CHAPTER 3

They set off early the next morning on their voyage. Meri eagerly gathered up her things, while Nuri left the inn to purchase tickets for their journey across the frozen sea. As the town was relatively isolated, he could spot several golden auras in the crowd, seeing a couple of Oceania's children using their abilities in public, especially for travel across the sea. With their unique abilities, travelling by boat seemed almost ridiculous. They led Meri through the sea of coloured auras, out to the port, where their escort waited for them patiently, dressed in royal blue. He took Meri's hand, and joined them together, while Nuri held onto hers, and suddenly, they started dashing across the ice, with movement's light and graceful. The world blurred together like an impressionistic painting, colours mixing in with landscapes, people becoming small, insignificant dots in the distance. The mainland was in sight in less than fifteen minutes, and their journey altogether only lasted about half an hour, the dash nimble and elegant, and Meri's smile everlasting and bright. She had never done anything like that before, never experienced what her people were capable of, and now her eyes had been opened, like she could see the whole world for what it is. Every time Nuri showed her something new of this great and wonderful world, she felt more and more like all of this was actually true and not a dream. She'd partly agreed because she'd thought it was a dream and that if she agreed, it would only get better, which currently it did. They started walking along the landscape, Nuri leading the way, and as they progressed, it seemed the landscape was getting greener, being saturated with every step they took. Meri had never seen a place like this before, sometimes Aku described lush landscapes where the trees reach into the heavens, and the rains fall in layers onto the large leaves, but she had never imagined it to be so green. After growing up, covered with snow, she'd never seen blue summers, her summers were grey, and filled with slush, and never ending rain that blessed the river of the village, but bored her to death. She liked the green landscaped more than she liked the snow, and soon it was too hot to keep her jacket on, and she was walking simply with her royal blue scarf around her head, and a plain shirt hanging over her petite body. Nuri had taken off his maroon sweater, and rolled up the sleeves of his charcoal coloured dress shirt. She watched the bundle of hair on the back of his head bounce up and down with every step he took, and with every step they took, they neared the closest village. She wondered whether they were still in Oceania's territory, like Nuri had explained to her earlier, because they were following the ocean, to Lapid. The more she looked at Nuri, the more she noticed a confident, gold glow enveloping his being, and when she looked down at her hand, the same glow was hovering around it too, but instead of confident, and prominent, hers was pale and uncertain, but nonetheless there.

"Nuri," she tried, her voice timid and meek, but filled with curiousity. He acknowledged her with a low hum.

"Why are you glowing gold?" She asked him quickly, and he stopped, and turned around.

"I think we should take a break," he mentioned, and looked up to the sky, the sun was right in the middle. He threw one of his sleeping blankets onto the floor, and sat down, Meri followed suit. Then he took out a couple of fruits, dripping with ice-cold water, handed one to Meri, and one to Avani as well, "so, you've started to see auras then?" He asked, taking a bite of the bright red fruit in his hand.

"Auras?" She asked, confused, and hesitantly took a bite of hers. The sweet flavour exploded in her mouth, and her eyes widened in fascination. She took another bite, there had never been things like this in Verglas, and everything was as grey and bland-tasting as the snow and the sky.

"It's an ability all Children have," Nuri explained, "mostly it's used to identify one of your own, and to see who's an enemy. It developed into being able to see the auras of the humans, to have an advantage, I guess. I don't use it very often, just to identify one of our kind." He looked up to her, and her aura was pale gold, uncertain, insecure, and small.

"What else can we do?" She asked, full of excitement.

"You'll have to ask your father when we get back to the Manor in the City of Gold." He mused, and then stood up again, "we better keep moving if we want to reach the next town by nightfall." He remarked, and she stood up as well, they packed up the blanket and the rest of the remaining fruit, and made their way to the next village. It was hours before they could see the stone grey skyline making its appearance. Unlike all the other villages they'd visited, this one had smoke billowing above it, like a gigantic raincloud, ready to cry out over the rather large town. This was because it wasn't a solely Aurean town, and therefore made use of the steam powered technology the humans had developed. Motorcycles with steam billowing out of their exhausts rushed past the trio in an immense hurry, and the bustle of the small city was something new to Meri entirely. She watched as the town lit up in a yellow eminence, like her hut would when night fell, except it wasn't lit by candle light. She couldn't understand the newly developed technologies that were being showcased right in front of her eyes, which were wide with fascination. Nuri walked through the stone town quickly and almost dismissed the technology nonchalantly, while Meri stopped and stared at every new thing that her eyes saw, only to be pushed softly forward by Avani. On the front door of the inn they were going to be staying was a neatly printed flyer for a benefit ball, being held in one of the aristocrats' homes, and this caught Meri's attention. She tugged on Nuri's sleeve as he stepped inside.

"What's this?" She asked, looking to him with curious eyes.

He shrugged, "it's a benefit ball, you donate money toward a cause and dance all night." Milo had prepared him for the case scenario if she had wanted to go to a ball of sorts, and calculated that if they passed through Lapid on time, that they would catch this particular ball. However, Nuri did not want to go, simply because he couldn't dance very well, and disliked large social gatherings. The look on Meri's face said otherwise though, this shy, petite village maiden wanted to go to the ball, and he was going to have to take her. He caught Avani's gaze, an amused smile stuck on her face as she chuckled softly in the background. The extravagant invitation felt stupid in his pocket, and he sighed as he watched her eyes take on that ethereal blue colour once again.

"Can we go?" She asked, a slight bit bashful, but an air of confidence to her.

"Sure." He replied, stepping into the inn. She had half expected him to say no, so she immediately smiled even wider when she heard him say yes.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, skipping into the inn, while Avani remained outside. She'd probably come back at night, either going to look for a dress for the ball, or perhaps paying a woman a ridiculous amount of coin to do her hair perfectly. The innkeeper regarded them with a certain fondness, probably mistaking them for a young couple in love.

Nuri took the opportunity to ask a question, "excuse me, sir. But do you know of any good dress shops nearby? My partner and I are going to the benefit ball tonight, and unfortunately she does not have anything suitable to wear."

The innkeeper laughed, "of course, there's one close by." He directed Nuri in the direction of the store, and he nodded thanking him afterwards, and getting both of them a room. On their way up, he bumped into a polite stranger with strong eyes and a tall stature while he was trying to calculate how many coins they could spend on an ensemble for the night. The polite stranger was well dressed, and of course polite about how Nuri had bumped into him, and assured him it was okay. They deposited their bags in their rooms and then set out to find suitable attire for Meri. She skipped through Lapid like she was a normal teenaged girl accompanying her partner on a trip to the city, but he kept his eyes vigilant, on the lookout for any prominent golden auras tinted crimson with rage. With Avani's help, she found a rather inexpensive blue dress, paired with some black shoes while they found him something in the maroon variety, and then she dragged them around the town gleefully, watching the lights dance around. He watched through the see of gleeful yellow auras as she dashed through the cobblestone roads of the village and finally they returned late that night, sleeping peacefully in the bustling town.

She couldn't wait for nightfall to come. She paced around the room in anticipation, her dress swishing from side to side, while Nuri lay on the bed, still in his dress shirt from the day before, reading some sort of book. She would often go to the bathroom of their room, and check if her hair looked alright, or whether she hadn't spilled something on her dress, and she pulled her socks up constantly, hoping she looked presentable enough for the extravagant event. Her hair hung straight next to her chin, and her eyes looked brighter and bluer than they had in Verglas, almost like the bright city lights were reflecting in them. As Avani emerged from the bathroom, her eyes lined with a thick line of kohl, a tight fitting green dress pulled over her practically perfect body, her hair hanging in soft curls just past her breasts, Nuri shut his book. Stretching like a cat, he pulled off his shirt, discarding it on the floor. He did the same with his pants, and Meri tried to remain in the corner, but she couldn't help staring. He could control fire, but he didn't have any burn marks on his skin. He was as well built as a hunter from her village, even though she'd never seen him fight. He looked pacifistic, almost like he'd rather try and talk something out, than attempt to fight an opponent, however, Avani looked lethal, her eyes dripping with some sort of malevolence, like she carried it around with her. She looked like she could probably kill a man by just looking at him, and her kiss was probably even worse. He changed into his clothes for the night, and pulled on a pair of black gloves, made his hair look a little neater, and slipped on a black jacket. They walked out together. The hosts had sent them a carriage, and they ascended up the town toward the centre where a beautiful stone house sat. They rounded a magnificent water feature, decorated in golden lights, and Meri's eyes shone with excitement. A butler in a tailored suit opened the door for them, and helped Meri out of the car, she curtseyed as Nuri had instructed her to do, and the entered the colossal hall filled with people. Their auras all reflected the gold linings on the building, but it wasn't as prominent as Nuri's, almost like they weren't the same. She let go of his hand, and went to explore the terrain, while he strayed toward the edge of the hall, keeping a close eye on her, as she and Avani glided through the enormous hall. Eventually he watched as she was offered a dance by a young gentleman, and then how they danced graciously through the hall. He didn't quite enjoy being there, if he were being honest, mostly because he couldn't really dance. Milo had taught him the basics and he figured if he had to he'd ask a girl to dance just to say he could do it, but otherwise he'd stray to the side and simply watch Meri, making sure that she was okay. He looked for any possible familiar faces in the crowd, as if he would know anyone from high society, and then he saw the polite stranger from the inn, still dressed crisply in a white suit, and gliding through the crowd with charisma dripping from every step he took. A smile spread over his face as he watched the stranger glide over to Avani, his eyes clouding over the way everyone's did when they first laid eyes on her, and then as she blatantly denied him. It seemed the stranger had spotted him and was moving quickly toward Nuri, who gazed down at his nails, almost desperately trying to make himself look busy – even though he was wearing gloves, and picking at his nails just made him look as if he were looking for excuses. (Which he was.) The stranger came quicker upon noticing Nuri's attempt to look busy and stood next to him. He tapped Nuri on the shoulder lightly, almost as if to wake him from the daze that fiddling with his gloves had put him in. Nuri regarded the stranger with a certain amount of scepticism, as he did everyone.

He looked up to the stranger, who was a bit taller than he was and asked, "can I help you?"

The stranger laughed, much to Nuri's dismay, and replied with, "the question is rather, how can I help you? You don't really seem like the dancing type. Is that just because you're shy, or are you eyeing a specific partner?" His tone was self-assured, and his voice deep and melodious, almost like the symphony playing in the background. Nuri watched his eyes dart to Avani, and wanted to laugh.

Nuri was slightly annoyed, and it was visible to anyone who regarded him, "I'm not shy." He argued with a slight huff, "I'm just not here to dance. That's all."

Apparently, the stranger found this very amusing, and started laughing again, while Nuri simply attempted to draw deeper into himself, as if trying to disappear, so that the meddling stranger would just leave him alone. Suddenly, the orchestra starting a new symphony interrupted the stranger's laughing. Its bright, and playful melody rung through the colossal hall, and before Nuri could protest, the stranger took his hand and dragged him onto the dance floor, mischievous smile on his face, and yelling over the music, "let's see what you can do!" Meri saw the spectacle, giggling next to her polite partner, as she watched Nuri being thrown around the dance floor in an awkward but strangely graceful way by an attractive, cock-sure stranger. The stranger was a better dancer than Nuri cared to admit, he'd had some training with Milo, but this didn't make up for all the possible years of experience this stranger had. All eyes were on the mismatched pair, who spun around in circles, embarking in an elegant waltz. The stranger kept going, despite Nuri's almost desperate pleas to stop, and as the symphony reached its crescendo, tripped Nuri, and swept his arm underneath, catching him in one elegant swoop. The audience erupted with applause, but Nuri shot the stranger an ugly look from in his arms, not daring to admit he actually enjoyed the affair just a little bit. They retired to the side of the dance floor, Nuri out of breath and slightly flustered, while the stranger had that same mischievous, cocky grin on his face from before.

"I thought you don't dance." He remarked, while Nuri shrugged.

"Not really," he replied, "but every gentleman should at least know his way around a dance floor." At this, the stranger laughed again, and eventually so did Nuri – but only a little bit – as his carefree laugh was contagious.

"Have some champagne with me." The stranger said, even though it was supposed to sound like a suggestion, it sounded more like an underlying demand.

Nuri laughed, "I don't even know your name, and I'm underage." The last part was a lie, but Nuri hoped the stranger didn't notice.

The stranger leaned in close, and whispered in his ear, "so am I, don't worry." Then he retreated back to his normal distance, and stuck out his hand, "I'm Ignis Tenebrio." He said with that signature smile, as Nuri awkwardly shook his hand. He regarded Ignis with a certain awkwardness, combined with the scepticism that was always there as he met new people, but nevertheless shrugged, and said, "Nuri Bachmann, pleased to meet you," for the sake of politeness. Ignis grabbed two glasses of bubbling, pale gold liquid off a tray from a passing waiter, and thanked him with a simple nod of the head. He handed one of the glasses to Nuri, who swished the liquid around the glass nervously.

Ignis smiled once again, "it's some of the best, next to the stuff you get in the Sovereign Capital. Drink up." He said encouragingly, holding his glass up.

Nuri remembered something Milo had said during 'gentleman school', and raised his glass as well, "I think we should toast to something."

His eyes shone with excitement, as he nodded in agreement, "to a lovely dance, and to many more to come!" He announced jovially, clinking his glass against Nuri's.

His smile was contagious, "to that then." Nuri said, half-heartedly attempting to sound as jovial as his ex-dance partner. Ignis Tenebrio had the kind-of affect on him that made his mood change completely, and made him forget everyone around him, including why he was at the benefit ball in the first place. He tilted the glass against his lips, letting some of the liquid slip into his mouth. Surprisingly it wasn't as bad as he'd anticipated, and he found himself smiling at the taste.

"See," Ignis teased, emptying his glass through a series of small sips.

Nuri simply nodded, with a silly smile stuck on his face. There was a short, sort of silence between the two, with the music and the background chatter filling in the blanks. Nuri took the opportunity to gaze around the room, in search of Meri's petite figure and found her laughing with the polite stranger who'd practically adopted her for the night. It brought him some relief knowing she was all right. He found Avani easily, her striking presence easily located, even in the dense crowd of nobles. She danced with a noble-born Magi descendant, he twirled her around, barely able to take his eyes off her alluring figure.

"So, now that I've shown you something worth remembering, it's only fair that you return the favour." Ignis said, and Nuri turned back to his companion. He laughed sheepishly, trying to compensate for the fact that he'd never been to Lapid.

"Of course," he reasoned, nodding quickly, "though I'm not sure what."

Ignis laughed carelessly, "I suppose it's not quite fair, considering it's your first year attending." He said with an apologetic, sheepish grin. Nuri gazed down for a second, biting his lip momentarily as if to scrape up the courage to utter his next sentence.

He looked back up with the same grin as before, "guess it's not really my scene." He said nonchalantly.

At this, Ignis nodded, "then I have just the thing." He grabbed Nuri's hand, and without protest, he dragged Nuri swiftly out of the colossal dance hall, and out into the garden. Lights adorned the pristinely cut shrubbery and the white roses shone ethereally in the moonlight. It was a vision from out of his dreams, he thought. He led them to a tiny, bench in the middle of the garden, quite far away from the noise of the party, and as soon as he was certain no one was looking, reached toward the head of one of the small cupid statues that had decorated the area next to the bench, twisting it around. It happened too fast for Nuri to protest, but they swung around into an isolated, secret part of the garden. The grass was softer, and it was lit up by tiny, blue creatures that floated blissfully along the lull of the soft breeze that swept through the garden. Ignis lay down on the grass, not caring about his suit, while Nuri stood on guard, ready to attack whomever had tried to attack them previously, as he'd thought. But as he saw Ignis lying lazily on the grass, the fire in the palm of his hand diminished, and he exhaled slowly, leaning against the grass wall. Suddenly, Ignis sat up, curiousity sparking in his prominent eyes.

"You're a fire Mage!" He spoke, but the term was foreign to Nuri, who only looked to him with a confused glare, "those are rare! Also, what do you think of my little spot? It's not in any of the records, so keep it quiet." He said with a playful wink.

"Fire mage?" Nuri asked, not quite familiar with Magi identification, "it's quaint," he said, referring to the garden.

"Relax," Ignis said, regarding Nuri's confusion with a laugh. Nuri watched as his hand lit up with beautiful white flames, white flames. He'd never heard of someone who could manipulate them, he'd heard of Children born with the ability to control blue flames, but this he had never seen. Milo had told him once that there was a Magi Clan that could manipulate both light and fire, resulting in white flames, but Nuri had never listened during his history lessons, purely because Vayu absorbed everything Milo said like a sponge, and because Avani was practically a Magi History expert. He did however remember what Milo had taught him about Magi Clans. They were like Aureans, but not of Aurean descent. Their magical power was drawn from something in their blood called mana, while Aureans drew from nature and sometimes even their own life force. The Magi Clans were a lot more common than the Aureans, and were seemingly becoming more and more powerful due to the Royal Magic Academy located in the Sovereign Capital. There were rumours among the Aurean Elders that the heir of the Sovereign Throne, Prince William Atthill was assembling a special task force, directed toward wiping out the Aureans, made of students from the Royal Academy. Nuri disregarded the theories as he looked back up to Ignis, with a massive grin on his face, about to open his mouth and excitedly declare something. He didn't say anything, because an ear-piercing scream tore through the joviality of the night.

A/N:

edited version of this chapter is almost 4,000 WORDS LONG!! 

hope this revised draft is a lot cooler. as u can see i added avani in, since she was supposed to come along originally, but i forgot in the rush of nano...

w love

dan