“By light and by sword, we shall hold our ground.


    By fire and by feast, we shall honor thy name.


    By land and by sea, there is no place we won’t go.


    By heavens above and by hells below. Our place is here, by Astralis’s star.”


    - Passage of Canticle of Fortified Faith, “Prayers of the Argent Curia”


    <hr><hr>


    Despite there being no other trouble for the rest of the voyage, the entire ship, including the party, kept to a mostly tense silence for the duration of their journey. For the crew, the superstitious belief that their noises could potentially attract the monster kept them subdued. For the party, digesting that demons had tried to capture Sophie had unnerved them. For amongst the antagonists that she’d faced before, this was most in line with. Arantos.


    It meant that the death god was likely taking a more direct approach to try and harm her this time. Though unsuccessful, she knew that this marked the beginning of new troubles headed her way.


    Only when they finally caught sight of Arterian frigates patrolling the waters did both crew and party breathe a sigh of relief, the tension in their nearly week-long journey dissipating. Alodie still remained a little startled but had mostly recovered from the ordeal. Sophie simply pretended that her head didn’t occasionally ache.


    Standing on deck and seeing the familiar Arterian harbor brought an even greater appreciation for the strange city that stood here. The plethora of ships and merchants crowding its streets and sea lanes offering the feeling of safety in numbers. It was an odd thing to appreciate but Sophie did nonetheless.


    Here the sea air was more unpleasant and more briny than the Tranoire in the east. Still, for her it was a home port of sorts and she found herself more amused than anything by her siblings and Raylani’s reaction to seeing a city far larger than Ostia. Their sheer wonder was almost enough to make up for the bumpy voyage, in particular how Raylani seemed to become even more stoic in an attempt to feign indifference.


    Sophie herself found it strange that Arteria also had a thin layer of snowfall covering the city. Unlike Ostia however, there wasn’t just mounds of piled snow on side streets and the city still retained most of its vibrant colors. But whether that was due to some magic covering the city or just the weather remained to be seen.


    “Welcome to Arteria, please proceed to the port authority.” A bored sounding redcloak gestured at a building in port.


    Countless other citizens milled about the place alongside dock workers and sailors. The increased guard patrols from her incident in the library were still in effect as squads of redcloaks roamed the port. The Clover Legion were also out in full force as grey armoured legionaries patrolled alongside them, though the blue cloaked Trinite guard remained absent here.


    “Move along!” A guardsmen barked.


    On cue, the line moved forward and Sophia sucked in a small breath.


    “Looks different than just from our memories?” Sophie quipped.


    “Tch, of course.” Sophia huffed.


    Alodie chuckled at her reaction and Sophie noticed her counterpart’s frown softening. Oh my. She is kinda similar to Ary, heheh.


    “This city is larger than the last one.” Raylani clicked her tongue, “And those of the twilight abyss.”


    "It is one of the largest ones on the continent, so I hope you don’t take this as the standard.” Sophie said.


    Rayani nodded and continued observing the new environment while Elaria seemed to be plotting something once more. Ary just happily clung to Sophie, occasionally fussing over her head wound. The two held hands and simply basked in the feeling of being back, and judging by the twinkle in Ary’s eyes, she was also thinking about the moments they’ll soon be able to have back in their room.


    “Next! Move along!” A guard called out.


    Soon enough, the party approached a weary looking official looking up at the party, his eyes widening at their eclectic make up. Before he even spoke, Sophie, Ary and Alodie fished out their student identifications and placed them on his desk. The man looked surprised and nodded, wordlessly taking down a few notes and then returning them.


    “Your friends?” He gestured at the other three, having to do a double take on both Sophia and Raylani.


    "Twin. Sophia Kastiane. That’s my sister, Elaria Kastiane, and her… maid, Raylani Nelass.” Sophie introduced them.


    “Uh-huh. Id’s or proof of work and purpose?” The administrator asked.


    To Sophie’s own surprise, both her counterpart and her sister came prepared, immediately reaching for their own pockets to produce little tokens.


    “Sophia Kastiane, allied sword of Khaz Druzara of the under kingdoms.” Sophia bowed, shooting Sophie a quick message, how’d you like that?


    Could’ve told me earlier, Sophie retorted.


    Wouldn’t have been as fun without your reaction, Sophia winked.


    “Elaria Castiane. Though this might be a bit sensitive.” Elaria spoke up.


    “Oh?” The man replied, his eyes revealing his disbelief of how casually Sophia introduced herself.


    Without batting an eye, Elaria pulled out a writ stamped by the Traxian prince. Clearly, the official hadn’t expected this and just stared at it with a mixture of shock and disbelief.


    “I’m a bard, officially recognised. Raylani is my assistant, as the document can confirm.”


    The man let out a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair, shaking his head and rubbing his eyebrows. “Certainly don’t get a group like this everyday.” He whistled, "Especially not just going through customs." He grumbled.


    The official filled out some more papers and stamped three little cards and pushed them forward. “Well uhh, don’t cause trouble I suppose. Welcome to Arteria.”


    Shooting the man a few polite nods, he waved them through the checkpoint and they stepped onto the cobble-streets of the city. Just like that, they were now part of the city. That left Sophie with two unresolved questions that she already had ideas on solving. To find a place to stay and to enroll the other three. For the first, she could rely on the All Hogs Arms, for the second, that was where the main challenge lay. Maybe the church? A noble? Do we sponsor them ourselves? Sophie shook her head, let’s get to the All Hogs Arms first, then we can figure out what to do.


    <hr><hr>


    With pork knuckles devoured and a few glasses of juice in their bellies, they had secured and enjoyed the benefits of hospitality at the All Hogs Arms. Their next stop happened to be the academy dockyards as they searched for the administrative building to make an application for the non-students in the group. A few of the academy guardians were on patrol, their decorative cloaks fluttering in the wind as they stood around the dockyards.


    “Name and business.” The gate guardian asked.


    “Sophie, student. Those two are as well. Here to help these three apply.” She answered politely.


    “Alright. First building to the left. Take care…” His voice trailed off a little upon catching sight of Raylani.


    But the party gave him no time to recover and took his quick approval to heart as they shuffled past him.


    Entering the stuffy but well decorated building indicated, Sophie felt her nose itch as they travelled across the tiled floors. A few other students and hopeful applicants waited outside an office and the party made their way inside, their strange attire attracting a great deal of unwanted attention.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.Within the office, a few desks manned by a skeleton crew of administrators scribbling with countless papers and documents. A small reception section was mannered by a friendly looking lady who seemed intrigued that such a large group entered all at once.


    “Hello! Welcome to the academy offices, how uh… how can I help you all today?” The lady half heartedly smiled, finally noticing the strange nature of this party.


    “Uhh, hi. We’re just looking to see how these three can apply to the academy.” Sophie answered.


    “Oh? Oh! Applications? Well uhh… give me a second then.” The lady stood up and went to a side office, exchanging a few words with a more seasoned administrator.


    The older man nodded before whispering a few more things. Having received some form of approval, she came back out and gestured for the party to enter.


    “Mister Donaldson here will help you through this process. Good luck!” The lady chirped.


    In the office, the man welcomed them and looked a little flustered that he didn’t have enough seats for such a large crowd. Sophie motioned for the three applicants to sit and stood behind them while Ary and Alodie stood in the back of the room.


    “Hello there! You can call me Mr. Donaldson, a pleasure to have you here today. I was told you’re here for applications?” The man asked.


    “That’s correct. I’m Sophie Kastiane, a current student. These two are my sisters Sophia and Elaria, and that’s Raylani Nelass. They’re looking to apply for the academy. Would it be possible for them to make the next semester?” Sophie spoke.


    “For the next semester? That’s… that’s a tall order. Normally it''s for the next academic year. Do you have sponsorships or any special scholarships that might demonstrate an advanced level of learning?” Donaldson asked, “Ah, and any additional documents?”


    Sophie considered how to answer as her counterpart and Elaria produced their respective writs. Earning them a bemused ‘hmm’ from the administrator. Sensing that she was perhaps outo f her depth when dealing with something so major and a bureaucrat, she turned to her one trump card and looked to Alodie. The girl seemed startled out of her wits for a second before their eyes met and she slowly seemed to understand. Alodie pursed her lips in disapproval before she stepped forward. Our negotiator has arrived.


    <hr><hr>


    Sophie didn’t know how long the negotiations went on for, only that at the end of it, she was exhausted and so was everyone else. It stretched to the point where the receptionist lady brought in little cups of water for everyone. All she knew was that they needed an express application fee of fifteen gold each without a proper sponsor or scholarship. Money, it seems, talks even at the academy, and Sophie muttered a soft prayer for the dwarves bolstering their funds just enough to pay the fee, much to the man’s surprise.


    With that done, he confirmed that to them the need for at least passing the entry exams the same way Sophie and Ary had. Still, to their great fortune, he scheduled them for next week, though Donaldson did warn them that they had to pass this round of exams to be pushed into the semester. Otherwise, her siblings and Raylani would have to wait for another round and be placed into the next academic year instead.


    Relieved and extremely grateful, they thanked Donaldson for the help and Sophie made a mental note to treat Alodie to a meal. As they walked out of the administrative building and back into the chilly afternoon sea air, Sophie grinned and turned to Ary. The redhead smiled back and nodded her approval. Time for some tea.


    Leading the party to the grand library proved to be a trip in and of itself. For they managed to pass the Chamber of Stalwart Judgement and the Krenonian Arena. The towering chamber elicited amazed gasps from Elaria and Raylani, the two clearly somewhat awestruck by the massive structure that watched over the city. The arena was what caught Raylani’s eye the most, and even Sophia eyed it with a small measure of interest as the two of them realized that this would be a perfect place to duel.


    Sophie had to practically usher the two along while Alodie and Ary returned to their excited chattering with each other. Elaria caught Sophie’s eye, shooting her a sisterly smile that offered warmth on this cold day. For a brief second, Sophie could just about feel comfortable, able to pretend that everything was normal, that she had set out and finished everything she needed to do. But alas, Arantos is out for me. The mystery of the Myndiri remains. There’s also the stolen dawn. Sophie grimaced, helluva work load.


    Arriving at the grand library grounded her back in reality as she dragged her head from the clouds. Inside, the quiet, contemplative atmosphere brought a small sense of reflection amongst the group, each of them making different expressions as they processed their journey so far.


    Sophie directed them to the cafe, helping them find seats whilst she and Ary took advantage of the moment to order the tea for them. The two felt an immediate tiredness escape from both of them as the rigours of travel unwound from their bones. Now, Ary’s happy go lucky demeanour shifted into one of concern as she unsubtly began examining Sophie. The redhead’s facade was faltering slightly, Sophie noticing how her breaths were a little less even than usual. Worry filled her own eyes and the two fussed over each other, both heavy with the feeling that it was only a matter of time before one of them got hurt again.


    “Hi! Welcome! What can I get for you two today?” The clerk smiled,


    “Uhh, six orange black teas, please.” Ary answered.


    Having placed their order, they then paid and waited around, leaving the other four to chat at the table. Sophie turned to find Ary frowning at her and squeezed the girl’s hand before quirking her head sideways, inviting Ary to begin.


    “Sophie…” The girl whispered, her expression growing more serious.


    “Yeah?” Sophie answered.


    “I… I want to ask you something.”


    “Go… ahead?”


    “Do you…”


    “Love you? I do. Unquestionably.” Sophie whispered cheekily, a massive grin on her face.


    Ary was caught off guard and had to do a double take, going through a wide variety of expressions as she tried to process what happened.


    “I… what the heck? You…you can’t just say that so casually!” Ary shrunk into a blush.


    “But I’m just stating the-”


    Ary silenced her with the quickest of pecks, the redhead growing even redder, “I love you too, stupid.”


    “Heheh, knew it.” Sophie joked.


    “Gah, but no, that wasn’t, ugh… sometimes.” Ary pouted.


    “Sorry, I had to.”


    “I know.” Ary sighed, “But what I wanted to ask was… well… do you have to go back out there? Into dungeons, looking for artifacts or… or… just whatever.”


    Both their elated expressions quickly fell and Sophie tried to look away but Ary wouldn’t let her, holding her gaze wherever she tried to look. Letting out a resigned sigh, she shook her head.


    “Why not?”


    “What do you mean?”


    “Why can’t you just… stop? Stop getting hurt, getting thrown into these horrid situations?”


    “Because… because…” Sophie stammered as she searched her mind, “Because I’m the only one who can do. That’s why I was sent here.”


    “Exactly! But that’s the thing, you’re not the only one who can do the weird void stuff. You have a twin! A clone! She can do all the stuff too can’t she?” Ary argued, “Your sister too, didn’t she say the void monster sent her here as well?”


    Sophie looked away, knowing in her heart there were elements of truth in Ary’s protest. I’m not alone, I do have friends, I do have supporters, and two powerful siblings. But yet… I can’t just shrug this burden onto them. They deserve to live a life too. Ary nearly snarled, having already seen Sophie’s complicated expression and coming to her own conclusions.


    “Sorry.” Was all Sophie could whisper, the words leaving her mouth leaving an acrid taste behind. Sorry I keep worrying you, hurting you. Sorry. Sorry.


    Ary looked furious for a moment, ready to throttle Sophie as her green eyes glowed red for a split second. Then she let her shoulders drop, all the fire within her flickering away as she nuzzled Sophie. She is... she… she calmed down?


    “I guessed as much.” Ary sighed.


    “You’ve been…”


    “Mmhmm. Been mulling over this for a while.” Ary pulled away with a despondent sigh, “I thought I lost you, Sophie. I mean lost, lost. Proper lost.”


    “But I don’t… die.” Sophie whispered.


    “I know. But back in the dwarven mines, I watched you fall. Like fall, fall. Even if you were alive, what realistic chances were there for you to just make it back? I don’t doubt you, it’s just…”


    "You almost died because of me.”


    “Mmm. That’s why I thought you were gone for good, too injured to recover in time for… well anything really. But-”


    “Six orange black teas for Sophie and Aryana!” The clerk called from the counter, cutting Ary off.


    Sophie stared in horror as the redhead seemed incensed before both of them burst out in a soft chuckle, moving to collect their drinks.


    “Ary,” Sophie spoke, her voice clear and composed.


    “Yeah?”


    “It has to be me. I can’t thrust this responsibility onto someone else. I’m sorry. But I’ll try my best not to get hurt or be thrown into a dangerous situation. I also promise to protect you.”


    Ary just stared at her, the girl’s eyes shifting between meeting her gaze and escaping from it. Eventually, Ary just snickered to herself. “By the cursed spirits, that really killed the mood a little.”


    Sophie laughed and nodded, “That it did. But you caught what I was trying to say, right? That I-”


    Sophie was once again silenced with a kiss, the half elf taking a moment to process things before blushing.


    “I know. I heard you.” Ary spoke, “I don’t like it, but I get it. And…” Ary poked Sophie in the cheek, “I’ll be here, by your side.”


    Sophie was stunned, she froze mid step and just looked at Ary with wide eyes. The declaration felt so profound yet casual in equal measure. Yet the look in Ary’s eyes said it all, she meant it. Sophie didn’t know how to react, she felt an overwhelming sense of confusion and started tearing up. She couldn’t control herself.


    Ary bopped her nose and wiped away a still forming tear, smiling sadly the entire time. “Now let’s get moving. Sorry for being a weirdo.”


    Sophie just stared and followed like an automaton. Oh Ary…. oh you lovely, lovely, soul. You’re not the weirdo, I am. Ahhhh!  “I’ll be with you too.” She whispered as they returned to the group, “Whenever you need me.”


    Seeing Ary smile warming in response with an affectionate twinkle in her eye, Sophie was more certain than ever of her decision. Whatever it takes, Ary. I''ll protect you.