A Spark of Hope

"Father, lift me up quick!" Aeri's voice rang out, bright and carefree, as she tugged at the arm of a towering man in a worn leather vest, his armor left behind for this rare day of peace. The sun bathed the meadow in golden warmth, wildflowers swaying in the cool breeze that swept through the capital's outskirts.

"Alright, alright," her father grumbled, his deep voice laced with mock exasperation as he hoisted her onto his broad shoulders with a theatrical groan. "Aeri, have you gained weight?"

Aeri swatted his head, her laughter bubbling like a stream. "I'm not heavy, don't lie, Father!"

"Okay, okay," he chuckled, securing her atop his shoulders. The world stretched out before them, a rolling tapestry of green hills and distant spires, the capital's skyline shimmering like a promise.

"Wow!" Aeri gasped, her eyes wide with wonder. "Father, have I ever seen a view like this?"

He tilted his head back, grinning. "Not in the capital, you haven't. Like it?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, her voice carrying on the wind, pure and unburdened.

From behind, a woman's voice, warm and melodic, cut through their banter. "Who wants to eat some marchpane?" her mother called, holding a basket of the sweet almond confection.

Aeri twisted to look, nearly toppling them both. "I will, Mother!" she shouted, her excitement uncontainable.

"Easy there, Aeri," her father warned, steadying her with a laugh. "You'll push us both off the cliff!"

"Take me to Mother, Father!" she ordered, her tone imperious, like a tiny queen commanding her court.

"Hey, get down and walk yourself!" he teased, though his steps already carried them toward the picnic blanket, where marchpane and laughter awaited.

After devouring the sweet, sticky treat, Aeri's eyes caught a flash of white, a rabbit darting through the grass. She bolted after it, her giggles trailing behind her like a melody. Through twists and turns, she chased the creature, her small hands finally closing around its soft fur.

"You stupid rabbit," she panted, a smug grin spreading across her face, "you need to run faster to escape me!"

Triumphant, she turned to show her prize to her parents, but their voices stopped her cold. They stood a short distance away, their expressions grave, unaware of her approach.

Aeri crept closer, hiding behind a gnarled oak, her rabbit forgotten as she eavesdropped.

"Honey," her mother's voice trembled, "do you really have to go? Aeri's stronger than an average knight, but she still needs you. Can't you wait until she's at the Academy?"

Her father took her mother's hand, his grip steady but his eyes heavy. "Even if I wanted to, the war won't wait. This peace is a fragile thread, a perfectly balanced struggle ready to snap with a single misstep. Creymen's madness...challenging the imperial traditions set by the Council of Gods itself... what is he even thinking."

Her mother's face tightened, worry etching lines into her soft features. "Promise me you'll look after yourself first. You don't have to suffer for their selfish politics."

Aeri's heart pounded, the rabbit slipping from her arms as she stepped forward to confront her father. But the meadow dissolved, the sunlight snuffed out like a candle.

The air grew thick with the stench of blood and ash. She was no longer a 11-year-old but seventeen, standing in the royal palace, its marble halls now a charnel house. Bodies lay strewn across the floor, their blood pooling like spilled ink, their lifeless eyes staring into nothing.

"Aeri…" a distorted voice rasped her name, chilling her to the bone. She turned, and her world shattered. Her father, pinned to the wall by a spear through his chest, his lifeblood dripping onto the cold stone.

His hand reached for her, trembling, his eyes locked on hers with a desperate, fading plea. The spear's cruel point glinted, its metal stained red, and the weight of his gaze crushed her.

She tried to scream, to run to him, but her voice choked in her throat, her legs rooted to the floor. His fingers twitched, then stilled, his life snuffed out as the palace walls closed in, suffocating her in despair.

Her eyes snapped open and panted frantically.

A modest wooden ceiling greeted her, its beams cloaked in shadow. The air was stale, tinged with the faint scent of herbs and old books. Aeri tried to rise, but pain lanced through her body.. broken ribs grinding, her punctured leg throbbing.

"Gnn." A low groan escaped her lips as she pushed herself up, the blanket falling away to reveal her body swathed in bandages, her skin bare beneath. She clutched the fabric to her chest, her cheeks flushing as she scanned the room.

Her clothes lay neatly folded on a nearby table, and she dressed hurriedly, wincing with every movement.

Limping to a cluttered study desk, she spotted books and papers...texts on basic mathematics, history, and circle formation theories. Her brow furrowed. "Isn't this… the Academy's entrance exam syllabus?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

A soft creak broke her thoughts. The door. Her hand instinctively reached for the dagger under her skirt, but her fingers found no blade.

The door swung open, revealing an old woman carrying a large bowl of water. Her weathered face lit up with surprise. "You're awake!" she exclaimed, her voice warm with relief.

Aeri relaxed, sensing no threat. "Thank you for treating me," she said, her tone cautious. "Where am I?"

"You were brought here by Cae," the woman replied, setting the bowl down. "You were in bad shape when you arrived."

Cae? Who is she..? Aeri's mind raced, then clarity struck like a bolt. Caelumis. "The kids...where are they?" she asked, urgency creeping into her voice.

The old woman smiled. "They're playing in the lawn. Been worried sick about you."

Aeri bowed, gratitude mingling with fear, and limped past the woman, ignoring the pain shooting through her leg. She stepped outside, the lawn a vibrant contrast to the grim alleys she'd left behind.

Green grass stretched under a canopy of trees, potted plants dotting the edges. Under the shade of a sprawling oak, Borun and Vol clashed wooden swords, their laughter a fragile echo of better days.

Aeri opened her mouth to call out, but her leg buckled, pain flaring. She steadied herself and moved toward them, her eyes catching another figure under the tree's opposite side.

A young man, scratching his head over an open book, muttering to himself. Her breath hitched. Caelumis. The blood-soaked killer from the alley, now hunched over a book like a confused scholar.

Borun spotted her first, his wooden sword clattering to the ground. "Sister Aeri!" he shouted, sprinting toward her and leaping into her arms. Aeri caught him with a wince, her smile masking the pain. "That's dangerous," she teased, ruffling his hair.

Vol followed, his fevered face brighter now. "Sister Aeri, how are you feeling?" he asked, his voice small but hopeful.

"Better than ever," she lied, her grin wide for their sake. Her gaze shifted to Caelumis, still absorbed in his book, oblivious to her approach.

She limped toward him and bowed, her voice steady despite the memories of blood and crimson eyes. "Thank you for your help the other day. You saved my brothers' lives. I'll repay the favor."

Caelumis looked up, startled, his golden eyes widening as they met hers. "Ahh… no… problem," he stammered, his cheeks flushing as he fumbled the book. He scratched his neck, clearly unnerved by her closeness, his words tripping over themselves like a nervous apprentice before a master.

Aeri's lips twitched into a smile. "Having trouble with rune magic?" she asked, glancing at the book.

Caelumis blinked, caught off guard, and mumbled, "Uh, yeah… it's… complicated." His voice was a mix of embarrassment and awe, as if speaking to a girl this close, let alone one as cute as Aeri, was a battle he hadn't prepared for.

Before she could speak, Borun's voice piped up from behind her, brash and unfiltered. "My sister was always top of her class. She's a lot smarter than you!"

Aeri spun, her sky-blue eyes narrowing. "Borun! Is that how you behave with our benefactor?" Her tone was sharp, a sister's scolding honed by years of wrangling her brothers.

Borun's gaze dropped to the grass, his cheeks flushing. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, kicking at a pebble.

"Not to me," Aeri said, her voice softening but firm. "Apologize to Sir Caelumis."

Caelumis waved a hand, his golden eyes crinkling with a sheepish grin. "No, it's fine! Not offended, heh." He scratched his head, his awkwardness almost comical for a man who'd painted an alley red with blood.

Borun turned to him, his small frame straightening with reluctant obedience. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice sincere but tinged with a ten-year-old's pride.

"No problem at all, kid. Forget it," Caelumis replied, his grin widening as he ruffled Borun's hair, earning a scowl that only deepened the amusement in the air.

Aeri's gaze softened, and she gestured to the book in Caelumis's hands. "Can I help with that?" she asked, her tone light but curious.

Caelumis's eyes lit up, his earlier awkwardness vanishing. "Would you? Thanks a ton! The entrance exam's in five days, and rune theory's kicking my butt. Circle formations are the worst." His voice bubbled with excitement.

For a moment, Aeri's mind reeled. How could this bumbling boy be the same Caelumis whose crimson gaze had made her instincts scream to flee? Those eyes, once gleaming with the hunger of an apex predator, now sparkled with the eager innocence of a student her age. The dissonance gnawed at her, a puzzle she couldn't yet solve.

As Borun and Vol darted back to their mock swordfight, their laughter echoing across the lawn, Aeri sat beside Caelumis, her injuries protesting but her focus sharp.

She explained the basics of rune theory, her voice steady as she broke down complex principles into clear, exam-focused fundamentals. Her notes filled the margins of his book, precise and tailored to the Academy's syllabus, as if she'd been born to teach it.

Caelumis scribbled furiously, his gratitude palpable with every nod.

He paused, glancing at her. "Miss Aeri, you look my age. Are you taking the entrance test too?"

Aeri's gaze dropped, a shadow crossing her face. "I wanted to," she admitted, her voice quiet. "But I missed the application… for reasons." The weight of those reasons hung unspoken in the air.

Caelumis tilted his head, undeterred. "You can still take the admission test, you know. My nanny said you had an imperial crest with you. They allow walk-in admissions for those with high-level recommendations like that. Of course, you still have to pass the test, no matter how capable or politically connected you are, you're out if you fail."

Aeri blinked, her confusion cutting through her pain. "They're taking walk-ins?"

"Yeah," Caelumis said, his tone bright. "This is the first batch for it."

Her heart lifted for a moment, but the spark faded as quickly as it came. "I can't leave Borun and Vol alone to go to the capital," she said, her voice heavy with resignation. "The Academy isn't important right now."

Caelumis's eyes softened, but a glint of something sharper flickered within them. "Why are you not considering taking Vol and Borun with you to the capital?"

Aeri froze, her breath catching. Why am I so loose-lipped around him? "No, no, it's nothing," she stammered, turning to walk away, her leg throbbing with each step. "I just have no interest in the Academy at all."

Caelumis's gaze followed her, he looked at the text book with aeri's writing, his eyes narrowing slightly, a faint crimson hue creeping into their golden depths. His voice deepened, carrying a weight that made the air feel heavier. "Say, Miss Aeri…"

She stopped, her heart pounding as she turned to face him.

"Vol and Borun would be safer on Academy grounds than in that bunker," he said, his tone calm but piercing.

In a heartbeat, Aeri moved, ignoring the fire in her leg. She lunged, aiming a chokehold at Caelumis, her instincts screaming threat. But he was faster, catching her wrist with no hesitation, his grip iron-tight.

Pain shot through her as he pressed, forcing her to her knees. "Don't bother," he said, his voice steady, his eyes unyielding. "You might have a chance in your best state, but now... You'll only hurt yourself more. I'm not your enemy."

The fierceness in Aeri's eyes flickered, then calmed, her breath ragged. With a smug half-smile, she rasped, "Should I say welcome back?"

Caelumis smirked, releasing her wrist with a fluid motion. "Don't worry. I overheard that kid mention the bunker back in the alley. I don't even know where it is."

Aeri's mind flashed to Borun's slip, and she exhaled, her tension easing slightly.

Caelumis's voice softened, the crimson glint fading back to gold. "You can take Borun and Vol to the Academy as your attendants. That imperial crest.. It puts you under nobility status and grants you slots for attendants. If it's high enough, you could ask for two slots."

Aeri's eyes widened, the idea sparking like a flare in the dark. The Academy, safe, fortified, a haven where her brothers could be protected. She hadn't considered it, her mind too tangled in survival to see beyond the bunker's walls.

Caelumis continued, his tone earnest now. "No one without a passion for the Academy could explain rune theory that clearly, keeping it within the test's syllabus no less. I figured you thought going meant leaving Vol and Borun behind. So, I overstepped with the suggestion. Sorry."

Aeri shook her head, her confusion mingling with gratitude. "No, not at all. I'll… consider it. Thank you for telling me."

The lawn stretched quiet around them, Borun and Vol's laughter a distant melody. Caelumis's eyes, now fully golden, held a warmth that clashed with the predator she'd glimpsed, leaving Aeri teetering between trust and caution.

The Academy loomed in her mind, not just a dream, but a possible sanctuary. And she knew that safety was a fragile hope in a world poised to break.