Quick PSA since some people seem to be confused.

Going dim = The Lumi's transformation drops. The Ascended will usually need to recharge if all their power was expended during the transformation (ie: use of Banshee's Scream)

Going Dark = The Ascended leaves the Luminary for good, breaking the bond between them (the tattoo). They are no longer a Luminary and can no longer transform. 

Luminary/Ascended rules that Olivia/Jason are aware of:

1) Do not reveal your identity to anyone. If anyone discovers this, the Ascended will leave the Luminary and the Luminary will go Dark.

2) If the Ascended deems them no longer worthy of the power, they will leave the Luminary, who will go Dark. (ie: abuse of power, supervillain type deal)

Happy reading! <3 

*+*+*+*

Cryo landed in the skyshrine's apex chamber with a rush of icy air that blew the dark curtains edging it in every direction.

"That was rather close," he said. He unfroze his arms from his wings, keeping them out to the side as automatically, he tucked his hands under Banshee's legs. He glanced back over his shoulder, glimpsing the top of an auburn head. "Are you al--"

He froze.

Auburn hair--not amber.

Cryo snapped his head forward and his gaze straight ahead. She'd told him she'd dimmed. He'd been reacting automatically, not really processing what that meant. He'd adjusted to her weight increase as her transformation dropped without a second thought. He'd seen Banshee's bracer dissolve to smoke from the pale arm around his chest and for whatever reason, it still hadn't clicked.

"You aren't looking, are you?" came her muffled voice.

"No." Cryo was suddenly hyper-aware of her breath on his back through the tunic. He lifted his gaze a little higher before closing his eyes all together. "Um, well. Any suggestions as to how we go about this?"

"Just don't look," the girl who was Banshee said. She lifted her head off his back. "Maybe put your back to the centre before you put me down?"

Put her down. Right. He could do that.

Skypillar, what was wrong with him?

He did as she suggested and, at her confirmation, released her from the ice harness he'd frozen into place. He bent down, placing her feet on the floor one leg at a time before moving to stand at the edge of the apex chamber, casting his gaze in a safe direction over the city.

Cryo caught the flare of auroralight at the edge of his vision, presumably as Banshee placed her Ascended into the bath of light. After that, silence fell, and Cryo found that he couldn't stand it. "May I inquire as to how your injury is doing?"

"It feels okay," she said, the words followed by a rustle of clothing. "I think your ice is helping numb it. It feels colder now than before."

"I'm... relieved to hear it," said Cryo, shuffling on the spot.

More silence.

This time, Banshee was the one to break it. "This is weird. I feel weird."

"That description is relevant to myself at this current point in time," said Cryo.

"Say it with me, Cryo," said Banshee, her voice light. "'This is weird.' None of this temple speak ridiculousness."

"I see no reason to degrade my vocabulary to such levels," said Cryo, relaxing. This was familiar ground. They both knew how this conversation went.

"And you were doing so well before," she said with a sigh. "It was almost worth getting stabbed just to hear you speak normally for a change."

"I apologise for that," said Cryo.

"For what? It's less painful to hear you speak--"

"For leaving you at the Serpent's den," said Cryo quietly. "I was careless with my primary ability and you were the one to pay for my decision. I should have returned to you earlier instead of alerting the temple to our discovery."

"Oh no, you don't get to be guilty about this," said Banshee. He heard her footsteps as she walked over and poked him in the back. "You weren't the only one that was careless. We were fighting something new aaaand I'll admit I got a little cocky when I shouldn't have--but we both made that decision for you to alert the other Lumi's after you recharged." She paused, and when she spoke next, he could hear the smile in her voice. "But... thank you for saving me, Cryo. Twice."

The dread he'd felt when she'd tapped her tattoo five times still lurked at the back of his mind. "I have no doubt you would have saved yourself. Your Scream's effect on Ella was impressive, to say the least. She was retreating when I arrived."

"Yea, well, I put everything I had left into it so it damn well should have been," said Banshee. She clucked her tongue a few times in an almost musical pattern. "Do you think Ella's going to go after the group while we're gone?"

"As I said, I believe she was retreating," said Cryo, turning his head towards the temple where two striking figures, one a royal blue, the other browny-green, were flying towards the group. He had no doubt that Harpy's superior vision would be able to pick out the lights of the Gleamerbikes through the canopy. "The elder Luminaries will be arriving shortly. I am more concerned that Ella may come after you while she knows your location and that you are weakened."

Banshee snorted. "The skyshrine's golden starstone and she's a Manifested. She'd have to be an idiot to try."

"You are likely correct," said Cryo, watching as Harpy screeched, parting the treetops for a brief moment as she and Wyvern dove into them. "But I would prefer to ensure your safety."

A thought struck him. After nearly two decades, did Harpy and Wyvern know the true identities of their partners? In nineteen years and countless Manifested, was it truly possible that they hadn't found a workaround to the Ascended's rules? Sae had been adamant about keeping his identity secret, saying that if anyone found out that Jason was Cryo, he would no longer be fit to be a Luminary. That the Ascended would be forced to leave Jason, and Cryo would go Dark.

Still, Cryo allowed himself to entertain the thought--about finding out who Banshee truly was. It'd been almost a year since Skypillar had paired him with her and in that time, he realised that he'd never thought of Banshee as anyone else but, well, Banshee. Now, faced with the realisation that there was a girl that knew herself by another name under that transformation... he didn't know how he felt.

He heard the sound of Banshee sitting down somewhere near the centre of the apex chamber as she said, "Maybe you should go find the other Lumi's and make sure they don't want a better explanation?"

"Andrew and the others seem more than capable of doing so," said Cryo, closing his eyes. All he'd have to do was turn around and he'd see her face, but she trusted him not to. He couldn't work out why that felt so foreign to him. They trusted their lives to each other every time they fought. Why wouldn't she trust him simply not to look?

"They won't know how Ella was involved before we got there, though," Banshee said lazily, completely unaware of his thoughts. Cryo heard her stretch. "I'll come back down after my Ascended's recharged. I'll be fine."

Because she had people she trusted when she wasn't Banshee, he realised. Because everyone that Jason knew wouldn't have hesitated to look if they thought the knowledge would give them an edge--and Cryo wasn't sure that he himself was above that either.

Cryo refroze his arms to his wings. "As you wish, Banshee."

She didn't reply, and Cryo took off, more than happy to be away from the temptation that he suddenly didn't trust himself with.

He soared over the forest, listening for the hum of the Gleamerbikes. He found them easily, now well on their way to the skyshrine under the watchful eyes of Harpy and Wyvern overhead. Neither could fly as fast as he could when Skypillar's frozen breath sped his flight, but they kept up with the carriage-pulling Gleamers well enough. Cryo flew with them, earning himself a nod from Harpy.

The group reached the skyshrine reasonably quickly, terrain and packed carriages considered. It was one of his favourite skyshrines. It felt like there was a truce between the city and the forest with the way the vines and flowers blossomed around the starstone. The Speakers here cultivated the plants for medicinal purposes, and the skyshrine itself was more of a greenhouse. It created a rare sight, one that most people often didn't believe was possible until they'd witnessed it.

They landed beside the Gleamerbikes as organised chaos overtook the scene. Cryo stood to one side as Harpy and Wyvern took control, directing the Speakers and rescued captives with skill. He deliberately kept his eyes away from the skyshrine's apex, his attention firmly focused on the crowd--or rather, one particular individual that was part of it.

Cryo found Stefan's silvery hair in the crowd without a problem and made his way over.

Stefan spotted him halfway over and quickly excused himself from the conversation. He met Cryo with a bowed head, and Cryo couldn't help noticing how pale the kid looked under the fading sunlight. "I apologise, Cryophoenix. You asked me to warn Banshee of Ella's deception, and I failed you. Ella did not give me the chance to do so, and I feared her wrath."

"Banshee was able to handle herself regardless," said Cryo after a moment. "I still must thank you for assisting me in escaping the den."

"It was my honour," said Stefan with a slight bow that made Cryo uncomfortable.

"I meant to inquire about your well being," said Cryo. "How are you and the others faring? May I ask how long you were within the den?"

"I, uh, don't actually know," said Stefan with a shaky laugh. He rubbed the back of his head. "At least a month, I guess, maybe longer?" He licked his lips. "It was difficult to keep track of time there. It was only on the occasions that I was forced to be part of a quick mission that I ever left."

"Missions such as what?"

"Mainly bringing supplies to the other dens," said Stefan with a shrug. "They stopped selecting me after a while. I attempted to escape once, and I think they realised how much I was paying attention to my surroundings. I've been in the cell with Andrew for the past while."

Harpy's voice cut through the air. "There's more dens?"

Stefan jumped as Harpy stepped beside him, looking down her beak.

"Uh, yes," said Stefan. "There's more. But this one was the largest that I saw."

"How many more?" asked Harpy.

"I visited three."

"Skypillar," muttered Harpy, raking a claw through her crest. "Thank you, child. This will be something that we investigate further, but this is not the place for such conversations. For now, enter the skyshrine and rest. Preparations are being made at the temple to accommodate those from the den."

Stefan inclined his head. "Thank you, Harpy." His eyes flicked to Cryo. "And thank you, Cryophoenix. You truly saved us all, as I believed you would."

Harpy made a gesture that indicated Stefan was dismissed and led Cryo away to where Wyvern stood. Only when the three of them were relatively away from the chaos of the crowd did she speak again.

"To the apex chamber, now," she said, preparing her wings. "We have much to discuss and little time to do it."

"Banshee's currently occupying the apex chamber," said Cryo quickly. "She went dim after her fight with Ella."

"Fight with--" Harpy shook her head. "You will both need to explain this. Go up and see how much longer her Ascended needs."

Cryo did as he was asked. He took off, careful to keep the wind to a minimum as he levelled with the apex chamber, keeping his gaze away from the drapes. "Banshee? Are you recharged?"

"Juuuust about!" came her reply. There was some murmurs that Cryo couldn't make out and then, "Ascend, Shadow of Skypillar!"

The nearby shadows shifted and churned, pulled up from the ground like Banshee's transformation was draining their essence and turning it to smoke. It was perhaps five seconds later when they settled and another five after those that Banshee stuck her head out of the drapes, her crimson eyes vibrant and playful under her familiar amber hair.

"Go grab the others, I'll wait here."

He did.

A minute later, four Luminaries were gathered inside the skyshrine's apex chamber.

"Fae and Golem will be here momentarily," said Harpy, glancing out over the city. "We'll hold explanations until then. For now, are either of you injured?"

"I was," said Banshee reluctantly. "A Shimmer stabbed me with my own replicated dagger, but I was shadow shifted so it didn't do a whole lot."

Apparently, Cryo wasn't the only one that knew she was playing it down. Wyvern shook his head, and Harpy frowned.

"A wound from a Shimmer is no small thing, shadow shifted or not," said Harpy. "Though you've gone dim since, I'd guess you can still feel it now?"

"A little," admitted Banshee, her hand lifting to brush against her side.

"A Shimmer's wound is so dangerous because it is more than physical," said Harpy. "A Shimmer wounds the essence of your Ascended and the bond that ties you to her. Until it heals, you will not be at full strength. You and she will share the wound when you are apart, but when bonded as Banshee, you will bear it together."

"Will she be okay?" said Banshee, worried.

"Your Ascended will be fine, kid," grumbled Wyvern. "Just be more careful next time. Taking on a Shimmer. What were you thinking?"

"We didn't even know what it was until Andrew yelled it at us two seconds before we fought it," snapped Banshee. "How were we supposed to know when you didn't tell us anything?"

Wyvern waved a hand. "DragonFae and Golem were supposed to have warned you to stay dim unless absolutely necessary. It's your own damn fault for trying to be heroes when you should have just heeded our advice."

"Well excuse me for wanting to do what--"

"Enough," said Harpy, switching her glare from Banshee to Wyvern after a moment. "You should know better."

Wyvern waved a hand and stepped back.

Harpy released a breath. "I am glad you and Cryo were able to handle the Shimmer, all things considered. They are not opponents to be taken lightly. Now, prepare yourselves. Fae and Golem are almost here."

True to Harpy's word, DragonFae and Golem appeared no more than thirty seconds later, Fae on her ethereal wings and Golem by attaching himself to the wall as only he could and walking up the side.

In Fae's presence, the interior of the apex chamber lit violet. With a wave of her hand, the drapes pulled entirely, perfectly shut like walls and seemed to double in thickness.

"We will not be overheard," she said in a lilting voice. "The auroras near. I suggest we make this quick."

And so, Cryo and Banshee explained.

They described how they'd looked for Andrew before finding Ella. How she'd run, then attacked Banshee, then asked for their help. They told the elder Luminaries how they'd found the den, their suspicions but limited choice in the matter, of the attack in the corridor and the interior of the den. Cryo mentioned their confusion in the hallways, when Banshee had thought she'd heard his voice, at which point Golem cut in.

"The main tool of the Serpent and its minions is hallucinations," said Golem. "It's the main reason we struggle against it. We use a code word to distinguish our sentences that we change often."

Their fight with the Shimmer came next. Harpy in particular had several questions about this, and after they reached the part where they'd crushed the Shimmer's fragment, the four elder Luminaries looked at each other.

"How did we miss a leeching Shimmer?" said Harpy, her voice grave.

"A leeching Shimmer?" asked Banshee. "Why is that important?"

"All Shimmers are hallucinations, but there are different kinds," said Harpy. "Mirror Shimmers can copy all they see around them, for example, and they mix and match those features. But a leeching Shimmer is one of the most dangerous, because they take your own power and use it against you." She hesitated. "I'm... honestly surprised you were able to beat it."

"Cryo was immune to it," said Banshee, looking his way. "It tried to leech of him and it was like it just... couldn't. He couldn't feel the Serpent's aura, either."

That got their interest. More questions--most of which Cryo didn't have answers to.

None of them did.

Finally, Banshee described what'd happened after Cryo had left her--and her fight with Ella.

"It wasn't much of a fight," said Banshee, her fingers playing with the edge of her bracer. "I attempted to exploit a weakness that she didn't have and she punished me for it."

"I feel I am responsible for this," said DragonFae after a brief moment of silence passed between the group. "When I tasked you with ensuring the wellbeing of Andrew and Ella, I did not expect you to meet such dire circumstances."

"I don't think any of us did, Fae," said Harpy. "None of us could have predicted it."

Banshee angled her head, looking at them through dark lashes. "If you weren't predicting trouble, why bother to send us to check on them at all?"

"We didn't actually expect you to find anything," said Wyvern.

Banshee's mouth set in a firm line. "So it was busywork?"

"Yep," said Wyvern.

Banshee opened her mouth, but Fae interjected.

"Banshee, understand that we aren't trying to belittle your contributions as Luminaries," DragonFae said. "We're merely trying to protect you in a time where you are most at risk. Perhaps next year, we--"

"How are we supposed to improve if you're always trying to protect us?" said Banshee, her fingers curling into a fist. "What's going to be the difference between this year and next year if it's always you four handling everything anyway?"

Wyvern snorted.

Banshee's head snapped around. "Something funny?"

"You're talking about things you don't understand at all, kid," said Wyvern with a smirk.

"Wyvern," said Harpy. "If I have to tell you again, I won't be pleased. She has reason to feel slighted. You do not need to add salt to that wound."

Their gazes locked, but Wyvern was the one to look away first.

Harpy dragged the conversation back on course. "Either way, you two did well to bring these events to light. I realise it's not what you want, but you will not be involved as we investigate the potential of these other nests. If the Serpent has been hiding such significant things from us, I fear for what it might mean. Until we have further knowledge, you will both stay out of anything related to this situation. Do not respond to Manifested unless you have no other choice. We will discuss these matters further with you at the next Offering. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Harpy," said Cryo.

Harpy looked to Banshee. "Banshee?"

Banshee folded her arms. "Yep, sure."

"Good," said Harpy. "I expect you both to hold to that, if not for your safety, but for the safety of your partner as well." Despite Banshee's questions, Harpy refused to elaborate further. "The auroras will soon be here. I suggest you both head back to your homes and enjoy your final few days of relaxation before the second moon rises and the true work begins."

DragonFae released her hold over the drapes, which slacked once more, allowing in the last few rays of sun as it slipped below the horizon.

"C'mon, Cryo," said Banshee, stepping towards the edge and leaping off before he could respond.

He watched her jump, landing gracefully on the rooftops below. Her head turned back as she lifted an arm and waved him over.

"Try to keep her in line, will you, Cryo?" said Wyvern.

Cryo felt his ice leak into his glare when he next spoke. "She doesn't need anyone to keep her in line, Wyvern. Least of all you." To the other Luminaries, an odd mix of feathers, stone and light, he inclined his head. "I will await our next meeting at the offerings, elders. Farewell."

They murmured their replies, and with that, Cryo ice-locked his arms to his wings and glided down to Banshee's side.

"Welp," said Banshee, her gaze turned to the sunset. "I think we did pretty good. How about you?"

Cryo allowed himself a smile. "Indeed we did, Banshee."

She pursed her lips. Despite the way she managed to make her stance look casual, Cryo didn't miss the way she favoured the side her hand was pressed against. "I don't suppose you could freeze me another icepack before we part ways for tonight?"

He did as she asked, and she exhaled in relief as she slipped it between her layers of clothing.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "I suppose I'll see you at the offerings then, partner?"

"I look forward to it," said Cryo.

"Then we should probably get going before the auroras come out and we're stuck on a rooftop again," said Banshee. She went to turn away, but brought her shoulders back around to face him as she placed a hand on his arm. "I'm glad Skypillar chose you as my partner, Cryo. We're gonna show the other Lumi's exactly what we're capable of." Her hand came off his arm as she held it out, palm-up. "Lay it down?"

He saw the glint in her eye, the challenge. Mentally, he'd accepted it a long time ago. There was no other way it could have been between them.

"Down it's laid," he said, bringing his hand down on top of hers. He glanced to the skies where the first glimmers of teal and violet light were weaving into existence above the Core chamber. "You'd better run fast, little shadow."

With a silent grin, Banshee pushed off and arced away, bounding off a rooftop then the next. Cryo watched her, and when she was far enough away that she was nothing but a silhouette outlined by amber and white, she raised a hand in farewell, just as he'd known she would.

He raised his own hand in reply, and with that, she was gone.

*+*+*+*

Half an hour later, Jason was in his room and alone except for Sae, nestled among his hair.

Violin in hand, his headset still laying on the shelf, he walked over to the wall  and cast the windows open.

There, under the light of the auroras, he played their melody for the world to hear.

*+*+*+*   

A/N - Psht, like you thought I'd let Olivia go Dark in the first arc ^_~ THERE'S SO MUCH MORE DRAMA BEFORE THAT HAPPENS ;D 

For anyone who's read Indigo and is aware of the webcomic, I'm posting sneak-peek panels on my facebook author page every Wednesday with their excerpts from the shiny edited version of Indigo. One is already up, link on my profile if you can't be bothered typing it out ~ 

https://www.facebook.com/weaponisedturtles