Nero slept calmly. He was very comfortable; there was a nice bed underneath his body. He was deep in a dream. In his dream he was sitting underneath a tree. The breeze was perfect, and the blue sky complimented the golden plains very well. He was happy to be in such a beautiful spot. There was no more pain, no longer a need to fight.

“I want to stay here forever.” He said to himself.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. Someone was singing.

“The sun and the moon dance forever on.”

Nero stood up, he wanted to find the woman with this beautiful voice. He looked all around him but could not find her. The voice appeared behind him.

“Longing for their touch they fight to embrace.”

He whirled around, and saw Stella in the distance. She stood in the golden field of wheat, looking up towards the sky. Her long golden hair swayed in the wind. She was the one singing.

“One day, one chance, they reunite again.”

Nero was unable to get to her, as if some invisible force was keeping them apart. So, he just sat down, and watched her mindfully.

“They long to eclipse, to be one once again.”

“But after that short moment they grow apart.”

“To dance forever on.”

Stella turned around, and smiled brightly. Nero returned her smile, but realized she was looking at someone else. Aria and Alexander appeared from behind Nero and began walking towards Stella. Once the trio united, they began walking away. However, Stella looked back at Nero and began to speak.

“Wake up.”

Her voice sounded too real.

“Wake up sir.”

Nero opened his eyes and saw a young nurse standing over him. She was a hevarian. Sunlight bathed the room. He realized just how comfortable he was, he’d never been in a bed before.

“It’s good to see you’re finally awake, you’ve been unconscious for three days.” The nurse said softly.

“Three days? I’m sorry to have been a burden.” Nero laughed.

“It’s our job sir.” She giggled back.

“Well thank you, I was in a lot of pain before I blacked out.” Nero said.

“You healed very fast. Faster than a hevarian.” The nurse said with amazement.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that happens, strange, isn’t it?” Nero replied.

“It’s a blessing sir. But anyways, I woke you because you have visitors.” The nurse said with a sweet smile.

“Who are they? Let them in.”

“Their names are Aria and Alexander. They said they’re your friends.”

“They are, let them in.”

Nero began to get out of his bed, the nurse suddenly averted her eyes. He realized he had no clothes on.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” Nero exclaimed with absolute embarrassment.

“It’s a-alright! It happens more often than not. Let me fetch you some clothes.” The nurse said with a blush.

She left the room, leaving Nero to himself. He approached a mirror in the corner of the room and began to observe his own body. He had never seen a full reflection of himself, let alone his true body.

“Whoa.” He said to himself.

He wasn’t incredibly muscular, but was very toned. He could even see a set of abs on his pale skin. He had no idea he was so fit. It made sense though, he was physically stronger than most. He then looked down then smirked.

“Not bad.” he said with a stupid smile.

The nurse entered the room again, with her eyes still averted. She gave him a brown robe to put on. He obliged instantly and put the nurse at ease.

“Thank you, sir, your friends would see you now.” The nurse said with a smile.

“Thanks. Send them in.” He replied.

The nurse left the room, and Nero went to look out the window. It was around midday. There was no cloud in sight, and some white birds flew through the sky. The building was pretty high up and had a good view of the city. Nero looked to the right, and saw an ocean. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” Nero said.

Aria barged in and began speaking too loudly.

“Nero! It’s been too long! We have to catch up!”

She and Alexander were wearing grey armor now, with bronze capes. Despite this, Aria pounced on Nero and gave him a hug.

“Ow.” Nero laughed.

“Aria... knock it off.” Alexander said.

He was leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed, he didn’t look too happy to see Nero. It seems he still didn’t trust him after what happened at the academy. Aria got off of Nero.

“Sorry Nero. We just didn’t know where you’d been.” Aria said with a smile.

“It seems I’ve been everywhere in the city at this point. Anyways, I see you guys are wearing armor. Are you knights now?” Nero asked.

“Yeah! Me and Alex graduated from the academy two days ago. We killed it in our final combat exams. We had to beat a major knight to become one.” Aria said with a big smile.

“Congratulations guys, you two seem really strong. I know that most people become minor knights right after the academy, but you two seem to have surpassed that.” Nero said as he looked out the window once more.

“Not as strong as you apparently. We heard you defeated a golden knight in a dual, and then you went toe to toe against Eclissa, a gallant knight.” Aria said with wonder.

“Well, it was less of a dual and more of an execution attempt but I appreciate the praise.” Nero said with a laugh.

Nero could see Alexander scoff from the back of the room, but paid him no mind.

“Anyways, I heard you guys had a run in with the Abiti like I did. Are you guys' alright?” Nero said to them.

Aria’s mood shifted a bit.

“They weren’t very nice people.” She spoke.

“I know, I’m sorry to put you through that.” Nero replied as he put a hand on Aria’s shoulder.

Aria’s mood changed once again.

“Well, we came to see you because Stella’s final combat exam is today. She would love it if you were there to see it.” Aria teased.

Alexander seemed to cringe as he put his hand over his face.

“Can we just go?” He said impatiently.

It seems Alexander still had a problem with Nero. He avoided eye contact at all times and seemed to look down every time Nero opened his mouth.

“I would love to watch, but I need my clothes back. I can’t go around wearing a hospital robe.” Nero laughed.

“They will give your stuff back once your discharged, let’s go downstairs.”

The three left the room, and proceeded downstairs to the front of the hospital. Nero decided to let Aria do the talking. She told the nurse Nero would like to be discharged and have his clothes back. It seems the nurse was very pleased to be speaking with a full-fledged knight.

“Let me make sure everything is fine before we discharge him.” The nurse said with a smile.

She proceeded to cast a restorative spell on Nero. Her eyes turned in to a golden glow as she looked him up and down. She was looking for any damage to his body. After a moment she finished and said everything was fine. She gave Nero his clothes back and he began to change in a washroom.

Nero was surprised to see his clothes weren’t damaged at all, despite all the blows he had taken over the past couple days. Perhaps they were made or enchanted by dark magic. This thought reminded him of the “other Nero” that appeared during his fight with Eclissa.

“Hey, are you there?” He said in his mind.

There was no response. Perhaps he was still resting.

He returned to Aria and Alexander, and they went outside. They then began walking towards the knight's academy. As Nero walked through the city, he noticed many people staring at him with awe. It seems everybody in the city knew who he was. It felt good to not be seen as a criminal.

After about half an hour of walking, the three arrived at the knight's academy. A familiar face was guarding the gate. It was Gallus, and he did not look happy to see Nero again. Aria and Alexander walked through the gate, but Nero stopped to speak to Gallus for a moment. He lowered his head and apologized to him.

“Hello again sir. I deeply apologize for my actions last time we met.” Nero said.

Gallus seemed to squirm with awkwardness before becoming serious.

“The king has exonerated you; you may enter.” Gallus said.

This took Nero by surprise, just a few days ago he punched this man through a wall. Perhaps Gallus knew about what he had been through.

Nero caught up with Aria and Alexander, and followed them around the academy to the large field out back. There was a small sporting field with many seats surrounding it. This is where the final trials are held. It was packed with knights and citizens alike.

“Look how many people came to watch Stell!” Aria exclaimed.

“Whenever royalty battles, many come to watch. I heard that the eldest, Alba, was going to be here to watch her little sister become a knight.” Alexander replied.

“I heard that she chose not to be a knight. Then became a strong wizard.” Nero said.

Alexander scoffed at Nero.

“Do not speak of things you don’t know. Princess Alba is not a mere wizard. She is a Master Arcanist who has perfected the four magical arts. She is recognized by the magic council as one of the ten Augur’s. She’s one of the strongest mage’s alive... one of the strongest beings alive.” Alexander replied as he walked ahead.

“What’s his problem?” Nero asked Aria.

“He doesn’t trust you Nero. He’s very protective of me and Stell. You’ll grow on him if you stick around though.” Aria said back nicely.

The three sat down on the top row of seats to get the best view. Aria sat between Alex and Nero.

There was a dual going on between a minor knight and a student. It seemed the way to graduate was to defeat an actual knight in combat. Nero had never seen Stella fight; he was excited for her trial to start after this one.

As Nero looked around the crowd, he noticed Eclissa was on the other side of the field. She was here to watch Stella. Her hands were bandaged from her fight with him. The night flames he had used on her were not to be taken lightly. He felt bad that he injured her.

The fight going on below had an anticlimactic ending, the minor knight defeated the student by knock out. The knight bowed and took his leave while the student was helped off the field.

An instructor appeared on the field and began to announce the next fight.

“Our next trial will be fought by Princess Stella Solare.” the instructor said.

The crowd gave a few cheers, this is what they came for.

“She will be dueling Major Knight Joshua.” the instructor added.

The crowd cheered louder, it seemed it was rare to have students fight major knights. Suddenly, Stella appeared from a small hallway underneath the rows of seats across the field. She went to her side of the rectangular field and began preparing for battle. A knight wearing a bronze cape stepped out of the opposite hallway and waved to some people in the crowd before going to his side of the field. Joshua was a human with dark brown hair marked with grey. He looked to be about as old as the king. He was much taller than Stella, and was already prepared for the dual. He wielded one cracked and worn sword in his right hand and stood patiently. Stella was still tightening her bootstraps and making sure everything was in order very tediously. She seemed really nervous.

“Will she be alright?” Nero asked.

Aria stared for a moment with complete uncertainty.

“Yeah!” she said with two thumbs up.

“She’ll be fine, she’s always nervous. We watched her defeat a gargoyle from legend, did you forget?” Alexander added.

Nero looked over at Alexander and saw he was just as uncertain. However, his thoughts were interrupted when a roar was heard from the sky. Everyone looked up quickly.

It was a dragon, as blue as the ocean. It was descending upon the field at high speeds. Nero jumped out of his seat and prepared to fight but was pulled back down by Aria and Alexander.

Aria began laughing.

“That’s Alba’s dragon, Pytyth. She’s a sea dragon. Very friendly.” she said.

As the dragon got closer, Nero could see that a hevarian woman was riding it. She was beautiful. She wore brown leather pants and had a blue cloak that shifted freely in the wind. She had the clothes of an adventurer.

The dragon landed next to the field; it wasn’t as big as the ones Nero had read about. She was the size of a horse-led carriage. she had four legs with webbed feet, and two wings came from her shoulder blades. Alba hopped off her dragon and fed her a potato. She then walked to the stand's opposite of Nero and sat next to Eclissa. Alba put her hand on Eclissa’s head and roughed up her hair as a sign of love. She truly was the eldest royal child.

“I read dragons were beasts of death.” Nero said in awe.

“The dragons of the north are, but sea dragons are amazing creatures who value all lives. Though they do not speak, they have saved many lives throughout history. They’ve saved people who are drowning or being attacked in the wilderness. They are considered good omens.” Alexander said.

Stella was clearly embarrassed by the excessive display her elder sister had put on, but refocused quickly. She had a dual to win. The instructor spoke once more, standing between the two dualists.

“Stella Solare, Knight Joshua. You two are to fight with accordance of dueling rules. You must win by submission, disarming your opponent, or knockout. Princess Solare, know that if you lose you will have to retry this dual next year. However, if you win you will become a Major Knight. A member of the most prestigious guild in the world. As well as a member of the hevarian military. Do you both accept these terms?”

“I do.” Stella said.

Joshua knelt down to Stella.

“I accept, it will be an honor to dual you, your majesty.” he said.

The instructor stepped back, leaving the two just several feet apart.

“Begin!” the instructor commanded.

Joshua got into a neutral stance, and waited for Stella’s first move.

She pulled out her rapier and got into a defensive stance. She put her right foot in front of the other and put her left arm behind her back, and raised her sword in an upwards position.

“Her defense is impeccable, she’s in perfect position.” Nero said.

“That’s right, in duals she prefers to wear her opponents out by perfectly defending all of their strikes. When they’re tired, she finishes them off.” Aria replied.

“She tries to at least; she hasn’t done well during duals in the past. She lets her mind distract her.” Alexander added.

Joshua sprang into action; he wielded his sword in a very extended fashion. Seemingly poking at Stella’s defense. However, she stood strong. She used her thin sword to push away all of his strikes with ease. Her sword always found the tip of his, she defended herself with great accuracy.

Joshua was no weakling though; he began to increase the speed and start striking without a rhythm. It got to the point where the striking seemed to move faster than the untrained eye. Sparks began flying as Stella redirected each and every attempt Joshua made. Her feet did not move once.

Suddenly, Joshua leaned down and rushed Stella. He was attempting to tackle her. After all, fighting wasn’t all about weapons. She was not surprised by this, and brought her free hand down on his head pushing him to the ground. She used her momentum to leap over him. She whirled back around towards him and got into the same defensive position, waiting for him to stand.

“That fighting style would drive me crazy.” Aria laughed.

“It’s amazing.” Nero replied.

The crowd cheered for their Princess, but Joshua was not done yet. He got into an offensive stance, and put both hands on his sword. It seems he was done fencing with her.

He rushed her at full speed, which caught Stella off guard. Joshua was very quick for his size; he sent a stab at her left shoulder. Stella wasn’t strong enough to deflect that attack so she attempted to move her torso aside. However, his speed was too much. He grazed her shoulder with his sword.

This was not the type of dual Stella was used to. This was a real fight. Some blood trickled down her arm, Staining her sleeve.

“Imagine I’m your enemy princess. Imagine you are at war.” Joshua said to her.

She was stunned by his statement.

“War?” Stella thought to herself.

War ran in her family. Her father had fought in the 4th great war decades before she was born. When he was a Prince.

“That could be me one day.” She thought to herself again.

“Imagine you are the one thing that stands between me and your allies, your friends and family.” Joshua spoke again.

Joshua became a whirlwind; he threw strikes left and right. It was too much for Stella to handle. Small cuts began to form on her arms and legs. He landed a swift kick to her stomach, sending her to the ground. Joshua stood over her.

“I know war, Princess. I have fought, and I have killed. Most of all, I have survived. To beat me, you must become me. It is our way of life. Every fight, every defeat, victory and kill, you take something with you. You are the youngest of your siblings. You have not seen the world that they have. When you look at them, you see family. When I look at them, I see great warriors. Warriors who have killed. You must become them if you wish to beat me.” Joshua said.

At this point Alba and Eclissa watched with stone cold faces. Joshua was right, they had killed. Being a Knight or a great mage was no fairytale. It was a hard way of life.

Stella stood up; her stance had changed. It was an offensive stance, one of desperation. She held her sword out in front of her, and her left hand began to glow with sun magic.

“I know what it takes. It’s in my blood.” Stella said calmly.

“Then fight me like you need to kill me.” Joshua replied.

Stella dashed at the knight, her speed surprising all, even her sisters. The tip of her rapier began to glow with explosive power.

She stopped herself just before reaching Joshua, and plunged her sword into the ground underneath him. An explosion came from under Joshua’s feet and he was sent into the air. Surprisingly, he flipped himself upright in midair. He landed on one knee as he knelt down to catch his breath. However, Stella rushed from the smoke of the explosion and sent her rapier at him with full force. He was sent flying by the point-blank explosion and was stopped by the wall.

“Did she just kill him?!” Aria exclaimed.

“No...” Nero replied.

Nero’s eyes and ears are much more tuned for battle, he saw that Joshua stopped her Rapier with his hand, and practically caught the explosion. Something was up, this man was not a major knight. He had to have been a much higher rank. Even his hand was still in perfect condition after catching the explosion. Joshua stood up with a warm smile.

“That’s the spirit.” he said.

“How?!” Stella asked, very confused.

Joshua laughed.

“I may be old, but I’ve been around. But that’s beside the point... you need to do better.” He spoke.

Stella caught an angry look on her face, and she proceeded to rush at the knight. He was going full strength now, and grabbed her right wrist. He twisted it and lifted her into the air. He stared her face to face.

“Awaken your blessing, Princess.” He said to her.

Stella’s eyes widened, she kicked him in the side and he released his grip. She leaped away from him.

“Who are you?!” She yelled.

“I am Joshua War-Song the 3rd and I am no Major Knight. I am a Golden Knight. Your father has ordered me to turn you into a warrior on this fine day. You are a royal offspring, an heir to the throne. You deserve better than some half-assed test. You are facing me. The Stonewall, the hero of the golden plains. You will awaken your blessing, Princess!” He replied.

“What?!” Alexander yelled from the crowd as he stood up.

“How is she to fight a legendary knight?!” Princess Alba exclaimed from the other side of the field.

Eclissa put her hand on Alba’s shoulder, silencing her. This was much more than a mere trial; this was supposed to be an awakening of sorts.

“What does he mean by Blessing?” Nero asked.

Alexander was too outraged to answer.

“Everybody with royal sun blood is granted a blessing by the god of the sun. Ibris. Most of the time, it is awakened at a young age. Unlike her siblings, Stell has never awakened hers. She’s really insecure about it. It’s one of the main reasons she feels inadequate to be royalty. A blessing is the most ultimate form of sun magic. Only the user has access to that unique power.” Aria responded with a scared tone.

“Well won’t it be good to awaken it?” Nero asked.

“Not exactly, if it’s not awakened at a young age, it will take severe trauma to access it.” Aria said back.

Nero became worried. He didn’t know if he had the restraint to watch Stella go through something like that. He became visibly upset when Joshua began approaching her.

“Nero... It’s okay. You have to understand this is what is meant to happen. Hevarian’s are very strong people, and our royalty is even stronger. She can take whatever he can throw at her.” Aria said to him seriously.

Nero sat down, and continued watching the fight.

Joshua dashed at her with amazing speed, even faster than before. He raised his sword with great power, causing a shift in the air that brought some bystanders heads forward from the suction. Stella tumbled out of the way just in time. He brought down his sword, and a giant slash formulated in front of him. If Stella had been hit, she would’ve been completely obliterated.

A blade shaped chasm was in front of Joshua, he had split the earth in front of him.

Stella was sat down on the grass; all she could do was look up in fear.

Joshua landed a kick to her face, the force sent her into the wall behind her. At this point Nero was being held back by Aria and Alexander. They struggled against his rage.

“Sit down you fool. You are not a criminal anymore.” Alexander said to Nero quietly.

This caused Nero to settle.

Stella slowly got up; her nose was bleeding now. She looked tired, but smirked at Joshua nonetheless.

“Is that all you’ve got?” She said to Joshua.

“No.” He replied quickly.

He landed a punch to her stomach, and threw her against the stone wall. He walked towards her.

“Alba Solare, her best friend was raped and killed by a group of bandits.” He spoke.

Joshua picked her up by her hair, and slammed her face into the wall. Causing it to crack.

“Eclissa Solare, her old master lost his life protecting her from an assassin.” He spoke.

He threw her onto the ground with great force.

“Mezzo Solare, your brother, lost his last squad to a Du’kel, a demon of the night.” He spoke.

He pressed his foot onto her face.

“The king lost his wife, giving birth to you.” He spoke.

The crowd went silent. Even Alba and Eclissa looked away with grief.

“What have you lost? What do you stand to offer? You are the weakest of your family.” He asked her.

The air began to heat up, it was coming from Stella. She began to speak

“Do not...”

She grabbed Joshuas boot, and began squeezing. Small cracking noises were heard as Joshua jumped backwards.

“Ever...”

The light around them began to grow brighter, and the shadows around them grew darker.

“Mention my mother.” She spoke with absolute authority.

She seemed to float back onto her feet, her eyes glowed with a bright light. It was hard to even look into them. Joshua covered his eyes with his hands. She was awakening her blessing.

Stella extended her arm out to Joshua.

Unbeknownst to Joshua, his shadow beneath him began to move. It was beginning to stand up. Everyone stared in awe. It slammed him to the ground and quickly put him in a chokehold, catching him off-guard. He struggled to speak.

“That’ll do it.”

Even though Stella had won the dual, she approached Joshua, rapier in hand. She raised her arm to stab him with it, but was stopped by a familiar hand on her shoulder. It was Alba’s.

She was snapped out of her awakened state, and the shadow choking Joshua went back to the ground. When she turned around, she saw her sisters, they cried tears of joy for her. The three embraced, and Stella began to cry. She was in many types of pain.

“What was that? Was that her blessing?” Nero asked.

“No doubt. We should get down there.” Aria said in awe.

As the trio made their way to Stella, the instructor awkwardly made his way to the field.

“Stella Solare is victorious! She has won by... Submission? She is deemed a major knight!” he said.

The crowd cheered for her; some even began to sing.

The trio made their way to Stella, who was still being embraced by her sisters.

“Stell! Congratulations!” Aria yelled as she hugged Stella from behind.

Stella turned around and hugged Aria back.

“Thank you. That was... Intense...” She replied.

“I brought some friends.” Aria said as she pointed to Alexander and Nero.

“You guys came too?!” Stella said with a beaming smile.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world Stell.” Alex replied.

She looked at Nero and walked up to him. She buried her head into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

Nero couldn’t help but notice Alba’s gaze, she had never seen him before. She began quietly talking with Eclissa about him.

“You fought well Stella; I’m impressed.” Nero said to her.

She just looked at him and smiled. Suddenly, she began to collapse. She was too exhausted to stand. Nero picked her up.

“Easy, you need to rest. You have no energy.”

Nero looked at her sisters.

“Where should I take her? The hospital?” He asked.

“No, take her to the castle. I can tend to her there.” Alba said with a soft smile.

Joshua cleared his throat behind them.

“You.” Nero said angrily as he turned around.

The group of friends looked at him with discontent.

Joshua downright ignored them as he looked upon them.

“Alexander Erikson, Aria De Sempre, Stella Solare. You three are now major knights of the knight's guild of Hevaria. The three of you have stated that you wish to be in a squad together is that correct?” He asked them.

“Yes.” Aria and Alexander said in unison.

“Then with me as witness, I declare you three a squad. Congratulations.” He replied with no emotion.

He began to walk away.

“Wait! Who do we report to? Who is our captain?” Alexander asked.

Joshua turned around slowly, and gave them a smile.

“Who do you think?” He said with a laugh.

“What?!” The friends all said in unison.