Gregory smiled at the darkness in the corner. “Darkness, it’s good to be here again.”
“It’s good to see you, dear one. I look forward to when I don’t have to wait for you to gain another rank. That’s in the future, though.”
“I’d been wondering about that.”
“It would make it difficult if that was the only time we could see each other. You’ve been doing well with seeing threads of aether and with the small glimpses of the future.”
“Thank you. I can tell that the threads all have specific patterns to how they weave for certain magics. At least, Yuki’s and Inda’s do. It doesn’t work with Jenn unless she’s projecting aether to cover her body.”
“In time, you’ll be able to see and do more. You’re still a child in your magic, dear one. You’ve barely begun to stand on your own legs. Give it time, and you will be running before you know it.”
“Like Nessa and Daciana?” Gregory chuckled. “Didn’t expect Indara to praise their work ethic.”
“They’re motivated to excel,” Darkness giggled. “If you have a goal, it makes it easier to push oneself.”
“Joining the clan means that much to them?”
“Yes, though Daciana has a goal beyond that, with a solid plan to make it a reality. Nessa has been contemplating more, but hasn’t fully committed to her thoughts yet.”
“Didn’t know she had a goal,” Gregory said.
“Your goal comes closer, too,” Darkness said with a touch of wistfulness.
“After the coming tournament.”
“Yuki and you shall marry.”
“Does it bother you?”
“Just that I won’t have the same moment,” Darkness replied. “The odds of me ever acquiring a body are slim. The right conditions would need to be met. Even if those did come to be, it would limit me in other ways.”
“Is that something you want?”
“Yes, but also, no. As I am, I can do so much more to help you than if I were corporeal. If I was, though… I could hold you, kiss you, and love you, just as much as Yuki.”
“I see. What conditions have to be met?”
Darkness laughed lightly. “Oh, dear one. That’s sweet, but first, you’d need to rival the sages at the very least. When you reach that point, I might tell you more.”
“I should ask Rafiq at the archive.”
“No,” Darkness said sternly. “That would endanger you. Stick with the law books, myths, and other things, but do not mention me. Please, dear one, for all of our futures.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Gregory apologized, rolling to the far side of the bed to be closer to Darkness’ corner of the room. “I won’t mention you to anyone but Yuki.”
“Or those that Yuki and I approve of,” Darkness said. “There will come a time when your circle of confidants will grow. We’ll do our best to make sure that those who stand with you are worthy of being there.”
“Looking out for me, are you?”
“Yes, dear one. Both of us want only the best for you. There will be times you disagree with us, but only because you don’t want to hurt us. Try to remember that if we have agreed, you can’t hurt us by accepting our wishes, but you can by rejecting them.”
“I will do my best, Darkness.”
“Thank you, dear one.”
“Thank you, dear one,” Yukiko added from behind him. Her arm wrapped over his torso as she kissed the back of his neck. “We don’t have much time… Darkness told me how much it saps her to bring me into your dreams at the moment. When we grow more powerful, we can supplement her, but right now, she bears the cost alone.”
“Darkness…” Gregory sighed.
“I want you to be happy. It’s a small price to pay for that,” Darkness replied. “You won’t need me for that much longer, anyway.”
“But we won’t be doing that this time,” Yukiko said, softly kissing Gregory’s neck again. “And soon, it won’t be a dream anymore, though I do think we might share one now and again so Darkness can be with us.”
“I would like that,” Darkness said. “Now, to sleep with both of you. Enjoy your day off.”
“Good night, Darkness,” Yukiko said, vanishing as swiftly as she had come.
“Darkness,” Gregory said, “I just need to know one thing.”
Darkness began to giggle. “Try it and see.”
Gregory launched himself from the bed into the inkiness where Darkness was. It felt like a cold vise suddenly gripped him, stopping him from moving an inch. Darkness’ laughter echoed around him as his consciousness fled.
~*~*~
Sitting down for breakfast, the friends were chatting in between bites when Dia joined them. “Good morning, Novices.”
“Morning, Dia,” Gregory was the first to respond. “How are you today?”
“I’m fine. Everything is moving smoothly. The tournament is coming quickly.”
“It is,” Yukiko smiled. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Dia’s lips twitched upward. “I’m sure you and Gregory are, but not because of the tournament itself.”
“It’ll be good to see how we’ve progressed compared to the others,” Yukiko replied. “But yes, the main reason is because of what happens once the tournament ends.”
“I’ve been surprised by the lack of challenges and other harassment,” Jenn said after a moment. “I had heard how common it is after the first tournament, and yet we’ve seen very little of either.”
“Mostly because you’ve reduced their chances to harass you,” Dia said. “You only take the first class. Otherwise, you are in the archive or clan hall. On your day off, you seclude yourself in Gin’s home. It doesn’t give them many opportunities. When I was a novice, it wasn’t uncommon for the mess hall to be the place where most of those challenges took place. Since you eat here, that’s been denied to them.”
“I was wondering about that, Dia. Even the teachers seem to eat there. Is having a kitchen and staff so rare inside the academy?”
Dia nodded. “It is. Only a handful of the buildings have the facilities for it. Even those with the facilities prefer not to spend the money to have supplies brought in, nor desire to hire a dedicated staff to cook. When you met with the clans, how many of them had anything besides tea and simple pastries?”
“I hadn’t thought about it,” Yukiko said slowly. “Now that you mention it… maybe two?”
“Exactly. The great clans send their members to the mess hall. It’s just easier for them.”
“Then why did the elder go to this length?” Gregory asked. “I’m not complaining— Steva and the others are amazing cooks, and we’re lucky to have them.”
“No need to butter me up,” Steva laughed.
“Because of the harassment,” Dia replied. “He knew what you would face if you went to the mess hall. Did you not encounter a problem even when you were accompanied by him?”
“I never thought about it,” Gregory said. “We were getting a little harassment before, though. It just stopped abruptly.”
“Right after you and Jenn made a mockery of being challenged. No doubt they’re waiting for the tournament to strike. Weapons and aether— that’s going to be a dangerous combination for most of your class to contend with.”
“Especially with Nick and his friends,” Yukiko added.
“The Eternal Flame always has at least one member in the top eight. Just as they are in contention during the second and third-year tournaments.”
“I don’t look forward to it, even with a naginata in hand,” Gregory said.
“It’ll be difficult,” Dia agreed. “Just do your best. It’s all we ask.”
“We will,” Jenn said. “I plan on winning.”
Yukiko caught the sly glance Jenn shot her, and a knowing grin crossed her face before she put a normal smile back on her face. “We all want to win.”
“How often does the first champion repeat?” Gregory asked.
“Very rarely,” Dia replied. “They’re normally targeted by the rest of the class, sometimes even their own clan members, to be removed from contention early.”
“The first few days must be the hardest,” Jenn said. “Three bouts with weapons and aether?”
“No,” Dia said, correcting her. “The second tournament is a single fight a day. The first nine days are to find the eight novices that will move on to the finals. Those eight fight over the next two days, and then the final two are given a day to recover before meeting for the final match.”
“That means the fights will be even tougher,” Yukiko said. “With only a single fight a day, there’s nothing to stop everyone from going all out.”
“Correct. Once the tournament ends, your novice year ends,” Dia said. “You will have a month-long clan training period before your apprentice year begins.”
“I didn’t know that,” Jenn said.
“I’m sure that Elder Lightshield will have things arranged for the clan,” Dia smiled. “I must get to my other tasks. I hope you all have a wonderful day off. Don’t forget that Gin will be visiting his house today.”
“We haven’t,” Gregory assured her. “Are you going to stop by, Dia?”
Dia smiled enigmatically. “I can’t say. Good day.”
The three novices exchanged glances when she left. “She’s going to be there,” Yukiko said.
“Definitely,” Jenn nodded.
“It’s unanimous,” Gregory said. “Come on, we don’t want to be late to the archive.”
~*~*~
They were on their way to the meeting room to play Empire’s Gambit against their instructors when the front door opened. Gin gave them a nod as he removed his shoes and put slippers on. Inda and Indara followed him inside and copied him.
“Where is Baylyss?” Gin asked.
“I’m here, sir,” Baylyss replied, coming out of the side room. “I would have greeted you, but I didn’t know when you would be appearing.”
“I understand. I’d like to meet your helpers, especially Elsa.”
“Yes, sir. Please follow me,” Baylyss said, heading toward the back of the house.
“We’ll be joining you once we’re done,” Gin said. “If you can refrain from playing Empire’s Gambit today, we’d like to join in with some Go, Shogi, or another pastime.”
“Of course, Sensei,” Yukiko said, bowing to him. “We’ll arrange that while you meet everyone.”
Gin nodded, not having paused following Baylyss.
“Good thing we’re between games,” Jenn said as they entered the room. “It’ll be easier to clear the table.”
“Clear the table?” Lon asked.
“Gin is here today,” Gregory said. “He’d like to join in a few games, but not Gambit, as it takes so much time.”
“Can’t deny the master of the house,” Vexlin said. “We’ll get it cleared. You might need to ask Baylyss where the games are, though. We didn’t bring the boards with us.”
“We can start with some cards,” Gregory said. “Baylyss is busy, as are the kids.”
“Understood,” Cal said, rubbing his head. “Well, first things first.”
They had the table cleared by the time Gin entered the room. Baylyss and Elsa followed him with the Go and Shogi boards in hand.
“Lon, Vexlin, Cal, this is Armsmaster Gin Watashi,” Yukiko said, introducing them.
“It’s an honor, sir,” Lon said, bowing at the waist. “Thank you for allowing us into your home.”
“An honor,” Vexlin and Cal echoed.
“I’ve heard good things about you from Yukiko. Let us sit, talk, and play,” Gin said as he came forward.
Cal’s eyes drifted to Inda, who had followed Gin into the room, his tufted squirrel ears twitching. Inda looked his way and gave him a slight nod of her head before moving to stand against the wall.
Gin saw the look from Cal. “Inda is my closest companion. She’s been with me since shortly after I left the service of the Warlin household,” he said as he took his seat.
“She isn’t joining us?” Cal asked.
“No,” Inda said. “My duty is to keep him safe.”
Lon sat back, having just taken his own seat. “You keep an armsmaster safe?”
“It is my task.”
Vexlin exhaled. “Okay, no forced shuffles at this game.”
Gin laughed. “I’ve seen a number of cheats in my long years, Vexlin. You may attempt to cheat, and as long as it’s not against me, I won’t call you out on it. They need to learn, after all.”
Vexlin chuckled. “Far be it from me to argue with an armsmaster.”
~*~*~
The games stretched out over the next few hours, and Cal kept glancing at Inda. When a break came for refreshments, he approached her cautiously.
“Excuse me… Inda… I—”
“I’m not interested,” Inda said not unkindly. “I already have someone I’ve given my heart to.”
Cal’s ears twitched wildly, his face giving away his embarrassment. “Ah… Of course. Sorry.”
“There is no need to apologize,” Inda told him. “Your attraction was obvious. I know a few women who might respond well to an advance from you, but I am taken.”
“Oh. Uh… You do?”
Inda’s impassive face cracked for a moment, the smile real, before it vanished. “Leave your name and where I can have them meet you. I’ll make inquiries, but I can promise nothing.”
“N-no, that’s fine!” Cal stumbled over his words, clearly flustered but eager. “Thank you!”
Inda nodded her head, her eyes never having left Gin’s back. “Of course. Please enjoy the rest of your time in my master’s home.”
“Of course,” Cal said a smile on his face.
The door opening gave way to Elsa, Baylyss, and Indara. They had trays of snacks and a couple of different drinks with them. Cal blinked, his eyes darting from Inda to Indara and back.
“No. She’s my twin, and she is also taken,” Inda said, catching sight of his reaction from the corner of her eye.
“Oh… of course,” Cal said, going back to the table.
~*~*~
When the time came to leave, Gin thanked each of the instructors for their hard work and gave them each a small bag before showing them out.
After saying their farewells to Baylyss, Elsa, and the other children, they got in the carriage Gin had waiting for them. Gin sat between Inda and Indara, while Gregory ended up between Yukiko and Jenn.
“They’re good instructors,” Gin said. “How long are they going to instruct you?”
“Until the tournament,” Yukiko said.
“Do you know what the clan has planned?” Gregory asked Gin.
“I do not,” Gin replied. “Dia seems uncertain, herself. I don’t think the elder told her anything beyond that he would arrange something.”
“Makes it hard for people to interfere if the plans aren’t known,” Inda said.
“That’s true,” Gin chuckled. “The fewer people that know, the less chance that your enemies can find out.”
“You think they’ll do something after the tournament?” Gregory asked.
“Through second year, at the very least. Third year, you’ll be sent out into the nearby towns to train with your soldiers. That makes it harder for them to cause harm themselves, but I have no doubt that they will find a way to make your life interesting if you upset them more.”
“Not even touching on your adept posting,” Inda added.
“Indeed,” Gin nodded. “Your willingness to push and study ahead of your year will help you, but it also makes you a larger target. It’s good that you three are in this together. Each of you has strengths the others do not, and that will help cover for the weaknesses you each have. But even those weaknesses are being slowly eroded, aren’t they?”
“We’re doing our best, Sensei,” Yukiko replied.
“And far exceeding in most ways,” Gin smiled. “I’m looking forward to this tournament and this next year.”
