By the time Lucina returned home from training, the sky had descended into a deep navy, and the Elysian stars had rose high into the sky. She'd stayed later than the others, choosing to stay and train one on one against Eric for a few hours.
The halls of the orphanage were empty, most of the younger kids would be settling in for bed by now and the older residents would either be relaxing in their own rooms or hanging around in the living room.
Without delay Lucina headed straight for her room. She instantly jumped in the shower, washing away all the sweat and grime she could feeling clinging to her skin, and put on a fresh set of pyjamas before crashing down onto her bed. She lay up against the headboard, resting her head on her arms and staring up at the ceiling. Just like Lewis had taught her, she recalled the day's training, drifting into a meditation like state as she mused over what mistakes she'd made and how to improve. Time faded away as, she relived each and every duel no matter if she'd won or lost, reexperiencing every strike and grapple.
Suddenly, Lucina was snapped back to reality by the loud and violent rumble of her stomach. She'd completely forgot to eat and her body was far from happy.
With an exhausted grumble, Lucina left her room and travelled downstairs into the kitchen, ignoring the complaints of her aching body. She headed over to where the leftovers from dinner were stored in the fridge. Grabbing a plate and cutlery from a cupboard, she then prepared herself a plate, consisting of meat, vegetables, and rice. She was tempted to eat it there and then at the kitchen counter but after re-heating the food, she instead made her way the dining room.
The room was right next to the living room and followed the same design as the rest of the orphanage. It was filled rows of tables and chairs, designed solely to comfortably accommodate every single resident of the orphanage as well as possible guests.
To Lucina's surprise, she found her brother sat on the table closest to the door, with his own plate of leftovers. He glanced up and gave her a smile.
"Working late?" she asked, taking the seat across from him.
"Yeah, Becka has to work into the night again and a bunch of stuff needed doing," he informed. "Thought I might as well take care of it, let the staff leave on time."
"Fair enough. Did you end up going out with Eri?"
"Hmm." He nodded.
"Where did you go?"
"Got some food and went around the shops. I basically just let her lead the way," Lewis said. He glanced down at her plate. "Did you not eat earlier?" he asked, a smirk twitched at the corner of his lips. "Or are you just that hungry."
Ignoring her brothers attempts to tease, Lucina shook her head and rushed to finish chewing her food, "I stayed late at the training facility with Eric."
"Eric stayed late with you?" Lewis questioned.
"He told me he'd train with me this week. But then he ended up arriving late, so he stayed later with me," she explained.
"He arrived late?" Lewis asked, his brows furrowing.
"Yeah, Emily got there like, well over an hour earlier than him and she told us they both left the meeting at the same time," Lucina answered. Staring at her brother she could tell his mind was conflicted. Most people would miss it, but after been stuck to him her whole life, it was as clear as day to her. "What is it?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said casually before returning to his food.
Lucina knew he was lying but she also knew damn well she wouldn't be able to get him to talk, so quickly shrugged it off. She decided instead to tell him about her training as they ate.
After being bombarded with stories for, Lewis glanced up from his food with a curious look that drawn in her attention, like a moth to a flame. "Do you train with Jager much?" he asked.
Lucina paused. Once again he'd called her 'Jager'. Why? He was one of the few people who never called Emily by her name. Deciding it was just one of her brother's many antics, Lucina rolled with it.
"A little bit, but she normally trains with her squad," she informed. "But when we do she always compliments me on my hand-to-hand combat ability. Always asks who taught me."
"What do you tell her?"
"I say you trained me." Lucina then went silent, something about her interactions with Emily these last couple months had been bothering her. "Hey."
"Hmm?"
"Whenever your name is brought up Emily always gives this weird stare like she's both embarrassed and intrigued and then Eric always laughs when he sees her do it … Why?" she asks. To her frustration, instead of answering Lewis broke down into uncontrollable laughter, in a similar manner to Eric. "What is it?" Lucina questioned.
"Nothing," he replied, wiping his eye. "It's nothing."
"Oh come on! It's got to be something," Lucina declared baffled.
"I'll tell you another time," her brother said as he ate the last of his food and got up.
Annoyance flared up inside her, she hated when he said that. Lucina quickly finished her food and followed him.
"Come on, tell me," she pleaded, as she followed him into the kitchen.
"Not tonight," he said, a stupid grin still plastered to his face. "Put your plate on the side, I'll wash up."
She placed her plate to the side like he requested and lent on the kitchen counter beside him.
"Can I ask you to do something else?" she inquired. "I promise it's not about Emily."
"Go on."
"Can you come to my training sometime over the next two weeks?"
He finished cleaning their dishes and then dried his hands before turning to her. "You want me to train you?" he asked.
She responded with a hopeful nod. "I'm sure the other's wouldn't mind some help as well."
"Alright." He shrugged.
His response completely stunned Lucina, it had been a long time since he had trained with any of them, a year in fact. He used to do it all the time and was one of the main reason any of them knew how to fight and wield magic in the first place. However, then one day over a year ago he just stopped. Not just training, fighting entirely, to Lucina's knowledge he hadn't struck another person in well over a year. And to this day Lucina still had no idea why, in fact she didn't think anyone did. Well maybe Kate did, but if that was true Lucina had a feeling Kate was willing to take it to the grave.
Apparently the response had stunned her more than she'd thought as she hadn't even noticed him walk off. Lucina quickly strode off after him and found him climbing the main stairs.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door behind them. They both glanced at each other confused.
"Who's knocking at this hour?" she asked. "Has not everyone come in for the night yet?"
"No everyone's in," Lewis told her as he walked back down the stairs.
Through the satin glass on the door two dark silhouettes could be seen, but due to the night's darkness, she couldn't make out any defining features except one was considerably taller than the other.
"You're out with Eric and Kate tonight right? Could it be them?" she suggested.
"Doubt it, we agreed to meet at the bar," Lewis replied. "Plus they still have their keys."
Uncertainty lingered in Lewis's mind. He gestured for Lucina to remain back and approached the door, peering through the satin glass, its fuzzy texture combined with the darkness made identification impossible. Lewis reached out with his other senses, instantly he was met with a familiar mana presence that wiped all hesitation and doubt from his mind. To his sister's surprise who he noticed was still taught with apprehension, Lewis unlocked and opened the door revealing two figures concealed in black cloaks. They blended in near perfectly with the darkness. The closest and smaller visitor had some blonde-white strands escaping her hood.
"Princess, it's been a while," Lewis greeted with a welcoming smile, he moved aside to let them through the doorway. "Prince Noctis." He gave the second figure a nod as he passed him before closing the door behind them.
They both pulled down their hoods, revealing the princess's long, elegant hair and royal blue eyes. The prince's eye colour matched is younger sisters, however, their shape were noticeably thinner and sharper. Lewis also noticed he'd let his black hair grow out, resulting in it looking even wilder and untamed, it had even began to spike out at the back, looking to similar to an arsenal of blades.
"I wasn't expecting you," Lewis said.
"Well I wasn't going to miss seeing Eri on her birthday was I," the princess told him. She then angled herself around him to see Lucina. "Hi Luce."
A grin spread across Lucina's face as she saw who it was. "Hi Sera."
"Fair enough," Lewis muttered and turned towards the second floor, "Eri!" There was no response. With annoyed grumble Lewis went to shout again.
"I'll go get her," Lucina said quickly. "Stop you from waking up the entire street." She then rushed off up the stairs.
Leaving his sister to it, Lewis headed towards the living room, opening the door to expose a completely empty room. Good.
"Lewis, do you know where Becka is?" the prince asked.
"Erm, I think she's in her room," Lewis said.
Noctis nodded before heading up the stairs and turning left, Lewis didn't bother to direct him the prince already knew the way. He'd done the trip enough times. After the prince vanished from sight, Lewis turned his attention back to Sera.
"Shall I take your cloak your highness?" he suggested, with a teasing grin.
Sera glared, she hated when he didn't use her name, no matter the company.
"We'll chill in here," he said, walking into the living room and ignoring the daggers being stared into the back of his head. Despite her annoyance, Sera followed after him and took a seat beside him on the couch.
"Really? Out of all the seats in this room. You pick there?" he grumbled.
"Stop moaning," the princess cut him off. She then paused for a moment, and Lewis noticed a subtle pink flush across her cheeks. "I need to talk to you. It's about the Atlas Games."
"The Atlas Games?"
Suddenly Eri burst into the room, Lucina right behind her and then unsurprisingly Ike trailed in after his sister.
"Sera!" Eri exclaimed, diving into the princess for a hug.
"Hi!," Sera said as she embraced Eri. She glanced up to acknowledge Ike.
"Hi," the swordsman responded with a small and slightly awkward wave. He took a seat across from them beside Lucina.
Once Eri released her, Sera took off her black cloak, laying it across her lap and revealing a casual outfit of black bottoms and a white top, that Lewis could have sworn he'd gifted her as a joke last year. Unlike most royals he knew Sera didn't really like to wear expensive clothing or her royal garments unless she had to, usually asking Lewis where he buys his clothes. He never knew whether to take it as an insult or not.
"What's the Atlas Games?" Eri asked them confused.
Lewis stared deadpan. "What do you mean 'what's the Atlas Games?' The event we're going to in a few weeks." Eri stared blankly. "You know, in Thalassi, getting advertised all over the country. We saw about seventeen of them just today walking around," Lewis said. The confusion on Eri's face remained and he supressed a laugh and sighed. It still baffled him how brilliant this girl could be one second and then so oblivious the next, she wouldn't notice a war going on around her even in she was at the centre of the battlefield. "It happens once every five years. The top military academy's from across the world come to together and participate in numerous combat-based tournaments, where countries nominate their best officers between the ages of sixteen and twenty four to participate. If your fighters win or perform well, you bring home laurels for your country, the world's being keeping track for millennia. This year it's being held in the Thalassi isles, I'm pretty certain it'll be in their capital Palgia, at least that's where they normally host it. Be a waste not use that fuck off, giant coliseum."
"So we get to see everyone fight?" she asked, a large grin then growing on her face.
"Pretty much." Lewis nodded, ruffling her hair.
Eri turned to Sera, curiosity brimming in her gaze. "What were you going to ask Lewis about it?"
"That's a secret," Sera informed, playfully pressing a finger to her lips.
"Do you want me to leave?" Eri asked quickly, wide eyed.
"No," Sera said, laughing. "I also came to see you." In a flash of blue sparks that looked like glistening stardust, the princess pulled a card from her subspace.
A subspace worked similarly to the pendant Lewis had gifted Eri but required, no medium, only an affinity or technique towards the type of magic. However, they usually didn't have a large storage capacity, but there were rare exceptions such as the princess's magic. Eric too, his subspace was so large it dwarfed both Lewis' and Eri's pendants combined.
"I forgot to put it with my present," Sera informed. She then leaned down and whispered something in the Eri's ear out of Lewis' range, but he could've sworn he heard something about money. Eri giggled as she politely took the card from Sera's hands and placed it into her pendant. She was already getting good using it Lewis noted.
"How did you like my present?" Sera asked intrigued.
Eri quickly glanced towards Lewis. He imagined she was struggling to remember which one was Sera's, subtly he gestured at his finger and Eri's eyes lit up.
"It was amazing, thank you," Eri said thrilled as she gave Sera another hug.
Not wanting to get Eri Jewellery and clothes like she knew others would, Sera had come to Lewis for ideas. After listening to his suggestions she decided to buy a relic that could suppress the user's mana output, knowing it would aid in Eri's mana training. The princess was one of the few people Lewis had allowed in on the secret of Eri's absurd mana.
"It was a very cool gift," Lucina commented.
"Is that two gifts that have beat yours now?" Lewis teased.
"No one said it's a competition," she tried to defend herself.
Ike snapped towards her with an accusing gaze. "You did," he spoke up causing the others to laugh and Lucina to go quiet. "Pretty much every day the week before her birthday."
"Well I beat the rest of you," Lucina retorted.
"That's debateable," he muttered. "I might give you Arthur and Eric."
"Now, now at the end of the day it's not about who got Eri the best gift, but that she has enjoyed her birthday," Sera cut in, calming the situation. "Have you Eri?"
"Yep," she answered happily.
"Sera's right," Lewis said, he felt the childish grin already forming on his face. "But if it had been a competition, I would've won." The princess glared at him, but he just ignored her, satisfised with his actions and the annoyed scowl his sister shot him. "So, what have you been up to lately?" he asked Sera, not missing a beat and changing the topic.
His question sparked new conversation, that quickly consumed the next half hour. Eventually prince Noctis appeared in the doorway along with Becka.
"Sera you ready to go?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied standing up but then suddenly spun and eyed Lewis.
'Oh shit.' He remembered she'd wanted to speak with him about the game before Eri burst in.
"I can take her back. I'm meeting up with Eric and Kate soon anyway," Lewis offered.
The prince stared at them confused but after a quick glance at his sister's expression he nodded. "Sure." He then quickly vanished into the night.
Not long after everyone began taking their leave, mainly due to Becka telling Eri it was time for her to go to bed, to be fair she did have school in the morning. As everyone departed and said their goodbyes, Sera waited by the door, throwing her cloak back over her body, while Becka spoke to Lewis.
"Should I lock up?" Becka asked.
Lewis nodded. "I imagine I'll be gone for a good few hours, not worth the risk." He turned to Sera, "Let's go."
Closing the door behind them, the night's darkness rapidly consumed the street as the orphanage's light diminished. The streets where quiet and desolate so Sera happily kept her hood down.
"So you're meeting up with Eric and Kate?" she asked.
"Yeah, just grabbing a couple drinks," he said. "I haven't seen them as much since they moved out."
Eric and Kate had moved out from the orphanage a few months ago. Eric now lived on his own in an apartment, under Alex's name, and Kate lived in an apartment complex designated to the Crown's Intelligence department.
They casually strolled down King's Road, at night it became well-lit by magic artifacts integrated into the white railing. Due to the late hour, the outer layer of the city, known as the Axterius, was silent and peaceful and they passed very few people all of which didn't even notice the princess, or at least pretended not to after seeing her with Lewis. However, despite this Sera made no move to tell him anything.
"How private is this thing you want to tell me by the way?" he asked.
"Well technically doesn't have to be a secret," Sera admitted sheepishly. "But I think it'd more fun to not tell anyone," she said, cracking a childish smile.
Lewis raised a brow and then curled his fingers, channelling mana, the air around them grew wild, attacking their clothing, and began gathering beneath them. He offered out his hand and she cautiously took it. Once she was securely in his grasp, Lewis flicked his wrist. They were suddenly launched into the sky, resulting in a stunned yelp from Sera. They flew high above the buildings around them, disappearing into the night sky. They soared across the city and Lewis watched as Sera, practically floating next to him, stared out at the view.
Consisting mostly of housing, the Axterius was dark and silent, barley any flickering lights in sight. But it was the complete opposite as you travelled towards the city centre. The Anterius, consisting of mostly shops, restaurants, clubs, and bars was completely illuminated, emanating a plethora of vibrant colours. The sounds of laughter, cheering and music boomed from between streets far below. However, those sounds quickly faded away as they continued to rise further. Soon they were higher than any building across the city, practically touching the clouds.
"The Cathedral?" Sera asked confused, as she saw the monument they were approaching.
"There isn't anywhere more private than here?" Lewis said.
They finally came to a stop, hovering above the cathedral's highest point, and the air began to slowly calm itself. They gently descended onto the monument's greatest spire, which was large enough for them both to comfortable sit. Lewis carefully placed Sera down onto the spire before landing next to her.
"It's beautiful," Sera said in complete awe as she stared out at her city. She wasn't wrong, Lewis had been to many different places all over the world however this was still one of the greatest sights he'd seen. The dancing lights, the Royal Palace and the glistening sea all under the Elysian stars in a single canvas, it was a fucking hard view to beat.
"Best view in the city," he said taking a seat on the spire's dark grey surface, letting a leg hang off freely. "So what's the big news?"
Snapping back to reality, Sera took a seat next to him, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping herself into a tight ball. Lewis glanced back and waited for her to speak. However, instead of matching his gaze she gazed at her feet. It remined him of how Lucina was acting earlier.
'What is with people having things to tell me but not wanting to tell me today?'
"Well at the Atlas Games this year they're adding some sort of special event," she finally spoke, her tone nervous.
"Yeah, the others told me about it a while ago. It involves the royals or something?"
Sera nodded. "Yes. I'm our country's fighter and well last week I was asked to pick a partner for it." Her gaze left her feet and locked onto to his.
Lewis straightened up. "And what? You want me?" he asked, a little stunned but didn't let it show.
"Yes."
"Hmm." He mused the thought, staring up into the sky. "It's combat based?"
"Yes, and I imagine we will be competing against the other royals and their partners."
Lewis remained silent, his gaze never leaving the stars, as he thoroughly debated the request. What harm could come from it? It was surely harmless right?
He turned back to Sera. "Are you sure your allowed to pick me? Would it not have to be someone in the military?"
"No, as long as the person falls under a set of certain requirements I can pick them. You fall under all of them," Sera informed.
"Are you sure you want me to do it?" he asked sternly, his eyes piercing into her.
"Yes," she confirmed, unwavering and clearly trying to radiate as much confidence as possible.
"Alright," he shrugged before standing and staring back out into the view. Damn he'd missed this, why had he waited so long before coming back up here?
She turned to him unable to hide her astonishment "Really?"
"Yeah why not. It'll probably be fun to kick some high and mighty pricks down a few pegs," he replied smiling. "But I do have one condition."
"What?" she inquired.
"We win," he said calmly.
A large smile grew on her face, and she stood up next to him. "Obviously."