The Burning Flowers

Chapter VI

Album Luz smiled with excitement the likes of which she only experienced during these beloved training sessions, her body moving with speed and agility, her flesh, bones, and blood all turning into a pure white energy that enabled her to essentially teleport around the sparring room. She rarely ever remained in one place, and due to the intense illumination her body gave off, she should have been blinding her opponent, her movement far too rapid for him to follow and defend against. It was a testament to his amazing and awe-inspiring skill that he was not only holding his own, but also forcing her to give her all. She knew that he was relying not on his eyes, but on his senses, following her mana and throwing up a shield of wind between them the very second her body turned back to normal. Most would not be able to cast Nex strong enough to hold off even a mildly powerful Luminetta, but her opponent was far from an average mage, and it was his talent that forced her to adapt in ways she would never have otherwise.

“Come on, Album! Is that all you’ve got?! I’m hardly breaking a sweat over here!” Ryokumo Caeli teased, flashing her a taunting and toothy grin.

Coming to a stop in the far corner of the room, Album returned his grin with a confident smirk of her own. “Oh please, I’m just going easy on you! Wouldn’t want to harm that ego of yours, now would I? This is a warm-up, that’s all!”

“Is that so?” Ryokumo shook his head. “Well, you certainly seem grateful for this momentary break! Don’t tell me your mere warm-up is taking this large of a toll on you?”

“Well you should get your eyes checked cause I’m perfectly fine!”

Balls of light formed in both of her hands just as Ryokumo’s mana erupted around him, the two teammates eyeing each other intently, wanting to observe and be ready for whichever one of them struck first. The sparring room went silent, a stand-off taking place as Album swiftly debated her options.

Wind magic is considered the fastest and most agile affinity of the base five, but its second to light magic without question. Ilumine is faster than anything Kumo can use, but I’m still pretty terrible at controlling my movement while it’s in effect. I just wind up going in a straight line, so as long as he can predict the direction I’m going, he can defend. His agility makes up for his lack of speed, and because of this, I’ve still never beaten him when he’s fighting at full strength. And of course, since he’s been the one helping me train, he’s already familiar with my style. He knows how to counter me, which means I need new tricks.

Album’s lip curled with pleasure, for she had been practicing a new spell without Ryokumo’s knowledge, having been given plenty of guidance from her father and Eko. He wouldn’t know about it, so if she could take him off guard, she might actually be able to claim victory.

We’ve been training for about an hour and I’ve only been using spells he’s familiar with. At this point, he has no reason to think I’ve got anything else up my sleeve. All I’ve gotta do is keep pulling him into a false sense of security and then whip out my best card.

She watched his eyes, intending for him to make the first move so she could act accordingly, but the glimmer in those brown orbs told her that he was intending to do the same, which mildly annoyed her. Ryokumo could be such a pain in the ass sometimes, but where in the past, she would get impatient and strike, she was determined not to make such a mistake again. She always lost when the battle was waged on his terms, so she had long since learned not to allow him to have any control whatsoever.

I’m learning, Ryokumo Caeli, so we can stand here and stare at each other all you like. I’m not moving…

She watched the wind mage’s lip twitch, as if preparing to utter an incantation, but her instincts told her it was a bluff, so she bit back her desire to react and kept her bare feet firmly planted on the soft floor below. A flicker of surprise went across his face, telling her he really had thought she would fall for his trick. When that expression shifted to pride in her, a powerful happiness swelled in her chest—one she only felt when she was with him.

Ryokumo let out a soft chuckle then said, “Condite”.

“Ilumine!”

Reacting to the sudden formation of wind ropes around her, Album cast the spell that returned her body to light and crossed the twenty-yard room instantly. Appearing mere feet to Ryokumo’s side, she was already firing off her beams before the rest of her body had returned to normal, her right hand extending towards his chest. Naturally, it wasn’t going to be that easy, for when Ryokumo cast Condite, he not only formed ropes around where she had been standing, but also around himself, so before the light shot from her palm, he was already being yanked away, the beams smashing harmlessly into the charmed walls of the room while Ryokumo cackled.

Cocky jerk, Album muttered internally, already blitzing away to another spot as a barrage of Perkari flew towards her. He really is always ready for anything! Whatever, I’ve still got my ace! Just gotta get him where I want him!

Continuing to manipulate Ryokumo’s perception of what she could do, the two of them traded castings of light and wind while simultaneously relying on Proto and Ilumine to continuously move around. Ryokumo almost always had a shield up to deflect her, and she was still failing to cast spells strong enough to break them.

I just wish I had more control over my movement! she thought, turning back to flesh as she dodged out of the way of an oncoming blade while not failing to miss the amused wink her friend flashed her.

“Ho ho, Album!” Ryokumo called out. “Shall we take another break? You look so very exhausted!”

She grinned challengingly. “Now Kumo, are you really so embarrassed about getting fatigued that you need to try and convince me to initiate a break? I could go all night!”

“Fatigued? Me? Wouldn’t dream of it! Come, my friend! Strike me, if you can!”

As if wanting to prove that fact, Ryokumo suddenly increased the speed of his movements, rattling off numerous castings of Proto as his body ricocheted off of every surface of the sparring room almost faster than she could follow. The very fact that he wasn’t firing any offensive magic proved that this move was merely a taunt as he challenged her to land a hit.

And just when I start to think Kumo couldn’t get any faster! You would have been a heck of a light mage if you’d had the mana! Oh well, if you wanna play dirty then I’ll gladly do the same! Say goodbye to your eyes, you jerk!

Drawing as much mana as she could spare into her right palm, Album collected it into a compressed ball that fit in her hand then released it all at once. It wasn’t a beam, rather it simply exploded into a blinding and intense glow that filled the room, preventing either of them from seeing anything. Since her friend probably hadn't expected her to do that, she took some amusement in the sound of Ryokumo exclaiming with surprise followed by a loud and painful collision as he almost certainly smashed into a wall. The sound was clear enough to tell Album exactly where he was, so before the light had diminished, she swung her palm toward that spot and muttered,

“Luminey.”

It was her ace, a different form of Luminetta that caused around a dozen bolts of light to form in the air around her, all twelve directed towards where she could now just barely make out Ryokumo’s crumpled form.

Sure, you’re quick, but let’s see you defend yourself from twelve shots all at once while collapsed on your ass!

“Ilum!”

The bolts released, soaring towards Ryokumo. However, Album had a sinking feeling given that the wind mage had stayed on the ground, unmoving. He wasn’t the type to be dropped just because he hit a wall a little hard. This was the same guy who had half of his body ripped open by Barron Kristoff a few years back and still fought, so if he hadn’t gotten up to face her, then he had a reason. She bore witness to that reason the second the light reached him, and her jaw could only hang slack as the air around him shimmered, appearing as if it were refracting. The light was warped in midair, each particle turning away from Ryokumo and instead being directed in every direction imaginable, one of those being where Album was standing.

She just caught a glimpse of his sly grin before she was knocked off her feet by the bolt of light that struck her in the chest. Album slammed into the wall and collapsed to the ground, groaning with agony as Ryokumo laughed.

“Album, that was a swell trick, but did you really think I don’t have countermeasures in place?” The wind mage let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’ve been waiting literal months to show that one off so I thank you for finally giving me a chance!”

Album raised her head and glared at him before letting out a sigh of her own. “You’re…such a jackass…”

And for some stupid reason, that’s one of the many things I love about you, you moron.

***

“If you need any help from me, I’ll be glad to give it. I obviously don’t know much about light magic, but I’m quite skilled at controlling my mana, so if you ever want to train together in one of those private sparring rooms in the library, I’d be more than willing to do so and give you a few pointers… You’re my teammate and my friend! I’ve got your back, Album, through thick and thin. I will always be here for my friends, understand?”

Ryokumo had spoken those words to her back at Aeyir’s ball as they observed the celebration from the loft, and they had meant the world to the young light mage. Of course, a part of her had thought he was just being friendly and that he didn’t really intend to help her out. When the Kosah-Rei made their move and Ryokumo was stranded in Omaruo for a few weeks, she had been sure that a random and unimportant conversation would have been forgotten in the chaos. That was why she had been shocked when, around a week after his return from Omaruo, Ryokumo approached her with his typical flippant smile and said,

“So now that things have finally calmed down a bit, we should figure out when we’re going to start our training sessions! Just give me a date and time and I’ll be there!”

As pathetic as it may be, the feeling she had back then was the happiest she had ever felt. To know that even after everything, Ryokumo still remembered his promise and fully intended to make good on it meant the absolute world to her. She had never been important enough to anybody for something like that to go her way. She knew Ryokumo Caeli was a special person given how he treated her after her screw-up at orientation and after he spoke so highly of her to Ilirianna, but that moment truly showed her his amazing character—something she got to see more of in the days that followed.

The Angel made good on its promise, and before the other team members were even told of its existence, it used magic to reach into Album’s body and increase the speed of her mana production. Naturally, it didn’t want to overwhelm her, so it was raised at mild increments every month so that she could get used to her new power. When Ryokumo learned of The Angel’s existence and what it was doing for Album, they decided to instead frame their training sessions around learning control of her higher mana.

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that without his help, she wouldn’t have improved anywhere near the speed she did. At the moment, she was probably around the level of an average Academy third-year, and while that still made her the weakest member of the royal team, it meant she at least held her ground and wasn’t a burden. Their numerous confrontations with the Kosah-Rei over the last few years had seen her actually taking a few down and making a difference. But even when it was clear that Album no longer needed the extra training since her father had finally started to teach her himself, Ryokumo still expressed his desire to keep going.

“I honestly enjoy our sessions, Album. Even setting aside that it’s made me a much faster warrior, I just like hanging out with you. You’re a dear friend of mine, so if you wish, I would very much like to continue.”

She smiled softly to herself as the two of them walked side-by-side down a pathway that took them through the snow-covered campus from the library to the dorm towers. Ryokumo was cheerfully whistling as he surveyed their pure white surroundings, always seemingly happy to observe the handful of students still out in the chilly weather. They always drew stares from the others due to their position in the royal team, which made Album slightly uncomfortable. Naturally, they had never once bothered Ryokumo, giving her yet another thing to admire about him. He was everything she was not, and she sought to use him as a template for personal improvement.

Her eyes shifted down to his hand, which was currently shoved into the pocket of his coat, and like always, she had the strong desire to reach out and gently grab it—a desire she always nearly failed to keep in check.

He doesn’t have eyes for you, Album. You know this. He loves Liri. He’s said as much, so there’s no way he wouldn’t be uncomfortable should I make advances. I’m already well aware that if I ever confessed how I feel about him, I would only be met with rejection, and I don’t think I could bear that from Kumo. So bite it all back, shove it down inside of you, and don’t let it out. Enjoy what you do have with him.

To keep her hand busy, she reached up and tugged on her ponytail, trying to keep her smile from turning sad. But you know, just maybe…I’ll have a chance someday. He knows that a relationship with Liri is impossible, so maybe once he accepts that, he’ll realize that I’m right here—that I love him in a way Liri doesn’t. I just have to be patient.

Album took a deep breath, internally scoffing at herself for getting so hung up on something as ridiculous as this. God, what am I even thinking? It’s not like I’m in any better of a position to be with him than she is. Father would kill me if I so much as thought about being with him. Sukonese blood tainting the Luz line? Ha! Yeah, Father might just drop over of a heart attack at that one. Stop being stupid, Album.

As the two of them approached the circle of dorm towers, making for the one set aside for third-years, Album spotted two familiar faces in the central courtyard. Instantly, a feeling of reluctant acceptance came over her since she knew Ryokumo well enough to say with certainty that he would not ignore them.

Here we go… she thought as Ryokumo took in a deep breath.

“Rennigan Glaus, is that you?! Ah, it is! My best buddy!”

Rennigan, who had been standing beside one of the many tables arguing with Faye, glanced over his shoulder and shot Ryokumo a disgusted expression. “Not now, Caeli! I’m far from in the mood to deal with an annoying fool like you!”

“Well, that’s not very nice,” the wind mage chirped as he and Album stopped just beside Faye and Rennigan. “And what’s got in you in such a foul mood? Are you on your period or something?”

Album was mildly surprised she didn’t see veins bulging in Rennigan’s head as he slowly turned around, coldly stared at the grinning Ryokumo, and growled, “I do not consider myself a violent man, but I swear on my family’s name, there is not a single person in this world that I despise more than you. Why is it that somehow, someway, no matter where I am or what I am doing, you always show up? Can I not have a god damn break for five minutes?!”

In the face of Rennigan’s rage, Ryokumo only continued to smirk. “Well, Glaus, I thought that was just because you liked me! You always happen to be in my path, so I figured you were waiting for me! You might fix me with a look of rage, but I think deep down, you’ve grown fond of me and enjoy our little encounters. Am I wrong?”

“Very! You are very wrong!”

“Hmmmm? I don’t think I am? Rio? Album? Your opinions?”

Ryokumo glanced towards the two women with an expectant grin, but neither Faye nor Album had any intention of getting involved.

“No, leave me out of it.”

“Sorry, Kumo, but I also don’t want to be involved.”

The wind mage shrugged and turned back to Rennigan, only to find the young man stalking off the way they had come. “Oi! Glaus! Don’t just walk away in the middle of a conversation! Why do you always do this to me?!”

Rennigan ignored them, only continuing to trudge away, leaving Album standing there and truly wondering how he had never once snapped and attacked Ryokumo. As much as she loved her friend dearly, she knew he would absolutely deserve it if Rennigan lost his temper, for the wind mage had spent the last two and half years incessantly taunting and teasing him, to the point that she wasn’t even sure if Rennigan considered Nigreos or Ryokumo his true rival.

Honestly, it’s probably both at this point, she internally decided before glancing back at Faye and asking, “So what happened between you two? Why was he so irritable…other than just being Rennigan Glaus, I mean?”

Faye grimaced, and to Album’s confusion, she seemed uncertain of how to begin. She had figured it was just one of the typical disagreements that always formed between Faye and Rennigan, but her strange reaction indicated it might be something different.

“Well…er…” The rock mage shook her head. “Apparently, his parents want to meet me.”

Their eyes went wide with confusion, Ryokumo being the first to mutter, “That sounds awful. Why? I mean, just you or the whole team?”

“Just me, unfortunately,” she answered with a snort. “From the sound of it, Rennigan doesn't like the idea either, but his parents were insistent that he bring me to their house in the city for dinner this Saturday night. I honestly couldn’t tell you why.”

Ryokumo whistled with amusement. “Well, I wish you all the luck in the world. I’ve only met Kloras Glaus once but he was a nasty piece of work, especially given all the trouble he causes Liri and the Masters. Never met his mother, but if she’s anything like the boys, I’m sure she’ll be a grouchy old hag.”

“Fantastic,” Faye grunted. “Well, I’ve gotta get going. I’m meeting Jessi and Hiro for lunch, but I’ll keep you guys posted. Take care.”

“Bye, Faye,” Album said with a half-hearted wave as the young woman marched off in the same direction Rennigan had gone. “The poor girl. Dinner with the Glauses might honestly be one of the worst things I’ve ever thought about.”

But Ryokumo only chuckled. “I dunno. I think it would be fun.”

“Of course you would think that,” she retorted. “But I’d be shocked if you were allowed to stick around longer than five minutes since I’m sure that’s all it would take for you to offend each and every one of them.”

“Oh Album, you know me so well!”

“Yup! I really do!”

Laughing with each other, Album and Ryokumo continued on their way as they entered their dorm tower and rode the lift up to the third floor where the boys’ room was located that year. Arriving at the door, Ryokumo used magic to bypass the security charm before stalking inside to find Abi and Nigreos already present in the sitting area, talking softly to one another on the couch. They both glanced up at their entrance before the four of them exchanged greetings, Ryokumo tossing his coat over the side of one of the dining table chairs while Album moved to take a seat in the armchair across from them. When she noticed Abi and Nigreos were reading some leatherbound book together, she couldn’t help eyeing the title, only to feel a pang of sadness upon reading it.

Conditions of Dark Magic and How to Counter Them, by Tytirus Noctis.

Ah, I see… They’re still researching, huh?

Where The Angel’s promise to Album was already completed, the promise he gave to Nigreos had yet to see its fulfillment. Neah Noctis was shockingly still alive, having managed to reach the age of sixteen despite every healer in Noctalus predicting that she’d be lucky to see her fourteenth birthday, but Hell’s Shadows was still eating away at her. Neah was a strong girl and a hell of fighter, but nobody with her condition lived to see adulthood, and when Album last saw her over the summer holiday, it was painfully obvious that she was running out of time. All semester, the royal team and Lunara had been bracing for a letter to arrive informing them of Neah’s passing, but as it currently stood, Neah was still alive and would hopefully live to see the solstice. Album knew how much of a toll it was taking on the mental health of Nigreos and Lunara despite the fact that, outwardly, they were doing just fine.

But I’ve known you two longer than anybody else here. I can see how much pain you’re in.

Ever since the return from Omaruo, Abi and The Angel had been doing everything in their power to help Nigreos research a cure, using their combined knowledge of dark magic and nature magic with the newfound information from the ancient being of Cansi. Every time Nigreos returned home to Noctalus, he procured some of Neah’s blood and brought it back for them to study and test, but it was exactly as The Angel had told them in the hot spring all those years ago. What Neah had wasn’t a disease, rather it was an incompatibility between her cells and her body. That wasn’t something that could be merely cured, rather they had to alter her innate biology.

At one point, they suspected that biological magic might be the answer, but they never had the opportunity to test it due to it being illegal in Ijiria. Because of this, there wasn’t anybody they could legally reach out to that was skilled enough to do what they needed, nor did they even know what it was they should do. How did one change somebody’s body to accept dark magic when they didn't even really understand the extent of what was happening to her? And even if they did, using that magic on another human being was ridiculously dangerous and, if done wrong, would kill Neah instantly.

And as if it were a cruel joke, we actually know of somebody who can successfully use biological magic on another person safely… That changeling aligned with the Kosah-Rei: Leiolai Sartella.

The Angel had given them Sartella’s name a long time ago, and they had humored the idea of trying to force her to help, but even setting aside the fact that she was an enemy that tried to kill Ryokumo, they also hadn’t heard even a whisper about her since the reckoning at Hiriech. Naturally, due to her ability, that didn’t mean she wasn’t active in the numerous attacks made by the Kosah-Rei throughout Ijiria, but they knew next to nothing about her, so using her was out of the question. That left continuing to research as their only option.

“Any progress?” she asked hopefully, despite having an idea of the answer.

Nigreos let out a bitter sigh, passing the book over to Abi before rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “No, of course not. I’ve poured through this damn volume over and over, so I’m not sure what I was expecting when I thought to read it for the millionth time. At this point, I think I’m just reading to try and feel like I’m doing something.”

His features were pained, and the dark expression on his face made Album wish so desperately that she could help him. She obviously didn’t want Neah to die either, but Album was useless in this process. She didn’t know anything about dark magic nor did she have much of an understanding of healing magic, so if Abi, Nigreos, and The Angel’s combined efforts weren’t making any strides then Album certainly wouldn’t have anything of value to offer.

“So then are we taking the risk?” Ryokumo inquired from his spot by the dining table. “Are we bringing The Angel to Noctalus with us?”

Nigreos’s features tensed, his eyes slowly wandering to a small liquet canister resting on the small table beside the couch, filled nearly to the brim with a black and white goo. For the past few months, they had debated the idea of taking the ancient being with them so that it could analyze Neah directly. After all, her blood wasn’t helping them anywhere near as much as they had hoped, so Ryokumo had suggested the idea of allowing The Angel to interact with Neah in person simply to try something else. Nigreos had been opposed to it, for he feared what The Angel might do should it come in proximity with his little sister.

Back in the hot spring, it had admitted that there were two stages to its hunt for hosts, the first being what it did to them in its pocket realm, and the second being a different process entirely. Essentially, The Angel copied both Album and Nigreos’s DNA, synthesizing it with itself to turn into what amounted to a strange magical clone of them. It now behaved like them, looked like them, and had their mana signatures, as well as their knowledge and memories of everything from before it copied them. The second stage would be for The Angel to find somebody to physically fuse with—to combine its body with that of a person separate from its initial hosts. Unfortunately, the creature had no memory of why it was designed to do such things, but after some time pondering it, Ryokumo had made a guess that they all felt quite confident in.

“Perhaps the people of Cansi were trying to immortalize themselves. If you were to copy the memories and abilities of a mage of high regard and then fuse it with somebody else, you could essentially make it so that the mage never dies. For all of eternity, or at least so long as The Angel’s second host lives, that mage will also continue on. And if The Angel can keep trading hosts, then it really would make them eternal. With that in mind, I would assume it was created for that exact purpose.”

If Ryokumo was right, then the versions of her and Nigreos that entered that hot spring would forever survive within The Angel’s being. That was an unnerving thought in some ways, but at the same time, she took comfort in the fact that, even if she died, a little piece of her would still live. At the moment, the creature had never expressed a desire to find its second host, but Nigreos was afraid that it may try to fuse with Neah should it be given the opportunity. That was why he had been so averse to Ryokumo’s suggestion. It was merely his overprotectiveness kicking in. However, as much as he wanted to keep Neah safe from any threat, none of it would matter if she died, so Album knew he truly was considering taking that risk.

“Oh, come on, Nigreos! I really wish you would trust me after so many years together!”

Album grimaced as the sound of her voice came from the small canister, and right before her eyes, the monochromatic goo began to rise upwards and spill out over the rim, expanding at a rapid rate before taking on the shape of a young woman. Feet formed near the ground before moving upwards into legs, hips, a torso, arms, and finally a head and hair. Color spread throughout the black and white, leaving Album eventually gazing at an exact copy herself, albeit a few years younger, standing right in front of the couch, her hands on her hips and her eyes gazing down at Nigreos with dissatisfaction. As much as the young light mage was still ridiculously uncomfortable whenever The Angel opted to take on her form over Nigreos’s, she was at least grateful that it finally had the decency to create clothing rather than simply emerging naked like it did the first few times it became them.

I’m just lucky none of the boys were ever present when it did, she added with an internal huff.

The Angel was still somewhat lazy with clothes, so it only had a simple white dress over its body. “I’m not going to hurt your sister, you know? All this time, I’ve only ever done exactly what I said I would, right? So why do you still think I’m plotting against you?”

Nigreos glanced away, refusing to make eye contact with it. “Look, you should know better than anybody how important my family is to me. It’s not such a simple thing to let a creature like you near them. Not to mention, there’s no guarantee our fathers wouldn’t sense something off if you took shape in the palace.”

“Stop making excuses,” it snapped back. “You know full well that all they would sense is your mana or Album’s. Like I’ve said, I can’t make any assurances when it comes to your sister, but I have promised to try, and right now, we’re at a roadblock without any time to lose. You and I both know the likelihood of this solstice being the last time you see her, so are you not yet at the point where risk is worth it?”

“I—”

“She’s right, Nigreos,” Abi said softly from his side. “Time is running out, and if it means anything, I trust The Angel. I’ve told you as much, but I feel the need to say it again.”

Nigreos’s jaw clenched tightly as he silently stared back at Abi’s features, filled with resolve. As much as the dark mage respected the opinions of the whole team, Album knew that Abi’s words carried the most weight with him, and that if anybody could convince him to accept The Angel’s help, it would be her.

“Well, you know where I stand,” Ryokumo chimed in again, grinning reassuringly.

Album nodded her agreement. “You know where I stand, too, Nigreos. But whatever you choose, I’ll do my best to support you… All three of you, for that matter.”

With that, the topic was put on hold since he didn’t have to decide until right before the scheduled departure for Noctalus the day after the semester ended, but Album had a hunch that in the end, Nigreos Noctis would choose risk. That was, after all, what he had chosen back in the hot spring, so it was only natural that he would do the same again. He had told her that he would do anything and everything for Lunara and Neah, so she knew it was only a matter of time before The Angel secured its ticket to the Great City of Noctalus.