time with him), that his younger brother had become so ill and emotionally distraught - Caiellis was fully aware that he was thinner and paler than before the war's end, and that he had been very scrawny already.

Despite his strive for more independence now that he was thirteen and that there was no pressing reason to rely on Alexander any more, Cai was grateful for the gesture regardless of the embarrassment it entailed, and content knowing that he had his big brother for support if he needed it. Alex squeezed his shoulder reassuringly and painfully at the same time, before releasing him and shoving him away, almost sending the smaller boy sprawling. "You'd better get going to your next lesson, short stuff. Wouldn't want to ruin your geek boy reputation already."

Caiellis glared back at his older brother, tempted to flip him off but declining to do so as he smoothed his clothes and his ruffled hair back down. The older Lucerna smiled cheerfully and waved before striding away. He turned around, surprised that the other three had waited for him and abashed at what they had witnessed in the same instance, before Kaled grinned at him and patted him on the shoulder. Cai, who had reached the end of his tether with other people touching him for now, pulled away, walking towards the situation of their next lesson and not really caring if they followed or not.

.*.*.*.

They sat in the Magic Development Classroom, Cai's eyes drawn to the pieces of strange machinery at the back of the class – each was a metal bed with soft cushions placed along it, connected to an opaque but glass visor with several wires trailing off it, leading to several screens beside each bed that were currently dark.

The boy assumed that these were the Summoning Bays Miss Gloria had mentioned, advanced pieces of equipment that were supposed to help those passing the test by inducing the mind-state needed for it, not that Caiellis had ever had trouble doing that before - Lucaelians were taught to enter their own mind without the assistance of machines, and it had never been crossing the threshold into his Mind Realm's trials that was the hard part. He could feel anticipation building up in his chest – maybe this would be the time that he finally did it – before ruthlessly quashing it, knowing well that such emotions were a great hindrance in the Mind Realm. He felt nervous, extremely so, and could barely concentrate on what the teachers were saying, the trepidation and anxiousness making him short of breath.

For some Lucaelians, the Mind Realm was a place of introspection and quiet, an angel's (or another creature borne of White mana's) tranquil domain of repose and reflection, whilst for others, most notable the eldest son of Marik, it was a training ground to hone their skill and become ever more familiar with their Summoning. To Caiellis, it was intrinsically associated with the crushing weight of failure, of fear and pain. Try as he might, the youngster couldn't imagine the Mind Realm being anything else, and knew that even if he unlocked the Angel of the Black Sun, the place would be forever stained by the emotional distress that it had forced him to endure - no, what I'm not strong enough to endure.

The realm itself was a combination of the creature's residence in Sancturia with the Summoner's own mind, as that was where the Summonings resided since their designated child was born. No-one agreed on what drew a specific creature to a specific infant, some argued that the Sancturia resident chose while other believed that it was forced into the contract. At least, that was in the Yentarian studies that Caiellis had pored over after their transfer to the libraries of the Kingdom of Light, as the people of Lucael were unanimous in their belief that it was the Summoning who selected their Summoner, a blessing of the heavens and the First Angel herself.

The youngest Lucerna tried to listen intently to Shaman Trostani whilst also focusing on organising his thoughts and systematically removing his anxiety, as Doctor Argyle prepared the bays for use. At the man's insistence the students who needed the bays came forwards, and Caiellis pondered if such a piece of equipment would help him in completing the trial, as its potential effects on him were currently unknown.

When given a signal, the boy climbed up onto the pleasant material of the bay, remaining sat up for now instead of laying down. He felt apprehension shudder down his spine as the Uverian starting adjusting dials and tapping keys on the machine hooked up to his bay whilst occasionally sending analytical glances towards the youngest Lucerna. He saw Kaled sticking his thumb up encouragingly at him, not paying any attention to the lesson right now.

They had sparred many times over the remainder of the training session, even though Cai had barely defeated Kaled each time his respect for the Welkalite began to grow somewhat - though he was far more concerned with personality and actions instead of just martial prowess; it may have been enough to impress some but not himself. At any rate, Kaled had proved to be a very challenging combatant, and Caiellis was certain that the only reason for his continual victories was that the older boy was clearly inexperienced at battling against heavily magic focussed enemies.

Caiellis forced himself to relax and slow his breathing as the visor was lowered carefully over his face – he had been to the Mind Realm many times, but it felt like he was being trapped this time. The enforced darkness consumed his vision, and he had to resist the urge to tear it off. He couldn't help but think that he was being confined, but at the same time he couldn't have distractions, not when there was so much at stake.

"You will feeling a sinking sensation," the doctor stated, his robotic voice inflected with a slight bit of comfort (though the boy might have been imagining that), and Caiellis bit back an angry retort of I know what happens!, understanding that this was just his anxiety talking and that Argyle was trying to put him at ease after obviously noticing the prince's elevated heart rate, Instead, he nodded confidently, trying to appear strong in front of the teacher and the other students who would be watching when all he felt was fear – not at what the challenge would bring, Cai was terrified of further failure and the disappointment of his father and other Lucaelians.

"We will be able to see your trial on one of the screens, one of the many benefits of the Mark IV Summoning Bays," the doctor explained emotionlessly, but Cai wasn't really listening as a numbing sensation drifted over him.

He felt himself slowly detaching from reality and entering into the Mind Realm, mentally preparing himself for what was to come. The deepest, darkest recesses of his mind beckoned to him, yawning open like chasms of fear, and the thirteen year old plunged head first into them.

.*.*.*.

Caiellis opened his eyes, once more seeing nothing around him and feeling as if he was moving through thick tar. He quickly realised that he couldn't breath, though his eyes didn't sting like they would if he was in water. He felt his small lungs burning, as if suddenly reacting to this revelation, and desperately swam upwards, knowing that although nothing that hurt him in this realm was carried over death was permanent. He dragged his arms through the thick sludge, keeping his mouth resolutely shut and holding his breath the way he had been taught to respond to an unavoidable cloud of poison - but without the benefit of an initial deep breath, he could tell that his unreal air reserves would deplete soon.

He could leave at any time, but that would achieve nothing, pulling himself back into reality with nothing to show for it. No, he needed to endure as long as possible, though drowning in his own mind would not be the death he would choose.

It was cold, almost unbearably so, but the freezing waters barely made an imprint on his mind when all he could feel was the fire in his chest. Asphyxiation had always held a place of unreserved horror for him, and he had known deep down that it had only been a matter of time before a trial involved that peril as one of its main hazards. He had been strangled in the Mind Realm before, to the point where the mental representation of him had been vomiting up blood before he couldn't take any more and had evacuated, but it was a rarity considering the amount of fear it could generate in him.

Cai had no indication of when he would reach the surface, and felt his body shutting down as the lack of oxygen put an even greater darkness at the edges of his vision, but even in spite of that his discipline forced his mouth to remain closed. Clawing at the viscous water (or whatever liquid that it was) seemed to be achieving nothing, and a bolt of sheer panic laced through his head when a rogue thought considered that he might have been meant to go downwards, that by potentially fleeing from danger he was only inviting inevitable failure.

The boy knew that had this been in reality, he would have opened his mouth by now in a desperate attempt for air and had water flooding into his limbs. But since the Summoning trials occurred within his mind, it was mental discipline, not physical, that was allowing him to go on. Additionally, had he been drowning within the material world he would not have been able to have a somewhat clear train of thought, as the oxygen deprivation would have had much more profound effects on his weak form. Nevertheless, slivers of unadulterated terror were beginning to pierce the defences of willpower that he had erected around his fear, and he had to violently quash the urge to take a gulping breath.

He breached the dark water, gasping for breath, and looked about him. He was in a small cave, the rock barely a single foot above him. There was nothing in the cavern, absolutely nothing, just bare rock. He reached up to the ceiling, feeling around for any sign that something was there, but the search bore no fruit and all his hand touched was cold rock. The only way was downwards.

The Lucerna gave a few seconds for his body to recover, and thought about the other trials the Angel of the Black Sun had set for him - some were short whilst others could last hours (although time in his own psyche passed at a different rate to that of the awakened world), and there was no discernible link between them. Or at least, none that Caiellis could figure out. Some involved him fighting for his life against hordes of vicious and near invincible foes with all of the powers that he had at his disposal in real life, whilst others, like this one, were more environmental, battling against a hostile world. The one common factor of each that he was completely alone without the aid of any non-existent allies, but all that showed was that his First Sisterhood seraphim was more concerned with seeing his power instead of leadership.

Why couldn't his have been as simple as everyone else's? Apparently all Alex had to do was win a battle and lead his imaginary army to victory against demons before Aurelia revealed herself to him.

No. Thoughts of jealously will not help. Your brother tried just as hard - or possibly harder - as you are doing, Caiellis sternly reprimanded himself, annoyed that he had so easily belittled another's trials and pain when he struggled so much with it himself. Just because Alex passed the test before him wasn't because it was easier (although it was linked slightly to the four year age difference), it just meant that the younger brother was more of a failure.

Happy thoughts like these on his mind, the boy tested the amount of mana he could harness – none at all – and took a deep breath, plunging under the watery abyss again. This time, the liquid was icy cold, freezing his limbs and sending sharp pains through his body – he was only clothed in underpants, and his thin limbs shook in the cold of the water. Wracking shivers cascaded up and down his thin form as his body instinctively tried to warm itself.

He swam deeper, his vision obscured by the darkness, and felt the lack of life-giving oxygen beginning to make itself known in the suffocating sensation once more. He looked for anything, anything, that could suggest progress, but all he could see was the all-consuming blackness. Cai desperately needed to breathe, but pressed on, ignoring the parts of his mind screaming for air and forcing himself to continue.

Suddenly, he began to see a faint light, the flickering of a distant candle in the night. Emboldened, the prince pushed his body forwards, black spots beginning to form in his sight that were much more evident now that there was some contrast to the darkness. He let out a muffled scream of strangled pain as the water abruptly became scathingly hot, burning his eyes and his pale skin. Bubbles were coughed up from his mouth as the boiling water ran into it; his tongue and throat felt like they were being set alight as he snapped his lips shut.

The pain was immense, and the voices in his head telling him to pull up for air became deafeningly louder, the crushing fire in his chest impossible to ignore. Cai knew that he couldn't continue in his current oxygen-deprived condition and swam up to the surface. He bounced off something solid, and yelped with startled shock when a wall of rock met him, trapping him underwater and forcing to go downwards or leave the Mind Realm. His voice was swallowed up by the water, and he gagged, scraping desperately on the lowered ceiling for anything that could allow him to surface above the water - allow him to breathe.

He silenced his mind's pleas for escape and air, feeling his body about to give out. Caiellis would have to leave soon, before he drowned in the scathing water and died spasming in the Summoning Bay.

WHY CAN'T I JUST DO IT? He shrieked in his head, and the water responded to his desperation, forcing him further downwards at in increased rate while also heightening the amount of pain he felt. He could feel his skin peeling off in the steaming heat, exposing the tender flesh beneath, but he didn't care, he couldn't care.

I. WILL. NOT. GIVE. IN. Caiellis shouted. He had never felt so determined before – he was going to die here, but he didn't care, he couldn't care. All he wanted to do was pass the challenge, his safety came second now. Had he been able to consider it rationally, he would have known that it was paradoxical to value something that directly depended on his life to be more important than that life, but right now he didn't care, he couldn't care.

I. WILL. NOT. GIVE. IN. He would rather die than emerge a failure again, he couldn't take any more disappointment, any more of the pressure. If he didn't succeed now, then at least he would be released from the crushing weight of expectation, and the Kingdom of Light wouldn't be burdened with a Lucerna king who couldn't even pass their Summoning trial.

I WILL NOT GIVE IN. He pushed himself downwards, seeing the haunting light get closer and closer – he could see an angel with onyx black wings kneeling in front of a baroquely gothic altar, seemingly unaffected by the physics of the water rushing around her.

.*.*.*.

Kaled watched exasperatedly as he saw Caiellis's Mind Realm through the screen – the lesson had finished, Shaman Trostani knowing that she wouldn't be able to teach the class much whilst their fellow students suffered at the back. Cai was the only one still in his realm – the others hadn't had difficult trials to pass, they were just weak-minded and scared Welkalite brats, not really having attempted it properly before due to possessing no reasons to do so in their comfortable lifestyles. Once again Kaled thought back to how the Welkas Empire had chosen its students – only allowing the wealthy instead of those with the most potential to attend, thus placing their power the definite lowest in the Scholaria Magnus, as each other nation chose their strongest, fastest, smartest, or those who had the capabilities to become so much more.

His heart went out to his new friend – Caiellis was sweating profusely, mimicking the heat in his test, and was breathing very fast in short inhalations, the heart-rate monitor pinging at a dangerously fast rate. He watched as the swimming boy's pale skin blistered and burnt off, revealing the raw muscle underneath, and turned to Doctor Argyle, who observed the trial dispassionately. Cai started to hyperventilate and whimpered unconsciously in pain, and Kaled had a flashback to Regata's volcanic test – nowhere near as difficult or painful as this.

His small fists were squeezed tight, nails digging into the palms of his hands, and the fifteen year old had the sudden urge to hold them or to clamp a hand around his slender shoulders in support, but didn't want to overstep any boundaries nor do anything that might disrupt the procedure.

"We need to help him," he pleaded, and the Yentarian shot him a condescendingly cold glance.

"Caiellis has the ability leave whenever he chooses to do so," the doctor uttered mechanically, and Kaled felt his temper raise at this man's obvious uncaring attitude towards his roommate, the youngest member of the Scholaria Magnus. Caiellis was capable and strong, that was for certain, but he was also younger than the rest of them, and it incensed Kaled to see that no one else seemed to care that he was clearly hurting himself in this act.

"What if he can't? He's going to die!" Kaled shouted, attracting the attention of the other students, who instantly swarmed around Cai's bay, moths drawn to a flame of potential drama and urgency. He saw how the boy was shuddering, both on the screen and in reality, and noticed how he was getting closer to the strange, melancholy light. He was still undecided, knowing that Alexander would want him to help his little brother if he was in danger, but also realising that what the doctor said was correct – he could exit the Mind Realm himself, and he hadn't ever heard of a trial where the Summoner being tested was restricted from leaving.

"Removing the equipment now without Caiellis's mental permission could have numerous detrimental consequences, not least inducing a reaction involving his mana due to the excess conjured mentally bleeding off and his control facilities being hindered for a time. It has the potential to be hazardous, both to yourself and the boy," Argyle droned, like this was nothing more than a routine explanation of how the Summoning Bay functioned. Kaled paused, gazing at the shaking thirteen year old, not wanting to be the catalyst of any of those effects but remembering his pledge to the kid's older brother.

Kaled's mind was instantly set on one course of action when the boy let out an agonised and desperate scream of absolute pain, even if his mouth clenching at the end of it cut off the rest. Doctor Argyle didn't impede his progress when he moved next to the bed and abruptly ripped the wires out of the visor on Cai's head.

.*.*.*.

I WILL NOT GIVE IN. He repeated to himself, the single-minded determination to succeed pushing aside all concerns of safety and health as he swam closer to the angel, his eyelids peeling off as he moved his hand to grasp onto her shoulder, get her attention.

He had done it. Finally, he had done it. Relief flooded through his body, his hand brushing against the angel and-

Caiellis screamed in shock and torment when he jolted back into reality, his body feeling absolutely exhausted but his mind alight with a sudden, burning rage. He ripped off the visor, the prince's blurry vision readjusting to the classroom. Kaled stood next to him, a concerned expression on his face, holding the disconnected wires in each hand like he didn't know what to do with them. The fury inside of him, the pain of failure and of being thwarted so close to his goal, his hatred of the Summoning trial and all that it had done to him, focused on this new target.

He roared in primal anger and shot out a beam of dark light from his hand, smashing the boy into the wall and making him yell in torture. Cai shrieked incoherently, the pent up anger at constantly failing uncontrollably releasing in a single instant, and the teachers reacted instantly, a shield of Blue mana reinforced by vines of Green nullifying his magic. Caiellis glared at the all of the older boys and girls that stared in shock at him as the lucent shadow snapped off, wanting nothing more than to hide from their censure - or to forcefully wipe it from their faces.

What's happening to me? Where are these thoughts coming from? I can't ... I can't stop them ... I can't stop my mana! The youngest Lucerna jumped off the bed, feeling more tired than ever and just wanting to go back to sleep or start hurting himself, and ran out of the door, the teachers preventing other students from following. He couldn't risk hurting anyone else, needed to be alone so that he could get himself back under control.

Rubbing his head - as though the magic was definitely powerful, it had lacked the focus or definition normally imposed on Caiellis's attacks, and thus the impact into the wall had done more damage - Kaled stared open-mouthed in shock at the prince's departure, making to run after him, but felt a vine wrap around his leg and deposit the fifteen year old back in the classroom.

"Let me go after him!" he raged, the guilt of knowing he had caused this fueling his anger, and the shaman and doctor ignored him, moving towards the emergency communication system. He felt a calming hand on his shoulder and soothing essence moved through his body, relaxing tensed muscles.

"No, Kaled, he needs time alone. You've done enough," Annia told him, reproach and shock in equal quantities in her voice. He turned to gaze at the Yentarian, who still managed to inject a disapproving tinge to her otherwise shocked eyes.

"Why did he react so badly? All he was doing was trying to pass his Summoning. He didn't have to kill himself for it," Kaled snapped back, and Annia shook her head despairingly in response.

"You don't understand him. You don't have the constant feeling of pressure that he does,"she replied sharply standing up as the taller student followed her motions.

"And when did you become so close with Cai?" he questioned, turning his burning hazel eyes upon the girl again, who continued to shake her head.

"Don't be stupid. He is royalty. He will have been expected to pass the Summoning long ago. And you disrupting that when it was so close to completion is certainly not going to get you any favours from him."

.*.*.*.

Aurelia's blades clashed with the clone of her, the replica bellowing the same battle cry as the fiery angel, a perfect rendition of the Warleader's anger. She snarled in fury, but there was nothing she could do – this upstart Yentarian brat had dared to use his cowardly shape-shifting Summoning of her in a disgusting imitation that had the exact same strength, though none of the genuine sacred righteousness.

Alex knew that as his angel's power was matched, it would come down to him personally defeating Ellan, and his greater familiarity with his Summoning and her abilities. He swung a flaming fist at the tall Yentarian, who turned the scorching fire into hissing steam with a shield of water. Ellan's Summoning could be immensely powerful, automatically equalling the potency of the Sancturia creatures it mimicked, and of course the boy had predicted that Alexander would go for him instead of the false angel. The lanky boy who was around Alex's height but significantly thinner flung out a gangly arm, a whirl of sapphire liquid extending out like a whip and battering against the crossed bracers of the younger of the two.

"Alexander Ensis Lucerna," Miss Gloria's clipped tone rang out, her practised voice splitting through the clamour of the battling students – one thing that had made her an excellent commander in the armies of Civitas Sol during the civil war. The seventeen year old instantly stopped his assault, suddenly glad that Ellan had the foresight to do as well, and dismissed Aurelia. He left the cage and walked briskly to the Lucaelian teacher, ignoring the glare Sergeant Tarkos gave him – he hoped the grizzled man wasn't treating his little brother the same way.

Although he knew that he was sometimes the bane of his teachers, up to this point he had done nothing that would potentially irk either of them, which meant that it was probably his identity as royalty that caused the Welkalite to dislike him. Alex personally didn't care, but his little brother would be an easier target, and he knew how fragile Caiellis's self esteem was at the moment - and how much he valued the praise of his teachers.

"Alexander, your brother has left the school premises, bleeding a huge amount of uncontrolled mana after he was forcefully unplugged from a Summoning Bay at the cusp of completing the trial. It was unanimously agreed that you should be the one to retrieve him – who knows how he would react to anyone else?" the combat teacher delivered the speech fast but not rushed, although there was a slight hint of panic to her voice – she would definitely live the rest of her life in shame if one of the king's sons lost his life at the Scholaria, or even if they were hurt in a place of supposed safety.

"Where is he?" Alex demanded urgently, and Gloria shrugged her shoulders, admitting, "We don't know. However, we have a map of the island, so we were hoping that you would be able to pinpoint his location, as knowing him as well as you do should reduce the difficulty of the task. I doubt that Lord Caiellis will have chosen somewhere dangerous."

She noticed the slip of the tongue, cursing herself for it but glad that no-one was paying attention to that. The staff of the academy were not supposed to show favouritism - even if her first instinct was to bow to these children who might one day be the supreme authority within Lucael. However, being in a situation where the princes were just Alexander and Caiellis instead of the near divine descendants of Matalis Ortus Lucerna gave her a unique opportunity to see the boys as students and young people that not many apart from those who were family or close friends to the potential heirs. Not that she had been able to view much of either of them, but it was still somewhat of an eye-opener to see them without all of the titles and responsibility that defined them within the Kingdom of Light.

Gloria handed the frantic-looking older brother a map of the Scholaria and the surrounding area, and Alex let his big brother instinct kick in, scanning his eyes over the locations that Caiellis might go – he could be temperamental at times, but when the boy was frustrated with himself he normally went somewhere secluded and quiet where he could think. He was also rather confident that the analytical Cai would have expended time meticulously anatomising the geography of the island, so in lieu of randomly selecting a direction in which to run the youngest Lucerna would possess clarity in the location he would wish to calm down in. There!

Alex thanked his teacher for the map and quickly ran out of the room, desperately praying that he knew his brother as well as he thought he did. His mind was alight with possibilities, and though he had an inkling of who would abruptly terminate the Summoning trial due to having the ability to observe through a mental screen he wasn't willing to blame yet - and such was irrelevant. What did matter is that Caiellis had been detached from his Mind Realm, and knowing the awful pressure that the thirteen year old had been suffocating under (which Alexander had tried to relieve but was a month too late) quickened his already sprinting pace. He hoped beyond hope that his younger brother wouldn't do anything whilst under the sway of the powerful emotions and mana coursing through him, and would wait for help.

.*.*.*.

Caiellis plunged his hand into the cold water, the purifying White mana removing the minute possibility of the flowing water being poisoned or inimical to human life, and cupped it to his lips, feeling the refreshing liquid flow through his body. He had needed a drink. His throat was raw from screaming. Screaming that he hadn't been able to stop, screaming that he didn't care if anyone else heard - the expected way for a Lucerna to bear themselves be damned.

Cai had been so close. So close! He breathed deeply, inhaling and exhaling slowly, letting the anger pour off his trembling body in shuddering waves. The boy pulled his knees up to his chest, huddled and small, silently watching the waterfall splash into the pool he was sat next to. The ripples of stray droplets spread across the pool, which, despite the stream of water from the incline and its movement still seemed motionless and calm.

He had remembered the place from analysing the map, a relatively close area outside of the school grounds named Tranquillity's Descent, a waterfall that marked the mid point of one of many rivers criss-crossing the island, joining the seas on either side or running down from some of the distant mountains. Large trees shrouded the area from the heat of the sun, though the light shone through in shafts onto the pool, illuminating the waters and bouncing off it in an iridescent display of natural beauty, brightening the azure lotus flowers that floated on the colourful brook.

Many Unbound creatures of different mana alignments lived outside of the academy, but the youngest Lucerna hadn't encountered any, though he had the Sword of Glass at the ready should he need to swiftly dispatch them. They were probably terrified of him, as for a while he had been unable to safely control the amount of energy he was releasing. Cai assumed it was one of the side effects of being forcefully disconnected from his Mind Realm, but was scared of the shadows that had seeped out of his footsteps, decaying plants as he walked past and bleeding out of his small hands in spiraling contusions of darkness on the flesh of the world.

Caiellis picked up a calm blue lotus flower that had been drifting on the pool's surface, his hands still shaking, and was happy when it didn't wither and die. That meant he had properly managed to halt the flow of darkness coming from within. He twirled it slowly, watching the petals slide elegantly through the air, before placing it next to him. It would be a perfect present for Annia, though Cai didn't know why a girl that he had barely spoken to and possessed no particular attraction towards had sprung to mind.

The slight Lucaelian shut his eyes, blocking out the suicidal and frustrated thoughts baying for attention in his head, and concentrated on the quiet sound of the rushing water. He began to spin the ornate knife in his hands; he had disobeyed his father and brother in bringing the weapon here, and had considered doing so again and cutting himself, to alleviate the feeling of extreme self-worthlessness and crushing pressure, worse than he had ever experienced before, but now he knew that wouldn't be necessary.

Cai heard the sounds of footsteps crunching through the undergrowth, becoming alert and then relaxing when he realised that if something or someone was going to attack him, they would have attempted to approach with significantly more subtlety. The boy wouldn't have exactly been hard to follow to the secluded area. He felt a large, strong hand gently but still forcefully encircle the wrist with the knife and prevent the arm from moving. He didn't try to resist the firm grasp, knowing that he couldn't.

"Let's put that away, little brother," a comforting voice spoke softly, and Caiellis opened his eyes, turning around to see Alexander looking lovingly down at him, worry that he couldn't conceal inflecting his expressive eyes. Evidently the teachers had decided upon sending his big brother after the wayward prince, knowing how well they got on and maybe realising that Alex was the only person that truly understood him, proven again by his accuracy in finding Caiellis.

The younger brother smiled up at his elder and flicked his wrist, tossing the knife into the water. He silently watched it sink for a few seconds, a multitude of emotions running through him, before turning to Alexander, who had let go and was getting down to sit beside him.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" the older boy asked, relieved that he had actually found his younger brother and that Caiellis hadn't harmed himself. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders, feeling the slender teenager trembling and brotherly concern flooding his mind. It must have been extremely painful for the youngest son of King Marik, being immeasurably close to the thing that had caused him immense amounts of emotional pain the last few years, especially in the last month. He was frustrated for his brother, but if Cai had been pushing himself towards death without any signs of relenting then he could not say that he wouldn't have done the exact same actions as what had caused this.

"Kaled pulled me out of the Mind Realm. Just as I was about to do it," he whispered. Cai's small voice shook and he looked up into Alex's face, who noticed how exhausted and drained his little brother was – this was more than any other occasion he had strived to complete the Summoning. The boy needed rest, but more than that, he needed someone to remind him that he was loved and wanted. Caiellis's emerald green orbs clearly told his elder sibling that, even if he thought he was too old to admit it.

"I'm sure he wouldn't have done it unless you needed help. I know that you are angry and infuriated, but I am glad that he did it. You are far more important to a lot of people than your stupid Summoning. I know you, Caiellis. You will have almost died attempting it, and I for one certainly never want to live in a world without my little buddy," Alex ruffled his hair affectionately, and his heart leapt when he saw Cai's eyes lighten up at his little speech. It had been cheap, but no less heartfelt, and Alexander meant the words with every ounce of his being.

"That was cringe worthy," Caiellis joked after a brief delay, and his brother thumped him on the arm hard. "You know I'm not good at girly things, that is your speciality," he teased back, and Cai rubbed his arm painfully, though as usual Alex had pulled the force so it wouldn't do much more than sting. They both laughed and sat wordlessly, happy in each other's company. The older boy pulled his arm inwards slightly, gently dragging his little brother with it, not close enough to be considered a hug but more intimate than a simple arm slung around Cai's bony shoulders.

After a minute of absolute silence, the only sound the perpetual rushing of water, Alex was about to speak, suggesting that they go back, when Cai's hand shot out and went across his mouth, the smaller boy not even glancing up from the shimmering pool. Discerning that Caiellis was in his "extreme thought" mode, Alexander ignored the idea that popped into his head, his brother would be extremely displeased with him should he do that. Suffice to say, it involved a shove, a splash, and freezing cold water.

After a few seconds, Cai peeked up at him, puppy eyes already primed and available for deployment, and Alex understood then that his little brother was going to ask him something that he would disapprove of. He squeezed the little dude's shoulder, assuaging some of his hesitant doubt - whilst he knew that he would not like what would be said, he still wished to encourage his brother to ask him anything, something that he had formerly been endeavouring to stop Caiellis doing at the closing of the civil war.

"I am going to try the Summoning again," the youngest Lucerna stated confidently like it was an undisputed fact – that just highlighted the change he had undergone in the last month and when he entered his teenage years; a younger Caiellis would have timidly asked his brother an unreasonable favour and Alex would probably turn him down unless he used his cuteness to his advantage. Now, the boy uttered it like a royal pronouncement, as if pretending that his big brother wasn't going to argue with him.

"Fat chance, little man. You are worn out. You can try again tomorrow, but right now you need rest," Alex shot back, his hand on his brother's shoulder tightening in emphasis of the words. Cai's face fell in a mixture of discontent and confusion, like he hadn't been expecting to be turned down in spite of his current condition, "Huh? But why? I need to do it. I need to complete this trial..."

"Yeah, you do, but not right now. I can't believe that you are seriously asking me this, Caiellis, after what just happened and the state you are in now. You're exhausted, little brother, and I won't let you hurt yourself even more," the seventeen stated with a hint of finality, hoping that his little brother wouldn't try to press the issue. He really didn't want to shout at the younger boy or force him to acquiesce, because he wasn't about to allow his drained sibling to do something that would leave him vulnerable and exhausted for several days. Cai wrenched himself out of Alexander's grip and pushed himself to his feet, glaring defiantly back at his sibling. "You can't stop me."

"Are you sure about that, baby brother?" the older boy also rose, towering over his little brother, Cai's head barely reaching the bottom of his upper chest and his limbs significantly thinner than those of his muscular brother. It wasn't often that Alex used the difference in solid muscle mass between them to intimidate the younger boy, and while he wasn't actively being aggressive Caiellis still felt a pulse of trepidation. Quickly assessing that his tactic of trying to butt heads with his older and much stronger brother directly wasn't working, he switched his eyes to be more accusatory.

"You say that you love me, and care about me, but when I need to do something you stop me!" he shouted, accidentally letting some of the emotion he thought he had carefully put away into his voice. Alex sighed and put his hands on Caiellis's shoulders, the younger boy about to twist away angrily when he increased the pressure of his grip, causing his younger brother to gasp in pain slightly and holding him still. When was Cai going to understand that he was killing himself? I'm sick of this. He's not doing it twice in one day, definitely not after he was forcefully disconnected from his Mind Realm. The eldest son hated causing his younger brother pain like this, but he needed to make the boy realise that the way he constantly endeavoured to pass the trial was wrong.

"You will not attempt the test. Understand?" he asked calmly, his voice harsh but free of negative emotion, a command meant to tell his sibling that he would tolerate no dissent in the matter bereft of anger that he felt for his brother's sake and his brother's obstinacy. Caiellis glowered back at him and tried to pull away, but his brother squeezed harder still and he involuntarily whimpered as he felt bones being crushed.

"Understand?" Alex repeated, shaking the smaller boy, whose face was screwed up in pain. Cai nodded frantically and Alexander released him, feeling guilt slither its way into his thoughts when he saw his little brother's chest hitching up and down, the prince trying not to cry or look any more pathetic even as tears of pain glistened in his wide eyes. The kid would almost certainly develop bruises on his shoulders from the force of his digging fingers, and he heavily regretted that, but if Caiellis went into the Summoner's trial again today he was risking permanent death.

He moved forwards to comfort him, and jumped back when Caiellis screamed: "WHY WON'Y YOU JUST LET ME DO IT?"

Stunned, Alex felt adrenaline rush into his body when he sensed magic energies, fuelled by extremely powerful emotions, roiling within his brother's voice, suddenly realising just how much Cai wanted to do it this time. Tears streamed freely down Cai's face, and his older brother knew that he saw him at his weakest, but also at his strongest. He couldn't deny Caiellis now, not when he had a chance to remove the thing that had been killing him and earn his father's pride (that he already deserved). But he could impress how serious the situation was upon him.

He slowly inched towards the boy, not wishing to frighten him, kneeling down to his height and brushing the tears from his eyes, flinching when a flash of almost unfamiliar energy erupted from the Black Sun birthmark when he touched it. That hadn't ever happened before.

"If you feel that strongly about it, then I'm definitely not going to stop you," he surrendered, and Cai's face split into a tired smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, still shaking from his loud release. Thank the angels. And thank you, Alex, for believ-

"However," he continued, suddenly wrapping a hand around the boy's thin throat and near effortlessly lifting him off the ground, firmly but not violently pressing Cai against a tree. "You will not endanger yourself doing this, you will leave as soon as it becomes too hard for you."

He had first discovered that he could do this to Caiellis a few years ago, when they had been "experimenting" with wrestling moves Tristram had taught them and got into a fight in their shared bedroom, Cai having lashed out at him to get him to go away and accidentally hurting his big brother. Alex had ashamedly somewhat enjoyed the feeling of the absolute power he had held over his little brother's life, and inadvertently choked him unconscious, tightening the pressure of his grip every time Cai pleaded with him to let go or tried - and failed - to force him off.

Nonetheless, the sight of his baby brother, unbreathing and lips cold and blue, had terrified him, and he had screamed for Tybalt and Tristram to come help, but by the time they came Caiellis had already jolted awake. Needless to say, the younger boy hadn't enjoyed being choked out, scared of his brother for a whole week afterwards, and Alexander had to slowly build back the kid's trust in him. Right now, he only put enough pressure on to stop him breathing and not crush his throat – he would go unconscious eventually, but it gave him more than enough time to convey the seriousness of his point. And while Alexander could see that it was working, that his point was being made, it didn't disguise the fact at all that he was harming his brother, didn't remove the sensation of the pounding pulse underneath his thumb and the palm of his hand.

Cai couldn't breathe, his big brother's hand clamped around his windpipe and his legs in the air. He tried to pull the hand away, open up his lungs to oxygen, but his older brother was far stronger than he was and Cai's small hands failed to even move Alex's single one - not even a single large finger was shifted in the resistance. He focussed on his brother, shaking hands, too thin and too weak, desperately trying to find sufficient purchase to tug away the one fitted tightly all the way round his neck, a noose of skin, muscle and bone much like the one of pressure and expectation that had strangled him into silence so many times recently, legs swinging in the air, too small to reach Alexander at the distance he had placed himself.

He would have known, rationally, that kicking his brother's solid chest wouldn't have achieved anything anyway, but his mind was frozen up in panic, the idea that the older boy would kill him despite the fact that Alex wasn't even actively pressing his digits in and that it was Cai's own weight that was choking him met with equal amounts of horror and acceptance.

The thirteen year old concentrated slightly blurred vision on his big brother, his protector and best friend, imploring him to let go, tears streaming freely down his cheeks again. If he had possessed the mental capacity to consider himself in this situation, he knew that he would have found crying pathetic, would have realised that his brother wasn't wanting to hurt him, but right now he couldn't think past the pounding of an elevated heart rate within his skull and the icy tendrils of fear that glissaded into his mind.

Alexander hated the fact that he had hurt his little brother and hated seeing Caiellis like this, detesting the situation even more knowing that he was the object of his brother's terror, but needed to emphasise that Cai would not allow himself to get harmed or even killed in the Summoning trial.

"Promise me that, little brother," Alexander commanded in a comforting voice completely at odds with his current actions, but he needed to ensure that his baby brother knew he wasn't trying to kill him. His other hand was still clasped onto his brother's shoulder, and though he was incredibly tempted to move it round to hook it underneath, relieve some of the pressure on the youngest Lucerna's throat and just let the threat of the action itself make and impression on his sibling, it would undermine what he was doing now - even if the boy's cheeks were starting to blossom red.

Caiellis nodded, fear near freezing his body and his mind flashing back to the last time his brother did this, aware that the discrepancy in strength between them was even greater now and that Alexander could crush his windpipe in a few seconds if he wanted. Alex quickly let him go, but gently held onto his shoulder and arm pit to ensure that his brother didn't hurt himself in the fall, and the smaller boy collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.

The middle Lucerna was glad that he didn't move away when Alex rubbed soothing circles on his back. The boy was wracked by violent shivers, and Alexander was reluctant to let him venture into his mind again, but now that he was willing to give him another chance and had just lifted him off of his feet by his throat such hypocrisy would have hurt his little brother even more than those actions did.

Cai concentrated on the incredibly tender motion of his brother's hands, timing his breathing again so that it corresponded with every full revolution to get it back under control. If one didn't know the relationship between the two sons of the king intimately, hadn't seen them in times of distress (or even some relaxation where the older teen had allowed his little brother to snuggle close to him without many complaints), then they might struggle to believe that the boisterous, rough and teasing Alexander could be so kind and gentle - especially if they had just witnessed him strangling Caiellis.

"Sorry about that, but you need to realise that your life is worth way more than the "honour of the family" or any other stupid crap like that," Alexander apologised profusely, his voice a mixture of both comforting resonance and real, genuine guilt, and Cai nodded knowingly and forgave him for it. He pulled himself up and crossed his legs, glancing at his brother and not really surprised to see a hefty amount of worry in his blue eyes.

Alex could be hurtful at times, or unapologetic if they had fought, but right now he could see that the elder adolescent was concerned for him. It made his heart melt to be reminded again that there was at least one person who would always look out for him, despite his flaws and failures. Cai beamed at him, a red hand mark beginning to form on the pale flesh of his neck, saying: "It's fine, Alexander. I understand why you... why you had to do that. It just scared me a bit."

Alex nodded (aware that "a bit" was a huge understatement, but it would be cruel to focus on that) and replied: "You know I hate hurting you. Whenever I seem harsh or cause you pain, it's just because I need to show you something, or I need to make you understand something. That's just how big brothers are." He intentionally left out the times he had hurt Caiellis in his anger or unintentionally as it wasn't relevant.

He sat down on the floor and told his brother he could hold him if he wanted – Alex squeezed his hand and sat beside him, ensuring that he wasn't disrupting anything but was obviously providing support.

"I'm going to begin," Caiellis announced, the Mind Realm coming to him much more naturally without the Summoning Bay's distracting equipment. He was immeasurably glad that there were no screens this time around, there was no way Alex would let him carry out this if he knew what he was intending to do.

.*.*.*.

His eyes snapped open, and he examined his surroundings. It appeared that Cai was in the entrance of some grand castle, and weird creations of rotating blades attached to demonic faces and grinning masks floated towards him, the scraping of their vicious weapons on the stone floor setting his teeth on edge. This challenge would be simple – defeat the enemies, get to the destination. Except it wouldn't work like that, not now he knew the true link between each individual trial. His last venture into this painful domain had taught him that.

He looked down at himself – clothed in light leather armour, and with a functional but otherwise unadorned short-sword at his waist. Excellent. Cai felt a powerful tremor of trepidation flow through him – if he was wrong, the Alexander would never forgive himself. But he couldn't hesitate now. The longer he waited, the harder it would be to do it.

Angels, I'm so sorry, Alexander. The boy swiftly drew the sword, ignoring the proximity of the creatures, and sliced the blade across his own throat. The crimson blood jetted out of him, and he fell to his knees, gasping and clawing for air that wasn't there, that wouldn't come. Hot, irony liquid bubbled up through his mouth and spilled out through his lips, and he gurgled in a emotional mixture between a sob and a scream, before falling silent. The sword dropped with a clang beside him, but he didn't hear it. His upper body toppled onto the ground, the crunch of the impact nothing compared to the howling agony in his neck, and a note of pure, unadulterated regret poured through his mind before his eyes closed and the world faded into darkness.

.*.*.*.

For the second time, Cai's emerald orbs opened. He was in the large interior of an empty cathedral – incredibly ornate and detailed. The boy could faintly perceive singing voices and praying whispers, twisted and contorted by a funerary mournfulness, but whenever he looked in their direction, they faded away and started anew at the opposite side of the basilica.

On each side of the central processional, huge statues of filigree yet baroque angels that he had never seen depicted before stared down at him. From his visits to other Lucaelian temples in the past, the boy was well accustomed to massive sculptures of the heavenly guardians, but instead of their gaze being loving, benevolent and determined to protect here it was oppressive, condemnatory - but no less impressive.

He glanced down the pew of seats and into the front – there, kneeling in front of a large golden altar and bathed in the melancholy purple light of a stained glass window depicting the Black Sun passing judgement upon the guilty, was an angel, the same one from earlier.

Involuntarily holding his breath Caiellis paced forwards, and she slowly yet deliberately rose, her movements languid yet with an inevitability that permeated throughout her actions, turning around to gaze down at him. She was majestic but also terrifying, wearing aureate armour carved with strange and yet oddly familiar sigils and framed by huge black wings the colour of midnight. In one hand she held a golden chain, in the other a gigantic and elaborate scythe the size of her, which meant that the blade itself was longer than Cai was tall. The heel was a shining aureate Black Sun, with the large curved blade extending out from it. Elaborate and wing-like protrusions from her collar framed her porcelain face, a cascade of black hair flowing behind it.

She had pale features, black eyes surrounded by purple eyelids and golden tears etched underneath them – also in the centre of her forehead was a spherical gemstone of the same colour, though instead of appearing like it had been painfully implanted into her skull her flawless skin melded around it, giving the impression that it had always been there and was as much a part of her as her imposing wings.

She was ... she was beautiful. Somehow it had never occurred to the youngest Lucerna that his Summoning would be so divinely graceful - not alluring like he might find some women, as the angel was far removed from any mortal female, but beauteous, suffused with the heavenly glamour that was the birthright of the First Sisterhood, the daughters of the Goddess herself.

The few artist's renditions of the dark seraph that he had laid eyes upon had shown a soulless murderer, a functional and efficient harvester of souls that held nothing of the celestial magnificence that those same young eyes beheld now. Perhaps she was even more beautiful than Aurelia and what little he had seen of his father's Akroma - as the two other First Sisterhood angels, while elegant and beatific, were moulded around war, whilst the Angel of the Black Sun was resplendent in seraphic glamour. Yet the huge, imposing scythe carried in her right hand only had one purpose - as an executioner.

Her eyes were orbs of darkness that reflected the prince's purity but also his potential for evil, the curse of the Black Sun that had consumed King Xarius and could very well destroy him if Caiellis wasn't careful - the angel had promised to obey the self styled "Emperor of Light's" demands to the letter, and while all others of the Sisterhoods would refuse to execute acts of darkness, the Angel of the Black Sun would do whatever he wanted, becoming a harbinger of death and misery more akin to a demon than a seraphim as she followed his increasingly insane orders.

Cai could sense the light in her, but also the shadow – both were combined however, not just both present and not separated, the White and Black mana fused representing everlasting life and power, the balance between light and darkness, that one could use to their own ends or aid those around them. Selfless selfishness, or selfish selflessness Caiellis wasn't sure, but it was certain that this angel had powers at her fingertips that the youngest Lucerna had only seen in his wildest dreams - and darkest nightmares.

It was all he could do to resist the ever growing temptation to fall to his knees and clasp his hands in prayer, press his head into the soft purple carpets that adorned the cathedral floor and beg for this angel's blessing - he had earned this, he had passed his Summoning trial and had gained the right to stand tall and proud. The only reason that he would kneel before his Summoning would be to afford her with respect, nothing more. His desire to adore the Angel of the Black Sun was easily met, but the knowledge of the suffering and pain she had inflicted upon the Lucaelian people warred with that devotion.

He wanted to speak, to introduce himself to the Angel of the Black Sun and have her accede to the Summoning contract, but felt that breaking the silence would be defiling the quiet sanctity of this place, that whatever a mortal such as himself might have to say was not worth impeaching upon the haunting tranquility of the angel's cathedral. The boy felt an invisible weight tightening at his throat and holding his limbs still, and though the rational part of his mind knew that the imaginary restraint was nothing more than his own awe he could do no more to free himself from it. Instead, he remained motionless, barely breathing, transfixed by the twinkling darkness of the seraph's eyes as a multitude of clashing emotions welled up in his chest.

"So you've arrived," she uttered, her voice like honey but with a sinister undertone, inflected with a sense of melodic melancholy, "My name is Orzhova, the Angel of the Black Sun. I have been waiting for you."

"Yes, I passed the test you set for me. Now the contract will be signed," regaining a measure of his confidence, Caiellis smiled triumphantly, trying not to seen arrogant at his first meeting with Orzhova but supposing that she already knew almost everything about him. The grin that he plastered onto his young features was a mix of pride in his achievement and trepidation. He couldn't help but feel slightly anxious in his moment of victory - this angel had been the cause of the largest catastrophe in Lucaelian history, eclipsing even Johnias's revolt and attempted coup d'etat.

It was unfair. Why should he have to be wary in unlocking something that he had attempted to obtain for years? Why should he have to be shunned, hated because of an angel that he had never chosen to have inside of him, and yet be subjected to so much pressure that he had willingly ended his own life on the possibility that it might pass her strange test? Why had Orzhova wanted him to die before revealing herself to him?

She sighed, weariness that a mortal could not hope to ever comprehend and yet as intimately familiar to Cai as his own emotions entwined with her words, and said "As you wish. I shall sign your beloved contract. But rest assured, the real trial is only just beginning."

---

Liber Sancturia:

Deathpact Angel: Summoning of Caiellis Noctis Lucerna

Clone: Summoning of Ellan Artuis