Into the Darkness: Devotion

We had heavily discussed the prophecy well into the next day, reaching a few conclusions.

One was that there was no point in worrying about vague warnings like "survive," "live," and the others. 

The main focus should be on Lightkeeper and lies.

Lightkeeper obviously referred to someone who either possesses light magic, which is extremely rare, or someone intrinsically connected to light, though we had no knowledge of such a person. 

As for lies, that's what we planned to be vigilant about.

Astrea pointed out Castor; after all, he's the only person who's given us information that could directly influence us.

Of course, we still analyzed every word carefully, but once we finished, my thoughts shifted to the other problem, what we were actually going to do while at the academy.

The Imperial Knight Academy of Arkanis. It's where all the knights of the empire are forged. 

Every kingdom across the world sends their best students there.

It's the only academy recognized by all nations, a place where politics and power converge beneath the guise of education.

And I'm probably the most unique case in the academy's history, being the youngest student ever admitted. 

Normally, it takes four years to graduate. 

Each year focuses on a different aspect of becoming a knight: the first year is for foundational combat and discipline.

The second for tactical strategy and leadership.

The third for advanced magic and weapon mastery, and the final year for real-world operations and deployments.

"Artoria, I know you want me to participate in your studying, and maybe I will, but no matter what, my first priority is your safety."

I leaned back against the head of the bed and sighed. "Fine, but I want you to at least learn with me."

He nodded, lying down beside me. "We should reach the mainland tomorrow. Are you ready?"

It was the end of the current moon cycle. Tomorrow would mark the start of a new one, with the rise of the twelve moons.

The academy operates year-round, so I'd be attending almost every day. They likely have dormitories as well.

All we really need to do before enrolling is buy new clothes and weapons, though I'm certain the academy has a uniform.

"Yeah," I replied, lying down beside him.

My body was still in a great deal of pain, and I felt sick. 

I've had an illness since I was younger. It doesn't affect me much in battle, but if I take more damage than usual, I get dizzy. 

Sometimes it even causes me to hallucinate, though I'm certain I've managed to hide this from Astrea.

I don't take any medication for it, but I've often tried to figure out what's wrong with me. 

No doctor I've seen has ever been able to diagnose it.

The reason this matters now is because of the mark on my chest. It's made me realize that the sickness is getting slightly worse.

With each heartbeat, I feel a slight resistance, something I only just noticed because he's lying on my chest.

It's like the sound of a drum muffled by cloth.

My heart beats, and something seems to push back against it. It's frightening.

I've found that taking certain pills made with dragon blood weakens the effects, but I ran out a long time ago. 

I never bothered to replenish them, so that's something I'll need to do when we get to Arkanis.

I ran my fingers through Astrea's hair, the strands soft and cool against my fingertips.

 It was a small comfort, something to distract me from the dull ache in my chest.

He closed his eyes briefly and then spoke in a low voice. "You should start thinking about what weapon you want. Your current one is terrible." 

I traced a line along his temple, feeling the faint pulse beneath his skin. "I want a sword like yours." 

He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating against me. "Mine broke, remember?" 

I paused, my fingers still tangled in his hair. "Breaking doesn't mean it's weak." 

I thought back to the prophecy; she mentioned something breaking. 

I wondered if it was in reference to the past. 

Perhaps she had sent the prophecy late, which could hint that Lightkeeper was supposed to be Lightbringer, referring to the first demon.

Of course, that was a bit of a stretch. "I want a firm, long sword, one with a decent guard." 

He looked up at me with a strange expression. "So, a longsword?" 

I shrugged. "Maybe, but I want it to be wide, maybe one larger than me." 

He laughed, turning his head slightly to look at the ceiling. "I want a curved long blade, one that's made purely for slashing. I didn't like my other sword." 

I thought I knew what he was talking about, but the name was really escaping my mind. 

Maybe it was him lying on my chest, but I felt distracted.

I leaned my head back, my fingers lazily weaving through Astrea's hair as I closed my eyes.

Sleep was just within reach when it hit me, I'd completely forgotten to talk to him about us.

Maybe I still liked him. Maybe I didn't.

Maybe he liked me. Maybe he didn't.

But none of that really mattered. We needed to talk about our future, what all of this meant moving forward.

 If I became a knight, odds were 

I'd eventually end up fighting in a war. Would he join me then? Would he become a knight too?

But as he'd said before, all he cared about was hunting monsters.

Our future was never going to be normal. 

Even now, there were whispers of war with Devonah, the kingdom south of Purline, slightly to the west. 

Its borders brushed against the empire's like thin threads stretched over fragile glass.

Purline sat directly south of Novastia, while Devonah clung to the southwest, its presence like a shadow creeping along the map.

"Astrea, what do you want to do… after all this, I mean?"

I felt him shift slightly, his hand sliding over his eyes as he answered, voice low and steady.

"I want to live peacefully in a world of darkness."

"That's right," I said with a small smile. "This world is filled with darkness, isn't it?"

But I knew the truth, the real goal he'd never admit. 

He didn't just want to live in the darkness. 

He wanted to destroy it. An impossible task. 

Yet, he carried that impossible weight, hoping to fill the void with light.

I wanted to ask if he loved me, but I already knew the answer.

How could I not? I'd lived with him my entire life. Of course, he did.

I'd argue he just didn't know how to tell me, which is why I took back my previous words.

I wasn't going to speak to him about it. In fact, I wasn't going to confess at all. When he felt like it, when he was ready, he'd tell me.

I'd rather he take my hand and propose than me just randomly blurting it out on a boat.

It wasn't as romantic as I'd imagined it to be.

I guess it all fell under his control, or his ignorance.