When the ax fell, Nerluce wasn't there.

Ethera was a sacred place and its laws were absolute. There would be no exceptions. Not for anyone and especially not when the Chosen Light was involved. But there was no law that stated that Nerluce had to watch and, like a coward, he didn't. He claimed to still be weak from the fight but even Aristide managed to limp out of bed so it wasn't like anyone believed Nerluce to begin with.

The Chosen Light didn't have to be there either and with most everyone occupied that morning, Nerluce spent it with Kierli, skipping rocks in the pond. She giggled as the water spirits made the stone skip more times than Nerluce would have been able to do so on his own.

"Again! Again!" Kierli cheered.

"Here," Nerluce said, handing the girl a flat stone. "Why don't you give it a try?"

Kierli looked at the rock with wide, dark eyes before squatting down like Nerluce was. She was very still for a moment and then she flung the stone with all the might in her chubby child arms. The rock, expectedly, splashed into the water, startling the spirits beneath the surface. Nerluce laughed and pushed Kierli's pouting lower lip back in.

"Why didn' it hop hop?" Kierli asked.

"It takes practice," Nerluce said, handing her another rock. "Flick your wrist. See?" Taking his own stone, he demonstrated a toss. Without the spirit's help, the rock only skipped once.

Kierli nodded slowly and the pair continued to toss rocks into the pond. The earth spirits were plenty helpful in collecting flat stones for them. As the sun crested the mountains and the sky faded from red to blue they kept practicing and Kierli, being the Chosen Light - reincarnated or just naturally good at everything - was nearly better than Nerluce at skipping stones when she was barely two years old.

Nerluce collapsed onto the ground after their third tie. "I can't keep going. If you beat me, I won't be able to bear the shame."

"But I wanna be as good as Luce at rock hopping," Kierli said. "Again? Please?"

Looking down at her small, begging face, Nerluce felt his heart soften. She was still ugly as an old man with too-large eyes like black beetles and a piggy nose often dripping with snot and lines all over her face making her every thought apparent. And Nerluce had almost never seen her again. He'd almost lost Kierli and her every ugly appearance forever.

"Okay," Nerluce relented. "Just once more."

They went once more. Nerluce's stone skipped three times and Kierli's skipped four.

"I win!" Kierli squeaked.

"You must've bribed the water spirits," Nerluce said, ruffling her hair. "Like that fish. I told you about the fish who bribed the water spirits, right?"

Kierli shook her head.

Of course, Nerluce hadn't because he'd just made the story up right now. His eyes widened with delight as he grinned. "Oh well, it's a good one. Once there was a fish, bigger than all of the other fish and with beautiful golden scales. This fish was the king and all of the little fish wondered how he'd gotten so big and beautiful."

"He... bw... bye... bed..." Kierli frowned, clearly trying to recall the word Nerluce had used.

"Bribed," Nerluce said. "It means... to give something to someone else so they'll do something for you."

"Oh..." Kierli said. "So... he bye-bed the spirits?"

"Exactly but listen," Nerluce said, tapping her nose. "One day a little fish worked up the courage to swim up to the King Fish and ask how he had become so big and beautiful. She was really little, no bigger than this." Nerluce held up his fingers to the size of a coin.

"There's no fish that small," Kierli said.

"Yes there is, now hush," Nerluce said. "The little fish told the King Fish that she was the littlest fish in the whole world but she wanted to become big and beautiful like the King Fish. But the King Fish smiled, sadly, and shook his head. The King Fish told the Littlest Fish that she should go home because it wasn't worth being big and beautiful."

Kierli's eyes widened, completely entranced by the story. Nerluce smiled and pulled her closer to him so they were touching, keeping one another warm.

"But the Littlest Fish insisted she wanted to know so the King Fish told her he had bribed the water spirits." Kierli nodded and Nerluce offered her a sad smile. "The King Fish said he'd pulled off all of his old scales and given them to the water spirits. In exchange, they'd given him new scales and a bigger body and made him the King Fish."

"Sounds good!" Kierli said.

"That's what the Littlest Fish said too," Nerluce said, nodding. "But the King Fish told her that every time he moved his body ached. Every time he looked back his heart did. The King Fish missed his old scales for they were not as beautiful as the gold but they were his. Little light, don't give up a part of yourself. No matter how big the bounty, it won't be worth it in the end. You will ache like the King Fish does."

"Oh," Kierli said, pressing her brows together.

Maybe two years old was too young for these kinds of stories but Nerluce didn't know when his last day at Ethera would be so he figured he ought to make the most of what time he did have and tell all the stories he could. He might not be here forever, but he hoped his stories would linger in Kierli's heart.

Kierli picked up another rock and tossed it. It skipped twice and then sunk. Then she picked one up and just threw it into the water, watching it splash.

"Why did you do that?" Nerluce asked. "You know how to skip them?"

"Didn' want it to hop," Kierli said, laying her head on Nerluce's arm. "Luce... where is Ari?"

"He'll be here soon."

"I'm here now," a warm voice said.

Nerluce felt himself smile despite himself. He turned to look at Aristide as he approached on silent feet. He had to have been there for a while now at least but Aristide's presence was never noticed unless he wanted it to be. Kierli jumped up and ran to greet him, burying her face in his legs. The act nearly sent Aristide to the ground but Nerluce was there to steady him.

"Careful," Nerluce said, voice low and hopefully comforting. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," Aristide said.

"Ari!" Kierli cheered. "Missed you!"

"I know, Li," Aristide said, patting the girl on the head. "I'll tuck you in tonight. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Head Disciple," a new voice said as Nerluce caught a glimpse of blue hair from the corner of his eye and Fonbi came over. "You're not climbing those stairs until you're better, Head Disciple."

"I'm fine," Aristide said.

Fonbi scoffed, unbelievingly and Nerluce let out a small snicker. "Kierli, come with me. It's time to get you breakfast."

"Okay!" Kierli said, taking Fonbi's hand. "Ari, you coming too?"

"Soon," Aristide promised.

Satisfied with this answer, Kierli nodded her head and let herself be lead away by Fonbi. Nerluce stayed where he was. He hadn't spoken to Aristide since... well since Aristide ended up nearly dying for him but this seemed like the right time. And it seemed like Aristide had something he wanted to say to Nerluce.

Nerluce waited, but Aristide didn't say anything at all. He just stood there, his chest rising and falling as though every breath was painful and his wounds - though minor - were everywhere. He had to be in agony right now. Nerluce didn't know how he could stand.

Guilt prickled Nerluce's gut as he looked at his feet. "Sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Aristide asked.

"I'm just... sorry," Nerluce said. "You're hurt because of me."

"Kierli is safe because of you," Aristide said.

That... wasn't what Nerluce was expecting to hear. He lifted his head, looking at Aristide nervously but there wasn't a hint of anger or blame or even regret. Instead, Aristide was looking at Nerluce like... gods, Nerluce didn't even know what. But, whatever it was, no one had ever looked at Nerluce like that before.

Aristide smiled. "You did... a good thing. I know it might not feel like it right now, but you... saved her, Nerluce."

"I killed him, though," Nerluce said.

"You didn't kill him, he killed himself," Aristide said. "Doite made his own decisions and he faced the consequences for those decisions." Aristide sighed. "Him dying was the safest thing. For Kierli."

"I know," Nerluce said.

"And my injuries were the consequences for my decisions as well," Aristide said. "You know that as well, right?"

"You were protecting me," Nerluce said. "If I hadn't been there then-"

"I never would have found Kierli as quickly as I did," Aristide said. "Besides, I'm used to getting hurt like this."

"That doesn't make me feel better," Nerluce said.

Aristide shrugged. He was blunt and honest and Nerluce respected those things about him but sometimes his words caused an ache in Nerluce that he loathed so much. Aristide was cold but not in the way Jurine had once described long ago. There was no ice barrier between the world and Aristide but rather between Aristide and his own heart. He was frozen inside.

"No one should have to ache like that," Nerluce said.

"I heard your story," Aristide said. "Am I this Fish King of yours?"

Nerluce laughed and shook his head. "Of course not," he said. "You may be beautiful but you're my angel. You know that."

"Oh," Aristide said.

"Hm?" Nerluce lifted his head to examine Aristide's expression once again. It was even stranger than before.

His hand covered the lower half of his face as if he were thinking about something rather important while the upper half had darkened with a blush. His eyes - haloed in ethereal gold - were fixed on something that Nerluce couldn't see and when Aristide finally did move his hand the way Aristide's lips had been worked into a small line would be imprinted in Nerluce's mind for the rest of time.

"Oh," Aristide said again before he turned and straightened his back. "I think my wounds are worse than I originally thought. I am going to... get some rest."

"Do you need any help?" Nerluce asked, stepping forward.

Aristide shook his head. "Just go to your classes, Nerluce. You need to if you want to become a Seraph."

"Yeah but..."

"Just go, Nerluce," Aristide said. "You need to be stronger if you want to protect me and Kierli next time around."

Though Nerluce couldn't see Aristide's expression as he left, Nerluce figured it was identical to his own. Nerluce's eyes hardened with determination as he nodded. He wanted to be just as good at Aristide at Magick and he didn't care about the cost. A year from now Nerluce would be a Seraph.

A year from now Nerluce would be able to protect everyone he loved.