It was a quiet evening at the Olde Sweet Shoppe. Yuriko and Heron had just taken their seats and the server had presented the menu.

“Miss Keryn has added new items to the menu if you would like to peruse it?” the young man said with a smile.

“Sure, tell us about it,” Yuriko answered while firmly putting the board on the table. She gave an expectant smile and the server reddened and stammered.

“Ah, of course, Miss Davar. Miss Keryn presents this lovely four-course meal…”

He continued to describe the choices, and Yuriko picked one that was centred around roasted beef. Heron did the same and winced at the price tag on the menu. It was a full fifty Sovies per course. Considering the prices here at Faron’s Crossing, this was rather expensive.

“I’ll pay for my meal,” Yuriko offered.

“Huh, no, no. I invited you to this,” Heron insisted.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Well, thank you.” She wasn’t about to injure his pride. Since he offered, she accepted then decided to divert the topic. “How was your day?”

“Not so bad. More training, more drills. I think I’m nearing the cap from the First Order and I’ll reach the Second Order in a few weeks.”

“That's when you begin to condense your Animus, isn’t it?” Yuriko asked.

“Yes. You don’t?”

She shook her head. “The Ancient’s Way focuses on increasing capacity.” Yuriko shrugged, “Although temporarily condensing Animus is also possible. I haven’t found a need to do it yet though.”

“Oh, how many lumens do you command now?”

“Hmmm, a thousand normally. I haven’t pushed to see how much my Anima can contain.”

“You don’t know?”

“I have to create runescript weaving within my flare,” Yuriko clarified. “But that also means that part of my Anima cannot be used for anything else. I can contain eight hundred lumens with this much.” She demonstrated by expanding her full Anima by an inch. “And two hundred lumens within my core.”

“Oh.” Heron nodded. “But Animus at its natural density is inherently weaker,” he protested.

“That’s true, but I make up for it in volume and technique.” Yuriko tilted her head. “Come to think of it, I actually haven’t tested that yet.” Her spars with Swordmaster Kinohara involved the sword rather than Animus strength after all.

“Well, I suppose I can help you determine that?” Heron shrugged. “My Animus has started to turn to mist.”

He held out a finger and called out his energy. Blue light emerged from his fingertip and coalesced into a small orb. She focused her perception aura on the orb and noted that the photonic quality of the Animus had started to take on a cloudy appearance. She held up her index finger and channelled a mote of Animus into an orb, careful to keep Radiant energy from it. Hers looked as it always did.

Heron poked his orb against hers and the golden light bent and then dispersed.

“Huh.”

Heron shrugged and said, “Try putting more lumens into your orb and see how much it would take to match?”

“Alright.”

It actually took around ten lumens into her orb before it matched Heron’s. By that point, hers was obviously bigger. His being denser, when he pushed, her orb deformed, and as more pressure was applied, it broke apart the orb’s cohesion.

“When did you get so good at Animus manipulation?” Yuriko asked.

“My Facets require it.” Heron shrugged. “Once I could create more than one air shield, I had to learn how to split my focus. Otherwise, those would have been useless. By the same token, I learned how to create stabler Animus connections. The denser Animus makes my shields tougher, too.”

“That’s nice.” Yuriko smiled, genuinely happy at his improvement. She wondered if Heron would follow her on the Ancient’s Way, but since he hadn’t said anything, she thought he wouldn’t. If she closed her eyes and focused on getting a glimpse of the dreamscape, she could just make out the Threads of Fate entangling the two of them. They were no longer chains that connected his heart to her feet but genuine bonds from core to core. The signs of Aspiration and beyond were also gone, which made her quite happy, too.

Hopefully, with her Mien tuned to Inspire rather than Charm, no more Aspirants would be created. Still, she hadn’t noticed a decrease in people’s regard for her.

She focused on the Animus orb and pushed the lumens together. Ten lumens squished down into the same size orb as Heron’s created the same cloudy look, and when they bumped them together, the orbs were matched. It took her several moments to squish down the lumens though, and to be usable in combat, she’d need to either develop a runescript weaving that would compress lumens by itself and hold it in a separate space so it wouldn’t mingle with the others.

“How would denser Animus affect my sword dances, I wonder?” she murmured.

“You want to find out?” Heron asked with a smile. “I’ll be more than willing to be your sparring partner.”

Yuriko raised an eyebrow. “Alright. I train the unawakened kids every other afternoon. Join me in the school?”

“At your service.” He sketched a bow while keeping his face comically blank. Yuriko chortled at his antics. The Heron of today didn’t quite take himself as seriously as before, and she found herself enjoying his company in a different way. Back then, the intensity behind his eyes was quite compelling, at least until she knew what was really behind it.

When their appetizers arrived, little sandwiches filled with spiced meats, Heron asked about her day-to-day life in Realmheart.

“I’ve always wanted to go there,” he said wistfully, “so please, tell me about the place.”

Yuriko shook her head. “It’s filled with nobles. At least, the area where I lived. The Mishala Clan rules an entire district called Aerule Garden, and nearly all of the structures are built upon the trunks and branches of enormous Adaviren Trees. But during the semester, I stayed in the capital, at the Mishala town manor. The Academies’ campuses look nearly identical to the one in Rumiga City, Ancestors, even the buildings and spaces are named the same. Of course, it was about twice as wide, I think…”

Heron listened to her intently and when she paused to take a bite to eat, he told her about his life in Agaza.

“...most of the time, we’re segregated into squads. In all our classes, we’re always grouped with the same set of people. We weren’t allowed to transfer out of the groups, not without outstanding reasons or by request of the officer cadets…”

Heron hadn’t been in the officer track at the beginning but had transferred over after nearly a Season.

“After you disappeared…” Heron sighed. “I realised I couldn’t help you. Not alone. So I decided to switch over.”

“Oh.”

The silence stretched uncomfortably until the main entree arrived. Medallions of beef simmered in some kind of green sauce, which smelled cool and sharp at the same time. It did odd things to Yuriko’s palate, but overall, it was a pleasant experience.

The meal was followed by two dessert courses. A fruit parfait, which Yuriko gleefully devoured, and a baked confection topped with citrus and berries. Delicious. The conversation had turned to things that were more innocuous until Yuriko remembered something she’d forgotten to do.

“I’ve a present for you, and, well, for Mikel and Krystal too. I forgot to give it back then, ehehehe,” Yuriko said.

“Oh, what is it?”

She pointed at the matching bracelets, anklets, and necklace. “This is an Animus Armour set. After you feed it enough Animus, it will activate when you trigger it. It will create body armour made from transparent Animus and protect you for about a minute per lumen invested. I found several sets in a ruin under the Zarek Mountains.”

“Interesting. Does it require an active investment of Animus after the charge is filled?”

“No. Just an Anima imprint.”

Heron smiled happily. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

After they finished the meal, Heron paid and they took a stroll home. It was still early evening, about a couple of hours past sunset. The streets of Faron’s Crossing had lamp posts that were lit with Animus bulbs, and shed warm yellow light. There wasn’t really much of a crowd though, since most of the ten thousand residents were either at home or in the varied pubs.

“So…uhm, are you seeing anyone else?” Heron asked, somewhat nervously.

Yuriko shrugged. “Finan asked me to play Shatran with him yesterday.”

“Finan?”

“The imperial prince.”

Heron froze in his tracks for a couple of steps, then he caught up and asked, “Your fiance? He’s here?”

“Yes, he followed me here.” Yuriko shook her head. “I don’t know what to make of it.”

“DId he…press you?”

“Hmm, what do you mean?”

“I mean, did he, errr, bring up the engagement?”

“Not really, no. He actually apologised for not telling me his identity when we first met on campus at the capital.”

“I see.” Heron remained silent for a couple of blocks. He sighed afterwards and asked, “What are you going to do?”

“Hmmm, nothing.” Yuriko shrugged. “I… hmmm, during the World Trials…ah, the rite of passage a walker of the Ancient’s Way has to take to reach the Knight level, I saw three different futures. In two of those I was married to someone, I’m not sure if it was to Finan. Those lives didn't end well.”

“Alright,” Heron said in a brighter tone. “Does that mean you’ll break it off?”

“Well, I actually can’t. Not with Imperial laws.”

“You mean you’ll leave the Empire?” His tone rose sharply.

“Probably.”

“Oh.” Then, after a long moment. “Can I come with you?”

“If you want,” Yuriko said. “But you’ll need to be a Knight. You won’t live through the passage across the Chaos Sea otherwise.”

“Oh. Alright.”

When they reached Yuriko’s home, she hurried inside after telling him to wait for a couple of minutes. Rami, Gwendith, and her attendants were in the living room and looked at her questioningly as she dashed up the stairs. She grabbed one of the Animus Armour sets and came back out to the front door.

“Thank you,” Heron said as she placed the box in his hands.

“You’re welcome. I enjoyed the evening, Heron. Thanks.” Yuriko said with a smile.

Heron stood awkwardly for a long moment, a half smile on his lips. He bent down and kissed her on the cheek.

“Thank you for the lovely evening, too,” He said brightly while she reached up to touch where he kissed her. He fled before she could get out of her stunned state.

“Oh my.” Gwendith chuckled as she pounced her. “That was sweet.”

Yuriko rolled her eyes and returned inside the house with a huff. Similar to what happened with Finan, she could feel the lingering heat on her cheek. Her Mien stirred within her Anima and writhed happily. Shaking her head, she did her evening ablutions and sank into her pre-bedtime meditations.

The Radiant energy suffused her being…

___________

“Swarmfodder!” Braden cursed.

Of all the worst luck, someone had to notice them as they were sneaking across the dark fields. Orrin’s face was pale as he bit his lip. Braden knew that his twin didn’t intend to lash out but both of them were a bundle of nerves at the moment. Well, there was no helping bad luck.

“Let’s go. Only speed will save us now.”

Twenty longstrides across muddy wheat fields on the Dark Moon night. They’d be lucky to make it before dawn the next day.

He grabbed his brother’s wrist and pulled him along. Both of them had put on more muscle as they grew taller, but even so, their Heritage wasn’t one of height and weight. Both were still lanky but at least Braden hadn’t forsaken his daily training. As for Orrin, well, by the way his breathing grew heavier as they were chased by sounds of the alarm bells, it wouldn’t be surprising if he only took a run once a week or so.

They jogged for nearly ten minutes before they slowed to a walk. No pursuit was imminent, but he could see bright Animus and torchlight from behind. If they were lucky, the sentry might have mistaken them for an Imperial invasion or something. That probably brought them an hour. Hopefully.

The River Faron flowed merrily on its way to the south. The nearest bridge was near the village and the next was in Faron’s Crossing. Therein lay their salvation if they were pursued. He and Orrin kept as close to the muddy bank as they dared, though they kept a healthy enough distance. No sense in slipping on the rocks and getting swept by the current back to Cierra.

A sharp whistle and chirps sounded out behind them. Braden glanced back and saw the silhouette of field raptor riders less than two hundred paces behind them.

“Come on.” He pulled at his brother. It was time.

Orrin looked back and nodded. They swerved towards the river bank, and once they were less than a pace from the water, Braden turned to face his twin and he spread his arms wide.

“Do it,” he said.

Red Animus light glowed behind Orrin’s face, just as the same shadowed black glow appeared on his. Crackles of red lightning swirled around Orrin’s hands, and the next moment, he thrust his palm. The red lightning shot at Braden and collided on his chest.

“Ahhh!”

He couldn’t help but yell as he was flung back, but he didn't forget to use his own Facet. Black lightning reached out and touched Orrin’s chest, and his twin was pulled along with him through the air. Another blast of both red and black, with exquisite timing on either part, soon saw them across the hundred paces wide water. They both landed in a heap, Animus reserves nearly empty. But they were across on the side without pursuers.

Of course, the Animus light clearly showed where they were, and if any of the riders had any kind of technique to easily cross, they were doomed. He lifted his head to stare. He couldn’t see anything, but they couldn’t stay.

He crawled up to his feet and dragged his brother behind him.