Chapter 37: Twin Feather

"What is a shaded Element?

Supernatural as the use of Elements may seem, if one dives deep enough into them, they'll find that everything follows a logical reasoning and that everything can be explained through science: from Element manipulation, to Soul Crash and even the circumstances behind our birth.

A newborn soul is a very interesting thing indeed. As pure as it's fragile, coming from the birthplace of all souls and the heart of Gaia, the Soul Core, every newborn soul that settled into the fetus inside the mother's womb is a white canvas. No Element to be associated with.

While the detection of a newborn soul inside the fetus is only possible the first month or so after its inception (therefore it's hard to specify when the fetus can be considered 'alive', but that's a topic that is mostly discussed in abortion debates), the color of that soul will only be settled after many months, close to the baby's birth. During that time, the genetic information of the father, that the sperm carried, will fuse with the one found in the mother's egg, and that'll create the Element.

It's been proven that the mother's egg carries a much stronger genetic, and therefore Elemental, information that that of the sperm, so that's why the primary color of the newborn soul will most likely match that of the mother's. If the mother carries the Element of Tera in her DNA, that information will carry to the egg, and finally, to the baby, who will also be born under Tera.

But that isn't to say that the father does not carry any strength. If the father in this scenario is also a Tera-born, the child's soul will be painted of a deeper orange. A pure Tera-born is, well, born. But let's imagine that the father's Element is Pyre. The child will still be born as Tera, but their soul will carry the father's red color, found on the underside of the sphere of the soul, influencing the outside color, like a shading of red. A Pyre-shaded Tera soul is formed.

And that will bring with it a new ability that pure Teras can't get access to. Shaded souls open a world of possibilities in regards to abilities. And that's just on the matter of Elemental combination. Hereditary powers outside of Elements, like the Potential of the Golden Flame can also be passed down in a myriad of ways, through genetics.

But, every good rule has its exception. There are two Elements that can never be shaded. Those are Lightus and Darkus. They are pure Elements and can never be defiled by the others' shades. Sages have theorized that it's due to the sacred nature of those two Elements in particular and why they were only bestowed upon powerful clans of BladeMasters. Powerful and pure. Undefiled and unshaded.

But fate, in its sadistic irony, would always find a way..."

-"Genetics of the Soul", Eldus Egas.

*

"Oh the matter of Nexus:

Personally, I'm not sure if this tittle will ever reach the public or if it'll rot in a cabinet of censored books or burned in a puritan fire. But even so, I write it. The will of a Sage courses through me. And Sages pursue truth. In it we all will find salvation.

The stronger religious factions of Gaia, not just Karash, defend, furiously, the purity of Lightus and Darkus. They see those two gods as the most powerful and detached from sinful natures, given and present in the human soul. They are undefiled and had ascended, by the end of the Darkness War, at the genesis of Gaia. They are pure and serene. Emotionless and human-less . As true gods.

But many other Sages, starting with the First Sage of millennia ago, fight a war to expose the truth. The truth of Lightus and Darkus' fusion and ascension.

The religious party sees 'fusion' as a 'joining of forces', much like a Mystic Soul. Something done purely to stop the Darkness that plagued the land at the time, and threatened humanity. A strategic measure.

The Sages, though, defend another meaning to 'fusion': that of 'copulation'.

Lightus, the goddess of harmony, is well known for her wisdom, bestowing the gift of knowledge and peace upon humans; Darkus, while not a god of battle like Pyre, is remembered by his cunning nature, giving the BladeMasters the gift of deceit, but also the power of subtlety and of being able to read between the lines. He is not an evil god, for without him him, humans would be gullible and naive. 'Darkness' and 'Darkus' are not the same. While Darkus is the power of shadows, Darkness refers to the power of sin and everything morally evil (that's why 'Darkness' is often capitalized).

Speaking of gullible and naive, despite being the goddess of wisdom, Lightus was often depicted as someone of great innocence. Supposedly, by using her naivete, her fellow god, Darkus, got close to her and they began a forbidden relationship.

Among the biggest taboos the gods can commit, relationships with humans are only second in gravity to relationships among themselves. Some say it's a form of incest, and defend that gods' scared nature forbids them from indulging in such carnal and human feelings.

Nevertheless, the climax of the War brought a need for greater power. And that lead to Lightus and Darkus joining in body and soul. That last part is quite literal. Two gods joining in a sexual relationship doesn't just produce a child. It fuses the two gods together into a new entity and a new Element is born. One of both and neither light or shadow. Something out of the grid and of the rules of the universe.

The Taboo Element, Nexus, was born and it single-handedly stopped the War, before fading into obscurity."

"[REDACTED]", [REDACTED] Egas.

*

The Pit. A location in Soul with uncertain origins, near the Eastern Wall. From the outside, one will only see a wide cylinder of tall stone walls, an arch entrance leading inside. And once inside, they'll see in the center of the structure a circular sandy arena, the outer rim of the circle being a sheer drop into the darkness below. Many years ago, the Pit was used for dangerous duels, but people began speaking out against it and so the Arena was built instead. The City Hall spoke of covering the holes around the arena, but no Tera user so far had been able to raise the ground from inside the chasm, like there was truly no bottom to it. And using the ground from the arena to join it and the path to the entrance proved to be unstable. Whatever platforms were built crumbled right away. Like there was some sort of power in that place that kept the chasm untouched.

Mercedes carefully walked over the plank of wood placed over the hole and entered the arena. While covering the Pit's holes was a concern to the City Hall, it was obviously not their top priority. Most people seemed to want to stay away from that place. To forget its existence. Not only because it was a remnant of the savage duels that once took place there, but also because it was where the temple of Lightus and Darkus once stood.

The temples to the gods were structures spread across Soula, that existed to pay tribute to each deity. But they weren't all a massive museum of war like Pyre's, varying in structure in accordance to the god's nature: Tera's was a small rose garden tucked neatly away in a quiet western corner of Soula; Mistral's was the History section of the Academy's library, as she was the goddess of History; and Aqua's was actually a ways outside of the city, to the East, where forests started to sprout , near the Karash capital. Deep within one of these forests was a pond of crystal clear, undefiled water, to where the Soulans had built a humble shrine to pay tribute to the goddess, a 30 minute carriage ride from the scholar city. It was said that those waters had healing powers, but Sages like Eldus weren't able to corroborate these facts.

Where the Pit stood, there was once a temple to Lightus and Darkus, similar in shape and size to Pyre's. But, many years before Mercedes was born, during the BladeMaster War, religious fanatics had burned down the place. The Soulans didn't like to divulge much information about that tragedy to the young woman, like it was a secret meant to be hidden under the bed, but Eldus promptly told her that it was because that temple had been built by believers of Lightus and Darkus' love - Nexus followers. And so, it garnered the anger of the faction that was disgusted by that idea and it was burned down and its entrance sealed away. Nobody ever heard from those followers again, as well.

It must have been an underground structure, as the pillar structure of the Pit gave no space for a big temple like that. The only remnant was right in front of her, on the opposite side of the entrance, beyond the chasm: two stone statues, one depicting a gruff and scary-looking man, dressed in full armor, as scary as his glare and flowing, jagged beard and long hair. He held in his right hand a giant double-edged sword, a skull serving as its hand-guard. No wonder children were scared of Darkus. He didn't inspire a shining image of strength and vigor like Pyre. He looked outright villainous! Beside him was its antithesis: a beautiful woman, with a serene expression and smile, her long hair and thin dress stuck in place, but they almost seemed to be always flowing in the breeze. She held in her left hand a long lance. Even covered in moss, the statue exuded a holy feeling like no other. One could feel comfort and peace gazing at Lightus' statue.

Both statues had seen better days, though. The aforementioned moss covered their cold stone bodies and Darkus' left hand and Lightus' right hand were missing, having probably been destroyed in the temple's attack.

Mercedes had always wished to see the temple...but Soula never built another. Lightus and Darkus were seen and revered as martyrs. But nothing else beyond that, like the collective consciousness held a deep seething rage towards them, never doing more than just mention and thinking about them once in a while. Any more talk about the two gods and you'd have the conservative party on you like dogs, accusing you of heretic behavior. Mercedes and Merceny were always glared at by those people, on the suspicion of their Element. To everyone, their Elements should not exist anymore, like their erasure would delete the "sins" of the gods. Many were glad (although they wouldn't admit it out loud) that the Lightus and Darkus clans were destroyed by the Darkness, even though that happened before Nexus...

"SNAP!"

A soft buzz left the little cube machine that Mercedes pointed at the statues. From its base, there was a thin slot, from where a piece of a paper slid out. Mercedes took the paper, its contents an image of the statues. A little blurry, but no blue tint.

-How's the new camera treating you?- a familiar voice sounded behind her. She turned around and saw Merceny jumping over the gap and entering the arena as well.

Mercedes smiled and threw the picture at him.

-See for yourself. The image's quality is not the best, though. Albus is still fine-tuning the camera so that the Lightus Stone works better with the Mistral Stone that powers the camera and the Tera Stone that gives the ink for the polaroid, but at least we can see all the color now.

Merceny examined the picture in silence before nodding . He let Mercedes walk around the Pit, snapping more pictures, exiting the arena and entering the cylindrical structure of the building, her body being seen through the many openings that pointed to the arena. The tower was most likely built so that people could watch the battles at the center of the Pit, as there were many windows and balconies throughout its many floors.

Once the roll of paper inside the camera ran out, Mercedes returned downstairs and into the arena once again. She ran through the photos while Merceny paced around behind her.

The young woman sighed as she looked at the contrasting expressions of the statues. Lovers, huh? Could have fooled her.

She closed her eyes, the silence of the Pit being replaced with the distant crash of a door coming down, 4 years ago.

*

"We've come too late."

"Midnight, what's wrong? Where are the Order soldiers? Shall we search the house?"

"I'm afraid we were too late in responding to the village's distress signal, White Feather."

"What do you mean? Lucy always tells us that her sources for finding the Guild bounties are trustworthy...This house seems completely empty, though...and it reeks!"

"Yes, and there was distress here. But we've all come prepared to fight armed soldiers. We should have scouted, investigated more...now it's useless."

"And there weren't soldiers? The buildings, or what's left of them, are still smoking. It must have been a bombing---waaahh!"

"No soldiers fight with such malice. There are still unwritten rules in war, that preserve people's dignity, even if they are the enemy. Once Lucy's source got the news of the village's fire, it was already too late. The main event had already ended."

"I-it's too awful...gods, I can't see where they start or end...are all mercenary jobs this...this bloody and degrading?"

"You should go wait outside, White Feather. People so young shouldn't be seeing corpses like these. Honestly, it's making me want to hurl as well."

"Are you not good with blood, Midnight? It's all over the walls too...'IMPURE OF SOUL', 'NEXUS PIGS', 'PURGE THE FOUL SOULS'...my gods..."

"I'm just not good with these...I won't even call them 'people', those who who did this. This village believed in Nexus and it was targeted by fanatics, I'm sure. They lash out at anyone that doesn't agree with them, and because so many take seats in the Karash Council, King Maximilian can't pinpoint and stop all these purges. Violence like this goes unchecked. Women, children and elderly like these are slaughtered like cattle, their corpses mangled beyond recognition and their house desecrated with these bloody hate messages and their goods stolen, before they're finally burned down...All because of their beliefs. It's like the BladeMaster War never ended."

"I'm going to be sick...Ciny? Let's go outside! Maybe we can still track those fanatics!"

"Black Feather, go with her...Black Feather? Are you listening?"

"The Order...those fanatics...I can't ever...forgive them!"

"Brother..?"

"Rage begets rage, boy. Don't let your anger blind you. We still have a job to do."

"I have to become strong. I'll...I'll protect you, Cidy. I'll make sure nobody ever hurts us or any people like this ever again."

"L-let's go outside, Ciny...you need fresh air..."

"Ah, yes. I'll breathe in all that smoke. Don't you understand, Mercedes? Midnight?! We couldn't get here in time because those fanatics were hiding among the villagers! You never know where the enemy might be hiding! That's why you need to get strong! So nobody can stab you from the back! Order, fanatics, those snotty Academics, those nobles that sit on their butts all day and let violence like this pass them by...they are all plotting against peace, for their own agendas, while acting all buddy-buddy! It happened at the orphanage, it's happened here! You can't trust anybody but yourself!"

"Brother, come back!"

"...You'll lose yourself in those feelings, Black Feather."

"W-what..? Midnight?"

"Unchecked emotions will distort your heart, White Feather. Being too positive will make you naive, but too raw of a world perspective will make the viewer paranoid. They world itself will become a foe. They'll lose sight of themselves and lash out at innocent others. If your brother continues down this path...he'll become his own worst enemy. Please...for his sake...make sure he always has you as his light, Mercedes."

Be his full moon on a starless midnight.

*

-Ciny?- Mercedes turned back towards her brother- What am I to you?

-Hm? What kind of question is that? You're my dear sister...- he replied, stopping his pacing and looking at her.

-Remember what Lucy used to call Midnight?

-What, when she sat them in her lap and played bongos with their helmet? Her "full moon in a starless midnight". That's how Midnight got their name. Those two must have quite the history...

-What about Hazewinds?

-Between their drinking contests? Um..."the breeze that clears away the world's fog". Again, that's the story behind his namesake. She sure gets poetic when under the influence...

-So, again...what am I to you? Would you call me a full moon or breeze?

-I...

She shook her head.

-You wouldn't. Because those names are for people that are a source of light and hope. But I don't see you calling me that, because you have no hope for me. You coddle me. Cage me. Keep me from shining like the moon or fly like the wind. Am I wrong?

-Is that why you called to meet me here? To give me a lecture?

He suddenly had the muzzle of Glory face him.

-I challenge you.

-You can't be serious.

-You won't even spar against me with wooden swords. I am sick and tired of being groomed into this glass sculpture that follows your will alone! I'm a mercenary and an Academic! Not your doll! Fight me, Merceny Kroe!

Merceny shook his head, chuckling.

-Ha! Using our tacked-on surname like that...You can't rile me up like tha--

He had to jump back as Glory's laser edge took off a few strands of hair from him. Merceny didn't have much time to protest before Mercedes spun, stepping into his space and thrusting Grace at him, the rapier grazing his cheek.

She was serious. If Merceny didn't fight back, he'd get a body piercing in a whole new way! So, he summoned Nightingale and blocked the coming Glory chop, his black broadsword clashing with the solid light energy saber.

Merceny motioned to push forward against her thin Blade, but before he could, he'd find Mercedes backing away from him, in a swift and elegant spin. Mercedes feet barely touched the ground as she twirled away. And, as soon as she faced him again, she changed Grace back into a handgun, pointed at her brother and shot, the energy blast hitting him square in the forehead, causing Black Feather to stumble backwards.

Light bullets didn't pack nearly as much of a punch as an actual bullet, but they still stung. And that enough for Merceny to lunge at his sister, Nightingale in hand and his body beginning to spin, the Dark Dance beginning.

As expected, Mercedes had no choice but to begin to step back. Nightingale was much heavier than either Grace or Glory, so she wouldn't win a clash of Blades. But, unlike Hanzo, Mercedes didn't seem to back off out of fear of her brother's technique. She kept spinning back, her feet leaving out a trail of sparkly dust, her footwork as confident as Merceny's, but while his was forceful, hers was graceful and secure. Calculating.

Yes, because as Merceny's saw kept spinning, Mercedes would shoot him with her guns before Nightingale could come down on her, hitting him on his legs, arms, torso and face, all the while staying out of his Blade's reach. Each revolution of his was two bullets hitting him, one gun shooting him on the back and the other on the front. Merceny pushed through the pain, but slowly it began affecting him. His movements got slower and his revolutions became more sluggish.

"The Bright Dance..."

He gritted his teeth at the thought. He then spotted the chasm behind Mercedes, as both approached the edge of the arena. if he could push her towards it, she'd have nowhere else to run!

So, with a grunt, Merceny performed a rising slash, the momentum of the Dark Dance causing its power to increase dramatically, purple flames sprouting from the space them in a crescent shape.

But he felt no weight clash against his Blade. Mercedes had hopped back, still spinning like a ballerina, landing dangerously close to the edge of the arena. And then her spinning reversed. Transferring all the momentum to her legs and forcefully shifting the direction of her rotation, Mercedes leaped towards her brother. Before he could properly bring back Nightingale from the heavy slash, she was already crouched down near him, Glory in saber mode.

-Bright Counter!

A similar rising slash came from from her, a white and sparkly crescent arc leaving the sword as it slashed Merceny across the upper body, leaving a long diagonal cut in his jacket, from waist to left shoulder.

While the Dark Dance focused on forceful and aggressive step-ins in a perpetual forward motion to overwhelm the enemy and force them into a defensive mindset, Mercedes's Bright Dance exploited blind and mindless advances, prioritizing defense using slow and steady chip damage with the guns from a distance and then powerful counters with the saber and rapier up close after a swift step-in.

Now, it was Mercedes's turn. With Grace, she unleashed a torrent of quick thrusts, Merceny half-haphazardly blocking with his Blades, smaller cuts beginning to spread around his sleeves and pants, drops of blood following.

"She's serious! Her Bright Dance might be mine's foil...but!"

A wall of flames exploded from Merceny, forcing White Feather to back away with a quick hop backwards. And from within those flames, Merceny exploded, wings out and bursting forward, an array of slashes following, coming from various and seemingly random angles.

Mercedes backed away, the spinning motions from before repeating, but now she bit her lower lip, her footwork more panicked as she tried to avoid the slashes, strands from her long blonde hair flying away as Merceny got closer and closer to her.

"I can't find an opening!" she thought, trying to shoot him but her weak light bullets dissolved as soon as they came into contact with the strip of purple flames coming out of Nightingale and enveloped Merceny.

-Your counters are not so bright now, Sister!- Merceny shouted as he thrust his Blade forward. Mercedes nimbly dodged to the side, but before she could attack Merceny's exposed torso, Black Feather's body would twist around to the side, a burst from his wings propelling him in her direction, the chase continuing as his slashes kept trying to reach her thin frame.

"Erratic, ruthless moves...I can't find an opening if he keeps shifting the direction he spins in and the direction his slashes come from! He's my Bright Dance's foil..!"

Mercedes kept dodging, but the fact that she would have to constantly spin to the side to avoid falling off the arena,once she was forced near the outer rim, put her in danger, as she had to move closer to her brother for a split second. And with his speed, that was all he would need to get her.

"I can't fall any further into his pace!"

Nightingale came down in a chopping motion at her, but Glory's edge blocked and pushed it aside. Deflecting, instead of blocking was the best she could do against Nightingale, but that was the counter chance she needed! She stepped in, performing a full revolution on herself, tangling her legs together as she spun. Once she faced Merceny again, her legs untangled, the force of the momentum traveling from them to her arms. And then to Grace. She stepped in again, thrusting the rapier forward with full force!

-Doble Passe!- she exclaimed, the thrust releasing a wave of light. Merceny tried leaning to the side, but the wave hit him in the stomach, sending him flying away. He reached the edge of the arena and his body was swallowed by the chasm.

Mercedes stopped to pant and wipe the sweat off of her forehead, but she barely had time to do that, when a torrent of purple flames sprouted from within the hole. Merceny zipped from inside and leaned Nightingale back, launching multiple Darkness Waves at her before zooming towards his sister.

"I knew you wouldn't stay down there for long. For people like us, arenas like the Pit are no big deal." she smirked, pointing her guns at him, muzzles shining.

-Charged Shots !

Spheres of light shot from the guns, blasting through the Waves, and making their way towards Merceny, who slashed through them and chopped down his Blade at Merceny once he got close, crashing down from above.

She was forced to block his steel with both Grace and Glory, before directing all his energy away, pushing him to the side. Merceny's body, though, wouldn't even hit the ground, as he burst towards her again.

Both siblings would keep trying to set their paces, to initiate their Dances, but they were equally matched: Mercedes couldn't deal with her brother's raw power and relentless fencing, so she'd only deflect and muster quick and shallow counters with her guns; while Merceny kept charging at her like a bull, trying to force her off the arena, but not being able to land a definitive hit, her footwork much nimbler than his.

Eventually, Nightingale would clash against Grace and Glory, Merceny performing another rising slash, that pushed Mercedes high into the air. He burst upwards, pursuing her. The Lightus-born gritted her teeth and from her back sprouted two pure white wings, her body zooming away from him, allowing her to shoot an array of bullets from afar. Merceny kept up the chase, both mercenaries flying higher and higher into the sky, both bodies zooming up the pillar structure, becoming blurs of white and purple, clashing with each other relentlessly, rumbling being heard from outside the Pit, such was their power.

After a few minutes, both stopped. Staring at each other with determined glares, panting. Merceny roared, the giant fire crow sprouting around him, screeching at Mercedes, who replied in kind, a white bright dove cawing at Merceny, sprouting around her like a veil of light.

The crow's fire moved to Nightingale.

The dove's presence concentrated into a sphere of light in front of Grace and Glory 's muzzles.

-Darkest..!

-Brightest..!

...Wave!

The two energies shot towards each other and clash together with one another. The sky itself seemed to shake as both entities melded into each other, forming a swirling purple and white sphere before exploding, the light consuming both the twins and the Pit.

*

-Mercedes...I want to apologize...

-Well, that's new. Are you really sure didn't hit your head somewhere in the tundra?

-Is it so weird for me to recognize my errors?

-Considering the jerk you've become over the last few years...it really is.

Merceny chuckled. Both twins lied on the sandy arena on their backs, arms out. Their bodies tattered in bruises, dust and sweat. Sparks of purple fire and sparkly white dust fluttered in the air, along with matching feathers that would dissipate once they hit the ground.

-Do you remember that mission where we went with Midnight to that burned-down village, Sister?

- I do...a group of religious anti-Nexus fanatics decimated the villagers and displayed their mangled corpses for everyone to see. How could I forget?

-How about our first mission?

-Oh...-Mercedes blinked- Yeah, that one too. Those Order grunts were forcing those miners to do more and more work for them, for no pay. If they got out of line, they were beat up.

-And the mission after that?

-Ugh...the Capital one, where we played at delivery services? Those aristocrats wouldn't stop making fun of my uniform for being tacky and dusty! Called me "flat" too...- she pouted.

-Yeah...back then, I used to really hate the world we lived in. It was filled with people who stepped on others to make their lives easier. I thought it was an unjust world, where we constantly had to deal with unwarranted violence from those who thought us different from them. So...I got sick of it all. I wanted us to become so strong that nobody would...mess with us again.

-That's why you became mad about me attending the Academy? Because you didn't want the nobles bullying me again? Then why are you also so against me going on missions alone? How can I become "strong" with you over my shoulder all the time, not letting me be a good Academic nor Mercenary?

-Because...damn it, Cidy, I can't stand to see you get hurt! It's contradicting, yes! On one hand, I want you to be strong, so you won't get hurt...and on the other hand, I want you to avoid danger and those bullies at all costs!

-But I'm a Mercenary and an Academic. I can't avoid those things forever...especially the danger of our missions.

Merceny gritted his teeth, clutching his face.

-But if I lose you...what do I have? Lucy gave the orphans of the Guild a name and surname that resembled hers to make sure that every nameless soul she met could see Angel's Crow like a family. And it is...but you're my only real sister, Mercedes! I lash out at you because I'm scared of loosing you! But then...then I've begun pushing you away..! I already have been losing you for so long..!

-Ciny...

Mercedes stood up and sat beside her brother's lying body. She could see tears coming down his scrunched-up face.

"When was the last time I saw you cry..."

-I won't die, Ciny. And I will never stop loving you. You have to allow yourself to the believe in the potential of others. The nobles that bullied me aren't an issue anymore, anyways. And I'm just as strong as you! Just let me...let me fly freely! And you'll see that I'll always fly right beside you.

Merceny rose up, rubbing his face with his sleeve.

-How can I change from the coward I've become? I'm no different from that little kid with tiny black wings...afraid and revolted at the world.

-Well...you learn to trust in the good things that the world can also give you. There's many gifts and kindnesses...eventually you'll find a tiny source of personal happiness and you'll want to cultivate it. And it'll become "hope". And with that hope...you'll grow even stronger. Stronger than you could have ever imagined.

Merceny reflected on that, his stare glued to the sandy ground.

-Buuuuut...if you want to become a nicer brother, I have an idea~- she winked.

-As long as it's not fraternizing with those uppity Academics...

-Brother, we both know that, when it comes to reading between the lines, you're a complete illiterate. It might do you good! And maybe you'll find someone nice~

-"Nice" people are the kinds I keep away from you.

-Oh, I know. It'll be fun to flip the roles and have me keeping away people from you. "Grr, Merceny, if I don't see you in your room by seven, I'll never let your hear the end of it...Rawr, you better not be making any friends!"- she crunched up her glare, hissing at nothing.

She then began laughing out loud, the image of ruining her brother's dates tickling her funny bone. It seemed to be infectious, as Merceny joined in on the laughter, his voice roaring in a clean, honest laugh. Both voices echoed throughout the Pit's inner halls.

Observing them, a white dove with wings glazed black rested on top of Darkus' stone head. The reflection of the siblings bonding shining on its little beady eyes. It gave both statues one last quick look before flying away.

Both statues kept looking at the twins, stares blank.

Darkus with a gentle smile.

Lightus mimicking Mercedes's comedic pout.

But once Mercedes gave them one last look before leaving the Pit, they had returned to normal...

*

That night, Mercedes was suddenly woken up by a flash of light outside her window. She looked outside and saw a pillar of fire rising up from the Academy training grounds, to where her window had a decent view.

"What is that? Could be dangerous, though..."

She covered her fluffy pasted white pajamas with a puffy white robe, put on her matching slippers and jumped out the window, her wings sprouted from the back of the robe, as she deemed it safer to use them now that it was so late at night. Even Lucy and her brother were sleeping.

A few minutes later, she peeked into the training grounds. Who could be there at such a late hour?

Inside, Guy Vermilion pointed the Dragonic Blade at the sky, a torrent of fire shooting from it, leaving Mercedes in awe. It consumed the skies and it shone so brightly...not even her brother's fire must burn that strongly!

But Guy couldn't take that force. He fell butt-first onto the floor, the torrent of fire tilting downwards and blasting the nearby wall Mercedes was hiding behind. She, fortunately, hid behind it completely in time, but she could still feel the heat through the wall, her eyes widening and her lips curling up.

-That's...too much power..!- she muttered.

After a few seconds, she peeked back inside, seeing Guy picking himself back up. He was covered in sweat and his fingers were filled with bandages.

-Not...good enough..! I can't be afraid of these flames!

He would point the sword up again and repeat the process, much to his and Mercedes's dismay.

-Testing your limits? After what Noah told you back at the cafeteria...you just couldn't sit still, huh?- she said, more to herself, a small smile on her lips. She kept watching as Guy kept shooting out an incredible torrent of flames after the other, struggling to hold his Blade steady in place. But he would always try again after falling down. This continued until he looked at his wristwatch and ran out out the grounds.

Mercedes would have gone ahead.

"Everyone's growing...I can't fall behind!"

*

The next day:

The bell run and Mercedes's class exited their classroom. At 17 years old, she was obviously a second year of the BladeMaster course and was also worried about the exams coming up. The teachers must have felt that a direct confrontation against the Order was approaching, so they were ramping up the difficulty of the exams. So everyone in her class was feeling the pressure.

But she was more worried about how she'd do with supposed "plasma-based Mistral" the teachers thought she had. Gods, she had to come clean someday, right?!

But her thoughts were cut off by two feminine voices yapping loudly around the corner.

-Oh my gosh, why don't you come to the mall with us?

-Yeah, I'm sure a cutie like you isn't too "manly" to get some sweets with us, right?

An awkward male voice replied:

-N-no, I do...I just don't...

-He's so shy~! How adorable!

-C'mon, we won't bite...alot~

-Y-you don't understand...

Two girls, which Mercedes recognized from another second year class, were way too into the boy's personal space, shining eyes and blushing cheeks pointed at him. The boy had short golden hair in a bowl cut, an accessory that resembled a crown of olive leaves buried in his locks, only that instead of leaves, two black feathers sprouted from his hair, one of each temple, pointing forward. He sported an open black leather jacket with golden buttons and the Academy's white undershirt beneath it. The jacket elongated like a cape on the back, golden outlines around the curled collar, sleeves and end of the "cape". His trousers matched the jacket in style and he sported combat boots as well.

His dark eyes shifted between the two girls, the young man trying to back off, but he was already against a wall.

-You can also tell us what being a merc is like~!

-Yeah, have you killed someone?! You probably have! Such a bad boy...~

Mercedes stepped forward, hands on hips.

-Merceny Kroe! I can't believe you! Two at once?! Such a playboy! You'll end up breaking both hearts if you keep going like that!

The young man turned towards her, sighing in relief.

-Thank gods...Mercedes, help me out!- he pointed his thumb at the girls. Mercedes giggled and placed her hands on his shoulders.

-Sorry, ladies, but Merceny can't go with you on a date.

-Awwww, why?- one of them asked with pleading eyes.

Mercedes gave a knowing smile.

-Let's just say his soul crashes the other way.

The girls' eyes widened.

-Oh gosh, I'm sorry!- the first one said, turning to Merceny- We didn't know..!

-It's not like I told anyone anyways...- Merceny replied, blushing and looking away.

-We're sorry if we came off as rude!

-You were just being friendly...- Merceny grunted, looking like he wanted to find a hole to bury himself in, his lips flattened into a pout.

The girls nodded and ran off, whispers of "Too bad..." and "He's still cute, though..." being heard for a bit before they turned the corner.

Merceny sighed as he and Mercedes walked away too.

-I can't believe I agreed with this!

-Be glad Lucy and Eldus put in a good word for you. You know that you're not exactly the most popular guy here.

-Tell me about it. Every dude in my class glares at me. While the girls just drool.

-Well, at least your new look appeals to half the demographic. Not the one you wanted, but still...

-I guess. So...is every day so busy like this? I won't have any time to train and I'll be too tired at night!

-Well, you have to learn good habits. No more training all night and sleeping in until noon for you! If you want to train, join me, the boys and Terri in the mornings.

-Ugh!- he rolled his eyes back and slumped his shoulder- Damn you..!

Mercedes just giggled, delighted.

-It's fascinating how someone can change so much after a change of outfit!- Axel said. He, Zeke, Jackson and Noah were on the hall as well, approaching the twins.

-Yeah. Out with "edgy vampire/bomb disposal man Merceny" and in with...pfffttt..."heartthrob Ciny"!- Zeke covered his laughing with his hands.

Merceny glared at them. His expression then shifted back into a defensive pout.

-Lucy and Cidy picked this out for me. The Moru siblings told me I looked..."perfectly amazingly reborn"..!- he said in a squeaky voice before sighing- So none of you better mock me or you're in for a world of hurt!- he quickly added, pressing his fist against his palm.

-I-I never said anything bad in the first place!- Axel protested.

-I regret nothing.- Zeke yawned, having climbed onto Jackson's shoulder, he gave off a sheepish smile and a shrug.

-I like it!- Noah said- You look much friendlier! And the haircut brings out your eyes more, which matches the jacket! Glad to have you here in the Academy as well!

Merceny blushed at his shining smile but ended up grumbling a "thank you" before the twins and the quartet went their separate ways: Noah and company to the training grounds and the twins to the Guild base.

The twins exited the school building and she noticed, on the other side of the street, Guy running to the entrance before crashing into a tall guy, his black hair sprayed up in a mohawk. The young man glared down at him, other thuggish guys near him, all wearing the Academy colors, glaring as well.

-S-sorry, Bronx!- Guy said, standing right up.

-Well, why are you in such a rush, Vermilion? You got dust all over my jacket!- Bronx snarled.

-I have to meet up with Noah and the others! It's urgent!- he said, moving to run past him, but his way was blocked by the muscular senior that had threatened him and Axel in the pantry, all those years ago.

-You think you're soooo special, just because you work with those dirty peasant mercs! That's why you're always glued to them! Because it's nice and safe! Well, but now you're alone! You're not so tough, Vermilion!- he said, cracking his knuckles, his posy circling Guy.

Merceny stepped towards them, to stop that, but Mercedes placed her hand on his shoulder. Black Feather shot a surprised look at his sister, but she shook her head.

-He'll be alright. Just watch.- she simply said.

Merceny looked back and saw a trembling Guy curling up his fists, his fingers littered with more bandages than the previous night. He looked up at Bronx.

-You're right, Bronx! I'm not tough! And I'm sorry I bumped into you! But I'm trying, OK?! I don't want to be glued to amazing people like Noah, Axel or Lucy anymore! And most importantly, glued to their courage! I-I want to be brave for me! If you want to hit me, go ahead, I'll take it! But I really hope that...that someday I'll be brave enough to be your friend as well, Bronx!

Bronx was baffled. He blinked and shook his head in disbelief.

-"Friends"? With a wimpy fatso like you?!

-Yes! With a wimpy fatso like me!- Guy replied.

Bronx stepped back and walked away, his group following him.

-Weirdo. I don't feel like hitting you anymore...-and then they were gone. Guy took a deep breath and ran inside the school building.

Mercedes turned towards her brother.

-He's been training late into the night lately. His hope to find his own courage is giving him that power. And so, he can start growing, not just to be stronger, but to be better.

-"Hope"...huh.-Merceny repeated and the twins continued on their way to Angel's Crow.

*

-A mission for the Academics? That's new...- Mercedes said, sitting behind the meeting table of the Base.

-Yeah. I want them to contribute to the Guild too, especially Noah, since he's an official member as well. This will be a good start!- Lucy replied, rocking back and forth on her chair, feet on the table, filling her nails.

-I mean, up until now, they've only been dealing with Elites, so a normal mission might be good for them...as long as someone experienced accompanies them.- Mercedes continued.

-Merceny, how about you? You know those Order taxers have been drying out that region's villages dry. If we don't help them out, they won't be able to ever afford us! Oh, and Order is evil...and some such...-Lucy grinned shakily at Merceny, who leaned against a wall.

-Tch, sure, but Lucy, I think money is the last of our worries when it comes to that region.

-You mean those Capital retired Knights? Yeah, sure, they are a bit strong, but not enough to go challenge the Order, right?

-That's exactly what I'm thinking. Those guys are loose cannons, if our previous scuffles with the Order in that region have shown us. I'm betting they only retired from the Karashian Knights to go there and play vigilante against the Order.- Merceny pointed at Lucy- Half the jobs we get there, our contacts have to warn us that those geezers are already moving out to stop the threat. I say let them get in real trouble, so they'll learn.

-Daw, you're being over-dramatic. It's just some tax officials. You and the kids go there, scare them off and done! No fighting! You might even get us a souvenir~

-Hmph, what a waste of my time, playing tag with some grunts until the Diamond recovers...

The base door crashed open, Axel coming in with Zeke, Guy and Noah. His, Noah and Zeke's hands were bandaged.

-Lucy, we've heard it all from Guy!- he said- It's not an Elite fight, but I can't stand this injustice!

-Y-yeah! Also, it's near my hometown, so I have to check on my parents!- Guy added.

-Anything to get away from Terri...- Zeke said, after having checked the Base and not seeing the Titan around at the moment.

-Personally, I'm dying to put this training to good use with some battle experience, if possible!- Noah pumped his fists- Oh, but I guess we'll have to go with a member of the Guild, yeah? It's our first real mission as mercenaries, after all.

Lucy stood up and clapped her hands.

-Very good, boy! Glad you're so dedicated to the cause! OK, Merceny, you go with them and--

-Actually!- Axel cut her off- I have a proposition! Leaving Soula with little battle defenses is a bad idea after the Tal and Sobek incident. And there's already four of us, so...

He stepped forward, a bit determined smirk on his face, as he pointed to himself with his thumb.

-In the name of romance, us four will go alone!

-