"Lyana!"

"Nerluce!"

They collided in a hug and squeals of joy. Nerluce lifted Lyana and spun her around several times, both of them laughing like some newly wedded couple. The younger disciples were looking at them - some with thinly veiled jealousy and some with annoyance at the disruption - but what did Nerluce care? None of them mattered right now. He was just so... happy.

He turned and there was Eko. They were smiling but when Nerluce went to hug them, they very pointedly said, "Don't you dare pick me up."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Nerluce said.

It was much easier to hug Eko than Lyana. They were average height so Nerluce didn't need to stoop - as much at least - for a proper hug. He still squeezed them tightly, though.

"We did it," he said.

"We did," Eko said

Lyana squealed and looped her arms around both of their necks, bending Nerluce to what felt like half of his height. He let her though. Just for today. "Never thought I'd be so happy to finally be a stupid Seraph."

"Never thought I would be a stupid Seraph," Nerluce said.

"You sure had us biting our nails there at the end," Eko said with a half-smile.

"We should go get drunk," Lyana said.

"No," Nerluce said. "We absolutely should not get drunk tonight. We should get drunk tomorrow when they can't kick us out."

Lyana elbowed him. "Remember that you're buying."

"Wouldn't dream of forgetting such a thing," Nerluce said with a laugh. "You want to come with us, Eko?"

"Someone has to babysit you," Eko said.

Nerluce whooped.

The three classmates, soon to be Seraphs walked in high spirits to the dining hall, getting their dinners. None of the food tasted spectacularly good, but the spirits were high as they usually were after finals and midterms. The air was twinged with sadness as well, but comrades no longer among them were celebrated, no mourned. Everyone laughed louder and ate extra for their friends and for themselves.

And for them, it was no different. Nerluce would miss his other classmates, but he wasn't close to any of them so there was no real pang of sadness in his heart like when Jurine, Corbett, and Hamelin had left.

Tonight, he ate and drank for them. He celebrated for their sakes. They carried the weight of the hopes and dreams of all the classmates who were no longer with them on their shoulders. It was a heavy burden but one they had to bear. Not everyone was suited to be a Seraph. Shit, Nerluce wasn't even certain he was suited for it but... here he was.

"Just this once!" Nerluce insisted.

"Fine!" Lyana said, throwing her hands up. "Just this once."

Eko smiled. "They really are pretty easy to learn."

Lyana huffed and for the first time, she pulled out her wooden chopsticks, holding them awkwardly in her hand. She tried to angle them over a piece of chicken but... her grip was wrong and she couldn't get it. Nerluce snorted and stole the piece of chicken that she was trying to get with his own chopsticks.

"Hey!" Lyana snapped, spearing one of his pieces of chicken straight through.

"That piece was much bigger than the one I took," Nerluce whined.

Lyana examined her makeshift kebab before she snorted and ate it. She speared a second piece of chicken the same way. "I think I figured it out," she said.

"I..." Eko shook their head, knowing better than to comment.

"What?" Lyana asked, voice muffled by the food in her mouth.

"How are you going to eat your rice?" Nerluce asked with an amused smile as he lifted some rice into his mouth.

Lyana scowled and tried to stab the rice onto her chopstick like the chicken. Unfortunately, that technique did not work half as well. Nerluce grinned at the frustrated pinch in Lyana's brows. She hadn't learned how to use chopsticks before out of pride. Now it seemed was also against them out of impatience.

"I don't know how you use chopsticks, Nerluce," Eko said, using their spoon to eat the rice. "I can never get it right and... it's just so much easier to use a spoon." They swallowed a bite of rice as if to prove a point.

"Practice," Nerluce said.

"It's impossible," Lyana said, finally giving up and eating the rest of her meal with her regular utensils. "I'm just not built for chopsticks."

"How can someone not be built for chopsticks?" Nerluce asked.

"I understand the sentiment," Eko said. "But really, if I can learn how to use them, they should be easy for you to learn. It just takes patience and - like Nerluce said - practice."

"I don't know Eko," Lyana said. "I think you might just be the exception."

"Anyone can learn to use chopsticks!" Nerluce said. "They're easy."

"You grew up using them!" Lyana accused. "I grew up on the plains of Riedith. Spoons and forks were considered a luxury!"

Nerluce considered that and he supposed that Lyana might have a point. If she was still getting the hang of using a spoon, he didn't think she'd have the muscle control to be able to maneuver chopsticks. Kind of like a little kid. "Eventually you should learn. You don't want to make a fool of yourself if you're served a meal with just chopsticks."

"Well, you have to learn to eat with a fork and knife!"

"I can... I can use a fork," Nerluce said.

"Really?" Lyana asked.

"Yes!"

Nerluce hadn't done it all that often since he was able to use chopsticks for most dishes but it wasn't like he hadn't used a fork before in Lyana's presence. She just probably hadn't noticed, too invested in her own food, or the conversation to pay attention to what utensils everyone was using.

It was then that Nerluce noticed the time. He mumbled a curse and collected his dishes.

"Heading to the stables?" Eko asked.

"Yeah, sorry," Nerluce said.

"Can't you stay just a little longer?" Lyana asked. "This is the last supper we're going to eat together as disciples. Shouldn't we... savor it?"

She probably had a point but... "I have to go," Nerluce said. "Aristide is finally going to let me meet Lilith's filly."

"You're abandoning us for a horse?" Lyana asked.

"I'll be back!" Nerluce said. "We can play cards."

"You better not be lying, Nerluce Hebikoti," Eko said. "I've been wanting to take my vengeance on you for months now."

Nerluce laughed. "It's a promise!"

And with that, he deposited his dishes, gave a sympathetic nod to the poor disciples working tonight, and made his way to the stables.

Aristide - being more punctual than Nerluce - was already there, cleaning out one of the stalls. Nerluce first stopped by Eden's stall to give him his evening treat, which he happily accepted, before Nerluce made a beeline for Aristide. His robes were rumpled from the work and his hair pushed back so Nerluce could see the glittering beads of sweat on his forehead.

Beautiful as ever.

"Let's go," Nerluce said.

"Now?" Aristide asked, raising a brow. "I meant after-"

"I want to see the baby," Nerluce said. "We can get back to work as soon as you show her to me."

Aristide sighed, but relented and led the way to a different part of the barn that Nerluce was not allowed to go into. It was the place that all of the most prized horses of Ethera were kept. Horses that could not be bought through any ordinary means. Lilith had originally been back here, only moved to keep Eden from killing the horse in the stall next to him.

Now that Nerluce was a Seraph, Eden would probably have his stall moved back here. Nerluce was looking forward to it. Eden had been missing Lilith. He was probably lonely with no horse in the stall next to his. Nerluce had been trying to spend as much time as possible with him over the past two weeks to make up for her loss but... with all the final exams it had been hard. But soon enough, he wouldn't be so lonely anymore.

Aristide took Nerluce straight to Lilith's stall, not giving him time to look around or bother the other horses. When they got there, Nerluce knew two things instantly. This was Lilith's stall. It was massive - twice as big as her stall next to Eden - and that wasn't to accommodate for the filly. Because the second thing Nerluce knew was that this stall was a place that Aristide had spent a lot of time at.

His being was etched into the wood of the stall. How it was painted with stars and sunflowers and the sea. How Lilith's freshly repainted name on the stall door was in Aristide's looping, overdramatic hand. It was a place that was loved and familiar. Aristide's shoulders didn't seem as stiff as he entered.

Nerluce, cautiously, followed him in.

He'd been in Lilith's stall a grand total of four times. Two of those times, she'd tried to kill him. The odds weren't exactly great, but with Aristide there, it seemed a little less likely that she'd actually succeed in killing him. Still. She didn't look all that pleased, especially when she saw Nerluce's gaze drawn to her baby.

A filly. Nerluce had known that. A little black filly. She stood up when people entered the stall, walking forward curiously to sniff at them. Nerluce's heart melted a little bit as he reached out his hand. The filly came forward. She sniffed his palm and then snorted, coating Nerluce's hand in a combination of spit and snot.

She was adorable.

"What's her name?" Nerluce asked. "Or are you going to let Kierli name her? I can't believe you're giving a toddler the best mount to have been born in a hundred years."

"That toddler is the Chosen Light, she deserves the best mount in a hundred years," Aristide said with a glare.

"You spoil her."

Aristide scoffed. "You are one to talk. You spoil her much more than I do. I swear, she's never heard the word no come from your lips."

"She is the Chosen Light," Nerluce said with a small laugh.

The filly, seeing that neither Nerluce or Aristide had food, went to nurse. Lilith sniffed her and Nerluce felt like the mare was checking to see if her baby was hurt after dealing with someone as suspicious and untrustworthy as Nerluce. As she didn't immediately rush to kill Nerluce, he supposed he passed her check.

"Hell," Aristide said.

"What?" Nerluce asked.

"Her name," Aristide clarified. "The filly is named Hell." He flushed slightly and looked down. "The High Priestess suggested it."

"It reminds me of Eden's name."

"Yes, I think that might be why the High Priestess suggested it," Aristide said. "She wasn't happy that I wasn't disclosing Hell's sire on any of her papers. I've heard the phrase 'think of the future historians' more times than I can count over the past two weeks."

Nerluce chuckled. "Sorry," he said.

"No, no, your price was more than fair," Aristide said. "And we are lucky that Hell looks so much like her mother." He sighed. "I just took the name to placate the High Priestess. She thinks that with the names being similar, and Eden staying with us at the time Hell was born, someone might be able to make the connection."

"I probably wouldn't," Nerluce said.

"I wouldn't either," Aristide admitted.

They left the stall but did not return to their work in the other stables. Instead, Nerluce hung on the stall door, watching the baby horse. She was already so big. She'd probably be the size of Eden when she grew up. Maybe even bigger. Nerluce was a little terrified by that thought. Her contrast to her rider - a petite little girl - would also be a little terrifying.

Hell would probably be more the type of horse that people would expect Darkest Shadow to ride into battle, not the Chosen Light.

"She's amazing," Nerluce said.

"Yeah," Aristide said in agreement, but he didn't seem to be looking at the filly.

Nerluce turned to face him with a playful smile. "Thank you for taking me back here. I know it's probably against the rules."

"Since when have we let things like rules bother us?" Aristide asked.

"You're right," Nerluce said.

"I always am," Aristide said.

"You always are," Nerluce agreed because... it was probably true. Divinity wasn't called divinity just for show. "Thank you for believing in me too. I don't think... I don't think that I would be here without you."

"You would." Aristide said it with such ease and confidence it made them both flush. "You would," he said again, a little more softly.

"I'm not sure if I would."

"What happened to I am always right?" Aristide asked.

Nerluce laughed and after that, they were quiet for a long moment. It was a comfortable kind of silence, though, made tender by the scenery. The sweet smell of hay. The soft sound of horses. The odd taste of skin and salt as Nerluce dragged his tongue across his own lips. He and Aristide were close to one another, brushing shoulders in a casual exchange of intimacy.

Suddenly, Nerluce became conscious of his breathing. It was a lot like when he was using his Magick. Inhale. There was a rush. Exhale. His cheeks felt flushed. Inhale. He was close to Aristide than he was a moment ago. Exhale. Aristide's long lashes fluttered shut. Inhale. There were freckles on Aristide's cheeks. Faint as far away stars, forming constellations that only Nerluce could see. Exhale. Surender. Nerluce leaned forward.

In the distance, a horse whinnied and a trumpet blew.

The moment broke as the two boys pulled apart from one another, doing their best to hide the crimson in their cheeks. What... what had just happened? Rather, what had almost just happened?

"What... what was that?" Nerluce asked, clearing his throat and trying to straighten his thoughts. "It sounded like an Itorohian war horn."

"It is."

Aristide's ominous words were enough to force Nerluce into action. He hurried out of the stables with Aristide on his heels. They were just in time to hear the second blow of the horn and there was no mistaking it. A war horn. A chill went down Nerluce's spine. Why was someone blowing a war horn?

A crowd of people had gathered near the entrance. Nerluce and Aristide pushed their way to the front just as crimson banners crested the horizon, seeming to glow in the light of the setting sun. But not just any crimson banners. Ones marked with the white snake, symbol of the Hebikoti Clan.

And leading this group, looking as proud and noble as she ever had, was Nerluce's elder sister, Coam.

Fuck.