Nerluce sucked in a breath.

When he exhaled the fire became clay in his hands. He molded it like a master, nimble fingers spreading the flame evenly before him. Nerluce kept his breathing steady as the fire twisted playfully beneath his steady hands. The flame - coming from a candle - was originally a yellow-orange color, but in Nerluce's hands, it settled into a rich red, somewhere between the color of the Burning Bush in fall and Nerluce's own eyes.

It was his sword, his Ealatus. It's shape was steady and its flames flickered with the beating of his heart. It's color shifted with his breaths. Nerluce took its hilt and the flames stretched upwards, wrapping like vines around his wrist, offering a brace of sorts. Or maybe it was a return point if he ever sent his sword flying. He'd only done that once but he preferred close combat. He had better control that way.

Ealatus' flames didn't burn him. Aristide had explained why but it didn't make much sense to Nerluce. The fire was a part of him, like another arm so it wouldn't hurt him if it could help it. However, at the same time, the fire was completely separate from him, never making contact with his skin.

Overall, Ealatus was a relatively simple sword. It looked similar enough to his classmates' flaming swords. But between the red color - something that Nerluce and Aristide had worked hard to perfect - and the brace, Nerluce felt as though it was unique enough for his tastes. And just as Kōttaiki echoed Aristide's past, Ealatus echoed his own. Inspire by his homeland but perfected by Ethera, fire braced by life, red to contrast blue.

A powerful weapon fitting of a future Seraph.

Taayir clapped slowly. She hadn't done that for any of the other students. She seemed genuinely impressed by Ealatus and how far Nerluce had come in just a month's time. He probably would have gotten it sooner but Aristide had forced him to study for his classes. He still had plenty of time before today, where they were showing off their Magickal Weapons for Taayir.

"Well done," Taayir said. She worked her lip as she got to her feet and with a flick of her wrist, summoned a blade very similar to Ealatus. Its shape and pulsing beat were right. Even the brace around Taayir's wrist was right. However, her's was still orange. She worked her lip in frustration. "You Hebikotis," she sighed.

"Lower the temperature of the fire," Nerluce said. "It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it."

Taayir scoffed and instead of trying to perfectly summon Ealatus, she dismissed her mimic entirely. "Don't try and teach me, little boy," Taayir said, rolling her eyes. "But good work. You pass."

Nerluce beamed and sat down.

"Alright," Taayir said, clasping her hands together. "I think that's everyone. Unless you want to show off your Magickal Weapon, Aristide."

She was taunting him but Nerluce knew that she had just given Aristide the excuse to show off something much more impressive than Kōttaiki. Not that Kōttaiki wasn't impressive... just that this was a bit more so. Aristide shrugged and stood up, walking to the front of the room with the leisurely confidence of one who actually deserved it.

Because Nerluce's prediction about Aristide was right.

Aristide pulled the fire from the candle and with half a flick of his finger, the blade took shape with a burst of blue flames. Suru-Suru had but one master, unless Aristide set his mind to it. Nerluce stared in awe and admiration as Suru-Suru, his sister's blade, took it's second ever master under Aristide's careful golden eyes. He held it in one hand and summoned Kōttaiki in the other, truly reveling in his own divinity.

The classroom was silent, staring at Aristide. Taayir's jaw had dropped slightly without her noticing. She knew what summoning Suru-Suru meant more than anyone besides perhaps Nerluce.

"What do you think, Elder Priestess Taayir?" Aristide asked. "Should I learn to dual weild?"

"Fuck no." Taayir was shaken out of her trance and settled her lips into a scowl. "You should learn to mind nature's limits." She was trying to hide how impressed she was and not doing a very good job at all. "Alright, class is over. I hope all of you use Aristide's demonstration to properly... inspire yuh with less than satisfactory preformances."

The room filled with noise so Nerluce couldn't make out what Taayir said to Aristide after that but she ended it with a grin and ruffled his curly hair - which wasn't something Nerluce wanted to do at all and he was totally not jealous - so whatever it was, it must've been good. Nerluce waited as he usually did, waving to Taayir as he left with Aristide.

He grinned and looked at the boy to his side. "When did you learn to do that?"

"Recently," Aristide said. "You helped me figure it out."

"Oh?"

Aristide nodded. "Lowering the temperature helped me learn to raise it." His expression softened as he smiled at Nerluce. "So thank you."

A laugh bubbled out of Nerluce. "Y-yeah." He coughed. "No worries."

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Aristide asked.

"Do you want to train some more?" Nerluce asked. "I thought you were the one who said we should take a break!"

"And I don't trust you to take a break," Aristide said.

Nerluce laughed again. Aristide was right about that. Nerluce wasn't planning on practicing his Magick, but he had been wanting to study at least... He rubbed the back of his neck. "You wound me Aristide. Of course I don't have any plans."

"Then we should eat together."

"Really?" Nerluce asked. "We've never done that before."

Aristide shrugged.

Nerluce was a breath away from agreeing - because... obviously - when Lyana snuck up behind him and with a jump that was truly impressive considering she didn't have legs hooked her arm around Nerluce's neck and lowered his head to her height. Nerluce yelped as he was pulled down and Aristide looked almost startled enough to summon his blade back.

"Y'all are so easy to scare," Lyana said with a snort. "If the first year girls saw you like this... pretty sure they'd shut up in the common rooms."

"What?" Nerluce asked, shoving her off him. "You're messing with me."

"I wish." Lyana rolled her eyes. "Of course, a lot of them are in love with Hamelin because... of course."

"Of course," Nerluce said.

"But you have a good number of admirers too, Luce," Lyana said with a wink. "Aparently you're hot and mysterious and come from a good family and just perfect." She gagged and rolled her eyes. "Better than the shit I've heard about Aristide."

Aristide frowned. "Why would the first years admire me? I don't speak with them."

"You're Head Disciple, talented at Magick, and good with kids." Lyana shrugged. "Why wouldn't you have admirers? Not to mention you're not bad looking."

Nerluce flicked Lyana. "Shut up. He's better looking than either me or Hamelin. He ought to have more admirers than the two of us combined." Nerluce turned a wicked grin on Aristide. "I'm considering becoming one of them."

Aristide scoffed and walked off.

Chuckling, Nerluce watched him walk away. "What about dinner, Angel?"

"I don't want to anymore!"

Lyana rose a brow. "You were going to have dinner with him?"

"Yeah, I guess. He invited me but it seems we pissed him off." Nerluce shrugged and turned his coy grin onto Lyana. "I guess you'll just have to make it up to me."

"You couldn't pay me all the money in the world to," Lyana said.

"So mean," Nerluce said.

"I don't want to compete with Aristide for anything, much less you affection." Lyana wrinkled her nose.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nerluce asked.

"Don't play dumb," Lyana said.

Nerluce never needed to play dumb. He was dumb and he seriously had no idea what Lyana was talking about. "I'm just messing with Aristide, you know," Nerluce said. "It's funny to see his reaction. And... he'd my friend. I think?" Nerluce frowned. He thought that he and Aristide were friends but he wasn't sure what Aristide would say about that. He ought to bring it up the next time Aristide was in a good mood.

Gods knew when that would be.

"Really?" Lyana asked, turning to look at Nerluce strangely. "I thought... well it wasn't just me but everyone..." Her frown deepened. "You and Aristide seriously aren't courting?"

Nerluce nearly tripped and fell on his face.

"No!" he said. "I'm not gay!"

Lyana poked his arm. "You do like boys though."

"That doesn't mean I want to court a boy," Nerluce said, rolling his eyes. "Liking and courting are two completely different things."

"You like girls too, right?" Lyana asked.

"Yes?"

"Would you court a girl?"

"Yes?"

Lyana made a face and then sighed, dramatically. "Gods, Nerluce, then what's wrong with courting a boy?"

"I need an heir," Nerluce said, firmly.

"Aristide comes with an heir."

Nerluce made a face because Kierli was not... she was the Chosen Light! She couldn't be both Chosen Light and heir to the Hebikoti Clan! Besides, Nerluce needed a biological heir due to the biological nature of their Magick. Nerluce needed a wife because... every Hebikoti took a wife first. Or... a husband if they were female. Their other partners could be whatever gender they pleased but the first was always the opposite.

It was just... the way that things were done. Nerluce didn't understand why Lyana didn't get it. Maybe it was something limited to nobility?

"Even-" Nerluce started in a huff. "Even if I was interested in courting boys, I wouldn't court Aristide."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm serious."

"Sure, sure," Lyana said. "Come on, let's go play cards with the others. You can explain all of your reasons why then."

Nerluce groaned. He wasn't looking forward to that.