The aftermath of the attack on the Axium's Colosseum had left Sylvia de Floresca with mountains of paperwork, which explained why, for the past several days, she'd been stuck behind a desk.

Looking over the reports, Sylvia carefully read all of the details of each one. Unlike others, who hurried to get their work done, she understood the importance of being thorough. Also, having lived for as long as she had, she knew that patience was a virtue during instances such as this.

Most of the reports were about the reconstruction of Axium. The city around the epicenter had suffered terrible damage thanks to her final attack. Had there been any other option, she would have never used such a powerful spell in the middle of a city. Unfortunately, she'd been up against a spirit—albeit, one that had been greatly weakened due to having been forcibly summoned from its plane of existence—and therefore, her options had been limited.

The damage itself was going to be expensive, according to the report, which stated that the total reparations would be close to five-million drachma. Naturally, all of these expenses would be paid by the council coffers. They had the money thanks to their methods of taxation, which placed most of the burden on the nobility instead of the commonwealth.

The real problem lay not in the damage done to the city, but in the number of injuries and deaths. At last count, there had been around 5,000 people injured and over 1,000 dead. Not only were the deaths regrettable, but it had instilled a sense of fear in the citizens. What's more, it not only left them feeling insecure, but cast doubt about the abilities of the Sorceress Council.

Seven sorceresses had been present at this tournament—eight if she included Elincia. Despite this, someone had not only managed to successfully launch an attack on the stadium, but they'd also placed a barrier around the sorceresses, keeping them from responding for 15 precious minutes. Fortunately, Caspian and the other knight candidates had been able to evacuate the civilians with minimal casualties.

At least there is one good thing to have come out of this.

Caspian's esteem among the commonwealth and some of the nobility had risen. According to the report that she was reading, he had been responsible for saving many lives and directing the other candidates to battle against the automatons, which had since been designated Samurai.

They remind me of the Peacekeepers from Takama no Hara.

Takama no Hara was known as the land of honor and tradition. Their armor reflected their believes. The Peacekeepers in that area called themselves Samurai, a title held by those who believed in upholding honor above all else.

Rumors were stirring within Arcadia. They were nothing but whispers now, but several people believed that Takama no Hara had been the ones who'd launched the attack. This troubled Sylvia a great deal, since it cast doubt upon one of her own sorceresses.

Could Akane have been involved in their creation? But why? And for what purpose?

There was no evidence to suggest that Akane was involved. She seemed just as surprised by the automatons as everyone else. Then again, she could have been acting. There was no way to know for sure.

Either way, I think I shall have to keep an eye on Akane and Takama no Hara from now on.

Even with her decision made, those Samurai were going to be a large problem. A thorough analysis of their internal components had revealed that these automatons had an incredibly complex matrix, and they were embedded with a large number of spirit crystals. They were also mass produced creations, or so Karen believed.

Mass production was a recent term used to describe the process of creating large quantities of magical technology with the least amount of effort. A decade ago, magitech was created by hand, and crafters who were capable of building magical technology were in short supply. Now there were assembly lines where dozens of people worked on a single step in the process to create magictech. It was impressive and even a little frightening. Sylvia actually regretted letting Karen reveal magical technology to the world.

With new technologies coming out every year and new companies being produced, the world was quickly traveling down a path that she could not predict. What's more, nobles were the ones who gained the most. While new technology certainly increased the livelihood of commoners, the nobility had increased their coffers, creating an even wider gap between them and the commoners. She had spent centuries slowly bridging that divide, but all that effort had gone to waste with the advent of magitech.

As she lamented the dissemination of one of her carefully laid out plans, a knock sounded at the door.

"You may enter," she called.

The door opened and D'artagnan walked in. He was carrying a stack of papers in his hand.

She sighed. It seemed like today was going to be another long day.

***

The days passed by and repairs were going smoothly.

Caspian wasn't part of the people who'd been tasked with repairs. They had a manual labor task force for that—carpenters and architects and construction workers. He'd seen them carrying supplies through the city, though he'd not been allowed in the construction zoned. Those places had been blocked off by large signs.

After waking up early in the morning, Caspian met Derek in the courtyard and they sparred. Even though the tournament was over, he couldn't allow himself to stand idle, not after witnessing the prowess of the other knights.

"Good! Very good!" Derek cheered as he and Caspian clashed. "You're movements are much quicker and more decisive than before! Ha ha! I can see that you're going all out now!"

"I've learned my lesson about holding back!" Caspian replied as his swung blade sparked against Derek's massive claymore.

Back and forth the two went. Caspian kept himself from becoming complacent and constantly pressed his attack, mixing different styled swings into the choreographed flow of his assault. Derek wasn't harried by this. He moved his blade with both hands, one gripping the handle and the other holding the flat of his blade. While it looked unwieldy, the style of defense proved to be quite effective.

"Indeed? I'm glad to see that. I was wondering when you'd get serious!"

Shoving against his sword, Derek pushed Caspian back. The older man then took his claymore in both hands and, yelling in exertion, swung his blade down.

"Halkaista," Caspian whispered as he swung his blade sideways, cleaving straight through the shock wave Derek launched at him.

"I have no clue how you did that, but I'm impressed!" Derek laughed as he burst forward and swung his blade down.

Caspian knew better than to block and leapt backwards. The claymore dug into the earth, causing great chunks of dirt to be launched into the air, scattering like debris after an explosion. As the dust cleared, Derek lifted his blade and set it on his shoulder. He was grinning.

"Well, I wouldn't say you've improved, but that was never really the purpose of our spars anyway."

"Are you telling me the reason for our spars was so you could force me to stop holding myself in check?"

Derek shrugged. "You're a kind young man, and there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I applaud you for it. However, there's a time and place for kindness, and the battlefield isn't one of them. When you're out there, fighting for your life, holding yourself back is only going to get you and your sorceress killed."

"I know that," Caspian muttered.

"That's good. It means you're one step closer to becoming a man."

"Please stop talking like an old fart."

Derek just laughed in reply.

***

Duke De'Falco Genitore sat in a small office that he'd commandeered for his use. There was quite a bit of paperwork that he needed to finish, and he'd like to have it done within the next few days.

He was still in Axium. Having determined that it would be better for him if he remained in the small city, Duke De'Falco had done his best to present the front of a concerned noble helping his sorceress allies.

Using his vast wealth, he'd started a relief program to help the common folks recover their losses. By funding a relief program, he not only endeared himself to the peasants, but he also allayed any suspicion that might have befallen him. Nobody would suspect that he'd been one of the people behind what happened when he was so adamant on helping others.

Such a course of action seemed to have worked. Everybody was grateful to the "compassionate and charismatic" duke. The peasants of Axium loved him, and even the sorceresses had taken time out of their day to thank him.

The fools. They don't even know they're being used.

"Duke De'Falco," Seras called from the other side of the door seconds before knocking, "I come bearing the report that you requested."

"Please, come in, Seras," Duke De'Falco said.

The door opened and Seras walked in, still wearing her maid uniform, but also wearing the necklace that he'd bought her when they'd first arrived. Walking up to his desk, she set the scroll that she'd been carrying in front of him.

"Thank you for delivering this," Duke De'Falco said. "You may go now. Why don't you enjoy the bath house that this inn boasts of?"

"Of course, My Lord. Thank you."

Unfurling the scroll as Seras unobtrusively left the room, Duke De'Falco read it over, a smile growing on his face. "It seems the Sorceress Council has taken several hits, as of late. The people have begun to lose faith in them."

"That is no surprise, considering what happened during the tournament," a voice said several meters to his right.

He looked over at his companion. She sat on a comfortable sofa, leaning back, her right leg crossed over her left one. She didn't have the hood thrown over her head. Her long blond hair was done up in braids that dangled from her head like decorative threads. Icy blue eyes peered at him from a childish face that was set in a frown belying her appearance. As always, the sorceress looked composed.

"Indeed. While our main goal of eliminating the new sorceress failed, I do believe we have accomplished a good thing here."

"That young man—Caspian, I believe it was. There is something unusual about him," his companion said.

"Making understatements now, are we? I didn't know you had the talent."

"I have many talents. Don't assume that you know all of them."

Even as he joked with his companion, he could not help but agree with her. There was, indeed, something odd about the one called Caspian Ignis del Sol. While his skill with a sword was impressive, it was his fortitude and unusual abilities that stood out. That poison should have forced his body to shut down and go into a deathlike state, yet he'd not only remained awake, he'd also defeated Julius. What's more, that boy had been able to slice through boulders like they were made of paper. A normal human should not have been able to do that without decades of training. Certainly, it was beyond the grasp of an 18 year old boy.

Still...

"I do not think we need to worry," Duke De'Falco said at last. "While we did not achieve the most desirable result, it is not as if eliminating this new sorceress will hinder our ultimate goal."

"The destruction of the Sorceress Council," his companion said.

"Yes." Duke De'Falco smiled. "Soon, the nobility shall ascend to the position they'd once held before the sorceresses stole it from us, and in doing so, you're revenge against the one who wronged you will finally be complete."

***

Days turned into weeks.

It had taken a long time, but after nearly two weeks of nonstop work and extensive use of spiritual Evocation from Akane, who specialized in summoning earth spirits of the Shinto Clan, Axium had been completely repaired. The colosseum remade and the shopping district rebuilt, everything appeared as if it was brand new. While this did not quell the sense of unease that lurked beneath the surface, it went a long way toward helping ease the burden of the common folks.

Of course, with the colosseum fully rebuilt, it was officially time to bring a close to the Sorceress's Knight's Tournament. The closing ceremony, which had not been possible thanks to the colosseum's destruction, was planned to commence within the next few hours.

It had been decided that Caspian was the victor. At first, there had been plans of having him and Darin fight again, but Darin put a stop to that by forfeiting when the idea had been brought up.

Being the victor, Caspian had been taken from the academy during breakfast and driven to the colosseum. There, he met up with Cassidy, Derek, and Erica, who'd followed him to the changing room, where he'd then been forced into knightly ceremonial armor.

Caspian did not like the armor very much. Sure, it gleamed with the freshly polished shine of mithril, and, looking at himself in the mirror, he couldn't deny that it certainly gave him a knightly air. But, it was just so cumbersome. He couldn't run in something like this, and he wouldn't be able to fight if something happened.

Why Sylvia decided to make this hunk of junk the traditional armor of Arcadia's Knights is beyond me.

"Please hold still, Lord Caspian," Cassidy said from behind him. "I need to add the finishing touches."

"I am holding still—and are you really going to start calling me 'Lord' now? I really wish you wouldn't. Just Caspian will do fine."

"I cannot do that, Lord Caspian," Cassidy replied as she began affixing the dark crimson cape to his shoulders. "Since you are about to become a knight, I must afford you the proper—kya!"

Caspian winced when a loud tearing sound followed Cassidy's scream. He looked behind him to see the young woman sitting on her backside, rubbing her sore bottom. She was holding the remains of his cape in her hands... the other half was still attached to his shoulders.

His armor clinked together as he turned around and offered a hand to Cassidy, who looked at it through her dewy eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"I-I'm so sorry," Cassidy apologized as she allowed Caspian to haul her back to her feet. "I was trying... I was trying to help you get ready for your knighting ceremony, but I'm such a clutz..."

"Yeah, you are," Caspian agreed. The grin on his face softened his words. "But you know what? I kinda like that side of you."

"Buwa?" was Cassidy's elegant reply.

"Ufufufu," Erica laughed. "When did you become such a smooth talker, Caspie dear?"

"What are you talking about?" Caspian asked.

Erica stood in the room with Tiffania, Derek, Collafloore. Supposedly, they'd come to help him get ready. Caspian personally believed that Erica just wanted to amuse herself by watching her maid's antics, or maybe she simply wanted to piss off Sylvia. He honestly couldn't figure her out.

That was probably a good thing, he'd concluded to himself.

Shaking her head, Erica chuckled under her breath. "Nothing. In any case, I assumed that something like this would happen, so I've taken the liberty of having an extra shoulder cape tailored for you. Derek?"

"My Lady!"

Derek snapped off a salute, banging his right against across his chest. He then turned around and opened a chest that had been set off to the side. From within the chest emerged a dark crimson shoulder cape, an exact replica of the one that Cassidy had just ripped, which he handed to Erica.

"Since I don't want this to get ripped, why don't I put it on you," Erica determined.

"I'll help!" Tiffania shouted, raising her hand right hand. The smile on her face was that of an innocent child who wanted to be useful.

"Ufufu, very well. Tiffa, dear, come here and help me put this on."

"Yay!"

Derek sniffled and bit the leather of his gauntlet. "Ooh! Caspian is having Lady Erica put a cape on him! I'm so jealous!"

The look on Collafloore's face could have been loosely defined as "disgust," but Caspian thought "revulsion" worked better.

"You seriously disturb me," the half-elf said, scooting away from the older man in red amor.

Erica finished attaching the shoulder cape to Caspian's armor with Tiffania's help. As the cape settled around his shoulders, she stepped back and clapped her hands.

"There," she said, her eyes alight with satisfaction. "Now, let's take a look at you."

Caspian did not appreciate the look Erica gave him. Her eyes glanced up and down, taking him in. He felt like prime beef hanging from a butcher's shop. Was this how women felt when men stared at them as they walked down the road? How creepy.

"Not bad," Erica murmured in approval. "This style of armor doesn't really suit you, but I won't deny that you look rather dashing. Don't you think so, Cassidy?"

"Ah!" Cassidy gasped. Caspian couldn't see her, as she stood behind him, but he could imagine her wide-eyed expression. "Y-yes. He looks very dashing."

"Caspie looks like a knight!" Tiffania added.

Erica offered her an indulgent smile. "That's because he is a knight."

"So cool!" Tiffania squealed. Caspian winced as the sound pierced his eardrums.

"Anyway, I believe it's about time we got to our seats," Erica continued. "Come along everybody; Tiffa, Derek, Cassidy, Colliflower."

"For the last time, it's Collafloore!"

Caspian watched the group leave his room. As the door shut behind them, he turned back to stare at his reflection.

I'm nervous...

Now that Erica and her entourage were gone, Caspian felt jittery. They'd done a good job of keeping his mind occupied, but without them, all he could think about was what would be coming.

The knighting ceremony. It was a ceremony in which a knight and a sorceress were bound together through the use of an elven ancient ritual. Caspian had never been to a knighting ceremony before, but they were described in great detail within the books he'd read.

It was said that the bonding ceremony was different for each pair, so he did not know what to expect. What would it feel like when he became Elincia's knight? Part of him was nervous by the thought, but another part was excited.

The doors opened once more.

"Excuse me, Lord Caspian," Lacy, Sylvia's head maid, intruded upon his thoughts. "It is time for the ceremony to begin. If you would follow me."

Caspian took a deep, shuddering breath. Wiping the sweat from his hands onto the blue raiment underneath his armor, he followed Lacy out of the room.

The knighting ceremony was taking place in the colosseum. This was due to the size required for the ceremony itself, but it was also because of how momentous this event was.

A new sorceress being inducted through the Sorceress Knight's Tournament was a rare event. The tournament didn't happen very often. Since the first tournament, which had happened over 500 years ago, there had only been about 24 tournaments in total. Only a sorceress who would eventually hold a seat of power, such as a place on the council or becoming the overseer of a city, was given a knight through this method. Most sorceresses chose their knights from the Peacekeepers.

Lacy stopped in front of a large set of double doors. Two Peacekeepers stood on either side, and as he and the maid approached, they saluted and pushed the doors open.

Lacy turned to him. "This is as far as I can go. Please proceed up the stairs, Lord Caspian."

Caspian withheld a grimace. He'd always wanted to have the respect of others, but being called "Lord" made him feel dirty.

"WIll do. Thank you."

He slowly marched up the stone steps, using that time to calm his racing heart. The stairway soon opened into the arena, which looked vastly different than he remembered. Banners hung from the walls in a plethora of festive colors. The people filling the stadium were likewise quite joyous. However, it was the arena itself that held most of his attention.

Lines of power had been drawn. Symbols of an archaic design flowed across the ground. Ancient elvish runes written within a circle of power, that was what this was. Caspian couldn't begin to guess their meaning. Even though he knew a little ancient elvish—Elincia had taught him some—he was not well-versed in the language. However, one thing was certain. This magic circle, this elaborate array, was the ritual that would bind him and Elincia together for eternity.

Elincia was already there. Like him, she'd been dressed up. The light purple gown that she wore flattered her figure well. White accents ran along the hem. The top was tighter across the chest, conforming to her modest bosoms and thin waist. It then flared out slightly at the hips. The dress ended at her ankles, which allowed him a glimpse of heeled slippers the same color as her dress.

The other sorceresses from the council were also there. Dressed in gowns from their home country, each of the six sorceresses stood within a circle, a smaller one than Elincia's, which kissed the edge of the circle that she was in.

He barely heard the roaring crowd as he stepped onto the circle. He barely paid attention to the hushed silence that fell over the crowd when the circle lit up. Even the lights from the circle itself hardly registered to him. Most of his attention was focused on Elincia, no one but her.

With his gaze, which saw beyond the perception of humans, Caspian's vision of Elincia was enhanced. He could see the shine in her eyes when he entered the circle. The twitch of her lips, signs that she was fighting against a smile, threatened to make him smile as well. Her cheeks were pink, showing her embarrassment, and her legs shook with nervousness. He imagined that she was feeling every bit as happy as she was faint-hearted. It was a feeling that he understood well.

He stopped in front of Elincia... and paused.

W-what am I supposed to now?

Elincia stared at him. She was waiting for something. Caspian knew that he needed to do something, but he couldn't remember what. It was... it was...

Eh?

He looked at her hand, which had a single finger extended and pointed at the ground.

Ground...? ground wha... oh! Right! Kneel.

Pretending that his pause had been done on purpose, Caspian knelt, with one knee touching the ground and the other bent at a 90 degree angle in front of him. Placing a hand against his chest, he bowed his head.

"Caspian Ignis del Sol," Elincia's voice rang clearly throughout the colosseum. Her voice held a shook. She had the harder task between the two of them. He felt for her. "Do you swear your fealty to me, from this moment on, until the day you die?"

"I do," Caspian said clearly. She was going through all of this, allowing herself to be embarrassed in front of thousands of people, for him. He couldn't screw this up.

"Do you promise to protect me, to serve me, to defend my honor, and to remain ever vigilant against those who would seek to harm me?"

"I do."

"Then rise. Rise and bind yourself to me as my knight."

Caspian stood up, slowly, steadily, trying to convey a sense of confidence, even though all he wanted to do was lock himself in a room away from all of the prying eyes. This was it. The moment that he'd been both anticipating and dreading for several years had arrived.

The knighting ceremony was a unique method used to tie the life of a male and a female. It was a ceremony that invoked ancient magic.

However, binding one life to another was no small feat. It required two things to be given, prerequisites to the binding process. Mana.

In a normal elven ritual, the mana would have been supplied by both of the elves. The sorceress had been forced to adjust the ritual to accommodate for the fact that human females didn't possess enough to initiate the ritual and males had no mana to speak of.

The mana was supplied by the other sorceresses, who each summoned a spirit from the elements of earth, fire, wind, water, lightning, and aether. The other key, which was required from the knight and the sorceress being bound, was an exchange of genetics. In other words, a kiss.

Blood would have worked, too, but no one wanted to watch two people bleeding on each other, so a kiss it was.

His hand moving involuntarily, Caspian hesitantly reached out and touched Elincia's face. As his fingers caressed her cheek, Elincia placed her own hand over his and leaned into his touch. Swallowing, Caspian tried to wet his suddenly dry mouth. Those large blue eyes, which appeared more vast than the sky and deeper than the sea, threatened to swallow him whole. Doing his best to ignore the flutter of butterflies in his stomach, Caspian leaned down as Elincia leaned up. There was a single second of hesitation right before they touched lips, and then...

Euphoria.

Caspian didn't think he would ever be able to describe what it felt like to kiss Elincia. In the years to come, he was sure that he'd try, but no words could adequately describe what he felt in that moment.

Elincia's lips were soft, almost impossibly so. It felt like chiffon slipping over his mouth. His hand had long since left her cheek, and it was now resting on the delicate curve of her hip, along with the other hand. Likewise, Elincia had placed her hands on the back of his neck, the only place where his skin was visible.

Even more than the feeling of her lips was the sudden sense of completion. It was as if a part of him that he'd not even known went missing had suddenly come back, pieces of a puzzle clicking together, forming a whole.

He could feel Elincia's presence within him, a warmth that started from his chest and spread to the rest of his body. Thoughts that were not his entered his mind. Feelings that belonged to another pervaded his thoughts. Love for him. Compassion for others. Concern about not being able to meet the expectations of those around her. Elincia's mind poured into him, melded with him, until it became impossible for him to know where she began and he ended.

And then the moment was over. The light from the circle faded, and with it, Elincia's mind seemed to pull back. However, a connection still remained. He could feel it, like a small sphere floating within his chest. Through it, he could sense Elincia.

Pulling back, Caspian stared at the wide-eyed Elincia. He could see his own amazed expression reflected in her oceanic eyes.

That was...

... amazing.

Caspian blinked. That last word had not been spoken in his voice. Feminine and soft, familiar and endearing, that had definitely been Elincia's voice that he'd heard within his mind.

He had no time to ponder this further, for Sylvia stepped out of her circle and wandered over to them.

"Citizens of Arcadia, of Terraria," Sylvia started, speaking in a grand voice that echoed across the vast colosseum. "May I present to you, your newest knight and sorceress, Caspian Ignis del Sol and Elincia Havens Fairchild."

A moment of silence passed before the audience broke out into an uproar of applause. As he stood there, trying not to feel self-conscious under the weight of everyone's cheering, Elincia reached out and clasped his hand. Even though she was clearly still embarrassed, a joyful smile graced her lips. Smiling back, Caspian calmed his mind as he felt Elincia's emotions through her touch.

I've finally been able to make good on my promise, he thought.

Yes, you have, Elincia's voice came back to him.

In that moment, Caspian knew that no matter the obstacles, he and Elincia would overcome them together.