Nova stood in Tweldor's grounds with Rhys and Eden. She stared up at the imposing twelve door structure. Moonlight cast ethereal shadows on the ancient blue stone.

"Magnificent! I never actually thought I would see it, you know."

"Whyever not?" Eden asked her. "The Luminous Warriors welcome everyone."

"Eden, the things I was made to do -"

"What of the things I did, willingly?" Rhys countered.

"But that's -"

"Different? Tell me how, little sister." Rhys smiled at her. "I understand your apprehension, believe me. I've experienced the same fears and concerns that you have now."

"I find that hard to believe!" Nova scoffed.

"Why? The Domina made me the former Jezebels' Spiritual Director for a reason. Not only am I a cambion, I also have a very dark past. Indeed, if the mythologies knew everything, well... I think most rational minded people would view me as villainous."

"I suppose that's true." Nova mused. "J.K. Rowling said that Hogwarts' sorting hat put Merlin in Slytherin."

Rhys chuckled. "Had I attended such an institution, that would probably have been true, but I chose to pursue a different course.

"I loved my mother and I respected her confessor Blaise. I came to love Arthur like a son. I wanted to, needed to change. Initially it was for them, but ultimately I wanted it for myself. Truly, no creature created for evil would call the process simple. Nevertheless, once you begin to choose the light over evil, it does become easier to continue to do so. You know this Nova. You have already begun. You are a Luminous Warrior!"

"But I'm not smart like you or Eden -"

"Oh, don't give me that!" Eden rounded on her. "You knew exactly how to help Amaryllis when Chiara was brought to the infirmary."

"But I love herbs. I find herb lore easy. That's nothing special," Nova protested, but she began to smile.

"Well I couldn't have done that!" Eden persisted. "Honestly Nova, you're making excuses. There really is no reason why you couldn't undergo training if you wanted to."

Nova flinched.

"Ah, so that's it. It's okay to be afraid," Rhys said.

"At Bedlam, I completely froze!"

"That's not what I heard," Rhys countered. "You brought down Constantine Papadopoulos! That was incredibly brave -"

"I got lucky, but it's just not me. I'm no athlete. I absolutely hate exercise and honestly, I think I'd be more of a liability in battle."

To her surprise both Eden and Rhys nodded and then burst out laughing.

"It's not that funny!" She said, annoyed.

"We're not laughing at you Nova, we're laughing at some of our own training memories," Eden explained. "You should see Rhys fight without his staff. It's tragic! He's a complete wimp. A gust of wind would take him out!"

"Hey!" Rhys frowned.

"Oh, come on! You can't deny it. Ursula can tackle you, and she is tiny!

"Nova, our brother might be the most powerful wizard ever known, but he runs like a duck and is scarily uncoordinated."

Rhys sighed. "She's right, you know. We are all taught defence, but not everyone can fight like a gargoyle; nor are we expected to. We all have our gifts and that is what is developed at Tweldor. I can't promise that you won't see battle again, but being a Luminous Warrior is about fighting evil on a daily basis. The small day to day struggles are just as important as the major ones. We help each other survive them. Why fight alone if you don't have to?"

"But I really need to get back to the store."

"That's another thing that's awesome about Tweldor," Eden grinned. "You can spend months here and when you return to life in the outside world, only a few days have gone by. Besides, you don't open on a Sunday, do you?"

Nova cleared her throat, "I guess I'm out of excuses, aren't I?"

"At least stay the night, pleeeeaase?"

Rhys laughed at Nova's open-mouthed expression. "I see that you have some idea of just how incredible it is, that she is even able to ask that of you. When she first came here -"

"Oh, I know!" Nova smirked. "The elites did not mix with humans, like us regulars did, so they had no understanding whatsoever of feelings. Eden did not ever seek out my company, or anyone else's for that matter."

"So, indulge me now!" Eden casually threw an arm around her sister.

"I give up," Nova laughed and allowed herself to be walked back towards the twelfth door. "Consider yourself indulged," she said.

"YAY! Do you mind if we stop at the infirmary before dinner? I want to see my father and we can check on Chiara too," Eden suggested.

"Good idea," Nova and Rhys answered together.

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