A soft winter sunlight beamed through the windows of the Veil manor. Birds chirped their songs amongst the rustling of leaves. Though it only snowed once in a great storm, the daggering winds were persistent in their stead. A gust of wind rattled the windows and then left as fast as it came.

The noise woke Lyra, who lay by the hearth, indulging in the warmth of its confinement—the stone keeping it from razing the building down.

As her consciousness slowly came to focus, the scratching of a quill on paper began to feel as if it were scratching at her brain as well. Lyra turned to find Aeris at her desk once again, as if her time alone last night was all just a figment of her imagination. Her limbs stretched out from her, a yawn following their lead.

"Hard at work, I see," she said, rubbing her eye. Judging by her expression, she was barely awake. "How did the council go last night? Much progress?"

"I don't think so," replied Aeris with a deep sigh. She placed the quill back in the ink, and her other hand used its first two fingers to compress the inner corners of her eyes. "There are few senators who are actually working for the people of this kingdom. I need to know why, but the answers rely on a few field days worth of research. Could be dangerous; I could get kidnapped or killed. . . or worse."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. I doubt that if you plan ahead, you can be accompanied by some guards. Especially since you're a senator and all."

"That's the thing," Aeris leaned back in her chair, her arms crashing down to her side. "If you hated the Senate, would you want to talk to your oppressors who are accompanied by strong, suited men?" Lyra opened her mouth, but her understanding made its way first, sealing her lips. "This mess is fracturing my mind and the kingdom. How could it have gotten this bad? What was Mother doing?"

Lyra began to feel the frustration in her work. She walked to Aeris' desk until she stood beside her. Instinctively, her arms wrapped around Aeris. Her shoulders lost their stiffness, and her breathing became normal.

"You can figure this out," said Lyra, her voice soothing the anxiousness within Aeris. "You're so close, Aeris. The people will trust you eventually, and they will love you more than you know. Just one step at a time."

Aeris smiled. Her thoughts seemed to have slowed down until eventually she looked up at Lyra.

"You came in here last night before I had to leave. It seemed urgent as well. I'm sorry I had to brush it off, but I'm willing to listen now."

Lyra's heart began to beat against her chest. The excitement pent up from last night was ready to burst as she said, "I've found a way to harness the Aether into everything!"

Aeris was left flabbergasted at the simple explanation, expecting more to spill from her lips. "What is Aether?" She started.

"Oh, that's the energy that's harnessed from space. I'm trying to see if it works—perhaps coining its birth with that name."

"And how will you do that?" Aeris' question curled, afraid of the answer to come.

"Nighlstone!"

"Lyra!" Aeris exclaimed. "Nighlstone is within the Forest of Nolguul. You'd get shredded alive if not by the animals, then by the people that protect that land."

"I know, I know!" Lyra began to pace around the desk. "But the entity told me that it's capable of crystal growth—"

"This entity again," Aeris interrupted her, stopping her in her tracks. "Lyra, this entity cannot be good. Who knows what this thing is capable of? It could be lying to you, trying to make you destroy our world to add to its collective."

"Aeris, this thing is helping me. My research has progressed tremendously due to its knowledge. Our kingdom will be brought to a new age. You must trust me! I sense no malice in its intent."

Aeris winced at the barrage of convincing Lyra was trying to compel. Her gaze shot down to her desk, analyzing the papers that were spread out. A thought came into her head.

"This new age, what will be its benefit?"

Lyra's excited shoulders slumped, her eyes rolling as her head turned.

"Has Elderlore gotten to your head too?"

"Lyra, this is the real world. These things need to be considered before the serious steps get taken. There are consequences when things go unchecked." Once again, Lyra knew she was right. Her silence confirmed her defeat. Aeris let out a sigh. "I'm not trying to stop you from pursuing your heart. I'm just. . . I don't know, making sure it gets done right. This is new and complicated. Your science is a brain-melting journey that most everyone can't handle. They'll be afraid. . . And I'll be afraid of losing you."

"You won't lose me, Aeris. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm too stubborn to die." A chuckle escaped both of them, followed by a smile. "I know this is scary. I fear for you when you handle these domestic affairs, and I know your fear for me is genuine when I go out there doing heaven knows what. But I trust you to do your best and to do the best thing. All I need from you is that right now."

Aeris got up from her chair and gently picked up Lyra's hands and said, "I do trust you, Lyra. I'm just afraid of losing the one thing that holds me to this earth." Another sigh left Aeris as her expression softened. "How about you focus on the Knight's academy, and once I'm done with this policy, I'll look into negotiating with the people of Nolguul. Sounds like a deal?"

Lyra's happiness couldn't be contained as the corner of her mouth began to curl. "I knew I could count on you! Now, let's talk business."

· · ─ · ◯☽✵☾◯ · ─ · ·

It's been merely a week since Lyra and Kaelen had started their time at the Knight's academy. Her improvement had impressed herself, all thanks to Kaelen's tutoring and guidance. The other knights were also improving, rivaling her efforts. But Lyra knew one thing: if she were to beat Kaelen, then she would be able to win against all of them.

Knowing this, she trained harder with her blade. But her heart still stuck on her research. This cost her a duel with Kaelen as he swept her feet from under her, demanding her to yield. His breath warm against her skin as the tip of his training sword pointed at her neck.

"You're distracted," he said. "That's going to get you killed on the battlefield."

"We're not on a battlefield," Lyra replied, pushing him off of her. "I've kept up."

"Keeping up isn't necessarily what the knights are looking for," Draven helped her to her feet. A sigh escaped her lips. "C'mon. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing's bothering me," she watched as Kaelen raised a brow to her. "Well, it's just that I feel like I've run into a dead end. I've made so much progress, then it all stops, and the inertia of that kind of momentum is devastating to come to a dead stop."

Kaelen scratched his head, calculating his next words cautiously.

"Where has this dead end led you?" Lyra's eyes looked upward at him but quickly retreated. "You can trust me." He said, jabbing her pauldron.

"It's not that I don't trust you; it's just nobody seems to support me—except for Aeris. But her promise is a long time from now." Kaelen tilted his head, practically begging for her to tell him with slim patience. "I need Nighlstone." She blurted.

"But that's in-"

"The Forest of Nolguul, I know!" She interrupted, her arms crossing as she began to feel frustration. "Everybody seems to know."

"It's not impossible to obtain, though."

What Kaelen said sparked a light inside Lyra's eyes. Her defensive angles dropping and her attention now facing him.

"What do you mean?" Her eyes squinted, curiosity swirling in her head.

"Well," Kaelen began. But his gaze saw an instructor stare at them from afar. He raised his sword and motioned for her to do the same. They began to slowly rehearse footwork and parries as he spoke. "Nighlstone was one of the materials my kingdom used to intertwine with our weapons and armor. I know the properties of it very well—how it's light when the sun isn't present and that it's the only material that has the highest affinity towards any magic."

"How did your people obtain it?" she said, lunging forward at him.

"I was getting to that," he rebutted her attack. "From what I can recall from stories that were told to me, the fiery rock that brought the Nighlstone from the sky split into two. The one that struck the ground first brought the great calamity amongst the land, creating a lot of the mountain ranges we know now. The second, landed in what we know as the Forest of Nolguul."

"I thought that forest was the only place we could find Nighlstone."

"As most did, if not all," Kaelen swung his sword in a readable arc that Lyra dodged flawlessly—as expected. "Just think about it: where's the greatest mountain range of all time?"

Lyra backed away to create distance and began to think, her mind going into overdrive for the answer that Kaelen obviously knew. If it were a simple answer, Lyra would only be frustrated at herself and slightly irritated at the fact that someone knew something she didn't.

Then the thought finally occurred. A flashback burning through her mind of when she would look out towards the Montenyu Mountain Range and what lay beyond—the Kingdom of Lycra. The kingdom itself had a natural defense. Its mountains became treacherous to trek, so no invasion could be done going over. The stone was unusually thick; patience would've worn faster than the tools that would've been used.

Kaelen must've seen the look of realization settle on her face as he nodded with a grin. "That's where we'll find it," he said, pain riddling his voice; the memories of his kingdom falling to ruin before his eyes—his father. "The Moon Well glowed not because of the celestial body, but because of the Nighlstone that lay underneath it. That's also where the sacred Moon Forge can be found."

"So your armor and weapons. . ."

"Yes, we found a way to harmonize the properties to eliminate the burdening aspects of the material—making it light even when the sun is present, though it still has some weight with it but nothing we can't handle."

"Fascinating!" Lyra exclaimed. "I guess the next question is how will we get it? I can't imagine that it'd be easy."

Kaelen began to pick up the pace of their fake dance.

"This isn't an overnight heist. I'd have to agree with Aeris that this would have to wait."

Lyra reciprocated his efforts and started to take the lead. Her strikes became heavier and her footwork faster. Kaelen began to get pushed back. Lyra's sword slashed at his throat, but he dodged by bending backwards. This was a calculated strike as she used the momentum to use her leg to sweep his feet from under him. Kaelen thudded to the ground, and Lyra stood over him, her chest heaving as the tip of her practice blade pointed at his throat.

"I guess I'm going to have to yield for the time being," she said between breaths.

Kaelen acceptedly admitted defeat as he chuckled and propped himself up on his elbows.

An instructor cleared their throat to grab the duo's attention. Both of their heads turned to the knight.

"Joanne is requesting your audience," the knight stepped sideways, extending his arm out as guidance to show them where to go. "This way."

Lyra and Kaelen looked at each other, and she shrugged her shoulders.

· · ─ · ◯☽✵☾◯ · ─ · ·

A spiraling staircase going up led them to Joanne Melmarc's living quarters that also second as her office. The room was clean; everything seemed sharp; even the corners of the bed sheets seemed like they could cut something. Joanne sat at her desk; the window to her room stood behind her, radiating from behind. Her posture was straight like an arrow, and her gaze fixated on the paper she held a quill to.

The knight that escorted them stood at the door, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword as he stood at attention. Lyra and Kaelen entered her quarters and stood in front of her desk, their backs as straight as they could get them.

Her quill scratched the paper, transferring the words from her mind onto the paper. Its cadence was almost as loud as Lyra's heartbeat in her head.

"So," Joanne finally said, stopping Lyra's heart for a second. "The Winter Summit will be commencing, as you know." She set her quill back in the ink and intertwined her fingers on top of her desk, her gaze now settled on them with sharp blue eyes. "Our allies will be coming here for its gathering. With that, the festivities will be held. I have a few candidates that will be attending. However, I will not name them. You two have been close since the beginning, but only one of you will be able to participate. Decide amongst yourselves who will be the one to attend this tournament and represent this kingdom. Then prove to me that you are worthy by defeating the other candidates, simple as that."

"How long do we have?" Asked Kaelen.

Joanne was silent at first, her gaze unwavering. She then said, "It will be held at the end of the first week—the week of strength. That makes it two weeks from today. Train yourselves and bring our kingdom honor."

Lyra and Kaelen stomped their feet as they acknowledged her words. Without saying anything more, the two walked out of her room and began their descent on the spiral staircase.

"I know I'll be able to get far in the tournament, maybe even win." Said Kaelen.

"Aren't you full of yourself?" She said in a sarcastic tone.

But she knew he wasn't entirely wrong. Even though Kaelen would be fighting in his human form, his strength would be unrivaled in the arena—even against the Agruvians, which would be a toe-to-toe match for the most part.

"I'll train you so you can participate in this tournament. Even though it sounds like fun, I don't think it'd be wise for me to attend."

"I'll stand no chance!" Lyra exclaimed, her face full of worry and doubt. "It's in two weeks, and I can barely do hand-to-hand combat."

"You take yourself for granted," he rebutted. "But I can guarantee you have a better chance than you know."

With great reluctance on her face, she agreed to the training. Her heart has already steeled itself for what's to come. All her thoughts and aspirations were driven by her goal, no matter how long or painful it may be, to finish the fight.