Simon greeted them when they entered the archive. “Good morning to you all.”
“Morning,” Gregory replied back, trying to put some happiness into his voice, but failing.
“Something is wrong?” Simon asked.
“It’s our last week together,” Yukiko told Simon. “Our last week here, too.”
“Ah, because you are going off to the tournament with Buldoun. Yes, but you might come back for your initiate or adept years.”
“No…” Jenn said. “Our elder already told us.”
Simon nodded slowly. “Ah, I see.”
“Life does mean distance at times,” Sarinia said, coming out from behind the closest row of shelves. “While there is life, there is hope for reunion.”
“That’s true,” Gregory agreed, “and some of us will only be apart for a year or two, but others… we’re not sure. It’s just been nice to have our friends beside us for so long… to come here and garner knowledge to help us on our way… to see the children when we had days off.”
Sarinia moved closer. “Yes. It is painful, but that is life. Anyone telling you differently is probably trying to sell you something.”
“It just weighs heavily on us,” Clover said. “We knew it would probably happen, but now, it’s here.”
“We’d hoped that maybe we’d see them during the month between years,” Daciana added.
“But we were told no,” Nessa said, taking Daciana’s hand in hers.
“And will that break you?” Sarinia asked. “I find it hard to believe that anything short of disaster would shatter your friendships.”
“It won’t break our friendships,” Victoria said, “but it’s the moment of the cut. It stings now, and it will dull and heal in time.”
Sarinia smiled. “Yes, that is the way. I’ve lost many friends and family. It always hurts, even when you know they’re just leaving for a time. In fact, one of mine will be leaving with the group to the tournament.”
“Who?” Gregory asked.
“Rafiq. He is to record the event. After that, he’s being tasked with more by the academy. It will hurt when one of my good friends goes, but it is a good thing for him, so I hold back my pain and wish him well.”
“As we should,” Ling said. She bowed her head. “We’ll be here for years, and we look forward to continuing to learn, Chief Archivist. If we can do more to assist this great institution, Clover and I will be glad to do so.”
“Yes,” Clover said quickly, nodding along with Ling.
“I will see what might be done,” Sarinia smiled, her muzzle creasing to show teeth. “Novices, I look forward to seeing you, as well. I assume you will be just as studious as apprentices?”
“As much as we can,” Nessa said. “Like our seniors, we’ll be unable to make it at times, but when we can, we’ll be here.”
“Excellent. Aether’s Guard has been the most studious clan we’ve seen in… decades. Study well, and I wish you luck in the tournaments. I will be there to see if you can repeat your championship showings, or if one of you might triumph over the others who stopped you last time.”
“Thank you,” the group said, bowing to her. When they straightened back up, she was gone.
“Did you need new books?” Simon asked.
~*~*~
Rufous caught their mood and stayed quiet as they rode to Gin’s residence. Guess it would be Aether’s Shelter, now, Rufous thought as he stopped on the street. There was a sign above the door of the building, declaring it as more than a home now.
Gregory looked at the sign and smiled. It felt right to him, like it was meant to be just this way. Shaking his head, he gave Rufous a nod. “Thank you.”
“Always a pleasure,” Rufous said. “I’ll be back on time.”
“We’ll be waiting,” Gregory said as he hopped down, helping the women out of the carriage.
Gregory felt a touch of melancholy as he did. He’d only done it a handful of times, but like this place becoming an orphanage, this felt right to him, too. Helping each of them out with a smile felt natural to him.
Daciana was the last one out of the carriage this time, and she stumbled as she stepped down. Gregory caught her, then quickly moved his hands, having caught her in the wrong place. His face was burning as much as hers was while he steadied her. He started to panic, but then recalled what Darkness had told him. He exhaled, knowing this is what she meant.
“You okay?” Gregory asked.
“Yes,” Daciana whispered. She leaned against him for a second, hiding her face.
Everyone by the door was watching them with raised eyebrows. They’d seen his hands when he’d caught her, then seen when he’d moved them. Daciana righted herself and mumbled a “thank you” before rushing to the door.
Elsa opened the door when she got there, as Jenn had knocked on it before the slip. “Welcome to Aether’s Shelter, magi,” she greeted them professionally, a hint of sadness in her voice.
Yukiko tried to smile, but couldn’t manage it. “Thank you, Elsa. May we come in?”
“Of course,” Elsa replied, stepping aside.
Gregory looked back at Rufous. “See you later.”
“Of course,” Rufous replied.
Gregory was the last one through the door. Elsa shut it behind him, then stepped into the hallway. “I’ll make sure the children are gathered, magi,” Elsa told them before sweeping away.
Watching her go, Gregory felt another pang of sorrow. They wouldn’t see her much after this year as it was, but knowing this was likely his last time seeing her for years cut him. Yukiko took his hand and gave it a squeeze, feeling much the same as he did. Jenn joined them a moment later, taking his other hand.
“Changing into gi?” Nessa asked.
Gregory shook his head to clear the thoughts away. “Uh, yeah. Peaceful Fist with them, and then we’ll spend some time playing games until it’s time to go. We’ll tell them after meditation is over.”
“Who leads today?” Ling asked.
“Gregory,” Yukiko and Jenn said together.
“Yes, that’s for the best,” Victoria nodded.
There was a knock on the door, and Gregory turned toward it, pausing. “Should I?”
“Yes,” Clover grinned.
Gregory opened the door to find Roshana standing there. “Oh, we forgot.”
Roshana bowed to them. “Clover told me you would likely be here. If you want me to go—?”
“No,” Yukiko cut her off gently. “You’re one of us. Of that, I am sure. Come in and forgive us, Roshana.”
Elsa came rushing back down the hall, but slowed when she saw Gregory with the door open. “Magi, welcome back,” she said to Roshana. “Are you to join us?”
“If you welcome me, I will,” Roshana replied, bowing formally to Elsa.
Elsa glanced at Gregory, then curtsied. “Any friend of my friends is welcome here.” Turning from Roshana, Elsa looked at Yukiko. “The children are gathering.”
“We need to change,” Yukiko said. “Please lead us, Elsa.”
Elsa dipped a small curtsy, then started away. Roshana entered and quickly changed her boots for slippers. She gave Gregory a small smile before she hurried after the others. Gregory shut the door, taking a slow breath.
He was the first of them to enter the atrium. The children, including Enzo, were all lined up, waiting for them. They were trying to smile as they normally would, but all of them looked somber, and the youngest were barely holding back tears.
“Good morning,” Gregory greeted them, bowing formally. “I will be the leader of today’s meditation.”
“Welcome, Sensei,” the children replied, bowing back to him. A couple hiccupped, as they were still on the verge of tears.
“Is something wrong?” Gregory asked.
“We’ve had news,” Enzo said with barely controlled emotion.
“Bad news, it seems,” Gregory said.
“Inevitable news,” Enzo replied, “but it isn’t my place.”
Gregory was about to ask another question when the women showed up, funneling into the walled garden. Yukiko went to Gregory’s side and looked over the children with a sad smile.
“Elsa tells me she’s leaving you this week,” Yukiko said.
The youngest two sniffled more, trying to be impassive. The words hit Gregory like a gut punch. He glanced at Elsa, who was wearing a mask of stoicism, though her eyes were sad.
“We knew this time would come,” Enzo said a little stiffly as he held his own emotions in check. “There just wasn’t a lot of warning, and we thought it would be later.”
“Since there is already sadness,” Yukiko said, letting them see her own sorrow, “we might as well make it a clean break. Today is the last day we will see you for several years. Gregory, Jenn, and I will be leaving for the tournament with Buldoun. Afterward, we will not be back to the academy.”
More of the children started to cry.
“All is not terrible,” Yukiko went on as tears fell from her eyes. “Our friends will still be here. Ness, Vicky, and Daciana will be here for another year, and Clover and Ling will be in the city for even longer. You won’t be alone, and we’ll be getting word of how you’re all doing.”
The two youngest rushed her, grabbing her gi and sobbing into her clothing.
“We’ll be hearing about you, and know you will do well,” Jenn said when Yukiko broke down, kneeling to hug the youngest. “As before, the better we hear of you, the greater the reward you’ll get when we see you again. We’re sure you’ll have things you want, then.”
The next couple of youngest rushed her, doing as the smallest children were to Yukiko.
“So do your best,” Gregory choked out. “Aether’s Shelter is a name that will be spoken of proudly, because you will show the empire…” He trailed off, unable to continue.
Elsa hit him in the side, hugging him tightly. The other children all hugged each of the other magi. Only Enzo stood alone— he wiped his tears, but raised his chin, meeting Gregory’s eyes and nodding.
“We will make you proud,” Enzo said. “We believe in Aether’s Guard and are proud to have found shelter under Aether’s name. The children that come after us will learn as we have. We will be their senseis, showing them how to live as you’ve shown us.” When the last word left his lips, he finally broke down.
Roshana went to Enzo, embracing him gently, holding him close as she stroked his hair. She spoke softly to him, but Gregory couldn’t hear what she’d said over the sobbing from the others.
Elsa sniffled, clutching his gi tighter and looking up at him. “Greg?”
Looking down at her, he touched her head gently, brushing the hair out of her eyes. “It’s okay, Elsa. This is the path you asked for. Even if you aren’t a magi, you can be a maid.”
Elsa swallowed, blinking at him. She sniffled once more, then stepped back. “Yes. That is what I want.” She wiped at her face, composing herself before turning to the other children. “We knew these days would come. We said we would be strong. Sometimes, we’ll fail, but we’ll stand back up and push on. Today is sad, but it’s also a good day.”
Some of the others stopped crying, sniffling as they looked at Elsa with questioning gazes.
“Today is a day we step onto the paths we want,” Elsa said softly, wiping at her eyes again. “I’ll go to learn to be a maid so I can be with them. Enzo gets to take over as a butler, so he can move on to help them. In time, each of you will pick your own path. A gardener,” she said, looking at Reno, the boy with rabbit ears. “A cook,” she said, smiling at Cosette, the youngest girl with the scaly, crocodilian tail. “All of us have things we want to do. Today starts us on those paths. It also starts our senseis on their own paths.”
Enzo was the first to step away as he wiped at his cheeks. The others began to do likewise, until they were all standing in a line again. Lips quivered and sniffles happened, but they stood proudly before the magi.
“They feel the same pain— you can see it in them right now. They would rather stay and be here with us, too, but would we grow if they did? Would they grow if they did?” Elsa asked. “We’ve all suffered loss, but this isn’t loss… this is growth. We grew through pain before, and we will again. We’ll make the empire see the strength of Aether. His shelter will have guarded us, letting us stand proud, and then letting us shine his light for the world to see. We are Aether’s scions, and we will make him proud.”
Gregory swallowed. Elsa had locked eyes with him during the last few sentences, and her belief was palpable. Yukiko bowed her head, followed by Jenn, Nessa, and then the rest of the magi. Gregory was the last one to bow his head to her.
“Aether will always be proud of you,” Gregory said softly, “just as we are. We’re Aether’s Guard. We protect him and care for his scions.”
“Aether,” the children said as they bowed formally.
As they all straightened up, Gregory could see the children’s renewed determination. Even the youngest seemed resolved, though they still sniffled. Clearing his throat, he shifted to the middle of the garden. “We begin the Peaceful Fist. When we finish, we will stay and spend time with you… our friends.”
Everyone spread out and took the first stance of the Peaceful Fist. The children were ready, a new determination burning in them. The magi were sad, but also ready to push forward.
“We begin by flowing to the back foot,” Gregory said as he put action to words.
