The ascension ceremony of the Cloud and Wave of Skypillar seemed a fitting end to the festival period of the year.

Cryo stood at Banshee's side as Pegasus and Nereid waited by their platforms as DragonFae and Golem read off the words that were spoken at every ascension by the elder pair: words that Cryo himself had heard, standing before his own platform, exactly a year ago today from the mouths of Harpy and Wyvern.

Pegasus kept shuffling on his hooves and sending rather loud clop clops through the Starlight Hall, though it seemed more because he couldn't keep his balance than any kind of nerves. His wings would flare out on occasion to steady him, though he always recovered in seconds and went back to puffing his chest out. He grinned at everyone in the room like he knew he was the most fabulous one in it, and Cryo was fairly certain he winked at Banshee at least once.

Nereid, on the other hand, kept her webbed hands clutched close to her chest and her feet tight together in their growing puddle of water below her. Her fins of yellow and dark blue were pressed close to her body as she bit her lip, glancing around the room like she expected someone at any moment to appear and tell her she wasn't supposed to be here. With her ponytailed green hair and its fringe that covered nearly half her face, Cryo wasn't entirely sure how she could see.

"I was talking to them before," said Banshee in a light voice as she leaned over to Cryo, whispering over DragonFae's words. There was no sign of the shadows that had misted off her clothes only five minutes ago, though Grief was still stuck in the wall. "Apparently, they've been ascended for at least a few days, and their Ascended just told them to stay out of it."

"Probably for the best," said Cryo, matching her quiet volume. "Though given Pegasus showed up yesterday, I suppose that means we have a new Luminary who struggles to follow instructions?"

Banshee gave Cryo a sneaky smile. "I don't know what you're talking about, Cryo."

"And now, I call upon you, Aspects of Skypillar!" said DragonFae.

Both Cryo and Banshee stopped to look.

Golem stepped forward, raising his hand towards the new Luminary pair.

"Ascend, Wave and Cloud of Skypillar!"

Pegasus and Nereid both glanced at each other before either of them moved. Nereid looked terrified, but Pegasus gave his partner an encouraging nod and sweep of his hand, and with that, they both stepped up to take their place on their platforms.

The starstone beneath them burst with light, turning from the temple's gold to an illuminating silver light beneath their feet. Pegasus's platform turned a pale yellow, the same colour as his palomino coat, while Nereid's flashed a brilliant cyan. As their colours burned away around them, their platforms retained an ember of light, illuminating the newly etched sigils of their Aspects on the starstone below.

Cryo glanced over towards the back of the room where Gwen stood, supported by Chris, her hand over her heart and a look of pure, fierce pride on her face.

The first year in so many that she has not had to swear in a new Luminary pair, realised Cryo.

DragonFae smiled. "Welcome to the Starlight Hall, newly chosen of Skypillar."

As the crowd of Speakers erupted into clapping and cheering, Pegasus punched a hand into the air above him with a cheer and flared out his wings to their full span, revealing the full beauty of their colouring. From the blonde feathers on the shoulders of his wings to the sky blue feathers below barred with thin brown stripes and separated by a strip of dark blue, it was a magnificent sight.

Banshee leaned over once again. "Now you just have to teach him how to actually fly with the things, eh, Cryo?"

One of DragonFae's High Breathspeakers and one of Golem's High Stonespeakers approached Pegasus and Nereid's platforms. Each High Speaker was trailed by another individual: one a Cloudspeaker, the other a Wavespeaker.

"As the newly ascended Aspects of Skypillar, we at the temple wish you assist you in any way we can," said the High Stonespeaker. "We have chosen from among the ranks of our Speakers two individuals that we believe will serve you both with loyalty and dedication. If you accept them, they will be the first of your High Speakers."

Cryo smiled, wondering how Olivia was going to react when she found out.

The Wavespeaker stepped towards Nereid's platform and bowed. "I am Steven Wavespeaker. It will be my honour to serve as your High Speaker, Nereid."

Nereid bit down on her lip and, after a glance at Pegasus, gave the Wavespeaker a sharp nod. "I, um, accept you as my High Wavespeaker?" She looked around. "I mean, um..." Nereid took a deep breath and straightened herself out, the fins on the sides of her face pressed flat against the sides of her head. "I accept you as my High Speaker, Steven. Thank you."

Steven inclined his head and retained his position at the base of Nereid's platform, turning to face the crowd.

The Cloudspeaker approached Pegasus's platform.

"I am Ariel Cloudspeaker."

Banshee grabbed Cryo's arm.

Ariel bowed, though with her height, Cryo was still easily able to see her as she continued. "It would be my honour to serve as your High Speaker, Pegasus."

Pegasus shuffled his wings behind him, the loud clop of his hooves ringing out. "Ariel, hey? Well, Ariel, I think me and you are gonna do some great things together. I accept you as my High Cloudspeaker."

Much to Cryo's surprise, Banshee made a weird squealing noise that she quickly shut off with her hand clamped over her mouth. Still clinging to his arm, she bounced on the balls of her feet, her eyes wide and bright despite being so deep in her shadow shift that she was practically floating.

Ariel straightened, inclining her head and turning back to face the crowd the same way that the new High Wavespeaker had. The High Breath and Stonespeakers swore them in, and a few minutes later, the ascension ceremony was officially complete.

By the end of it, Banshee was squeezing Cryo's arm so tight that it was becoming painful. He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to notice.

When she did, she gave him an apologetic look and released his arm, her hands going straight to her mouth.

"Sorry, I--um--this is just really exciting!" Banshee squealed in the quietest voice she could manage.

A little part of Cryo melted at that. "I can see that much."

Banshee poked her tongue out and nudged him on the shoulder.

Pegasus swooped off his platform with a flap of his wings to where Nereid was stepping off her own. He crashed into her, knocking them both off balance and pulling her into a full-body hug as she shrieked in surprise. Pegasus just laughed, his wings flapping frantically as he tried to keep them both upright.

Nereid's various puddles of water on the ground made an attempt to coagulate and failed as she said: "Pegasus!"

Pegasus just laughed, releasing her from the hug but keeping an arm around her shoulders as he bent down to her level and curled his wings around them. "What, Nere? Hate me already? After I only almost got you killed already once?"

Nereid gave him a shy little smile before she shook her head and pushed him away. "Dumb pony."

"Silly puddle."

Banshee laughed and glanced at Cryo with a content grin on her face.

"Y'no what, Cryo?" she said. "I think Skypillar chose these two well."

*+*+*+*

Some time later when the Starlight Hall had been cleared of people, Cryo and Banshee sat on the roof beside each other, just leaning back against the starstone, content to watch the stars twinkle in the ever-lightening sky of an approaching dawn.

Cryo let himself take in a deep, long breath that filled his lungs to the brim.

It was nice, being able to have a moment together where they could just sit there and breathe, a moment that was theirs and theirs alone. Neither of them had felt like dimming and returning to their civilian lives after the ceremony and its following How-To-Be-A-Luminary meeting had concluded, so here they'd come, just to sit and pass the hours by in each other's company.

"We might actually get to sleep tomorrow," mused Banshee, flipping Joy in her hand. She still hadn't gone back for Grief, which was still imbedded in the starstone wall below them. "Things are going to be rather boring for the next year."

Cryo raised an eyebrow but didn't turn his head to her. "Oh?"

"Well," said Banshee. "There's three Lumi pairs again, and without the second moon, there's no Serpent. No corrupted fragments, just regular old Manifested every few days for us to pop in and save. We're gonna get rusty for the rematch this time next year if we aren't careful."

"Oh, I doubt I'll get rusty," said Cryo. "But if you're concerned..."

"My only concern is how much I have to carry your behind every fight, Featherbutt."

"Says the one who didn't even show up for the Core chamber fight."

"Says the one who was a slowpoke transforming in the first place," said Banshee with a grin.

They'd been over it a million times by now, both with each other and DragonFae and Golem, to the point where it'd become some giant, twisted joke. But there had been one part--

"Banshee, you mentioned that Harpy said something to you earlier," said Cryo. "What was it?"

"Oh!" She caught Joy's handle and kept it there, tapping the flat of the blade against her palm. "Okay, I can't exactly explain some of the details because it has to do with my civilian identity, so just roll with the information I give you, okay?"

"What do you mean, your civilian identity?" asked Cryo.

"Well, um, in short I kind of dimmed in front of Har--Gwen," said Banshee with a wince.

Cryo wasn't sure he'd heard her right. "As in behind a door, or?"

"No, like, literally right in front of her," said Banshee. "We were talking--about something I'll tell you in a minute--and... I lost track of how long it'd been since my Scream and boom, dim. But before you ask, I didn't go Dark because Harpy... she kind of gave my Ascended permission to wipe her memories, anything that would link me to my civilian identity in her mind. She said that she'd no longer be able to even consider associating the two afterwards."

Cryo paused, allowing the information to soak in. "I had no idea that our Ascended were capable of such things."

"I know," said Banshee. "And that's not all. She called my Ascended 'Cevinari'."

"As in the district?"

"I think so?" said Banshee with a shrug. "It's not the name she gave me, but she didn't tell Gwen she was wrong, either. After she took Gwen's memory, my Ascended fell asleep pretty much straight away aaaand since then she's been avoiding talking about it because rules and stuff."

"If the Ascended's true names are their districts..." Cryo frowned. Sae... all letters in 'Sylrael'. "We always assumed the Ascended were unique to their particular Aspect. But there's always six Luminaries, one from each district, and never any more. What if that's because there can't be?"

"Dunno," said Banshee. "Has quite a few implications. Means that either Pegasus or Nereid is sharing the same Ascended as Wyvern, poor things. Speaking of which, he still hasn't shown up."

"We'll have to investigate that, lest we end up with another Ella situation," said Cryo. "What was it you were discussing with Gwen that was so important you dimmed in front of her?"

"She knew I had the focuser," said Banshee. "She told me that the Core chamber is a lock, a...seal for the darkness that our city is on, I think were her exact words. Apparently this darkness--also known as the Other--has been around for a rather long time, it has another name, and it can't escape or we're all doomed." Banshee clucked her tongue, holding up a finger for a moment as she thought things over, getting her words straight. "She also hinted that a Songstress could replace the focuser if need be, which is why I ended up getting the focuser to Olivia and catching her up."

"...After you'd dimmed in front of Harpy?"

Banshee flipped Joy in the air once more. "Harpy gave me the basics, I knew Olivia was in the Starlight Hall, so I ran down, gave her the focuser and told her. Liv then brought up a rather good question, so I went back up to ask Harpy, which is when I dimmed in front of her."

"Ah, I see," said Cryo. Banshee's information was buzzing quietly in the back of his head, but for now, he pushed it aside and just let himself savour the moment. Skypillar's secrets could wait another night. "Somehow, I don't think our year is going to be quite as boring as previously anticipated."

"Mmm, maybe," said Banshee. "We both go into free learning this year in our civilian lives, so with any luck, it'll be a little easier to balance things, too."

Cryo wasn't sure about that. Until a few hours ago, his civilian life had more or less been mapped out for him. Now, he wasn't entirely sure where he was going to sleep tonight. Likely at the temple, but he couldn't remain here forever. He doubted his mother would allow him back in the house to collect his things, assuming she hadn't destroyed them already.

At least, thanks to Banshee, Jason still had his violin. With that, he could continue to take it one day at a time.

One day at a time... 

Cryo leaned forward, the crystals of his wings tinkling as he moved.

"You know," said Cryo quietly. "I was scared I was going to lose you today."

"But you didn't," said Banshee. "I'm still here to annoy you."

"We might have avoided your death today, but what about tomorrow?" said Cryo. "It's in the Banshee's pattern. After a year, they are doomed to die, either by Vengeance or other means."

Banshee stopped flipping Joy and stared at its tip. "What's your point?"

"Until that sun comes up, it hasn't been a year," said Cryo, gesturing towards the ever-brightening horizon. "If... if you wanted to go Dark now, I wouldn't think any less of you. I will ensure that you are taken care of, that everyone knows exactly what you did for this city in the year it was lucky enough to be under your protection."

Banshee was silent for a few moments as she considered it, looking at her feet stretched out in front of her.

"Even if I knew with absolute certainty that, by staying a Luminary, I would die within the next year, I would still choose to stay your partner, Cryo." Banshee tapped Joy's tip on her finger and looked at him. "But it's selfish of me to make that decision by myself. Are you okay with having a partner that could go dying on you at any time?"

Her words were eerily similar to what Olivia had said earlier in the day.

This is a two-person decision, Cryo.

A flicker of memory stirred in his mind, but it was gone before he could grasp it. 

"I am," said Cryo. "As long as you promise that you will fight for your own life just as you would for mine. There is no one else I would want as my partner."

"I promise," said Banshee with a smile. "You're stuck with me for a few more years minimum, Featherbutt."

He smiled. "I would certainly hope so. We have a new Luminary pair to train."

"We do indeed," said Banshee. "Have to make sure they're in perfect form for round two with the Serpent. Considering it'll probably want payback after two rookie first-year Lumi's basically dismantled its plans and still saved Ella in the process for--"

Banshee's face dropped, her fingers flying to one of the pockets hidden away in her garments.

Cryo raised an eyebrow, leaning forward to see what she was doing. "Banshee?"

She didn't reply with words.

Instead, she pulled out her Starsong amulet.

No longer was it dull, white starstone with a Starsong insignia, but silvery-red and glowing with a gleaming Banshee insignia across its surface. The amulet seemed to hum in her hands, almost emitting a kind of strange auroralight.

Cryo reached for his own amulet, where it was frozen into the ice of his transformation. His own amulet was the same, silver-blue and glowing, only with the insignia of the Cryophoenix etched onto its surface instead.

"We did it," said Banshee, still staring at her amulet. "We saved Ella, and now..."

She trailed off, her eyes flicking up to meet Cryo's.

They spent a long moment just looking at each other.

They both knew what this meant. With their activated amulets, they could trust their identity to one person, and one person only, while remaining a Luminary. Both people had to be touching the amulet, looking into each other's eyes as the bond was made, and the cruelest twist of all: the bond would not take with a transformed Luminary.

There was no way they could guarantee they would be giving it to each other. They'd been warned that Luminary pairs who tried to cheat the rules never ended well. They just had to trust that somehow, in some way, Skypillar would bring them together.

Banshee brought her amulet up in front of her face and winked at Cryo.

"Don't look so worried, Featherbutt," she said, tapping her amulet against her forehead. "We handled everything. We'll handle this. One thing, one problem, one year at a time."

Cryo stretched his wings out behind him, allowing the building tension in his body to seep out through the movement. "One at a time indeed."

Banshee held out her palm to Cryo as in the distance, the first true rays of sunlight began to race away from the horizon.

"Lay it down?" she asked.

Cryo brought his hand down on top of hers.

"Down it's laid," he replied.

And with the echo of their victory-slap still ringing through the air, the Shadow and Frost of Skypillar sat beside each other in a comfortable silence, watching the dawn of a new day spill out across the city they protected, filling it with light and warmth.

Neither of them would have had it any other way.

*+*+*+*

END BOOK TWO

*+*+*+*

Super A/N of justice comin' at you in the next part-->>>>

Please still remember to give this chapter a vote before you jump over to the A/N? <3 

And for the perfect ending, we have a Lay it Down <3  [Art by 46Kibahime]