The early morning sun glared down on Caspian as he wandered the streets of Axium. He was looking for the inn that Erica was staying at. With everything that had happened, he couldn't remember the precise location, but he was sure that it was somewhere within this section of the city.

He'd left Elincia to the other sorceresses. She would be safe there, he knew. Elincia had also mentioned that she had something she needed to do.

The streets weren't busy. With the first day of the festival done and over with, Caspian assumed that most of the population was currently nursing a nasty hangover. With the streets clear, he was able to make good time and quickly find the place where Erica and her entourage were residing.

The Boar's Hat was an older tavern. The building showed its age. Bricks were fading, the roof had clearly been retiled several times as many of the tiles were different colors, and the entrance door appeared weathered. As he stepped onto the raised platform, the wooden planks beneath him creaked ominously. He ignored this and walked into the tavern.

Several patrons were already up. Some appeared to be eating breakfast while reading the newspaper, and others appeared to be, as he suspected, nursing a bad hangover. Walking past several worn down round tables, Caspian walked up to the bar, where the barkeeper was wide awake and wearing a belligerent expression.

No rest for the weary, I suppose.

"Excuse me," Caspian said. "Which room can I find Erica in?"

The man placed his hands on the table, palms splayed, and frowned at him. "What'll ya be havin?"

Caspian frowned. "I'm not here for breakfast. I'd simply like to find Erica."

"If you ain't gonna order something, I ain't got no reason to answer yer questions."

Caspian struggled to keep a lid on his emotions. The reason this man was acting this way was because nobody was paying attention to them, and he could afford to be a jerk. While Caspian didn't know this man, the innkeeper clearly knew him. It was no surprise, really, but it did grate on his nerves.

He was just about to tell this man where he could shove it—

"Caspian?"

—when a voice spoke up behind him.

Caspian stood up and turned around. Derek stood before him. He was dressed, as always, in his red suit of armor, and the giant claymore that he carried hung easily from his back. Caspian wondered if the man ever took that armor off.

"Derek, I was looking for you."

"Oh? You were looking for me?" Derek didn't look surprised, nor did he sound shocked. "I'm guessing you'd like me to train you." It wasn't a question.

"Uh, yes. How did you—?"

"Erica told me that you might stop by and ask for training. She's already gone to meet with Elincia."

"Oh..."

"Hey, Derek," Collafloore called out as he came down the stairs. "Do you know where—oh! Caspian. What are you doing here?"

"Caspian has come to me for training." Derek's chest seemed to swell with pride. "I'm going to be training him."

Collafloore looked uninspired. "Well, that's nice. Now, could you tell me where my sister is?"

"She went with Erica," Derek said, his shoulders slumping.

"Damn that woman," Collafloore swore. "She's always wandering off with Tiffania!"

"So," Derek turned back to Caspian, "Are you ready to begin training?"

"Um..." Caspian needed a moment to respond properly. "Yes. I'm ready."

"Then let's go."

Caspian followed Derek out the door. He could still hear Collafloore swearing and cursing about how Erica had stolen his sister from him. It really made Caspian question the nature of the boy's love for his sister. He seemed to be acting more like a jealous boyfriend whose girlfriend had been stolen from him.

Whatever, It isn't any of my business.

As they walked down the short steps, a door slammed open behind them and someone started shouting. "Hey! Are you two listening to me?! Tell that witch to give my sister back to me! Hey! Hey!"

Caspian ignored the shouts.

What else was new?

***

Lady Erica arrived at the mansion sometime around noon. She brought Tiffania with her.

Lady Sylvia had just finished scolding Elincia about last night, claiming that she had acted recklessly by sneaking off and how she shouldn't go off on her own again.

"You need to understand your importance, Elincia. You are the key to bridging the gap between humans and elves. No one but you can bring about the lasting peace that I've strived for all these centuries. You need to take better care of yourself. Stop acting so recklessly."

Elincia wilted under Lady Sylvia's stare. "I'm sorry."

"If saying sorry was all it took to appease others, then this world would already be at peace. If you're really sorry, then you'll listen to what I have to say."

Elincia tried not to squirm. She hated it when Lady Sylvia berated her like this, because she always felt like a child being told off by their parent—actually, it was even worse because Lady Sylvia didn't feel like a parent. In some ways, Elincia felt kind of like a tool, an object that Lady Sylvia was using to bring about her ultimate peace. She knew that her way of thinking was foolish, but whenever she was treated like a glass doll, that was how she felt.

"I understand," Elincia murmured softly. "I... I'll be more conscientious of what I'm doing."

"Good. Now, then, the other sorceress and I must speak with Headmaster Stratello about the foreign students who've come to participate in the tournament. Our Knights will stay with you, so please remain here."

"There is no need for that," Lady Erica said as she walked into the room. "Since I do not have any duties to attend to right now, I shall stay with Elincia and ensure that she is protected."

Lady Sylvia gave Lady Erica a cold look that Elincia had never seen before. It was an expression that was so icy it could have frozen magma.

"The only reason you do not have any duties to attend to is because you irresponsibly left Ashtown to come here. You should return home, Overseer."

The way Lady Sylvia said "Overseer," as if it was a poisonous word, made the hairs on Elincia's neck prickle. Why was Lady Sylvia so hostile to Lady Erica?

"Now, now." Lady Erica smiled widely. "There's no need to get worked up just because I've decided to take a little vacation."

Lady Sylvia's glare was bone-chilling. The look wasn't even directed at her, but Elincia still felt a shiver run down her spine. How Lady Erica could remain so unaffected was beyond her.

"Now there's that expression I've grown so fond of." Lady Erica sounded delighted. Elincia wondered if she was crazy. "However, if it's my lack of work that you are concerned with, you needn't worry. I made sure that all of my paperwork was finished before I came here. I have also set up someone to send any important documents to me via carry eagle. So you see, there isn't really a problem."

Lady Erica's lips quirked.

"Are there anymore concerns that you would like me to address?" she asked, her expression reminiscent of a cat that had just eaten a canary. Lady Sylvia did not look pleased.

Lady Sylvia hadn't been able to dispute Lady Erica's words, and so she'd left in something of a huff with the other sorceress.

Elincia had been quite shocked to see the woman that she'd known for years act like that. It made her curious about Lady Sylvia's relationship with Lady Erica. Why did they hate each other so much? She wanted to know, but she was afraid of asking.

"Sylvia and I have never really gotten along," Lady Erica said suddenly.

Elincia looked up, startled. "W-what?"

With a knowing smile, Lady Erica took a sip of her wine. "That's what you were thinking about, was it not? You were wondering about why Sylvia hates me so much?"

"U-uh, n-no. That wasn't—"

"It's because we have different ideologies," Lady Erica interrupted. Elincia went silent. Tiffania, who'd not been paying attention up to this point, looked up at them with curious eyes. "Sylvia had tried to shape me into what she believes to be the perfect sorceress from the moment she brought me into the fold. But I have never really been the type to conform, and I couldn't believe in her idea that a sorceress must separate herself from all of her emotions to perform her duty, especially emotions like love."

"Love?"

"Does that surprise you?"

Elincia took a moment to respond. When she did, she chose each word carefully. "A little bit. It's a well-documented historical fact that you go through a knight every decade or so because of, um, reasons." She tried not to blush at the thought of those reasons. "You also told me not to fall in love with Caspian. Because of that, I always thought you believed in only the physical aspects of a relationship. All of the history books I've read feature you also say that."

"Yes, I imagine the history books would say that." Erica didn't seem too bothered by this fact. "It's not like I've made it a habit of trying to dissuade people who don't matter from believing otherwise. In the end, their opinions mean less than the dirt underneath my shoes. Now, I believe it is time we began our lesson, yes?"

"R-right!"

Elincia straightened up. She and Lady Erica were sitting at a table in the study lounge. The brown carpet complimented the wooden walls, which gave the room a warm appearance. Several shelves lined with books were situated against the wall farthest from the door. A stone fireplace was built into a wall several meters from them, and a fire crackled merrily within it.

"I'm assuming you already know about Spiritual Evocation, yes?" Lady Erica asked.

"Um, yes, I know a bit about it. Lady Sylvia's been teaching me when she can."

"Considering how little time Sylvia has to teach, I'm surprised she even made an attempt," Lady Erica said before dispelling the thought with a head shake. "Spiritual Evocation is the act of summoning and taking in a spirit's power through the use of a chant, otherwise known as an aria."

Elincia knew that much, however, she'd never had much use for arias. Because of her elven blood, the power flowing through her veins was altogether different from those of a human sorceress. She didn't even know if Spiritual Evocation would work for her.

I should try using an aira again. It didn't work last time, but maybe there was a reason for that.

"Now, arias are, as you probably know, a series of verses that a sorceresses speaks to use Spiritual Evocation. Words have power. Arias are using specific words that resonate with the heart. Arias can be anywhere from single verse chants to fifteen verse chants. I believe the longest chant ever recorded was twenty verses. It was the chant that Sylvia used to destroy an entire forest during the Elven Wars."

Elincia knew a lot about the Elven Wars. It had been the war in which humanity rose up against the elves who had enslaved them and fought their way to freedom. Lady Sylvia had been born sometime during the beginning stages of the war, and she'd been the one who paved the way to victory over the elves. Thanks to her, humanity had been freed from elven oppression.

"The longer the chant the more power you summon from the spirit you're summoning. Arias are basically what we use to summon a spirit and allow it to inhabit our body long enough to use a spell. For example: Oh, Amaterasu, grant unto me the power of light."

Lady Erica chanted a short aria and held up her hand. Elincia watched as light gathered along the tips of Lady Erica's index and middle fingers, which she'd extended into the air. The light then formed an orb above her fingers, a globe about the size of Elincia's fist.

"This is a simple single verse aria." Lady Erica dispelled the light sphere. "Longer arias summon more power at the cost of being longer, which is why we have knights. Their main duty is to protect us while we chant an aria."

Elincia raised her hand. "Um, can I ask a question?"

"Don't raise your hand, dear. This isn't a classroom."

"Right. Sorry." Elincia brought her hand back down.

"What was your question?" Lady Erica asked before taking a sip of her wine.

"How does one go about creating their own chant? I've actually tried summoning the way Lady Sylvia does by using a chant of hers that I memorized years back, but it never worked for me."

"Arias are something that come from inside of us," Erica explained. "They are a lot like fingerprints. Each one is unique to the person using it. No two chants will ever be the same, even if the end result is the same. That is why you weren't able to summon a spirit using one of Sylvia's chants."

"So I see."

So, even if I could use Spiritual Evocation, it wouldn't have worked with one of Lady Sylvia's chants, despite how we use the same clan.

Elincia didn't know much about Spiritual Evocation beyond the basics. When asked, Lady Sylvia had said that it was because she was an elf, and therefore she couldn't use Spiritual Evocation. Elincia had accepted those words at face value, but a part of her had always wanted to learn how to use an aria.

"Now, I want to see you come up with your own aria," Erica said suddenly.

"E-excuse me?"

"An aria. Come up with a aria."

"Right now?"

"No time like the present."

Elincia was startled. How could Erica ask this of her? She couldn't come up with a chant on the spot! She wasn't mentally prepared for this!

"Um..."

"What are you doing just sitting there for? Stand up and start chanting!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Elincia leapt from her seat with a squeak. She could feel her skin break out into a cold sweat as Lady Erica stared at her. The older woman crossed her legs and arms as she continued watching her like a tigress eying its prey.

"Well?" she asked, raising a perfectly trimmed eyebrow.

"Um... I can't... think of anything."

"Arias come from inside of you," Erica explained again. "You don't think them up, so much as you think of what you need and they come to you naturally. For example, by thinking about how dark it is and how you wish you had a light to see, a chant should appear in your mind, allowing you to summon light."

"That... makes sense."

"Then go ahead and try it. Instead of thinking about the words, focus on what you need or want."

Elincia closed her eyes and tried to think of what she wanted. This was, most unfortunately, far harder than she'd imagined it would be. She couldn't think of anything that she needed or wanted aside from becoming strong enough to stand beside Caspian.

I need to get my mind off Caspian for now. Focus. Think. Something I want. A light? Fire? No, too destructive. A light, then. I need light. I need light. I need light.

Elincia thought hard about how she needed light, and as she did, a strange feeling came over her. It felt like she was being encased in a thin layer of plastic, like something was being laid over her. She tried to hold onto that feeling, to take into herself.

"Gya!"

Pain struck her, suddenly and swiftly. Elincia fell to the ground, gasping for breath. It felt like her insides were being burned! It hurt. It hurt it hurt it hurt it—

"Oh, crap! Elincia! Cut off the flow to your mana! Cut it off!" a voice shouted at her. Elincia tried to do as the voice said, but she couldn't concentrate. Her mind felt like it was being sucked into a vapid whirlpool of agony. She could do nothing as her very being was ripped apart at the seams.

Her mind went white. Her pain reached a crescendo. Then everything went black.

Darkness engulfed her.

***

Caspian stood in a courtyard with Derek. It was the one furthest from the academy proper, right next to one of the five walls that formed the pentagon surrounding the school.

The grass crunched underneath Caspian's feet as he shifted. Derek stood several feet away, clad in gleaming red steel. His claymore was held in his left hand and the blunt end rested on his shoulder.

The man didn't move. Instead, he seemed to be waiting. Caspian understood. This was a test. The one who moved first would lose.

A trickle of sweat fell down Caspian's scalp. Before now, he would have been confident in his chances of victory against Derek, but after last night, his confidence had been shaken. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. If he wanted to become stronger, then fighting against a strong opponent, a knight, was his only course of action.

Derek slid his left foot along the ground. Caspian's eyes narrowed.

Now!

Caspian darted forward and swung his blade, which was seen only as a flicker of silver. Derek's weapon was a claymore, a large and heavy weapon. There was no way that he could block—

Clang!

Caspian's arms shook as his sword was blocked. He didn't know when, nor even how, but Derek had somehow moved his massive weapon in time to block Caspian's attack. The older man stood with his knees bent. His claymore was in front of him, halting the strike that would have cut him down the middle.

Leaping back, Caspian felt resistence against his feet as he slid along the ground. He bent his knees, absorbing the kinetic energy and using it to throw himself into a quick sprint. Reaching Derek in record time, he spun around and attacked from the left. His attack was so fast not even he could see it. There was no way that Derek could—

Clang!

Caspian's eyes bulged as Derek once again blocked his attack. Rather than let himself be daunted, he spun around and attacked from the right.

Clang!

His attack was blocked again. And again. And again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Spinning on the balls of his feet, Caspian acted like he was going to swing his blade from below, but then he suddenly let go of the sword. As his weapon fell to the ground, he kicked Derek in the shin to knock him off balance—or that was the plan. When Derek leapt backwards in a surprising display of speed, Caspian stumbled. Derek then gripped his claymore in both hands and swung it down. Hard.

What is he doing? Even with that claymore, I'm still too far for him to—

"Bwaff!"

Caspian felt like he'd been smacked in the chest with Thor's warhammer when, without warning, a powerful gust of compressed wind smashed into him. All of the wind was knocked out of his lungs as he was lifted into the air. He saw the blue sky blur in front of him, and then his vision went white as pain exploded in his back. When he came to, he was lying on the ground, with a figure standing over him, eclipsing the sun.

"You okay?" Derek asked.

Caspian tried to say, "what the hell was that?!" but it sounded more like, "buffuku wugu."

"Sorry about that. I haven't had a chance to test out my strength since regaining it, so it's a bit harder for me to hold back. You're not too hurt, are you?"

"... I hate you so much now," Caspian said bitingly after regaining the ability to speak.

"That's not a nice thing to say," Derek replied, his shoulders drooping.